Adventure films are the ultimate gateways to escapism. Seriously! In the most basic sense, When you watch a movie, you grab the protagonist’s hand without turning back and decide to go along for the journey.
Every hero’s journey has a turning point where they must heed their call to adventure and plunge into a brand-new realm of wonders and challenges.
These films will take you on the journey of a lifetime, whether you love treasure hunting or life-saving thrillers with action.
Aliens (1986)
Cast- Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Carrie Henn
Director- James Cameron
IMDB Rating- 8.4
Ellen Ripley is summoned back 57 years after her close encounter with the scaly alien species to assist a crew of highly trained colonial soldiers in their war against the evil extraterrestrials.
This time, the aliens have taken control of a space station on the moon, LV-426. The colonial marines discover they have more on their hands than they planned when they are tasked to survey the desolate space colony.
The space marines are engaged in battle with the aliens using specifically designed machine guns and ample firepower. Ripley has to try to save a small girl who is the lone survivor of the nearly annihilated space colony.
Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
Cast- Tom Cruise, Jennifer Connelly, Miles Teller
Director- Joseph Kosinski
IMDB Rating- 8.4
Maverick is still pushing the edge as a top navy pilot after thirty years, but he must confront shadows from his past when he takes TOP GUN’s elite grads on a task that demands supreme sacrifice.
This sequel, which takes place 30 years after the first, centers on Maverick’s returns. He rejoins the United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program, where he must accept his legacy while coaching a lot of new pilots, including the son of Maverick’s late best friend Lieutenant Nick “Goose” Bradshaw, U.S.N.
Die Hard (1988)
Cast- Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia
Director- John McTiernan
IMDB Rating- 8.2
This oscar-nominated movie, Die Hard, portrays a thrilling robbery situation filled with adventure. N.Y.P.D. Officer John McClane takes a holiday trip to see his wife, Holly, who serves at Nakatomi Corporation in Los Angeles.
A squad of robbers led by Hans Gruber takes over the Nakatomi headquarters while they are there for a Christmas party. The offenders hold everyone prisoner except John while they prepare to carry off a successful robbery.
John finally decided to take matters into his own hands as there was no scope for fleeing and prompt police reaction.
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Cast- Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, and Nicholas Hoult
Director- George Miller
IMDB Rating- 8.1
A post-apocalyptic tale that takes place in the far reaches of the planet’s surface, in a desolate wasteland where mankind is broken, and nearly everyone is crazedly vying for survival. Two rebels are hiding out on this planet who just might be able to put everything back in order.
Max is a man of action and few words who seeks tranquility after losing his family in the wake of the turmoil. Furiosa is a lady of action who thinks she can fulfill her goal of surviving if she can make it back to the homeland of her childhood by crossing the desert.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021)
Cast- Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot
Director- Zack Snyder
IMDB Rating- 8
Bruce Wayne joins forces with Diana Prince to gather a group of metahumans to defend the planet from an impending disaster of catastrophic proportions. The team needed to ensure that Superman’s supreme sacrifice was not in vain.
The mission turns out to be harder than Bruce had expected because each member has to face their demons from the past to get over whatever has been holding them back and unite to build an extraordinary league of superheroes.
The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
Cast- Matt Damon, Edgar Ramírez, Joan Allen
Director- Paul Greengrass
IMDB Rating- 8
Bourne is drawn out of hiding once more, this time by London-based journalist Simon Ross, who is trying to reveal Operation Blackbriar—a sequel to Project Treadstone—in a string of magazine articles.
Ross and Bourne are being scanned while they plan their meeting, which Bourne promptly realizes. As a result of the reporter’s disclosures, Bourne is forced to confront his dark past while escaping The Company’s best efforts to have him killed.
The Bourne Supremacy (2004)
Cast- Matt Damon, Franka Potente, and Joan Allen
Director- Paul Greengrass
IMDB Rating- 7.7
Jason Bourne felt he had moved on from his past two years ago. The C.I.A. threatens to shatter Jason Bourne’s new life; thus, the past is finally catching up with him. Bourne and Marie have sacrificed everything to maintain their secretive, hidden life. Bourne moves Marie from city to city, driven by splintered nightmares and tormented by a past he cannot remember.
He struggles to stay a step ahead of the danger indicated in every stranger’s sight and ignores every phone call saying”wrong number.” But without noticing, he is gradually sweeping back into the absolute world from which he was trying to run!
Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995)
Cast- Bruce Willis, Jeremy Irons, and Samuel L. Jackson
Director- John McTiernan
IMDB Rating- 7.6
The N.Y.P.D. has suspended John McClane because he is practically a full-fledged alcoholic. However, when a bomb detonates in the Bonwit Teller Department Store, the police go totally crazy trying to find out what happened. In a short while, a man named Simon phones and requests McClane.
