Hello! As it is mid-summer, and we are writing about tropical islands, we watched many tropical-themed movies set or filmed on islands. So, here in this post, I will write my opinions and recommendations about some of those movies, and I will update this thread.
Name: Cast Away
Year: 2000
Mini info: This is one of the best movies around, and definitively the best island surviving movie! Tom Hanks’s performance was amazing, filming location as well. He survived a plane crash on isolated abandoned tropical islands and survived for 4 years there before finally getting rescued. That quote is famous even today ,,WILSOOOON!!!” Anyway, you can expect a lot of tropical island scenery (beach, palms, turquoise waters) and isolated island life and the challenges it brings.
Relation to tropical islands: Filmed in Monuriki Island in Fiji, so, quality is guaranteed!
My rating/recommendation: 10/10 from me! A must-watch!
Name: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Year: 1954
Mini info: This amazing movie is related to Jules Vern’s novel. It should be considered a masterpiece considering that it is filmed in 1954 year and is full of amazing effects! Captain Nemo’s Nautilus is done quite interesting, especially the interior, and we can see a lot of details. This movie includes underwater scenes with shark fight, a battle against Kraken, a Tribal beautiful tropical island, another unique island where Nemo has his base, and some ship battles!
Relation to tropical islands: It features a tropical island where the tribe is located, as far as I remember they mentioned that tribe was in Papua New Guinea. Movies were filmed in Jamaica and the Bahamas, anyway.
My rating/recommendation: 9/10 and recommended for fun.
Name: Robinson Crusoe
Year: 1997
Mini info: Another good movie based on a novel, this time by Daniel Defoe. The movie plot goes as Robinson Crusoe has to escape Scotland for a year (because the duel ends badly), and during the ship’s journey, a heavy storm crashed the ship and it sunk into island’s shore. He survived alone on a desolated island. There we can see island surviving scenes, and of course some of the island scenery (beaches, palms, jungle, animals), and cannibal tribes. Pierce Brosnan did awesome job playing Crusoe, as well as William Takaku playing ,,Man Friday”, a tribesman.
Relation to tropical islands: Tropical island is filmed in Papua New Guinea.
My rating/recommendation: 8/10
Name: The Bounty
Year: 1984
Mini info: The Bounty movie is based on a real historical event, a famous mutiny on the Bounty Royal ship (one of the most famous mutinies in the world). There are a lot of famous cast members such as Mel Gibson playing Christian Fletcher, Anthony Hopkins playing infamous Captain William Bligh, and a few others (Daniel Day-Lewis, Liam Neeson, Phil Davis…). That is a very professionally made movie. It depicts very rough travel through South America until their final destination, the Kingdom of Tahiti. It also depicts very well Polynesians and their style and of course beautiful Tahiti scenery! Then, as long as staying on the island, the crew became undisciplined, and their captain became harsh to them, and they rebelled…
Relation to tropical islands: Both in the movie and tropical filming locations are directly in French Polynesia, filmed in Tahiti and Moorea islands.
My rating/recommendation: 10/10, very detailed done movie!
Name: Kon-Tiki
Year: 2012
Mini info: This movie is also based on a real-life historical event. It is based on legendary travel in 1947. Famous explorer Thor Heyerdahl and his small team decided to cross from South America to the South Pacific islands on a balsawood raft, in order to prove that it was possible for South Americans to settle in Polynesia in old times. And the movie is mostly this, most part of the movie is set on the water, depicting their raft and how they handle the situation. But it is a very well movie!
Relation to tropical islands: At the beginning and end of the movie, the place is in French Polynesia. Actual filming locations for tropical parts are in Thailand and Maldives.
My rating/recommendation: 8/10 good educational movie!
Name: The Lost Pirate Kingdom
Year: 2021
Mini info: This documentary tv mini-series (6 episodes) is about real-life pirates, from 1700s until the end of piracy. It is educational and displays many famous pirates such as Blackbeard, Charles Vane, Samuel Bellamy, Benjamin Hornigold, Jack Raham, Anne Bonny, and others. The place takes mostly in Nassau, Bahamas, and some other islands in the Caribbean Sea.
