Survival Of The Fittest
2013’s Gravity is a visually stunning space movie with an absolutely killer soundtrack. It’s not for everyone but this survival movie certainly instills a good amount of dread across its run-time. If you’ve finished streaming this one and are looking for alternatives – fret not! We’ve combed through the archives and saved you the hassle with our top 10 picks. Of course for all the movies we’ve reviewed, we’ve also added a handy link so you can check out our full thoughts on that and see if it’s something you want to invest your time with. So without further ado, we present 10 movies to check out when you’ve finished watching Gravity.
2001: A Space Odyssey
2001: A Space Odyssey is a classic sci-fi tale but also one that’s pretty polarizing. It’s a movie that certainly takes its sweet time to tell its story, with long, drawn-out shots used to really exemplify the technicality that’s gone into making this film. When it comes to a classic tale set in space armed with ideas about the unknown and AI, 2001: A Space Odyssey definitely fits the bill. The story itself revolves around a mysterious artifact buried beneath the Lunar surface. Determined to find out what this means, humanity is joined by the intelligent supercomputer H.AL. 9000 to investigate further. Of course, things don’t go according to plan. Mysterious, moody and at times unintentionally mundane, 2001: A Space Odyssey is like none other.
Cast Away
Cast Away is one of Tom Hank’s best performances and a damn good survival movie in its own right. The movie takes a very simple concept and absolutely runs with it, allowing Hanks free-reign to turn this movie into a quintessential classic in his filmography. He plays an international manager for FedEx, Chuck. On a routine flight to Malaysia, the plane he’s on crashes at sea during a horrific storm. Chuck survives but he’s unfortunately alone, washed up on a tiny island with nothing but fragments of the aircraft’s cargo – and a few FedEx packages. What ensues from here is a survival story that plays on long bouts of silence with a quiet contemplation about our primal desire to survive.
The Martian
The Martian is a solid movie set on the bleak desert wasteland of Mars. With some compelling science and a well paced storyline, this movie extends beyond its survival plot to deliver an inspiriting story about never giving up hope. The story revolves around Astronaut Mark Watney who finds himself stranded on Mars. A fierce storm blows across the landscape and he’s declared dead by NASA. With little in the way of supplies and only his ingenuity and spirit to cling to, Mark does his best to survive while sending a signal to NASA, informing them that he’s still alive. As NASA scramble to try and save him from his plight, Watney is forced to try and survive long enough to be rescued. With surprising touches of comedy, The Martian balances that out with a great story armed with solid themes of comradeship and courage.
Moon
Moon is a much more intimate story than one may expect from such an expansive premise. While small in scope, this film packs one heck of an emotional punch. It’s helped too by some excellent acting from Sam Rockwell. The story sees astronaut Sam Bell nearing the end of his three year contract of harvesting Helium-3 on the far-side of the moon. With communication on Earth limited to pre-recorded messages, and his only assistant a computer called GERTY, isolation begins to take its toll. With only a few weeks left of his time on the moon, Sam’s journey takes a turn for the worse when he starts to uncover some startling home truths about his mission. Haunting and well written, Moon is a really gripping sci-fi tale.
Apollo 13
Apollo 13 is based on the true story of the ill-fated 13th Apollo mission bound for the moon. The movie is tense, scientifically sound and absolutely gripping from start to finish. Our tale is set in 1970, and with the US already achieving their lunar landing goal, there’s very little fanfare surrounding this flight. That is, until disaster strikes. To give much more away would be a disservice to this wonderful picture. Tom Hanks is outstanding too, while the movie establishes itself as the quintessential space movie you should definitely check out.
127 Hours
Based on a true story, 127 Hours is another gripping survival movie. It’s also a film that teaches everyone, everywhere to let your loved ones know where you are at all times! For those unaware, 127 Hours centers on an adventurer called Aron Ralston. One day, he ventures out deep into the heart of Moab, Utah on a canyoneering trip. Unfortunately, disaster strikes and Aron becomes trapped under a boulder. Panic soon turns to harsh realization. No one is coming to save him and Aron only has minimal time left to plot an escape from his impossible situation. Gripping and absolutely intense, 127 Hours is a great movie. And one that’s forever tarnished the game of Operation for this writer!
Everest
If you’re looking for another intense story about battling against the elements, Everest is certainly worth watching. The movie takes place on May 10th 1996 and is based on a true story. Climbers from two different expeditions start their ascend toward the summit of Mount Everest. Only, a violent storm suddenly strikes the mountain, engulfing our adventurers in one of the fiercest blizzards ever encountered by man. What follows is an epic journey of survival as the teams are forced to try and survive against impossible odds. Everest’s strength lies with its characters, and Everest does an excellent job with that. If you’re looking for a similarly paced thriller to Gravity, this one’s definitely worth a watch.
Jungle
Heralded by survivalist Les Stroud as one of the most realistic survival movies out there, Jungle is a tense and well written thrill-ride. With Daniel Radcliffe in the driving seat, Yossi Ghinsberg’s true story is brought to life in the best possible way. For those unaware, Jungle follows the exploits of a group of friends who join a guide for a trek into the Bolivian jungle. Their journey soon turns into a nightmare though as everything that could go wrong – does go wrong. In an epic clash between man VS nature, Jungle perfectly exemplifies the best traits of survival movies and brings them together into one cohesive and well written thriller.
Alive
Alive is an unbelievable story that you’d never know was based on a true story unless you were told as such. Despite being released in 1993, the movie still holds up to this day. For those unaware, Alive follows a Uruguayan rugby team who become stranded in the snow-swept Andes after a horrific plane crash. Separated from the tail end and with very little resources between them, the group soon find themselves faced with a daunting realization. Not everyone is going to make it out of this alive. There’s some wonderful characterization across the movie, with multiple different characters either rising to the occasion or slowly crumbling into despair. This, coupled with the emotionally stirring ending, make Alive a must-watch for survival movie enthusiasts.
First Man
While more of a biographical drama than an outright sci-fi, First Man is undoubtedly a great movie and certainly worth checking out if you enjoyed Gravity. At the heart of this tales lies Neil Armstrong, and the film specifically hones in on his legendary space mission that catapulted him into the history books as the first man to walk on the moon. This biographical drama won’t be for everyone, especially those looking for a bit more pizzazz from their sci-fi, but the character-driven focus certainly makes for a compelling movie. Ryan Gosling is great in this too, putting on a very believable performance as Neil Armstrong. So there we have it, our 10 Movie picks to keep you busy after watching Gravity. What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!
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