When you’re craving an adventure but find yourself stuck at home, check out this list of the best adventure movies and binge-able adventure tv shows on Netflix. If you have any suggestions for an epic series or film you really liked, please leave a comment!
Adventures from the couch
If you have wanderlust you know what a pain it can be to wait for the next adventure. We take adventures wherever we can find them – road trips, hiking, camping, stargazing, books, and movies.
Check out:
43 Best Indiana Jones Style Adventure Movies
7 Lessons from 7 Inspiring Backpacking and Wilderness Movies
Anything that gets you out of your head and into the unknown, right? It’s an escape, but an escape to something, not from something. I think that’s why so many of us that love adventure stories are also addicted to traveling. It’s not about getting away, it’s about where you’re going.
The journey. The people. The story.
When you think of adventures, what comes to your mind? For me its train rides, a carryon, a camera, giant trees, rainy beaches, unfamiliar places and faces.
Sometimes, instead of a ticket, all you have is Netflix, and that’s where this list of epic adventure tv shows and movies comes in. Journey to a strange new land… but also maybe grab popcorn and one of those wearable blanket things.
Be adventurous. But also comfy.
1. Marco Polo
No. Marco Polo isn’t just a game you play in the pool. He was a real-life explorer that spent a lot of time in the company of the great Kublai Khan – from the Mongol Empire in the 1200s. His adventures became some of the first documented accounts that Europeans used to learn about Asia, which at the time, was thought of as a mystical, unknown land.
As Marco Polo himself said:
I did not tell half of what I saw, for I knew I would not be believed.
This adventure TV series is in its 2nd season and is a Netflix original.
The historical accuracy of the series isn’t always on point, but they capture the essence of the time, culture and customs quite well. For those that haven’t spent much (who are we kidding – any) time learning about Marco Polo and the Mongols, the differences in the storyline compared to reality won’t bug you in the least.
The characters are (as far as I can tell without spending years researching it) based on real people, it’s just the storylines that have been changed or embellished for the sake of good TV.
I watched the first season shortly before traveling to China to get a little historical context in a less bookish way.
It is good tv. Especially for those that love a good adventure or have wanderlust in their veins. It has all the makings of a great adventure story: A handsome explorer (who’s often in over his head), action, forbidden love, an intimidating King Khan – who’s also a good man… most of the time, foreign lands, beautiful settings, and a group of distinct, interesting characters.
2. The Shannara Chronicles
This series created by MTV and based on the epic adventure book series by Terry Brooks. The book series has been a favorite of adventure-lovers for a long time, and the tv series is off to a fairly strong start, with season 2 in the making. The first season more-or-less follows the storyline from The Elfstones of Shannara, one of the books by Brooks.
Ha. Books by Brooks.
In a world past the time of humans, Elves live in the safety and seclusion of their own city, while the rest of the world – trolls, gnomes, and the few humans left – toil out in the vast wilderness. The Elves hold a ceremony every few years to select “the chosen”, a group of young Elves that will be tasked with guarding a sacred tree with a dark history. When something disturbs the lifeforce of the tree, chaos erupts and the only Chosen left alive has to try to save them all.
Epic quest-time, yea!
The series just drips with sci-fi fantasy adventure everything. Our heroes have to venture into unknown lands, as any good hero should. It’s full of mystical creatures, good and evil, an epic quest, love, loss, and everything in between. It’s not a Disney show. It’s very much meant for MTV. And for those of us that appreciate our adventures with a more adult spin, that’s a good thing.
3. The Mummy
Ah, yes. The Mummy.
A classic adventure movie made at the turn of the millennium that we still can’t get enough of. This Indiana Jones-style movie also takes place in a far off land with a lot of sand, like Marco Polo. This time, however, it’s Egypt, not Asia.
The Mummy hits that perfect note between cheesy and funny. It does not take itself too seriously, but it’s still serious enough to enjoy if you’re looking for action/adventure and not a comedy.
Personally, I’m a sucker for all adventure stories that are set in that era of ocean liners, train travel – with those boxy, leather suitcases, canvas tents, and nice hats. Basically, the 1920s.
Think Death on The Nile by Agatha Christie. But with mummies.
