Movies like Varan (1958)
The best movies like Varan (1958) are Rodan (1956), Gamera 2: Advent of Legion (1996) and Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris (1999). If Varan hooked you with its science fiction and horror, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedGodzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995)7.7/10 from 323 votes
- NewestGodzilla Minus Zero (2026)Released 2026
- In JapaneseRodan (1956)Also in Japanese
Rodan (1956)
Mining engineer Shigeru investigates the disappearance and death of his fellow coworkers when prehistoric nymphs are discovered emerging from the mines. After an attack on the local village, Shigeru heads deeper into the mines only to make a more horrifying discovery in the form a prehistoric flying creature. Soon a second monster appears as the two converge in Fukuoka.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGamera 2: Advent of Legion (1996)
A strange meteor lands in Japan and unleashes hundreds of insect-like "Legion" creatures bent on colonizing the Earth. When the military fails to control the situation, Gamera shows up to deal with the ever-evolving space adversary. However the battle may result in Gamera losing his bond with both Asagi and humanity.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & horror
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGamera 3: Revenge of Iris (1999)
With the Gyaos re-emerging, Gamera's ties to humanity have been severed with his bond to Asagi broken. Nagamine and Asagi investigate while an orphaned girl named Ayana discovers a new creature she names Iris. Nagamine and Asagi must reach Ayana before she takes her revenge on Gamera, who she blames for the death of her family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & horror
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGodzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000)
In an alternate timeline the original Godzilla is never defeated and repeatedly reemerges to feed on Japan's energy sources. A new inter-dimensional weapon called the Dimension Tide is created with the intent of eliminating Godzilla. However, the new weapon might also serve as a gateway to something far more sinister.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAttack on Titan II: End of the World (2015)
Eren Yeager leaves to restore a break in the wall destroyed by a Titan. He comes under attack by the Titans and is cornered. Shikishima comes to his aid. The titans never stops attacking. Eren is now injured and tries to protect Armin, but is swallowed by a titan. A Titan with black hair appears and begins to expel the other titans.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGodzilla Minus Zero (2026)
War reduced Japan to zero, and Godzilla plunged it into minus. Two years have passed since then, and the country has faced agonizing struggles to achieve recovery and finally reclaim its daily life. Just as humanity managed to cling to a hard-won peace, a new threat strikes, crushing hope in an instant. There is no third time. Everything ends here.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & horror
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe War of the Gargantuas (1966)
Gaira, a humanoid sea beast spawned from the discarded cells of Frankenstein's monster, attacks the shores of Tokyo. While the Japanese military prepares to take action, Gaira's Gargantua brother, Sanda, descends from the mountains to defend his kin. A battle between good and evil ensues, leaving brothers divided and a city in ruins.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGamera vs. Gyaos (1967)
Unusual volcanic activity in Japan awakens Gyaos, a bloodthirsty flying monster with the power to slice things in half with an ultrasonic ray. While scientists and the military scramble to devise a way to stop this new threat, a young boy forms an alliance with Gamera; a monster no one else seems to trust.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFrankenstein Conquers the World (1965)
During WWII, Germans obtain the immortal heart of Frankenstein's monster and transport it to Japan to prevent it being seized by the Allies. Kept in a Hiroshima laboratory, it is seeming lost when the United States destroys the city with the atomic bomb. Years later a wild boy is discovered wandering the streets of the city alone, born of the immortal heart.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGodzilla vs. Biollante (1989)
After the previous Godzilla attack, a miniature arms race ensues to collect his cells. Concerned over Godzilla's possible return, the Japanese government uses the cells to create a new bio-weapon, ANEB (Anti-Nuclear Energy Bacteria). They seeks the aid of geneticist Genshiro Shiragami, who's experiments result in a new mutation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGodzilla Minus One (2023)
In postwar Japan, Godzilla brings new devastation to an already scorched landscape. With no military intervention or government help in sight, the survivors must join together in the face of despair and fight back against an unrelenting horror.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & horror
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSpace Amoeba (1970)
When a space probe crash-lands on a far-flung Pacific atoll, the craft's alien stowaways decide to take over their new world one creature at a time. Soon, the parasitic life forms latch onto three indigenous critters -- a squid, a crab and a snapping turtle -- and transform them into colossal mutant monsters.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGodzilla 2000: Millennium (1999)
An independent group of researchers called the Godzilla Prediction Network (GPN) actively track Godzilla as he makes landfall in Nemuro. Matters are further complicated when a giant meteor is discovered in the Ibaragi Prefecture. The mysterious rock begins to levitate as it's true intentions for the world and Godzilla are revealed.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGodzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
Follows the heroic efforts of the crypto-zoological agency Monarch as its members face off against a battery of god-sized monsters, including the mighty Godzilla, who collides with Mothra, Rodan, and his ultimate nemesis, the three-headed King Ghidorah. When these ancient super-species, thought to be mere myths, rise again, they all vie for supremacy, leaving humanity's very existence hanging in the balance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWrath of Daimajin (1966)
In a mountainous region of Japan, Lord Arakawa kidnaps the men of nearby villages to use as slave labor, producing gunpowder from his sulfur pits. A band of young boys decide to rescue their enslaved fathers on their own.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMothra (1961)
