Movies like Lensman (1984)
The best movies like Lensman (1984) are Space Adventure Cobra (1982), Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars (2017) and Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (2013). If Lensman hooked you with its animation and action, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedEvangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time (2021)8.2/10 from 1,010 votes
- NewestBabylon 5: The Road Home (2023)Released 2023
- In JapaneseSpace Adventure Cobra (1982)Also in Japanese
Space Adventure Cobra (1982)
Cobra, a notorious space pirate, is enlisted by bounty hunter Jane to rescue her sister from the strange being known as Crystal Bowie, but then finds himself drawn into a complex struggle over the fate of a mysterious wandering planet.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStarship Troopers: Traitor of Mars (2017)
Federation trooper Johnny Rico is ordered to work with a group of new recruits on a satellite station on Mars, where giant bugs have decided to target their next attack.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & action
SnoozefestMovies like thisBatman: The Dark Knight Returns (2013)
Batman has not been seen for ten years. A new breed of criminal ravages Gotham City, forcing fifty-five-year-old Bruce Wayne back into the cape and cowl, but does he still have what it takes to fight crime in a new era?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & action
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisMass Effect: Paragon Lost (2012)
An untold chapter in the Mass Effect saga, following the early career of Alliance Marine, James Vega, as he leads a squad of elite special forces into battle against a mysterious alien threat known as The Collectors. Stationed at a colony in a remote star system, Vega and his troops must protect the inhabitants from an invasion of the deadly insectoid warriors determined to collect the population for unknown purposes. Soon after the attack, Vega's commanding officer falls in battle, forcing the young officer to embrace the responsibility of leadership for the colony's survival. Having idolized Earth's greatest hero and warrior, Commander Shepard (the central character in the Mass Effect video games), the young and idealistic Vega must now make life and the death decisions that will effect not only the lives of his squad, but the lives of every person in the colony - all of whom he has sworn to protect...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEvangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo (2012)
Fourteen years after Third Impact, Shinji Ikari awakens to a world he does not remember. He hasn't aged. Much of Earth is laid in ruins, NERV has been dismantled, and people who he once protected have turned against him. Befriending the enigmatic Kaworu Nagisa, Shinji continues the fight against the angels and realizes the fighting is far from over, even when it could be against his former allies. The characters' struggles continue amidst the battles against the angels and each other, spiraling down to what could inevitably be the end of the world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEvangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time (2021)
In the aftermath of the Fourth Impact, stranded without their Evangelions, Shinji, Asuka and Rei find refuge in one of the rare pockets of humanity that still exist on the ruined planet Earth. There, each lives a life far different from their days as an Evangelion pilot. However, the danger to the world is far from over. A new impact is looming on the horizon—one that will prove to be the true end of Evangelion.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & action
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisGhost in the Shell (1995)
In the year 2029, the barriers of our world have been broken down by the net and by cybernetics, but this brings new vulnerability to humans in the form of brain-hacking. When a highly-wanted hacker known as 'The Puppetmaster' begins involving them in politics, Section 9, a group of cybernetically enhanced cops, are called in to investigate and stop the Puppetmaster.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & animation
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisMobile Suit Gundam I (1981)
In the year Universal Century 0079, humans have colonized the area of space lying in between the Earth and the moon. However, the ambitious Zabi family, rulers of the Duchy of Zeon, the grouping of colonies furthest from the earth, has sparked a war.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBabylon 5: The Road Home (2023)
Travel across the galaxy with John Sheridan as he unexpectedly finds himself transported through multiple timelines and alternate realities in a quest to find his way back home. Along the way he reunites with some familiar faces, while discovering cosmic new revelations about the history, purpose, and meaning of the Universe.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMobile Suit Gundam III: Encounters in Space (1982)
Amuro Ray and the rest of the White Base crew, now denominated the 13th Autonomous Corps, return to outer space to support the rest of the Earth Federation forces for the decisive battle against the Principality of Zeon's forces.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGhost in the Shell: SAC_2045 Sustainable War (2021)
In the year 2045, after an economic disaster known as the Synchronized Global Default, rapid developments in AI propelled the world to enter a state of "Sustainable War". However, the public is not aware of the threat that AI has towards the human race. A compilation film with newly added footage.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSerenity (2005)
A group of rebels travel the outskirts of space evading the sinister Alliance regime. Their lives of smuggling and cargo-running are interrupted by a psychic passenger who harbours a dangerous secret. Soon, the crew find themselves being pursued by an Alliance agent who will stop at nothing to find them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGantz (2010)
After trying to rescue a man on the subway tracks, two teens wake up in a room dominated by a mysterious black sphere that sends them to hunt down and kill aliens hiding on Earth.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAlien³ (1992)
After escaping with Newt and Hicks from the alien planet, Ripley crash lands on Fiorina 161, a prison planet and host to a correctional facility. Unfortunately, although Newt and Hicks do not survive the crash, a more unwelcome visitor does. The prison does not allow weapons of any kind, and with aid being a long time away, the prisoners must simply survive in any way they can.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisReturner (2002)
A young woman from the future forces a local gunman to help her stop an impending alien invasion which will wipe out the human race.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRoyal Space Force - The Wings of Honneamise (1987)
On a future Earth, war between the Kingdom of Honneamise and its rival, The Republic, is inevitable. As evolving technology creates new ways to wage war, a small group seeks to propel mankind into space in their world’s first spaceflight program. For astronaut candidate Shirotsugh Lhadatt, it’s a personal odyssey as he grows from an aimless young man into a leader willing to put everything on the line in order to move the human race forward and away from the brink of Armageddon.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisParasyte: Part 2 (2015)
Humanity is under attack by human-mimicking flesh-eating alien parasites. One parasite bonds with his young high school student host, and he convinces the parasite to help him stop the others.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & action
Worth the HypeMovies like this009-1: The End of the Beginning (2013)
In a universe where the Cold War never ended and growing conflicts result in the rapid advancement of technological warfare, the cyborg spy Mylene Hoffman of the 00 Organization battles the agents of the Eastern block in a game of high tech espionage.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisAliens (1986)
Ripley, the sole survivor of the Nostromo's deadly encounter with the monstrous Alien, returns to Earth after drifting through space in hypersleep for 57 years. Although her story is initially met with skepticism, she agrees to accompany a team of Colonial Marines back to LV-426.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & science fiction
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisPitch Black (2000)
When their ship crash-lands on a remote planet, the marooned passengers soon learn that escaped convict Riddick isn't the only thing they have to fear. Deadly creatures lurk in the shadows, waiting to attack in the dark, and the planet is rapidly plunging into the utter blackness of a total eclipse. With the body count rising, the doomed survivors are forced to turn to Riddick with his eerie eyes to guide them through the darkness to safety. With time running out, there's only one rule: Stay in the light.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisArmageddon (1998)
When an asteroid threatens to collide with Earth, NASA honcho Dan Truman determines the only way to stop it is to drill into its surface and detonate a nuclear bomb. This leads him to renowned driller Harry Stamper, who agrees to helm the dangerous space mission provided he can bring along his own hotshot crew. Among them is the cocksure A.J. who Harry thinks isn't good enough for his daughter, until the mission proves otherwise.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWill-Bot: Friend or Foe (2013)
WILL-BOT is a small robot, who is afraid of everything. WILL-BOT lives alone on a small planet, which he patrols every day, hoping that nothing unusual will happen. One day a dark spaceship lands on the planet and a dangerous looking giant robot forces WILL-BOT to meet him at a chosen location. All hope seems lost, but is the strange visitor really a friend or a foe?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & science fiction
The Dark Side of the Moon (1990)
It is the year 2022. A mysterious systems failure causes the crew of a spaceship to be stranded on the dark side of the moon, while rapidly running out of fuel and oxygen. They are surprised to discover a NASA space shuttle floating in space, and board it in the hope of salvaging some supplies. One by one, the crew is possessed and killed, and it is up to Paxton Warner to find the links between the dark side of the moon, the Bermuda Triangle, and the Devil himself.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisStargate (1994)
An interstellar teleportation device, found in Egypt, leads to a planet with humans resembling ancient Egyptians who worship the god Ra.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisIron Sky (2012)
In the last moments of World War II, a secret Nazi space program evaded destruction by fleeing to the Dark Side of the Moon. During 70 years of utter secrecy, the Nazis construct a gigantic space fortress with a massive armada of flying saucers.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisWALL·E (2008)
After hundreds of years doing what he was built for, WALL•E— a robot designed to clean up the earth—discovers a new purpose in life when he meets a sleek search robot named EVE. EVE comes to realize that WALL•E has inadvertently stumbled upon the key to the planet's future, and races back to space to report to the humans. Meanwhile, WALL•E chases EVE across the galaxy and sets into motion one of the most imaginative adventures ever brought to the big screen.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & science fiction
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisGeostorm (2017)
After an unprecedented series of natural disasters threatened the planet, the world's leaders came together to create an intricate network of satellites to control the global climate and keep everyone safe. But now, something has gone wrong: the system built to protect Earth is attacking it, and it becomes a race against the clock to uncover the real threat before a worldwide geostorm wipes out everything and everyone along with it.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBabylon 5: A Call to Arms (1999)
Allies of the Shadows seek revenge against humanity. This movie sets up the series, "Crusade," the sequel to "Babylon 5."
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisInterstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem (2003)
Four talented alien musicians are kidnapped by a record producer who disguises them as humans. Shep, a space pilot in love with bass player Stella, follows them to Earth. Reprogrammed to forget their real identities and renamed The Crescendolls, the group quickly becomes a huge success playing soulless corporate pop. At a concert, Shep manages to free all the musicians except Stella, and the band sets out to rediscover who they really are — and to rescue Stella.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOrbits (2013)
Orbitas is the story of an impossible love which revolves around a planet at war.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & science fiction
Like Lensman and something else?
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Lensman?
The closest matches to Lensman are Space Adventure Cobra (1982), Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars (2017) and Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (2013). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Lensman?
Start with Space Adventure Cobra (1982), the closest match to Lensman.
What is the highest-rated movie like Lensman?
Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time (2021), rated 8.2/10 by 1,010 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Lensman?
Babylon 5: The Road Home (2023) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Japanese movies like Lensman?
Yes: Space Adventure Cobra (1982), Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo (2012) and Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time (2021).
How are movies similar to Lensman chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Lensman, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.