Simon reveals to Inspector Walter Cobb that McClane will participate in a game called “Simon Says.” McClane will carry out the responsibilities he gives him, according to him. Otherwise, he’ll unleash another bomb.
John McClane must dash throughout New York City with the help of a Harlem electrician to solve the frustrating puzzles that the ingenious terrorist throws at him.
Mad Max 2- The Road Warrior (1981)
Cast- Mel Gibson, Bruce Spence, Michael Preston
Director- George Miller
IMDB Rating- 7.6
Max Rockatansky, a formerly highway patrolman who exterminated Night Rider’s followers, now scavenges for meals and rare fuel on Australia’s empty roadways. Max then discovers an isolated oil refinery in the charred wilderness.
Still, there’s a catch: the group of survivors is now under siege by the vicious motorcycle warlord Lord Humongous and his bandit raiders.
Mad Max will now have to equip the vulnerable residents with a hefty truck to transport as much fuel as he can.
Shang-Chi & the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
Cast- Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Tony Chiu-Wai Leung
Director- Destin Daniel Cretton
IMDB Rating- 7.4
Xu Wenwu discovered the legendary ten rings a thousand years ago, which endow godly powers like immortality. He overthrew kingdoms and enslaved nations throughout history by establishing the Ten Rings organization. In 1996, Wenwu looked for Ta Lo, a village rumored to be home to fantastical creatures.
He makes his way to the village’s gate through a mystical forest, but Ying Li, a guardian, stops him. After falling in love, Li departs with Wenwu after the Ta Lo people reject him. They get married and have Shang-Chi and Xiang as their children. Wenwu leaves his group and puts the ten rings in storage.
After being dragged into the Ten Rings organization, Shang-Chi is compelled to face his history. He becomes entangled in the web of the enigmatic Ten Rings organization.
Predator (1987)
Cast- Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Kevin Peter Hall
Director- John McTiernan
IMDB Rating- 7.4
A group of soldiers on an operation in the jungles of Central America come under attack by an alien warrior. Major “Dutch” Schaefer, a tough but honorable special operations soldier, is given the task of cooperating with Colonel Al Dillon of the C.I.A. to participate in the lookout for potential survivors of a chopper that has fallen in a faraway South American jungle.
Dutch and his crew soon notice they were sent in under dubious circumstances after they arrived. However, when they discover that something from another world is systematically chasing them, this ploy ends up being the least of their concerns.
Wonder Woman (2017)
Cast- Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright
Director- Patty Jenkins
IMDB Rating- 7.4
When a pilot crashes and reports on the turmoil in the outer world, Diana, an Amazonian warrior trainee, departs home to fight a battle, discovering her ultimate strengths and true purpose.
Amazon princess Diana, who was raised in a protected island paradise, decides to leave her home because she is confident she can end the threat. Diana will learn the extent of her abilities and her ultimate purpose as she battles with a man in battle to end all hostilities.
Speed (1994)
Cast- Keanu Reeves, Dennis Hopper, Sandra Bullock
Director- Jan de Bont
IMDB Rating- 7.3
Howard Payne, a retired bomb squad member from the Atlanta police department, is outraged when a young S.W.A.T. officer named Jack Traven thwarts his attempt to use a bomb to take hostages trapped in an elevator.
In retaliation, Payne equips a bus with a bomb that will blow up if the speed drops below 50 miles per hour. Jack and his sidekick, Detective Harry Temple, struggle to save everyone on the bus before the bombs explode with the help of exuberant passenger Annie while also figuring out how Payne is keeping a watch on them.
The Tall T (1957)
Cast- Randolph Scott, Richard Boone, Maureen O’Sullivan
Director- Budd Boetticher
IMDB Rating- 7.3
Pat Brennan joins the stagecoach pulling newlyweds Willard and Doretta Mims after losing his horse in a wager. A group of thugs led by Usher seize control of the coach and its occupants at the next station.
Usher makes the decision to kidnap Doretta after discovering that she is the daughter of a wealthy copper mine owner. Over the next 24 hours, tension increases as Usher wait for a response to his ultimatum and as Brennan and Doretta create a romantic connection.
Die Hard 2 (1990)
Cast- Bruce Willis, William Atherton, and Bonnie Bedelia
Director- Renny Harlin
IMDB Rating- 7.2
In Washington, D.C., Dulles International Airport is taken over by renegade military personnel, and John McClane tries to stop it. John McClane (Willis) is going to experience the horrible events that occurred in L.A.
The entire airport is being held captive by a terrorist group led by Col. Stuart (Sadler). The terrorists intend to shield a drug boss from prosecution. They took over all of the electrical machinery that impacted all flights to do this. All aircraft must stay in the air because there are no available runway lights, and because McClane’s fuel supply is running low, he must move quickly.
