Best Outdoors Movies

[Korey]

What is your favorite outdoors movie? I thought Wild was brilliant, and A Walk in the Woods is a close second for me, but while it's not an outdoors movie per se, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty tops my list.

[Jen]

Into the Wild is still a favorite of movie of mine, even though I know a lot of people consider Christopher McCandless careless and unprepared. The movie was beautiful and touching... and well, I did also like the Eddie Vedder soundtrack.

[John B]

Mine has to be Touching the Void--I believe the most true to life climbing movie ever made!

[Dave_B]

Favorite? Probably any outdoor movie. I saw The Revenant when it came out and talk about some beautiful cinematography! I found out afterwards that it took a couple of years to shoot because they used all natural lighting...and it shows. Gory but pretty. lol. 

I downloaded Reel Rock 10 the other day. Pretty cool scenes from Patagonia with a couple of guys traversing the fitz roy. Makes me want to get outside but not with a rope. 

[Absarokanaut]

John,

Most every climber I know says the same thing. Seen "Meru?"

I'm gonna show my age and say a few things about the other choices. Guys my disagreement is apparently generational but respectful. I haven't seen "Walk in the Woods" but the book was mediocre IMO and when they chose actors almost twice the age of the book I decided I'll not seek it out. I couldn't take more than half of Wild, the off trail stuff just came across as self indulgent whining. "Into the Wild" didn't do anything for me either. Maybe it might have 35 years ago. Walter Mitty was a decent movie. Danny Kaye did a good job. Heeh heeh. Just kidding, "remake" was good too.

OK, now that I've been a sufficent enough posterior orifice some of my favorites in no particular order:

Jeremiah Johnson

Lawrence of Arabia

The Man From Snowy River 

Quigley Down Under

Walkabout

Comes A Horseman

Lonely Are The Brave

Jubal

Shane

Major Dundee

Easy Rider

[John B]

Absarokanaut,

That's a long list!   No, have not seen Meru.  How about a cliffs notes review?

[seano]

I definitely second "Touching the Void" as a realistic mountaineering movie.  They even got the period gear right in the re-enactment.  "The Revenant," on the other hand, I found bogus: while there's lots of beautiful Canada, there were too many times when Leo/Hugh should not have survived.  For example, I don't believe that someone wearing furs who took an extended swim in a river, then crawled out onto the snow-covered bank and went to sleep, would ever wake up.  Certainly he would at least lose some fingers/toes.

I haven't seen it in decades, but I remember enjoying The Last Place on Earth, about the race to the South Pole.

[Korey]

Completely forgot about Everest. I think my list would go

1. Secret Life of Walter Mitty (the Ben Stiller remake, just to be clear)

2. Everest

3. A Walk in the Woods

Honorable mentions to Mile/Mile and a Half, Wild, and The Way

I really hoped to like The Revenant, but while I loved the cinematography and found the acting to be excellent, I thought that the story was lacking, which was disappointing seeing as how the true story is both fascinating and enthralling. 

And Ken Burns' The National Parks gets top honors for documentaries.

[toejam]

I really enjoyed Meru because I watched it on a guy's Kindle way out in the wilderness. It's a nice climbing story with some impressive visuals.

Jeremiah Johnson is my favorite of the movies mentioned so far.

[TollerMom]

On February 6, 2016 at 8:07 AM, Absarokanaut said:

John,

Most every climber I know says the same thing. Seen "Meru?"

I am not a climber but I did see Meru.. Fantastic movie about grit, spirit, perserverance and beauty.