The bestwilderness survival moviesfeature the classic battle between humanity and nature, one of the founding types of conflict in fiction. Wilderness survival movies operate in a specific strata of survival movies, one where a person, or persons, finds themselves exposed to nature and the elements, often by their own doing. Unlikesurvival horror movies which often feature monstersor killers stalking the protagonists, the only villains in wilderness survival movies are the wild itself, or the animals that make their homes in these inhospitable places.
The biggest opponent for someone in a wilderness survival movie is most often themselves. They must decide how much they are willing to push themselves to survive, if it’s worth it, and consider why they are demanding so much of themselves. Sometimes it’s a life-and-death decision to survive, sometimes it’s to rediscover some lost aspect of themselves, and other times it’s just to get away from the stresses and structures of the modern world.Wilderness survival movies are just as much about what happens afteras they are about whether someone survives or not.
InThe Grey, a 2011 survival thriller starring Liam Neeson, andone of Neeson’s better action movies, John Ottway (Neeson) is a sharpshooter responsible for killing wolves who get too close to an oil refinery. After his wife dies, John considers suicide in his despair. When he flies back with the other employees, the plane crashes, leaving the survivors to try and make it back to civilization all while being stalked by a wolf pack. It’s a violent and grim film, and not nearly as action-packed as the trailer, making for a quieter, and better, movie.
Based on the true storyof the Uruguayan rugby team whose plane crashed into the Andes mountains in 1972,Aliveis a dramatization of those events and shows the inspiring and gruesome struggle to stay alive in one of the most inhospitable places in the world. Starring Ethan Hawke, Josh Hamilton, Sam Behrens, and an ensemble of characters,Alivedepicts the young teammates doing whatever it takes, including cannibalism, to ensure they make it off the mountain. Despite the horrific aspect of the plot,it’s an encouraging depiction of the human spirit.
A wilderness survival horror movie,Backcountryfollows Alex (Jeff Roop) and Jen (Missy Peregrym), a couple who decide to go backpacking despite Jen’s reservations. On their trip, they’re tracked by a large black bear who ends up killing Alex in one of the most gruesome animal kills ever put on screen. Now alone, Jen has to make her way through the woods all while being stalked by the bear. It’s a tense and atmospheric movie with a standout performance from Peregrym. Alex’s death scene is a brutal sequence that puts you in Jen’s corner for the rest of the film.
127 Hoursis an adaptation of canyoneer Aron Ralston’s escape from a boulder in Utah after getting his arm trapped. James Franco was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of Ralston, who, while climbing in a slot canyon, gets his arm pinned by a large boulder. With food running out, rain pouring in, and no more options, Ralston makes the incredible choice to remove his arm with nothing but a multi-tool. It’s gut-wrenching and incredibly absorbing to watch one man’s fight for survival and his flip-flopping from despair to determination is cheer-worthy.
Rabbit-Proof Fenceis an Australian wilderness survival drama based on the bookFollow the Rabbit-Proof Fenceby Aboriginal Australian author, Doris Pilkington Garimara. The film follows three young Aboriginal girls in 1931, Molly (Everlyn Sampi), Daisy (Tianna Sansbury), and Gracie (Laura Monaghan), who walk through 990 miles of the Australian Outback to escape an abusive boarding home, and reunite with their families. It’s a strikingly beautiful film with incredible cinematography, but it’s the compelling, semi-true story about Aboriginal children taken from their homes that’s the reason to watch.
Some may say thatThe Revenantis a tiresome, overly produced film that only served as Oscar bait for Leonardo DiCaprio, but that critique ignores the stunning cinematography, haunting soundtrack, and period-accurate depiction of the 19th-century Great Plains. When Hugh Glass (DiCaprio) is left for dead after a bear attack, he fights his way through the wilderness to take revenge on the man who left him there. It’s a visceral and tough film that depicts just how near impossible it would be to survive in these conditions, making Glass' journey all the more incredible.
Sean Penn’s adaptation of Jon Krakauer’s 1996 non-fiction book of the same name,Into the Wildfollows Chris McCandless (Emile Hirsch), a recent college grad who tosses away a promising future to live off the grid in the remote Alaskan woods. The film tracks his journey, as he tries to explain his decision to his family, meets other travelers who worry about his plans, and finally dies in the wilderness. It’s a heart-rending movie andPenn makes sure to never take one side or the other on McCandless, presenting him solely as a lost young man looking for a home.
Touching the Voidis a survival documentary, and it is such a captivating and incredible story of wilderness survival, it must go on any list about the subject. In 1985, English mountaineers Joe Simpson and Simon Yates were on a climbing expedition when Yates broke his leg. During the dangerous descent, Simpson dropped Yates into a crevasse and assumed he was dead. Incredibly, Yates survived the fall and made his way back to base camp. Through a combination of interviews, real footage, and reenactments,the unbelievable and jaw-dropping story is told by the very men who lived it.
While Mars might not be what you think of when you think of “wilderness”,it is an uncultivated, uninhabited, inhospitable region, basically the definition of the word.The Martianfollows one astronaut’s attempts to survive the red planet long enough for his team to return and rescue him. Matt Damon stars in Ridley Scott’s Oscar-nominated film as Mark Watney and gives a fantastic leading performance that reminds you why he’s a Hollywood star. With ingenious problem-solving and natural elements that threaten to kill,The Martianis an excellent addition to the wilderness survival canon.
Not every wilderness survival movie has to be life and death to be an affecting experience.Hunt for the Wilderpeople,a film by Taika Waititi, follows Ricky Baker (Julian Dennison), a foster child who finally finds a home only for his foster mother to pass away, and his grumpy foster father, “Uncle” Hector (Sam Neill), to run off to live in the wild. The nature-adverse Ricky decides to join him and the unlikely duo learns to love one another. Hilarious, touching, and wickedly smart,Hunt for the Wilderpeopleis Waititi at his best in this New Zealand staple.
