Top 10 Desert Movies
Sometimes, the most barren places on Earth can be the most dramatic, the most romantic, and the most epic landscapes for movies. Join http://www.WatchMojo.com as we count down our picks for the top 10 desert movies. For this list, we're taking a look at a combination of the best loved and most critically acclaimed movies set in the desert. For the purpose of our list, while we know that a desert can refer to any desolate area of land where there is little precipitation or plant and animal life, like a snowy wilderness, we will be referring to the hot, sunny, and sandy kind.
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Top 10 Desert Movies
Top 10 Desert Island Movies
Sometimes, the most barren places on Earth can be the most dramatic, the most romantic, and the most epic landscapes for movies. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’re counting down our picks for the top 10 desert movies. For this list, we’re taking a look at a combination of the best loved and most critically acclaimed movies set in the desert. For the purpose of our list, while we know that a desert can refer to any desolate area of land where there is little precipitation or plant or animal life, like a snowy wilderness, we will be referring to the hot, sunny, and sandy variety.
#10: “The Mummy” (1999)
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The story of this fantasy horror flick is set when it is revealed that Imhotep, a priest in Ancient Egypt, has been punished after a tryst with the Pharaoh’s mistress by being entombed alive along with a curse and carnivorous scarabs. Thousands of years later, adventurer Rick O’Connell and wannabe Egyptologist Evelyn Carnahan, played by Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz, go on an adventure to search for the City of the Dead and unwittingly unleash the cursed mummy. Filmed both near and in the Sahara in Morocco, “The Mummy”’s crew had to suffer through a lack of water, dust storms, snakes, and scorpions during production. No carnivorous scarabs though.
#9: “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” (1966)
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With a powerful score by Ennio Morricone highlighting the action and building the tension, this is the ultimate spaghetti western. Directed by the legendary Sergio Leone, the movie follows three roguish men, played by Eli Wallach, Lee Van Cleef, and, of course, Clint Eastwood, during the American Civil War as they search for buried gold. A deeply cynical movie that draws on themes of violence, obsession, and black humor, all while maintaining stylish cinematography, many of the film’s barren landscapes were actually sets built in the vast, dry region of Northern Spain.
#8: “The Flight of the Phoenix” (1965)
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A year after the release of the book of the same name, Robert Aldrich came out with this disaster/survival movie that takes place after a plane crashes somewhere in the Sahara Desert. The crew must then contend with the heat, hostile natives, and dehydration as desperation, fanaticism, and anger play out in rebuilding a useable plane from the wreckage. With many desert scenes filmed in Yuma County, Arizona and Imperial County, California, the film boasts an all-star cast that includes James Stewart, Richard Attenborough, Peter Finch, and Ernest Borgnine, among others.
#7: “The English Patient” (1996)
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As this Oscar-winning film opens, a Canadian nurse takes care of a disfigured, wounded patient in an abandoned monastery. While being read Herodotus and after being angrily questioned by a vengeful addict about his past, he begins to remember his life in a series of flashbacks. With all of the desert scenes shot in Tunisia, the rich, complex, and powerful story is directed with vision and features breathtaking performances by Ralph Fiennes, Willem Dafoe, Colin Firth, Juliette Binoche and others.
#6: “Dune” (1984)
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In this dazzling film adaptation of the Frank Herbert novel, director David Lynch takes us to the planet of Arrakis or Dune, home to a race of natives known as the Fremen, who are waiting for a messiah of sorts. At the same time, a battle between the Atreides and the Harkonnens is raging, and at the same time, a young hero rises against an evil magnate at the head of the spice melange operation – one of the known universe’s most important substances. Unforgettable images and a haunting soundtrack mark some of the best features of this visual feast filmed in Mexico, and it has gained a considerable cult following.
#5: “Stargate” (1994)
The first release in the “Stargate” franchise, this science fiction action-adventure stars Kurt Russell and James Spader as part of a crew that walks through a stone portal described in ancient hieroglyphics and find themselves in an alternate world. When they encounter a group of oppressed desert inhabitants who are ruled by a tyrant, they find themselves embroiled in both a romance and a violent revolution. Referred to by some as a cross between “Ben Hur” and “Star Wars,” “Stargate” was filmed partially in Arizona and was a commercial success.
#4: “Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior” (1981)
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It’s a violent, hostile, barren, and anarchistic future we have to look forward to, if things are anything like what we see in this post-apocalyptic “Mad Max” sequel. Warlords and marauders battle and kill each other for gasoline, and Mel Gibson is the Clint Eastwood-type who must drive a tanker full of the stuff through the brutal army of warriors that tries to stop him with a barrage of bizarre automobiles and weapons. Brimming with action, energy, and excellent cinematography, this award-winning ‘80s classic, filmed in New South Wales, Australia, is one of the best of its kind.
#3: “Aladdin” (1992)
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Sparkling with fantastic visuals and possessing a script that crackles with excitement and wit, this is the story of a rich girl who meets a boy who finds a genie who encounters an evil vizier who wants to marry the girl to become the new powerful sultan. It features a gang of eclectic supporting characters that give this flick life, including Gilbert Gottfried as the parrot Iago, Jonathan Freeman as the evil Jafar, and the incomparable Robin Williams as the loveable genie. Set in the Arabian Desert, this is one animated movie you won’t want to miss.
#2: “Three Kings” (1999)
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In this blend of war, comedy, politics, and action, director David O. Russell introduces an unlikely team of U.S. infantrymen who discover a map leading to secret gold bullion hidden in secret bunkers. Composed of George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Spike Jonze, and Ice Cube, the group of soldiers that goes on this unauthorized mission must deal with the aftermath of the Gulf War and an Iraqi revolt against Saddam Hussein. Filmed in the deserts of Mexico, California, and Arizona, the film’s quality surprised critics and it was both commercially successful and critically acclaimed. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions: - “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” (1994) - “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” (1969) - “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre” (1948) - “Jarhead” (2005) - “Walkabout” (1971)
#1: “Lawrence of Arabia” (1962)
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Come on, you can’t say you didn’t see this one coming. Capturing history, characterization, incredible performances, and both natural and man-made phenomena on an unprecedented scale, David Lean’s epic is still considered one of the greatest films ever made. Starring Peter O’Toole as the controversial hero, an unstable cross between charisma and volatility, and a host of excellent supporting actors, the landscape is almost as spectacular as the direction, score, and the story. Filmed in Jordan, Morocco, and Spain, this is one film that has stood the sands of time… pun intended. Do you agree with our list? Which desert movie is your favorite? For more “hot” top 10s published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.
