The runaway success ofHelldivers 2proves that gamers are always ready for something unexpected to come along, but also that there’s untapped potential inthe sci-fi genre. You may love Helldivers 2 purely for the gameplay, but there’s no denying that the setting has sparked heavy investment from players all over the world.
There aren’t many things better than fully immersing yourself in your latest geeky obsession, so you may be looking for films to watch that scratch the Helldivers 2 itch even when you need a break from defending Super Earth against bots and bugs. Never fear loyal soldier, we’ve got you covered through the power of managed democracy. Read below for the best movies to check out if you love Helldivers 2.
8Aliens
Yes, Specifically The Sequel
First things first, by no means skip the original film.Alienis one of the greatest movies ever made and should never be overlooked. However, if you’re looking for the closest fit to the Helldivers 2 experience, sequel Aliens fits the bill better.
While the original is a slow-burn horror, Aliens takes a more trigger-happy approach. Rather than evading a single Xenomorph in the confines of a ship, Ripley and a squad of hardened soldiers plunge headfirst into a rescue mission through multiple Xenomorphs. It isn’t quite a horde of Termanids, but it’s close.
7Terminator
You Can See The Inspiration
Really, you could check out anything in the Terminator series, darling ofthe ’80s, and get differing amounts of Helldivers 2 vibes. The key thing here is the fact that Terminators, or T-Units, most famously look like robotic skeletons with glowing red eyes. Wouldn’t you know it, but the basic bot units in Helldivers 2 look like that too!
Depending on what you dive into in the Terminator back catalog, you’ll also get varying amounts of time spent looking at a dystopian sci-fi future, which also meets the brief we’re going for. We just hope none of the bots in Helldivers 2 are like the T-1000, but surely the commanding officers would tell us boots on the ground about something like that? Right?
The inspiration for the basic Trooper unit of Automaton is clear to see — the T-Units of the Terminator series. But did you know that the larger Hulk units also have a clear visual inspiration?
The developers are huge fans ofWarhammer 40k, and that can be seen no clearer than when you look at a Space Marine Dreadnought. Once you compare a Warhammer Dreadnought to a Helldivers Hulk, you’ll never be able to unsee it.
6Full Metal Jacket
One Of The Best War Movies Ever Made
If you’re looking for a change of pace from sci-fi, but still want something adjacent to your helldiving experience, consider Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket. Although it does spend some time following soldiers in war, a full half of the movie is set at boot camp and the entire film focuses on the impact military service has on the psyche of the soldier.
By no means a light-hearted romp, Full Metal Jacket shows just how military training is designed to break a person down and build them back up, as well as how active service breaks them all over again. Helldivers 2 gives a much more satiric view of its minimal military training, but Full Metal Jacket might help you sympathize with your gaming avatar a little more.
5We Were Soldiers
Never Forget Malevelon Creek
For those of you who fought on Malevelon Creek, this one will hit close to home. The first Major Order in Helldivers 2 saw heavy fighting on this jungle planet against the Automotaton forces, one that ultimately proved unsuccessful.
We Were Soldiers has a not dissimilar premise, following a platoon of soldiers in the Vietnam War. Outnumbered at every turn, they fight bravely and even complete their objective despite heavy losses, but ultimately the location they fought for is lost the moment they extract. Some undemocratic detractors would tell you this is just how things played out on Malevelon Creek, but true Super Earth patriots know that liberty never loses, even in defeat.
4Soldier
Super Earth Would Clone Us In A Heartbeat
Soldier, featuring Kurt Russell, follows Todd. One of the most highly trained soldiers of the future, he is deemed obsolete as soon as the military introduces genetically engineered soldiers. That goes about as well for the military as you might expect, there’s no replacing Kurt Russell.
Anyone who knows the universe of Helldivers 2 even a little though will probably agree that Super Earth would jump on mass-produced, physically perfect soldiers in an instant if they thought it was viable. The Automaton and Termanid threats are too large, liberty is too precious. And who knows, maybe our Helldivers are already clones and they just aren’t aware of it? It wouldn’t surprise us.
You might be surprised to learn that Soldier is actually set in the same universe as Blade Runner. Written by the same screenwriter, David Webb Peoples, has said that Soldier is something of a “side-quel” to Blade Runner.
3The Tomorrow War
The War That Hasn’t Happened Yet Doesn’t Sound As Snappy
There aren’t anywhere near as many sci-fi movies about fighting alien monsters as you would expect there to be, but The Tomorrow War matches the description perfectly. It even has time travel, which is about as sci-fi as you may get.
Without giving too much about the movie away, citizens are being drafted intoa war against alienswith an extremely low survival rate. Sound familiar? If coming out against long odds while gunning down aliens is what excites you about Helldivers 2, The Tomorrow War is an easy popcorn flick that ticks those same boxes.
2Enemy Mine
When You Want A Change
If you’ve caught the sci-fi bug thanks to Helldivers 2 but are looking for something a little less satirized and nihilistic, the forgotten gem that is Enemy Mine will make an excellent change of pace while still hitting some of the same notes.
You have an interstellar, interspecies war to hook you in, but the film takes a more hopeful approach by exploring the idea that common ground can always be found. That certainly isn’t the message of Helldivers 2, but Enemy Mine offering a different perspective will help you enjoy the tongue-in-cheek warfare of Helldivers 2 even more.
1Starship Troopers
Oh You Knew It Would Be Here
Even if you had never heard of Starship Troopers before now then you certainly will have thanks to Helldivers 2. The influence it has on the game is abundantly clear, both striving for and perfectly delivering on satire for patriotism, the military, and propaganda. If you enjoy the tone of Helldivers 2 then you’ll feel immediately at home with Starship Troopers.
It also gives you plenty of battle scenes against giant bug aliens, so if you’re drawn to the action more than the setting then you’re covered on that front too. Starship Troopers has always been a fantastically fun movie, Helldivers 2 bringing fresh eyes to it is a happy side effect to a superb game.
There are actually six Starship Troopers movies, and nothing is stopping you from watching any or all of them.
We can’t in good conscience actively recommend any after the first one though.
None of the sequels live up to the original, but you might still find something to love about them.
