Comingsoon.net is setting sail to find out the best movies set at sea. Check out our choices in the gallery below!
Back in 2000, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimated that 95 percent of the world’s oceans remain unexplored in some capacity. Naturally, this makes the sea a prime location for a feature film. Quite a few filmmakers have realized this over the course of film history, and many of their final products have stood the test of time and remained great.
From sharks to pirates to shipwrecks, the possibilities are practically endless when it comes to movies set at sea. Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, Alfred Hitchcock, and even Wes Anderson have all come to realize this. Until more filmmakers get on the boat, here are some of the best movies that take place largely in the ocean.
Sea movies
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Jaws (1975)
The seminal shark movie, Spielberg’s 1975 thriller Jaws has cemented itself as one of the director’s most important works and one of the leading causes of selachophobia (the fear of sharks). The Atlantic looks awfully terrifying here as a crew tries to take down a killer shark off the coast of a small New England town.
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Lifeboat (1944)
Going all the way back to 1944, Alfred Hitchcock’s Lifeboat follows a group of British and American survivors after their boat is sunk by the Germans during World War II. It’s incredibly exiting and a particularly horrific take on the sea in a completely different way than Spielberg’s.
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Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
Based on the theme park ride of the same name, Pirates of the Caribbean continues to be one of Disney’s most profitable (and most expensive) franchises to date. The first film in the saga, The Curse of the Black Pearl, set the pace and the tone for this sea-set series.
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The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
One of Wes Anderson’s most underrated features sees Bill Murray’s titular Steve Zissou searching through the deep sea for the creature that killed his partner. It’s one of the most unique takes on the water that makes up this planet, with Anderson’s signature style prevailing in every frame of the picture.
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Titanic (1997)
Based on the tragic shipwreck of the gigantic ocean liner from which the movie gets its name, James Cameron’s Titanic endures as the most profitable movie at the worldwide box office in history. Naturally, almost the entire three-hour ordeal takes place above (and, sadly, below) the water.
