Movies like Earth Tremors (1980)
The best movies like Earth Tremors (1980) are Thread of Lies (2014), Battle of Jangsari (2019) and Waiting for Anya (2020). If Earth Tremors hooked you with its drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Earth Tremors
Quick picks
- Highest ratedAyla: The Daughter of War (2017)8.0/10 from 413 votes
- NewestEleanor the Great (2025)Released 2025
- In KoreanThread of Lies (2014)Also in Korean
Thread of Lies (2014)
Cheon-ji's unexpected suicide causes her mother Hyeon-sook and older sister Man-ji to be moved into another apartment. Tracking down clues from school, Man-ji discovers that Cheon-ji's best friend Hwa-yeon is behind everything.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBattle of Jangsari (2019)
Korean War, September 1950. In order to fight the enemy forces based in the South of the peninsula, General MacArthur orders the start of the Incheon Landing Operation, deploying diversionary attacks in other locations. Without real military forces to spare, 772 very young Korean student soldiers, barely trained, are sent to Jangsari Beach, where they will face a heroic fate and discover the value of friendship. (A sequel to Operation Chromite, released in 2016.)
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWaiting for Anya (2020)
During the harrows of WWII, Jo, a young shepherd along with the help of the widow Horcada, helps to smuggle Jewish children across the border from southern France into Spain.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Quiller Memorandum (1966)
After two British Secret Intelligence Service agents are murdered at the hands of a cryptic neo-Nazi group known as Phoenix, the suave agent Quiller is sent to Berlin to investigate.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisEleanor the Great (2025)
94-year-old Eleanor Morgenstein tries to rebuild her life after the death of her best friend. As a result, she moves back to New York City after living in Florida for decades.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAdopt a Highway (2019)
Russ Millings has just been released from prison after serving 21 years for a 3rd strike conviction for possessing an ounce of marijuana. As he tries to adapt to a world he doesn’t recognize – including trying to learn how to use the internet – he finds an abandoned baby in a dumpster behind the fast food restaurant where he works as a dishwasher. Unsure of what to do, and caught between impulses of kindness and panic, Russ soon realizes this could be his chance at redemption.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Net (2016)
A poor North Korean fisherman finds himself an accidental defector, and is groomed to be a spy by an ambitious South Korean military officer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMiracle: Letters to the President (2021)
Dreaming of making a way station for his sister and the villagers who have no choice but to commute along the dangerous train tracks every day, Joon-kyung sends many letters to the President, but with no reply. Ra-hee, who has a crush on Joon-kyung, does everything she can to help him meet the President.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOde to My Father (2014)
Duk-soo lost his father and younger sister while taking refuge during the Korean War. He leaves for Germany to work as a miner and enters the Vietnam War. He wishes to find his sister.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBattleground (1949)
Members of the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division are fighting for their country amidst the rugged terrain of Bastogne, Belgium, in December 1944. Holley and his American compatriots have already seen one of their own, Roderigues, perish under enemy fire. The men try to rebuff another series of Nazi attacks, but what they really need is a change in the weather. Without clear skies, they'll never get the air support they need.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBirdcage Inn (1998)
Jin-a, a young prostitute, moves into a seaside motel called the Birdcage Inn, run by a dysfunctional family. Struggling with her circumstances and the family's treatment, she forms an unlikely bond with the daughter, Hye-mi. As they navigate love, betrayal, and personal growth, their friendship ultimately leads to a deeper understanding and a chance for redemption.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Last Rifleman (2023)
A WWII veteran escapes his care home in Northern Ireland and embarks on an arduous but inspirational journey to France to attend the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings, finding the courage to face the ghosts of his past.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Deadly Affair (1967)
Charles Dobbs is a British secret agent investigating the apparent suicide of Foreign Office official Samuel Fennan. Dobbs suspects that Fennan's wife, Elsa, a survivor of a Nazi Germany extermination camp, might have some clues, but other officials want Dobbs to drop the case. So Dobbs hires a retiring inspector, Mendel, to quietly make inquiries. Dobbs isn't at all sure as there are a number of anomalies that simply can't be explained away. Dobbs is also having trouble at home with his errant wife, whom he very much loves, having frequent affairs. He's also pleased to see an old friend, Dieter Frey, who he recruited after the war. With the assistance of a colleague and a retired policeman, Dobbs tries to piece together just who is the spy and who in fact assassinated Fennan.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCommitment (2013)
The son of a North Korean spy decides to follow in his father's footsteps to protect his little sister.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHouse of Bamboo (1955)
Eddie Kenner is given a special assignment by the Army to get the inside story on Sandy Dawson, a former GI who has formed a gang of fellow servicemen and Japanese locals.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJimmy P. (2013)
At the end of WWII, Jimmy Picard, a Native American Blackfoot who fought in France, suffers from unexplainable symptoms and is admitted to a military hospital. When doctors suspect schizophrenia, an eccentric psychoanalyst takes up the case and starts a conversation with the veteran.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisVoice of a Murderer (2007)
