Movies like Hōkūleʻa: Finding the Language of the Navigator (2023)
The best movies like Hōkūleʻa: Finding the Language of the Navigator (2023) are True Spirit (2023), Treasure Island (1950) and The Mercy (2018). If Hōkūleʻa: Finding the Language of the Navigator hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedMen of Honor (2000)7.5/10 from 2,632 votes
- NewestRose of Nevada (2026)Released 2026
True Spirit (2023)
When the tenacious young sailor Jessica Watson sets out to be the youngest person to sail solo, nonstop and unassisted around the world, many expect her to fail. With the support of her sailing coach and mentor Ben Bryant and her parents, Jessica is determined to accomplish what was thought to be impossible, navigating some of the world’s most challenging stretches of ocean over the course of 210 days.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTreasure Island (1950)
Enchanted by the idea of locating treasure buried by Captain Flint, Squire Trelawney, Dr. Livesey and Jim Hawkins charter a sailing voyage to a Caribbean island. Unfortunately, a large number of Flint's old pirate crew are aboard the ship, including Long John Silver.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Mercy (2018)
In 1968, Donald Crowhurst, an amateur sailor, endangers the fate of his family and business, and his own life, blinded by his ambition to compete in the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race, attempting to become the first person in history to single-handedly circumnavigate the world without making any stopover.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisRose of Nevada (2026)
When a fishing boat, the Rose of Nevada, lost with all hands 30 years ago, mysteriously reappears in the old harbour of a forgotten Cornish village, for those who remember, it’s surely a sign. The boat must go out to sea again and maybe then the luck of the devastated village will turn. Young father Nick and enigmatic newcomer Liam join captain Murgey, and they head to sea. But when they return, satisfied with their haul, something is amiss – they’ve slipped back in time, and the villagers greet them as if they are the original crew.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTreasure Island (1934)
In this early film adaptation of the classic novel by Robert Louis Stevenson, young Jim Hawkins is caught up with the pirate Long John Silver in search of buccaneer Captain Flint's buried treasure.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)
A ship sent to investigate a wave of mysterious sinkings encounters the advanced submarine, the Nautilus, commanded by Captain Nemo.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAtlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)
A young linguist named Milo Thatch joins an intrepid group of explorers to find the mysterious lost continent of Atlantis.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMen of Honor (2000)
Against formidable odds -- and an old-school diving instructor embittered by the U.S. Navy's new, less prejudicial policies -- Carl Brashear sets his sights on becoming the Navy's first African-American master diver in this uplifting true story. Their relationship starts out on the rocks, but fate ultimately conspires to bring the men together into a setting of mutual respect, triumph and honor.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTreasure Island (1972)
Young Jim Hawkins finds himself serving with pirate captain Long John Silver in search of a buccaneer's treasure, in this short adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic tale.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Lost City of Z (2017)
A true-life drama in the 1920s, centering on British explorer Col. Percy Fawcett, who discovered evidence of a previously unknown, advanced civilization in the Amazon and disappeared whilst searching for it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Philadelphia Experiment (1984)
Based on an "actual event" that took place in 1943. About a US Navy Destroyer Escort that disappeared from the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, and sent two men 40 years into the future to 1984.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMurder Ahoy (1964)
During an annual board of trustees meeting, one of the trustees dies. Miss Marple thinks he’s been poisoned after finding a chemical on him. She sets off to investigate at the ship where he had just come from. The fourth and final film from the Miss Marple series starring Margaret Rutherford as the quirky amateur detective.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Book of Love (2017)
After tragedy strikes Henry and Penny, he befriends a tenacious young girl and discovers she is constructing a raft to sail across the Atlantic to find her lost father. Together, along with some unlikely friends, they set forth to construct the vessel and subsequently rebuild their lives.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSquanto: A Warrior's Tale (1994)
It's the 17th century, and Native American Squanto roams free in the New World until he's captured by visiting sailors who take him back to England. Monk Brother Daniel teaches him social customs, but other Englishmen aren't as kind. Squanto becomes the unwilling star of performances that highlight his fighting skills, but he eventually engineers a return trip to America. He finds that his home has changed forever, and he must chart a new path for his people.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Sea Wolf (1941)
Shipwrecked fugitives try to escape a brutal sea captain who's losing his mind.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Blue Lagoon (1980)
Two small children and a ship's cook survive a shipwreck and find safety on an idyllic tropical island. Soon, however, the cook dies and the young boy and girl are left on their own. Days become years and Emmeline and Richard make a home for themselves surrounded by exotic creatures and nature's beauty. But will they ever see civilization again?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMutiny on the Bounty (1935)
Fletcher Christian successfully leads a revolt against the ruthless Captain Bligh on the HMS Bounty. However, Bligh returns one year later, hell bent on revenge.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTitanic: The Digital Resurrection (2025)
Using cutting-edge scanning technology and state-of-the-art CGI, a team of experts creates the first high-resolution 3D digital twin of the Titanic wreck. Through a groundbreaking immersive investigation, they uncover the ship’s final moments, shedding light on the acts of heroism and cowardice aboard—and revealing the true story behind the sinking of the “unsinkable” ship.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Two Faces of January (2014)
After he kills a detective, a con artist and his wife must trust a potentially dangerous stranger to help them get out of Greece.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisTreasure Island (1990)
Young Jim Hawkins, while running the Benbow Inn with his mother, meets Captain Billy Bones, who dies at the inn while it is beseiged by buccaneers led by Blind Pew. Jim and his mother fight off the attackers and discover Billy Bones' treasure map for which the buccaneers had come. Jim agrees to sail on the S.S. Hispaniola with Squire Trelawney and Dr. Livesey to find the treasure on a mysterious island. Upon arriving at the island, ship's cook and scallywag Long John Silver leads a mutiny of crew members who want the treasure for themselves. Jim helps the Squire and Hispaniola officers to survive the mutiny and fight back against Silver's men, who have taken over the ship.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Hōkūleʻa: Finding the Language of the Navigator?
The closest matches to Hōkūleʻa: Finding the Language of the Navigator are True Spirit (2023), Treasure Island (1950) and The Mercy (2018). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Hōkūleʻa: Finding the Language of the Navigator?
Start with True Spirit (2023), the closest match to Hōkūleʻa: Finding the Language of the Navigator.
What is the highest-rated movie like Hōkūleʻa: Finding the Language of the Navigator?
Men of Honor (2000), rated 7.5/10 by 2,632 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Hōkūleʻa: Finding the Language of the Navigator?
Rose of Nevada (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Hōkūleʻa: Finding the Language of the Navigator?
Yes: True Spirit (2023), Treasure Island (1950) and The Mercy (2018).
How are movies similar to Hōkūleʻa: Finding the Language of the Navigator chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Hōkūleʻa: Finding the Language of the Navigator, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.