Best movies like The Big Blue
Last updated March 2024
Looking for movies similar to The Big Blue? Provide your expertise to guide others to movies and tv shows you've previously watched that might also engage them. Assist in expanding the group of people raising videos between each other. We value your participation!
Plot Summary:
Two men answer the call of the ocean in this romantic fantasy-adventure. Jacques and Enzo are a pair of friends who have been close since childhood, and who share a passion for the dangerous sport of free diving. Professional diver Jacques opted to follow in the footsteps of his father, who died at sea when Jacques was a boy; to the bewilderment of scientists, Jacques harbors a remarkable ability to adjust his heart rate and breathing pattern in the water, so that his vital signs more closely resemble that of dolphins than men (he even considers a school of dolphins as his extended family). As Enzo persuades a reluctant Jacques to compete against him in a free diving contest -- determining who can dive deeper and longer without scuba gear -- Jacques meets Johana, a beautiful insurance investigator from America, and he finds that he must choose between his love for her and his love of the sea.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 54000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Sport
Country: France, Italy
Duration: 168 min
Plot tags: touching, sentimental, sincere, captivating, atmospheric, cult classic, spiritual, emotional, inspirational, epic
Best tv shows and movies like The Big Blue (1988):
Similar in 89%
Amphibian Man (1961)
Plot Summary:
People living at the seashore town are frightened by reports about the unknown creature called "the sea devil." Nobody knows what it is, but it's really a son of a doctor Salvator. The doctor performed a surgery on his son and now young Ihtiandre can live under water. This gives him certain advantages, but creates a lot of problems.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi
Country: Soviet Union
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: touching, emotional, serious, thought provoking, captivating, psychotronic, retro, surreal
Similar in 80%
The Odyssey (2016)
Plot Summary:
Biopic of the great French ocean-going adventurer and filmmaker.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Adventure, Biography, Drama
Country: France, Belgium
Duration: 122 min
Plot tags: factual, exciting, thought provoking, captivating, disturbing, weird, documentary filmmaking
Similar in 79%
The Last Adventure (1967)
Plot Summary:
Two adventurers and best friends, Roland and Manu, are the victims of a practical joke that costs Manu his pilot's license. With seeming contrition, the jokesters tell Roland and Manu about a crashed plane lying on the ocean floor off the coast of Congo stuffed with riches. The adventurers set off to find the loot.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Adventure, Drama
Country: France, Italy
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, atmospheric, suspenseful, cult film
Similar in 75%
Pioneer (2013)
Plot Summary:
Pioneer is set in the early '80s, at the beginning of the Norwegian Oil Boom. Enormous oil and gas deposits are discovered in the North Sea and the authorities aim to bring the oil ashore through a pipeline from depths of 500 meters. A professional diver, Petter, obsessed with reaching the bottom of the Norwegian Sea has the discipline, strength and courage to take on the world's most dangerous mission. But a sudden, tragic accident changes everything. Petter is sent on a perilous journey where he loses sight of who's pulling the strings. Gradually he realizes that he is in way over his head and that his life is at stake.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Thriller
Country: Norway, Germany, Sweden, France, Finland
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: captivating, tense, realistic, serious, stylized, suspense, educational, suspenseful, interesting
Similar in 90%
Dark Tide (2012)
Plot Summary:
A traumatized shark expert (Halle Berry) must battle her own fears to lead a thrill-seeking businessman on a dive into a dangerous section of water known as "Shark Alley.".