Shipwreck survivors found on the presumably uninhabited Infant Island leads to a scientific expedition that discovers a surviving native population along with the Shobijin, tiny twin fairy priestesses of the island's mythical deity called Mothra. After the fairies are kidnapped by an exploitative businessman named Clark Nelson, Mothra sets out to rescue them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRampage (2018)
Primatologist Davis Okoye shares an unshakable bond with George, the extraordinarily intelligent, silverback gorilla who has been in his care since birth. But a rogue genetic experiment gone awry mutates this gentle ape into a raging creature of enormous size. To make matters worse, it’s soon discovered there are other similarly altered animals. As these newly created alpha predators tear across North America, destroying everything in their path, Okoye teams with a discredited genetic engineer to secure an antidote, fighting his way through an ever-changing battlefield, not only to halt a global catastrophe but to save the fearsome creature that was once his friend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPacific Rim: Uprising (2018)
It has been ten years since The Battle of the Breach and the oceans are still, but restless. Vindicated by the victory at the Breach, the Jaeger program has evolved into the most powerful global defense force in human history. The PPDC now calls upon the best and brightest to rise up and become the next generation of heroes when the Kaiju threat returns.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGodzilla vs. Kong (2021)
In a time when monsters walk the Earth, humanity’s fight for its future sets Godzilla and Kong on a collision course that will see the two most powerful forces of nature on the planet collide in a spectacular battle for the ages.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDestroy All Monsters (1968)
At the turn of the century, all of the Earth's monsters have been rounded up and kept safely on Monsterland. Chaos erupts when a race of she-aliens known as the Kilaaks unleash the monsters across the world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGodzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995)
A burning Godzilla, on the verge of meltdown, emerges to lay siege to Hong Kong. At the same time horrifying new organisms are discovered in Japan. These crustacean-like beings are seemingly born of the Oxygen Destroyer, the weapon that killed the original Godzilla.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction & horror
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHatched (2022)
Something has been discovered, and this time, a city is under attack by a fast growing T-Rex.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & science fiction
Creepies 2: Las Vegas Attack (2005)
With Los Angeles in flaming ruins from a nuclear attack, solders mop up what is left of the deadly spider with a giant spider killing robot: Mecha-Destructor. Unfortunately, a terrorist escaped from the weapons base with a suit case full of the creatures. Shot down behind the Beluxor Hotel, the spiders make their way in the pyramid and up and down the strip devouring gamblers, show girls and destroying many landmarks.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & science fiction
Splinter (2008)
When their plans for a nature trip go awry, Polly and boyfriend Seth decide to check into a motel. On their way, they're carjacked and kidnapped by low-rent crooks Dennis and Lacey, who take the victims and their SUV to a nearby gas station. Along the way, they encounter an increasingly terrifying horde of parasites, and if any of them intend to survive, they'll have to outsmart the deadly organisms.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Blob (1958)
A drive-in favorite, this sci-fi classic follows teenagers Steve and his best girl, Jane, as they try to protect their hometown from a gelatinous alien life form that engulfs everything it touches. The first to discover the substance and live to tell about it, Steve and Jane witness the blob destroying an elderly man, then it growing to a terrifying size. But no one else has seen the goo, and policeman Dave refuses to believe the kids without proof.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like this5-Headed Shark Attack (2017)
A beautiful island is home to thousands of species of aquatic life. Now there is a new species: the 5-Headed Shark is all heads and teeth. Shaped like a demented starfish, this monster terrorizes the open ocean before invading the beaches of Puerto Rico, endangering the once peaceful island paradise.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror & science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisAlone in the Dark (2005)
Edward Carnby is a private investigator specializing in unexplainable supernatural phenomena. His cases delve into the dark corners of the world, searching for truth in the occult remnants of ancient civilizations. Now, the greatest mystery of his past is about to become the most dangerous case he has ever faced.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
SnoozefestMovies like thisAttack of the 50 Foot Woman (TBA)
An abused woman grows to giant size following an alien encounter and sets out for revenge against her husband who tried to kill her.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
Chapter 9 (2019)
As he wanders a mysterious island, Edward Prendick crosses a terrifying Thing that soon wreaks upon him a flood of endless torment. With one treacherous turn after another, Prendick must make his way through this world or suffer the end of his own.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both horror
Godzilla Against MechaGodzilla (2002)
JSDF pilot Akane has a fateful encounter when a new Godzilla emerges in Tateyama. As a countermeasure, a cyborg named Kiryu is constructed from the remains of the original. The machine is discovered to harbor the restless soul of the original monster as Akane must learn to find value in her own life as well.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Varan?
The closest matches to Varan are Rodan (1956), Gamera 2: Advent of Legion (1996) and Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris (1999). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Varan?
Start with Rodan (1956), the closest match to Varan.
What is the highest-rated movie like Varan?
Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995), rated 7.7/10 by 323 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Varan?
Godzilla Minus Zero (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Japanese movies like Varan?
Yes: Rodan (1956), Gamera 2: Advent of Legion (1996) and Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris (1999).
How are movies similar to Varan chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Varan, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.