10 Movies like Starship Troopers you must watch

By Amanda Guarragi - June 29, 2023 (Last updated: September 12, 2024)
10 Movies like Starship Troopers you must watch
By Amanda Guarragi - June 29, 2023 (Last updated: September 12, 2024)

We discuss 10 Movies like Starship Troopers you must watch. Add these well-recommended and highly-rated films to your watch list.

Starship Troopers was released in 1997, and it was granted a hard R-rating. Director Paul Verhoeven, who also directed Robocop, wanted to create a parody of the sci-fi/adventure films that the 80s/90s were riddled with.

The film is about humans in a fascist, militaristic future who wage war with giant alien bugs. You have aliens and a war with humans in a movie that has them spoof all those same conventions. There are some C-list actors in the cast who weren’t really big at the time, but this film has been dubbed a cult classic.

The films on this list are all sci-fi adventures that have brought something new to sci-fi and have altered what we already know about the genre.

10 Movies like Starship Troopers

Robocop (1987) 

In a dystopic and crime-ridden Detroit, a terminally wounded cop returns to the force as a powerful cyborg haunted by submerged memories. It’s hilarious to watch this movie back now, and it’s because of how bad the action set pieces are. However, it’s still such fun to watch because of what they do with this cyborg.

Edge of Tomorrow (2014) 

A soldier fighting aliens gets to relive the same day over and over again, the day restarting every time he dies. Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt are incredible in this sci-fi action film that really pieces a time loop story together so well.

Pacific Rim (2013) 

As a war between humankind and monstrous sea creatures wages on, a former pilot and a trainee are paired up to drive a seemingly obsolete special weapon in a desperate effort to save the world from the apocalypse. Director Guillermo del Toro took a break from creating emotional creatures to make audiences connect with a giant fighting robot.

Total Recall (1990) 

When a man goes in to have virtual vacation memories of the planet Mars implanted in his mind, an unexpected and harrowing series of events forces him to go to the planet for real — or is he? Back in the 90s, you couldn’t touch Arnold Schwarzenegger, and this was one of the films that were more fun for a sci-fi/adventure.

Alita: Battle Angel (2019) 

A deactivated cyborg’s revived but can’t remember anything of her past and goes on a quest to find out who she is. Director James Cameron comes back again with some AI technology that changes the way audiences will look at movie characters. He created a whole different robotic world that worked so well.

Alien (1979) 

The crew of a commercial spacecraft encounters a deadly lifeform after investigating an unknown transmission. Alien is a Ridley Scott classic and made Sigourney Weaver one of the best faces for horror.

Mars Attacks! (1996)

Earth is invaded by Martians with unbeatable weapons and a cruel sense of humor. If you like how kooky Starship Troopers is, then you will appreciate how off-the-wall Mars Attacks! is.

Prey (2022) 

Naru, a highly skilled warrior of the Comanche Nation, fights to protect her tribe against one of the first highly-evolved Predators to land on Earth. No one expected a prequel to Predator to be so good. Prey is definitely a surprise for many fans.

The Thing (1982) 

A research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims. John Carpenter has some great films under his belt and isn’t only known for Halloween (1978).  This film is on the same level as horror and is one of the best of the 80s.

Life (2017) 

A team of scientists aboard the International Space Station discover a rapidly evolving life form that caused extinction on Mars and now threatens all life on Earth. Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson, and Ryan Reynolds all have great chemistry, and this space thriller is underrated.

Do you have any other recommendations for movies like Starship Troopers? Let us know in the comments below.

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