13 Best Movies Like Elden Ring To Watch When You Need A Break
Ring of Elden, am I right? FromSoftware’s latest challenging RPG is a global hit, and the studio says it’s looking to expand beyond games. So we thought it would be a good time to talk about some movies that remind us Ring of Elden. FromSoft’s games are known for their fantastical environments and hauntingly beautiful enemies and relentless amount of lead character deaths, so we’ve picked a few movies to match. This post is based in part on this tweet on The green knight and by a recent vision of A Writer’s Odyssey.
Whether you’re away from your gaming system, don’t have Ring of Eldenare interested in the vibrations of Ring of Elden but not by playing it, just looking to complete your marathon gaming session, or whatever, here are 13 movies that can keep those haunted, tarnished vibes going.
A Writer’s Odyssey
Image: MCC Images
What it is: A new Chinese fantasy action-adventure about a writer whose fantasy novel seems to have a mysterious impact on the real world, and the man who was sent to kill him.
Why it’s like Elden Ring: The monster design and combat sequences look straight out of a Fromsoft game, from hulking four-armed giants to sentient one-eye skeletal armor.
Where to watch it: broadcast on iQiyi, available to rent for $4.99 on Google Play and $5.99 on Amazon.
Conan the Barbarian
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Image: Universal Images
What is the 1982 version: The first film adaptation of Robert E. Howard’s pulp magazine hero, it was a defining role in Arnold Schwarzenegger’s acting career. (A more recent – and less-appreciated – adaptation of Conan, this time with Jason Momoa in the lead role, arrived in 2011 if you need something more contemporary.)
Why it’s like Elden Ring: As our colleague Patrick Gill put it: “Conan is chased by dogs into a cave where he finds the skeleton of a giant on a throne, then takes the sword from the skeleton.” if it’s not Ring of EldenWhat?
Where to watch it: Streaming on Starz, available to rent for $3.99 on Google Play, Apple, Amazon and other VOD platforms. You can stream the 2011 version on Fubo and AMC Plus, and rent for $3.99 on Google Play, Apple, Amazon, and other VOD platforms.
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword
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Picture: Warner Bros.
What it is: Guy Ritchie’s frantic, messy and fun Arthurian adaptation stars Charlie Hunnam as a young Arthur finding his destiny and overthrowing the evil Vortigern (Jude Law).
Why it’s like Elden Ring: High fantasy swordplay featuring heavy CG combat sequences with strong video game vibes.
Where to watch it: Streaming on Netflix.
The headhunter
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Image: Vertical Entertainment
What it is: A 2018 fantasy horror short film made on a microbudget, The headhunter follows a bounty hunter waiting for the creature that killed his daughter and has been compared to a live-action version of Skyrim.
Why it’s like Elden Ring: Perhaps the closest tone to the game, it’s a beautiful atmospheric horror fantasy.
Where to watch it: Streaming on Shudder and AMC Plus, available free with a library card on Hoopla.
army of darkness
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Image: Universal Images
What it is: The third film in the original Evil Dead trilogy, army of darkness is far more comedic than previous entries in the series, as Ash’s time travels back to medieval times with his chainsaw arm.
Why it’s like Elden Ring: An undead fantasy with unconventional weaponry and lots of slapstick humor.
Where to watch it: Broadcast on HBO Max.
mountaineer
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Image: Twentieth Century Fox
What it is: Russell Mulcahy’s iconic 1986 action-adventure fantasy fever dream about immortal warriors stars Christopher Lambert, Clancy Brown and Sean Connery, who plays an Egyptian immortal named Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez.
Why it’s like Elden Ring: High fantasy with swordplay, a slow-paced narrative, and a twisted, monstrous villain. It’s basically the same as being invaded by another player in Ring Elden.
Where to watch it: Stream on Amazon Prime Video, Peacock, and for free with ads on Tubi
Dragon hunter
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Image: Primordial Images
What it is: A 1981 dark fantasy film about a young wizard hunting a dragon, Dragon hunter received Academy Award nominations for its visual effects (including a 40-foot hydraulic dragon made up of 16 puppets) and its original score.
Why it’s like Elden Ring: Great monster design, dark atmosphere, incomprehensible dialogue, and big lore implications that the movie doesn’t need or care to explain. Additionally, the dragon is named “Pejorative Vermithrax”.
Where to watch it: Available for free with a library card on Kanopy.
crawling
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Picture: Well Go USA Entertainment
What it is: An action-packed 2018 South Korean period piece set in the era of the Joseon Dynasty… complete with zombies.
Why it’s like Elden Ring: Fantasy undead action intertwined with royal court drama.
Where to watch it: Streaming on Hi-Yah!, available for free with ads on Tubi.
The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf
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Picture: Netflix
What it is: Netflix’s Witcher animated adventure, an origin story from Geralt’s mentor, Vesemir.
Why it’s like Elden Ring: Animated dark fantasy with stunning action sequences and monster design.
Where to watch it: Streaming on Netflix.
edge of tomorrow
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Picture: Warner Bros.
What it is: One of the best blockbusters of the 2010s, this adaptation of the Japanese novel all you need is to kill stars Tom Cruise as a public relations officer who finds himself in a time loop trying to stop an alien invasion with a seasoned soldier (Emily Blunt).
Why it’s like Elden Ring: The protagonist constantly dies. Again and again.
Where to watch it: Available to rent for $3.99 on Google Play, Apple, Amazon and other VOD platforms.
Attack the block
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Picture: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
What it is: A 2011 cult hit, this sci-fi/horror/comedy tells the story of a group of teenagers (including a young John Boyega) who are the only ones aware of an alien invasion in their London neighborhood.
Why it’s like Elden Ring: See, dogs!
Where to watch it: Streaming on Starz, available to rent for $3.99 on Google Play, Apple, Amazon and other VOD platforms.
The great wall
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Picture: Universal Pictures/China Film Group
What it is: Wuxia master Zhang Yimou’s very good 2016 monster film stars Matt Damon as a European mercenary held prisoner at the Great Wall, before lending a helping hand to the defending forces when the monsters attack.
Why it’s like Elden Ring: I did not expect a dog.
Where to watch it: Available to rent for $3.99 on Google Play, Apple, Amazon and other VOD platforms.
The witch
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Picture: A24
What it is: A supernatural period horror drama starring Anya Taylor-Joy as a young girl whose Puritan family is torn apart by the machinations of a mysterious evil lurking in the forests near their farm.
Why it’s like Elden Ring: A child suffers the disastrous consequences of kissing a stranger.
Where to watch it: Stream on Showtime and Fubo, or free with a library card on Kanopy.