Plot: Actors (Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent) take on multiple roles in an epic that spans five centuries. An attorney harbors a fleeing slave on a voyage from the Pacific Islands in 1849; a poor composer in pre-World War II Britain struggles to finish his magnum opus before a past act catches up with him; a genetically engineered worker in 2144 feels the forbidden stirring of human consciousness – and so on. As souls are born and reborn, they renew their bonds to one another throughout time.

KBZ’s Take: While confusing for many and often requiring multiple viewings to understand, Cloud Atlas is our favorite lesser-known Action-Adventure film. It’s also one of our favorite Films About Fate & Destiny that incorporates concepts of karma and how your actions affect future lives.

We’ll be the first to admit that the film’s interweaving stories and quick jumps between different time periods can make anybody’s head spin. However, we’re going to offer some recommendations for both first-time viewers of this film and repeat viewers. If you’ve already seen the film:

1. View this Infographic explaining the characters in film
2. Read this short form analysis of each character’s soul and its evolution
3. Watch this video explanation of each time period and events
4. Watch the film again

If you haven’t seen the film yet, watch it first, check out the links above and then watch again. It will be eye opening in ways most films never achieve.

Additional Lists: Top Action Adventure Films You Haven’t Seen #1, Top Films About Fate & Destiny You Haven’t Seen #3

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: Although strangers Sara and Jonathan are both already in relationships, they realize they have genuine chemistry after a chance encounter – but part company soon after. Years later, they each yearn to reunite, despite being destined for the altar. But to give true love a chance, they have to find one another again.

KBZ’s Take: While Serendipity might be the most popular film of the subgenre, it’s not the best (as you can see by our rankings). Though the film is entirely about fate and destiny and people who seem destined to be with each other, the film doesn’t explore deeper levels or meanings of fate and destiny like other films on our list.

With that said, it’s still one of the better romantic films of the subgenre with some great performances from John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale.

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: Tom, greeting-card writer and hopeless romantic, is caught completely off-guard when his girlfriend, Summer, suddenly dumps him. He reflects on their 500 days together to try to figure out where their love affair went sour, and in doing so, Tom rediscovers his true passions in life.

KBZ’s Take: There are two primary drivers of this film that make it one of the best romantic films about fate and destiny.

First, the chemistry between Tom (Jospeh Gordon-Levitt) and Summer (Zooey Deschanel) is one of the best you’ll find in any romantic film. Their performances elevate the film as two individuals who might or might not be destined for love. They infuse their roles with passion and energy that emulates the real-life highs and lows of any relationship.

Second, the direction of Marc Webb and screenplay by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber create a non-linear film experience that starts with the end of the relationship and slowly reveals the key moments in the relationship that led to the end (beginning of the film).

This is one of the better films that explores the role of fate and destiny in one’s mind (within a relationship) where the universe might have something different, yet better, planned for you even in your deepest moments of despair.

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: The last mortal human alive reflects on three different lives he might have led.

KBZ’s Take: Not only is this the best film of the Alternate History films subgenre, but it’s also one of the best films of all time. The film is based on string theory and the butterfly effect and how different branches of life’s paths can occur (often by chance). It’s a film rooted in family and the “What If’s?” that happens based on the decisions you make. It has a non-linear narrative that can be confusing on the first watch, but once you digest your first viewing and watch it again, you’ll appreciate the greatness of this film.

It’s not an action-packed film by any means, but rather a slow meditation and narrative on the choices we make throughout life (and the subsequent worlds that would be created based on those choices). Amazing film and highly recommended for fans of films that deal with fate and destiny and their role in the Multiverse.

Additional Lists: Top Alternate History Films You Haven’t Seen #1, Top Films About Fate & Destiny You Haven’t Seen #4

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: While a shy teacher (Moritz Bleibtreu) travels to meet the woman he loves, he picks up a hitchhiker (Christiane Paul) who has feelings for him.

KBZ’s Take: If you enjoy romantic films that are not subtle with their themes and messaging, then you will love this film. In July is very open about its themes of fate and destiny with Juli (Christiane Paul) convinced Daniel (Moritz Bleibtreu) is her soulmate after talking with him for the first time. However, Daniel doesn’t share that feeling as he’s enamored with a Turkish woman he just met and feels his fate is to travel to Turkey to find her.

What follows is a Road Trip Comedy as these two very different personalities have competing objectives yet continually get separated only to find each other again (in very random situations). It’s a film most people will relate to with its themes of romantic fate and real-world scenarios. If you’ve ever been into someone, they’re not into you, but you’re convinced you both have a special connection, then you’ll be smiling throughout most of this film.

It’s romantic, it’s funny, it has some great themes of fate and destiny and it’s one of the best films of the subgenre you haven’t seen.

Additional Lists: More Fate & Destiny Films You Haven’t Seen #1

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: Young writer Richard Collier is met on the opening night of his first play by an old lady who begs him “to come back to me”. Mystified, he tries to find out about her, and learns that she is a famous stage actress from the early 1900s. Becoming more and more obsessed with her, by self-hypnosis he manages to travel back in time – where he meets her.

