A Glean movie guide
Beyond Arrakis
For fans of the epic and atmospheric.
Immersive world-building, political intrigue, and breathtaking cinematic scale.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
Blade Runner 2049
A visually stunning, slow-burn mystery that shares Denis Villeneuve’s signature atmospheric scale.
Thirty years after the events of the first film, a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K, unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what's left of society into chaos. K's discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard, a former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 30 years.
- 02
Lawrence of Arabia
The primary historical inspiration for Dune, featuring sweeping desert vistas and a messianic outsider.
During World War I, English officer Thomas Edward 'T.E.' Lawrence sets out to unite and lead the diverse, often warring, Arab tribes to fight the Turks.
- 03
Interstellar
A grand-scale journey through space that balances high-stakes survival with a powerful emotional core.
The adventures of a group of explorers who make use of a newly discovered wormhole to surpass the limitations on human space travel and conquer the vast distances involved in an interstellar voyage.
- 04
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
A lush animated epic exploring ecological collapse and a messianic leader in a harsh desert world.
After a global war, the seaside kingdom known as the Valley of the Wind remains one of the last strongholds on Earth untouched by a poisonous jungle and the powerful insects that guard it. Led by the courageous Princess Nausicaä, the people of the Valley engage in an epic struggle to restore the bond between humanity and Earth.
- 05
2001: A Space Odyssey
A pioneering masterpiece of philosophical sci-fi that captures the awe and mystery of human evolution.
Humanity finds a mysterious object buried beneath the lunar surface and sets off to find its origins with the help of HAL 9000, the world's most advanced super computer.
- 06
Arrival
An intellectual and serious approach to first contact that prioritizes atmosphere and high-concept themes.
Taking place after alien crafts land around the world, an expert linguist is recruited by the military to determine whether they come in peace or are a threat.
- 07
Kingdom of Heaven
An epic historical drama centered on religious conflict, leadership, and destiny in a desert setting.
After his wife dies, a blacksmith named Balian is thrust into royalty, political intrigue and bloody holy wars during the Crusades.
- 08
Mad Max: Fury Road
A relentless visual marvel focused on resource scarcity and survival within a beautifully realized wasteland.
An apocalyptic story set in the furthest reaches of our planet, in a stark desert landscape where humanity is broken, and most everyone is crazed fighting for the necessities of life. Within this world exist two rebels on the run who just might be able to restore order.
- 09
The Creator
A modern sci-fi epic with high-fidelity world-building and a focus on the ethics of artificial intelligence.
Amid a future war between the human race and the forces of artificial intelligence, a hardened ex-special forces agent grieving the disappearance of his wife, is recruited to hunt down and kill the Creator, the elusive architect of advanced AI who has developed a mysterious weapon with the power to end the war—and mankind itself.
- 10
Children of Men
A grounded and immersive vision of political collapse that maintains a serious, high-stakes tone.
In 2027, in a chaotic world in which humans can no longer procreate, a former activist agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea, where her child's birth may help scientists save the future of humankind.