Man takes on nature: survival movies/series to stream

Man Vs Nature. A literary genre as old as time. Artists were always captivated by the struggle of man and how can one survive in the wilderness, pitted against the elements and of course against wild animals. With Nikolaj Coster Waldau (Jaime from Game of Thrones) led survival drama dropping on Netflix this week, other movies/series depicting the harrowing tales of those who found themselves forced to take on the worst Mother Nature throws at them.

Against the Ice (Netflix)

Based on a true story, Against the Ice tells the story of legendary Danish explorer Ejnar Mikkelsen, who in 1909 sets off on a journey to the further reaches of unexplored Greenland to disprove the US claim that Greenland is two separate pieces of land and thus didn’t belong to Denmark. The country had then set up a colony on the inhospitable land and the US claim meant that they could take half of Greenland for themselves. Ejnar was not the first who went on that journey. He was following in the steps of a previous Danish expedition that made the journey but vanished. Ejnar, along with an inexperienced crew member of the ship set off on the perilous journey across the icy wasteland.

This is a passion project for Waldau, who is not only Danish but permanently resides in Greenland. He wrote and produced the movie for a man he considers a personal hero. Against the Ice has everything, from surviving in harrowing conditions, pushing one’s limits and camaraderie.

The Revenant (Netflix)

The movie that finally gave Leonardo DiCaprio his Oscar, this is another true story about trapper Hugh Glass who was part of a hunting expedition near Yellowstone river in 1822. Mauled by a bear, left for dead and buried, Glass crawls back from the grave to extact revenge on those who wronged him. The film’s breath-taking cinematography, along with majestic views serve as an almost inappropriate backdrop for the brutality and gore portrayed. DiCaprio does his best to transform from handsome A-lister actor to rugged mountain man, and he will stop at nothing to succeed, even if has to eat raw liver (yes, that really happened).

The Shallows (Netflix)

Moving away from the frozen landscape to sunny Mexico, where young surfer Nancy decides to go visit her mother’s favourite beach. While enjoying the waves though Nancy is in for a nasty surprise, as she is attacked by a shark. Now, injured and stranded on a buoy with no one around and the shark circling, Nancy must decide if she is to succumb to her injuries or take on the massive predator.

A 2016 sleeper hit, The Shallows is a terrifying movie, that never gets its foot off the gas. It’s one tense moment after the other for our heroine (played by Blake Lively). Plus, there’s a character called Steven Seagull. That alone is reason to watch.

The Terror (Prime)

That’s enough of a break, back to the ice. The Terror is an anthology series that aired originally on AMC and tells the story of the infamous expedition of Captain John Franklin, who in 1845 sailed to find a northern passage to the Pacific Ocean through the Artic. Commanding the Erebus and the Terror, Franklin and his crew were cut off due to being stuck on the ice and they were never heard of again.

The Terror along with surviving in the wild, also introduces a supernatural element and tries to make sense of the different pieces of information found regarding the mission.