Movies like Howard the Duck (1986)
The best movies like Howard the Duck (1986) are Spider-Man Strikes Back (1978), The Rocketeer (1991) and Superman III (1983). If Howard the Duck hooked you with its comedy and adventure, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedBack to the Future (1985)8.3/10 from 22,737 votes
- NewestMuppets from Space (1999)Released 1999
Spider-Man Strikes Back (1978)
At the New York State University, one of Peter Parker's tutors has accidentally given three students all the materials they need to create an atomic bomb. While Peter Parker tries to find out what's happened, the police suspect him of the crime, and Peter has to deal with an attractive journalist determined to get an interview with Spider-Man. Then dastardly millionaire Mr. White shows up, and will stop at nothing to get his hands on the atomic bomb. Spider-Man must defeat this scheming villain and stop him blowing up the World Trade Centre.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both adventure & science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Rocketeer (1991)
A stunt pilot comes across a prototype jetpack that gives him the ability to fly. However, evil forces of the world also want this jetpack at any cost.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both adventure & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSuperman III (1983)
Aiming to defeat the Man of Steel, wealthy executive Ross Webster hires bumbling but brilliant Gus Gorman to develop synthetic kryptonite, which yields some unexpected psychological effects. Between rekindling romance with his high school sweetheart and saving himself, Superman must contend with a powerful supercomputer.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisWeird Science (1985)
Two unpopular teenagers, Gary and Wyatt, fail at all attempts to be accepted by their peers. Their desperation to be liked leads them to "create" a woman via their computer. Their living and breathing creation is a gorgeous woman, Lisa, whose purpose is to boost their confidence level by putting them into situations which require Gary and Wyatt to act like men.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHoney, I Shrunk the Kids (1989)
The scientist father of a teenage girl and boy accidentally shrinks his and two other neighborhood teens to the size of insects. Now the teens must fight diminutive dangers as the father searches for them.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both adventure & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like this*batteries not included (1987)
In a soon to be demolished block of apartments, the residents resist the criminal methods used to force them to leave so a greedy tycoon can build his new skyscraper. When tiny mechanical aliens land for a recharge, they decide to stay and help out.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisInnerspace (1987)
Test pilot Tuck Pendleton volunteers to test a special vessel for a miniaturization experiment. Accidentally injected into a neurotic hypochondriac, Jack Putter, Tuck must convince Jack to find his ex-girlfriend, Lydia Maxwell, to help him extract Tuck and his ship and re-enlarge them before his oxygen runs out.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisExplorers (1985)
Middle schooler Ben spends his free time watching sci-fi films, playing video games and reading comic books. Surprisingly, his affinity for all things fantastical yields a real result – when he has a vivid dream about technology, his prodigy best friend Wolfgang manages to create a working spacecraft. Joined by their buddy Darren, the boys take off into outer space and encounter some very odd extraterrestrial life.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both science fiction & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMy Favorite Martian (1999)
Ambitious television reporter Tim O'Hara stumbles upon a martian whose spaceship has accidentally crashed on Earth. Thinking this is his ticket to a Pulitzer Prize, Tim makes plans to expose the martian, who, posing as Tim's Uncle Martin, takes human form and has plans of his own. In fact, all of Tim's efforts to divulge the truth are systematically thwarted by the resourceful alien, who ultimately recruits Tim to help him repair his ship for a return to Mars.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisFlight of the Navigator (1986)
12-year-old David is accidentally knocked out in the forest near his home, but when he awakens eight years have passed. His family is overjoyed to have him back, but is just as perplexed as he is that he hasn't aged. When a NASA scientist discovers a UFO nearby, David gets the chance to unravel the mystery and recover the life he lost.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both science fiction & adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCocoon (1985)
When a group of trespassing seniors swim in a pool containing alien cocoons, they find themselves energized with youthful vigor.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSpaced Invaders (1990)
A crew of Martians overhears a radio broadcast of Orson Welles' "War of the Worlds" coming from Earth, and, thinking the Martian fleet is attacking Earth, they land their broken-down ship in a backwater mid-American town. As luck would have it, they land on Halloween and get mistaken for trick-or-treaters. Comedy ensues as the Martians try to get taken seriously.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisMy Stepmother Is an Alien (1988)
Trying to rescue her home planet from destruction, a gorgeous extraterrestrial named Celeste arrives on Earth and begins her scientific research. She woos quirky scientist Dr. Steve Mills, a widower with a young daughter. Before long, Celeste finds herself in love with Steve and her new life on Earth, where she experiences true intimacy for the first time. But when she loses sight of her mission, she begins to question where she belongs.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisShort Circuit (1986)
After a lightning bolt zaps a robot named Number 5, the lovable machine starts to think he's human and escapes the lab. Hot on his trail is his designer, Newton, who hopes to get to Number 5 before the military does. In the meantime, a spunky animal lover mistakes the robot for an alien and takes him in, teaching her new guest about life on Earth.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both science fiction & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCondorman (1981)
Comic artist and writer Woody performs a simple courier operation for his friend Harry who works for the CIA. But when he successfully fends off hostile agents, he earns the respect of the beautiful Natalia, who requests his assistance for her defection. Woody uses this request as leverage to use the CIA's resources to bring his comic book creation, Condorman, to life to battle the evil Krokov.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & adventure
