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Raiders of the Lost Ark poster

Movies that feel likeRaiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

When Dr. Indiana Jones – the tweed-suited professor who just happens to be a celebrated archaeologist – is hired by the government to locate the legendary Ark of the Covenant, he finds himself up against the entire Nazi regime.

If you loved Raiders of the Lost Ark, the closest films we have are The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978), Come Drink with Me (1966) and Waterworld (1995). All three share Raiders of the Lost Ark's epic and kinetic feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is The Spy Who Loved Me (1977).

🍅 94% Rotten Tomatoes★ 8.4 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗dir. Steven Spielbergepickinetic
10 of 12 streaming nowHBO Max · Amazon Prime Video · Paramount Plus Premium

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If Raiders of the Lost Ark hit the spot, these will too

Looking for the series itself? Also in this series: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) · Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) · Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) · Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)

The 36th Chamber of Shaolin poster
The 36th Chamber of Shaolin
1978 · dir. Lau Kar-leung
🍅 83%★ 7.6action · adventurePrime Video

Physical craft and momentum — a hero forged set piece by set piece

The difference: Pure training-hall discipline — no quips, no globetrotting

During the Qing Dynasty, a fishmonger is killed by the reigning Manchu government for supporting the anti-government movement; his son manages to escape to Shaolin Temple, where he plans to learn its secretive brand of martial arts to seek revenge.

Come Drink with Me poster
Come Drink with Me
1966 · dir. King Hu
🍅 100%★ 6.9action · adventure

A lone expert waltzing into danger with unshakable cool

The difference: Stylized 1966 wuxia — formal and stagebound next to Indy

Golden Sparrow is a fighter-for-hire who has been contracted by the local government to retrieve the governor's kidnapped son. Holding him is a group of rebels who are demanding that their leader be released from prison in return for the captured son. After a brief encounter with the gang at a local restaurant, Golden Sparrow is joined by an inebriated wanderer Drunken Cat who aids her in her mission.

Waterworld poster
Waterworld
1995 · dir. Kevin Reynolds
🍅 61%★ 6.3adventure · actionStarz

Epic and kinetic in the same breath

The difference: The critics' underdog of the pair

In a futuristic world where the polar ice caps have melted and made Earth a liquid planet, a beautiful barmaid rescues a mutant seafarer from a floating island prison. They escape, along with her young charge, Enola, and sail off aboard his ship. But the trio soon becomes the target of a menacing pirate who covets the map to 'Dryland'—which is tattooed on Enola's back.

Troy poster
Troy
2004 · dir. Wolfgang Petersen
🍅 53%★ 7.3action · adventureParamount+

Ancient legend staged as sweeping physical spectacle

The difference: Solemn and self-serious — the fun got left on the battlefield

In year 1250 B.C. during the late Bronze age, two emerging nations begin to clash. Paris, the Trojan prince, convinces Helen, Queen of Sparta, to leave her husband Menelaus, and sail with him back to Troy. After Menelaus finds out that his wife was taken by the Trojans, he asks his brother Agamemnon to help him get her back. Agamemnon sees this as an opportunity for power. They set off with 1,000 ships holding 50,000 Greeks to Troy.

The Spy Who Loved Me poster
The Spy Who Loved Me
1977 · dir. Lewis Gilbert
🍅 82%★ 7adventure · action · thrillerPrime Video

Globe-hopping derring-do through Egypt with a grin

The difference: Bond formula gloss — gadgets and innuendo over grit

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.

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation poster
Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation
2015 · dir. Christopher McQuarrie
🍅 94%★ 7.4action · adventureParamount+

Watching a stunt performed for real and knowing it was performed for real

The difference: Cool, modern spycraft — no dusty wonder, no supernatural undertow

Ethan and team take on their most impossible mission yet—eradicating 'The Syndicate', an International and highly-skilled rogue organization committed to destroying the IMF.

The Lost World: Jurassic Park poster
The Lost World: Jurassic Park
1997 · dir. Steven Spielberg
🍅 57%★ 6.6adventure · action · science fictionStarz

Spielberg staging danger in the open air with total spatial clarity

The difference: Creature-driven and darker — awe replaces the swashbuckling glee

Four years after Jurassic Park's genetically bred dinosaurs ran amok, multimillionaire John Hammond shocks chaos theorist Ian Malcolm by revealing that he has been breeding more beasties at a secret location. Malcolm, his paleontologist ladylove and a wildlife videographer join an expedition to document the lethal lizards' natural behavior in this action-packed thriller.

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves poster
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
1991 · dir. Kevin Reynolds
🍅 52%★ 6.9action · adventure · drama

A swashbuckling rogue righting wrongs with charm and arrows

The difference: Baggier and more earnest — the pace sags between set pieces

Nobleman crusader Robin of Locksley breaks out of a Jerusalem prison with the help of Moorish fellow prisoner Azeem and travels back home to England. But upon arrival he discovers his dead father in the ruins of his family estate, killed by the vicious sheriff of Nottingham, Robin and Azeem join forces with outlaws Little John and Will Scarlett to save the kingdom from the sheriff's villainy.

Chinese Zodiac poster
Chinese Zodiac
2012 · dir. Jackie Chan
🍅 25%★ 6action · adventure

Artifact-hunting capers built around jaw-dropping stunt work

The difference: Late-career Jackie Chan — slapdash plotting, critics balked

Asian Hawk leads a mercenary team to recover several lost artifacts from the Old Summer Palace, the bronze heads of the twelve Chinese Zodiac animals which were sacked by the French and British armies from the imperial Summer Palace in Beijing in 1860. Assisted by a Chinese student and a Parisian woman, Hawk stops at nothing to accomplish the mission.

Hercules poster
Hercules
2014 · dir. Brett Ratner
🍅 58%★ 6action · adventure

Ancient legend played as muscular, uncomplicated adventure

The difference: Thinner and blunter — brawn without the wit or sense of discovery

When a new enemy threatens the innocent, Hercules must lead his fearless team of warriors in a battle against overwhelming odds.

Twister poster
Twister
1996 · dir. Jan de Bont
🍅 68%★ 6.6action · adventure · drama

Adventure built on scale, twice over

The difference: Leans harder into drama than Raiders of the Lost Ark does

An unprecedented series of violent tornadoes is sweeping across Oklahoma. Tornado chasers, headed by Dr. Jo Harding, attempt to release a groundbreaking device that will allow them to track them and create a more advanced warning system. They are joined by Jo's soon to be ex-husband Bill, a former tornado chaser himself, and his girlfriend Melissa.

Superman poster
Superman
1978 · dir. Richard Donner
🍅 87%★ 7.4science fiction · action · adventureMax

A big-hearted matinee hero from the era that still believed in them

The difference: Gentle and mythic — flight and wonder instead of fists and dust

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.

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The best-reviewed films that share Raiders of the Lost Ark’s defining feeling.