Survival films where characters fight against nature, isolation, and impossible odds to stay alive.
Survival Movies — 109 entries in the movies category, sortable by Title, Year, Director. Every row is ranked by community votes, giving you a crowd-sourced perspective you won't find on Wikipedia or IMDb.
Browse the full list below, cast your own votes, or download the raw data as CSV, JSON, or Excel.
During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. But Watney has survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. With only meager supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity, wit and spirit to subsist and f...
Cast Away
2000
Robert Zemeckis
7.7
Adventure, Drama
United States of America
143
Chuck Noland, a top international manager for FedEx, and Kelly, a Ph.D. student, are in love and heading towards marriage. Then Chuck's plane to Malaysia crashes at sea during a terrible storm. He's the only survivor, and finds himself marooned on a desolate island. With no way to escape, Chuck m...
Train to Busan
2016
Yeon Sang-ho
7.7
Horror, Thriller, Action, Adventure
South Korea
118
When a zombie virus pushes Korea into a state of emergency, those trapped on an express train to Busan must fight for their own survival.
Misery
1990
Rob Reiner
7.7
Drama, Thriller
United States of America
107
After an accident, acclaimed novelist Paul Sheldon is rescued by a nurse who claims to be his biggest fan. Her obsession takes a dark turn when she holds him captive in her remote Colorado home and forces him to write back to life the popular literary character he killed off.
The Warriors
1979
Walter Hill
7.7
Action, Thriller
United States of America
94
Prominent gang leader Cyrus calls a meeting of New York's gangs to set aside their turf wars and take over the city. At the meeting, a rival leader kills Cyrus, but a Coney Island gang called the Warriors is wrongly blamed for Cyrus' death. Before you know it, the cops and every gangbanger in tow...
Mad Max: Fury Road
2015
George Miller
7.6
Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
Australia
121
An apocalyptic story set in the furthest reaches of our planet, in a stark desert landscape where humanity is broken, and most everyone is crazed fighting for the necessities of life. Within this world exist two rebels on the run who just might be able to restore order.
Children of Men
2006
Alfonso Cuarón
7.6
Action, Thriller, Science Fiction
United Kingdom
109
In 2027, in a chaotic world in which humans can no longer procreate, a former activist agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea, where her child's birth may help scientists save the future of humankind.
The Revenant
2015
Alejandro González Iñárritu
7.5
Western, Drama, Adventure
Canada
157
In the 1820s, a frontiersman, Hugh Glass, sets out on a path of vengeance against those who left him for dead after a bear mauling.
Predator
1987
John McTiernan
7.5
Science Fiction, Action, Adventure, Thriller
United States of America
107
A team of elite commandos on a secret mission in a Central American jungle come to find themselves hunted by an extraterrestrial warrior.
First Blood
1982
Ted Kotcheff
7.5
Action, Adventure, Thriller, War
United States of America
93
When former Green Beret John Rambo is harassed by local law enforcement and arrested for vagrancy, he is forced to flee into the mountains and wage an escalating one-man war against his pursuers.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
2024
George Miller
7.5
Action, Science Fiction, Adventure
Australia
149
As the world falls, young Furiosa is snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers into the hands of a great biker horde led by the warlord Dementus. Sweeping through the wasteland, they encounter the citadel presided over by Immortan Joe. The two tyrants wage war for dominance, and Furiosa must ...
Hotel Mumbai
2019
Anthony Maras
7.5
Thriller, History, Drama, Action
Australia
123
Mumbai, India, November 26, 2008. While several terrorists spread hatred and death through the city, others attack the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. Both hotel staff and guests risk their lives, making unthinkable sacrifices to protect themselves and keep everyone safe while help arrives.
The Flu
2013
Kim Sung-soo
7.5
Action, Science Fiction, Thriller
South Korea
122
A case of the flu quickly morphs into a pandemic. As the death toll mounts and the living panic, the government plans extreme measures to contain it.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
2013
Francis Lawrence
7.4
Adventure, Action, Science Fiction
United States of America
146
After surviving the Hunger Games, Katniss and Peeta struggle with the consequences of their victory as unrest spreads across Panem. Forced back into the spotlight, they become symbols of hope and resistance while the Capitol prepares a new and deadly challenge that will change the future of the n...
