On a hot summer afternoon, you sit back with a pack of chips and a can of soft drink surfing through OTTs to find a movie that would be a perfect fit. Let us help you save some time, the time that may otherwise be spent watching a movie. Take a quick look at the names below as we list the 15 best adventure movies.
Also read: 15 Best Kung Fu Movies of All Time That Everybody Loves
1. Indiana Jones and the raiders of the lost ark (1981)
Everybody heard about the Indiana Jones series. You’ll understand the hype around it after you watch it. It is directed by Steven Spielberg, one of the most (if not the most) trusted directors in Hollywood. It follows Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) as he goes on an adventure to seize a biblical artefact known as the Ark of the Covenant.
2. The Goonies (1985)
Starring a young Josh Brolin and Sean Austin, the movie is a hell of a ride. It follows a few teenagers as they venture out to find a hidden treasure buried in a pirate ship that sank in the ocean. It is one of the best adventure movies and the definition of a classic.
3. The Adventures of Tintin (2011)
Another movie by Steven Spielberg. I have been a big fan of the Tintin comics from a very young age. And seeing it come to life on a big screen (and in 3D), was like living a dream. The movie has some brilliantly staged action sequences that seem to have come right out of the comic pages.
4. The Lord of the Rings (2001-2003)
I couldn’t choose one. So here it is. Watch the entire trilogy by Peter Jackson which changed the fantasy film genre forever. It is adapted from the book of the same name by J. R. R Tolkien.
5. Pirates of the Caribbean (2006)
When I first saw the Pirates of the Caribbean, I didn’t like it. Maybe it had to do with the language, the pronunciation that I wasn’t familiar with. But after a few years, I gave it a re-watch, and that was it. I couldn’t stop thinking about the exploits of Jack Sparrow and his crew.
6. Journey to the Centre of the Earth (2008)
Alright, looking back at it now, with so many technological advancements in cinema, especially in the realm of VFX, Journey to the Centre of the Earth does seem pretty basic. And it is. But yet, it fuels the nostalgia every time I see clippings of it. Adapted from the novel by Jules Verne, it is a one-time watch, but a fairly good one.
7. Dune (2021)
Denis Villeneuve’s Dune is to our generation what Lawrence of Arabia was to the movie brats of Hollywood in the 70s. It is massive, it is epic in every sense of that word. Many have criticised it for being anti-climactic, but it is because Frank Herbert’s novel is so huge that he couldn’t cover everything in one film. He had to adapt half of the novel in the first film in a possible trilogy.
8. Inception (2010)
Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi epic is an adventure at its best. Cobb steals information by entering their dreams. Yep, you heard it. That’s only the beginning. He is offered a job where he needs to put information in the mind of Saito’s competitor’s son. It might take a few watches to grasp what is happening, but it is worth watching.
9. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Fourth in George Miller’s Mad Max series, this one stars Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron as she frees a group of women through the apocalyptic desert landscape with some of the best action sequences of all time. It is easily one of the best adventure movies out there.
10. National Treasure (2004)
Starring Nicolas Cage and Diane Kruger, it is one of the most exciting adventure movies that Hollywood produced. The premise? Nic Cage steals the Declaration of Independence.
11. National Treasure 2 (2007)
Kind of a guilty pleasure for me these movies as you can imagine. Again we follow Benjamin Franklin Gates (Nicolas Cage) as he tries to clear the name of his ancestors who were thought to be accomplices to Abraham Lincoln’s assassination.
12. Life of Pi (2012)
If you have seen Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, or Brokeback Mountain, you know what Ang Lee can do with the medium. This film is yet another example of his craft. It stars Irrfan Khan, Suraj Sharma, and Gautam Belur as Pi Patel (three different ages). Life of Pi follows, yep, you guessed it, the Life of Pi. It depicts how Pi found a way to survive in a lifeboat adrift in the middle of nowhere, as a Royal Bengal Tiger and a Hyena keep him company.
13. Apocalypto (2006)
This is a movie about the Mayan Empire, set in 1502, Apocalypto follows the escape of Jaguar Paw, a peaceful village hunter, who is captured along with his entire village in order to sacrifice them to God. Scholars have said that the movie is a distorted view of the Mayan Empire. But being aware of that, it is an extremely enjoyable film.
14. Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)
We are not making a list of the artsiest films, we are not looking at masterpieces here. If we did, I would have included The Green Knight (2021). That is why Kingsman. It is a very enjoyable film. I suggest you watch the entire series. It follows the story of Eggsy who goes through various challenges and gets recruited in a secret agency as a spy to look for an Eco-terrorist named Richmond Valentine.
15. Okja (2017)
Bong Joon-Ho’s 2017 film about a massive pig and the best friend of young Mija is a heartfelt story. Watch it, if you want a complete experience. Bong Joon-Ho is undoubtedly one of the most skilled directors in the industry today. And a movie as complex as this proves it.
This was our list of the 15 best adventure movies to watch on a lazy afternoon. Thank you for reading this far.