The human spirit is not well tested if it is not facing the need for day-to-day survival. All that we hate or complain about in our lives suddenly goes off our minds, as it needs undivided attention to survive in an adverse situation. Be it a natural calamity of being hunted by predators, or maybe victimized by crime circles, the fear of death gives us a natural ability to push harder. And while doing that, we realize the actual truth which sadly stays hidden beneath our undying demands. So, here are 20 movies where we see the human spirit matched against forces way out of its league.
*Disclaimer: This article contains the writer's opinion. Readers’ discretion is advised.*
1. The Revenant (2015)
No one can forget this film as Leonardo DiCaprio bags his first Academy Award for Best Actor for The Revenant. Taking us back to the early 1800s, we experience Hugh Glass’s (DiCaprio) journey to survival after he is abandoned by his accomplices after being mauled by a female grizzly bear and left to die. Hugh finally makes it through all the difficulties, but the losses he suffered are more than enough to dampen one’s spirit for years to come.
2. Jungle (2017)
Jungle is a biographical survival drama, based on the true story of Yossi Ghinsberg, an Israeli adventurer. It is not every day that you are lost in the Amazon rainforest. Such was the fate of Yossi, an Israeli explorer after he was estranged in the jungle with no supplies for survival. Falling for the lies of Karl, who convinces Yossi, Mark, and Kevin of the existence of a rare tribe, the trio sets out for a hike. Later, they were separated and finally, Yossi was left alone in the danger-infested rainforest after rapids destroyed their makeshift raft. Yossi was the last to get rescued as Kevin was convinced of his survival and kept searching for his friend.
3. I am Legend (2007)
In this post-apocalyptic action thriller film, Neville is one of the few who were not infected by the genetically engineered measles virus. As a virologist in the U.S. Army, Neville is always trying to find a cure for the disease. The main problem is that the infected are not exactly bedridden or sick, the symptoms are vampirism, and they do seek out the uninfected ones. Neville and his dog, Samantha, experience the harsh truth of survival daily, one of which is not being hunted down by the Darkseekers (the infected ones) during the night.
4. No Escape (2015)
After the assassination of the Cambodian Prime Minister, Jack Dwyer and his family faced a crisis so severe that it shook them to the core. As the rebels protest against foreign corporations controlling their supply of water a riot breaks out. Jack, being an employee of a company named Cardiff, specializing in water systems, is naturally the primary target for the rebels. We see Jack, his wife Annie, and their two daughters struggling to survive the heat of the riot throughout the film, and finally escape by crossing the Vietnamese border.
5. 12 Feet Deep (2017)
You don’t know when the race for survival will begin and where. Bree and Jonna, two sisters, find themselves in a tricky situation when they are stuck inside an Olympic-sized swimming pool. The pool manager failed to notice the sisters inside the pool and activated the fiberglass pool cover before leaving for the holiday. Away from urban privileges, the two sisters find out sad truths about each other. Well, petty issues seem to dissolve when mere survival is questionable.
6. The Last Days (2013)
The fight for survival can bring two very different personalities together as companionship is important in adverse scenarios which, over time, fuels compassion. Marc and Enrique partner up to leave their office building after it is ravaged by a catastrophe. Marc was facing a possible firing by his boss, Enrique. But as they partnered up to address their separate problems, their hostile attitude towards each other was somewhat diminished.
7. Life of Pi (2012)
Being stuck on a boat, in the middle of the ocean, and you are sharing the boat with Richard Parker, a full-grown Bengal tiger. We experience the story of Pi Patel, as he was saved during a shipwreck, and survived 200 days in the ocean. Pi had to build a wooden raft and attach it to the boat just to stay safe from Richard, and against his no-killing principle he starts fishing to keep himself and Richard fed. Throughout the film, we see many instances where the pair survives the grasp of death, but Richard makes sure that their partnership is just for the time being. He walked away without acknowledging Pi’s kindness towards him.
8. No Exit (2022)
A recovering drug addict, Darby finds herself in a tricky kidnapping situation on her way to visit her sick mother. Because of a developing blizzard situation, she is forced to wait at a local visitor’s center with four others, Lars, Ash, and a couple, Ed and Sandi. Outside the visitor’s center, Darby discovers a girl named Jay, inside a van belonging to one of her fellow visitors. Darby, despite her drug addiction, manages to survive herself and save Jay from the vicious cycle. In the end, she finally overcame her addiction problems and was visited by her sister Devon.
9. Everest (2015)
Mount Everest, the highest point on the Earth, has often claimed many lives. In this film, we see the desperation of a group of individuals. The treacherous climate during the summit was not at all in favor of the company, and one by one they encountered the wrath of nature. Technical faults in their planning, and a blizzard led them to difficulties like altitude sickness and lack of supplies. The mountains attract those who are willing to wander, some return to tell the tale, and some are sadly claimed by the mountains.
