Top 10 Jungle Movies

Stallone fans were thrilled when they learned that the legendary action star would return in his classic role as John Rambo in this fourth installment of the series. The movie ended up delivering exactly what fans were hoping for, a violent tale of how the eponymous ex Special Forces soldier is recruited to rescue a group of kidnapped missionaries in the jungles of Myanmar. Facing off against a ruthless military regime while channeling some Clint Eastwood and Humphrey Bogart between the tropical battles, there's no doubt that Rambo always gets the job done.

Allegedly based on a true story and set in the rainforests of Brazil, this adventure drama sees Powers Boothe playing an engineer and businessman who moves to the region with his family in order to work on the construction of a massive dam. However, his son Tommy is soon captured by kind-hearted natives known as the Invisible People. The story then divides into two storylines, following Tommy's transformation into a man with the tribe and his father's search to find him in a film that captures the anger, beauty, and mystery of the nature that surrounds them.

This Golden Globe-winning blend of adventure, romance, and comedy launched Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, and director Robert Zemeckis to international fame. Chronicling the adventures of a spirited New York author who travels to the jungles of Colombia to save her sister's life, she encounters the rugged Douglas along with shootouts, emeralds, waterfalls, vicious crocodiles, and a humorously villainous Danny DeVito. Capturing the appeal of “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” this fun romp is great for the whole family and was followed by the commercially successful sequel “The Jewel of the Nile.”

The story behind the making of this brilliant movie is almost as fascinating as the story within the movie itself. Starring Klaus Kinski, the film follows madman Brian Sweeney Fitzgerald as he determines to build an opera house in the jungle, even though this means he'll need to drag a boat over land from one river to another. Craving realism, director Werner Herzog swore off special effects and instead actually had a 360-ton boat hauled up a muddy 40-degree slope in the jungle to create this spectacular powerhouse of a film.

Even though we also loved the 2005 remake by Peter Jackson, it's this 1933 version that forever changed the world of cinema and inspired its love of special effects, fantasy, and destruction. When a giant gorilla is discovered on an exotic jungle island by a film crew, it sets in motion a series of events that includes the primate's falling in love with a human woman, played by Fay Wray, and its battles with dinosaurs and humans. For any lover of cinema, it is a must see.

Although the story of “Tarzan of the Apes” is more than a hundred years old, it's this animated flick that stole our hearts and introduced the character to a new generation. When the shipwrecked parents of a young infant are killed by a leopard, the young child is raised as a primate by the motherly gorilla Kala. However, drama, romance, and adventure await the ape man with the arrival of curious explorers. With a vibrant, emotional storyline, this flick is our favorite Tarzan adaptation, and we particularly enjoy its Oscar-winning song “You'll Be in My Heart.”

This classic anti-war film, directed by Oliver Stone and set in the jungles of Vietnam, is considered by many to be one of the greatest war films of all time. Chronicling our protagonist's memories of the war, complete with long marches, little sleep, bloody violence, and constant dread, the film is harrowing and difficult to watch. For its brilliant direction, acting, and screenplay, it was awarded several Oscars, including a Best Picture win, and did for the Vietnam War what “Jaws” did for the ocean.

Arguably one of Disney's liveliest and funniest animated films of all time, this family movie and its characters inspired dozens of films, shows, and video games to come after it. Centering on Mowgli, a young human orphan who is raised by a wolf in the Indian jungle, the film showcases his journey back to human civilization by his friends Baloo the bear and Bagheera the panther as they protect him from the murderous tiger Shere Khan. If you haven't seen this classic yet, make it one of your “bare necessities.”

Filmed in the steamy and lush rainforests of Mexico, the film opens with the inimitable Arnold Schwarzenegger and his team venturing into a Central American jungle in search of officials who have been abducted by guerillas. When they come to a series of bodies in the jungle, they realize that they are dealing with something a lot worse than what they expected, and they soon find themselves being tracked and hunted by an extraterrestrial creature. Since its release, “Predator”'s gripping atmosphere, pacing, and locale has made it one of the most popular action films ever.

Before we unveil our top picks, here are a few honorable mentions:
- “Avatar” (2009)
- “Tropic Thunder” (2008)
- “The Phantom” (1996)
- “Apocalypto” (2006)
- “Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls” (1995)

It is revered today as one of the greatest films of all time. Though ultimately it's the story of Captain Benjamin L. Willard and his mission to track down and kill the deserter Colonel Walter E. Kurtz by trailing the Nung River into the jungle, the film is so much more than that. A dark, brooding, psychological drama on the complexities of war, humanity, nature, and madness, the film stars acting titans like Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, and Martin Sheen to great effect. With a powerful score, compelling story, inspired acting, and layered screenplay, director Francis Ford Coppola's epic is a masterpiece in every sense of the word.

Do you agree with our list? Which jungle movies do you think deserve a place on our list? For more entertaining top 10s published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.