IMDB Rating: 4.3
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, UK, South Africa, Germany, France
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: tense, suspenseful, suspense, serious, realistic, natural horror, independent film, scary, interesting
Similar in 77%
Tomorrow Will Be Better (2010)
Plot Summary:
Three Russian street kids, who live on their wits in a train station, take off to the countryside hoping to make it across the border to a better life in Poland. They are alternately looking for tenderness and pushing it away because they sense that it is a sign of vulnerability they can ill-afford. Kędzierzawska has the rare ability to take the world of children on its own terms. There is not a false note in this dazzlingly beautiful and emotionally involving story of three kids trying to find their path to a new life. - Adelaide Film Festival.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 275
Genere: Adventure, Drama
Country: Poland
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: uplifting, serious, atmospheric, realistic, sentimental, touching
Similar in 82%
The Aviator (1985)
Plot Summary:
A 1920s mail pilot and a rich man's daughter crash-land on a mountain full of hungry wolves.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Adventure, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: melancholic, inspirational, serious, realistic, clever, feel good, unusual plot structure, humorous, visually appealing, weird
Similar in 77%
The Sheltering Sky (1990)
Plot Summary:
An American couple (John Malkovich, Debra Winger) drift toward emptiness in postwar North Africa.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 14000
Genere: Adventure, Drama
Country: UK, Italy
Duration: 138 min
Plot tags: road movie, scenic, surreal, visually appealing, erotic, sexy, independent film, retro, art film, sensual
Similar in 85%
Amazing Grace and Chuck (1987)
Plot Summary:
Chuck Murdock, a 12-year-old boy from Montana and son of a military jet pilot, becomes anxious after seeing a Minuteman missile on a school field trip. He protests the existence of nuclear weapons by refusing to play baseball, which results in the forfeit of a Little League game by his team. "Amazing Grace" Smith, a fictional Boston Celtics player, played by NBA star Alex English, decides to join the boy in his protest by resigning from professional basketball. This gives it nationwide coverage, inspiring more pro athletes to join the protest against nuclear weapons. The film reaches a climax when the President of the United States personally meets with Chuck, admiring his resolve but at the same time explaining the practical difficulties of disarmament. Sinister forces, meanwhile, threaten the lives of Amazing Grace and his agent, Lynn.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: sentimental, inspirational, melancholic, uplifting, touching, serious, sincere, captivating, emotional, realistic
Similar in 75%
The Man I Love (1997)
Plot Summary:
This is a combination coming out and first love story. The swimmer and diver Lucard is interested in attractive Martin. The film follows the characters' coming out with all its difficulties, the bitter-sweet pleasures of first love and the dreadful moment when one comes down to reality and realizes that one's beloved friend has a hard way to go yet. The positive message the film tries to transmit is the somewhat common motto "Live each day of your life as if it were your last.".
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance, Sport
Country: France
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: captivating, touching, serious, sentimental, realistic, sexual, allegory, emotional, sexy, gay cinema
Similar in 76%
North Face (2008)
Plot Summary:
North Face tells the story of two German climbers Toni Kurz and Andreas Hinterstoisser and their attempt to scale the deadly North Face of the Eiger.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Adventure, Biography, Drama, History, Sport
Country: Germany, Austria, Switzerland
Duration: 126 min
Plot tags: touching, exciting, serious, captivating, breathtaking, inspirational, unusual plot structure, sad, intelligent, crying
Similar in 81%
Turning Tide (2013)
Plot Summary:
Yann Madec, long-time best mate of Frank Drevil, the star skipper of Global System Insurance, sees his dream come true when he replaces the injured Frank at the last minute for the start of the Vendée Globe. Nine days into the race and leading, Yann is forced to stop in Cape Verde to repair his broken center-board. Back in the race, Yann discovers a stowaway on board, a Senegalese teenager named Moussa. Faced with the risk of disqualification because of Moussa’s presence, Yann hesitates… Their encounter leads to the most unforgettable round-the-world race ever.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Sport
Country: France, Belgium, Spain
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: captivating, realistic, sincere, serious, suspenseful
Similar in 87%
K2 (1991)
Plot Summary:
They call it the savage mountain. 27 people have perished trying to reach the summit on K2, the world's second highest peak. A U.S. climbing team, funded by millionaire Clairborne is determined to conquer K2.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Sport
