Survival stories are particularly captivating because of the fight between man and nature, the wild, or personal circumstances. That some are based on actual events makes them even more provoking. Yet, you must appreciate the daunting spirit exhibited to rise above their circumstances. Here are a few internet users’ suggestions of movies in this survival genre.
1- Rescue Dawn (2006)
Christian Bale plays Dieter Dengler in the movie, based on the valid account of the German-American pilot who was shot down and taken prisoner by Pathet Lao villagers during an American military mission in the Vietnam War. He devises and carries out an escape plot while in captivity alongside five insane people, only to run into more challenging obstacles.
2- The Fugitive (1993)
Dr. Kimble, who was wrongly accused of killing his wife and received a death sentence, escapes from custody after a bus accident and embarks on a mission to identify the perpetrator and clear his name while being pursued by the police and a team of U.S. Marshalls. His survival is dependent on his freedom as much as his freedom is dependent on his survival.
3- Touching the Void (2003)
Joe Simpson and Simon Yates, two young climbers, set out in 1985 to become the first people to reach the peak of the Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes. Reaching the top, the two begin the arduous journey down the mountain. Tragedy strikes when Simpson falls and breaks his leg, forcing Yates to lower him the remaining distance with ropes. Mother nature intensifies the tragedy with a storm, and Yates must choose whose life is more important.
4- The Way Back (2010)
An army officer given a 20-year prison term in a Siberian Gulag manages to escape with the help of a few other prisoners. But before they can reclaim their freedom, they must walk 4,000 miles. Another real-life inspired movie that grits out the survival instincts in impossible situations.
5- Unbroken (2014)
A non-fictional tale of the U.S. Olympic track record holder, Louis Zamperini. He survives a plane accident during World War II only to be abandoned at sea, surviving on a raft for 47 days before the Japanese seize him and send him to some prisoner of war camps until the war ends.
6- In the Heart of the Sea (2015)
The quest for lucrative whale oil, the ego of a captain and his first mate, and a vengeful white whale. These combined to sink the Essex expedition in 1820, putting the crew’s resilience to the test and pushing their survival skill at sea to the limit. A historical non-fiction tragic tale of the whaleship Essex.
7- The Road (2009)
The Road is a depressing movie that concentrates on what it means to cling to your hope, humanity, and family in a society determined to eat all three. Most of the film is about the Man’s efforts to safeguard and support his son.
8- Arctic (2018)
After an airplane crash leaves him stranded in the Arctic, the man must choose between staying in his temporary camp, which is relatively safe, and setting out on a dangerous walk into the wilderness in the hopes of surviving.
9- Dances with Wolves (1990)
A gang of Lakota Indians and a Civil War soldier become friends. He decides to leave his previous life behind to be with them since he is drawn to their simplicity of lifestyle. They give him the moniker Dances With Wolves after observing him. He quickly feels at home among the tribe and develops feelings for a white woman born and raised there. When Union soldiers show up with plans for the land, tragedy ensues.
10- The Great Escape (1963)
The Second World War mass breakout of British Commonwealth POWs from the German POW camp Stalag Luft III is depicted in the movie in a substantially dramatized fashion. The portrayal of American involvement in the breakout was one of several sacrifices the film made to maximize its commercial appeal.
11- 2012 (2009)
In its story, novelist Jackson Curtis and geologist Adrian Helmsley strive to survive a series of end-of-the-world catastrophes, including mega-tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and floods. All imagined by proponents of the concept.
12- Greenland (2020)
As a planet-killing comet plunges toward Earth, John Garrity, his estranged wife, and their young son set out on a hazardous trip to find safety. The Garrity family encounters the best and worst aspects of humanity amid horrifying reports of destroyed cities. Their extraordinary journey ends with a desperate last-minute flight to a potential haven as the world’s end draws closer.
13- The 12th Man (2017)
Jan Baalsrud, a Norwegian resistance soldier, is forced to flee the Gestapo through the snow-covered regions of Scandinavia after a disastrous anti-Nazi sabotage mission results in the deaths of 11 of his comrades.
