We live in a life which can be explained as ‘Showable’. In this showable life, people preferred movies as showing lives which stepped in this world and left marks at it. Sometimes movies used for stories which our descendants heard and told for generations. Several films made for essentials of our life like life, death and things surround us. Out of many surrounding elements, seas make our planet’s around 70 percent and events, people, stories, and rules around it seen from people as movies. I made a list of movies which is listed not as ranking but as seeing or hearing about them. Numbers in brackets after their name is their IMDB ratings by users in this site.
Das Boot (8,3/10)
A West-German film made in 1981. An adaptation from a novel from 1973, which is about a German Submarine, as named as U-96 which is a Type VIIC U-Boat of Kriegsmarine, dangerous patrol, and suicide-alike missions during Atlantic Path of World War II. Movie showed people to life in a submarine, adrenaline rushes during naval battles. Last but the least, this movie made to be a mirror for people to understanding ‘what war is all about’.
Kon-Tiki (7,2/10)
A Norwegian historical drama released in 2012. This film is also an adaptation, but from a dramatized story of an expedition of Thor Heyerdahl’s Kon-Tiki expedition dated 1947. The plot is started with a determined ethnographer’s searches about similarities with South American statues and Polynesian mo’ai, which is monolithic human figures, pushed him to a theory about Polynesian trans-Pacific expeditions to South America, far before than Columbus’ trans-Atlantic expedition in 1492. Heyerdahl putted his theory to a test with raft made with Polynesian technique and sailed an epic amount of 4300 nautical miles from Peru to the Polynesian Islands. The name Kon-Tiki comes from Incan god of sun and storm.
A Hijacking -Kapringen- (7,2/10)
2012 dated Danish film. The plot is about life changing event coming into the Danish cargo ship, which is named as MV Rozen, and of course the ship’s crews as the ship gets hijacked by Somalian pirates in the Indian Ocean. After this event, the movie brings an tense, emotional roller coaster experience for people who are watching the movie because of negotiations between pirates, which are wanting high amount of ransom and the company giving as low-balling counter-offers not only to the pirates but their general offerings around other businesses. Of course, with this deadlock between company and pirates, threats and long, suffering days begin for everyone, especially seamen at the MV Rosen.
Ivy -Sarmasik- (8,1/10)
Turkish movie released in 2015. This film starts with new and old crews moving from Bosphorus. During the voyage, the shipowner declares its bankruptcy and total number of crews goes down to the six. With that, the drama of anchored waiting of sale of the ship begins for those six individuals with different types of people, different ways of lives but at the same ship, brilliant but dangerous description for chaos, madness, and conflict.
The Perfect Storm (6,4/10)
American movie which released in 2000. This movie’s genre is called ‘biographical disaster drama’. Originated from a 1997 dated book which has the same name which really gets its story from a ship called F/V Andrea Gail, which was a commercial fishing vessel that lost when it has caught to the Perfect Storm of 1991. The movie’s story is about a captain coming back with poor catch. For recovering their chances, crew moves for one more fishing expedition to unusual fishing grounds. Even though the catch was lucky, rest went all wrong with tropical storm and 40-foot waves crashing to the vessel.
Deepwater Horizon (7,1/10)
2016 dated American disaster film which based on the events happened at Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill, located at Gulf of Mexico. Lack of work at cement work due to insistence of a company shows a smooth operation at test of integrity but this temporary smoothness turns into massive blowout. With other chain of malfunctions and failures this test turns into the worst oil disaster in U.S. history as the film ends with a series of clips showing the aftermath of the disaster.
Master and Commander: Far Side of the World (7,4/10)
This 2003 dated movie set in the Napoleonic Wars. Film’s plot and characters are adapted from novels about the Jack Aubrey’s naval career. As they crew call him as like that, Lucky Jack, who is the captain of the HMS Surprise ordered to fight against an Imperial French privateer ship called Acheron. Even though Acheron’s superiority against Surprise and heavy damages during the mission, Captain Jack did not give up the chase.
Crimson Tide (7,3/10)
A submarine film which took place in the post-Soviet era turmoil in the Russian Federation, in which ultranationalists took a step far as almost as a crisis like the Cuban Missile Crisis. Plot is centred on a clash of wills between new executive officer and a seasoned commanding officer who are at a nuclear missile submarine, which name is USS Alabama. The submarine’s assignment is a patrol mission to be available to launch its missiles in a pre-emptive strike in case of an any aggressive action seen by any Russian submarine. Although it is like the Cuban Missile Crisis, this time roles were swapped.
