The best wilderness survival movies feature 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. Unlike survival horror movies which often feature monsters or 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 after as they are about whether someone survives or not.
12
The Grey (2011)
A Despairing Man Is Forced To Face His Own Mortality
The Grey
8/10
- Release Date
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January 27, 2012
- Runtime
-
117 minutes
In The Grey, a 2011 survival thriller starring Liam Neeson, and one 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.
11
Alive (1993)
The True Story Of A Ruby Teams Fight To Survive In The Remote Andes
Alive
- Release Date
-
January 15, 1993
- Runtime
-
127 minutes
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Bruce Ramsay
Carlitos Páez
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Josh Hamilton
Roberto Canessa
-
-
Vincent Spano
Antonio Balbi
Based on the true story of the Uruguayan rugby team whose plane crashed into the Andes mountains in 1972, Alive is 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, Alive depicts 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.
10
Backcountry (2014)
A Black Bear Stalks A Young Couple Through The Woods
Backcountry
- Release Date
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March 20, 2015
- Runtime
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92 Minutes
A wilderness survival horror movie, Backcountry follows 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.
9
127 Hours (2010)
The Real Story Of Aron Ralston’s Bloody Escape From Peril
127 Hours
9/10
- Release Date
-
November 12, 2010
- Runtime
-
94 minutes
127 Hours is 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.
8
Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002)
Three Young Girls Escape Australian Officials To Return Home
Rabbit-Proof Fence
- Release Date
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February 4, 2002
- Runtime
-
94 minutes
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Everlyn Sampi
Molly Craig
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Tianna Sansbury
Daisy Craig Kadibill
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Laura Monaghan
Gracie Fields
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Rabbit-Proof Fence is an Australian wilderness survival drama based on the book Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence by 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.
7
The Revenant (2015)
A Harrowing Quest For Revenge Through The American Great Plains
The Revenant
7/10
- Release Date
-
December 25, 2015
- Runtime
-
156 minutes
Some may say that The Revenant is 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.
6
Into The Wild (2007)
Based On The Real Story Of Chris McCandless’ Attempt To Live Off The Grid
Into the Wild
- Release Date
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October 19, 2007
- Runtime
-
150 minutes
Sean Penn’s adaptation of Jon Krakauer’s 1996 non-fiction book of the same name, Into the Wild follows 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 and Penn makes sure to never take one side or the other on McCandless, presenting him solely as a lost young man looking for a home.
5
Touching The Void (2003)
A Documentary About One Of The Most Unbelievable Survival Stories Ever
Touching the Void
- Release Date
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September 5, 2003
- Runtime
-
106 Minutes
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Brendan Mackey
Joe Simpson
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Nicholas Aaron
Simon Yates
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Ollie Ryall
Richard Hawking
Touching the Void is 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.
4
The Martian (2015)
A Smartly Written And Wonderfully Acted Adventure Tale
The Martian
9/10
- Release Date
-
October 2, 2015
- Runtime
-
2h 24m
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 Martian follows 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 Martian is an excellent addition to the wilderness survival canon.
3
Hunt For The Wilderpeople (2016)
A Young Boy And His Foster Father Make An Unlikely Pairing
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 Wilderpeople is Waititi at his best in this New Zealand staple.
2
Wild (2014)
Reese Witherspoon Was Nominated For An Oscar For Her Honest Performance
Wild
- Release Date
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December 3, 2014
- Runtime
-
115 Minutes
The late Jean-Marc Vallée’s Wild is based on the 2012 memoir, Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed. Reese Witherspoon stars as Strayed, whose life took a downswing after her mother’s death. After trying to numb her pain with affairs and heroin, she resolves to walk the Pacific Coast Trail and rediscover the woman her mother believed her to be. It’s an incredibly moving and powerful film, with a career-making performance from Reese Witherspoon. Her harrowing, but beautiful trip through the US brings her into contact with human and natural problems alike.
1
Cast Away (2000)
A Man Decides To Keep Living While Trapped On A Deserted Island
Cast Away
8/10
- Release Date
-
December 22, 2000
- Runtime
-
143 minutes
The best wilderness survival movie, Cast Away stars Tom Hanks as Chuck Nolan, an engaged FedEx executive whose plane crashes while flying over the Pacific Ocean. He manages to survive and floats to a small uninhabited island. There, for four years, Chuck learns to fish, hunt, make fire, and perform self-surgeries to survive, all while holding out hope he’ll eventually be rescued. It’s one of the defining Hanks performances and a feather in Robert Zemeckis’ strange cap. Few other movies show what it would really be like if an everyday person faced the wilderness, and then chose to live.