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Survival movies are great, but the shows on most lists focus solely on the hardcore prepper aspect, the scary, suspenseful drama of it all.
This list has that but also has a slightly different angle, the romance angle.
My Criteria for Selecting these Survival Movies
At first, when I started looking for “survival movies” with romance—any sort of love interest or romance, I was a bit stumped. Action movies are an obvious place to look for “survival” but not necessarily for any interesting “romance.”
In my search, I considered everything from comedies to kid movies. How could I avoid having just a full-out stress-inducing violence-fest? When it comes to survival entertainment, do emotional (not physical) survival stories count?
It wasn’t easy tracking down movies that met my criteria of including both survival and romance!
This list includes a variety of genres from a variety of time periods. I also included movies focusing on mental survival skills and surviving financial disasters.
There are a few silly ones with no basis in reality (Zombieland and Joe Versus the Volcano, in particular), but most are either period pieces (WWII, French Revolution, Great Depression) or deal with the sort of “everyday disasters” that we all fear, like a viral epidemic or plane crash.
Some of these will be more suitable for family viewing than others. Please read reviews and make educated decisions. And for those survival movies you do decide to share with your kids, discuss the survival elements together.
Let’s get to it, shall we?
TV Series’ with a Romantic Element
Jeremiah (TV series) is two seasons in a post-apocalyptic world where a disease killed all the adults. Luckily, the kids who survived are able to grow into adulthood safe from the virus.
Sliders (TV series) is not one that leaps to mind for the Survival genre, and yet they had to survive all kinds of disasters and be prepared for, fairly literally, anything. For those who aren’t familiar, this five-season series followed a small group of four people as they jumped between parallel dimensions, each one slightly (or radically) different.
Lost (TV series) is about a group of plane crash survivors who last six seasons on a deserted island. Plenty of romance here.
Jericho (Cable TV series) is a real favorite in prepper and survival circles and includes a bit of romance and meaningful glances between characters.
Historical / Period Movies
Cabaret (Liza Minnelli) is a musical set in 1930s Germany and shows how a group of Cabaret singers manages to live in denial of what is happening in the country around them.
Gone With the Wind (Vivienne Leigh, Clark Gable) is the story of a woman who is a born survivor. Scarlett O’Hara survives the Civil War, Sherman’s March, Reconstruction, heartbreak, loss, and more.
Les Miserables (Hugh Jackman, Russel Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried) is about survival in 19th-century France.
Paper Moon (Ryan O’Neal, Tatum O’Neal, Madeline Kahn) is set in the Great Depression.
Tears of the Sun (Bruce Willis) revolves around a mission by US Navy SEALs to go into a hostile area of Nigeria and rescue an American doctor.
Silly / Fun Survival Movies
Blast from the Past (Brendan Fraser, Alicia Silverstone) is a fun, light-hearted movie about a family who goes into their Kennedy-era bomb shelter shortly before their son is born and emerges 35 years later.
Joe Versus the Volcano (Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan) is an utterly unrealistic, awesomely sweet movie about love, living, and the importance of really good luggage.
Tarzan (Johnny Weissmuller, Maureen O’Sullivan) has been done more than once, but this is a box set of four with the original Tarzan, Johnny Weissmuller.
Warm Bodies (Nicholas Hoult) is the story of how his love for a living girl helps one zombie return to (nearly) human.
Zombieland (Woody Harrelson) chronicles one man’s search for Twinkies during the zombie apocalypse. Seriously. He and his friend cross the country in search of safety – and Twinkies.
Survival Movies Inspired by True Events
Adrift is the shipwreck tale of an engaged couple hired to sail a luxury yacht from Tahiti to San Diego, California, and getting caught in a catastrophic hurricane.
The Impossible (Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor) hits home more for its depiction of self-sacrificial love than romance. And it gives me hope we won’t all turn into self-seeking a-holes when SHTF.
Other Genres
It’s a Wonderful Life (Jimmy Stewart) illustrates the importance of mental resilience and our most important survival tool–our mind. The importance of community is also demonstrated. And, of course, the twitterpated Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed.
Swiss Family Robinson has a romance storyline that gets you rooting for one brother or the other to win the cute girl!
The Amazing Adventure (Cary Grant) follows the adventures of a rich, bored playboy who agrees to spend one year earning his own way. He can’t use any of his own money to survive.
Atlas Shrugged trilogy (various) is thought of as being more about politics than romance, but I’ve always thought of it as a romance. Dagny Taggert follows her heart as the world around her collapses.
Contagion (Marion Cottilard, Matt Damon) follows the chain of events that cause one small action to lead to a deadly global epidemic.
The Mountain Between Us (Kate Winslett, Idris Elba) has been dubbed a “Harlequin-worthy” romance disaster. Following a plane crash on a remote mountaintop, the pair must work together to survive.
Here’s a quick tip: If these inflationary times have made your typical entertainment less affordable, check out some of these super-frugal tips for entertainment and holidays!
What survival-themed movies with a romantic twist can you add? Let me know in the comments!
Originally published February 10, 2015; updated by The Survival Mom editors.
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