Survival Movies

Before you say it: yes, survival movies are always just for entertainment, just to share a good fictional (or based on true events) story. But once in a while it might happen a particular scene where the protagonist do some action that make you say "Hey, that's a pretty good idea!". It might occur in story-based movies, or in movies set more like a documentary.
At the same time, there might be that one scene that make you want to bang your head against the wall, for the stupidity of the protagonist or other reason.

In you opinion, what are some good and bad examples of those scenes? Like if if was a short summary of "dos and don'ts" based on movies.

 

The first " Hunger Games" was interesting. When I was a kid I liked the various shipwrecked movies like "Swiss Family Robinson" and "Mysterious Island" were fun. I read Robinson Crusoe several times when I was a kid. There were a lot of shipwreck books back then. "The Black Stallion" was another one.

Now days the various Road Warrior movies just don't do much for me. The Zombie movies are laughable as far as offering any slight realistic survival information.

 

One of the stupidest things that is so common in movies and TV is people in wood framed houses hiding beside window and then shooting out of them. Any centerfire rifle will go right through the walls, actually several, of a wood framed house. Most pistol rounds will go through at least one wall and still poke a hole in you! If you plan on doing this you had better be living in a log cabin, solid stone, solid metal reinforced concrete, solid brick (Not a brick veneer) or a reinforced wall.

I had the opportunity to verify this a couple of times on old houses that were scheduled for demolition. Most residential brick homes don't offer you much more protection from bullets than vinyl siding!

 

One of my favorite survival movies was Castaway with Tom Hanks. Take it I haven't watched it in some time, but thought the scenes while he was on the island could actually happen. He was able to utilize the parcels that floated in with him to his advantage. Showed an interesting look on the psychological effects on solitude as well, I thought. Anyway it was entertaining at the least.

 

Most people really don't do well with isolation and will go to some pretty extreme measures to not feel so alone. They quite often will develop "imaginary" friends or get attached to small things like bugs or lizards. In prison there is a brisk trade in "pet" tames lizards. These are the little chameleon type lizards that are usually green but can change to grey and brown to better hide. They are native here and all over the place. The prisoners in Administrative segregation are alone in a tiny cell with no outside view 23 hours a day and alone in a cage where they can see the sky for an hour if they have been good. They get really flaky after a while and will often hurt themselves just to get out and go to the dispensary.

 

Boy are you ever right about this Texdanm.

I discovered this when I was stationed in Iceland for a year. The first six months were rough...but the second six months ..by then I had learned to adapt.

But this is a place where you learned of what you were made.

And Iceland was not that bad...but many could not handle it away from home and family and all the things people took for granted in their lives.

The Olde Timers would tell us to shut up ....we could be in Greenland instead of Iceland.


I watched people coming apart as the seams...day by day...as they could not handle it. And yes...they went to some extreme measures to not feel so alone or isolated...to adapt...cope.

You learn a lot about yourself and what you can handle in a place and conditions like that.


Thanks,
Watcherchris.