The Best of the Best Survival Movies and TV Series.
by shankydoodles1 | created - 11 Mar 2013 | updated - 14 Aug 2018 | PublicI will try to keep my list as update as possible. However, movies are not in any particular order, but when I add new movies, if they are real bad will go at the end of the list and good movies probably end in the middle of the list or at the top. That doesn't mean, that movies at bottom are worst, because I don't add any bad survival movies.
I suggest if you guys have bookmarked my list, don't forget to use RSS feed so that you will get to know which movies I have added recently.
Grab some popcorn and Enjoy!
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1. As Far as My Feet Will Carry Me (2001)
TV-G | 158 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
At the end of WW2, a German POW doing hard labor in the Soviet Gulag escapes from his Siberian camp to return to Germany but he's pursued by a Soviet NKVD officer.
Director: Hardy Martins | Stars: Bernhard Bettermann, Iris Böhm, Anatoliy Kotenyov, Michael Mendl
Votes: 6,928
2. Trapped (XVII) (2016)
Not Rated | 105 min | Drama, Thriller
A man struggles to survive after he unintentionally locks himself up in a high rise devoid of food, water and electricity.
Director: Vikramaditya Motwane | Stars: Rajkummar Rao, Geetanjali Thapa, Shiladitya Sen, Rahul Patel
Votes: 10,600
3. The Road (I) (2009)
R | 111 min | Drama
In a dangerous post-apocalyptic world, an ailing father defends his son as they slowly travel to the sea.
Director: John Hillcoat | Stars: Viggo Mortensen, Charlize Theron, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Robert Duvall
Votes: 224,231 | Gross: $0.06M
4. All Is Lost (2013)
PG-13 | 106 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
After a collision with a shipping container at sea, a resourceful sailor finds himself, despite all efforts to the contrary, staring his mortality in the face.
Director: J.C. Chandor | Star: Robert Redford
Votes: 76,366 | Gross: $6.26M
5. The Survivalist (2015)
Not Rated | 104 min | Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
In a time of starvation, a survivalist lives off a small plot of land hidden deep in forest. When two women seeking food and shelter discover his farm, he finds his existence threatened.
Director: Stephen Fingleton | Stars: Martin McCann, Mia Goth, Olwen Fouéré, Douglas Russell
Votes: 15,942
6. Cast Away (2000)
PG-13 | 143 min | Adventure, Drama, Romance
A FedEx executive undergoes a physical and emotional transformation after crash landing on a deserted island.
Director: Robert Zemeckis | Stars: Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt, Paul Sanchez, Lari White
Votes: 527,340 | Gross: $233.63M
7. Everest (2015)
PG-13 | 121 min | Action, Adventure, Biography
The story of New Zealand's Robert "Rob" Edwin Hall, who on May 10, 1996, together with Scott Fischer, teamed up on a joint expedition to ascend Mount Everest.
Director: Baltasar Kormákur | Stars: Jason Clarke, Ang Phula Sherpa, Thomas M. Wright, Martin Henderson
Votes: 198,224 | Gross: $43.48M
8. North Face (2008)
Not Rated | 126 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama
A secretary at a Berlin newspaper in 1936 gets to write about two alpinists as she knows them well. She later gets to report on/photograph her friends' and other alpinists' climb of the dangerous Swiss Eiger north face.
Director: Philipp Stölzl | Stars: Benno Fürmann, Florian Lukas, Johanna Wokalek, Simon Schwarz
Votes: 14,948 | Gross: $0.71M
9. Backcountry (I) (2014)
R | 92 min | Adventure, Drama, Horror
An urban couple go camping in the woods and find themselves lost in the territory of a predatory black bear.
Director: Adam MacDonald | Stars: Jeff Roop, Missy Peregrym, Nicholas Campbell, Eric Balfour
Votes: 19,102
10. The Ruins (2008)
R | 90 min | Adventure, Fantasy, Horror
A leisurely Mexican holiday takes a turn for the worse when a group of friends and a fellow tourist embark on a remote archaeological dig in the jungle, where something evil lives among the ruins.
