So, unless you’ve been living in a literal dungeon, you are probably aware that Dungeon Crawler Carl is the hottest thing in entertainment right now. The sci-fi LitRPG series by Matt Dinniman follows Carl, a U.S. Coast Guard veteran who, along with his ex-girlfriend’s prize show cat GC, BWR, NW Princess Donut the Queen Anne Chonk, finds himself among a very few survivors of the destruction of Earth and elimination of its civilization by the alien Borant Corporation. He, Donut, and the other survivors are forced to compete in a dungeon crawl as part of a reality game show broadcast intergalactically. It’s high-stakes, high octane, and a surprisingly moving wild ride.
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The next book in the series—A Parade of Horribles—is out in just a few weeks, but that’s just the start. There are games in the works as well as a television series in development for Peacock complete with Dinniman serving as executive producer. But what if you need more? While nothing quite lives up to Dungeon Crawler Carl, if you’re looking for something to watch, we’ve got a few sci-fi classics you should definitely check out.
5) The Running Man (1987)
While the case could be made for 2025’s The Running Man, if you want to maximize the Carl vibes, you really want to watch the 1987 film instead. Directed by Paul Michael Glaser from a screenplay by Steven E. de Souza, The Running Man stars Arnold Schwarzenegger in a very loos adaptation of Stephen King’s novel of the same name. Set in a dystopian, totalitarian future, the state-controlled media broadcasts a lethal game where convicted criminals (called “runners”) have to survive being pursued by gladiatorial assassins (“stalkers”). When framed police officer Captain Ben Richards (Schwarzenegger) is forced to compete, however, he ends up being a symbol of resistance against the corrupt government and media.
Why this version of The Running Man? It has a lot in common with Dungeon Crawler Carl. Richards isn’t participating in the show willingly; it’s pretty much a situation beyond is control just as Carl’s situation is. He faces some absolutely insane challenges, and through it all he is not allowing himself to be broken by the system and even becomes a symbol of hope, in a sense. There are also some cool effects which makes it just a delightful movie experience.
4) Brazil
Released in 1985, Brazil is directed by Terry Gilliam of Monty Python fame and is written by Gilliam, Charles McKeown, and Tom Stoppard and stars Jonathan Pryce, Robert De Niro, Katherine Helmond, Ian Holm, Bob Hoskins, Michael Palin, Ian Richardson, Peter Vaughan, and Kim Greist. The story follows a low-ranking bureaucrat named Sam Lowry who is trying to find a woman that keeps appearing in his daydreams as he tries to escape the monotony of his life—which happens to be in an oppressive and technology obsessed society. When he ends up involved in a case of mistaken identities and ends up meeting the woman from his dreams, things get complicated.
Brazil and Dungeon Crawler Carl are fundamentally very different but they have some thematic overlap. Both Carl and Sam are stuck functioning in what can only be described as a bureaucratic nightmare—Carl is dealing with the AI of his game; Sam is dealing with his oppressive and dysfunctional government. There’s also media elements. The world of Brazil relies heavily on media, both for distraction and for dystopian monitoring. Sam doesn’t exist in a television show, but he may as well. The book and the movie both utilize a similar tone of humor as well.
3) Big Trouble in Little China
We might be stretching the genre definition here for this one—most people consider Big Trouble in Little China to be more fantasy than sci-fi—but the movie is such a good watch and a good fit for Dungeon Crawler Carl fans we’ll allow it. Directed by John Carpenter and starring Kurt Russell, Kim Cattrall, Dennis Dun, and James Hong, the movie follows Jack Burton (Russell), who finds himself caught up in a truly bizarre situation below San Francisco’s Chinatown when an ancient Chinese prince and a crime lord kidnaps a green-eyed woman with the intent to use her to break an ancient curse. Why does Jack get involved? The woman is his best friend’s fiancée.
The tone of the movie is similar to Dungeon Crawler Carl, but the biggest thing that makes this movie a great choice for book fans is the “clueless hero and sidekick” trope. Jack, like Carl, is just a regular guy who finds himself in the strange and extraordinary and just trying to get through it. It’s something works brilliantly.
2) The Fifth Element
Written and directed by Luc Besson, The Fifth Element follows taxi driver and former special forces major Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis) who ends up responsible for the survival of the Earth after a woman named Leeloo (Milla Jovovich) literally falls into his cab, resulting in a hunt for four mystical stones that will defend the Earth from a great cosmic evil that is coming to destroy it.
There are a lot of reasons The Fifth Element is a perfect sci-fi watch for Dungeon Crawler Carl fans. Dallas is sort of an unwitting hero, much the way Carl is. You have the destruction (or attempted destruction) of Earth by a cosmic entity. And, of course, you have the high-energy action and chaotic story that is fun, fast paced, a little campy, just operates on vibes. It’s a great movie—even if you aren’t a Dungeon Crawler Carl fan.
1) Death Race 2000
Released in 1975, Death Race 2000 is another great sci-fi movie that Dungeon Crawler Carl fans should check out. The film is set in a dystopian 2000 America that has fallen into a totalitarian regime. To keep things smooth with citizens, the government set up the Transcontinental Road Race, a gruesome and violent event where drivers race across the country and there are points awarded for violence, particularly running down innocent pedestrians. In the 20th annual race, a resistance group targets the game to overthrow the regime.
While Death Race 2000 is firmly rooted on planet Earth, the movie has a lot in common with Dungeon Crawler Carl. There is the game show concept where people are put through some awful things in the name of entertainment. There is plenty of dark humor, lots of over-the-top characters, and a clever use of satire for commentary about society. It’s a solid watch and perfect for Dungeon Crawler Carl fans.
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