Epic sea battles and breathtaking survival stories await you in these naval movies. With Season 21 of NCIS having ended, fans must wait at least two months for Season 22. How to fill the time? We offer you a list of naval stories, each in a full-length movie format. Watch one a week, and you’ll just make it to the release of the new NCIS season.
- In the Heart of the Sea (2015)
In 1819, the ship Essex set sail from Massachusetts with a crew of two dozen to hunt whales. In the fall of 1820, a giant sperm whale attacked the ship, forcing the sailors to take to the boats. For over three months, they struggled to survive. Director Ron Howard blends fiction and reality, adding a sense of mysticism to the story of the whaling ship Essex, the inspiration for Herman Melville’s famous novel Moby-Dick. - Greyhound (2020)
Greyhound tells the story of Commander Krause, who is assigned to lead a humanitarian aid convoy during World War II. To cross the Atlantic, the convoy must survive the “Black Pit” – the domain of German submarines, where support aircraft cannot reach. The film is devoted to the complex choreography of naval battles, each shot and hit carrying a powerful charge of adrenaline. - Adrift (2018)
Based on a true story, Adrift follows a couple in love, Tami and Richard, who agree to sail a boat from Tahiti to San Diego in 1984. They are caught in a severe cyclone, leaving them without radio contact in the middle of nowhere. The film pits the power of love against nature, with great acting and direction keeping viewers glued to the screen. - The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
Ronald Neame’s The Poseidon Adventure was a precursor to Titanic. The plot follows a fictional cruise ship wrecked by a sudden tsunami. A small group of passengers manage to survive and climb to the bottom of the capsized ship. The film was a huge hit, grossing $125 million and winning two Oscars for Best Original Song and Best Visual Effects. - Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)
During the Napoleonic Wars, Her Majesty’s ship Surprise is attacked by a huge unknown ship. Captain Jack Aubrey decides to pursue the enemy despite heavy damage and losses. Intended to be a franchise, Master and Commander did not satisfy at the box office, but it won two Oscars and was nominated for numerous technical awards. The naval battles are a real treat, something unique to this film. - Battleship (2012)
After signals are sent into space, an alien response initiates a battle for Earth on the water. Battleship was largely ignored by critics, but the movie is technically brilliant, with amazingly filmed naval battles against aliens. - Swiss Family Robinson (1960)
Based on Johann David Wyss’s novel, the film tells the story of a family stranded on a desert island after a shipwreck. Swiss Family Robinson is old-fashioned and valuable for adventure fans, depicting the family’s survival, adaptation to wild nature, and eventual mastery of their new home. - All Is Lost (2013)
An elderly sailor, shipwrecked and cut off from civilization, must keep his ship afloat and reach land. All Is Lost is unique among solo disaster films for its lack of classic dramatic techniques. Robert Redford’s performance, nearly wordless, tells the story of a desperate struggle for life. - The Wolf’s Call (2019)
A young submariner with a rare gift for identifying sounds must regain his crew’s trust after a mistake puts them at risk. He investigates a military provocation that could lead to nuclear apocalypse. The Wolf’s Call is a French thriller that combines naval action with a detective drama, where the intrigue grows by the minute.
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