Captain Phillips (7,8/10)
2013 dated biographical drama-thriller film inspired from the true story of the 2009 Maersk Alabama hijacking. Special situation of the story is that the Maersk Alabama became the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two centuries. Stakes became high for everyone in a case like captain who gives himself a hostage, pirates trying to deal for a ransom and an action taken by US Navy.
The Finest Hours (6,8/10)
An action-thriller film released in 2016. Plot is from the 1952 US Coast Guard rescue of the crew of SS Pendleton, which is an oil tanker splat in half during a cyclone’s waves around the New England coast. Main story around the crews of the SS Pendleton’s actions during the crisis and Coast Guard’s actions while they are trying to save the crew in a daring action.
All is Lost (6,9/10)
This example of a survival drama released in 2013. The movie’s story is about a sailor’s alone fight for his own life in the middle of the Indian Ocean after his ship’s collision with a container. Apart from such collision, storms and waves makes the already broken balance of the line of life and death of the character more unbalanced.
The Caine Mutiny (7,7/10)
Based from a 1951-based novel which has the same name with the movie, this WW2-themed drama film’s plot is at the fictional American minesweeper named USS Caine, which operates at the Pacific Ocean. Story of a mentally instable officer who some part of the crew believe that he is paranoid, his disability to command during actions relieves the captain Quegg of the command by crews of the ship which creates a mutiny. Moreover, the captain also faces a court-martial for the mutiny happened at the USS Caine.
Black Sea (6,4/10)
2014 dated movie starts with a veteran underwater salvage captain’s depression on his life and possession of a huge information: A treasure in a U-Boat. Sitting on the depths of Black Sea. The problem is the position of the wreck is located at the coast where disputed between Russia and Georgia. Because of that, only funding comes from a mysterious man. Half-English, half-Russian crew of misfits finds themselves in an antiquated submarine which is full of greed, claustrophobia, and the darkness of the Black Sea.
Men of Honor (7,2/10)
This 2000 dated American drama, inspired from the story of the first African American master diver in the US Navy, Carl Brashear. In the midst of the racism in 50’s and 60’s of United States, Navy was no different. The man of our story, Carl Brashear leaves his usual life and join to the US Navy. Assigned to a salvage ship called USS Hoist, Carl gets inspired by the bravery of the diver called Billy Sunday, he got determined to overcome racism and becoming a master diver while he needs to be the first of the African American diver before that. He attends to a diving and salvage school which has not only the Carl’s core inspiration but bigoted commanding officers to ensuring Carl’s failure.
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (7,2/10)
Based on the tell-tale stories from 18th century, this comedic adventure movie is about fictional actions, experiences and travel of Baron Munchausen and his crew of misfits. Some of this adventure has stories like being swallowed by a huge sea monster, voyage to the moon and last but not least, even dancing the Roman goddess Venus.
The Guardian (6,9/10)
In this 2006 American action-drama movie, can be acknowledged as coincidence of a top rescue swimmer in US Coast Guard and a hot-shot prospect at the Aviation Survival Technician Program (AST). After destroying his marriage due to working schedules and losing his team in a helicopter crash in sea during a surviving action, Ben Randall transferred to a Coast Guard AST school with his reputation called by some students as legendary. Also, high school competitive swimmer Jake Fischer enlists to the same school and comes with the breaking every record before him. Little that he knows, holder of many records will be his teacher and mentor at the school due to his lazy, unmotivated attitude.
Fire at Sea -Fuocoammare- (6,7/10)
Italian documentary film released in 2016. This documentary is about the ordinary life of the islanders who lived at many called as a frontline of refugees, specifically the Sicilian island of Lampedusa. Multiple point of views of the migration crisis in the Mediterranean Sea like migrants, coast guards and islanders can be seen in this documentary.
Below (6,1/10)
Released in 2002, Below is a submarine-horror film. The movie starts with American submarine USS Tiger Shark’s patrol around the Atlantic Ocean. The submarine receives order to pick up survivors which spotted patrol planes, and it rescues three people: One nurse and two men which one is wounded. After that, story of the submarine turns into strange, supernatural events while it is patrolling.
In the Heart of the Sea (6,9/10)
This movie is a 2015 dated historical adventure-drama film. Based on a book named as the film, plot is about adventure and the sink of whaling ship Essex, which is inspired the 1851 novel Moby Dick. Movie starts in 1850, Herman Melville, who is the writer of the novel Moby Dick, visits a survivor from the ship Essex, offers money for the story. Although the man rejects the offer, his wife’s intervention makes him agreed to tell the story. After that, story turns to 1820 and story of the last voyage of the Essex begins in Nantucket and goes to Pacific Ocean to meet her fate.
