Man (and woman) vs. nature. It is one of the most fascinating aspects of human existence and is the subject of seemingly infinite movies, books, magazines, and more. When humanity faces off against the elements you can bet there will be no end of interested viewers. So out of the mountain of productions based around this endlessly entertaining theme, which ones are worth a watch? We have compiled the 10 best wilderness survival movies sure to make you think twice about your upcoming camping trip.
The wilderness survivor genre has always been intriguing to audiences, and began with several that appeared in the 1960s and 1970s with movies like Five Came Back, Escape From Alcatraz, and Marooned. Yet the genre really seemed to take hold in the early 1990s and real-life survival stories began to captivate the world. The story of the Uruguayan rugby team that survived for 72 days in the Andes became the movie, Alive and fans were hooked.
Then writer Jon Krakauer really helped bring the genre to fruition with his real-life survival story of summiting Everest, Into Thin Air. Now we have Hollywood heavy hitters such as Liam Neeson and Leonardo DiCaprio taking on these survivalist roles in films bringing in millions. So the rest, as they say, is history. Here are a few of the best wilderness survival movies including the ones that helped make the genre the booming success that it is today.
Wild (2014)
Wild is a woman vs. nature flick and truthfully, it was a bit of a toss-up as to who actually won. Yet since Cheryl Strayed, the author of the hit book turned movie, made it out alive and with a best-selling story to boot, we are declaring her the winner. Although as you will see in the movie, some moments were touch and go. The scene in which she casually pulls off a dead toenail and then accidentally drops her boot off the side of the cliff halfway through the PCT, had us on the edge of our seats. While the movie may not be the stuff of fairy tales, as wilderness adventures go, it’s one of the best.
Cheryl Strayed released her best-selling book Wild in 2012. It was picked up as a feature film in 2014 starring Reese Witherspoon as the former addict turned daring adventurer, Cheryl, with Laura Dern cast as her mother. The movie was such a hit it raked in $52.5 million at the box office and instantly became a fan favorite. The storyline follows Cheryl Strayed as she drags herself out of a life of sadness and addiction and daringly decides to hike the Pacific Coast Trail in order to “hike herself right.” She has very little experience or sense of direction and the twists and turns the trail (and her life) take make for great entertainment. Eventually, Cheryl finds her way back home, and back to herself. It’s an inspiring true story of a woman who takes on the “wilds” of her life and wins.
Alive (1993)
Alive may not exactly be the picture-perfect portrait of wilderness survival stories, but it is certainly one of the most intense. It was released in 1993 and was an instant hit. Bringing in $82.5 million in box office sales, it was heralded as one of the greatest, albeit gruesome, survival stories of all time.
The story follows the real-life tragedy and ultimate triumph of the Uruguayan rugby team members who in 1972 were plummeted into adverse conditions after their plane crashed into the Andes mountains. With temperatures below freezing, no food or water, and no rescue in sight, the team had to resort to desperate measures to stay alive. Yet sixteen young men survived 72 days in these conditions before two of the men ultimately trekked for 10 days to find help. It was a story of survival the world had never seen and the movie is still well-watched today with a new Netflix documentary to accompany it.
The Grey (2012)
This movie may not be based on a true story but with Liam Neeson in the lead role of this film, it’s easy to forget that fact. Neeson takes viewers on a wild ride through the Alaskan wilderness in the hit movie The Grey which premiered in 2012. The movie is based on the book Ghost Walker written by Ian Mackenzie Jeffers and brought in $81.2 million at the box office. While it did very well at the box office, many fans revealed they felt disappointed by the ending and many critics honed in on it as a weak spot of the movie.
In the film, Neeson portrays John Ottway, an Alaskan sharpshooter for an oil company. Ottway is still reeling from the death of his wife and is ready for some time off after five weeks on the job. Yet his plans for a restful vacation are soon disrupted as his plane crash lands in the Alaskan wilderness causing him and his co-workers to face injuries, weather, and aggressive wildlife. The Alaskan wilderness on the outside seems to mirror the turmoil Ottway feels within as just a few days prior he had been battling his own thoughts of isolation and despair. The movie garnered a large fan base, a lot of interest, and remains one of the higher-grossing wilderness survival movies of recent years.