10. Apocalypto (2006)
In this historical action-adventure film, Jaguar Paw’s village is raided by Mayans, and most are killed. He hides his pregnant wife and son in an empty well, and then he is captured. We experience the survival run of Paw, as he is pursued by a group of Mayan raiders, led by Zero Wolf. Fueled with vengeance, Zero Wolf fails to estimate the desperation of a man trying to reach his family. One by one, all his accomplices fall for Jaguar Paw’s traps and perish. Jaguar Paw’s wife, Seven also faces difficulty, and gives birth in the well where she was hidden.
11. Great White (2021)
Nothing challenges the wits of humans more than a predator tailing them day in and day out. Kez and her boyfriend Charlie are stuck on a life raft of a seaplane along with Joji, Michelle, and Benny. After a great white shark attacked one of the floats of their seaplane while they were investigating a capsized yacht. All of them are stranded in the middle of the ocean with the sharks circling them, and only one oar to paddle with.
12. Cast Away (2000)
When it comes to films about survival, the first one to cross your mind will be Tom Hanks starrer, Cast Away. Chuck Noland (Hanks) travels around the world as a FedEx system analyst. Misfortune leads him to a plane crash, and Chuck ends up alone on an island. We see the survival strategies of a man who is all alone on an island for four long years and presumed dead by his family. The only companion he had was ‘Wilson’, a volleyball, on which he painted a face with his blood. When Chuck is finally rescued and returned to civilization, he finds out his fiancée is already married to someone else.
13. Into the Wild (2007)
Adapted from the 1996 book by the same name, Into the Wild tells the adventure of Chris McCandless, who hiked across North America to the Alaskan wilderness. Disappointed with modern society, Chris leaves behind all the privileges and sets out to experience life in the wilderness. This movie is more about realization and connecting with nature than survival. As Chris’s journey ends with his tragic death, owing to his naivety, we experience the values he learned in his days away from home.
14. The Black Demon (2023)
There are times when nature frowns upon our greed and decides to take action in the form of something terrible. Paul Sturges is sent to a Mexican town to check up on an oil rig. As Paul and his family set out for the rig, they are attacked by a pre-historic predator of the ocean, a megalodon. As it destroys the boat and kills the captain, Paul has no choice but to find a way to survive in the oil rig. The ambitious employee of a greedy corporation realizes that sacrificing himself is the only way to keep his family alive.
15. 127 Hours (2010)
Based on a true event, 127 Hours shows the psychological ups and downs of a mountaineer as his right arm is trapped against a boulder. Aron Ralston goes hiking in at Canyonlands National Park. Not a single family member or friend knew about this voyage. While stuck between a boulder and the wall, Aron starts hallucinating about his social life and grows more depressed. He survived by amputating his arm, and in later life continued climbing, but never forgot to leave a note for his family.
16. Plane (2023)
Brodie Torrance, a commercial pilot, and Louis Gaspare, a homicide suspect find themselves captured by rebels on the Jolo island of the Philippines. As authority denies sending rescue parties to rebel-infested are, these two are left on their own to survive and protect other fellow passengers. Although their plane was damaged due to the turbulence, which led Brodie to an emergency landing, he managed to take it off, and land on a neighboring island of Siasi.
17. The Ritual (2017)
Six months after the murder of their friend Rob, four friends set out for a hike in Sweden. Not knowing what fate has in store for them Phil, Dom, Hutch, and Luke take a shortcut through the forest. The story unfolds a cruel ritual performed by a cult, to plead immortality from an ancient entity, Moder. Luke alone manages to escape the demon as the rest of his friends are sacrificed.
18. The Martian (2015)
It is one thing to survive on your home planet, but being stranded on a different planet is a different level. In this Ridley Scott film, a presumed dead astronaut is accidentally left alone on Mars after his crew escapes a severe dust storm. It is wonderful to experience what a brilliant scientific mind can do to survive. From growing food using human excretes as fertilizer to modifying his escape vehicle, we see the strength of the human spirit when it has its back against the wall.
19. The Canyon (2009)
This is probably one of the saddest survival stories. Nick and Lori went on a mule ride down the canyon guided by Henry. After losing Henry to rattlesnake bites, the couple are lost and confused. Lori managed to inform the emergency service but later her phone is broken. Nick breaks his leg due to a fall, and the couple is stalked by a pack of wolves. Lori does everything to save herself and Nick. But in the end, Lori had to put Nick out of his misery as she couldn’t bear the thought of her loved one being killed by wolves. Sadly, rescue arrives minutes after Nick’s death.
20. Beast (2022)
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The chances of survival are thin when the king of the jungle is after you. Dr. Nate Samuels, along with his two daughters Meredith, and Noah, are on a vacation at the Mopani Reserve in South Africa. But their father-daughter bonding time was interrupted when they faced vicious lions while stuck inside their car. Not just lions, at one point they were ambushed by poachers as well. In the end, Nate’s presence of mind, and courage save all three of them as he goes face to face with the beast luring it to another pride’s territory.
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