Survival film

The survival film is a film genre in which one or more characters make an effort at physical survival.^[1] The genre focuses on characters' life-or-death struggles, often set against perilous circumstances. Survival films explore the human will to live, individual motivations, and personal desires, prompting audiences to reflect on broader aspects of humanity and personal values. They balance realism and believability with slow-burning suspense to maintain a sense of urgency. While some survival films may have epic scopes and lengthy running times, their effectiveness lies in creating an atmosphere where every moment poses a passive threat to the protagonist's existence.^[2]

Survival films are darker than most other adventure films and usually focus their storyline on a single character, usually the protagonist. The films tend to be "located primarily in a contemporary context", so film audiences are familiar with the setting, and the characters' activities are less romanticized.^[3]

In a 1988 book, Thomas Sobchack compared the survival film to romance film: "They both emphasize the heroic triumph over obstacles which threaten social order and the reaffirmation of predominant social values such as fair play and respect for merit and cooperation."^[3] The author said survival films "identify and isolate a microcosm of society", such as the surviving group from the plane crash in The Flight of the Phoenix (1965) or those on the overturned ocean liner in The Poseidon Adventure (1972). Sobchack explained, "Most of the time in a survival film is spent depicting the process whereby the group, cut off from the securities and certainties of the ordinary support networks of civilized life, forms itself into a functioning, effective unit." The group often varies in types of characters, sometimes to the point of caricature. While women have historically been stereotyped in such films, they "often play a decisive role in the success or failure of the group."^[4]

More information Film, Year ...

