Movies like El desierto y las olas (2003)
The best movies like El desierto y las olas (2003) are Flight of the Phoenix (2004), The Hot Spot (1990) and Paradise (1982). If El desierto y las olas hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
El desierto y las olas
Quick picks
- Highest ratedO Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)7.3/10 from 4,848 votes
- NewestOmaha (2025)Released 2025
- In SpanishJauja (2014)Also in Spanish
Flight of the Phoenix (2004)
When an oil rig in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia proves unproductive, an aircraft crew are sent to shut the operation down and fly them out. On the flight out over the desert on the way to Beijing, Capt. Frank Towns and co-pilot A.J. are unable to keep their cargo plane, a C-119 Flying Boxcar, in the air when a violent sandstorm strikes. Crash-landing in a remote uncharted part of the desert, the two pilots and their passengers -- a crew of oil workers and a drifter -- must work together to survive by rebuilding the aircraft. Soon, low supplies and a band of merciless smugglers add even greater urgency to their task.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Hot Spot (1990)
Upon arriving to a small town, a drifter quickly gets into trouble with the local authorities — and the local women — after he robs a bank.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisParadise (1982)
After their caravan is attacked and their respective families butchered by Arab marauders, teenagers David and Sarah flee across the desert. But the desert is filled with danger from the elements, animals and the unwholesome appetite of the Jackal, a sheik who wants Sarah for himself. However, the desert also holds temptation and love. David and Sarah hide out in an oasis and build a life for themselves, discovering each other in new ways.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Endless Summer (1966)
Documentary filmmaker Bruce Brown, himself a competition-level surfer, follows surfers Michael Hynson and Robert August on an around-the-world surfing adventure. With Brown's wry, sardonic narration and a twangy, guitar-driven instrumental soundtrack by The Sandals playing over the silent footage, Mike and Rob leave their California home to visit Hawaii, Australia, South Africa and other secluded surfing spots in a search for the surfer's holy grail that Brown dubs "The Perfect Wave.”
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisO Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
In the deep south during the 1930s, three escaped convicts search for hidden treasure while a relentless lawman pursues them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLilies of the Field (1963)
An unemployed construction worker heading out west stops at a remote farm in the desert to get water when his car overheats. The farm is being worked by a group of East European Catholic nuns, headed by the strict mother superior, who believes the man has been sent by God to build a much needed church in the desert.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBarquero (1970)
Jake Remy leads a gang of outlaw cutthroats making their escape toward Mexico from a successful robbery. Barring their way is a river--crossable only by means of a ferry barge. The barge operator, Travis, refuses to be bullied into providing transport for the gang and escapes across river with most of the local populace--leaving Remy and his gang behind, desperately seeking a way across. A river-wide stand-off begins between the gang and the townspeople, both groups of which have left people on the wrong side of the river.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJauja (2014)
A father and daughter journey from Denmark to an unknown desert that exists in a realm beyond the confines of civilization.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAge of Consent (1969)
An elderly artist thinks he has become too stale and is past his prime. His friend (and agent) persuades him to go to an offshore island to try once more. On the island he re-discovers his muse in the form of a young girl.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOmaha (2025)
A young girl and her brother are awoken by their father and loaded into the car on an early morning in 2008. As they road trip across the American West, she discovers the truth about their seemingly spontaneous journey.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSoul Surfer (2011)
The true story of teen surfer Bethany Hamilton, who lost her arm in a shark attack and courageously overcame all odds to become a champion again, through her sheer determination and unwavering faith.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisScram! (1932)
Ordered out of town by angry Judge Beaumont, vagrants Stanley and Oliver meet a congenial drunk who invites them to stay at his luxurious mansion. The drunk can't find his key, but the boys find a way in, sending the surprised woman inside into a faint.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisScarecrow (1973)
Two drifters bum around, visit earthy women and discuss opening a car wash in Pittsburgh.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Mosquito Coast (1986)
An inventor spurns his city life and moves his family into the jungles of Central America to make a utopia.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOf Mice and Men (1992)
Two drifters, one a gentle but slow giant, try to make money working the fields during the Depression so they can fulfill their dreams.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBeyond the Reach (2014)
A high-rolling corporate shark and his impoverished young guide play the most dangerous game during a hunting trip in the Mojave Desert.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisBeau Geste (1939)
Brothers Beau, John and Digby Geste join the Foreign Legion, where they fall under the rule of tyrannical Sergeant Markoff. Beau and John are assigned to Fort Zinderneuf, where Markoff tries to break their spirit, aware of a dark family secret concerning a fabulous jewel one of them carries. As tensions rise, Arabs attack the fort and rivalries must be thrown aside in a desperate battle for life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFoxcatcher (2014)
The greatest Olympic Wrestling Champion brother team joins Team Foxcatcher led by multimillionaire sponsor John E. du Pont as they train for the 1988 games in Seoul - a union that leads to unlikely circumstances.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Big Hand for the Little Lady (1966)
A naive traveler in Laredo gets involved in a poker game between the richest men in the area, jeopardizing all the money he has saved for the purpose of settling with his wife and child in San Antonio.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe River (1984)
Tom and Mae Garvey are a Tennessee farming couple battling violent floods to save their land. In addition to natural disasters, the Garveys fight to stop a selfish land developer and a local corporation from foreclosing on their farm. While Mae stays at home to care for their children and tend to the crops, Tom finds work as a scab at a steel mill to preserve his family's property.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like El desierto y las olas?
The closest matches to El desierto y las olas are Flight of the Phoenix (2004), The Hot Spot (1990) and Paradise (1982). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after El desierto y las olas?
Start with Flight of the Phoenix (2004), the closest match to El desierto y las olas.
What is the highest-rated movie like El desierto y las olas?
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000), rated 7.3/10 by 4,848 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like El desierto y las olas?
Omaha (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Spanish movies like El desierto y las olas?
Yes: Jauja (2014).
How are movies similar to El desierto y las olas chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside El desierto y las olas, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.