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.
10 ‘The End of Evangelion’ (1997)
Directed by Hideaki Anno & Kazuya Tsurumaki
Image via Toei Company
Anyone who loves Transformers can safely say that they appreciate a good giant robot flick, which, thankfully, there are plenty of. One of the major complaints found among critics and audiences regarding the Transformers films is their lack of depth. Fans who have these complaints can get their cake and eat it too with The End of Evangelion, which follows the final act in the story of Shinji Ikari (Megumi Ogata, Spike Spencer & Casey Mongillo).
Audiences get to see what was happening in the outside world during the final episodes of Neon Genesis Evangelion. The Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise is notorious for being very complex and requiring a lot of thought to understand, but also being very profound and rewarding once one understands what the film is trying to say. But on top of all that, The End of Evangelion also features some great mech content and battles that are thrilling to watch.
Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion
Release Date July 19, 1997
Cast Megumi Ogata , Megumi Hayashibara , Kotono Mitsuishi
Runtime 1 hr 27 min
Watch on Netflix
9 ‘Cloverfield’ (2008)
Directed by Matt Reeves
Image via Paramount Pictures
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.
Cloverfield
Release Date January 15, 2008
Runtime 90
Writers Drew Goddard
8 ‘Kong: Skull Island’ (2017)
Directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures
Another film that does a great job of making humans feel small among giant action sequences is Kong: Skull Island. Hoerver, 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.
Kong: Skull Island
Release Date March 10, 2017
Runtime 118 minutes
Writers Max Borenstein , John Gatins , Derek Connolly
7 ‘Edge of Tomorrow’ (2014)
Directed by Doug Liman
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures
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.
6 ‘Independence Day’ (1996)
Directed by Ronald Emmerich
Image via 20th Century Studios
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.
Independence Day
Release Date June 25, 1996
Runtime 145
Writers Dean Devlin , Roland Emmerich
5 ‘The Terminator’ (1984)
Directed by James Cameron
Image via Orion Pictures
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.
The Terminator (1984)
Release Date October 26, 1984
Runtime 107 minutes
Writers Harlan Ellison , James Cameron , Gale Anne Hurd , William Wisher Jr.
4 ‘Power Rangers’ (2017)
Directed by Dean Israelite
Image via Lionsgate Films
If there’s a blockbuster film franchise that didn’t get the chance it deserved, it’s 2017’s Power Rangers. Retelling the classic origin story of teenagers with attitude in the modern day and with a blockbuster film budget, Power Rangers was an inspired take on a classic IP. It features the five high school students trying to protect the town of Angel Grove while learning how to be the Power Rangers and kicking butt with the giant robot Megazord.
Not only does Power Rangers also feature multiple giant robots who can all come together to form an even bigger robot, but the franchise also calls Hasbro home, much like Transformers. Similarly to G.I. Joe, Power Rangers is a property that fans have been wanting to cross over with Transformers for quite some time. After all, who wouldn’t want to see the Megazord team up with Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen)?
Power Rangers
Release Date March 23, 2017
Runtime 124
Writers John Gatins , Matt Sazama , Burk Sharpless , Michele Mulroney , Kieran Mulroney , Haim Saban
3 ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ (2021)
Directed by Adam Wingard
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures
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 some much-needed distraction by simply being one of the best recent monster movies. Thankfully, Warner Brothers 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.
Godzilla vs. Kong
Release Date March 31, 2021
Runtime 113 minutes
Writers Eric Pearson , Max Borenstein , Terry Rossio , Michael Dougherty , Zach Shields
2 ‘G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra’ (2009)
Directed by Stephen Sommers
Image via Paramount Pictures
It’s a pretty obvious fact that, with the announcement that a G.I. Joe and Transformers crossover film is in the works, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is a must-see before the long-awaited crossover drops. Being the first film in the G.I. Joe franchise, The Rise of Cobra is perfect for viewers who want to refresh themselves on the franchise before seeing them meet the robots in disguise.
The G.I. Joe franchise is incredibly similar to Transformers with its structure and prioritization of action and spectacle. They’re somewhat notorious quality-wise, but that doesn’t make them entirely worthless. Indeed, the Transformers movies are still a blast to watch because of how much fun they are. What it lacks in ambition and challenge, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra more than makes up for in silly action and entertaining characters.
1 ‘Pacific Rim’ (2013)
Directed by Guillermo del Toro
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures
When monsters born from the sea make their way to the surface, humanity must respond and fight back. They do so by creating large mechs called Jaegers to combat the creatures they call Kaiju. Widely considered a modern, underrated classic, Pacific Rim helped put the mech genre back on the pop culture map.
It’s too obvious to say that Pacific Rim is like Transformers because it’s about giant robots fighting giant creatures. Another reason Pacific Rim is for Transformers fans is its dedication to creating scale and spectacle. The Transformers franchise loves to show off how large the titular robots really are and emphasize their scale to create a sense of spectacle that keeps audiences coming back for more. However, there is genuine artistry to Pacific Rim, courtesy of writer-director Guillermo del Toro, who guides the film with giddy enthusiasm.
NEXT: The 10 Best Robot Movies That Are Not Transformers, Ranked