After Gyeong-bae's son is kidnapped, he receives a call from the kidnapper asking for 100 million won. The detectives are teamed up for the case, yet the culprit gets away at every opportunity.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Steel Helmet (1951)
A ragtag group of American stragglers battles against superior Communist troops in an abandoned Buddhist temple during the Korean War.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Color of Friendship (2000)
Mahree Bok lives on a farm in South Africa. Her father is a policeman who cannot hide his joy when activist Steve Biko is caught by the South African authorities. Piper Dellums is the daughter of a US congressman from California and who lives in a nice home in Washington DC. When Mahree is chosen to spend a semester at the Dellums' house, she doesn't expect that her host family would be black. Nor do her hosts suspect that she is not a black South African.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFast Girls (2012)
A street smart runner develops an intense rivalry with an equally ambitious wealthy young athlete.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Immortal Song (1977)
Semra is a famous singer, and her daughter Cigdem goes to the Conservatoire. Cigdem falls in love with the new music teacher Bulent. There is a piece of music which Semra plays, and Cigdem is curious about it. Semra tells her daughter about her love from the youth named Kemal. Bulent also has a similar story at his home and it turns out Bulent is the son of Semra's old love Kenan. Cigdem and Bulent want to get married but Cigdem's father doesn't approve their marriage. Bulent resigns from the school and becomes a successful singer. Eventually, love beats all the difficulties and Cigdem and Bulent share a happy life together.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Devotion (2022)
The harrowing true story of two elite US Navy fighter pilots during the Korean War. Their heroic sacrifices would ultimately make them the Navy's most celebrated wingmen.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Bridges at Toko-Ri (1954)
A U.S. Navy pilot and his squad are assigned to bomb a group of heavily defended bridges deep behind enemy lines during the Korean War.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAssignment in Korea (1951)
Swedish journalist visits Korea to report on the situation during the war
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Once Upon a Time in Seoul (2008)
1953, the Korean war has ended, but the fight for survival has just begun. Two 18 year old boys, Tae-ho and Jong-du, live in a camp for orphaned boys, which is more of a concentration camp where everyone suffers from hunger, inhumane treatment and unbearable work conditions. But these two have a dream of a better tomorrow. Tae-ho is the one with wits and brains and Jong-du is the tough street fighter. Together they scheme to steal US Army supplies and recruit other boys to grow their business. But when they start to take business away from the local gangsters, their fight fur survival turns into a war…
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Hunters (1958)
With its electrifying flight sequences and high-powered cast, The Hunters is a mesmerizing film based on the best-selling novel by veteran fighter pilot James Salter. Set during the height of the Korean War, the story centers on Major Cleve Saville (Robert Mitchum), a master of the newly operational F-86 Sabre fighter jets. But adept as he is at flying, Saville¹s personal life takes a nosedive when he falls in love with his wingman¹s (Lee Philips) beautiful wife (May Britt). To make matters worse, Saville must cope with a loud-mouthed rookie (Robert Wagner) in a daring rescue mission that threatens all their lives in this well-crafted war drama.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Three Wishes (1995)
While Jane Holman is driving with her two sons, she accidentally runs into a drifter, Jack McCloud, who breaks his leg. Being responsible, Jane invites Jack, and his dog, to stay at her home until his leg has healed. Jack struggles to adapt their lifestyle, and finds himself loved by the family.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Bouquet of Thirty Million People (1951)
When he loses his sight during one of the battles of the Korean War, Geon-yeong(Choe Hyeon) is taken to a military hospital. There he meets a nursing officer named Hye-yeong(Hwang Yui-hui), but still misses Soon-hui in his hometown. When Geon-yeong's mother donates one of her eyes to him, he is no longer blind.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Ayla: The Daughter of War (2017)
In 1950, amidst the ravages of the Korean War, Sergeant Süleyman stumbles upon a a half-frozen little girl, with no parents and no help in sight and he risks his own life to save her, smuggling her into his army base and out of harm’s way.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisTo the Last Day (1960)
Captain Kim is grievously wounded in the first days of the war. When the northern troops continue their advance, his wife and small daughters flee south to Taegu, dragging him along in a two-wheel handcart. His wife struggles to keep herself and their surviving daughter alive. Working as a market trader, she meets a kind young man -- who happens to be tall, dark and handsome.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Like Earth Tremors and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Earth Tremors?
The closest matches to Earth Tremors are Thread of Lies (2014), Battle of Jangsari (2019) and Waiting for Anya (2020). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Earth Tremors?
Start with Thread of Lies (2014), the closest match to Earth Tremors.
What is the highest-rated movie like Earth Tremors?
Ayla: The Daughter of War (2017), rated 8.0/10 by 413 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Earth Tremors?
Eleanor the Great (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Korean movies like Earth Tremors?
Yes: Thread of Lies (2014), Battle of Jangsari (2019) and The Net (2016).
How are movies similar to Earth Tremors chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Earth Tremors, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.