22 Stranded on a Desert Island Movies

Here’s one way to get yourself excited about getting out and traveling watch a movie about people on a beautiful tropical desert island. From the old to the new and the suspenseful to the romantic, here are 21 movies to get you in the mood to take a vacation. (click for the trailer, if available)

1. Six Days Seven Nights (1998)

Starring Harrison Ford. A couple takes a vacation to a beautiful tropical island, but when the woman, Robin Monroe, is called back to work, she gets a plane ride with Fords character and the two of them become stranded on a remote island.

2. Robinson Crusoe (1997)

Starring Pierce Brosnan. A man comes to an island, builds himself a new home, and protects himself from savages. He is stuck there for years before he is rescued.

3. Cast Away (2000)

Starring Tom Hanks. A Fed Ex employee becomes stranded on a deserted island and must fend for himself for years, remembering his life at home and the woman he loved.

4. Swept Away (1974)/ Swept Away (2002)

A rich woman and her friends take a trip on a yacht, and the sailor cant stand them. Her friends leave and she wants to catch up with them, so she has the sailor take her to them on a small boat, which breaks down and they become deserted. The original rated better, but it is in Italian, so youll need subtitles. Unless you speak Italian.

5. The Beach (2000)

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Im going to be honest- this is one of the worst movies Ive ever seen in my entire life. The idea of it is just so cool (DiCaprio and some friends search for a rumored island of perfection), but the characters are so poorly developed that I literally could not tell them apart.

6. Lord of the Flies (1990)

A group of British school boys become stranded on a deserted island, and must fend for themselves and form their own government, but the results are disastrous.

7. Swiss Family Robinson (1960)

A family becomes shipwrecked on a island full of pirates. They build an amazing home for themselves and explore and learn to live on the island.

8. Paradise Lagoon (American)/ The Admirable Crichton (British) (1957) (trailer unavailable)

A Lord and his servants are shipwrecked on an island, putting the traditional class system to the test.

9. Island of the Blue Dolphins (1964) (trailer unavailable)

Based on a true story, a young girl is stranded for years on an island.

10. Respiro (2000)

A free-spirited woman on a beautiful Italian island is accused of madness by the people living there.

11. Mediterraneo (1991)

Italian soldiers become stranded on a Greek island that they believe to be deserted, until the townspeople come out of hiding and the Italians assimilate into their culture. Italian language film.

12. Mysterious Island of Beautiful Women (1979)

5 men become shipwrecked on an island where a group of girls have been living for years. A nun has taught the girls that all men are evil, so the girls are out to kill them.

13. Bare Essentials (1991)

A couple gets stranded on a desert island, and they re-discover love, but not with each other.

14. The Mosquito Coast (1986)

Starring Harrison Ford. A man takes his family to get away from it all and have a new life on an island, but it isnt all fun and games.

15. Nim’s Island (2008)

Starring Jodie Foster and Gerard Butler. An adventure writer, Alex Rover, is summoned by a young girl to a private island when her dad becomes lost at sea and her island is invaded.

16. Three (Survival Island) (2005)

Three people become marooned on an island and have to fight for survival.

17. The Blue Lagoon (1980)/The Return to the Blue Lagoon (1991)

Two children get stranded on a lush island and as they grow up they develop feelings for each other.

18. Paradise (1982)

A supposedly love-it-or-hate-it movie involving some sort of kidnapping and eventual love in an oasis.

19. Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)

After a bad breakup, a man takes a vacation on a beautiful island, and behold, his ex is there with her new boyfriend. Comedy.

20. A Perfect Getaway (2009)

A couple on vacation in Hawaii meets another fun couple on a desert, but then learn that there are two wanted murderers on the loose- a man and a woman.

21. Couples Retreat (2009)

Starring Vince Vaughn. A couple goes to an island resort to re-ignite their spark, but soon they learn that they will be tested and will have to make their marriage work. Comedy.

22. Land of the Lost (2009)

Starring Will Ferrell. A man who theorizes about time warps goes back through time, and he and his friends must try to survive. Unfortunately, it may be the worst movie ever made. Comedy.

If you like these island movies, learn how to travel the world for free and have your own exotic adventures! Read my ebook How to Become the Jack of All Travel: A Beginners Guide to Traveling the World for Free. It is possible, and it really works- Ive been doing it myself for years.