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The Golden Compass poster

Movies that feel likeThe Golden Compass (2007)

In a parallel universe, after overhearing a shocking secret, precocious orphan Lyra Belacqua trades her carefree existence roaming the halls of Jordan College for an otherworldly adventure in the far North, unaware that it's part of her destiny.

If you loved The Golden Compass, the closest films we have are Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) and Russian Ark (2002). All three share The Golden Compass' epic and dreamlike feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006).

🍅 42% Rotten Tomatoes★ 6.1 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗dir. Chris Weitzepicdreamlike
8 of 12 streaming nowNetflix · HBO Max · Disney Plus

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If The Golden Compass hit the spot, these will too

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire poster
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
2005 · dir. Mike Newell
🍅 88%★ 7.7adventure · fantasyMaxPeacock

The same mix in both: scale, then dream logic

The difference: Critics rated this one higher still

When his name emerges from the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter becomes a competitor in a grueling battle for glory among three wizarding schools. Signs of Voldemort's return emerge as Harry's friends help him prepare for the Triwizard Tournament.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them poster
🍅 74%★ 7.2fantasy · adventureMaxPeacock

Epic adventure, and it commits to that

In 1926, Newt Scamander arrives at the Magical Congress of the United States of America with a magically expanded briefcase, which houses a number of dangerous creatures and their habitats. When the creatures escape from the briefcase, it sends the American wizarding authorities after Newt, and threatens to strain even further the state of magical and non-magical relations.

Russian Ark poster
Russian Ark
2002 · dir. Aleksandr Sokurov
🍅 89%★ 7.2drama · fantasy · history

Fantasy built on dream logic, twice over

The difference: Sits closer to drama than The Golden Compass does

A ghost and a French marquis wander through the Winter Palace in St Petersburg, encountering scenes from many different periods of its history.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest poster
🍅 53%★ 7.4adventure · fantasy · actionDisney+

Common ground: compass

The difference: Leans harder into action than The Golden Compass does

Captain Jack Sparrow’s got a blood debt to pay: he owes his soul to the legendary Davy Jones, ghastly Ruler of the Ocean Depths. To escape eternal servitude aboard the Flying Dutchman, ever-crafty Jack must track down the still-beating heart of Jones. But he won’t do it alone: Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann are drawn back into another one of his perilous quests—assuming they can evade execution for aiding a pirate.

Mortal Kombat II poster
Mortal Kombat II
2026 · dir. Simon McQuoid
🍅 64%★ 6.3action · fantasy · adventureMax

Both lean on scale more than on adventure

The fan favorite champions—now joined by Johnny Cage himself—are pitted against one another in the ultimate, no-holds barred, gory battle to defeat the dark rule of Shao Kahn that threatens the very existence of the Earthrealm and its defenders.

Mulan poster
Mulan
2020 · dir. Niki Caro
🍅 71%★ 5.8adventure · fantasy · actionDisney+

Dreamlike fantasy in both cases

When the Emperor of China issues a decree that one man per family must serve in the Imperial Chinese Army to defend the country from Huns, Hua Mulan, the eldest daughter of an honored warrior, steps in to take the place of her ailing father. She is spirited, determined and quick on her feet. Disguised as a man by the name of Hua Jun, she is tested every step of the way and must harness her innermost strength and embrace her true potential.

Seventh Son poster
Seventh Son
2014 · dir. Sergei Bodrov
🍅 12%★ 5.5adventure · fantasy

Both play adventure straight

John Gregory, who is a seventh son of a seventh son and also the local spook, has protected the country from witches, boggarts, ghouls and all manner of things that go bump in the night. However John is not young anymore, and has been seeking an apprentice to carry on his trade. Most have failed to survive. The last hope is a young farmer's son named Thomas Ward.

Upon the Magic Roads poster
Upon the Magic Roads
2021 · dir. Oleg Pogodin
★ 5.7adventure · fantasy

The same fantasy instincts

Romantic John the Fool and his friend Foal set out on a series of unpredictable adventures in different magical worlds. The two buddies will have to outsmart an evil tyrant king, catch the firebird, and find John’s true love.

Snow White and the Huntsman poster
Snow White and the Huntsman
2012 · dir. Rupert Sanders
🍅 48%★ 6.1adventure · fantasy · drama

The adventure is handled with the same confidence

After the Evil Queen marries the King, she performs a violent coup in which the King is murdered and his daughter, Snow White, is taken captive. Almost a decade later, a grown Snow White is still in the clutches of the Queen. In order to obtain immortality, The Evil Queen needs the heart of Snow White. After Snow escapes the castle, the Queen sends the Huntsman to find her in the Dark Forest.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon poster
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
2009 · dir. Chris Weitz
🍅 28%★ 4.8adventure · fantasy · dramaNetflix

Chris Weitz directing both, with the same fingerprints on each

Forks, Washington resident Bella Swan is reeling from the departure of her vampire love, Edward Cullen, and finds comfort in her friendship with Jacob Black, a werewolf. But before she knows it, she's thrust into a centuries-old conflict, and her desire to be with Edward at any cost leads her to take greater and greater risks.

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider poster
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
2001 · dir. Simon West
🍅 21%★ 5.8adventure · action · fantasyParamount+

Both are built on the same subject: steampunk

Orphaned heiress, English aristocrat and intrepid archaeologist, Lara Croft, embarks on a dangerous quest to retrieve the two halves of an ancient artifact which controls time before it falls into the wrong hands. As an extremely rare planetary alignment is about to occur for the first time in 5,000 years, the fearless tomb raider will have to team up with rival adventurers and sworn enemies to collect the pieces, while time is running out. But, in the end, who can harness the archaic talisman's unlimited power?

Reign of Fire poster
Reign of Fire
2002 · dir. Rob Bowman
🍅 42%★ 6.2adventure · action · fantasy

Both are fantasy through and through

In post-apocalyptic England, an American volunteer and a British survivor team up to fight off a brood of fire-breathing dragons seeking to return to global dominance after centuries of rest underground. The Brit—leading a clan of survivors to hunt down the King of the Dragons—has much at stake: his mother was killed by a dragon, but his love is still alive.

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The best-reviewed films that share The Golden Compass’ defining feeling.