The Best Movies To Watch If You Like Xenoblade Chronicles

All of the Xenoblade games have expansive lores and breathtaking locations, not to mention a cast of lovable companions that are always well-developed and have a well-defined place in the game’s world. Every entry in this series has done a great job of pulling you into its unique settings that are incomparable to other JRPGs.

There are plenty of sci-fi and fantasy flicks that have a similar vibe of grand world-building and epic storytelling. If you’re looking for some movies that remind you of any of the Xenoblade Chronicles games in one way or another, here are eight great ones worth watching.

8

Avatar: The Way Of Water

Rotten Tomatoes: 76 Percent

Both of James Cameron’s Avatar movies are really good at showcasing a brand new, alien world, and The Way of Water really pushed the visual storytelling component of these movies. The story continues Jake and Neytiri’s journey from the first movie, this time focusing on their newly-introduced family as they try to escape an old enemy, Miles Quaritch, after he’s brought back to life as a Na’vi.

The visuals are breathtaking, especially when watched in IMAX. The pacing in the second act can drag a bit, but it ends with a strong third act. Surprisingly, the movie mostly lived up to the hype even after a thirteen-year gap, and in some ways, is even better than the first Avatar.

7

Minority Report

Rotten Tomatoes: 89 Percent

In Steven Spielberg’s Minority Report, law enforcement uses a system that can predict crimes before they happen, which allows them to arrest criminals before they even commit any wrongdoing. Tom Cruise leads and plays a cop who starts questioning the system when he finds himself accused of a crime he hasn’t committed yet. The movie deals with a sensitive topic like this and its implications pretty well.

The whole idea of being able to see elements of the future is something that fans of the first Xenoblade Chronicles game will find familiar. Shulk’s ability to see glimpses of what’s going to happen and change fate is a big part of the first game’s story, and an interesting gameplay mechanic too.

6

Lord Of The Rings Trilogy

Rotten Tomatoes: 94 Percent

This one is a bit of an obvious pick, and not just one movie, but if you love the feeling of going on an epic adventure with a group of companions in video games, then The Lord of the Rings trilogy is timeless and perfect. The movies follow Frodo and his allies as they journey across Middle-earth to destroy the One Ring and defeat Sauron.

All three movies have deep lore and some of the best world-building ever put into film. The second and third movies also have some of the best battle sequences in a movie. While this one is more of a fantasy setting than sci-fi, it has that same sense of scale and immersion as the Xenoblade games.

5

Annihilation

Rotten Tomatoes: 88 Percent

Just like director Alex Garland’s other sci-fi movie, Ex Machina, Annihilation is also an extremely underrated sci-fi flick. It’s strange and unsettling, but thoroughly captivating with some nice visuals. It follows a group of scientists who go into a mysterious zone called The Shimmer, where the laws of nature don’t work as usual.

There’s a lot of psychological horror involved, such as weird mutations, and themes about identity. It’s not a traditional sci-fi movie and has a slower pacing, but it has an eerie, dreamlike vibe that makes it a worthwhile experience.

4

Dune: Part Two

Rotten Tomatoes: 92 Percent

Denis Villeneuve’s Dune movies have quickly become iconic in just a short period, which just shows how great these movies and their worldbuilding are, thanks in large part to the quality of the original Dune books by Frank Herbert. That’s not to take away from the work Villeneuve has done here, and his directorial talents have made them some of the best science fiction work out there.

Dune: Part Two, especially, really took everything to another level with even more intense storytelling, and was one of the best movies of 2024. The visuals of both movies are also some of the most striking in any movie. The mix of sci-fi and grand storytelling, along with the massive, otherworldy landscapes, can perhaps remind you of Xenoblade in some ways.

3

Cloud Atlas

Rotten Tomatoes: 66 Percent

Cloud Atlas is an extremely ambitious movie, which adapts the 2004 novel of the same name. The movie tells multiple stories across different periods, all connected in unexpected ways. A unique thing about the film adaptation is that it has the same actor play various characters in these different periods, which not only makes sense given the dozens of characters present in this almost three-hour-long film but also works well with the story of the novel itself.

Directed by the Matrix Trilogy’s Wachowski siblings, the movie explores themes of fate and interactions, and how people’s actions can sometimes ripple through time for centuries, almost like a choice-based RPG. It’s a very dense and layered film that will definitely take more than one viewing to fully appreciate and understand, but it’s unlike anything else out there.

2

Pacific Rim

Rotten Tomatoes: 72 Percent

At first glance, Pacific Rim might not seem like it has much in common with Xenoblade, but the human-piloted mechs named Skells being used to fight monsters already feels like Xenoblade Chronicles X, along with the sense of scale and over-the-top action.

The movie is set in a world where humanity is on the brink of destruction, and people have to rely on giant robots called Jaegers to fight back against creatures known as Kaiju. Directed by Guillermo del Toro, it has a uniqueness thanks to his directing skills, especially the fights themselves.

1

The Fifth Element

Rotten Tomatoes: 71 Percent

The Fifth Element feels like it should be a lot more popular than it is. It’s a mix of action, adventure, and comedy, set in a futuristic world that has a unique vibe with its costumes, set designs, and the general way of life. The story follows a normal cab driver, played by Bruce Willis, who gets caught up in a quest to save the universe.

The worldbuilding is colorful, unique, and full of personality, having Cyberpunk influences alongside alien creatures. It’s directed by Luc Besson, who is most notable for making Leon: The Professional. The movie wasn’t much of a hit with critics at the time of release, but it has gained a slight cult following amongst the fans.