Movies Like Mortal Engines for rolling mega-cities, sky chases, and rebel adventure
Sky chases, rolling mega-cities, and young heroes swept into machine-age rebellion.
Sky chases, rolling mega-cities, and young heroes swept into machine-age rebellion.
Best first watch
Tank Girl (1995)
88% fit104 min · IMDb 5.4 · RT 46%
Rachel Talalay gives the wasteland the same taste for giant machines and rebellion, but with louder jokes and a punk-comic snap. Rebecca and Jet Girl turn a water-starved future into a chase movie about young heroes fighting corporate rule, with aircraft, tanks, and machine-age mayhem pushing the pace. It carries the same thrill of being swept into revolt by a fierce outsider.
Watch if
You want rebellious young heroes, wild chases, and loud dieselpunk camp.
Skip if
You want cleaner world-building and a steadier mood.
For you if
- You want giant machines, airborne chases, and ruined-world adventure with strong forward momentum.
- You enjoy uneasy hero pairings, hidden agendas, and rebel plots inside flashy sci-fi worlds.
- You need post-apocalyptic action that stays energetic instead of sinking into pure despair.
Not for you if
- You want grim survival stories with harsh realism and very little fantasy tech.
- You prefer tight, low-budget wasteland tales over sprawling worldbuilding and big effects.
- You need deep character study ahead of spectacle, quests, and chase-driven plotting.
How Mortal Engines (2018) alternatives compare
Pick Tank Girl for the loudest camp, sharpest rebellion, and the most playful machine-age attitude. Pick Turbo Kid if you want the warmest young-hero story and the easiest first watch. Warrior of the Lost World is for a direct biker-versus-regime setup. Exterminators of the Year 3000 leans into survival and water-run stakes. Wheels of Fire delivers the purest road-war chase rush.
How playful is it?
full comic chaos
Rebellion energy
anti-corporate uprising
Chase and vehicle action
wild ride action
Easy first pick?
style-first entry
How playful is it?
sweet and goofy
Rebellion energy
personal hero stand
Chase and vehicle action
burst-action pacing
Easy first pick?
most welcoming
How playful is it?
straight-faced pulp
Rebellion energy
regime takedown
Chase and vehicle action
bike-driven pursuit
Easy first pick?
bare-bones setup
How playful is it?
scrappy B-movie fun
Rebellion energy
survival first
Chase and vehicle action
convoy survival run
Easy first pick?
messy but direct
How playful is it?
grimy road pulp
Rebellion energy
local resistance
Chase and vehicle action
all-road assault
Easy first pick?
for road-war fans
Not sure what to watch?
Date night
The Kid and Apple bring sweetness to the wasteland, and the brisk runtime keeps the mood light and easy.
Quick watch
It gets to the road chaos fast, stays lean, and works when you want action without much setup.
Friend group
Its loud jokes, punk attitude, and rebel-team chemistry give everyone something fun to react to together.
Find your pick
Do you want punky comic-book chaos led by a wild female antihero?
Moments you loved
Best movies like Mortal Engines (2018)
1. Tank Girl (1995)
104 min · IMDb 5.4 · RT 46%
Rachel Talalay gives the wasteland the same taste for giant machines and rebellion, but with louder jokes and a punk-comic snap. Rebecca and Jet Girl turn a water-starved future into a chase movie about young heroes fighting corporate rule, with aircraft, tanks, and machine-age mayhem pushing the pace. It carries the same thrill of being swept into revolt by a fierce outsider.
Watch if
You want rebellious young heroes, wild chases, and loud dieselpunk camp.
Skip if
You want cleaner world-building and a steadier mood.
Where to watch
2. Turbo Kid (2015)
95 min · IMDb 6.7 · RT 89%
Turbo Kid takes the young-hero angle even further, following The Kid through a handmade future of scavenged tech, comics, and rebellion against Zeus. The pace is brisk, the romance with Apple keeps the feeling bright, and the machine-age world stays playful instead of bleak. It trades sky chases for bike-and-blood momentum while keeping that swept-into-adventure rush.
Watch if
You want a sweeter young-hero rebellion with fast, playful wasteland energy.
Skip if
You want huge machines and a grander scale.
Where to watch
3. Warrior of the Lost World (1983)
92 min · IMDb 2.7
This one locks into the rebellion side of the angle, using a nomad rider and his high-tech motorcycle to attack an Orwellian regime. David Worth keeps the structure simple and forward-moving, closer to a rolling chase serial than a dense epic. The machine-age look is cheap but eager, and the story of a lone figure pulled into revolt hits the same adventure nerve.
