Movies Like Explorers (1985)

Explorers is a 1985 adventure, family, science fiction film from Joe Dante with a MovieMagicScore of 6.3/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Europa Report and Ship of the Monsters.

Adventure Family Science Fiction

Europa Report

2013

A crew of international astronauts are sent on a private mission to Jupiter's fourth moon.

6.3

MagicScore

Ship of the Monsters

1960

A singing cowboy falls foul of alien invaders and beautiful women from Venus.

6.2

MagicScore

Stargate: Continuum

2008

Ba'al travels back in time and prevents the Stargate program from being started. SG-1 must somehow restore history.

7.2

MagicScore

Stargate: The Ark of Truth

2008

SG-1 searches for an ancient weapon which could help them defeat the Ori, and discover it may be in the Ori's own home galaxy. As the Ori prepare to send ships through to the Milky Way to attack Earth, SG-1 travels to the Ori galaxy aboard the Odyssey. The International Oversight committee have their own plans and SG-1 finds themselves in a distant galaxy fighting two powerful enemies.

7.1

MagicScore

Mission to Mars

2000

When the first manned mission to Mars meets with a catastrophic and mysterious disaster after reporting an unidentified structure, a rescue mission is launched to investigate the tragedy and bring back any survivors.

6.0

MagicScore

This Island Earth

1955

Aliens have landed and are hiding on Earth, but need Earth’s scientists to help them fight an inter-planetary war.

6.0

MagicScore

Journey to the Seventh Planet

1962

A space expedition to Uranus is menaced by a giant brain that can make illusions come true.

4.8

MagicScore

Alien

1979

During its return to the earth, commercial spaceship Nostromo intercepts a distress signal from a distant planet. When a three-member team of the crew discovers a chamber containing thousands of eggs on the planet, a creature inside one of the eggs attacks an explorer. The entire crew is unaware of the impending nightmare set to descend upon them when the alien parasite planted inside its unfortunate host is birthed.

8.2

MagicScore

Ikarie XB 1

1963

The year is 2163. Starship Ikaria XB 1 embarks on a mission deep into space in search of alien life. During their perilous journey the crew confront the effects of a malignant dark star, the destructive legacy of the 20th century and, ultimately, the limits of their own sanity.

6.8

MagicScore

#10

Alien³

1992

After escaping with Newt and Hicks from the alien planet, Ripley crash lands on Fiorina 161, a prison planet and host to a correctional facility. Unfortunately, although Newt and Hicks do not survive the crash, a more unwelcome visitor does. The prison does not allow weapons of any kind, and with aid being a long time away, the prisoners must simply survive in any way they can.

6.4

MagicScore

#11

Alien: Covenant

2017

The crew of the colony ship Covenant, bound for a remote planet on the far side of the galaxy, discovers what they think is an uncharted paradise but is actually a dark, dangerous world.

6.2

MagicScore

#12

It! The Terror from Beyond Space

1958

The first manned expedition to Mars is invaded by an unknown life form, which stows away on the rescue ship.

5.9

MagicScore

#13

Skylines

2020

When a virus threatens to turn the now earth-dwelling friendly alien hybrids against humans, Captain Rose Corley must lead a team of elite mercenaries on a mission to the alien world in order to save what's left of humanity.

5.6

MagicScore

#14

Gayniggers from Outer Space

1992

Extraterrestrial beings travel the galaxy to free men "oppressed" by females to make way for an entirely-homosexual society.

4.8

MagicScore

#15

Ratchet & Clank

2016

When the galaxy comes under the threat of a nefarious space captain, a mechanic and his newfound robot ally join an elite squad of combatants to save the universe.

5.8

MagicScore

#16

Galaxina

1980

Galaxina is a lifelike, voluptuous android who is assigned to oversee the operations of an intergalactic Space Police cruiser captained by incompetent Cornelius Butt. When a mission requires the ship's crew to be placed in suspended animation for decades, Galaxina finds herself alone for many years, developing emotions and falling in love with the ship's pilot, Thor.

4.0

MagicScore

#17

Earth 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.

5.6

MagicScore

#18

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

1977

After an encounter with UFOs, an electricity linesman feels undeniably drawn to an isolated area in the wilderness where something spectacular is about to happen.

7.3

MagicScore

#19

Jules

2023

A flying saucer lands in the backyard of an elderly suburbanite with memory problems, who forms a bond with the scared alien inside.

7.2

MagicScore

#20

Inseminoid

1981

A crew of interplanetary archaeologists is threatened when an alien creature impregnates one of their members, causing her to turn homicidal and murder them one by one.

4.0

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Explorers?

The top films similar to Explorers by MovieMagicScore are Europa Report (6.3), Ship of the Monsters (6.2), Stargate: Continuum (7.2). Each shares adventure/family/science fiction themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Explorers worth watching?

Explorers holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.3/10 from 479 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Explorers?

Explorers (1985) is a adventure, family, science fiction film directed by Joe Dante, starring Ethan Hawke, River Phoenix, Jason Presson.

Where can I find more recommendations like Explorers?

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

Keep exploring

Movies like Europa Report Movies like Ship of the Monsters Movies like Stargate: Continuum Movies like Stargate: The Ark of Truth Movies like Mission to Mars Movies like This Island Earth

About movies like Explorers

This ranked list pairs Explorers (1985), a adventure and family and science fiction film from Joe Dante, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Ethan Hawke 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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