Movies like Explorers
If Explorers hooked you with its science fiction and adventure, these are the films to watch next. Every pick says why it matches.
Flight of the Navigator (1986)
12-year-old David is accidentally knocked out in the forest near his home, but when he awakens eight years have passed. His family is overjoyed to have him back, but is just as perplexed as he is that he hasn't aged. When a NASA scientist discovers a UFO nearby, David gets the chance to unravel the mystery and recover the life he lost.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both family & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisZathura: A Space Adventure (2005)
After their father is called into work, two young boys, Walter and Danny, are left in the care of their teenage sister, Lisa, and told they must stay inside. Walter and Danny, who anticipate a boring day, are shocked when they begin playing Zathura, a space-themed board game, which they realize has mystical powers when their house is shot into space. With the help of an astronaut, the boys attempt to return home.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both science fiction & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisE.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
An alien is left behind on Earth and saved by the 10-year-old Elliott who decides to keep him hidden in his home. While a task force hunts for the extra-terrestrial, Elliott, his brother, and his little sister Gertie form an emotional bond with their new friend, and try to help him find his way home.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both adventure & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEarth to Echo (2014)
After a construction project begins digging in their neighbourhood, best friends Tuck, Munch and Alex inexplicably begin to receive strange, encoded messages on their cell phones. Convinced something bigger is going on, they go to their parents and the authorities. The three embark on a secret adventure to crack the code and follow it to its source, and discover a mysterious being from another world who desperately needs their help. The journey that follows will change all their lives forever.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both family & adventure
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Last Starfighter (1984)
Video game expert Alex Rogan finds himself transported to another planet after conquering the video game The Last Starfighter, only to find out it was just a test. He was recruited to join the team of best Starfighters to defend their world from the attack.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both adventure & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisD.A.R.Y.L. (1985)
Daryl is a normal 10-year-old boy in many ways. However, unbeknown to his foster parents and friends, Daryl is actually a government-created robot with superhuman reflexes and mental abilities. Even his name has a hidden meaning -- it's actually an acronym for Data Analyzing Robot Youth Life-form. When the organization that created him deems the "super soldier" experiment a failure and schedules Daryl to be disassembled, it is up to a few rogue scientists to help him escape.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both family & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like this*batteries not included (1987)
In a soon to be demolished block of apartments, the residents resist the criminal methods used to force them to leave so a greedy tycoon can build his new skyscraper. When tiny mechanical aliens land for a recharge, they decide to stay and help out.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both family & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSpaceCamp (1986)
Andie Bergstrom, an astronaut eagerly awaiting her first trip to space, runs a summer camp for teenagers with her NASA-employed husband, Zach. One night during an engine test, Andie and four teenage campers are accidentally shot into space. Together, the group -- which includes Kathryn, a pilot-in-training, and Tish, a ditz with a perfect memory -- must work together to operate the spacecraft and return home.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both family & adventure
SnoozefestMovies like thisSpaced Invaders (1990)
A crew of Martians overhears a radio broadcast of Orson Welles' "War of the Worlds" coming from Earth, and, thinking the Martian fleet is attacking Earth, they land their broken-down ship in a backwater mid-American town. As luck would have it, they land on Halloween and get mistaken for trick-or-treaters. Comedy ensues as the Martians try to get taken seriously.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both family & science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisShort Circuit (1986)
After a lightning bolt zaps a robot named Number 5, the lovable machine starts to think he's human and escapes the lab. Hot on his trail is his designer, Newton, who hopes to get to Number 5 before the military does. In the meantime, a spunky animal lover mistakes the robot for an alien and takes him in, teaching her new guest about life on Earth.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both science fiction & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Sheriff and the Satellite Kid (1979)
The town of Newnan are seeing little green men everywhere. The military have arrived and are on the lookout for UFOs. Everyone's high strung and Sheriff Hall (Bud Spencer) is left to deal with the aftermaths of the hysteria. On his way home from patrol he happens upon a little boy claiming to be an alien by the name of H7-25. At first the sheriff doesn't believe the boy, but with the mounting evidence, even he must eventually concede. Soon the military is after Sheriff Hall and H7-25, and it is up to the sheriff to keep the boy safe and beat up large swaths of soldiers so H7-25 can go home.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisReturn from Witch Mountain (1978)
Tony and Tia are other-worldly twins endowed with telekinesis. When their Uncle Bene drops them off in Los Angeles for an earthbound vacation, a display of their supernatural skill catches the eye of the nefarious Dr. Gannon and his partner in crime, Letha, who see rich possibilities in harnessing the children's gifts. They kidnap Tony, and Tia gives chase only to find Gannon is using her brother's powers against her.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both adventure & science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisMy Grandpa is an Alien (2019)
Una and an alien robot have 24 hours to find her Grandpa who was kidnapped by aliens. The extraordinary adventure leads to friendship, the rational robotic logic is replaced by emotions and Una's selfless love saves her partly alien family.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both adventure & family
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989)
The scientist father of a teenage girl and boy accidentally shrinks his and two other neighborhood teens to the size of insects. Now the teens must fight diminutive dangers as the father searches for them.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both adventure & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRace to Witch Mountain (2009)