The Mummy will never be Indiana Jones, but it’s in the same category.
They’re searching for ruins that happened to be cursed (because duh, it’s ancient ruins – they’re all cursed!) and quickly have to start fending off bad guys who want money and an ancient evil that, as it turns out, just wants to be loved. And yea, the hero is handsome, the lady’s beautiful, and the ultimate baddie is… well.. a mummy, but it’s a fun ride.
…No, it’s actually a fun ride at Universal Studios. You should check it out.
4. Sahara
A more modern-day adventure, Sahara (starring Matthew McConaughey, Steve Zahn, and Penelope Cruz) is based on the book by Clive Cussler who is known for his adventure-centric novels.
This movie (as you might have guessed) also takes place in a desert.
Apparently, there’s a lot of adventures to be had in the deserts of the world. And there are lots of cargo pants in those adventures.
It follows two friends who are in the business of treasure hunting as they try to find a lost treasure in Africa. For the buddies, it’s all good fun, but things get more complicated when a doctor starts asking around about a possible plague that has been infecting locals. Soon the bros are helping with an investigation that might get them killed, but might also lead them to their lost treasure.
Sahara has humor, explosions, action, drama, corruption, and of course, a satisfying dose of wanderlust for those that love being immersed in new places.
5. Jurassic Park
You can’t get more epic than Jurassic Park. It’s the granddaddy of dinosaur movies. It made us all wonder if it’s possible to create dinosaurs from a piece of dna. And despite the answer being laid out for us in Jurassic Park, we still asked, well, if we could, should we?
No!
Obviously, absolutely no! Did you even watch the movie???
No, really. Have you even watched the movie?
Because Jurassic Park belongs on an adventure movie list like peanut butter belongs with jelly.
Great actors, great storyline, a wow-factor that only comes from something you’ve never seen before. This takes an action-packed adventure and adds dinosaurs. It’s hard to top that.
The story starts with a mysterious benefactor asking two paleontologists who spend their days digging up ancient dinosaur bones (no, no cursed bones here) if they’d be interested in coming to an island to test out a park that was unlike anything they’d seen before. Jaws start dropping almost immediately when they are driving through the park and see their first live dino.
Everything seems awesome until a tropical storm hits the island and someone does something stupid (as humans tend to do…) that leaves everyone stuck on an island full of dinosaurs who have suddenly discovered they can roam around. The stars of this movie are definitely the raptors and the T-rex, but everyone in it contributes to making this adventure movie a must-see.
6. Gladiator
Gladiator made us all 90% more likely to use the phrase “Are you not entertained!” Personally, I use it all the time when I’ve just bought my dog a new toy.
A loyal general is enslaved after he believes the old Emperor of Rome was murdered by his son, a disturbingly unstable man played by Joaquin Phoenix. The ex-general, Maximus, finds his family murdered before he is taken away and forced into the arena where slaves fight to the death with hope that, if they survive, they’ll win their freedom.
Maximus decides to “win the crowd” in order to make sure the new emperor can’t kill him without causing an outcry. Then he fights his way to the top, making it clear he won’t be killed easily, and that he’s going to be a problem for the young emperor.
This movie is gritty and bloody, takes place in a foreign land, in ancient times, has a hero we can rally for, action, betrayal and beautiful cinematography. This might be one of the best adventure movies on this list, but it’s definitely not funny, so if you’re looking for a lighthearted story, move along.
7. Pirates of the Caribbean
Hell yea, Cap’in Jack.
The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise may have run away with itself a little, having now racked up 5 movies. But they’re all a fun ride.
They’re actually literally based on a fun ride – the Disneyland Pirates of the Caribbean ride.
Lil’ bit of movie trivia: The first three films are directed by Gore Verbinski, and for me, they’re the best. Verbinski also worked with johnny Depp (Captain Jack) on action/adventure movies Rango and The Lone Ranger.
There’s no denying that the first is the quintessential Pirates movie. Captain Jack Sparrow was an instant fan-favorite as he awkwardly scooted everyone off to adventure on the high seas, whether they wanted to or not.
And if you’re telling me you don’t ask “Why is the rum gone?” at random parties after watching this, YOU LIE.
