Gravity
Survival movies are some of the most tense films that you ever watch as we see character face with live or death decisions as well as impossible odds.
We are going to be treated to another this week as Gravity is set to hit the big screen; the film follows two astronauts left floating in space after a routine space walk goes terribly wrong.
To celebrate the release of the Alfonso Cuaron directed film we take a look at some of the rescue movies that have had us on the edge of our seats; boy were there plenty to choose from.
- Cast-Away
When you are talking about survival movies the only place to start is with Cast Away. The modern-day Robinson Crusoe saw Tom Hanks reunite with Forest Gump director Robert Zemeckis.
The movie follows a FedEx executive who must transform himself physically and emotionally to survive a crash landing on a deserted island.
It really is an acting masterclass from Hanks as this character goes through a range of emotions: from despair, loneliness to a strong will to survive.
This is a powerful and brutal story that sees Hanks give an absorbing one-man performance in a film that is an incredibly riveting watch. You don’t get many survival movies that are as emotional and as powerful as this.
- 127 Hours
Another great one-man performance comes in the form of 127 Hours as James Franco teamed up with director Danny Boyle to tell the incredible true story of Aaron Ralston.
Ralston is a man who become trapped alone in a Utah canyon after slipping on a lose rock and trapping his arm. As time ticks by, he has to go to extraordinary measures if he wants to survive.
What is so incredible about this film is that it is based on a true story; it really does make the moment where he makes the decision to cut off his own arm more powerful and stomach churning.
Franco really does show how fantastic an actor as we see the heart and soul of this character whist trapped in a confirmed space.
Not only is this chilling and claustrophobic but also incredibly powerful as Ralston starts to regret all the time that he didn’t spend with his family - it really is moving stuff.
- Rescue Dawn
Christian Bale is an actor who has always gone above and beyond the call of duty when it comes to weight loss for a role… Rescue Dawn saw him once again drop the pounds.
The movie tells the incredible true story of Dieter Dengler, a U.S. pilot who is shot down over Laos during the Vietnam War and taken to a tough P.O.W. camp.
While his fellow inmates have given up hope, Dengler is determined to survive. He escapes from the prison and sets off through the dangerous jungles of South East Asia.
This is another intense and committed performance from Bale that is incredibly powerful from start to finish. Dengler is a man who is determined to survive - it is this will that drives the film forward and keeps the audience rooting for him to succeed.
Rescue Dawn would not be half the movie it is without the stunning performances from Bale and co-star Steve Zhan - it’s made even more powerful by the fact that it is a true story.
- Touching The Void
Kevin Macdonald is one of the best British directors who has delivered some great movies over the years. However, it is Touching The Void the remains one of his most famous as well as one of his best.
The docudrama told the story of mountaineers, Joe Simpson and Simon Yates, set off to climb the treacherous west face of the Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes. Despite reaching the summit, the descent proved to be much trickier as Simpson is injured and Yates is left with a tricky decision.
Touching The Void is a movie that you will leave you emotionally exhausted, as it is an extreme look at human endeavour, survival and the human instinct to self-preserve.
Director Macdonald has delivered a movie that is one of the most powerful docudramas that you will ever seen; it really is one of the most harrowing and yet totally fantastic survival movies.
- The Way Back
I have always been a fan of Peter Weir as a director, and he returned in 2010 with dram The Way Back; it was inspired by the book The Long Walk by Slawomir Rawicz.
The movie follows a group of prisoners who break out of a Soviet Union labour camp and begin a treacherous journey across thousands of miles of hostile territory.
The Way Back is an excellent adventure story that sees a group of humans that are pushed to their limits in a bid to survive; this movie is a harrowing test of endurance.
Like so many films that are fantastic in this genre there are no special effects and movie relies on a great story and a sting of excellent performances from a very talented cast.
- Gravity
Gravity is the film that is hitting the big screen this week as Sandra Bullock teams up with George Clooney for the very first time.
The central performance by Sandra Bullock is the driving force behind the film - it is really great to see another strong female character in the sci-fi genre. Bullock gives a strong yet emotional performance as Ryan Stone.
As much as this is a film about being trapped in space, this is, for the character of Stone, a story about accepting and coming to terms with events of the past and being strong enough to move forward with here life.
Gravity is one of the most beautiful movies that you will see this year and it is one of the best space films of all time.
Gravity is released 8th November