The Hunger Games (2012)
Cast- Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth
Director- Gary Ross
IMDB Rating- 7.2
Panem, a fascist dictatorship, is split into twelve districts and the Capitol in a dystopian future. For the Hunger Games, two young representatives are chosen by lottery each year from each district. The televised games are broadcasted across Panem and are a mixture of horrific retaliation for a former rebellion and entertainment.
The 24 contestants must kill their opponents in front of the Panem residents. When 16-year-old Katniss’ younger sister, Prim, is chosen to represent District 12, Katniss offers to take Prim’s place. She and her male counterpart, Peeta, compete against stronger, tougher competitors, some of whom have invested their whole life in training for this.
The Northman (2022)
Cast- Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang
Director- Robert Eggers
IMDB Rating- 7.1
In search of what was taken from him—a father, a mother, and a kingdom—Prince Amleth, the outraged son of King Aurvandil War-Raven, travels to chilly, windswept Iceland.
And so, ruthless Amleth, who is forever bound to the vile enemy whose life is intertwined with his by the lines of destiny, sets out on a deadly hunt to capture him, like a battle hound sniffing the scent of the enemy. Now, not even God can stop Northman in the name of Valhalla.
The Mummy (1999)
Cast- Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah
Director- Stephen Sommers
IMDB Rating- 7.1
The idea of launching an excavation in the archaeological site of Hamunaptra draws the attention of an English librarian, Evelyn Carnahan. Rick O’Connell lends a hand after she saves him from certain death.
Evelyn, Jonathan, and Rick don’t realize that another crew of explorers is also interested in the same excavation. Unfortunately, this gang ends up releasing a curse that was placed on the mummified High Priest Imhotep. Now that “The Mummy” is awake, it will take much more than just weapons to return him to his original location.
National Treasure (2004)
Cast- Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger, and Justin Bartha
Director- Jon Turteltaub
IMDB Rating- 6.9
Benjamin Franklin Gates, a grandson of a family of explorers, learns of a national treasure from his grandpa. The treasure is hidden somewhere in the nation, and there are cryptic and fragmented signs that can be traced to find the treasure casket.
Since he spent 20 years fruitlessly searching for the treasure, Benjamin’s father absolutely hates treasure hunting. The plot changes when Ben’s sidekick Ian plans to steal “The Declaration of Independence” for the following clue.
The rest of the storyline outlines how Ben, Riley, and Abigail decipher the cues and recover the national treasure without letting Ian know what is happening.
Mad Max (1979)
Cast-Mel Gibson, Joanne Samuel, Hugh Keays-Byrne
Director- George Miller
IMDB Rating- 6.8
In a dystopian Australia not too far in the future, Mad Max follows the tale of a state trooper driving the filthy back roads. This place has become a haven for bandits searching for fuel and scraps. Following some gruesome incidents caused by a motorcycle gang, Max goes out into the desolate wastelands in search of vengeance.
The Living Daylights (1987)
Cast- Timothy Dalton, Maryam d’Abo, Jeroen Krabbé
Director- John Glen
IMDB Rating- 6.7
James Bond is tasked with looking into a K.G.B. directive to assassinate all hostile spies. While doing so, he uncovers an arms trade that could have significant global repercussions. The first task for James Bond 007 is to plan a top Soviet general’s defection. Bond sets out to discover the motive behind General Koskov’s ally’s murder after the general is recaptured. Bond must continue his mission in Afghanistan, where an armaments dealer named Brad Whitaker meets him. Everything comes to light for Bond eventually.
Commando (1985)
Cast- Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rae Dawn Chong and Dan Hedaya
Director- Mark L. Lester
IMDB Rating- 6.7
John Matrix, a retired special agent who oversaw an elite squad, left the military to live with his daughter Jenny in a remote mountain retreat.
But now that his daughter has been taken by a gang of thugs out for vengeance, he is driven out of seclusion!
Matrix is forced to carry out a political assassination for a warlord named Arius (who goes by El Presidente), whom Matrix once defeated and wants to lead a military coup in his native country.
Matrix hesitantly agrees to Arius’ request since Jenny will be killed if he refuses.
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017)
Cast- Charlie Hunnam, Astrid Bergès-Frisbey, Jude Law
Director- Guy Ritchie
IMDB Rating- 6.7
A different take on the King Arthur narrative. When Arthur was a child, King Uther Pendragon and his mother were killed during a war started by Vortigern, who later rose to the throne. This left Arthur an orphan. With little knowledge of his birthright, Arthur runs away and is raised in a brothel.
To prevent anyone from claiming the throne, Vortigern wants Arthur dead. Legend has it that only the next king can remove Excalibur, Uther’s weapon, from the stone that remains lodged.
As a result, Vortigern commands all the boys of Arthur’s age to try to draw the sword to identify Arthur.