Into the Wild (2007)
Haven’t we all fantasized about just throwing it all away? Quitting our jobs and lives and heading out into the wilderness John Muir style? Well while we may have all fantasized about it, the real-life Christopher McCandless did it! His story is captured in this riveting film based on the book of the same name by Jon Krakauer. It was released in 2007 at Rome Film Fest and ended up grossing $56 million.
While this tale may not have the happiest of endings, it captivated millions. It follows the true story of Emory University graduate Christopher McCandless (played by Emile Hirsch) who simply decides he’s had enough. Enough of society, enough obligations, even enough of his belongings, as he sells everything and strikes off into the wilderness. He journeys to several places before ending up in Alaska, setting up camp in an abandoned bus he dubs “The Magic Bus.” He spends several months living off the land before his journey in the wilderness comes to an untimely end. The movie captures the ups and downs of living in and among nature and demonstrates exactly what it takes to go into the wild.
Jungle (2017)
Harry Potter goes wild. Ok fine, maybe it’s not actually Harry Potter, just the person who plays him. Daniel Radcliffe stars in this real-life story of Yossi Ghinsberg and his harrowing ordeal in the Amazon jungle. The film was released in 2017 to disappointing sales of only $1.9 million. Apparently even the appearance of the Hollywood heavy hitter, Daniel Radcliffe didn’t bring big returns. Yet it does have its own cult following which we felt earned it a place on this list.
Set in Bolivia but filmed in Australia, the movie follows the story of the 1980s Israeli explorer Yossi Ghinsberg who follows a local man into the jungle, but through a series of events ends up separated from the group. He becomes lost by himself in the jungle for two weeks with no supplies. During that time he claims to have had hallucinations and a coming to terms with his past, which is Radcliffe’s time to shine as he navigates these complicated emotions. Eventually, Yossi is finally rescued only to learn the man who led him there is known for being a drifter who steals from backpackers. He disappeared along with one of Yossi’s other friends, Marcus, never to be seen again. The movie is dedicated to that friend.
Into Thin Air: Death on Everest (1997)
Jon Krakauer does it again in yet another riveting true survival story. Only this time, the story is his own. Into Thin Air is the film based on the book of Krakauer’s own account of one of the most disastrous Everest attempts in history. If you are looking for a master of mountaineering literature look no further than Krakauer, he is the Koruouec of the mountains. The book was adapted into a movie in 1997 by Columbia Tristar and starred Christopher MacDonald as Krakauer, the intrepid magazine writer documenting his Everest expedition.
The story follows the two groups of Everest climbers led up the mountain by their guides, both looking to “get a piece of the Everest business.” The individuals paid thousands of dollars apiece to be led by the guides. A calamity of bad timing and even worse weather culminated in one of the greatest mountaineering tragedies of our time, leaving both guides and six others dead. The movie captures both the climber’s unshakeable drive to summit the great mountain and the incredible conditions and obstacles they have to overcome to do so. While the story itself is tragic, the way Krakauer captures each member of the climbing team is truly a testament to their memory. Check it out, we promise you will not be disappointed.
127 Hours (2010)
127 Hours made movie history, not just for its riveting true story of survival in unbelievable adversity but also for its unique and cutting-edge filming style. Starring James Franco (pre-sex scandal), the film came out in 2010 and was met with $60.7 million in box office sales. The film is based on the memoir of climber Aron Ralston titled Between a Rock and A Hard Place, which detailed his harrowing ordeal of survival in the Utah wilderness.
