10 Intense Survival Movies To Watch If You Love 127 Hours

Danny Boyle’s 2010 survival biopic 127 Hours is definitely one to be remembered for years, if not for decades. James Franco’s performance was memorable, but all the other elements of the movie like its soundtrack and the still images used throughout to create a distinctive atmosphere and visual style are of note as well.

Naturally, many viewers wanted to see more of such intense survival movies (preferably based on real events). And even though there are definitely some great movies of this kind that you can find and enjoy, the most high-quality ones are rare (but they do exist).

10 Buried (2010)

Starring Ryan Reynolds, Buried was also released in 2010 but didn’t attract as much attention as 127 Hours did. However, considering its small budget, it did extremely well at the box office and received numerous positive reviews from critics.

The story isn’t based on true events but rather focuses on a fear some people may have – being buried alive. Reynolds’ character is an American civilian truck driver working in Iraq in 2006. After surviving an attack, he finds himself buried alive in a coffin and has to get out before he suffocates.

9 Phone Booth (2002)

Starring Colin Farrell in its title role, 2002’s Phone Booth is a neo-noir thriller that was also a box office hit and received generally positive reviews from critics. It’s not a true story, but it has a very similar atmosphere to that of 127 Hours and Buried.

Farrell plays an arrogant New York City publicist who is dating another one behind his wife’s back. After making a phone call in a phone booth, the phone rings again and he answers. The person calling him tells him that he knows about the adultery.

8 Everest (2015)

When it comes to movies with a stunning ensemble cast, 2015’s Everest is probably right up there with Love Actually. This movie may not give its actors a lot of screen time, but everyone still gets their time to shine and the acting is excellent throughout.

Based on the real events of the 1996 Mount Everest tragedy, Everest tells the story of two expedition groups that try to survive on the mountain after being caught in a disastrous blizzard.

7 Hotel Mumbai (2018)

Much like Buried, Hotel Mumbai didn’t get the attention it deserved during its release, but it did receive generally positive reviews from critics. Moreover, it has a pretty good cast including Dev Patel, Armie Hammer, and Jason Isaacs among others.

Inspired by the documentary about the 2008 Mumbai attacks at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in India, Hotel Mumbai tells the story of surviving guests and staff at the hotel trying to escape it safely.

6 The Impossible (2012)

Tom Holland is getting a lot of praise right now, but not everyone knows about his feature film debut which got him a lot of praise even back in 2012. In addition to that, Holland got to act alongside such icons as Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor in The Impossible.

Based on the true story of Maria Belon and her family who survived the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the movie follows a family of father, mother, and three sons on vacation in Thailand who get separated by the natural disaster.

5 Gravity (2013)

Space movies often feature survival stories or elements of them, but not many try to incorporate drama too. And 2013’s Gravity has been described exactly like that – a sci-fi thriller about survival that is also considered a drama. With Sandra Bullock in the title role and Alfonso Cuaron directing, it’s no wonder that the movie got ten Academy Award nominations and won seven of them along with being a box office hit.

Set in space on Earth’s orbit, it follows two American astronauts (played by Bullock and George Clooney) who become stranded in space after their Space Shuttle is destroyed. They must now find a way to get back onto the planet.

4 Cast Away (2000)

Arguably one of Tom Hanks’ most well-known works, Cast Away isn’t exactly a thriller, but it does have some pretty intense moments. Like Gravity, it focuses on drama, but it also shows what survival would be like long-term which is also very interesting to watch.

Directed by Robert Zemeckis, Cast Away tells the story of a FedEx employee whose plane crashes in the South Pacific. After surviving the crash, he becomes stranded on an island and tries to find a way to survive – and to escape.

3 Life of Pi (2012)

Many people change – both mentally and physically – after going through traumatic experiences, and there is probably no other survival movie like Life of Pi that explores this spiritual side of the journey. At first glance, the story this movie presents could be real, but it actually has many fantastical elements and is based on the 2001 fictional novel of the same name.

Directed by Ang Lee, Life of Pi tells the story of a sixteen-year-old Indian boy nicknamed “Pi” who survives after the ship he was on is destroyed by a storm. Pi finds himself drifting on a boat… with a tiger from the ship aboard too.

2 The Martian (2015)

Another survival movie set in space, The Martian could be considered an extreme version of Cast Away. Directed by Ridley Scott, the movie stars Matt Damon in the title role along with Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Michael Pena, Sean Bean, Kate Mara, Sebastian Stan, and others.

Based on the 2011 novel of the same name, it follows an astronaut who is left for dead on Mars by his own crew after their ship is caught in a dust storm. Luckily for him, there is a station where he can live, but he still needs to figure out a way to survive until they return.

1 The Revenant (2015)

Undoubtedly, The Revenant will forever be remembered as the movie that finally gave Leonardo DiCaprio his long-awaited Oscar for Best Actor. Moreover, the movie won multiple other awards and became a box office hit, but the cost was clearly high considering how much the cast and crew had to go through.

Loosely based on the 2002 novel of the same name (which, in turn, is based on a bunch of other sources), The Revenant tells the story of Hugh Glass (played by DiCaprio), a frontiersman in the 1820s who has to survive the brutal cold and heal after being brutally attacked by a bear.

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