Fans of the Transformers franchise have a great catalog of films to enjoy, rewatch, dissect, and everything in between. But when they run out of Transformers films to watch, they, thankfully, have another, even larger, catalog of films to view that are just like the robots in disguise, whether because they share similar characters, thematic ideas, or even action sequences.
It doesn’t matter if it’s a film with giant robots or giant beings fighting each other. It can be an entry in a franchise soon to be connected with Transformers or even a movie that simply features a large, city-wide disaster. Whatever the case, plenty of films resemble the Transformers saga, making them ideal for fans to enjoy before the next installment in the franchise arrives. It’s also safe to say that a lot of the films below are arguably better than most of the Transformers films, anyway, so that’s a much-appreciated bonus.
15
‘Pacific Rim: Uprising’ (2018)
Be warned: Pacific Rim: Uprising is not nearly as good as its prior installment (most mecha movies, in all honesty), but it finds itself differing from it in a way that could most definitely appeal to fans of the Transformers franchise. It serves as a complaint from fans of the Pacific Rim franchise, because it’s different from the original film in a way they didn’t like, but Pacific Rim: Uprising‘s Jaegers move far faster and more agile than the likes of the first project.
This aspect makes the action a lot faster-paced in its choreography, which is a landmark of the action in Transformers. They may be giant robots, but boy, do they move fast. So, while the quicker movements in Pacific Rim: Uprising may be a bit of an antithesis to the physical language in Pacific Rim, it serves fans of Transformers relatively well. That doesn’t stop the movie from being quite mediocre, though, so go in with lower expectations.
14
‘Robot Jox’ (1989)
While it may be an older film, and some Transformers fans are most certainly more used to the high-octane visual effects from the more modern films, Robot Jox is a great watch for fans of the classic era of the franchise. The original series in the Transformers franchise, The Transformers (also called Transformers: Original Series), first aired just a few years before this movie came out: 1984.
This means that fans of this original show can bask in the glory of those, well, glorious 80s vibes that can be found in the series. Robot Jox is a staple of mecha projects from the 80s (and even early 90s), which means it’s also a pretty monumental movie when it comes to mecha projects. It can’t balance tone too well, but over the years, it’s found a niche fanbase who see it as a “so-bad-its-good” film, which can make it a comedic watch for those looking for something new, too.
13
‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ (2021)
Titanic creatures kicking the crap out of each other will always have great cinematic appeal. It doesn’t matter if it’s giant robots, kaiju, monsters, or aliens; there is something spectacular about larger-than-life beings making Earth their battle ring. Such movies keep audiences’ eyes glued to the screen for hours.
Godzilla vs. Kong features a giant monster fighting another giant monster before they eventually team up to fight another robotic monster. It’s a great parallel to the Transformers saga, capturing the sheer awesomeness of the monster-battle concept. Opening at the height of the pandemic, Godzilla vs. Kong proved to be a much-needed distraction by simply being one of the best recent monster movies. Thankfully, Warner Bros. Pictures seems to have zero plans to halt production on their MonsterVerse films, so fans can expect many more giant monsters fighting more giant monsters.
12
‘Cloverfield’ (2008)
From the brilliant mind of Matt Reeves, the man who directed The Batman, Cloverfield remains a groundbreaking film that changed the cultural zeitgeist. When a giant monster begins rampaging in New York, a group of friends struggles to get out alive while attempting a daring rescue.
Fans of Transformers will love Cloverfield for its giant monster and the sheer amount of destruction it causes throughout the film’s 1-hour and 25-minute runtime. One of the strongest aspects of any Transformers film is the excitement that comes from watching giant robots destroy everything in their wake. The robots in disguise also do a pretty good job of making the humans in the films feel small and at the mercy of something much larger, which Cloverfield does pretty much perfectly.
11
‘Kong: Skull Island’ (2017)
Another film that does a great job of making humans feel small among giant action sequences is Kong: Skull Island. However, it differs from Cloverfield in the sense that the film’s protagonist is the giant creature, getting to fight other gargantuan monsters on the island he calls home. Meanwhile, the humans unexpectedly exploring the island attempt to survive the rampage.