Dunkirk
2017
Christopher Nolan
7.4
War, Action, Drama
United Kingdom
107
The story of the miraculous evacuation of Allied soldiers from Belgium, Britain, Canada and France, who were cut off and surrounded by the German army from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk between May 26th and June 4th 1940 during World War II.
Life of Pi
2012
Ang Lee
7.4
Adventure, Drama
Taiwan
127
The story of an Indian boy named Pi, a zookeeper's son who finds himself in the company of a hyena, zebra, orangutan, and a Bengal tiger after a shipwreck sets them adrift in the Pacific Ocean.
A Quiet Place Part II
2021
John Krasinski
7.4
Science Fiction, Thriller, Horror
United States of America
96
Following the events at home, the Abbott family now face the terrors of the outside world. Forced to venture into the unknown, they realize that the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats that lurk beyond the sand path.
The Impossible
2012
J. A. Bayona
7.4
Drama, Thriller, History
Spain
113
In December 2004, close-knit family Maria, Henry and their three sons begin their winter vacation in Thailand. But the day after Christmas, the idyllic holiday turns into an incomprehensible nightmare when a terrifying roar rises from the depths of the sea, followed by a wall of black water that ...
Lone Survivor
2013
Peter Berg
7.4
War, Action, Drama
United States of America
121
Four Navy SEALs on a covert mission to neutralize a high-level Taliban operative must make an impossible moral decision in the mountains of Afghanistan that leads them into an enemy ambush. As they confront unthinkable odds, the SEALs must find reserves of strength and resilience to fight to the ...
Extraction 2
2023
Sam Hargrave
7.4
Action, Thriller, Crime
United States of America
122
Back from the brink of death, highly skilled commando Tyler Rake takes on another dangerous mission: saving the imprisoned family of a ruthless gangster.
Battle Royale
2000
Kinji Fukasaku
7.3
Drama, Thriller, Action
Japan
113
In the future, the Japanese government captures a class of ninth-grade students and forces them to kill each other under the revolutionary "Battle Royale" act.
Nowhere
2023
Albert Pintó
7.3
Thriller, Drama
Spain
108
A young pregnant woman named Mia escapes from a country at war by hiding in a maritime container aboard a cargo ship. After a violent storm, Mia gives birth to the child while lost at sea, where she must fight to survive.
Assault on Precinct 13
1976
John Carpenter
7.3
Thriller, Action, Crime
United States of America
91
A highway patrol officer, two criminals, and a station secretary form an unlikely alliance to defend a defunct Los Angeles precinct against a siege by a bloodthirsty street gang.
The Hunger Games
2012
Gary Ross
7.2
Science Fiction, Adventure, Action, Thriller
United States of America
142
In a dystopian society where the Capitol forces each district to send two young tributes to fight to the death in a televised spectacle, a girl volunteers to take her sister’s place, setting the stage for a struggle of survival and defiance.
28 Days Later
2002
Danny Boyle
7.2
Horror, Thriller, Science Fiction
United Kingdom
113
Twenty-eight days after a killer virus was accidentally unleashed from a British research facility, a small group of London survivors are caught in a desperate struggle to protect themselves from the infected. Carried by animals and humans, the virus turns those it infects into homicidal maniacs ...
#Alive
2020
Cho Il
7.2
Action, Horror, Science Fiction
South Korea
98
As a grisly virus rampages a city, a lone man stays locked inside his apartment, digitally cut off from seeking help and desperate to find a way out.
Maze Runner: The Death Cure
2018
Wes Ball
7.1
Science Fiction, Action, Adventure, Thriller
United States of America
143
Thomas leads his group of escaped Gladers on their final and most dangerous mission yet. To save their friends, they must break into the legendary Last City, a WCKD-controlled labyrinth that may turn out to be the deadliest maze of all. Anyone who makes it out alive will get answers to the questi...