White Squall (6,6/10)
Based on the 1962 novel, The Last Voyage of Albatross, this 1996 dated movie is a disaster survival film. Story starts with the school trip to teach teenage boys discipline, teamwork, and friendship by their teacher Dr. Christopher Sheldon, which students will call him Skipper later. Although boys learn these important teachings, with a sudden and violent windstorm at sea which is called as the name of the movie, white squall, fate of the trip takes a horrifying turn.
Deep Water (7,8/10)
A British documentary film released in 2006. Documentary is based on the true story of David Crowhurst, who joined to the 1968 Sunday Times Golden Globe Race, which is a race to round world alone in a yacht. As the reality of the race shows that what kind of disastrous a race could be in such mentally challenging type.
Adrift (6,6/10)
Based on a real story happened in 1983, from the Hurricane Raymond, this survival drama film is about lovers’ voyage Pacific Ocean. Although it started uneventful and lovely, when the hurricane hits the ship in the middle of the ocean, first they lost any connection to the world, and then lost in towering waves.
The Poseidon Adventure (7,1/10)
Released in 1972, based on a same named novel written in 1969, this movie’s story is about an old ocean liner, SS Poseidon’s last voyage from New York to Athens. While voyaging, because of an undersea earthquake, in New Year’s Eve, the ship and life of people in it literally turns upside down. Few survived from the hit but inside of an overturned ship once fun place turns into a caged labyrinth of life and death.
Old Man and the Sea (7/10)
Based on a novel written by Ernest Hemingway, this 1958 dated movie is about an old Cuban fisherman who has a spell of not catching fish for 84 days. In 85th day, he breaks his unluckiness with a huge marlin but in order to totally catch the fish, old man needs to fight with a fish which drags him out to the ocean in a long, physical and mental battle.
Life of Pi (7,9/10)
2012 dated drama, based on Yann Martel’s book which has the same name. Young writer interests about a man’s life’s certain part which is of the story of a then 16 years old’s life in a boat, a drifting in Pacific, right after a sinking ship taking his family. All things apart, he has a sort of crewmate while he is at the middle of nowhere in the Pacific and if he wants to be alive, he needs to have good relations with it because his crewmate is a Bengal Tiger, which is not the most friendliest of animals.
K-19: The Widowmaker (6,7/10)
This historical drama movie takes place in the midst of the Cold War. In order to be an answer to the projects of West, Soviet Union’s first ballistic missile nuclear submarine launched in 1961. In his maiden voyage, after the successful test missile, disaster happens. Due to malfunction in reactor coolant, rising temperature and threat of radiation exposure, crew is having a race to not only saving the submarine but a nuclear disaster.
Chevalier (6,3/10)
Released in 2015, Greek comedy film about six related men either personally or professionally. While having a fun fishing trip in a luxury yacht, in the final day back to Athens, these six men decides to play a game to achieve one thing: Male dominance against others for earning the most precious Chevalier signet ring. With that, enjoying but fierce competition between six guys sparks in a way to back home.
Titanic (7,8/10)
Disaster, love, errors, and coincidences. All lives inside of this movie which released in 1997. Inside of a such ambitious vessel, ship makes people living the classes creates a story of an ambitious, class clashing love story starts with preventing a suicide. As Titanic goes faster at waves, love strengthened but reality of life hits against such fairy tale like the iceberg to the ship.
The Legend of 1900 (8,1/10)
Original name in Italian as ‘La leggenda del pianista sull'oceano’, this movie is a 1998 dated Italian musical drama film which is inspired by Alessandro Barrico’s monologue called ‘Novecento’. The story is an abandoned baby boy found in a vessel named SS Virginian who is raised by named Danny, who is a coal-man of the ship and his fate sealed inside of a ship after becoming an orphan when Danny is killed in a accident. Inside such a darkened life, his gifts for music become to be seen and he earns himself a place in the ship’s orchestra.
U-571 (6,6/10)
An American action film released in 2000. Portrayal of time is from World War II’s Battle of the Atlantic. The mission of the US Navy’s S-33 is to disguise itself as a resupply U-boat, making a surprise attack against wounded submarine U-571, stealing the Enigma coding device, and sinking the submarine after that. In a such mission, timing is everything because either play can be seen, or action may become too late. It is a fight for opening the written path of closed gates of the German war machine.