Captain Jack really only has one true love: The Black Pearl. At least in this first movie. Things getting a little more complicated in the sequels. The Black Pearl is not, in fact, a pearl. It’s Jack’s old ship and he has some serious separation anxiety. Jack has one goal: get his ship back from the big bad pirate Barbosa.
On his quest he picks up a straggler, Will, who also has one goal: Save the girl. Jack and Will work together to get what they want, but have to work around a pretty intense curse (yes! another curse!) to get the ship and the girl back.
You just can’t get much more adventure-y than a pirate story.
I’m pretty sure they invented adventures. But also scurvy…
8. The Princess Bride
An epic adventure tale based on The Princess Bride book, this movie has to go on every adventurer’s list of movies to watch.
This epic movie is on Netflix – you know what that means? You can watch it over and over and over and over again! Exciting, huh?
Even though this movie was released in the 80s, it hasn’t lost any of its appeal to time or technology. The acting and script has a massive amount to do with that. The story is simply a classic adventure. And if classic adventure stories stand the test of time based on the awesomeness of their characters, it’s pretty obvious why The Princess Bride is still on the top of so many great movie lists.
I mean we all love Westley, because… well…
But honestly, this is one instance where the main hero may not even be everyone’s favorite because there are so many good memorable characters in this movie. The Princess Bride also wins for being one of the most quotable movies of all time.
There’s true love, tragedy, awesome characters, super-evil stupid face villain, comedy, creepy creatures, a journey, sword fights, poison, torture, flowy shirts, and ships. I don’t think you could pack more adventure-worthy stuff onto that list.
9. Forrest Gump
I feel like some people may not get why I’d put Forrest Gump on a list of adventure movies, but hear me out:
- The main character has a lot to overcome.
- He overcomes his struggles spectacularly.
- He travels all over the world and meets all sorts of people.
- The characters and their stories are just so damn good.
- You’ve got war, love, travel, danger, fate, despair, hope, the whole spectrum of human emotions in one epic movie.
I think what makes Forrest Gump’s adventures so memorable are the people. Everywhere he goes there’s some new interesting person that becomes a part of his life. And, if that’s not the whole point of going on adventures, I don’t know what is.
10. Stardust
Stardust is another of those fantasy adventure movies that just takes it to another level.
There’s a million stories rolled into this one movie. The main character, a young man whose discontent to just sit in his little town, takes off on an incredible adventure to find a fallen star for the girl he’s got goo goo eyes for. But the true adventure doesn’t start until he finds the star – and nothing is what he expected.
Soon Tristan and “the star” are part of something much bigger than themselves. Flying pirates, evil witches, a fight for the throne… tell me that doesn’t sound epic.
11. Merlin
Be warned: Merlin will leave you with all sorts of feels. It ends way too soon. But it’s worth it.
There’s 5 seasons of this historical adventure tv show, and it’s addictive.
Merlin is about the adventures of the young Merlin from the King Arthur stories. Arthur and Merlin are both young men with very different lives, but they’re soon forced to work together despite the fact that they loathe each other.
Each episode is filled with new threats facing Arthur, the kingdom, and Merlin. What makes things worse is that magic is outlawed, and anyone with magic is killed, so Merlin has to keep his abilities a secret – even from Arthur.
Every episode is like a new adventure in this tv show. There’s a new villain, a new challenge, and we get to watch the relationships between the characters grow and change. All the important characters from the classic tales of Camelot come into play. Eventually the bromance between Arthur and Merlin becomes the centerpiece of the show, with insults and humor to the more serious broments that’ll have you going from
to
In .2 seconds.
12. Serenity
This epic adventure masterpiece takes place as the finale (booooo) to the Firefly series.
Just to clear this up: Serenity is a good movie, and it’s the only one on this list that takes adventures to literal space. I’m just still upset about Firefly not being continued as a show. Like pretty much everyone else.
Do yourself a favor, watch Firefly first. And yaaas it’s on Netflix!
Serenity follows a space captain and his rogue crew around the galaxy as they try to outwit the malicious Alliance. This movie brings their adventures to a close.
I’m not crying – you’re crying!
Would you add anything to the list?
