Movies like The Return of James Battle (2004)
The best movies like The Return of James Battle (2004) are Dave Made a Maze (2017), Help! (1965) and Rim of the World (2019). If The Return of James Battle hooked you with its adventure and comedy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedLove and Monsters (2020)7.3/10 from 4,681 votes
- NewestEl Último Viaje (2026)Released 2026
Dave Made a Maze (2017)
Dave, an artist who has yet to complete anything significant in his career, builds a fort in his living room out of pure frustration, only to wind up trapped by the fantastical pitfalls, booby traps, and critters of his own creation. Ignoring his warnings, Dave’s girlfriend Annie leads a band of oddball explorers on a rescue mission. Once inside, they find themselves trapped in an ever-changing supernatural world, threatened by booby traps and pursued by a bloodthirsty Minotaur.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHelp! (1965)
An obscure Eastern cult that practices human sacrifice pursues Ringo after he unknowingly puts on a ceremonial ring (that, of course, won't come off). On top of that, a pair of mad scientists, members of Scotland Yard, and a beautiful but dead-eyed assassin all have their own plans for the Fab Four.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRim of the World (2019)
Stranded at a summer camp when aliens attack the planet, four teens with nothing in common embark on a perilous mission to save the world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisUncle Peckerhead (2020)
When a punk band scores their first tour, life on the road proves tough when they are joined by a man-eating demon as a roadie.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTenacious D in The Pick of Destiny (2006)
In Venice Beach, naive Midwesterner JB bonds with local slacker KG and they form the rock band Tenacious D. Setting out to become the world's greatest band is no easy feat, so they set out to steal what could be the answer to their prayers... a magical guitar pick housed in a rock-and-roll museum some 300 miles away.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGrabbers (2012)
Something sinister has come to the shores of Erin Island, unbeknownst to the quaint population of this sleepy fishing village resting somewhere off Ireland’s coast. First, some fishermen go missing. Then there is the rash of whale carcasses suddenly washing up on the beach. When the murders start, it’s up to two mismatched cops – an irresponsible alcoholic and his new partner, a by-the-book woman from the mainland – to protect the townsfolk from the giant, bloodsucking, tentacled aliens that prey upon them. Their only weapon, they discover, is booze. If they want to survive the creatures’ onslaught, everyone will have to get very, very drunk!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStudio 666 (2022)
Legendary rock band Foo Fighters move into an Encino mansion steeped in grisly rock and roll history to record their much anticipated 10th album. Once in the house, Dave Grohl finds himself grappling with supernatural forces that threaten both the completion of the album and the lives of the band.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse (2005)
The fictional world of Royston Vasey is facing apocalypse and the only way to avert disaster is for our nightmarish cast of characters to find a way into the real world and confront their creators. From present day Soho to the fictional film world of 17th Century Britain, the residents must overcome countless bizarre obstacles in their bid to return Royston Vasey to safety.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPsycho Goreman (2020)
Siblings Mimi and Luke unwittingly resurrect an ancient alien overlord. Using a magical amulet, they force the monster to obey their childish whims, and accidentally attract a rogues’ gallery of intergalactic assassins to small-town suburbia.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFreaked (1993)
A vain actor, his best friend, and an activist end up at a mutant freak farm run by a weirdo scientist.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLittle Shop of Horrors (1986)
Seymour Krelborn is a nerdy orphan working at Mushnik's, a flower shop in urban Skid Row. He harbors a crush on fellow co-worker, Audrey Fulquard, and is berated by Mr. Mushnik daily. One day, Seymour finds a very mysterious unidentified plant which he calls Audrey II. The plant seems to have a craving for blood and soon begins to sing for its supper.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSmokey and the Bandit (1977)
A race car driver tries to transport an illegal beer shipment from Texas to Atlanta in under 28 hours, picking up a reluctant bride-to-be on the way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisKiller Klowns from Outer Space (1988)
Aliens disguised as clowns crash land on Earth in a rural town to capture unsuspecting victims in cotton candy cocoons for later consumption.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPaul (2011)
For the past 60 years, a space-traveling smart-ass named Paul has been locked up in a top-secret military base, advising world leaders about his kind. But when he worries he’s outlived his usefulness and the dissection table is drawing uncomfortably close, Paul escapes on the first RV that passes by his compound in Area 51. Fortunately, it contains the two earthlings who are most likely to rescue and harbor an alien on the run.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBad Taste (1987)
A team from the intergalactic fast food chain Crumb's Crunchy Delights descends on Earth, planning to make human flesh the newest taste sensation. After they wipe out the New Zealand town Kaihoro, the country’s Astro-Investigation and Defense Service (AIaDS) is called in to deal with the problem. Things are complicated due to Giles, an aid worker who comes to Kaihoro the same day to collect change from the residents. He is captured by the aliens, and AIaDS stages a rescue mission that quickly becomes an all-out assault on the aliens’ headquarters.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLeningrad Cowboys Meet Moses (1994)