Film	Year	Ref.
12 Years a Slave	2013	^[2]
The 33	2015	^[5]
127 Hours	2010	^[6]
The Last Man On Earth	1964	^[7]
2018	2023	^[8]
Adrift	2018	^[9]
Against the Sun	2014	^[10]
Alive	1993	^[11]
All Is Lost	2013	^[9]
Apollo 13	1995	^[12]
Arctic	2018	^[13]
Back from Eternity	1956	^[14]
Battle Royale	2000	^[15]
The Blue Lagoon	1980	^[9]
Buried	2010	^[6]
Captain Phillips	2013	^[16]
Cast Away	2000	^[6]
Cliffhanger	1993	^[17]
Crawl	2019	^[9]
A Cry in the Wild	1990	^[17]
Cube	1997	^[18]
Dances with Wolves	1990	^[17]
Dante's Peak	1997	^[17]
The Day After Tomorrow	2004	^[17]
The Deep	2012	^[19]
Deep Rising	1998	^[20]
Deliverance	1972	^[11]
The Descent	2005	^[18]
The Edge	1997	^[11]
The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition	2000	^[17]
Escape from Alcatraz	1979	^[21]
Escape Room	2019	^[18]
Everest	2015	^[22]
Fall	2022	^[18]
First Blood	1982	^[9]
Five Came Back	1939	^[14]
The Flight of the Phoenix	1965	^[4]
Frozen	2010	^[23]
Gerald's Game	2017	^[2]
Gravity	2013	^[16]
Green Room	2015	^[2]
The Grey	2011	^[24]
A Hijacking	2012	^[12]
I Am Legend	2007	^[9]
The Impossible	2012	^[2]
In the Heart of the Sea	2015	^[25]
Inferno	1953	^[14]
Into the Wild	2007	^[6]
Iron Will	1994	^[17]
Jaws	1975	^[17]
Jeremiah Johnson	1971	^[26]
Jungle	2017	^[27]
Jurassic Park	1993	^[17]
Kon-Tiki	2012	^[9]
Life of Pi	2012	^[28]
Lifeboat	1944	^[29]
Lone Survivor	2013	^[16]
Lord of the Flies	1963	^[14]
Luck	2009	^[30]
Madagascar	2005	^[31]
Marooned	1969	^[29]
The Martian	2015	^[9]
Man in the Wilderness	1971	^[29]
Meek's Cutoff	2010	^[26]
Misery	1990	^[18]
My Side of the Mountain	1969	^[14]
The Naked Prey	1965	^[29]
No Blade of Grass	1970	^[14]
Nobody Wants the Night	2015	^[32]
North Face	2008	^[33]
The Omega Man	1971	^[29]
On the Beach	1959	^[29]
Open Water	2003	^[6]
Oxygen	2021	^[34]
Panic in Year Zero!	1962	^[29]
Panic Room	2002	^[2]
The Perfect Storm	2000	^[17]
Plane	2023	^[35]
Planet of the Apes	1968	^[29]
Pompeii	2014	^[2]
The Poseidon Adventure	1972	^[4]
Predator	1987	^[17]
Quest for Fire	1981	^[6]
A Quiet Place	2018	^[2]
Rabbit-Proof Fence	2002	^[6]
Red Dawn	1984	^[17]
Rescue Dawn	2006	^[6]
Resident Evil	2002	^[6]
Red Planet (film)	2000	^[6]
The Revenant	2015	^[9]
The Road	2009	^[12]
Robby	1968	^[36]
Robinson Crusoe	1954	^[14]
Robinson Crusoe	1997	^[37]
Robinson Crusoe on Mars	1965	^[38]
Room	2015	^[2]
Sanctum	2011	^[39]
Sands of the Kalahari	1965	^[29]
The Savage Is Loose	1974	^[29]
The Secret Land	1948	^[14]
Seven Waves Away	1957	^[12]
The Shallows	2016	^[9]
Sisu	2022	^[40]
The Snow Walker	2003	^[17]
Society of the Snow	2023	^[41]
Southern Comfort	1981	^[26]
Soylent Green	1973	^[29]
Stranded: I've Come from a Plane that Crashed in the Mountains	2007	^[12]
Survival Quest	1989	^[11]
Swiss Family Robinson	1960	^[24]
Teenage Caveman	1958	^[29]
The Goat Life	2024	^[42]
Titanic	1997	^[2]
Touching the Void	2003	^[6]
Tremors	1990	^[17]
The Ultimate Warrior	1975	^[43]
Vertical Limit	2000	^[17]
The War Game	1965	^[29]
Walkabout	1971	^[12]
The Way Back	2010	^[6]
White Water Summer	1987	^[17]
Wild	2014	^[2]
The Wild Robot	2024
The World, the Flesh and the Devil	1959	^[29]
Z.P.G.	1972	^[29]