Watch if
You want direct biker action and a clear anti-regime rebellion.
Skip if
You need polished effects or rich character work.
4. Exterminators of the Year 3000 (1983)
87 min · IMDb 5.1
Exterminators of the Year 3000 turns the resource-war setup into a water-run quest, with Timmy joining adults on a dangerous trip across biker territory. That gives the movie a young-hero thread, a rolling convoy shape, and constant machine-age danger. It is rougher and smaller, but the survival chase energy and rebel spirit fit the same wasteland-fun lane.
Watch if
You like survival missions, biker chases, and scrappy young-hero stakes.
Skip if
You want humor or any sky-level spectacle.
5. Wheels of Fire (1985)
81 min · IMDb 4.8
Wheels of Fire strips the formula down to roads, raiders, and machines of destruction, then runs with it at full speed. The world is less about mega-cities and more about pure chase pressure, but the same machine-age rebellion mood is there in its lawless highways and desperate fights. It feels like the raw pulp version of being swept into a future war on wheels.
Watch if
You want nonstop road chases and grimy machine-age action.
Skip if
You want strong humor or a prominent young-hero lead.
Beyond movies
TV shows and books that scratch the same itch
Twisted Metal
This is the clearest match for Wasteland Fun, a post-apocalyptic road series built around souped-up vehicles, chaotic factions, and a playful junk-future look. It also shares Mortal Engines energy through big moving machines, fast chases, and young leads getting pulled into a larger conflict across a broken world.
Peacock
Blood Drive
This series leans hard into campy wasteland action, with deadly road races, patched-together tech, and a loud grindhouse style that fits the hub exactly. Like Mortal Engines, it treats its ruined future as a playground for strange machines, pulp rebellion, and nonstop momentum.
Available for purchase on Google Play and Fandango
Daybreak
Daybreak fits the hub through its playful post-apocalyptic setting, teen survivors, and gleefully messy world built from scavenged junk, gangs, and over-the-top set pieces. It matches Mortal Engines in its focus on young heroes swept into a larger uprising, with a lighter, adventurous mood instead of pure despair.
Netflix
Railsea
by China Miéville
Its endless rail lines, monster hunts, wrecked trains, and salvage chases turn a ruined world into a lively adventure instead of a grim trudge. Sham is a young lead pulled from routine into a much larger upheaval, which matches Mortal Engines' taste for machine-age motion and escalating rebellion.
Available at major bookstores
Common questions about movies like Mortal Engines (2018)
What is the best movie like Mortal Engines (2018)?
Based on our analysis, Tank Girl (1995) is the closest match with a 88% fit score. See the full breakdown above for why it earned the top spot.
Which of these works best for watching with teens or a mixed-age group?
Turbo Kid is the easiest pick for a mixed group that wants a young hero, clear stakes, and a sweeter emotional center. Tank Girl is fun for older teens who enjoy loud comic-book weirdness, while the rougher '80s road-war picks feel more niche.
Which one should I avoid if I do not handle violence or chaos well?
Wheels of Fire and Exterminators of the Year 3000 stay focused on raiders, attacks, and survival pressure, so they can feel harsher. Tank Girl is chaotic in a more playful way, and Turbo Kid wraps its danger in a lighter, more heartfelt adventure frame.
What should I watch if I want the most upbeat ending or mood?
Turbo Kid gives you the warmest ride because The Kid and Apple keep the story emotionally open and hopeful. Tank Girl also stays energetic and mischievous, but its vibe is louder and more abrasive than comforting.
Which is the best weeknight pick when I do not want to commit a lot of time or focus?
Wheels of Fire is the shortest and easiest to throw on when you want immediate action. Turbo Kid is also a great weeknight choice because it moves quickly and gives you a simple quest to follow without much world-building homework.
How do these differ in feel from each other?
Tank Girl is punky, jokey, and proudly messy. Turbo Kid mixes young-romance sweetness with comic-book gore, Warrior of the Lost World plays like a straight biker rebellion, Exterminators of the Year 3000 is a scrappy water-run adventure, and Wheels of Fire is pure road-raider assault.
Where should I start if I am new to post-apocalyptic action movies?
Start with Tank Girl if you want the clearest bridge from young-adult adventure into wasteland camp and rebellion. Start with Turbo Kid if you want the most accessible story shape, a lovable lead pair, and a shorter path into this kind of machine-age world.
Was this list useful?
Quick feedback helps us improve ranking quality.