Kong: Skull Island is one of the best and most rewatchable movies in the MonsterVerse because of its competent direction and surprisingly emotional story. It succeeds as a summer blockbuster smash hit without feeling too shallow, even if it still prioritizes spectacle and action. It does what most Transformers films honestly fail to do, making the story just as important and resonant as the monster action.
10
‘Mazingrer Z: Infinity’ (2017)
A landmark mecha film that many outside of the anime fanbase unfortunately don’t know about is Mazinger Z: Infinity. The Mazinger franchise has been pretty dang beloved over the years, and for Transformers fans who haven’t visited this universe before, Mazinger Z: Infinity is a pretty great movie to check out.
Fans gave mixed reactions for the exact reason that Transformers fans might enjoy it: they felt it was an unnecessary revisit to the franchise, which also makes it more palatable for newer fans. When the world’s longest era of peace is interrupted, the former pilot of Mazinger Z, Koji Kabuto (Showtaro Morikubo and Wayne Grayson), finds a wild discovery beneath Mt. Fuji, which spawns a conflict with a classic villain.
9
‘Edge of Tomorrow’ (2014)
Edge of Tomorrow can be best described as Groundhog Day meets robotic action and war. The plot centers on William Cage (Tom Cruise), who battles through the same day of an alien invasion over and over, losing the war each time. However, he gets better with each redo, bringing him closer to beating the aliens once and for all.
Most Transformers movies end with an act three big war/invasion battle, which is done perfectly in Edge of Tomorrow. Not to mention that the soldiers in Edge of Tomorrow wear mechanized suits to help them combat the alien threat, capitalizing on the desire to be an automaton, even if just for a while. Edge of Tomorrow also just so happens to be one of the most underrated action blockbusters of all time and is worthy of a watch no matter what someone is a fan of.
8
‘Independence Day’ (1996)
As stated, the end of almost every Transformers film pretty much always has an end-of-the-world scenario where humans must team up with the robots to stop an incoming invasion. As arguably the original apocalypse flick, Independence Day pretty much defined a lot of the typical tropes seen in modern doomsday sequences in film.
The story sees aliens invading Earth, and with far inferior technology, humans must use their sheer indomitable spirit to make it out alive and win the day. This type of scenario is the same that many humans face in the Transformers films. Being far outmatched by the incredible might of the Decepticons, humanity typically needs to get creative and find incredible willpower to make it through to help the Autobots keep the planet safe. Beyond its similarities with the robotic vehicles saga, Independence Day is a seminal and triumphant sci-fi action spectacle that lends itself to multiple rewatches.
7
‘The Terminator’ (1984)
When it comes to robots in the film, it doesn’t ever really get more classic than The Terminator. When a cyborg assassin comes to the present day with a mission to kill the young Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), she must team up with Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn) to escape. She soon learns her unborn son will lead the fight against the evil Skynet one day, thrusting her into the middle of a deadly adventure.
The Terminator features humans helplessly going up against advanced robotic beings who seek to destroy everything they know and love. Aside from that, The Terminator is one of director James Cameron’s best movies and continues to be a blueprint for filmmaking (especially low-budget filmmaking) to this day. The Terminator is one of the first and best examples of humans fighting against tech greater than themselves to stay alive.
6
‘Promare’ (2019)
In a post-dystopian world in which a massive outbreak of spontaneous human combustion races across the planet, the world finds its response in a team of mech pilots called Burning Rescue. However, not all is easy when they’re facing off against a terror group known as Mad Burnish and the police force, called the Freeze Force.
Depending on the era of Transformers one likes, the post-apocalyptic vibe can fit the vibe of whatever era they are watching, as the destruction during the war for Cybertron can most certainly be considered apocalyptic. And, as most “watch this because you like Transformers” films have, Promare features some iconic mech action.
