Movies Like Red Dawn (1984)

Red Dawn is a 1984 action, drama, science fiction, thriller, war film from John Milius with a MovieMagicScore of 6.3/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Red Dawn and The Thin Red Line.

Action Drama Science Fiction Thriller War

Red Dawn

2012

A city in Washington state awakens to the surreal sight of foreign paratroopers dropping from the sky—shockingly, the U.S. has been invaded and their hometown is the initial target. Quickly and without warning, the citizens find themselves prisoners and their town under enemy occupation. Determined to fight back, a group of young patriots seek refuge in the surrounding woods, training and reorganizing themselves into a guerrilla group of fighters.

5.7

MagicScore

The Thin Red Line

1998

The story of a group of men, an Army Rifle company called C-for-Charlie, who change, suffer, and ultimately make essential discoveries about themselves during the fierce World War II battle of Guadalcanal. It follows their journey, from the surprise of an unopposed landing, through the bloody and exhausting battles that follow, to the ultimate departure of those who survived.

7.4

MagicScore

Dune

1984

In the year 10,191, the most precious substance in the universe is the spice Melange. The spice extends life. The spice expands consciousness. The spice is vital to space travel. The spice exists on only one planet in the entire universe, the vast desert planet Arrakis, also known as Dune. Its native inhabitants, the Fremen, have long held a prophecy that a man would come, a messiah who would lead them to true freedom.

6.2

MagicScore

The Dark Knight Rises

2012

Following the death of District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman assumes responsibility for Dent's crimes to protect the late attorney's reputation and is subsequently hunted by the Gotham City Police Department. Eight years later, Batman encounters the mysterious Selina Kyle and the villainous Bane, a new terrorist leader who overwhelms Gotham's finest. The Dark Knight resurfaces to protect a city that has branded him an enemy.

7.8

MagicScore

Enter the Ninja

1981

After completing his training of ninjutsu within Japan, an American Angolan Bush War veteran by the name of Cole visits his war buddy Frank Landers and his newly wed wife Mary Ann, who are the owners of a large piece of farming land in the Philippines. Cole soon finds that the Landers are being repeatedly harassed by a CEO named Charles Venarius.

5.4

MagicScore

Undisputed

2002

Monroe Hutchens is the heavyweight champion of Sweetwater, a maximum security prison. He was convicted to a life sentence due to a passionate crime. Iceman Chambers is the heavyweight champion, who lost his title due to a rape conviction to ten years in Sweetwater. When these two giants collide in the same prison, they fight against each other disputing who is the real champion.

6.5

MagicScore

Crossbreed

2019

In the near future, the President of the United States hires a team of mercenaries to retrieve an alien bio-weapon from a top secret research facility orbiting the Earth. The plan is working until the cargo escapes.

3.3

MagicScore

Unleashed

2005

Raised as a slave, Danny is used to fighting for his survival. In fact, his "master," Bart, thinks of him as a pet and goes as far as leashing him with a collar so they can make money in fight clubs, where Danny is the main contender. When Bart's crew is in a car accident, Danny escapes and meets a blind, kindhearted piano tuner who takes him in and uses music to free the fighter's long-buried heart.

6.9

MagicScore

Dragon Ball Z: Dead Zone

1989

In order to wish for immortality and avenge his father, Garlic Jr. collects the dragon balls, kidnapping Goku's son Gohan in the process. Goku, Kami, Piccolo, and Krillin unite to rescue Gohan and save the world from being sucked into a dead zone.

6.8

MagicScore

#10

Real Steel

2011

Charlie Kenton is a washed-up fighter who retired from the ring when robots took over the sport. After his robot is trashed, he reluctantly teams up with his estranged son to rebuild and train an unlikely contender.

7.1

MagicScore

#11

The Matrix Reloaded

2003

The Resistance builds in numbers as humans are freed from the Matrix and brought to the city of Zion. Neo discovers his superpowers, including the ability to see the code inside the Matrix. With machine sentinels digging to Zion in 72 hours, Neo, Morpheus and Trinity must find the Keymaker to ultimately reach the Source.