Relation to tropical islands: I do not have information about where it is filmed, but as I said, mostly the plot is on Nassau, Bahamas, and some other Caribbean islands.
My rating/recommendation: 7/10 useful historicaldocumentary.
Name: Treasure Island
Year: 1950
Mini info: Another of the old classics from 50s, in color. This movie is one of many movie versions of ,,Treasure Island”, a popular novel by Robert Louis Stevenson, written in 1883. Story is about young boy, Jim Hawkins, who went on an adventure with royal forces and pirates (led by pirate captain Long John Silver) , to find buried treasure. And of course, there is a fight between the royal navy and pirates on the tropical island.
Relation to tropical islands: I do not have information about where is filmed tropical island, but it does feature all elements of tropical pirate adventure such as castaway, beaches, palms, hills, jungle etc…. In the matter of fact, they set up standard in this novel when they introduced one-legged pirates with parrots, burried treasure on tropical islands, and pirate maps.
My rating/recommendation: 7/10 very interesting family movie!
Name: Six Days Seven Nights
Year: 1998
Mini info: An adventure-type movie by Harisson Ford. it is not Indiana Jones, but it can pass. He plays the pilot of the plane who crashes with the lady during the storm in the South Pacific. And they must put aside their differences in order to survive. And the situation gets complicated when modern pirates approach.
Relation to tropical islands: The plot is mostly set on a deserted tropical island, and those tropical parts scenes are filmed in Kauai in Hawaii.
My rating/recommendation: 7/10 a decent survival movie.
Name: Sweetheart
Year: 2019
Mini info: This movie is very good! The director J.D. Dillard did a good job here, and should be hired to make new Universal classical monsters. This movie is horror, unlike the others on the list, survival horror, but this time around, there is no nature to survive and pirates, but sea monster! After the accident on the boat, one girl was washed ashore on a small tropical island. After checking the island, she realized that there is a monster living in nearby waters and coming to hunt each night. And she has to fight back to survive. The actress Kiersey Clemons portrayed her role very well. I like this movie, horror, set up on a tropical island, and decent monster around!
Relation to tropical islands: This movie is filmed in Bounty Island in Fiji. So, you can expect good island scenery, similar to those Maldives’s flat islands.
My rating/recommendation: 8/10 Very refreshing movie!
Name: Medicine Man
Year: 1992
Mini info: This movie is not (partially) set on a tropical island, but on Amazon rainforest instead. It is good, so I put it on the list. Sean Conery plays a doctor who is helping local villagers and the environment. We will see here the clash between science and business, and also what beauty and dangers this region can possess. The movie has also educational points as well.
Relation to tropical islands: There is no tropical islands here, but set in Amazon rainforest. Good rainforest and nature can be seen here. It is filmed in Mexico actually.
My rating/recommendation: 6/10 average and nice thematic movie.
Name: The Shallows
Year: 2016
Mini info: The Shallows is just one of those ,,shark attack” movies. When surfer (Blake Lively actress) surfs a little away from the beautiful tropical beach (less than 200 meters away), shark attacks her and won’t stop, so the girl is forced to flee on a nearby rock and make some tough decisions about how to survive.
Relation to tropical islands: Technically not on the island, but near tropical beach (shark survival movies also can be one of tropical if set on such places). However, tropical parts the movie are filmed in subtropical parts in Australia, in Queensland (Mount Tamborine for tropical forest and in Lord How Island).
My rating/recommendation: 6/10 not a bad movie, average, could be better, could be worse.
Name: Pearl in Paradise
Year: 2018
Mini info: Here we go, a Hallmark movie set in a tropical region! I was really positively surprised when I saw this movie with my Sonja and friends, movie turned out to be good. Story and plot is typically Hallmark-styled, but it is connected with a good environment and nature. We can see jungle adventure, beautiful beach resort, and a lot of green in this movie! The story is that a photographer and novelist go on an adventure to search for a mystical pearl in Fiji’s jungle.
Relation to tropical islands: Not just plot, but movie is filmed in Fiji, in Viti Levu island. Expect good scenery.
My rating/recommendation: 8/10 recommended for family and couples.
That is it for now, more movies will come.