14- Hide Your Smiling Faces (2013)
The anti-typical survival plot of two brothers—teenage Eric and preteen Tommy—makes this movie stand out. Eric and a friend discover Ian (Tommy’s friend) dead in the woods. The brothers and their friends attempt to continue living their carefree lives despite social conventions that dictate sympathy should be shown. But Ian’s passing can’t help but have an impact on them.
15- Mid90s (2018)
In Los Angeles in the 1990s, a 13-year-old boy spends his summer juggling his turbulent home life with a group of new friends he makes at a skate store. Sometimes the grit required to surmount dire circumstances may be sheer luck instead. That the kids survived an accident while under the influence is a testament to that.
16- Capernaum (2018)
The 12-year-old Zain El Hajj in the movie is a Syrian refugee child actor named Zain Al Rafeea who lives in the slums of Beirut. The story of Capernaum is portrayed in flashback style, focusing on Zain’s life before he tried to sue his parents for child negligence. Zain’s background includes his contact with Rahil, an Ethiopian immigrant, and her little son Yonas.
17- Togo (2019)
Togo is based on the accurate account of champion dogsled trainer Leonhard Seppala and Togo, his main sled dog, during the 1925 winter. To deliver medicine (diphtheria antitoxin serum) to a small community in Alaska, they set off on an adventure together during a diphtheria epidemic under challenging conditions.
18- The Ghost and the Darkness (1996)
Ordinarily, it should take the expertise of a qualified engineer, dedicated co-workers, and well-coordinated logistics to build a bridge across a river in record time. But John Patterson realized he needed a hunter and sheer grit to take out two man-eating lions that preyed on the construction camp. Lions that even the traditionally revered hunters, the Masai, refused to hunt down.
19- North Face (2008)
The movie is about two German climbers competing to ascend the most treacherous rock face in the Alps, and it is based on the well-known 1936 effort to climb the Eiger north face. Quitting service with the army, they embarked on the competition for the thrill of the adventure without a guarantee of success.
20- World War Z (2013)
Former U.N. staffer Gerry unintentionally finds himself in a race against time as he looks into a dangerous virus that turns people into zombies. But it is equally a race for his family’s survival, and he must stay alive to determine the virus’s origin.
21- Infinite Storm (2022)
An expert climber makes her way up Mount Washington, but as a massive blizzard hits, she turns around before reaching the summit. She comes across a lost man on the way down, so she decides to help him and the man get down the mountain before it gets dark or the elements consume them.
2- The Decline (2020)
The movie stars Guillaume Laurin as Antoine, a man from Montreal who, after growing convinced that a natural disaster is about to happen, enrolls in a survivalist training program in rural Nord-du-Québec run by an experienced middle-aged survivalist named Alain. The participants split sharply after an unintentional training fatality, leading to a tense standoff. Initially, the participants form bonds with the charismatic and supposedly parental Alain.
23- X (2022)
Under the noses of their reclusive hosts, a group of actors set out to film an adult movie in rural Texas. Still, when the elderly couple catches the youthful crew having carnal knowledge, the cast is forced to battle for their lives.
24- Old (2021)
It is a suspenseful story about a family on vacation in the tropics who learns that the remote beach where they are unwinding for a few hours is accelerating time and compressing their entire lives into a single day.
25- Sweetheart (2019)
Jason Blum, Dillard, Theurer, Hyner, and Bill Karesh contributed to producing this film, in which a castaway finds himself alone on an island where he must fend off a human-like sea monster while trying to survive.
Source: (Reddit).
Amaka Chukwuma is a freelance content writer with a BA in linguistics. As a result of her insatiable curiosity, she writes in various B2C and B2B niches. Her favorite subject matter, however, is in the financial, health, and technological niches. She has contributed to publications like Buttonwood Tree and FinanceBuzz in the past and currently writes for Wealth of Geeks.