Country: UK, Japan, USA, Canada
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: epic, suspense, exciting, tense, serious, suspenseful, independent film, disaster movie
Similar in 76%
Cinema Paradiso (1988)
Plot Summary:
A filmmaker recalls his childhood, when he fell in love with the movies at his village's theater and formed a deep friendship with the theater's projectionist.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 277000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Italy, France
Duration: 155 min
Plot tags: sad, uplifting, inspirational, touching, emotional, realistic, feel good, atmospheric, heartbreaking, compassionate
Similar in 82%
The Son's Room (2001)
Plot Summary:
A psychoanalyst and his family go through profound emotional trauma when their son dies in a scuba diving accident.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 21000
Genere: Drama
Country: Italy, France
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: touching, sincere, emotional, depressing, sad, meditative, lyrical, psychological, realistic, philosophical
Similar in 88%
Bang the Drum Slowly (1973)
Plot Summary:
The story of a New York pro baseball team and two of its players. Henry Wiggen is the star pitcher and Bruce Pearson is the normal, everyday catcher who is far from the star player on the team and friend to all of his teammates. During the off-season, Bruce learns that he is terminally ill, and Henry, his only true friend, is determined to be the one person there for him during his last season with the club. Throughout the course of the season, Henry and his teammates attempt to deal with Bruce's impending illness, all the while attempting to make his last year a memorable one.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, emotional, inspirational, depressing, melancholic, talky, intense, sincere, serious
Similar in 80%
White Water Summer (1987)
Plot Summary:
When the experienced guide Vic accompanies the city boy Alan and his three friends on their first wilderness experience, he not only hope 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.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Adventure, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: intense, sincere, exciting, suspenseful, feel good, serious, realistic, contemplative, semi serious, scary
Similar in 89%
Flipper (1996)
Plot Summary:
Sandy Ricks is sent by his mom to Coral Key, a rustic island in the Florida keys, to spend the summer with his uncle Porter Ricks. Sandy dislikes everything about his new environment until a new friend comes into his life, a dolphin named Flipper, that brings uncle and nephew together and leads Sandy on the summer adventure of a lifetime.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Adventure, Crime, Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: exciting, cult classic, sincere, touching, feel good, serious, realistic, scary, sentimental, light
Similar in 85%
Free Willy 3: The Rescue (1997)
Plot Summary:
Willy the whale is back, this time threatened by illegal whalers making money off sushi. Jesse, now 16, has taken a job on an orca-researching ship, along with old friend Randolph and a sarcastic scientist, Drew. On the whaler's ship is captain John Wesley and his son, Max, who isn't really pleased about his father's job, but doesn't have the gut to say so. Along the way, Willy reunites with Jesse.
IMDB Rating: 4.7
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: touching, realistic, humorous, retro, epic, semi serious, exciting, romantic, feel good, unusual plot structure
Similar in 85%
Free Willy 2 (1995)
Plot Summary:
Jesse becomes reunited with Willy three years after the whale's jump to freedom as the teenager tries to rescue the killer whale and other orcas from an oil spill.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 19000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Family
Country: France, USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, feel good, sweet, retro, epic, anamorphic, humorous, realistic, semi serious
Similar in 84%
Duma (2005)
Plot Summary:
An orphaned cheetah becomes the best friend and pet of a young boy living in South Africa.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: sweet, sentimental, touching, captivating, inspirational, sad, atmospheric, realistic, semi serious, romantic
Similar in 83%
The Bear (1988)
Plot Summary:
An orphan bear cub hooks up with an adult male as they try to dodge human hunters.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 19000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Family
Country: France, USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: touching, scenic, uplifting, sentimental, captivating, visually stunning, inspirational, thought provoking, exciting, feel good
Similar in 79%
Free Willy (1993)
Plot Summary:
