Movies like Whitewater Sam (1982)
The best movies like Whitewater Sam (1982) are The Adventures of the Wilderness Family (1975), Far from Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog (1995) and Alpha (2018). If Whitewater Sam hooked you with its adventure and drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedSwapped (2026)8.8/10 from 2,296 votes
- NewestHeart of the Beast (2026)Released 2026
The Adventures of the Wilderness Family (1975)
The story of a modern family bored with the hassles of the city life in Los Angeles. They head for the wilderness never to return.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & adventure
SnoozefestMovies like thisFar from Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog (1995)
Teenager Angus adopts a stray dog and names him Yellow. Several days later, while travelling along the coast of British Columbia with Angus's father, John, the boy and dog become stranded when turbulent waters capsize their boat. Angus's parents relentlessly badger rescue teams. Angus, schooled by his father in wilderness survival skills, and assisted by the intelligent Yellow Dog, tries to attract rescuers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAlpha (2018)
In the prehistoric past, Keda, a young and inexperienced hunter, struggles to return home after being separated from his tribe when bison hunting goes awry. On his way back he will find an unexpected ally.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhite Water Summer (1987)
When the experienced guide Vic accompanies the city boy Alan and his three friends on their first wilderness experience, he not only hopes to teach the four boys lessons about the wilderness, but about themselves. Vic pushes them to the limit. Soon after alienating the boys, Vic finds himself in desperate need of help and must rely on his students in order to survive.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Mountain Men (1980)
The story concerns two grizzled mountain men -- Bill Tyler and Henry Frapp -- during the dying days of the fur-trapping era. The plot begins when Running Moon runs away from her abusive husband Heavy Eagle and comes across the two seedy fur trappers. The mountain men take her in, unaware that Heavy Eagle has dispatched an army of Indian braves to reclaim her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisIsland in the Sky (1953)
A C-47 transport plane, named the Corsair, makes a forced landing in the frozen wastelands of Labrador, and the plane's pilot, Captain Dooley, must keep his men alive in deadly conditions while awaiting rescue.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like this127 Hours (2010)
The true story of mountain climber Aron Ralston's remarkable adventure to save himself after a fallen boulder crashes on his arm and traps him in an isolated canyon in Utah.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Hunter (2011)
Martin, a mercenary, is sent from Europe by an anonymous biotech company to the Tasmanian wilderness on a hunt for the last Tasmanian tiger.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGerry (2002)
Two friends named Gerry become lost in the desert after taking a wrong turn. Their attempts to find their way home only lead them into further trouble.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Call of the Wild (1972)
John Thornton, is a fearless man who's after more than gold; he wants to do what's right. Thornton works for the U.S. mail and is the only person daring and smart enough to figure out how to travel the deadly 600 miles from Skagway to Dawson, Alaska in the icy winter. His incredibly dog Buck is by his side and part of how he survives.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEight Below (2006)
In the Antarctic, after an expedition with Dr. Davis McClaren, the sled dog trainer Jerry Shepherd has to leave the polar base with his colleagues due to the proximity of a heavy snow storm. He ties his dogs to be rescued after, but the mission is called-off and the dogs are left alone at their own fortune. For six months, Jerry tries to find a sponsor for a rescue mission.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHero Dog: The Journey Home (2021)
Chinook the Alaskan Malamute must lead a shipwrecked blind man out of the wilderness, while the man's children launch a rescue mission of their own.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHeart of the Beast (2026)
After a harrowing plane crash, Special Forces officer James Belmont and his combat dog, Odin, find themselves stranded deep in the Alaskan wilderness. Together, they are forced into a brutal fight for survival against the elements.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Water Man (2020)
Hoping to save his sick mother, a boy named Gunner and his friend Jo venture into the remote Wild Horse forest to search for a mythical figure who possesses the secret to immortality. When they go missing, Gunner's father Amos must immerse himself in his son's world to find them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisVertical Limit (2000)
Trapped near the summit of K2, the world's second-highest mountain, Annie Garrett radios to base camp for help. Brother Peter hears Annie's message and assembles a team to save her and her group before they succumb to K2's unforgiving elements. But, as Annie lays injured in an icy cavern, the rescuers face several terrifying events that could end the rescue attempt -- and their lives.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhite Fang 2: Myth of the White Wolf (1994)
A boy and his dog, White Fang, must try to save the noble Haida tribe from evil white men in turn-of-the-century Alaska.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Grey (2012)
After their plane crashes in Alaska, six oil workers are led by a skilled huntsman to survival, but a pack of merciless wolves haunts their every step.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Legion (2020)
Noreno, a half-Roman, is entrusted with the mission of crossing the snowy mountains of Armenia, swarming with Parthian patrols, to seek help for his slowly dying men.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSwapped (2026)
A small woodland creature and a majestic bird, two natural sworn enemies of the Valley, magically trade places and set off on an adventure of a lifetime to switch back. Their journey soon uncovers a greater threat—one that could endanger not only their species, but the entire valley they call home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure
Absolute CinemaMovies like this6 Below: Miracle on the Mountain (2017)
An adrenaline seeking snowboarder gets lost in a massive winter storm in the back country of the High Sierras where he is pushed to the limits of human endurance and forced to battle his own personal demons as he fights for survival....
