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10 Best Adventure Movies On Amazon Prime in 2023

Amazon Prime is not just home to The Mauritanian and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. It hosts some very, very good adventure movies too.

Managed to watch your way through our list of the 10 Best Adventure Movies On Netflix? Or maybe you’ve got an empty void left in your schedule as you wait until the next Line Of Duty is released? We’ve got the 10 Best Adventure Movies on Amazon Prime Video for you to get working through and hopefully inspired to get out there on your own adventures. We’ve tried to cover a wide range of adventures, from gruelling mountain top challenges, to Moroccan triathlons, and everything in between.

Most of these are all free to watch for Amazon Prime subscribers, others require payment on top of your subscription fee.

With endurance, the great outdoors, and the limits of human nature in mind, here are the best adventure movies on Prime as of 2023.

The Dawn Wall

The Dawn Wall follows free climber Tommy Caldwell, and his climbing partner Kevin Jorgeson, as they attempt to scale the 3000ft Dawn Wall of El Captain in Yosemite National Park.

Whilst documenting Caldwell on his journey, the film also takes you through his early life and his first ascents, as well as his hardships, and what led him to take on this challenge. Following the dissolution of his marriage, Caldwell partners up with Jorgeson, and together they spend six years planning their route, culminating in the biggest challenge of their lives.

Watch The Dawn Wall here

Shifting Dreams

Shifting Dreams Trailer from Dark Sky Media on Vimeo.

Shifting from the world of competition climbing to trad and Alpinism is no mean feat – you’ve got a whole new level of objective danger to take into consideration; from long runouts, rockfall and quickly changing weather patterns. Shifting Dreams follows the story of Caroline Ciavaldini as she makes this move into the vast world that is outdoor climbing.

Starting with Caroline’s early years as a competition climber, which involved intense commitment and focus on the single aspect of climbing. The film then moves onto how the death of Caroline’s mother plays an integral part on where she wants to take her climbing – to the wild and unexplored high-mountain peaks where she needs to learn how to get a grip of and handle her fears. Expect lots of stunning panning drone shots, as Caroline seemingly floats her away up the delicate arêtes and pinnacles found around the French Alps.

Watch Shifting Dreams here

DIRTBAG: The Legend Of Fred Beckey

Described as a ‘rebel athlete’, Fred Beckey is undoubtedly an icon of the climbing world. DIRTBAG follows his life, through the ups and downs, telling the tales of some of Fred’s first ever ascents. You get an exclusive insight into his infamously nomadic lifestyle, otherwise known as the American ‘Dirtbag’ way of living, as well as his superhuman achievements.

As biographies go, this one’s a pretty wild ride. Not many films get the opportunity to explore such a unique existence. This one’s for the relentless adventurer with a poet’s heart.

Watch DIRTBAG: The Legend Of Fred Beckey here

Running for Good

Wow. Just watch the trailer for this one. I guarantee you’ll head straight over to Amazon to spend the next 74 minutes of your life enthralled in this documentary – and not one second of that will be wasted. Running for Good tells the beautiful story of how ultra-marathon trail runner Fiona Oakes came to take on “The Toughest Footrace on Earth” – The Marathon Des Sables, a 250km race through the Sahara Desert.

Fiona’s story to the Marathon Des Sables is not a straightforward one, however. She made a name of herself by becoming the fastest woman in the world to run a marathon on all seven of the continents. Not only that, but Fiona was told at the age of 14, that she would not be able to walk again. This followed more than 17 knee surgeries and the removal of one of her kneecaps – we can’t even be able to fathom the amount of rehabilitation undertaken by Fiona to get to where she is now.

Watch Running for Good here

Searching for Nepal

Searching for Nepal is a fantastic travel documentary that takes you on a journey with former Peace Corps Volunteer Phil Deutschle as he returns to Nepal. Don’t expect any fancy camera trickery or staged shots – this is a raw documentation of Phil’s emotional journey. The documentary has been shot entirely on location as the events unfold.

Phil lived and worked in Aiselukharka 34 years ago, where he taught as a science teacher at the local school. It was whilst he was living in this remote village, Phil was taken in by a local Nepalese family, which makes returning to Nepal is significant for Mr Deutschle as he seeks to find his adopted family, 34 years on, following the aftermath of Nepal’s Maoist civil war.

Watch Searching for Nepal here

The Ultimate Triathlon

Normally a single triathlon is more than enough exercise for most people. Luke Tyburski decided to complete a gruelling 20,000km triathlon by swimming, biking and running from Morocco to Monaco. The film takes you through all the pain you can imagine would come along with a trip like this.

The trip spans over multiple days, with Luke’s endurance visibly being sapped day after day.

Watch The Ultimate Triathlon here

The Call Of The Wild

An old tale retold; this story needs little introduction. The Call Of The Wild is the ultimate adventure story of man’s best friend. Set in Yukon, Canada, during the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush, the tale follows sled dog Buck as he navigates the world, and his ever-increasing call back to the wild.

This 2020 version is a much-needed remake on its more classic predecessors. With the use of CGI for the animals, it’s easy to be sceptical about how realistic they’ll look, but you’ll be pleasantly surprised. After a while, you barely notice they aren’t real, and can get genuinely invested in the dogs as characters. Harrison Ford is an excellent addition too. He makes for a very realistic, old-timey adventurer, bringing a nice mix of gritty realism, and heartfelt emotion to the role.

Watch The Call Of The Wild here

Touching the Void

Everybody knows the story, most people have read the book, but not many have watched the gripping BAFTA award winning documentary. Touching the Void gives you a first hand and visual account of the perilous journey up the west face of Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes, made by Joe Simpson and Simon Yates in 1985.

If you’ve not yet got round to reading the book, then I’d urge you to find yourself the nearest copy. You’ll soon be sucked into the tale of the fight for survival made by Joe and Simon after they become separated from each other whilst trying to make the ascent. What follows is then nothing short of spectacular, as Joe is left at the bottom of a crevasse – needing to literally crawl his way back to civilisation (their remote campsite). I must admit that the book is a much more worthwhile way a telling this story, due to the detail that Joe is able to go into, but that doesn’t mean that this documentary is any less worthwhile a watch.

Watch Touching the Void here

Symphony on Skis

3-4 days, 50km and 4000 vertical metres ascended. Symphony on Skis is New Zealand’s version of the Haute Route. It involves linking together New Zealand’s four main glaciers and crosses the Southern Alps from east to west, passing through the stunning Mount Cook range.

The film not only takes us on a journey from some of the most breathtaking scenery in the world, it also takes us on a journey of the life of Gottlieb and how he came to ski the Symphony on Skis. Don’t feel as though you have to be a hardcore skier to watch this film. I guarantee you’ll be just as awe-struck as a seasoned expert, even if you’ve never even strapped a pair of skis to your feet before.

Watch Symphony on Skis here

47 COPA | Forty Seven Summits

47 COPA follows ultra runner, adventurer, and Outdoors Magic writer, Huw Jack Brassington as he attempts the infamous Paddy Buckley. This running challenge climbs 8000m worth of Wales’ highest peaks in just 24 hours. Covering 47 summits, it’s a daunting challenge at the best of times, so you can only imagine what’s going through Huw’s head when a summer storm hits Snowdonia…

Spanning across some of the most stunning landscapes in Wales, this a must-watch for those in need of UK adventure inspiration. It’s filled to the brim with nail-biting tension, making you genuinely baffled at the limits of human endurance.

For running tips, check out Huw’s article of how to be a better trail runner.

Watch 47 COPA here

Main Photo: iStock/ Vera_Petrunina