Aron Ralston was a young explorer and climber with a devil-may-care attitude who liked to throw caution to the wind as he launched out on his own excursions, often not even telling others where he was going. Then one day his luck changed in a deep canyon, where falling rocks caused his arm to become lodged between a large boulder and the canyon wall. He was stuck in this position as the movie’s title would imply, for 127 hours. During that time he had all kinds of visions about what his life was, what he wanted it to be, and what he could do about it. After it was clear no help was coming, Aron had to make a very difficult decision. The movie follows his time in the canyon and the very gruesome way he was able to rescue himself. Check it out, but maybe not while you are having dinner.
Sanctum (2011)
From Titanic’s own James Cameron comes one of the most intense true stories of wilderness survival ever documented. Imagine being trapped underwater. Imagine being trapped at the bottom of a cave. Now imagine being trapped underwater at the bottom of a cave and you are getting close to the survival situation of Sanctum, the true story of the 1988 Nullarbor cave expedition. Sanctum was released in 2011 and grossed $108 million in box office sales, although it met with some mixed reviews from critics. It had a close fan following however and its special effects garnered it a lot of attention including an AACTA nomination for Best Visual Effects.
The storyline follows professional cave diver Frank McGuire (played by Richard Roxburgh) and his team, along with his less-than-enthusiastic son Josh (played by Rhys Wakefield), as they attempt to discover a complicated never before-explored underwater cave system. Yet as is often seen in wilderness survival movies, the best-laid plans rarely hold up when mother nature changes her mind. A storm changes the divers plans and leaves them trapped, stranded miles below the surface of the Earth. The only way out is through. The team must survive by diving through the caving system, ready or not. The harrowing tale faces all of man’s primal fears; small spaces, darkness, little oxygen, and all in a place where one wrong movie proves deadly. It is pretty much everything that haunts our nightmares all rolled into one movie, which may we again remind you, is based on a true story.
The Revenant (2015)
Leonardo DiCaprio stars in yet another wilderness adventure based on a true story, although unlike the others this one is based on a poem written in 1953 about a man who lived in 1823. The poem is titled The Son of Hugh Glass and tells the story of one man’s daring adventure leading fur trappers across the current-day Dakota’s. The film starred Leonardo Dicaprio, Tom Hardy, and Will Poulter and drew in huge audiences, $183.6 million worth to be exact!
The movie follows the harrowing tale of Hugh Glass; the rogue trapper leading others through the untamed Dakota wilderness. On what should have been a fairly uneventful expedition, an Arikara war party attack and a grizzly encounter leave Glass wounded. Yet long story short, Glass manages to evade death several times throughout the film. From wildlife to fellow travelers, the wilderness is just full of dangers for this trapper and it is no wonder his harrowing adventure led to a poem of his travels.
Touching The Void (2003)
Alone in the frigid Peruvian Andes with no food or water, a broken leg, and a stupid song stuck in your head. We aren’t sure exactly what is to be found in Dante’s circles of hell, but surely that is one of them. Unfortunately, this tale is not the stuff of fiction, this harrowing scenario was all too real for British mountaineer Joe Simpson. The movie Touching the Void captures Simpson’s near-death adventure through the Andes and premiered in 2003. The film is part documentary part re-enactment so while the actual adventurers tell the story, actors portray the scenes. While the movie did not receive much box office attention it now seems to have hit a revival on streaming services, and several popular ones carry it.
The film was also very well watched within the climbing community, mainly due to one controversial topic. The story follows Joe Simpson and his climbing partner Simon Yates as they attempt to summit Siula Grande in the Andes. (Is it just us or are you sensing a pattern around climbing in the Andes?) Regardless, the two young climbers attempted to reach the summit and descend in just a few days’ time. While the young men reached the top with few problems, the descent proved to be near fatal. A broken leg for Joe resulted in his climbing partner Simon attempting to lower him down the mountain by ropes, a desperate attempt at best.
Humanity vs. the wild, mankind vs. nature, evolved vs. primal, all of these standoffs are everything that makes wilderness survival movies one of the most popular genres of our time. We cannot seem to get enough of these adventure stories based on a survival backdrop. While there are plenty of epic survival odysseys to choose from, these top 10 hold a special place in our hearts, our countdown, and the wilderness survival genre as a whole.