After years of fame and misfortune in Mexico, the members of the Leningrad Cowboys decide to return to their native village. Their former manager Vladimir, who now calls himself Moses lead them on their way home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & adventure
SnoozefestMovies like thisDeathgasm (2015)
Two teenage boys unwittingly summon an ancient evil entity known as The Blind One by delving into black magic while trying to escape their mundane lives.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLove and Monsters (2020)
Seven years since the Monsterpocalypse began, Joel Dawson has been living underground in order to survive. But after reconnecting over radio with his high school girlfriend Aimee, Joel decides to venture out to reunite with her, despite all the dangerous monsters that stand in his way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCritters Attack! (2020)
Mysterious alien Critters have crash-landed in a small college town, devouring every living thing they encounter. Drea and the kids she's babysitting must try desperately to save themselves from the ravenous, rolling beasts. Will Drea discover her inner badass, and will it be enough to stop the Critter onslaught?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisMonster Man (2003)
Two guys and a female hitchhiker are terrorized by a monstrous looking man driving a giant monster truck.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFuture Shock (2021)
An android is accused of a murder that he has not committed ... A couple lock themselves in a basement to protect themselves from the apocalypse... Impacts of a future seen from today.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & comedy
Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies (1986)
The great King Gurumes is searching for the Dragon Balls in order to put a stop to his endless hunger. A young girl named Pansy who lives in the nearby village has had enough of the treachery and decides to seek Muten Rōshi for assistance. Can our heroes save the village and put a stop to the Gurumes Army?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisArachnid (2001)
Mercer's brother, an amateur pilot, crashes on an island and is killed by a giant spider. A year later, when Mercer goes in search of him, she discovers a breed of venomous arachnids ready to attack.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisJimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (2001)
Jimmy Neutron is a boy genius and way ahead of his friends, but when it comes to being cool, he's a little behind. All until one day when his parents, and parents all over Earth are kidnapped by aliens, it's up to him to lead all the children of the world to rescue their parents.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAliens vs. Titanic (2017)
Offering only the finest amenities, the ‘TITAN 1C’ space-cruiser is considered the most luxurious star-liner ever built. Future spring-breakers on board are excited to be touring through space with some of the world’s elite. However, a sudden meteor storm smashes into the hull, and a deadly biological alien life form is let loose on the ship. Seeking a suitable host, the retrovirus successfully merges with some the passengers, transforming them into seemingly invincible predators with the “touch of death”. As the ship is destroyed, the surviving passengers crash on a remote planet, and they learn that one of them is “infected”. They must quickly band together before it has a chance to slaughter them all.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & horror
Alien Invasion (2018)
The police confirms the presence of a "86-Code" in the National Park. A beast, coming from another world, could have woken up from its lethargy.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & comedy
Strangler vs Strangler (1984)
When it comes to crime, Belgrade is same as any other modern metropolis, except for having its own serial killers. That blank is filled when a flower salesman begins strangling women. A popular, but very disturbed rock star soon becomes telepathically connected with the killer.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEl Último Viaje (2026)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & comedy
The House That Dripped Blood (1971)
A Scotland Yard investigator looks into four mysterious cases involving an unoccupied house.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTerror in the Midnight Sun (1959)
After a herd of reindeer are mysteriously found dead following a meteor crash in a remote part of Lapland in northern Sweden, soldiers and a geologist are called out to investigate.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Return of James Battle?
The closest matches to The Return of James Battle are Dave Made a Maze (2017), Help! (1965) and Rim of the World (2019). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Return of James Battle?
Start with Dave Made a Maze (2017), the closest match to The Return of James Battle.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Return of James Battle?
Love and Monsters (2020), rated 7.3/10 by 4,681 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Return of James Battle?
El Último Viaje (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there French movies like The Return of James Battle?
The closest matches are in other languages.
How are movies similar to The Return of James Battle chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Return of James Battle, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.