Director: Carter Smith | Stars: Shawn Ashmore, Jena Malone, Jonathan Tucker, Laura Ramsey
Votes: 70,599 | Gross: $17.43M
I just don't get it, why IMDB users rated this movie so low. According to me it is one of the best Survival movie I ever saw.
11. In the Heart of the Sea (2015)
PG-13 | 122 min | Action, Adventure, Biography
A recounting of a New England whaling ship's sinking by a giant whale in 1820, an experience that later inspired the great novel Moby-Dick.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy, Brendan Gleeson, Ben Whishaw
Votes: 124,336 | Gross: $25.02M
12. Eight Below (2006)
PG | 120 min | Adventure, Drama, Family
Brutal cold forces two Antarctic explorers to leave their team of sled dogs behind as they fend for their survival.
Director: Frank Marshall | Stars: Paul Walker, Jason Biggs, Bruce Greenwood, Moon Bloodgood
Votes: 61,386 | Gross: $81.61M
13. The Way Back (I) (2010)
PG-13 | 133 min | Adventure, Drama, History
Siberian gulag escapees travel four thousand miles by foot to freedom in India.
Director: Peter Weir | Stars: Jim Sturgess, Ed Harris, Colin Farrell, Dragos Bucur
Votes: 110,911 | Gross: $2.70M
14. Into the White (I) (2012)
R | 104 min | Action, Biography, Drama
Norway, WWII: A group of British and German soldiers find themselves stranded in the wilderness after an aircraft battle. Finding shelter in the same cabin, they realize the only way to survive the winter is to place the rules of war aside.
Director: Petter Næss | Stars: Florian Lukas, David Kross, Lachlan Nieboer, Stig Henrik Hoff
Votes: 19,784 | Gross: $0.00M
15. 180° South (2010)
PG | 85 min | Documentary, Drama, Sport
The film follows adventurer Jeff Johnson as he retraces the epic 1968 journey of his heroes Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins to Patagonia.
Director: Chris Malloy | Stars: Yvon Chouinard, Doug Tompkins, Keith Malloy, Alicia Salome Acuna Ika
Votes: 2,916 | Gross: $0.03M
16. Frozen (I) (2010)
R | 93 min | Adventure, Drama, Thriller
Three skiers stranded on a chairlift are forced to make life-or-death choices, which prove more perilous than staying put and freezing to death.
Director: Adam Green | Stars: Shawn Ashmore, Emma Bell, Kevin Zegers, Ed Ackerman
Votes: 68,394 | Gross: $0.24M
17. The Disappeared (2012)
Not Rated | 86 min | Drama, Mystery
The story of six men lost at sea in the North Atlantic.
Director: Shandi Mitchell | Stars: Billy Campbell, Shawn Doyle, Brian Downey, Ryan Doucette
Votes: 310
18. Into the Wild (2007)
R | 148 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama
After graduating from Emory University, top student and athlete Christopher McCandless abandons his possessions, gives his entire $24,000 savings account to charity and hitchhikes to Alaska to live in the wilderness. Along the way, Christopher encounters a series of characters that shape his life.
Director: Sean Penn | Stars: Emile Hirsch, Vince Vaughn, Catherine Keener, Marcia Gay Harden
Votes: 575,964 | Gross: $18.35M
19. USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage (2016)
R | 128 min | Action, Drama, History
During World War II, an American navy ship is sunk by a Japanese submarine leaving 890 crewmen stranded in shark infested waters.
Director: Mario Van Peebles | Stars: Nicolas Cage, Tom Sizemore, Thomas Jane, Matt Lanter
Votes: 11,538
20. Dying for Everest (2007 TV Movie)
53 min | Documentary
On 15 May, 2006, double amputee Mark Inglis reached the summit of Mt Everest. It was a remarkable achievement and Inglis was feted by press and public alike. But only a few days later he ... See full summary »
Director: Richard Dennison | Stars: Wayne Alexander, Clemens Gerhard, Volker Hanisch, Edmund Hillary
Votes: 164
21. The Donner Party (2009)
R | 95 min | Drama
After becoming snowbound in the Sierra Nevada during the winter of 1846-1847, a number of trapped settlers join together in a final effort to reach California and organize a rescue party.
Director: Terrence Martin | Stars: Crispin Glover, Clayne Crawford, Michele Santopietro, Mark Boone Junior
Votes: 1,002
22. Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002)
PG | 94 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama
In 1931, three half-white, half-Aboriginal girls escape after being plucked from their houses to be trained as domestic staff, and set off on a journey across the Outback.
Director: Phillip Noyce | Stars: Everlyn Sampi, Tianna Sansbury, Kenneth Branagh, Laura Monaghan
Votes: 27,493 | Gross: $6.17M
23. 180° South (2010)
PG | 85 min | Documentary, Drama, Sport
The film follows adventurer Jeff Johnson as he retraces the epic 1968 journey of his heroes Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins to Patagonia.
Director: Chris Malloy | Stars: Yvon Chouinard, Doug Tompkins, Keith Malloy, Alicia Salome Acuna Ika
Votes: 2,916 | Gross: $0.03M
24. Lucky Miles (2007)
Not Rated | 105 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
Three mismatched blokes are stranded in the Australian desert.
Director: Michael James Rowland | Stars: Kenneth Moraleda, Rodney Afif, Sri Sacdpraseuth, Don Hany
Votes: 711
25. The 33 (2015)
PG-13 | 127 min | Biography, Drama, History
Based on the real-life event, when a gold and copper mine collapses, it traps 33 miners underground for 69 days.
Director: Patricia Riggen | Stars: Antonio Banderas, Rodrigo Santoro, Juliette Binoche, James Brolin
Votes: 35,946 | Gross: $12.19M
26. Against the Sun (2014)
PG | 100 min | Biography, Drama, War
A WWII pilot, bombardier, and radioman find themselves adrift on a lifeboat without food or water after being forced to ditch their plane during a scouting mission.
Director: Brian Peter Falk | Stars: Garret Dillahunt, Tom Felton, Jake Abel, Nadia Parra
Votes: 5,346
27. The Finest Hours (2016)
PG-13 | 117 min | Action, Drama, History
The Coast Guard makes a daring rescue attempt off the coast of Cape Cod after a pair of oil tankers are destroyed during a blizzard in 1952.
Director: Craig Gillespie | Stars: Chris Pine, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster, Eric Bana
Votes: 62,285 | Gross: $27.55M
28. A Hijacking (2012)
R | 103 min | Drama, Thriller
The crew of a Danish cargo ship is hijacked by Somali pirates who proceed to engage in escalating negotiations with authorities in Copenhagen.
Director: Tobias Lindholm | Stars: Pilou Asbæk, Søren Malling, Dar Salim, Roland Møller
Votes: 15,902 | Gross: $0.41M
29. The Descent (2005)
R | 99 min | Adventure, Horror, Thriller
A caving expedition goes horribly wrong, as the explorers become trapped and ultimately pursued by a strange breed of predators.
Director: Neil Marshall | Stars: Shauna Macdonald, Natalie Mendoza, Alex Reid, Saskia Mulder
Votes: 202,336 | Gross: $26.02M
30. Open Water (2003)
R | 79 min | Adventure, Drama, Horror
Based on the true story of two scuba divers accidentally stranded in shark infested waters after their tour boat has left.
Director: Chris Kentis | Stars: Blanchard Ryan, Daniel Travis, Saul Stein, Michael E. Williamson
Votes: 51,153 | Gross: $30.61M
31. Edge of Winter (2016)
R | 89 min | Drama, Thriller
When two brothers are stranded by a brutal winter storm with an unpredictable father they barely know, the boys begin to suspect their supposed protector may be their biggest threat.
Director: Rob Connolly | Stars: Joel Kinnaman, Percy Hynes White, Tom Holland, Rachelle Lefevre
Votes: 3,692
32. Encounters at the End of the World (2007)
G | 99 min | Documentary
Film-maker Werner Herzog travels to the McMurdo Station in Antarctica, looking to capture the continent's beauty and investigate the characters living there.
Director: Werner Herzog | Stars: Werner Herzog, Scott Rowland, Stefan Pashov, Doug MacAyeal
Votes: 17,265 | Gross: $0.94M
33. The Edge (1997)
R | 117 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
An intellectual billionaire and two other men struggle to band together and survive after getting stranded in the Alaskan wilderness with a blood-thirsty Kodiak Bear hunting them down.
