15 Movies Like Lighting Up the Stars

Loved Lighting Up the Stars? Based on its unique Cinema DNA—including its pacing, themes, and emotional tone—we've curated the ultimate list of what you should watch next.

The Shadow's Edge
#1

The Shadow's Edge

Macau Police brings the tracking expert police officer out of retirement to help catch a dangerous group of professional thieves.

💡Why it's a match: A fantastic follow-up watch to Lighting Up the Stars.

Blades of the Guardians: Wind Rises in the Desert
#2

Blades of the Guardians: Wind Rises in the Desert

Dao Ma, the "second most wanted fugitive," is entrusted by his benefactor, the chief of Mo family clan, to take on a mysterious escort mission-escorting the "most wanted fugitive" to Chang'an.

💡Why it's a match: A fantastic follow-up watch to Lighting Up the Stars.

Lust, Caution
#3

Lust, Caution

During World War II, a secret agent must seduce and assassinate an official who works for the Japanese puppet government in Shanghai.

💡Why it's a match: A fantastic follow-up watch to Lighting Up the Stars.

Summer Palace
#4

Summer Palace

Yu Hong leaves her home village and starts university in Beijing, where she develops a consuming and compulsive relationship with another student. The student riots from 1989 then ensue and take a toll on their lives.

💡Why it's a match: A fantastic follow-up watch to Lighting Up the Stars.

Lost in Beijing
#5

Lost in Beijing

A look at modern-day life in China's capital centered on a ménage-a-quatre involving a young woman, her boss, her husband and her boss's wife.

💡Why it's a match: A fantastic follow-up watch to Lighting Up the Stars.

Unknown Pleasures
#6

Unknown Pleasures

Two disaffected, unemployed Chinese youth drift through life on the streets of their industrial town, their paths crossing with that of a local young singer and dancer working for a liquor company as a spokesmodel.

💡Why it's a match: A fantastic follow-up watch to Lighting Up the Stars.

Farewell My Concubine
#7

Farewell My Concubine

In an epic tale of theater, gender, love and class, two Beijing opera actors navigate political turmoil as their friendship evolves over decades.

💡Why it's a match: A fantastic follow-up watch to Lighting Up the Stars.

Fist of Fury
#8

Fist of Fury

During the Japanese occupation of Shanghai, Chen Zhen, the star pupil of a recently-deceased martial arts teacher battles a Japanese dojo which seeks the demise of his fighting school.

💡Why it's a match: A fantastic follow-up watch to Lighting Up the Stars.

Hero
#9

Hero

During China's Warring States period, a district prefect arrives at the palace of Qin Shi Huang, claiming to have killed the three assassins who had made an attempt on the king's life three years ago.

💡Why it's a match: A fantastic follow-up watch to Lighting Up the Stars.

Dear You
#10

Dear You

Grandma Ye Shurou from Chaoshan lived a simple life, enjoying her twilight years. Her grandson, Xiaowei, burdened by debt, secretly traveled to Thailand to find his rumored billionaire grandfather, Zheng Musheng. However, Xiaowei returned with shocking news: his grandfather was long gone, and the person with whom Grandma had exchanged love letters was a complete stranger. As Xiaowei investigated, a love affair hidden for half a century suddenly surfaced, striking Grandma's heart.

💡Why it's a match: A fantastic follow-up watch to Lighting Up the Stars.

Wolf Totem
#11

Wolf Totem

In 1969, a young Beijing student, Chen Zhen, is sent to live among the nomadic herdsmen of Inner Mongolia. Caught between the advance of civilization from the south and the nomads' traditional enemies - the marauding wolves - to the north; humans and animals, residents and invaders alike, struggle to find their true place in the world.

💡Why it's a match: A fantastic follow-up watch to Lighting Up the Stars.

A Brighter Summer Day
#12

A Brighter Summer Day

A boy experiences first love, friendships and injustices growing up in 1960s Taiwan.

💡Why it's a match: A fantastic follow-up watch to Lighting Up the Stars.

To Live
#13

To Live

Married couple Fugui and Jiazhen endure tumultuous events in mid-20th century mainland China as their personal fortunes move from wealthy landownership to peasantry.

💡Why it's a match: A fantastic follow-up watch to Lighting Up the Stars.

Resurrection
#14

Resurrection

In a future where humanity has surrendered its ability to dream in exchange for immortality, an outcast finds illusion, nightmarish visions, and beauty in an intoxicating world of his own making.

💡Why it's a match: A fantastic follow-up watch to Lighting Up the Stars.

The Wandering Earth
#15

The Wandering Earth

When the Sun begins to expand in such a way that it will inevitably engulf and destroy the Earth in a hundred years, united mankind finds a way to avoid extinction by propelling the planet out of the Solar System using gigantic engines, moving it to a new home located four light years away, an epic journey that will last thousands of years.

💡Why it's a match: A fantastic follow-up watch to Lighting Up the Stars.