7.1

MagicScore

#12

The Matrix Revolutions

2003

The human city of Zion defends itself against the massive invasion of the machines as Neo fights to end the war at another front while also opposing the rogue Agent Smith.

6.7

MagicScore

#13

The White Sun of the Desert

1969

The setting is the east shore of the Caspian Sea (today's Turkmenistan) where the Red Army soldier Fyodor Sukhov has been fighting the Civil War in Russian Asia for a number of years. After being hospitalised and then demobbed, he sets off home to join his wife, only to be caught up in a desert fight between a Red Army cavalry unit and Basmachi guerrillas. The cavalry unit commander, Rahimov, "convinces" Sukhov to help, temporarily, with the protection of abandoned women of the Basmachi guerrilla leader Abdullah's harem. Leaving a young Red Army soldier, Petrukha, to assist Sukhov with the task, Rahimov and his cavalry unit set out to pursue fleeing Abdullah.Sukhov and women from Abdullah's harem return to a nearby shore town. Soon, looking for a seaway across the border, Abdullah and his gang come to the same town...

7.2

MagicScore

#14

Stalingrad

2013

A band of determined Russian soldiers fight to hold a strategic building in their devastated city against a ruthless German army, and in the process become deeply connected to a Russian woman who has been living there.

6.4

MagicScore

#15

The Paradise of Thorns

2024

When his partner Sek dies, Thongkam loses his property to his late love's eager family and must fight to reclaim the home they built together.

7.7

MagicScore

#16

Tremors

1990

Val McKee and Earl Bassett are in a fight for their lives when they discover that their desolate town has been infested with gigantic, man-eating creatures that live below the ground.

6.9

MagicScore

#17

The Tin Drum

1979

Oskar Matzerath is a very unusual boy. Refusing to leave the womb until promised a tin drum by his mother, Agnes, Oskar is reluctant to enter a world he sees as filled with hypocrisy and injustice, and vows on his third birthday to never grow up. Miraculously, he gets his wish. As the Nazis rise to power in Danzig, Oskar wills himself to remain a child, beating his tin drum incessantly and screaming in protest at the chaos surrounding him.

6.9

MagicScore

#18

GoldenEye

1995

When a powerful satellite system falls into the hands of Alec Trevelyan, AKA Agent 006, a former ally-turned-enemy, only James Bond can save the world from a dangerous space weapon that -- in one short pulse -- could destroy the earth! As Bond squares off against his former compatriot, he also battles Xenia Onatopp, an assassin who uses pleasure as her ultimate weapon.

6.9

MagicScore

#19

Chapayev

1934

An account of the peasant turned mythical military hero Vasily Chapayev, charting his campaign in the Red Army during the Russian Civil War.

5.8

MagicScore

#20

Frozen Silence

2012

Russian front, winter 1943. Soldier Arturo Andrade and Sergeant Fernando Espinosa are commissioned to investigate a mysterious murder while the Spanish Blue Division of the German Army endures the fierce counterattack of the Red Army.

5.1

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Red Dawn?

The top films similar to Red Dawn by MovieMagicScore are Red Dawn (5.7), The Thin Red Line (7.4), Dune (6.2). Each shares action/drama/science fiction/thriller/war themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Red Dawn worth watching?

Red Dawn holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.3/10 from 849 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Red Dawn?

Red Dawn (1984) is a action, drama, science fiction, thriller, war film directed by John Milius, starring Patrick Swayze, Charlie Sheen, C. Thomas Howell.

Where can I find more recommendations like Red Dawn?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more action recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like Red Dawn Movies like The Thin Red Line Movies like Dune Movies like The Dark Knight Rises Movies like Enter the Ninja Movies like Undisputed

About movies like Red Dawn

This ranked list pairs Red Dawn (1984), a action and drama and science fiction and thriller and war film from John Milius, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Patrick Swayze take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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