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisWildlike (2015)
Fourteen-year-old Mackenzie is sent to live with her uncle in Juneau when her mother can’t care for her anymore. The living situation quickly takes a turn for the worse, and she runs away to rejoin her mother in Seattle. While on her dangerous journey of sleeping in cars and breaking into hotel rooms, she’s drawn to Rene, a lonesome backpacker looking for tranquility in the wilderness.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMt. Molehill (2015)
In the late 1800s, a young girl traverses the rocky mountain wilderness to enact revenge upon the grizzly bear responsible for her father's death.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & drama
Howl Coyote Howl (TBA)
After a bloody exchange with some bounty hunters, Anna, a veteran of the War in Afghanistan, and Gloria, her ill-prepared God-fearing friend, team up with a pair of coyotes to escape into Mexico.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & adventure
The Mountain Between Us (2017)
Stranded on a mountain after a tragic plane crash, two strangers must work together to endure the extreme elements of the remote, snow-covered terrain. When they realize help is not coming, they embark on a perilous journey across hundreds of miles of wilderness, pushing each other to survive and discovering their inner strength.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTo the Mountain (2018)
The story of five hikers who find meaning in their lives after the beautiful yet harsh surroundings force them to connect with one another.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & drama
Those Calloways (1964)
Story of Cam Calloway and his family, who live in a densely wooded area in New England. Cam dreams of building a sanctuary for the geese that fly over the area each year, and he tries several schemes to buy a nearby lake for this santuary. He is thwarted at every attempt, it seems; he and his son try to get enough furs from their trapping venture to get the money, but the bottom falls out of the fur market. He uses the little money they get for a down payment on the lake, thereby losing their house when he can't make the mortgage payment. They move to the lake, where their friends help them build a cabin. A salesman stops in town, and tries to get the people to sell their land for a tourist venture; Cam is outraged at his tactics and takes desperate measures after he himself is tricked.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Mahout: The Great Elephant Walk (2014)
Imagine walking some of the largest land animals in existence across one of the most densely populated regions on earth. Intelligent, majestic and awe-inspiring, Elephants have a long and fascinating history with man. On this epic journey we experience the modern day relationship between man and beast.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure
The Trek (2002)
Reports of a sighting of an extraordinary elephant lead the members of the Asian Elephant Conservation group aided by foreign researchers on a dangerous journey deep in the jungle.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure
Tarzan Escapes (1936)
White hunter Captain Fry tries to take Tarzan back to civilization, caged for public display. He arrives in the jungle with Jane's cousins, Eric and Rita, who want Jane's help in claiming a fortune left her.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSAD WORKER GOES FISHING AND LIKES IT?!? (2024)
A man who's been stuck in a dead-end job finally gets an opportunity to be happy.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Whitewater Sam?
The closest matches to Whitewater Sam are The Adventures of the Wilderness Family (1975), Far from Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog (1995) and Alpha (2018). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Whitewater Sam?
Start with The Adventures of the Wilderness Family (1975), the closest match to Whitewater Sam.
What is the highest-rated movie like Whitewater Sam?
Swapped (2026), rated 8.8/10 by 2,296 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Whitewater Sam?
Heart of the Beast (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Whitewater Sam?
Yes: The Adventures of the Wilderness Family (1975), Far from Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog (1995) and Alpha (2018).
How are movies similar to Whitewater Sam chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Whitewater Sam, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.