Film enthusiasts and maritime adventurers, prepare to set sail through cinema history. To celebrate the re-release of the classic French film L'Atalante, we've compiled the definitive ranking of the twenty greatest movies set largely on the water. Our list explores vessels of all kinds – from humble barges to luxury liners – though submarines were strictly banned for spending too much time beneath the waves.
The Thrills and Spills of Aquatic Cinema
Our countdown begins with the gloriously pulpy Deep Rising from 1998. This sci-fi horror flick features a crew of mercenaries, including Treat Williams and Famke Janssen, who discover a cruise ship already under attack from a giant mutant octopus. It's a B-movie delight that sets the tone for our seafaring journey.
Further up the list, we find Waterworld (1995), Kevin Costner's infamous post-apocalyptic epic. Costner plays a samurai-like drifter with webbed feet, navigating a flooded world on his souped-up trimaran while battling Dennis Hopper's chain-smoking pirates. Despite its notorious production troubles, the film has developed a devoted global following.
No list of water-based films would be complete without James Cameron's Titanic (1997). While the central romance between Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio divides opinion, nobody can dispute the spectacular recreation of the ship's tragic sinking, which transforms a historical disaster into an emotionally uplifting story.
Masterpieces of Maritime Storytelling
The middle of our ranking features several films that have defined their genres. Phillip Noyce's Dead Calm (1989) serves as a masterclass in tension, with Nicole Kidman and Sam Neill's idyllic Pacific voyage turning into a nightmare after they rescue the seemingly harmless Billy Zane. This sophisticated slasher-at-sea announced Kidman as a major talent.
Steven Spielberg's Jaws (1975) occupies the number three spot, remembered as much for its second-half setting aboard the fishing boat Orca as for its terrifying shark. The dynamic between Robert Shaw's salty Quint, Roy Scheider's terrified police chief and Richard Dreyfuss's nerdy ichthyologist creates unforgettable cinema, proving that sometimes you definitely do need a bigger boat.
Peter Weir's Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003) earns its place at number two through impeccable historical detail. Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany star as Captain Jack Aubrey and Dr Stephen Maturin aboard the HMS Surprise during the Napoleonic Wars, creating what feels like a virtual reality immersion into naval life of the period.
The Crown Jewel of Nautical Cinema
Claiming the top position is Jean Vigo's L'Atalante (1934), a film that has only grown in stature since its initial commercial failure. The story follows a barge captain who brings his new bride to live on his canal boat, creating one of cinema's most sublime works of visual poetry. Tragically, Vigo was suffering from tuberculosis during filming and died at just 29, making this his only full-length feature. The magnificent Michel Simon steals scenes as the cat-loving crew member Père Jules in what has become a permanent fixture on greatest films of all time lists.
From Hitchcock's confined thriller Lifeboat to Francis Ford Coppola's Vietnam epic Apocalypse Now, these twenty films demonstrate the extraordinary dramatic potential of stories set on the water. They prove that whether on a sinking luxury liner, a cramped lifeboat, or a humble barge, some of cinema's most powerful moments have happened far from dry land.