KBZ’s Take: Written by Richard Matheson (and based on his 1975 novel, Bid Time Return), this film uses an unusual method of time travel – hypnosis. Though it’s more of a Period Piece Romance than sci-fi, it’s an engaging film on its own merits. It’s also the best romantic film involving time travel with its themes of eternal love and destiny across different eras.

It’s a great story, it has an amazing score by John Barry (that you won’t be able to get out of your head), and it stars three great leads – Christopher Reeve, Jane Seymour and the always amazing Christopher Plummer. A forgotten gem of the early 80’s that shouldn’t be missed by fans of Films About Fate & Destiny, Time Travel Films, or Romantic Dramas. All we can say is that you’ll never look at a penny the same way again…

Additional Lists: Best Time Travel Romance Films #1, Top Films About Fate & Destiny You Haven’t Seen #5, Top Time Travel Films You Haven’t Seen – 1980’s #6, Top Time Travel Films You Haven’t Seen #10

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: An aging Chinese woman is given the power to tap into her other lives in the Multiverse to combat an evil force.

KBZ’s Take:  We wrote about this film well before it won seven Academy Awards including Best Picture in 2023. While initially writing our take on the film as the Top Films About Fate & Destiny You Haven’t Seen, we feel our thoughts below still apply for this specific list.

We’ll start off by saying this film is not for everybody. Though the majority of reviews think this is an immediate classic film (and frontrunner for the Academy Award’s Best Picture for 2022), there are also some people where this film won’t be their ‘cup of tea’. With that said, we can count on one hand the number of films that have blown us away on first viewing. The Matrix (1999) is one of those films, Being John Malkovich (1999) is another.

Everything Everywhere All At Once is the latest to leave us speechless after viewing. This is one of the most unique and original films you will ever see with a crazy premise that gets even crazier throughout the film. It utilizes concepts of Fate & Destiny and The Multiverse that haven’t been done before. Oh, and it’s a Family Drama, Martial Arts Action Film, Action Adventure Film and Raunchy Comedy all at once. Words really cannot describe the film, so you’ll have to trust us and see the film right away.

Admittedly, it takes about 20 minutes in the film to really get going, but once you get to that point, hold on as the ride is just beginning.

Additional Lists: Best Multiverse Films #2, Top Films About Fate & Destiny You Haven’t Seen #1

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: Nora and Hae Sung, two deeply connected childhood friends, are wrest apart after Nora’s family emigrates from South Korea. Decades later, they are reunited for one fateful week as they confront destiny, love and the choices that make a life.

KBZ’s Take: Most films of the subgenre utilize romanticized themes of fate and destiny with underlying fantasy elements. Past Lives is the opposite of those films as it takes a real-life and grounded view of two childhood friends that eventually realize they might be soulmates.

This is one great film that doesn’t shy away from showing the realities of life if a person you’re destined to be with suddenly shows up as you’ve moved on in life. We can’t think of a better film of the subgenre that also explores the thoughts and feelings of a married man who slowly comes to realize that his wife and her childhood friend might in fact be soulmates.

Past Lives will likely end up on quite a few Best of 2023 film lists, and it’s quickly become one of the best films of the subgenre.

Additional Lists: More Fate & Destiny Films You Haven’t Seen #2

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: A man glimpses the future Fate has planned for him and chooses to fight for his own destiny. Battling the powerful Adjustment Bureau across, under and through the streets of New York, he risks his destined greatness to be with the only woman he’s ever loved.

KBZ’s Take: Prominent sci-fi author Philip K. Dick often incorporated themes of fate, destiny and free will into his works. While Minority Report (2002), based on the short story of the same name, explores themes of fate, Adjustment Bureau, based on the Adjustment Team short story, tackles the question – do we control our destiny or are other forces at play leading to a predefined outcome?

Adjustment Bureau is one of the best films of the subgenre that explores these themes of free will and predestination while incorporating a destiny-themed romantic narrative. We don’t want to mention more about the plot (in the event you haven’t seen this film yet), but we’re confident this film will end up being one of your favorites of the subgenre.

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: A biologist studying the evolution of the human eye meets an exotic young woman one night but loses her… events soon lead him to finding her again.

KBZ’s Take: This is one of our favorite overall films and we consider it the best of the subgenre. The film tackles many subjects including Fate & Destiny, Reincarnation and Soulmates. And it’s also one of the deepest romantic films you will ever see. It’s not a romantic comedy about people destined to be together in the vein of Serendipity (2001) but rather a film that explores multilayered concepts of love and the soul.

It’s a film that will have you questioning your own beliefs and some ideas from the film won’t leave you for weeks or months after watching. In our book, that’s the hallmark of an exceptional film when it impacts not only how you think about relationships, but life in general.

It’s one of a handful of films we always recommend to others and is a must-see for fans of the subgenre.

Additional Lists: Top Films About Fate & Destiny You Haven’t Seen #2

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon