The 2018 Mads Mikkelsen-led tale of survival, Arctic, has seen a resurgence on Netflix. It has shot up into the streamer's top ten movies list and features an epic tale of one man's effort to both stay alive and find rescue after a crash landing in his small plane leaves him stranded in the freezing and unforgiving wilderness in the Arctic Circle. It's not a story for the faint of heart, but it got us thinking about some other films like it where survival is the only goal. Here are a few of the best titles that feature people at the end of their rope who must find the strength and courage to make it back to civilization alive.
The Revenant (2015)
Leonardo DiCaprio finally collected a Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Hugh Glass, a fur trader and frontiersman who is savagely attacked by a vicious grizzly bear in the middle of the unforgiving uncharted wilderness of the new western frontier in The Revenant. What begins as a tale of survival turns into a story about a man hellbent on getting even with the man who murdered his son and left him for dead - all while he is clinging to life after the mauling. Tom Hardy is also excellent as John Fitzgerald, the man who Glass will go to the ends of the earth to find and exact revenge on. The Academy Award-winning performance illustrates DiCaprio's rare ability to convey a full spectrum of emotions without the benefit of much dialogue. His expression acting is a masterclass in the art of less is more.
The Grey (2011)
After their plane crashes in the middle of the snowy Alaskan wild, a group of oil rig workers must put aside their differences and learn how to work together if they are going to survive the elements and ubiquitous packs of wolves that are all slowly hunting the men and trying to pick them off one by one. Liam Neeson gives a strong performance as John Ottway, an expert marksman who is tasked with protecting the men. The Grey is based on the short story Ghost Walker by Ian McKenzie Jeffers. Neeson delivers a strong performance as a suicidal man who must now shift his focus to protecting the men under his charge, proving that he will always command center stage when on the screen.
The Thing (1982)
When a small group of scientists on a remote base station in Antarctica discovers that there is a murderous killer entity on the loose, R.J. MacReady (Kurt Russell) must wrangle in a group of panic-stricken men. Things are made even more difficult as the entity has the ability to take on the form of the body that it possesses, leaving the group paranoid and suspicious of who will be killed next. John Carpenter is at his very best directing this 1982 horror classic. The Thing also features the late Wilford Brimley unlike how you've ever seen him before as the troubled Dr. Blair who is forced to self-isolate after some bizarre behavior.
Cast Away (2000)
Tom Hanks has never been better than he was in this survival epic directed by Robert Zemeckis. After his plane crash lands somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, Federal Express employee, Chuck Noland (Hanks), must learn to live off the land as he is marooned on a tiny island with only his thoughts and a volleyball named Wilson to keep him company. Hanks lost close to sixty pounds and let his hair grow out to capture the haggard and emaciated look of Noland who learns to spearfish and make a fire during his struggle to stay alive.
Life of Pi (2012)
Following the sinking of a cruise ship carrying thousands of people, a young boy is the only member of his family to survive and is lost at sea with only a small dinghy separating him from shark-infested waters. While he struggles to stay alive, he encounters an assortment of exotic animals, including a Bengal tiger, that he must make peace with before they end up killing each other. It's a fascinating survival tale that borders on the surreal and the imagined that stars Suraj Sharma as Pi Patel, a young Indian boy who wages the battle of his life to stay alive long enough to be rescued.
Everest (2015)
Everest stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Jason Clarke, and Josh Brolin and is based on the 1996 true story of a group of climbers who ventured to make it to the summit of the highest mountain in the world. Just as the group is about to complete their epic journey, a fierce blizzard overtakes them and shifts the focus from reaching the mountain's peak to surviving blistering winds and freezing cold weather. Five Sherpas didn't survive the storm and several of the climbers lost limbs due to hypothermia and frostbite. It's a somber tale of tragedy and loss that depicts just how difficult it is to summit Mt. Everest.
Alive (1993)
A Uruguayan rugby team's plane crashes in the Andes mountains on their way to a match in Santiago, Chile in this film based on the true story of the 45 people that were aboard the doomed flight. Only 16 people survived and the group runs out of food and is forced to resort to cannibalism in order to stay alive. Ethan Hawke stars as Nando Parrado, a teammate who vies to bring some order to the devastating situation that occurred in 1972. The film is based on the narrative book by Piers Paul Ried. Everyone in this ensemble delivers including veteran actors Hawke, Josh Hamilton, and Vincent Spano.
All is Lost (2013)
Hollywood icon, Robert Redford, is lost somewhere in the Indian Ocean after he is caught by a brutal and unexpected storm in this 2013 film. It's a harrowing look at a solo trip that goes horribly wrong, forcing the mariner, who has lost all radio transmission, to create an assortment of makeshift tools and traps in order to survive. The waters are also infested with sharks that are ready to feast on Redford if he were to grow weary enough to fall overboard. Redford has just a few lines of dialogue relying on his physicality and mannerisms to express a range of emotions as he fights for rescue.
The Mountain Between Us (2017)
When their plane crashes in the middle of nowhere, two survivors form a bond as they must navigate hundreds of miles in the harsh, snowy environment to find rescue. The film benefits from terrific performances from its leads Kate Winslet and Idris Elba in a story about supporting one another and summoning the inner courage necessary to survive in the most dire of situations. It is based on the story written by American author, Charles Martin.
Eight Below (2006)
Of all the films on this list, Eight Below most resembles Arctic. The film features three similarly stranded survivors of an accident in the brutal wild of Antarctica who battle the conditions not only to keep themselves alive but also the lives of their treasured snow dogs. The environment tests the bonds between Jerry (Paul Walker), Davis (Bruce Greenwood), and Charlie (Jason Biggs) to unite together if they hope to make it out alive in the extremely inhospitable extreme climate of the southernmost continent.
The Shallows (2016)
Blake Lively's best performance sees her wage a war of survival against an enormous, bloodthirsty Great White shark that is hunting her down after she sets out in a small beach to do some surfing. After she is able to find respite from the attacking predator atop a small coral rock, the tide is getting higher by the minute, exposing her to the ravenous, circling beast that has already eaten two other surfers alive. Lively's role is a dramatic turn that we wish we could see more of from her. She thrives in The Shallows and would benefit from more action-thriller scripts.
The Martian (2015)
Master filmmaker, Ridley Scott helms The Martian, a survival comedy-drama about a marooned astronaut on Mars who is presumed dead after a major storm forces an emergency departure by his fellow crew members. Mark Watney (Matt Damon) undertakes the seemingly impossible task of surviving alone for possibly months or even years. Using his skills as an earth scientist and horticulturist, Watney has to get creative and carefully portion the remaining food rations if he is going to be able to make NASA aware that he is alive and in need of rescue before all his supplies run out or the hostile Martian environment gets the better of him. Damon's witty and almost cavalier performance in the face of death maintains the comedic and hopeful tone of the film.