Island Movies: Best of All Time

There are many films that have been set on an island or that have had an island location as a prominent focus of the movie. Shutter Island releases in theaters October 2nd. It is a Martin Scorsese Paramount Pictures film that stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams and Max Von Sydow. In honor of the film’s release, this list of island movies includes the ten best films of all time, with a focus on more recent films, that have been centered on an island theme or location.

In order to be included in this list of island movies, the film has to have taken place entirely or in large part on an island location. While the island itself does not necessarily have to be a major plot aspect in the film, it should be an important feature as the setting of the story.

Along with meeting the aforementioned qualifications, this list of best island movies includes those that are entertaining, iconic, memorable, and/or aesthetically pleasing because of the setting. Emphasis is placed on island films of the last few decades and those that more predominantly involved islands were given greater weight. There is also an effort to include a diverse range of film themes and genres.

Top 10 Island Movies of All Time

10. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) – Perhaps more credit is being given to this film (among the best Johnny Depp movies) based on its overall quality and success. However, there are actually several very important and lengthy sequences in the movie that take place on island locations.

9. Mamma Mia! (2008) – One of the most successful musical movies of all time, this quirky and melodic love story was filmed on the beautiful island of Skopelos in Greece.

8. Master and Commander (2003) – Arguably one of Russell Crowe’s best and most epic films, Master and Commander is a water-based movie and one of the main locations is the Galápagos Islands, where naturalist Stephen Maturin (Paul Bettany) discovers new animal species.

7. Nim’s Island (2008) – This family adventure comedy movie is included in this list of island movies as it offers a different genre. It tells the tale of a young girl who inhabits an isolated island with her scientist father and communicates with a reclusive author of the novel she’s reading.

6. Pearl Harbor (2001) – Its status as a high quality film is somewhat debatable, but this Josh Hartnett, Ben Affleck, Kate Beckinsale movie makes the top island movies list because it is one of the most memorable films about the bombing of Pearl Harbor, located in the Hawaiian Island of Oahu.

5. The Rock (1996) – Maybe not quite as epic as some of the other top island movies on the list, this Sean Connery flick is still a nice action-thriller that tells the story of a group of U.S. marines, under command of a renegade general, who take over Alcatraz and threaten San Francisco Bay with biological weapons.

4. The Island (2005) – It may not be the best or most iconic of the top island movies, but this Ewan McGregor, Scarlett Johansson film is solid. It tells the poignant story of two clones on an island who discover that there is life outside of the small boundaries in which they have been programmed to operate. Of course, their owners don’t want them to be discovered.

3. Jurassic Park (1990) - This classic sci-fi thriller is about an island of dinosaurs that has been created on Isla Nublar, an island approximately 120 miles West of Costa Rica. Intended to be a theme park and scientific experience, the island turns deadly when the dinosaurs take over.

2. King Kong (2005) – Much of this most recent, and perhaps best (Winner of 3 Oscar Awards), recreation of the classic King Kong tale, takes place on Skull Island. This is the mysterious location where a film crew lands in 1933 to make an adventure movie, when it encounters the gigantic and wondrous Kong.

1. Cast Away (2000) - Also one of the best Tom hanks movies, this memorable film that also stars Helen Hunt, is most recognized because of the four year period in which the main character is stuck on an island after his Fed Ex cargo plane crashes.

Do you have other favorite island movies that should have been included in the best list of island movies? If so, please add a comment stating the movie and why you think it deserves to be one of the best films set on an island.

This list of best island movies of all time was written by Neil of Movie Room Reviews

Tags: island movies, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl