Movies like The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013)
The best movies like The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013) are Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham (2023), Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant (2009) and The Forbidden Kingdom (2008). If The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones hooked you with its fantasy and action, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)8.5/10 from 28,853 votes
- NewestAngels Fallen: Warriors of Peace (2024)Released 2024
Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham (2023)
Explorer Bruce Wayne accidentally unleashes an ancient evil, and returns to Gotham after being away for two decades. There, Batman battles Lovecraftian supernatural forces and encounters allies and enemies such as Green Arrow, Ra's al Ghul, Mr. Freeze, Killer Croc, Two-Face and James Gordon.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant (2009)
When Darren Shan is taken to a circus that's chock-full of sideshow oddities, he meets a vampire and receives a life-changing bite on the neck.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & action
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Forbidden Kingdom (2008)
An American teenager who is obsessed with Hong Kong cinema and kung-fu classics makes an extraordinary discovery in a Chinatown pawnshop: the legendary stick weapon of the Chinese sage and warrior, the Monkey King. With the lost relic in hand, the teenager unexpectedly finds himself travelling back to ancient China to join a crew of warriors from martial arts lore on a dangerous quest to free the imprisoned Monkey King.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDragonheart: Vengeance (2021)
Lukas, a young farmer whose family is killed by savage raiders in the countryside, sets out on an epic quest for revenge, forming an unlikely trio with a majestic dragon and a swashbuckling, sword-fighting mercenary, Darius.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAngels Fallen: Warriors of Peace (2024)
When an Iraq War veteran receives a calling from a higher power, he embarks on a mission to stop a fallen angel from raising an army of the dead to take over the world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & fantasy
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Frodo Baggins and the other members of the Fellowship continue on their sacred quest to destroy the One Ring--but on separate paths. Their destinies lie at two towers - Orthanc Tower in Isengard, where the corrupt wizard Saruman awaits, and Sauron's fortress at Barad-dur, deep within the dark lands of Mordor.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & action
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisBasilisk: The Serpent King (2006)
Two millennia ago, a Lybian king has a basilisk (snake-shaped dragon), which petrifies people, subjected to the same fate with a golden scepter during a solar eclipse. Both these and several victims are dug up by modern archaeologist Harrison 'Harry' McColl's expedition. Despite a cryptic warning from tribal locals, everything goes to his Colorado university's museum. It's all exhibited during another eclipse, which leads to the monster reviving. Harry and some of his friends must try to petrify the monster again.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Young hobbit Frodo Baggins, after inheriting a mysterious ring from his uncle Bilbo, must leave his home in order to keep it from falling into the hands of its evil creator. Along the way, a fellowship is formed to protect the ringbearer and make sure that the ring arrives at its final destination: Mt. Doom, the only place where it can be destroyed.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & action
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisWillow (1988)
The evil Queen Bavmorda hunts the newborn princess Elora Danan, a child prophesied to bring about her downfall. When the royal infant is found by Willow, a timid farmer and aspiring sorcerer, he's entrusted with delivering her from evil.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)
Following Smaug's attack on Laketown, Bilbo and the dwarves try to defend Erebor's mountain of treasure from others who claim it: the men of the ruined Laketown and the elves of Mirkwood. Meanwhile an army of Orcs led by Azog the Defiler is marching on Erebor, fueled by the rise of the dark lord Sauron. Dwarves, elves and men must unite, and the hope for Middle-Earth falls into Bilbo's hands.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWinter's Tale (2014)
A burglar falls for an heiress as she dies in his arms. When he learns that he has the gift of reincarnation, he sets out to save her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFirebreather (2010)
It's not easy being a teen like Duncan. His mom wants him to pay more attention to his homework, while his dad - a 120-foot-tall monster known as a Kaiju - wants him to become the next King of All Monsters. When these worlds collide, Duncan must use his human wits and his Kaiju powers - including super strength, agility and the ability to breathe fire - to protect his family and friends from a giant monster rampage.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWarcraft (2016)
The peaceful realm of Azeroth stands on the brink of war as its civilization faces a fearsome race of invaders: orc warriors fleeing their dying home to colonize another. As a portal opens to connect the two worlds, one army faces destruction and the other faces extinction. From opposing sides, two heroes are set on a collision course that will decide the fate of their family, their people, and their home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKnights of the Zodiac (2023)
When a headstrong street orphan, Seiya, in search of his abducted sister unwittingly taps into hidden powers, he discovers he might be the only person alive who can protect a reincarnated goddess, sent to watch over humanity. Can he let his past go and embrace his destiny to become a Knight of the Zodiac?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Dark Tower (2017)
A boy haunted by visions of a parallel world aids its disillusioned guardian in preventing the destruction of the nexus of universes known as the Dark Tower.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & action
