There’s no shortage of survival posts here at IndieGala. And this is another great example for the Die Young Fans. However, this particular Die Young Fans post will get a bit different treatment. Why? Well, because we have a great occasion for this post. The release of the game on PlayStation 4. Which is awesome in my book. I’m always eager to write about games with female leads. I mean, just recently I wrote about Assassins Creed: Odyssey. A game which I played with Kassandra. The female protagonist of the game. And yes, I enjoyed Odyssey as much as I enjoyed Die Young. But you can read all about my Die Young Fan impressions in my Filmaholic Review. Let’s get back to business, and the movie portion of this game.
Survival And Exploration For The Die Young Fans
Indeed, that’s what’s in Die Young. But it’s so much more. The game is an open-world, survival game in which you play as Daphne. A kidnaped young woman who must escape a small Mediterranean island, and her captors. Not an easy task, considering that there’s not much on that island. But what is there, it’s enough to terrify you to no end.
Oh, it’s also worth mentioning that Die Young is already on PlayStation 4, and yes. You can purchase it right here. Go for it. Who knows you might like it? I know I did.
Die Young Fans: Which Survival Movies Would Work Here The Most?
Well, as I mentioned before, this is not my first survival game video to write about survival in movies. And when I look back at my tenure here at IndieGala, I believe I mentioned this game in a totally different context. Survival TV, and the point of it in today’s society. Check out my post here. But when it comes to movies with survival horror in the theme, yeah… I’ve covered them as well. Post-apocalyptic horror and Different type of horror. I’ve done them all, and you can read all about them here.
But which movies fit best here? Well, all of the movies on this list have characters that are either victims of some sort of kidnaping. Or they’re on remote, dangerous areas (such as islands or deserted in secluded areas). Some of them have female leads characters but not all of them. However, I think you’re going to like our picks, but I’m also eager to know your picks as well. Let me know in the comment section.
The Green Inferno
This is the first of the two movies (in total) on this list, that are directed by Eli Roth. And yes, The Green Inferno fits a lot of the criteria to be on this list. It has a female protagonist, and a bunch of other characters that are trying to escape a tribe of cannibals. Lorenza Izzo stars as Justine. A student and social activist whom along with her friends goes to the remote tribes in the Amazonian jungles. Their goal is to raise awareness for the indigenous people living there. But as soon as they get there they’ll realize that the natives are not that peaceful.
Yes, The Green Inferno is scary, gruesome, and extremely violent movie. But then again so is every movie from the Eli Roth’s cinematography. Sure this movie may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but there are plenty of other themes to talk about. Neo-colonialism, portrayal of indigenous tribesmen, but yeah. If you’re squeamish and easily frightened by this movie… Then skip it. However, this is Eli’s homage to to Italian cannibal films of the late 1970s and early ’80s “cannibal boom”.
Fun fact: When Eli Roth and his crew approached villagers to be extras in the film, he soon realized that they had never seen a movie and had no concept of what one was. To demonstrate what a movie was, Eli brought a TV and a copy of Cannibal Holocaust (1980) and had a screening for everyone. The villagers loved it and gladly acted in the film.
Turistas
A group of backpackers in Brazil will get stranded, drugged and become instant prey to an underground organ harvesting ring. Escaping their clutches and eventually fleeing the captors won’t be easy. But it’s either that, or certain death, so the time will work against them. Turistas is a scary movie with great cast. And many of the cast members would later make great careers in Hollywood. Such as Josh Duhamel, Olivia Wilde and Melissa George for instance. Shot entirely in Brazil, this is a hidden gem from the early 2000’s and it’s really good. Perfectly fitting for this movie.
Fun fact: Melissa George learned how to speak Portuguese so she could play Pru in this film.
Hostel Part II
The second Eli Roth directed movie on this list. And a bit older movie from The Green Inferno. At the same time, Hostel 2 is a sequel to the 2005 Hostel movie, but over here three Americans will travel to Slovakia (yet again). And while in the Slovakian village, they’ll get kidnaped and taken to a special facility. Rich clients pay to torture and kill people in the facility, and escaping it won’t be easy. With lots of gore, torture and graphic violence Hostel 2 is everything you can expect from an Eli Roth movie. Not to mention it has a great cast. Bijou Phillips, Heather Matarazzo Lauren German are part of the cast. And Roth managed to piss the entire country of Slovakia yet again with the sequel. However, it’s a good sequel, and yes, it deserves to be on this list.
Fun fact: (at around 1h 5 mins in the movie’s runtime) Eli Roth’s severed head can be seen amongst others.
The Beach
The Beach was one of the most polarizing movies of the early 2000’s. But it took the movie more than 2 decades to find an audience, and somewhat of an approval among the audience. However, it’s still to this day, one of Danny Boyle’s most hated movies. It also has Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead role, great supporting cast and fantastic shooting locations in Thailand. Not to mention great soundtrack. But yeah. It fits perfectly here. Trouble in paradise? Check. Escaping a secluded island? Check. Furthermore The Beach also captures the “tourist vs traveler” mindsets perfectly well. And although the movie has flaws, I feel that generation upon generation of fans are discovering the movie year. Especially the fans of Leo and the fans of Alex Garland.
Fun fact: Leonardo DiCaprio was paid $20 million for the film, the result of the immense success of Titanic (1997). DiCaprio had originally planned to play the lead character in American Psycho (2000), but when his salary demand proved too much, that deal broke down and he agreed to make The Beach.
Far Cry
In case you’re wondering I already did a review of the Uwe Boll adaptation. And yes, as you can probably tell it’s the weakest pick on this list. But I couldn’t help but include it. After all it’s all about escaping a secluded island filled with secrets. And plenty of bad guys. But at the same time it’s everything you expect an Uwe Boll to be. Mindless, incoherent and down-right ridiculous. However, now Til Schweiger stars in the lead role. That of ex-special forces soldier turned boatman. Jack Carver. If you’re interested about my opinion of the Far Cry movie adaptation, click here. But if you’re interested in the actual Ubisoft game series, feel free to snoop around and take your pick here.
Fun fact: Celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain visited the Far Cry set in Vancouver during a taping of his show Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations (2005). This explains how Bourdain came to be cast in the small (and uncredited) role of a scientist who gets shot near the end of the movie.
Hey Die Young Fans! Which Movies Would You Add here?
Let us know in the comment section. We’d love to know all about your picks here. Tell us your favorite movies that feature an escape from remote location. Hit the comment section, don’t be shy.
