Maritime movies

Top 10 Maritime Movies 

Excluding anything mainly about submarines, here’s my Top 10 favourites on ships at sea. Images of the water and sky demand colour, as basic minimum requirement, so I neglect, quite on purpose, many older B&W classics. I’m also avoiding versions of Jules Verne’s Mysterious Island, or assorted ‘Robinsonade’ castaway dramas often inspired by Robinson Crusoe.

1. WaterWorld (1995) 

- easy choice as the ultimate post-apocalypse about a drowned Earth.  

2. Red Cliff 1 & 2 (2008-9) 

- spectacular epic Chinese naval battles on Yangtze River.

3. Life Of Pi (2012) 

- astonishing survival tale of a boy and a tiger, sharing a lifeboat.  

4. Triangle (2009) 

- weird nightmare psycho horror about murder on a cruise-liner.

5. Deep Blue Sea (1999) 

- this sci-fi horror’s a better movie about sharks than Jaws.

6. Poseidon (2006) 

- fine example of when a remake is better than a 1970s’ original.

7. Dead Calm (1989) 

- excellent psycho slasher, starring Nicole Kidman, on a yacht.

8. Cutthroat Island (1995) 

- great fun about pirates, with action-star Geena Davis.   

9. The African Queen (1951) 

- classic river-boat adventure stars Bogart & Hepburn.

10. The Bedford Incident (1965) 

- my token B&W film, OK? Just say ‘no’ to nukes.