Close

[1]
Sobchack 1988, p. 12
[2]
Foreman, Alison (August 24, 2023). "The Best Survival Movies, from 'Cast Away' and 'The Revenant' to 'The Martian' and 'Alive'". IndieWire. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
[3]
Sobchack 1988, p. 14
[4]
Sobchack 1988, p. 15
[5]
Long, Tom (November 13, 2015). "Review: 'The 33,' true story of struggle for survival". The Detroit News. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
[6]
Staff (January 23, 2012). "The 10 Best Survival Movies". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on February 8, 2015.
[7]
Kurland, Daniel (March 6, 2016). "20 Best Last Man on Earth Movies". Retrieved Nov 3, 2024.
[8]
Ntim, Zac (September 27, 2023). "Oscars: India Selects Survival Thriller '2018' For Best International Film Race". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
[9]
Lascala, Marisa (April 20, 2020). "The 20 Best Survival Movies to Show You What Grit Truly Is". Good Housekeeping. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
[10]
Laskin, Nicholas (November 18, 2014). "Watch: Trailer For WWII Survival Film 'Against The Sun' Starring Garret Dillahunt, Tom Felton, Jake Abel". The Playlist. Indiewire. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
[11]
Ferguson, Lee (November 12, 2010). "127 Hours and five other great survival movies". cbc.ca. CBC News. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
[12]
Staff (October 17, 2013). "20 Survival Films That Will Take You Into The Abyss". The Playlist. Indiewire. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
[13]
Barraclough, Leo (May 22, 2017). "Mads Mikkelsen on Surviving the Polar Wilderness in 'Arctic'". Variety. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
[14]
Fristoe, Roger (December 22, 2017). "Survival Movies: Fridays in January". tcm.com. Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
[15]
Crandol, Michael (2021). Ghost in the Well: The Hidden History of Horror Films in Japan. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 3. ISBN 978-1-350-17874-8.
[16]
McGrath, Charles (November 1, 2013). "Tales of Danger for You to Survive". The New York Times. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
[17]
Robinson, Alex; Farabee, Kelsey (November 22, 2010). "The Best Survival Movies Ever". Outdoor Life. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
[18]
Kurland, Daniel (February 13, 2024). "10 Best Survival Horror Films Of All Time, Ranked". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
[19]
Kaufman, Amy (September 3, 2015). "Fall Movie Guide: Making 'Everest' was a tall order for filmmakers". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
[20]
Carl Fisher (20 July 2020). "Horror Movie Review: Deep Rising (1998)".
[21]
Vanhala, Helena (2011). "International Terrorism and the Commercial Hollywood Film Industry". The Depiction of Terrorists in Blockbuster Hollywood Films, 1980–2001: An Analytical Study. McFarland. p. 105. ISBN 978-0-7864-3662-0.
[22]
Adams, Sam (September 2, 2015). "First Reviews of 'Everest': Stunning Spectacle, So-So Drama". Criticwire. Indiewire. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
[23]
Wood, Jennifer M. (February 9, 2010). "Adam Green Reaches New Heights With Frozen". MovieMaker. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
[24]
Guzman, Rafer (January 27, 2012). "Survivor films: Which live, which die – and why?". The Sacramento Bee. Archived from the original on February 16, 2013. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
[25]
Chang, Justin (December 2, 2015). "Film Review: 'In the Heart of the Sea'". Variety. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
[26]
Mertes, Micah (November 1, 2013). "The 10 best survival movies". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
[27]
Abele, Robert (October 19, 2017). "Review: Daniel Radcliffe fights terror and reality in problematic survival story 'Jungle'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
[28]
Holden, Ed (December 19, 2012). "Life of Pi review". MSN Movies. MSN. Archived from the original on May 20, 2013. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
[29]
Yacowar, Maurice (2003). "The Bug in the Rug". In Grant, Barry Keith (ed.). Film Genre Reader III. University of Texas Press. pp. 281–282. ISBN 978-0-292-70185-4.
[30]
[31]
Sneha Jaiswal (9 July 2024). "The 17 Best Deserted Island Movies, Ranked (2024)".
[32]
Roddy, Michael (February 5, 2015). "Arctic survival film, from female perspective, kicks off Berlin fest". reuters.com. Reuters. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
[33]
Holden, Stephen (January 28, 2010). "'Because It's There' Is the Least of Their Reasons". The New York Times. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
[34]
Tartaglione, Nancy (May 12, 2021). "'Oxygen': Alexandre Aja & Mélanie Laurent On Why Making Netflix's Confined Thriller Was A Breath Of Fresh Air". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
[35]
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5884796/
[36]
"Robby". republished online at fkk-museum.de. Archived from the original on 2017-09-04. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
[37]
Brosnan, Pierce. "Robinson Crusoe". Internet Archive. Archived from the original on 3 May 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
[38]
Leskosky, Richard J. (February 2, 2014). "A new film genre: Solitary survival". The News-Gazette. Retrieved October 6, 2015.
[39]
Burr, Ty (February 4, 2011). "Sanctum". The Boston Globe.
[40]
Baughan, Nikki (September 10, 2022). "'Sisu': Toronto Review". Screen Daily. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
[41]
Bradshaw, Peter (December 19, 2023). "Review: 'Society of the Snow' review – cannibalism in the ice in incredible real-life survival tale". The Guardian. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
[42]
Sneha Jaiswal (22 July 2024). "The Goat Life (2024)".
[43]
Shapiro, Jerome F. (2001). Atomic Bomb Cinema: The Apocalyptic Imagination on Film. Routledge. p. 160. ISBN 978-0-415-93660-6.