Mackenna’s Gold (1969)
Cast- Gregory Peck, Omar Sharif, Telly Savalas
Director- J. Lee Thompson
IMDB Rating- 6.7
Marshal McKenna is taken hostage by the thug Colorado. He forces him to lead McKenna because he thinks she has seen a map that points to a gold mine that runs deep through the mountains.
A group of “honorable” people and the cavalry soon cross their path no sooner had they entered the Indian land, showing that they are not the only ones who are pursuing the treasure.
The Lost City of Z (2016)
Cast- Charlie Hunnam, Robert Pattinson, Sienna Miller
Director- James Gray
IMDB Rating- 6.6
In The Lost City of Z, the extraordinary real story of British explorer Percy Fawcett, who journeyed into the Amazon at the beginning of the twentieth century, is portrayed.
Fawcett discovered evidence of a previously undiscovered, fully advanced civilization that may have once existed in the area.
The industrious Fawcett, encouraged by his loyal wife, son, and aide de camp, regularly returns to his favorite jungle to prove his point despite being criticized by the science community, who view indigenous communities as “savages,” culminating in his unexplained disappearance in 1925.
Jungle Cruise (2021)
Cast- Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Edgar Ramírez
Director- Jaume Collet-Serra
IMDB Rating- 6.6
The spunky English feminist and botany doctor, Dr. Lily Houghton, sets off on a perilous journey to improve the globe with dreams of saving many lives and experiencing new adventures.
Dr. Houghton hires the pompous, snarky riverboat captain Captain Frank Wolff to transport her and her stylish brother MacGregor over the convoluted Amazon River in his nimble wooden boat, La Quila.
A long-standing curse and the cruel nobleman Prince Joachim now attempt to circumvent the trio’s big ambitions as they undertake deeper and further excursions into the heart of an endless green maze.
Mr & Mrs. Smith (2005)
Cast- Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Adam Brody
Director- Doug Liman
IMDB Rating- 6.5
When a boring married couple learns they are both assassins recruited by rival agencies to murder each other, they are stunned.
If you can regard quietly being assassins as “mainstream,” John and Jane Smith are an average married couple who live in a typical suburb and work a typical job.
But until they are shocked to discover each other as targets, neither Jane nor John is aware of their spouse’s secret!
But in the course of trying to kill one another, they discover much more about one another than they ever did throughout their five (or six) years of marriage.
The Mummy Returns (2001)
Cast- Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah
Director- Stephen Sommers
IMDB Rating- 6.4
Many years ago, the Scorpion King ruled a terrifying army in Mesopotamia, but he was wiped out of history when he sacrificed his soul to Anubis.
Now he’s just a legend…or is he? Along with their son Alex, who is eight years old, Rick and Evelyn O’Connell are still finding new relics.
They come across the Anubis Bracelet. But the bracelet is sought after by someone else. Imhotep, the High Priest, has been raised from the grave once more and desires the bracelet to command the Scorpion King’s army.
Tomb Raider (2018)
Cast- Alicia Vikander, Dominic West, Walton Goggins
Director- Roar Uthaug
IMDB Rating- 6.3
Lara Croft, who disappeared when she was just a teenager, is the strong and independent daughter of flamboyant adventurer Lord Richard Croft.
Lara, now a twenty-one-year-old lady, navigates the turbulent streets of contemporary East London as a bike courier, barely paying the rent and barely making it to her college classes.
She lacks any real focus or purpose. She is determined to make her own path and refuses to take over her father’s world power as passionately as she refuses the idea that he is absolutely gone.
Even Lara is baffled by her desire to finally figure out the mystery underlying his mysterious death after seven years despite advice to acknowledge the facts and move on.
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)
Cast- Mel Gibson, Tina Turner, Bruce Spence
Director- George Miller, George Ogilvie
IMDB Rating- 6.2
Former Main Force Patrol officer Max Rockatansky finds Bartertown, an isolated market-town outpost in the center of the parched Wasteland.
It is under the domain of the tyrannical Queen Aunty Entity. But there, Max faces a fatal challenge in The Thunderdome, the stronghold’s war venue.
As Max finds himself trapped in the wide wilderness once more, he stumbles onto the tranquil haven of The Lost Tribe, a group of orphaned kids who make do on their own while waiting for a hero.
Are they really going to be saved by the lone warrior, though? You need to see the movie for yourself to find the answer!
The Jewel of the Nile (1985)
Cast- Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, Danny DeVito
Director- Lewis Teague
IMDB Rating- 6.1
In the follow-up to “Romancing the Stone,” Jack and Joan continue to live the easy life on their boat. Still, they gradually get weary of one another and their present situation.
When Joan accepts a sheik’s offer to visit a place in the Middle East, she is kidnapped and finds herself dealing with the “jewel” there.
Together with his new companion Ralph, Jack decides to save her. They all switch between different adventures. What’s the background to this “jewel”?