When maladjusted orphan Jesse vandalizes a theme park, he is placed with foster parents and must work at the park to make amends. There he meets Willy, a young Orca whale who has been separated from his family. Sensing kinship, they form a bond and, with the help of kindly whale trainer Rae Lindley, develop a routine of tricks. However, greedy park owner Dial soon catches wind of the duo and makes plans to profit from them.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 82000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Family
Country: USA, Mexico
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, uplifting, feel good, sweet, light, inspirational, retro, sexy, epic
Similar in 78%
All Is Lost (2013)
Plot Summary:
During a solo voyage in the Indian Ocean, a veteran mariner awakes to find his vessel taking on water after a collision with a stray shipping container. With his radio and navigation equipment disabled, he sails unknowingly into a violent storm and barely escapes with his life. With any luck, the ocean currents may carry him into a shipping lane -- but, with supplies dwindling and the sharks circling, the sailor is forced to face his own mortality.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 83000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: harsh, reflective, touching, suspenseful, tense, serious, minimal cast, rough, captivating, philosophical
Similar in 80%
I Am David (2003)
Plot Summary:
Based on Anne Holm's acclaimed young adult novel North to Freedom, I Am David chronicles the struggles of a 12-year-old boy (Ben Tibber) who manages to flee a Communist concentration camp on his own -- through sheer will and determination. All he has in his possession is a loaf of bread, a letter to deliver to someone in Denmark and a compass to help get him there.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Adventure, Drama
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: emotional, sentimental, touching, uplifting, tense, sad, serious, epic, realistic, inspirational
Similar in 78%
White Squall (1996)
Plot Summary:
Teenage boys discover discipline and camaraderie on an ill-fated sailing voyage.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 25000
Genere: Adventure, Drama
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 129 min
Plot tags: emotional, suspense, touching, serious, rough, inspirational, feel good, nautical, anamorphic, profound
Similar in 86%
Life of Pi (2012)
Plot Summary:
The story of an Indian boy named Pi, a zookeeper's son who finds himself in the company of a hyena, zebra, orangutan, and a Bengal tiger after a shipwreck sets them adrift in the Pacific Ocean.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 658000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Country: USA, Taiwan, UK, Canada, India, France
Duration: 127 min
Plot tags: philosophical, motivational, visually appealing, scenic, reflective, touching, captivating, spiritual, dramatic, suspense
Similar in 79%
Cast Away (2000)
Plot Summary:
Chuck, a top international manager for FedEx, and Kelly, a Ph.D. student, are in love and heading towards marriage. Then Chuck's plane to Malaysia ditches at sea during a terrible storm. He's the only survivor, and he washes up on a tiny island with nothing but some flotsam and jetsam from the aircraft's cargo.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 626000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 143 min
Plot tags: suspense, captivating, psychological, serious, scenic, emotional, motivational, sad, inspirational, feel good
Similar in 78%
Big Fish (2003)
Plot Summary:
Throughout his life Edward Bloom has always been a man of big appetites, enormous passions and tall tales. In his later years, he remains a huge mystery to his son, William. Now, to get to know the real man, Will begins piecing together a true picture of his father from flashbacks of his amazing adventures.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 454000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 125 min
Plot tags: surreal, feel good, sentimental, touching, visually stunning, fairy tale, offbeat, emotional, sad, visual
Similar in 87%
Sanctum (2011)
Plot Summary:
The 3-D action-thriller Sanctum, from executive producer James Cameron, follows a team of underwater cave divers on a treacherous expedition to the largest, most beautiful and least accessible cave system on Earth. When a tropical storm forces them deep into the caverns, they must fight raging water, deadly terrain and creeping panic as they search for an unknown escape route to the sea. Master diver Frank McGuire (Richard Roxburgh) has explored the South Pacific's Esa-ala Caves for months. But when his exit is cut off in a flash flood, Frank's team--including 17-year-old son Josh (Rhys Wakefield) and financier Carl Hurley (Ioan Gruffudd)--are forced to radically alter plans. With dwindling supplies, the crew must navigate an underwater labyrinth to make it out. Soon, they are confronted with the unavoidable question: Can they survive, or will they be trapped forever?.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 57000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, Australia
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: suspense, exciting, suspenseful, serious, breathtaking, tense, realistic, sad, entertaining, stylized