SnoozefestMovies like thisHoney, I Blew Up the Kid (1992)
Wayne Szalinski is at it again. But instead of shrinking things, he tries to make a machine that can make things grow. As in the first one, his machine isn't quite accurate. But when he brings Nick & his toddler son Adam to see his invention, the machine unexpectedly starts working. And when Adam comes right up to the machine, he gets zapped along with his stuffed bunny.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both adventure & comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991)
The Turtles and the Shredder battle once again, this time for the last cannister of the ooze that created the Turtles, which Shredder wants to create an army of new mutants. Meanwhile Splinter is coming... to a decision.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both science fiction & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)
Adventurer/surgeon/rock musician Buckaroo Banzai and his band of men, the Hong Kong Cavaliers, take on evil alien invaders from the 8th dimension.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both science fiction & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBack to the Future (1985)
Eighties teenager Marty McFly is accidentally sent back in time to 1955, inadvertently disrupting his parents' first meeting and attracting his mother's romantic interest. Marty must repair the damage to history by rekindling his parents' romance and - with the help of his eccentric inventor friend Doc Brown - return to 1985.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both adventure & comedy
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisConeheads (1993)
A pair of aliens arrive on Earth to prepare for invasion, but crash instead. With enormous cone-shaped heads, robotlike walks and an appetite for toilet paper, aliens Beldar and Prymatt don't exactly blend in with the population of Paramus, N.J. But for some reason, everyone believes them when they say they're from France.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisD.A.R.Y.L. (1985)
Daryl is a normal 10-year-old boy in many ways. However, unbeknown to his foster parents and friends, Daryl is actually a government-created robot with superhuman reflexes and mental abilities. Even his name has a hidden meaning -- it's actually an acronym for Data Analyzing Robot Youth Life-form. When the organization that created him deems the "super soldier" experiment a failure and schedules Daryl to be disassembled, it is up to a few rogue scientists to help him escape.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both science fiction & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)
A quartet of humanoid turtles, trained by their mentor in Ninjutsu, must learn to work together to face the menace of Shredder and the Foot Clan.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both science fiction & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMuppets from Space (1999)
When Gonzo's breakfast cereal tells him that he's the descendant of aliens from another planet, his attempts at extraterrestrial communication get him kidnapped by a secret government agency, prompting the Muppets to spring into action to rescue their friend.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMom and Dad Save the World (1992)
Emperor Spengo sees Marge Nelson and using a giant magnet, kidnaps her and her husband Dick, hoping to make Marge his before blowing up the Earth. The Emperor and other inhabitants of his planet are somewhat less than bright, and Dick begins reliving episodes of Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers in order to rescue Marge, save the Earth, and restore the rightful emperor to the throne.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both adventure & comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisReal Men (1987)
A womanizing CIA agent and an insecure insurance agent are paired together to make sure a deal goes through with aliens for the future of mankind.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNot Quite Human II (1989)
Chip, the android boy is back. This time, he is off to college, suffering from a computer virus and in love with Roberta, another android. Will there be a happy ending?
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both science fiction & comedy
The Incredible Shrinking Woman (1981)
After being exposed to a bizarre mixture of household chemicals, Pat Kramer begins to shrink. This baffles scientists, makes parenting difficult, warms the hearts of Americans, and captures the attention of a group of people who want to take over the world. This evil group plots to kidnap Pat and perform experiments on her so that they can eventually shrink everyone.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisWhy Did You Pick On Me? (1980)
Following the events of The Sheriff and the Satellite Kid, Sheriff Hall and H-725 (using the official identity of Charlie Warren) still get no rest from the military - because the little alien has not yet grasped the meaning of keeping a low profile. They are constantly on the move, and H-725's father has had to pick them out of a tight spot too many times already.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPopeye (1980)
Popeye is a super-strong, spinach-scarfing sailor man who's searching for his father. During a storm that wrecks his ship, Popeye washes ashore and winds up rooming at the Oyl household, where he meets Olive. Before he can win her heart, he must first contend with Olive's fiancé, Bluto.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both adventure & comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisCocoon: The Return (1988)
The reinvigorated elderly group that left Earth comes back to visit their relatives. Will they all decide to go back to the planet where no one grows old, or will they be tempted to remain on Earth?
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & science fiction
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Howard the Duck?
The closest matches to Howard the Duck are Spider-Man Strikes Back (1978), The Rocketeer (1991) and Superman III (1983). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Howard the Duck?
People who watched Howard the Duck most often go on to Spider-Man Strikes Back (1978), The Rocketeer (1991) and Superman III (1983).
What is the highest-rated movie like Howard the Duck?
Back to the Future (1985), rated 8.3/10 by 22,737 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Howard the Duck?
Muppets from Space (1999) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Howard the Duck?
Yes: Spider-Man Strikes Back (1978), The Rocketeer (1991) and Superman III (1983).
How are movies similar to Howard the Duck chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Howard the Duck, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.