Kurt Russell's Cult Fantasy Is The Perfect Movie For Dungeon Crawler Carl Fans
Simon Gallagher has worked in movie and TV journalism for more than 17 years. He has written more than 6000 articles and reviews, and edited thousands more. He is an expert in the entertainment industry, particularly in the golden age of screen superheroes. Simon is also a Rotten Tomatoes approved critic.
If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll know that Matt Dinniman’s Dungeon Crawler Carl has exploded into a genuine literary juggernaut. Launched only in 2020, the first eight books of the sci-fi/fantasy/LitRPG have sold an astronomical 14 million copies, and been streamed for more than 140 million hours in audiobook form. Incredible work for a self-published debut from a former cat portrait painter.
The Dungeon Crawler Carl series works because it’s beautifully authentic, thanks to Dinniman channeling his extensive MMO playing experience, and his remarkable ability to balance humor with genuine darkness. With those sales figures, a screen adaptation was always inevitable, with Universal and Seth MacFarlane's Fuzzy Door picking up the rights in 2024. Progress has been slow but steady, but the genre-bending series can’t come quick enough.
Millions of readers are currently sitting on their hands, wondering how the adapters can possibly capture the ultra-violent and absurdly funny chaos of Carl and Princess Donut's journey through the World Dungeon. And with A Parade of Horribles now a few months in the rear-view mirror, and the upcoming ninth book unlikely to arrive before the final quarter of 2027, there’s a big Carl-shaped vacuum to reckon with.
That’s driven fans to look for alternatives: movies and TV shows that capture the same chaotic energy and emotional core as Dinniman’s stories. And when you break down the formula that makes this universe work so well, an underappreciated 1986 John Carpenter masterpiece stands tall above everything else: Big Trouble in Little China.
Big Trouble in Little China Is Perfect For Impatient Dungeon Crawler Carl Fans
Once you notice it, you can't ignore the fact that John Carpenter’s supernatural action comedy absolutely shares storytelling DNA with Dungeon Crawler Carl. Crucially, that kinship comes down to their unconventional heroes: they both take an everyday guy into an extraordinary world that should really be off-limits to them, with magic, bizarre monsters, and complex lore. Carl and Kurt Russell’s Jack Burton are required to survive through grit and improvisation alone. And no small amount of humorous stubbornness.
Burton - easily one of Russell’s best performances - is essentially the spiritual ancestor of Carl. He might wear slightly more clothes than Carl, but his somewhat misplaced dick-swinging energy as he navigates immense threats feels a lot like his literary mirror’s bravado. They’re both elevated bumbling sidekicks, pushed into hero roles that would ordinarily kill them. But that’s the joy in their shared absurdity, and both exist in the sweet spot between ridiculous spectacle and real threat, because neither makes their respective hero feel fully invincible.
Big Trouble in Little China surrounds its protagonist with sorcerers, weird mythical creatures, and high-stakes supernatural gang wars, but the most memorable elements is the sharp banter and Burton’s endearing swagger. There’s a reason why there’s an affectionate nod to Jack’s big rig, the Pork Chop Express, in the first movie: Dinniman knows the bracket his instantly iconic hero belongs to.
Other Movies To Watch Before Dungeon Crawler Carl
Once you’ve got through John Carpenter’s classic, there are other movies and shows you can turn to that capture some of the essence of Dungeon Crawler Carl. High on that list is the first adaptation of The Running Man (1987). Stephen King may have hated it, but Arnold Schwarzenegger’s gonzo dystopian classic is basically the blueprint for Death Game entertainment. It also has its moments of ultra-violence, and a touch of absurdity, and the sadistic corporate voyeurism directly mirrors the Syndicate’s dark network.
Army of Darkness might be a horror, but Bruce Campbell’s Ash Williams feels like a genre-bent cousin of Carl, with similarly absurd stakes and a cocked eyebrow. For the violent mechanics of the dungeon crawl, Bruce Lee’s Game of Death and the brutality of 2012’s Dredd both fit the bill. And of course, Squid Game, and Alice in Borderland sit in similar narrative areas, while the painfully underrated Future Man series is also an excellent shout.
In truth, capturing what has made Dungeon Crawler Carl so incredibly popular isn’t straightforward, which is exactly why it’s so popular. It hits areas of the brain that haven’t quite been catered to before for a lot of people, but Big Trouble in Little China is definitely a worthy companion
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