Adventure Epic backdrop

Adventure Epic movies

Grand adventures with sweeping journeys and world-level stakes that can change nations, civilizations, or history.

An aging Chinese immigrant is swept up in an insane adventure, where she alone can save what's important to her by connecting with the lives she could have led in other universes.

Themes

Intergenerational trauma, Mother daughter relationship, Lgbt visibility, Laundromat life pressures, Divorce and family strains, Interdimensional travel exploration

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Free Solo

12. Free Solo

Documentary Adventure Sports Documentary Adventure Epic
8.1

20181h 40min

United States

Director: Jimmy Chin

Follow Alex Honnold as he attempts to become the first person to ever free solo climb Yosemite's 3,000 foot high El Capitan wall. With no ropes or safety gear, this would arguably be the greatest feat in rock climbing history.

Themes

Pressure of performance, Fear and risk management, Solitary pursuit and isolation, Human limits and resilience, Ethics of filming danger, Preparation under scrutiny

Available on

Netflix
Disney Plus
Amazon Video
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Suzume

13. Suzume

Animation Drama Adventure Fantasy Anime
7.6

20222h 2min

Japan

Director: Makoto Shinkai

Suzume, 17, lost her mother as a little girl. On her way to school, she meets a mysterious young man. But her curiosity unleashes a calamity that endangers the entire population of Japan, and so Suzume embarks on a journey to set things right.

Themes

Duty across generations, Guardian burden, Fateful door stewardship, Local disasters and recovery, Self-discovery through crisis, Human connection across distances

Available on

Netflix
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Avatar: The Way of Water

14. Avatar: The Way of Water

Action Adventure Science Fiction Epic Action Adventure Epic
7.5

20223h 12min

United States

Director: James Cameron

Set more than a decade after the events of the first film, learn the story of the Sully family (Jake, Neytiri, and their kids), the trouble that follows them, the lengths they go to keep each other safe, the battles they fight to stay alive, and the tragedies they endure.

Themes

Loyalty under threat, Family resilience under invasion, Belonging across clans, Adaptation to sea life, Adopted family dynamics, Grief and leadership burden

Available on

Disney Plus
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising

15. My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising

Animation Action Fantasy Adventure Anime
7.8

20191h 44min

Japan

Director: Kenji Nagasaki

Class 1-A visits Nabu Island where they finally get to do some real hero work. The place is so peaceful that it's more like a vacation... until they're attacked by a villain with an unfathomable Quirk! His power is eerily familiar, and it looks like Shigaraki had a hand in the plan. But with All Might retired and citizens' lives on the line, there's no time for questions. Deku and his friends are the next generation of heroes, and they're the island's only hope.

Themes

Duty under pressure, Risk and resilience, Generational responsibility, Legacy of mentorship, Collective heroism under threat, Authority and legitimacy

Available on

Netflix
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Inception

16. Inception

Action Science Fiction Adventure Simulation & Reality-Shift Sci-Fi Adventure Epic
8.8

20102h 28min

United Kingdom, United States

Director: Christopher Nolan

Cobb, a skilled thief who commits corporate espionage by infiltrating the subconscious of his targets is offered a chance to regain his old life as payment for a task considered to be impossible: "inception", the implantation of another person's idea into a target's subconscious.

Themes

Memory and guilt, Corporate espionage ethics, Control of consciousness, Manipulation of belief, Layered reality and time, Identity and projection

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
HBO Max
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Isle of Dogs

17. Isle of Dogs

Adventure Comedy Animation Adventure Epic Stop-Motion Animation
7.8

20181h 41min

United States, Germany

Director: Wes Anderson

In the future, an outbreak of canine flu leads the mayor of a Japanese city to banish all dogs to an island used as a garbage dump. The outcasts must soon embark on an epic journey when a 12-year-old boy arrives on the island to find his beloved pet.

Themes

Corruption exposure, Exile and reintegration, Science vs politics, Authoritarian governance, Animal rights vs control, Activism and accountability

Available on

Disney Plus
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Thor: Ragnarok

18. Thor: Ragnarok

Action Adventure Science Fiction Comedy Superhero Action
7.9

20172h 11min

United States

Director: Taika Waititi

Thor is imprisoned on the other side of the universe and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok, the destruction of his home-world and the end of Asgardian civilization, at the hands of a powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela.

Themes

Betrayal and deception, Power and legitimacy, Alliances across groups, Leadership under threat, Rebellion and collective action, Fate and cataclysm

Available on

Disney Plus
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Toy Story 4

19. Toy Story 4

Family Comedy Animation Adventure Road Trip Family
7.6

20191h 40min

United States

Director: Josh Cooley

Woody has always been confident about his place in the world and that his priority is taking care of his kid, whether that's Andy or Bonnie. But when Bonnie adds a reluctant new toy called "Forky" to her room, a road trip adventure alongside old and new friends will show Woody how big the world can be for a toy.

Themes

Loyalty under pressure, Disruption from novelty, Belonging in transition, Leadership and collaboration, Purpose versus identity, Care versus autonomy

Available on

Disney Plus
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Raya and the Last Dragon

20. Raya and the Last Dragon

Animation Family Fantasy Action Adventure
7.3

20211h 47min

United States

Director: Don Hall

Long ago, in the fantasy world of Kumandra, humans and dragons lived together in harmony. But when an evil force threatened the land, the dragons sacrificed themselves to save humanity. Now, 500 years later, that same evil has returned and it’s up to a lone warrior, Raya, to track down the legendary last dragon to restore the fractured land and its divided people.

Themes

Betrayal within alliances, Intertribal trust under pressure, Fragmentation unity under threat, Loyalty of a lone warrior, Alliances forged in crisis, Disguise of a dragon

Available on

Disney Plus
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.