Director: Lee Tamahori | Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Alec Baldwin, Elle Macpherson, Harold Perrineau
Votes: 68,049 | Gross: $27.78M
34. Buried (2010)
R | 95 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Paul is a U.S. truck driver working in Iraq. After an attack by a group of Iraqis he wakes to find he is buried alive inside a coffin. With only a lighter and a cell phone it's a race against time to escape this claustrophobic death trap.
Director: Rodrigo Cortés | Stars: Ryan Reynolds, José Luis García Pérez, Robert Paterson, Stephen Tobolowsky
Votes: 150,363 | Gross: $1.03M
35. Van Diemen's Land (2009)
Not Rated | 104 min | Biography, Thriller
The true story of Alexander Pearce, Australia's most notorious convict. In 1822, Pearce and seven fellow convicts escaped from Macquarie Harbour, a place of ultra banishment and punishment,... See full summary »
Director: Jonathan auf der Heide | Stars: Oscar Redding, Arthur Angel, Paul Ashcroft, Thomas M. Wright
Votes: 3,103
36. Apocalypse (2011)
R | 89 min | Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
In the not too distant future, people struggle to survive their greatest enemy, the sun.
Director: Tim Fehlbaum | Stars: Lilo Baur, Marco Calamandrei, Lisa Vicari, Lars Eidinger
Votes: 11,601
37. The Snow Walker (2003)
PG | 103 min | Adventure, Drama
A pilot and his passenger struggle for survival after crashing in the Arctic tundra.
Director: Charles Martin Smith | Stars: Barry Pepper, Annabella Piugattuk, James Cromwell, Kiersten Warren
Votes: 10,161
38. Himalaya (2015)
124 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama
Based on true events, renowned mountaineer UM Hong-gil sets out on a mission to Everest to retrieve his late junior climber's body and faces the greatest challenge of his life.
Director: Seok-hoon Lee | Stars: Woo Jung, Hwang Jung-min, In-kwon Kim, Mi-ran Ra
Votes: 980 | Gross: $0.70M
39. Meek's Cutoff (2010)
PG | 104 min | Adventure, Drama, Thriller
Settlers traveling through the Oregon desert in 1845 find themselves stranded in harsh conditions.
Director: Kelly Reichardt | Stars: Michelle Williams, Bruce Greenwood, Paul Dano, Will Patton
Votes: 12,597 | Gross: $0.98M
40. Tracks (I) (2013)
PG-13 | 112 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama
A young woman goes on a 1,700-mile trek across the deserts of West Australia with four camels and her faithful dog.
Director: John Curran | Stars: Mia Wasikowska, Adam Driver, Lily Pearl, Philip Dodd
Votes: 27,976 | Gross: $0.51M
41. The Revenant (2015)
R | 156 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A frontiersman on a fur trading expedition in the 1820s fights for survival after being mauled by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team.
Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Will Poulter, Domhnall Gleeson
Votes: 710,400 | Gross: $183.64M
42. Last Days in the Desert (2015)
PG-13 | 98 min | Adventure, Drama
An imagined chapter from Jesus' forty days of fasting and praying in the desert. On his way out of the wilderness, Jesus struggles with the Devil over the fate of a family in crisis.
Director: Rodrigo García | Stars: Ewan McGregor, Ciarán Hinds, Tye Sheridan, Ayelet Zurer
Votes: 3,715
43. Black Rock (2012)
R | 83 min | Horror, Thriller
Three childhood friends set aside their personal issues and reunite for a girls' weekend on a remote island off the coast of Maine. One wrong move turns their weekend getaway into a deadly fight for survival.
Director: Katie Aselton | Stars: Katie Aselton, Lake Bell, Kate Bosworth, Will Bouvier
Votes: 8,602
44. Couple in a Hole (2015)
105 min | Drama, Thriller
Devastated by the death of their only son, a middle-aged couple from Scotland finds refuge in a man-made cave deep in the wilderness of the lush and undisturbed French woodlands.
Director: Tom Geens | Stars: Paul Higgins, Kate Dickie, Jérôme Kircher, Corinne Masiero
Votes: 575
45. The Book of Eli (2010)
R | 118 min | Action, Adventure, Drama