A taxi driver gets more than he bargained for when he picks up two teen runaways. Not only does the pair possess supernatural powers, but they're also trying desperately to escape people who have made them their targets.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both adventure & family
SnoozefestMovies like thisMy Favorite Martian (1999)
Ambitious television reporter Tim O'Hara stumbles upon a martian whose spaceship has accidentally crashed on Earth. Thinking this is his ticket to a Pulitzer Prize, Tim makes plans to expose the martian, who, posing as Tim's Uncle Martin, takes human form and has plans of his own. In fact, all of Tim's efforts to divulge the truth are systematically thwarted by the resourceful alien, who ultimately recruits Tim to help him repair his ship for a return to Mars.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both family & science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisMuppets from Space (1999)
When Gonzo's breakfast cereal tells him that he's the descendant of aliens from another planet, his attempts at extraterrestrial communication get him kidnapped by a secret government agency, prompting the Muppets to spring into action to rescue their friend.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both family & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Adventure of A.R.I.: My Robot Friend (2022)
A teenager summons the courage to help a friendly robot known as A.R.I. kidnapped by a ruthless lab director working for a powerful corporation seeking to turn him into a dangerous weapon in order to rule the world.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both family & science fiction
My Science Project (1985)
His high school teacher issues an ultimatum: turn in a science project or flunk. So Mike Harlan scavenges a military base's junk pile for a suitable gizmo. He finds one... and unwittingly unleashes the awesome power and energy of the unknown. Twisted dimensions. Time warps. A fantastic realm where the past, present, and future collide in a whirling vortex of startling adventure and superlative special effects.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both family & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCocoon (1985)
When a group of trespassing seniors swim in a pool containing alien cocoons, they find themselves energized with youthful vigor.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEscape to Witch Mountain (1975)
Tia and Tony are two orphaned youngsters with extraordinary powers. Lucas Deranian poses as their uncle in order to get the kids into the clutches of Deranian's megalomaniacal boss, evil millionaire Aristotle Bolt, who wants to exploit them. Jason, a cynical widower, helps Tia and Tony escape to witch mountain, while at the same time Tia and Tony help Jason escape the pain of the loss of his wife.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both adventure & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisProject: ALF (1996)
Six years ago, the lovable intergalactic fugitive Gordon Shumway, best known as ALF, was on his way back to his new home when the Alien Task Force finally caught up with him. Now, he is being studied at a top-secret military base where he finds allies who feel that ALF's existence should be announced to the world to ensure his safety... especially when they learn that the abrasive Colonel Milfoil wants ALF, and all Alien Life-Forms, destroyed.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both family & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEarth Girls Are Easy (1988)
In this musical comedy, Valerie is dealing with her philandering fiancé, Ted, when she finds that a trio of aliens have crashed their spaceship into her swimming pool. Once the furry beings are shaved at her girlfriend's salon, the women discover three handsome men underneath. After absorbing the native culture via television, the spacemen are ready to hit the dating scene in 1980s Los Angeles.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both science fiction
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Goonies (1985)
Young teen Mikey Walsh and his friends set off on a quest to find Pirate One-Eyed Willie's treasure in hopes of saving their homes from demolition. However, on their quest to find the treasure, they run into a family of recently escaped criminals, determined to capture the kids and reach the treasure first.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both adventure & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Iron Giant (1999)
In the small town of Rockwell, Maine in October 1957, a giant metal machine befriends a nine-year-old boy and ultimately finds its humanity by unselfishly saving people from their own fears and prejudices.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both family & science fiction
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisStar Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
When a huge alien probe enters the galaxy and begins to vaporize Earth's oceans, Kirk and his crew must travel back in time in order to bring back whales and save the planet.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both science fiction & adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisXeno (2025)
A teenage girl develops an otherworldly bond with an alien after it crash-lands in the desert. As government agents close in, she must protect her new friend, while uncovering a secret that could change the fate of both their worlds.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both adventure & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStarman (1984)
When an alien takes the form of a young widow's husband and asks her to drive him from Wisconsin to Arizona, the government tries to stop them.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBack to the Future (1985)
Eighties teenager Marty McFly is accidentally sent back in time to 1955, inadvertently disrupting his parents' first meeting and attracting his mother's romantic interest. Marty must repair the damage to history by rekindling his parents' romance and - with the help of his eccentric inventor friend Doc Brown - return to 1985.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both adventure & science fiction
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisSuper 8 (2011)
In late 1970s Ohio, a group of friends filming a homemade zombie movie witness a devastating train derailment. Soon after, their quiet town is gripped by unexplained disappearances, strange phenomena, and a growing sense of fear, as they uncover that something terrifying has been set loose.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Explorers?
The closest matches to Explorers are Flight of the Navigator, Zathura: A Space Adventure, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
How are movies similar to Explorers chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Explorers, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.
Are there English movies like Explorers?
Yes: Flight of the Navigator, Zathura: A Space Adventure, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.