127 Hours
2010
Danny Boyle
7.1
Adventure, Drama, Thriller
France
94
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.
Fall
2022
Scott Mann
7.1
Thriller
United States of America
107
For best friends Becky and Hunter, life is all about conquering fears and pushing limits. But after they climb 2,000 feet to the top of a remote, abandoned radio tower, they find themselves stranded with no way down. Now Becky and Hunter's expert climbing skills will be put to the ultimate test a...
10 Cloverfield Lane
2016
Dan Trachtenberg
7
Thriller, Science Fiction, Drama, Horror
United States of America
104
After a catastrophic car crash, a young woman wakes up in a survivalist's underground bunker, where he claims to have saved her from an apocalyptic attack that has left the outside world uninhabitable.
The Platform
2019
Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia
7
Drama, Science Fiction, Thriller
Spain
95
A slab of food descends down a vertical facility. The residents above eat heartily, leaving those below starving and desperate. A rebellion is imminent.
Dawn of the Dead
2004
Zack Snyder
7
Horror, Action
United States of America
101
A group of survivors take refuge in a shopping mall after the world is taken over by aggressive, flesh-eating zombies.
The Descent
2005
Neil Marshall
7
Adventure, Horror
United Kingdom
100
After a personal tragedy, Sarah joins her friends on a caving expedition in the Appalachian Mountains. But when a rockfall traps them deep underground, their adventure turns into a nightmare. As they search for a way out, the group discovers they are not alone—lurking in the darkness are savage, ...
The Road
2009
John Hillcoat
7
Adventure, Drama
United States of America
111
A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind and water. It is cold enough to crack stones and, when the snow falls, it is gray. Their destination is the warmer south, although they don't know what, if anything, awaits them...
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
2023
Francis Lawrence
7
Science Fiction, Action
Germany
157
64 years before he becomes the tyrannical president of Panem, Coriolanus Snow sees a chance for a change in fortunes when he mentors Lucy Gray Baird, the female tribute from District 12.
Damsel
2024
Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
7
Fantasy, Action, Adventure
Spain
107
A young woman's marriage to a charming prince turns into a fierce fight for survival when she's offered up as a sacrifice to a fire-breathing dragon.
Eight Below
2006
Frank Marshall
7
Adventure, Drama, Family
Germany
120
In the Antarctic, after an expedition with Dr. Davis McClaren, the sled dog trainer Jerry Shepherd has to leave the polar base with his colleagues due to the proximity of a heavy snow storm. He ties his dogs to be rescued after, but the mission is called-off and the dogs are left alone at their o...
Rescue Dawn
2007
Werner Herzog
7
Adventure, Drama, War
Luxembourg
125
A US Fighter pilot's epic struggle of survival after being shot down on a mission over Laos during the Vietnam War.
The Towering Inferno
1974
John Guillermin
7
Action, Drama, Thriller
United States of America
165
At the opening party of a colossal—but poorly constructed—skyscraper, a massive fire breaks out, threatening to destroy the tower and everyone in it.
The Mist
2007
Frank Darabont
6.9
Horror, Science Fiction, Thriller
United States of America
126
After a violent storm, a dense cloud of mist envelops a small Maine town, trapping David Drayton and his five-year-old son in a local grocery store with other local residents. They soon discover that the mist conceals deadly horrors that threaten their lives, and worse, their sanity.
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Frequently asked questions
How is the Survival Movies list ranked?
The Survival Movies list is ranked by community votes. Every visitor can pick one option over another in head-to-head matchups, and the running totals determine the order you see. No editors or algorithms — just real people voting.
How many entries are in this Survival Movies dataset?
This dataset contains 109 entries, each with multiple sortable, filterable columns. The full table is visible on this page and can be downloaded as a CSV, JSON, or Excel file.
Can I download the Survival Movies data?
Yes. The download buttons at the top of the page give you the full 109-row dataset as CSV, JSON, or Excel. Use of the data is permitted under a Creative Commons Attribution license — credit dtbse.com when you republish.