SnoozefestMovies like thisJack the Giant Slayer (2013)
The story of an ancient war that is reignited when a young farmhand unwittingly opens a gateway between our world and a fearsome race of giants. Unleashed on the Earth for the first time in centuries, the giants strive to reclaim the land they once lost, forcing the young man, Jack into the battle of his life to stop them. Fighting for a kingdom, its people, and the love of a brave princess, he comes face to face with the unstoppable warriors he thought only existed in legend–and gets the chance to become a legend himself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & action
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
The Dwarves, Bilbo and Gandalf have successfully escaped the Misty Mountains, and Bilbo has gained the One Ring. They all continue their journey to get their gold back from the Dragon, Smaug.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisVampire Academy (2014)
Rose, a rebellious half-vampire/half-human guardian-in-training and her best friend, Lissa -- a mortal, royal vampire Princess - have been on the run when they are captured and returned to St. Vladamirs Academy, the very place where they believe their lives may be in most jeopardy. Rose will sacrifice everything to protect Lissa from those who intend to exploit her from within the Academy walls and the Strigoi (immortal, evil vampires) who hunt her kind from outside its sanctuary.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSomething Wicked This Way Comes (1983)
In a small American town, a diabolical circus arrives, granting wishes for the townsfolk, but twisted as only the esteemed Mr. Dark can make them. Can two young boys overcome the worst the devil himself can deal out?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
Doctor Strange, with the help of mystical allies both old and new, traverses the mind-bending and dangerous alternate realities of the Multiverse to confront a mysterious new adversary.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisKilling the Devil (1970)
A lonely woman gets more than she bargained for when she begins wooing Mr Devil, an insatiable glutton who turns out to be the boyfriend from Hell.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
Murder on the Orient Express (1974)
In 1935, when his train is stopped by deep snow, detective Hercule Poirot is called on to solve a murder that occurred in his car the night before.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPirates Down the Street (2020)
When a pirate family's arrival shakes up a coastal town, the kids next door offer to help them blend in and fight a bitter rival.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Death on the Nile (1978)
As Hercule Poirot enjoys a luxurious cruise down the Nile, a newlywed heiress is found murdered on board and every elegant passenger becomes a prime suspect.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEvil Under the Sun (1982)
An opulent beach resort provides a scenic background to this amusing whodunit as Poirot attempts to uncover the nefarious evildoer behind the strangling of a notorious stage star.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSunburn (TBA)
A mother inexplicably and abruptly walks out on her family and hitches a ride to a nowhere beach town 100 miles away. It’s the start of a twisted plan that involves a murder in her past, a hidden stash of millions, and an urge to be free from all the men who have tried to control her. By the time she’s over the state line, we realize this isn’t the first time she’s vanished. She has several secret lives scattered in her wake, and the people she left behind are eager for revenge.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery
Gone Baby Gone (2007)
When 4 year old Amanda McCready disappears from her home and the police make little headway in solving the case, the girl's aunt, Beatrice McCready hires two private detectives, Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro. The detectives freely admit that they have little experience with this type of case, but the family wants them for two reasons—they're not cops and they know the tough neighborhood in which they all live.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMavka: The Forest Song (2023)
Mavka, a Soul of the Forest, faces an impossible choice between love and her duty as Guardian of the Heart of the Forest when she falls for a human, a talented young musician named Lukas.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Sum of All Fears (2002)
When the president of Russia suddenly dies, a man whose politics are virtually unknown succeeds him. The change in political leaders sparks paranoia among American CIA officials, so CIA director Bill Cabot recruits a young analyst to supply insight and advice on the situation. Then the unthinkable happens: a nuclear bomb explodes in a U.S. city, and America is quick to blame the Russians.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Day of the Jackal (1973)
An international assassin known as ‘The Jackal’ is employed by disgruntled French generals to kill President Charles de Gaulle, with a dedicated gendarme on the assassin’s trail.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones?
The closest matches to The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones are Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham (2023), Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant (2009) and The Forbidden Kingdom (2008). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones?
Start with Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham (2023), the closest match to The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones?
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), rated 8.5/10 by 28,853 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones?
Angels Fallen: Warriors of Peace (2024) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones?
Yes: Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham (2023), Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant (2009) and The Forbidden Kingdom (2008).
How are movies similar to The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.