Movies like Thunderball (1965)
The best movies like Thunderball (1965) are Never Say Never Again (1983), For Your Eyes Only (1981) and Dr. No (1962). If Thunderball hooked you with its adventure and action, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedCasino Royale (2006)7.6/10 from 12,193 votes
- NewestMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning (2025)Released 2025
Never Say Never Again (1983)
James Bond returns as the secret agent 007 to battle the evil organization SPECTRE. Bond must defeat Largo, who has stolen two atomic warheads for nuclear blackmail. But Bond has an ally in Largo's girlfriend, the willowy Domino, who falls for Bond and seeks revenge.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFor Your Eyes Only (1981)
A British spy ship has sunk and on board was a hi-tech encryption device. James Bond is sent to find the device that holds British launching instructions before the enemy Soviets get to it first.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDr. No (1962)
Agent 007 battles mysterious Dr. No, a scientific genius bent on destroying the U.S. space program. As the countdown to disaster begins, Bond must go to Jamaica, where he encounters beautiful Honey Ryder, to confront a megalomaniacal villain in his massive island headquarters.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe World Is Not Enough (1999)
Greed, revenge, world dominance and high-tech terrorism – it's all in a day's work for Bond, who's on a mission to protect a beautiful oil heiress from a notorious terrorist. In a race against time that culminates in a dramatic submarine showdown, Bond works to defuse the international power struggle that has the world's oil supply hanging in the balance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLicence to Kill (1989)
After capturing the notorious drug lord Franz Sanchez, Bond's close friend and former CIA agent Felix Leiter is left for dead and his wife is murdered. Bond goes rogue and seeks vengeance on those responsible, as he infiltrates Sanchez's organization from the inside.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
Russian and British submarines with nuclear missiles on board both vanish from sight without a trace. England and Russia both blame each other as James Bond tries to solve the riddle of the disappearing ships. But the KGB also has an agent on the case.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
Cool government operative James Bond searches for a stolen invention that can turn the sun's heat into a destructive weapon. He soon crosses paths with the menacing Francisco Scaramanga, a hitman so skilled he has a seven-figure working fee. Bond then joins forces with the swimsuit-clad Mary Goodnight, and together they track Scaramanga to a Thai tropical isle hideout where the killer-for-hire lures the slick spy into a deadly maze for a final duel.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA View to a Kill (1985)
A newly-developed microchip designed by Zorin Industries for the British Government that can survive the electromagnetic radiation caused by a nuclear explosion has landed in the hands of the KGB. James Bond must find out how and why. His suspicions soon lead him to big industry leader Max Zorin who forms a plan to destroy his only competition in Silicon Valley by triggering a massive earthquake in the San Francisco Bay.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLive and Let Die (1973)
James Bond must investigate a mysterious murder case of a British agent in New Orleans. Soon he finds himself up against a gangster boss named Mr. Big.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDie Another Day (2002)
James Bond is sent to investigate the connection between a North Korean terrorist and a diamond mogul, who is funding the development of an international space weapon.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOctopussy (1983)
James Bond is sent to investigate after a fellow “00” agent is found dead with a priceless Fabergé egg. Bond follows the mystery and uncovers a smuggling scandal and a Russian General who wants to provoke a new World War.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTomorrow Never Dies (1997)
A deranged media mogul is staging international incidents to pit the world's superpowers against each other. Now James Bond must take on this evil mastermind in an adrenaline-charged battle to end his reign of terror and prevent global pandemonium.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSkyfall (2012)
When Bond's latest assignment goes gravely wrong, agents around the world are exposed and MI6 headquarters is attacked. While M faces challenges to her authority and position from Gareth Mallory, the new Chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee, it's up to Bond, aided only by field agent Eve, to locate the mastermind behind the attack.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisYou Only Live Twice (1967)
A mysterious spacecraft captures Russian and American space capsules and brings the two superpowers to the brink of war. James Bond investigates the case in Japan and comes face to face with his archenemy Blofeld.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNorth Sea Hijack (1980)
When terrorists take over two oil rigs, and threaten to blow them up if their demands are not met, an eccentric anti-terrorism expert volunteers his unique commando unit to stop them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSpectre (2015)
A cryptic message from Bond’s past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organization. While M battles political forces to keep the secret service alive, Bond peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind SPECTRE.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCasino Royale (2006)