Sobchack, Thomas (1988). "The Adventure Film". In Gehring, Wes D (ed.). Handbook of American Film Genres. Greenwood. ISBN 978-0-313-24715-6.

[sobchack12-1] [1]
Sobchack 1988, p. 12

[foreman-2] [2]
Foreman, Alison (August 24, 2023). "The Best Survival Movies, from 'Cast Away' and 'The Revenant' to 'The Martian' and 'Alive'". IndieWire. Retrieved September 19, 2023.

[sobchack14-3] [3]
Sobchack 1988, p. 14

[sobchack15-4] [4]
Sobchack 1988, p. 15

[long-5] [5]
Long, Tom (November 13, 2015). "Review: 'The 33,' true story of struggle for survival". The Detroit News. Retrieved January 14, 2016.

[rt-6] [6]
Staff (January 23, 2012). "The 10 Best Survival Movies". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on February 8, 2015.

[denofgeek-7] [7]
Kurland, Daniel (March 6, 2016). "20 Best Last Man on Earth Movies". Retrieved Nov 3, 2024.

[ntim-8] [8]
Ntim, Zac (September 27, 2023). "Oscars: India Selects Survival Thriller '2018' For Best International Film Race". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 19, 2024.

[lascala-9] [9]
Lascala, Marisa (April 20, 2020). "The 20 Best Survival Movies to Show You What Grit Truly Is". Good Housekeeping. Retrieved May 29, 2020.

[laskin-10] [10]
Laskin, Nicholas (November 18, 2014). "Watch: Trailer For WWII Survival Film 'Against The Sun' Starring Garret Dillahunt, Tom Felton, Jake Abel". The Playlist. Indiewire. Retrieved September 9, 2015.

[ferguson-11] [11]
Ferguson, Lee (November 12, 2010). "127 Hours and five other great survival movies". cbc.ca. CBC News. Retrieved February 1, 2013.

[playlist-12] [12]
Staff (October 17, 2013). "20 Survival Films That Will Take You Into The Abyss". The Playlist. Indiewire. Retrieved September 9, 2015.

[barraclough-13] [13]
Barraclough, Leo (May 22, 2017). "Mads Mikkelsen on Surviving the Polar Wilderness in 'Arctic'". Variety. Retrieved October 11, 2018.

[fristoe-14] [14]
Fristoe, Roger (December 22, 2017). "Survival Movies: Fridays in January". tcm.com. Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved October 11, 2018.

[crandol-15] [15]
Crandol, Michael (2021). Ghost in the Well: The Hidden History of Horror Films in Japan. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 3. ISBN 978-1-350-17874-8.

[mcgrath-16] [16]
McGrath, Charles (November 1, 2013). "Tales of Danger for You to Survive". The New York Times. Retrieved September 9, 2015.

[robinson-17] [17]
Robinson, Alex; Farabee, Kelsey (November 22, 2010). "The Best Survival Movies Ever". Outdoor Life. Retrieved May 29, 2020.

[kurland-18] [18]
Kurland, Daniel (February 13, 2024). "10 Best Survival Horror Films Of All Time, Ranked". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved May 19, 2024.

[kaufman-19] [19]
Kaufman, Amy (September 3, 2015). "Fall Movie Guide: Making 'Everest' was a tall order for filmmakers". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 9, 2015.

[gbhbl-20] [20]
Carl Fisher (20 July 2020). "Horror Movie Review: Deep Rising (1998)".

