These are some of the best survival movies (and docu movies) that are non-fiction and based on true stories. Some are truly shocking at the survival events shown.
There are a lot of survival movies of course but these are some favourites of Backpackingman.
Disclaimer: I own none of the rights to these images, they are used under fair-usage terms to discuss the movies.
Touching The Void (2003)
Touching The Void is the heart-stopping account of Joe Simpson’s terrifying adventure in the Peruvian Andes. He and his climbing partner, Simon, reached the summit of the remote Siula Grande in June 1995.
A few days later, Simon staggered into Base Camp, exhausted and frost-bitten, with news that Joe was dead.
What happened to Joe, and how the pair dealt with the psychological traumas that resulted when Simon was forced into the appalling decision to cut the rope, makes not only an epic of survival but a compelling testament of friendship.
127 Hours (2010)
“127 Hours” is the true story of mountain climber Aron Ralston’s remarkable adventure to save himself after a fallen boulder crashes on his arm and traps him in an isolated canyon in Utah.
Over the next five days, Ralston examines his life and survives the elements to finally discover he has the courage and the wherewithal to extricate himself by any means necessary, scale a 65-foot wall and hike over eight miles before he is finally rescued.
Throughout his journey, Ralston recalls friends, lovers, family, and the last two people he ever had the chance to meet?
A visceral thrilling story that will take an audience on a never before experienced journey and prove what we can do when we choose life.
Into The Wild (2007)
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. It’s the harrowing survival in the Alaskan wilderness that makes this one of the roughest survival movies in the end.
The Revenant (2015)
The Revenant is an immersive and visceral cinematic experience capturing one man’s epic adventure of survival and the extraordinary power of the human spirit.
In an expedition of the uncharted American wilderness, legendary explorer Hugh Glass is brutally attacked by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team.
In a quest to survive, Glass endures unimaginable grief as well as the betrayal of his confidant John Fitzgerald. Guided by sheer will and the love of his family, Glass must navigate a vicious winter in a relentless pursuit to live and find redemption.
Alive (1993)
An Uruguayan rugby team are stranded in the snow-swept Andes mountains of South America and are forced to use desperate measures to survive after a plane crash.
Each team member responds differently to their situation in this harrowing tale of survival. When all the available food items run out, they face a dilemma: eat their dead teammates or die.
This is one of the most gruelling true-life survival movies out there.
The Way Back (2010)
The Way Back is an epic story of survival, solidarity and indomitable human will. Prisoners of a Soviet Union labour camp flee their Siberian Gulag and begin a treacherous journey across thousands of miles of hostile terrain.
This is one of the best wilderness survival movies.
Kon Tiki (2012)
Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl (Pål Sverre Hagen) crossed the Pacific ocean in a balsa wood raft in 1947, together with five men, to prove that South Americans were already back in pre-Columbian times could have crossed the sea and settled on Polynesian islands.
After gathering financing for the trip with loans and donations, they set off on an epic 101 day-long journey across 8,000 kilometres, all while the world was watching.
If you’re looking for great survival movies based on the ocean this is a great one to watch.
North Face (Nordwand) (2008)
The North Face is a German movie about survival on the north face of the Eiger Mountain in Switzerland. It’s based on true events from the 1930s and is gripping throughout.
If you have any interest in mountain climbing especially then you must watch this one. What they go through when trying to survive on the mountain is extraordinary.
The Deep (Djúpið) (2012)
The Deep is an Icelandic film and a little well known one outside of the Nordic countries but is one of the best survival movies set in the ocean.
It is about an Icelandic fisherman who managed to survive in freezing waters after a shipwreck while out fishing. He became a national hero of Iceland due to his extraordinary survival.
Everest (2015)
Everest tells the story of real-life events that happened from the disaster on Everest in 1996. It shows the gripping survival attempts of two of the expeditions in extreme conditions.
Back in 1996 this was the greatest disaster in terms of death on Everest that had ever happened.
One Extra: The Real Heroes of Telemark (2003)
One of my favourite outdoorsmen is Ray Mears (check out his website there) and he has great extreme survival documentaries and bushcraft courses for surviving in the outdoors. One of the most daring sabotage missions in World War 2 happened in Norway and this docu movie tells the true story of those events.
As this article is about survival movies I’ve included this one as it also shows the extreme survival conditions the saboteurs went through in the harsh Norwegian winter when trying not to be captured by the nazis.
Great not just a history story but also survival in a freezing winter environment.
Amazon has a 30 day free trial for its Amazon Prime video channel (sign up with that link) where you can watch a lot of these videos for free!
The Best Survival Movies
And those are 10 of the best true-life survival movies to watch.
For some of my own (not survival though) adventures take a look at my adventure guides.
For some more movies to watch and outdoor adventure take a look at 10 of the best backpacking movies to watch.
If you liked this article about the best survival movies a share would be cool!