Le Chiffre, a banker to the world's terrorists, is scheduled to participate in a high-stakes poker game in Montenegro, where he intends to use his winnings to establish his financial grip on the terrorist market. M sends Bond—on his maiden mission as a 00 Agent—to attend this game and prevent Le Chiffre from winning. With the help of Vesper Lynd and Felix Leiter, Bond enters the most important poker game in his already dangerous career.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning (2025)
Ethan Hunt and team continue their search for the terrifying AI known as the Entity — which has infiltrated intelligence networks all over the globe — with the world's governments and a mysterious ghost from Hunt's past on their trail. Joined by new allies and armed with the means to shut the Entity down for good, Hunt is in a race against time to prevent the world as we know it from changing forever.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Bourne Identity (2002)
Wounded to the brink of death and suffering from amnesia, Jason Bourne is rescued at sea by a fisherman. With nothing to go on but a Swiss bank account number, he starts to reconstruct his life, but finds that many people he encounters want him dead. However, Bourne realizes that he has the combat and mental skills of a world-class spy—but who does he work for?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDiamonds Are Forever (1971)
Diamonds are stolen only to be sold again in the international market. James Bond infiltrates a smuggling mission to find out who's guilty. The mission takes him to Las Vegas where Bond meets his archenemy Blofeld.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPolice Story 4: First Strike (1996)
Hong Kong cop Chan Ka-Kui returns, working with Interpol to track down and arrest an illegal weapons dealer. Chan later realises that things are not as simple as they appear and soon finds himself to be a pawn of an organisation posing as Russian intelligence.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisQuantum of Solace (2008)
Betrayed by Vesper, the woman he loved, 007 fights the urge to make his latest mission personal. Pursuing his determination to uncover the truth, Bond and M interrogate Mr. White, who reveals that the organization that blackmailed Vesper is far more complex and dangerous than anyone had imagined.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJust Cause (1995)
A Harvard professor is lured back into the courtroom after twenty-five years to take the case of a young black man condemned to death for the horrific murder of a child.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWanted (2008)
Doormat Wesley Gibson is an office worker whose life is going nowhere. He meets an attractive woman named Fox and discovers that his recently murdered father - whom Wesley never knew - belonged to the Fraternity, a secret society of assassins which takes its orders from Fate itself. Fox and Sloan, the Fraternity's leader, teach Wesley, through intense training, to tap into dormant powers and hone his innate killing skills. Though he enjoys his newfound abilities, he begins to suspect that there is more to the Fraternity than meets the eye.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisUnder Siege (1992)
A disgruntled ex-CIA operative, his assistant and their assembled group of terrorists seize a battleship with nuclear blackmail in mind. They've planned for every contingency but ignore the ship's cook, former Navy SEAL Casey Ryback—an error that could be fatal.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSpartan (2004)
U.S. government agent Scott is assigned to rescue the daughter of a high-ranking government official. As willing as he is to bend the rules to get things done, though, Scott is shocked to find that others are willing to go even further to protect a political career.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
Robin Hood fights nobly for justice against the evil Sir Guy of Gisbourne while striving to win the hand of the beautiful Maid Marian.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCats & Dogs (2001)
When a professor develops a vaccine that eliminates human allergies to dogs, he unwittingly upsets the fragile balance of power between cats and dogs and touches off an epic battle for pet supremacy. The fur flies as the feline faction, led by Mr. Tinkles, squares off against wide-eyed puppy Lou and his canine cohorts.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & adventure
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Tuxedo (2002)
Cabbie-turned-chauffeur Jimmy Tong learns there is really only one rule when you work for playboy millionaire Clark Devlin : Never touch Devlin's prized tuxedo. But when Devlin is temporarily put out of commission in an explosive accident, Jimmy puts on the tux and soon discovers that this extraordinary suit may be more black belt than black tie. Paired with a partner as inexperienced as he is, Jimmy becomes an unwitting secret agent.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller & action
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe War of the Worlds (1953)
The residents of a small town are excited when a flaming meteor lands in the hills, until they discover it is the first of many transport devices from Mars bringing an army of invaders invincible to any man-made weapon, even the atomic bomb.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Thunderball?
The closest matches to Thunderball are Never Say Never Again (1983), For Your Eyes Only (1981) and Dr. No (1962). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Thunderball?
Start with Never Say Never Again (1983), the closest match to Thunderball.
What is the highest-rated movie like Thunderball?
Casino Royale (2006), rated 7.6/10 by 12,193 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Thunderball?
Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Thunderball?
Yes: Never Say Never Again (1983), For Your Eyes Only (1981) and Dr. No (1962).
How are movies similar to Thunderball chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Thunderball, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.