6 Best Arctic and Antarctic Expedition Movies

By Vlad Zakh · February 19, 2026

Polar films are brutal, because the landscape itself is the villain. Arctic strands a plane crash survivor with a hard choice, The Grey sends oil workers through the Alaskan wilderness with a wolf pack on their trail, and Alive follows Andes crash survivors making impossible decisions. Shackleton’s Captain, Scott of the Antarctic and The Thing round out a very cold six.

Arctic (2018)

TMDB ★ 7.0

A plane crash survivor stranded in the Arctic must decide whether to risk a dangerous trek to rescue.

Directed by Joe Penna · 1h 38m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: Cinemax Amazon Channel, Cinemax Apple TV channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Shackleton's Captain (2012)

TMDB ★ 6.7

A dramatisation of the captain who guided Ernest Shackleton's doomed Antarctic expedition.

Directed by Leanne Pooley · 1h 30m

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, Curiosity Stream, CuriosityStream Apple TV channel, CuriosityStream Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Grey (2011)

TMDB ★ 6.7

Oil rig workers stranded after a plane crash in the Alaskan wilderness are hunted by a pack of wolves.

Directed by Joe Carnahan · 1h 57m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Alive (1993)

TMDB ★ 7.3

Survivors of a plane crash high in the snowbound Andes face unimaginable choices.

Directed by Frank Marshall · 2h 07m · Rated R

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Thing (1982)

IMDb ★ 8.2 RT 85% Metacritic 57

A shapeshifting alien picks off an Antarctic research team one paranoid reveal at a time.

Directed by John Carpenter · 1h 49m · Rated R

1 win & 5 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Philo, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC, Amazon Prime Video with Ads · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Scott of the Antarctic (1948)

TMDB ★ 6.7

A dramatisation of the doomed British expedition to reach the South Pole.

Directed by Charles Frend · 1h 51m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, BFI Player Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

6 Best Arctic and Antarctic Expedition Movies

Arctic (2018)

Shackleton's Captain (2012)

The Grey (2011)

Alive (1993)

The Thing (1982)

Scott of the Antarctic (1948)

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