[vanhala-21] [21]
Vanhala, Helena (2011). "International Terrorism and the Commercial Hollywood Film Industry". The Depiction of Terrorists in Blockbuster Hollywood Films, 1980–2001: An Analytical Study. McFarland. p. 105. ISBN 978-0-7864-3662-0.

[adams-22] [22]
Adams, Sam (September 2, 2015). "First Reviews of 'Everest': Stunning Spectacle, So-So Drama". Criticwire. Indiewire. Retrieved September 9, 2015.

[wood-23] [23]
Wood, Jennifer M. (February 9, 2010). "Adam Green Reaches New Heights With Frozen". MovieMaker. Retrieved May 28, 2021.

[guzman-24] [24]
Guzman, Rafer (January 27, 2012). "Survivor films: Which live, which die – and why?". The Sacramento Bee. Archived from the original on February 16, 2013. Retrieved February 1, 2013.

[chang-25] [25]
Chang, Justin (December 2, 2015). "Film Review: 'In the Heart of the Sea'". Variety. Retrieved October 11, 2018.

[mertes-26] [26]
Mertes, Micah (November 1, 2013). "The 10 best survival movies". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved September 9, 2015.

[abele-27] [27]
Abele, Robert (October 19, 2017). "Review: Daniel Radcliffe fights terror and reality in problematic survival story 'Jungle'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 9, 2022.

[holden_life_of_pi-28] [28]
Holden, Ed (December 19, 2012). "Life of Pi review". MSN Movies. MSN. Archived from the original on May 20, 2013. Retrieved July 2, 2013.

[yacowar-29] [29]
Yacowar, Maurice (2003). "The Bug in the Rug". In Grant, Barry Keith (ed.). Film Genre Reader III. University of Texas Press. pp. 281–282. ISBN 978-0-292-70185-4.

[Luck2009-30] [30]

[islandmovie-31] [31]
Sneha Jaiswal (9 July 2024). "The 17 Best Deserted Island Movies, Ranked (2024)".

[roddy-32] [32]
Roddy, Michael (February 5, 2015). "Arctic survival film, from female perspective, kicks off Berlin fest". reuters.com. Reuters. Retrieved September 9, 2015.

[holden_north_face-33] [33]
Holden, Stephen (January 28, 2010). "'Because It's There' Is the Least of Their Reasons". The New York Times. Retrieved March 9, 2022.

[tartaglione-34] [34]
Tartaglione, Nancy (May 12, 2021). "'Oxygen': Alexandre Aja & Mélanie Laurent On Why Making Netflix's Confined Thriller Was A Breath Of Fresh Air". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 28, 2021.

[35] [35]
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5884796/

[FKK47-36] [36]
"Robby". republished online at fkk-museum.de. Archived from the original on 2017-09-04. Retrieved 2022-04-05.

[brosnan-37] [37]
Brosnan, Pierce. "Robinson Crusoe". Internet Archive. Archived from the original on 3 May 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2019.

[leskosky-38] [38]
Leskosky, Richard J. (February 2, 2014). "A new film genre: Solitary survival". The News-Gazette. Retrieved October 6, 2015.

[burr-39] [39]
Burr, Ty (February 4, 2011). "Sanctum". The Boston Globe.

[baughan-40] [40]
Baughan, Nikki (September 10, 2022). "'Sisu': Toronto Review". Screen Daily. Retrieved March 29, 2023.

[bradshaw-41] [41]
Bradshaw, Peter (December 19, 2023). "Review: 'Society of the Snow' review – cannibalism in the ice in incredible real-life survival tale". The Guardian. Retrieved February 4, 2024.

[goatlife-42] [42]
Sneha Jaiswal (22 July 2024). "The Goat Life (2024)".

[shapiro-43] [43]
Shapiro, Jerome F. (2001). Atomic Bomb Cinema: The Apocalyptic Imagination on Film. Routledge. p. 160. ISBN 978-0-415-93660-6.

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Survival film

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Survival film

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References

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