Movies like Magic Lantern (2020)
The best movies like Magic Lantern (2020) are Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons (2022), Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003) and We Can Be Heroes (2020). If Magic Lantern hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedMonster High: 13 Wishes (2013)7.8/10 from 212 votes
- NewestA Story of Derry (2026)Released 2026
Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons (2022)
After discovering he has powers, 11-year-old Jonathan Kent and assassin-turned-Boy-Wonder Damian Wayne must join forces to rescue their fathers (Superman & Batman) and save the planet from the malevolent alien force known as Starro.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTerminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)
It's been 10 years since John Connor saved Earth from Judgment Day, and he's now living under the radar, steering clear of using anything Skynet can trace. That is, until he encounters T-X, a robotic assassin ordered to finish what T-1000 started. Good thing Connor's former nemesis, the Terminator, is back to aid the now-adult Connor … just like he promised.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWe Can Be Heroes (2020)
When alien invaders capture Earth's superheroes, their kids must learn to work together to save their parents - and the planet.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisPredators (2010)
A group of cold-blooded killers find themselves trapped on an alien planet to be hunted by extraterrestrial Predators.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisScreamers (1995)
SIRIUS 6B, Year 2078. On a distant mining planet ravaged by a decade of war, scientists have created the perfect weapon: a blade-wielding, self-replicating race of killing devices known as Screamers designed for one purpose only -- to hunt down and destroy all enemy life forms.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMan of Steel (2013)
A young boy learns that he has extraordinary powers and is not of this earth. As a young man, he journeys to discover where he came from and what he was sent here to do. But the hero in him must emerge if he is to save the world from annihilation and become the symbol of hope for all mankind.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)
Adventurer/surgeon/rock musician Buckaroo Banzai and his band of men, the Hong Kong Cavaliers, take on evil alien invaders from the 8th dimension.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMonster High: 13 Wishes (2013)
It’s a new school year at Monster High, and the little sister of Clawdeen Wolf, Howleen, is determined to be more fangtastic than ever. Her dream of popularity turns out to be easier than anyone imagined when she stumbles upon a genie named Gigi Grant who grants her not 3, but 13 Wishes! But the ghouls quickly learn to be s-careful what you wish for because each wish comes with a dark side, and soon the student disem-body of Monster High is turned upside-down! Join Frankie Stein, Clawdeen Wolf, Draculaura and the rest of their creeperiffic ghoulfriends as they journey deep inside the magic lantern to save the very soul of Monster High… while flashing their killer style every step of the way!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Story of Derry (2026)
Hundreds of years before Pennywise, three youngsters venture into the Western Wood...where they encounter a terrifying ancient spirit.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKnights of the Zodiac (2023)
When a headstrong street orphan, Seiya, in search of his abducted sister unwittingly taps into hidden powers, he discovers he might be the only person alive who can protect a reincarnated goddess, sent to watch over humanity. Can he let his past go and embrace his destiny to become a Knight of the Zodiac?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Terminator (1984)
In the post-apocalyptic future, reigning tyrannical supercomputers teleport a cyborg assassin known as the "Terminator" back to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor, whose unborn son is destined to lead insurgents against 21st century mechanical hegemony. Meanwhile, the human-resistance movement dispatches a lone warrior to safeguard Sarah. Can he stop the virtually indestructible killing machine?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSuperman (1978)
Mild-mannered Clark Kent works as a reporter at the Daily Planet alongside his crush, Lois Lane. Clark must summon his superhero alter-ego when the nefarious Lex Luthor launches a plan to take over the world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisUniversal Soldier: The Return (1999)
Luc Deveraux, the heroic former Universal Soldier, is about to be thrown into action once again. When SETH, the supercomputer-controlled ultra-warrior, decides to take revenge and destroy its creators, only Luc can stop it. All hell breaks loose as Luc battles SETH and a deadly team of perfect soldiers in a struggle that pits man against machine and good against evil.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisBabylon 5: The River of Souls (1998)
A group of Soul Hunters come to Babylon 5 demanding the return of something that was stolen from them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSuicide Squad (2016)
From DC Comics comes the Suicide Squad, an antihero team of incarcerated supervillains who act as deniable assets for the United States government, undertaking high-risk black ops missions in exchange for commuted prison sentences.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisMighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (1995)
Six incredible teens out-maneuver and defeat evil everywhere as the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, but this time the Power Rangers may have met their match when they face off with Ivan Ooze, the most sinister monster the galaxy has ever seen.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisBen 10: Race Against Time (2008)
Ben, Gwen, and Max must stop an extraterrestrial who plans to open a gateway that leads to an alien invasion.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisExtinction (2018)
A chief mechanic at a factory, haunted by apocalyptic nightmares, becomes a hero when Earth is invaded by a mysterious army bent on destruction.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBen 10: Alien Swarm (2009)
Ben and a mysterious girl from his past must prevent an alien threat from destroying the world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPriest (2011)
In an alternate world, humanity and vampires have warred for centuries. After the last Vampire War, the veteran Warrior Priest lives in obscurity with other humans inside one of the Church's walled cities. When the Priest's niece is kidnapped by vampires, the Priest breaks his vows to hunt them down. He is accompanied by the niece's boyfriend, who is a wasteland sheriff, and a former Warrior Priestess.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Magic Lantern?
The closest matches to Magic Lantern are Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons (2022), Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003) and We Can Be Heroes (2020). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Magic Lantern?
Start with Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons (2022), the closest match to Magic Lantern.
What is the highest-rated movie like Magic Lantern?
Monster High: 13 Wishes (2013), rated 7.8/10 by 212 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Magic Lantern?
A Story of Derry (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Chinese movies like Magic Lantern?
The closest matches are in other languages.
How are movies similar to Magic Lantern chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Magic Lantern, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.