12 Movies Like The Story of Film: An Odyssey You Need to Watch
Discover documentary and history picks with horror, biography, and drama—from The Power of Film to The Apollo—curated for fans of rich, thoughtful viewing.
If you’re searching for movies like The Story of Film: An Odyssey, you probably want thoughtful documentaries that go beyond trivia and give you a bigger view of history, art, and culture. This list brings together titles such as The Power of Film, Eli Roth's History of Horror, The Apollo, and Inventions That Shook the World, each offering a fresh angle on how stories shape the way we see the world. You’ll also find time-spanning and faith-focused picks like Secrets of Christianity and America: Promised Land, plus the reflective drama Time of Essence. Whether your taste leans toward documentary, history, horror, biography, or drama, these selections balance insight with strong storytelling.
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01
Secrets of Christianity
documentary · history
Three time Emmy-award winning journalist Simcha Jacobovici solves ancient mysteries and finds that history is often not what we have been led to believe.
Directed by Simcha Jacobovici, Christopher BehnischCast Nouha KabbanyPeacock PremiumFreevee -
02
The Power of Film
documentary
Dives deep into the art of storytelling by examining the defining principles and inner workings of the most popular and memorable American films of all time.
Directed by Laura GabbertCast Howard SuberMax -
03
Eli Roth's History of Horror
documentary · history · horror
An in-depth look at the history and pop cultural significance of horror films.
Directed by Kurt SayengaCast Alan Maxson, Ariel de Ment, Jacquie Nguyen, Mike Ancas, Jeffrey CombsAMC+ -
04
Time of Essence
documentary
It highlights how ESSENCE Magazine has informed and reflected Black culture in the United States in the last 50 years.
Max -
05
Inventions That Shook the World
documentary · biography · drama · history
A series covering the 20th Century's notable inventions. Each episode covers a decade with great period video footage.
Directed by David WeaverCast Mark DeNicola, Steve Herringer, Christopher O'Neill, Josh Vokey, Craig ArnoldFreevee -
06
The Apollo
documentary
The history of New York City's Apollo Theater in Harlem is given the full treatment.
Directed by Roger Ross WilliamsCast B. ThompsonMax -
07
America: Promised Land
documentary · history
The epic history behind the creation of America, exploring how and why our ancestors came to this country.
Examine the massive immigration patterns of ethnic groups to the United States through the telling of historical events including the Dutch Fur Trade, the Great Potato Famine, the California Gold Rush and more.
Directed by Dan Clifton, Jamie CrawfordCast Corey Johnson, Scot Cooper, Milton Schorr, Richard Lothian, Clyde BerningAmazon Prime Video -
08
Abstract: The Art of Design
documentary
Step inside the minds of the most innovative designers in a variety of disciplines and learn how design impacts every aspect of life.
Directed by Morgan Neville, Brian Oakes, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Richard Press, Sarina RomaCast Christoph Niemann, Tinker Hatfield, Es Devlin, Bjarke Ingels, Ralph GillesNetflix -
09
Secret History of Comics
documentary · history
A six-part documentary series that takes a deeper look into the stories, people and events that have transformed the world of comic books.
Directed by Rory Karpf, Daniel Junge, Jesse James MillerCast Famke Janssen, J.K. Simmons, Neal Adams, Jim Lee, Chris Patrick-SimpsonAMC+ -
10
Cobain: Montage of Heck
documentary · animation · biography · music
Hailed as one of the most innovative and intimate documentaries of all time, experience Kurt Cobain like never before in the only ever fully authorized portrait of the famed music icon. Academy Award nominated filmmaker Brett Morgen expertly blends Cobain's personal archive of art, music, never seen before movies, animation and revelatory interviews from his family and closest friends.
Directed by Brett MorgenCast Kurt Cobain, Courtney Love, Krist Novoselic, Dave Grohl, Frances Bean CobainMax -
11
Museum Secrets
documentary
Museum Secrets combines surprising discoveries about things we all recognize with amazing revelations about things we’ve never seen before. Every episode travels to one of the world’s top museums to tell the stories of six irreplaceable artifacts. For each of these treasures the series myth-busts familiar legends with cutting edge research and technology, and uncovers a fascinating secret. The 22 museums featured in the series are renowned for their rich collections, stunning architecture, and the prominent roles they have played in the history of art, culture, research and human achievement.
Directed by David Langer, David New, Kenton Vaughan, Rebecca Snow, Paul KilbackCast Colm FeoreFreevee -
12
Mankind: The Story of All of Us
documentary · history
Mankind The Story of All of Us is an epic 12-hour television event about the greatest adventure of all time—the history of the human race.
It takes 10 billion years for the ideal planet to form and 3 billion more for the right conditions to emerge before it finally happens: mankind begins. From there unfolds a fast-paced story told here through key turning points—stepping stones in our journey from hunter-gatherer to global citizen. It’s a tale of connections—why some ideas take hold and spread around the globe, and how the lives of people in one part of the world are shaped by events in another.
Directed by Dan Clifton, Hugh Ballantyne, Nick Brown, Virginia Quinn, Louise HooperCast Patrick John Walton, Scot Cooper, Armand Aucamp, Sean C. Michael, Darron MeyerAmazon Prime Video
Wrapping Up
The best picks on this page do more than inform; they give you a reason to keep watching and thinking after the credits roll. From film culture to religion, invention, performance, and American history, each title adds a different perspective to the conversation. Bookmark this page if you want a reliable place to return to when you’re in the mood for smart nonfiction viewing, and check back again soon. This page is updated regularly so you can always find a current mix of related recommendations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes these movies similar to The Story of Film: An Odyssey?
These picks were matched by tone, themes, and story style using a similarity model trained on plot synopses, genres, and cast — not just shared genre tags — so the connection runs deeper than a simple category match.
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Last updated: September 8, 2026