adventure – Humans in Nature

The Lord of the Rings (2001) movies are known for their amazing use of nature to enhance the storyline. These movies follow a young hobbit named Frodo Baggins as he journeys to destroy a magic ring he inherited from his older cousin Bilbo Baggins. It is a race against time to destroy the ring as dark forces who know the true powers of the ring are on a mission to reclaim it. Hobbits live in a fictional land called the Shire and are known to have a green thumb which is represented by the lush greenery that fills every inch of the Shire. We see their positive relationship with nature in the way they care for their land and it is contrasted by scenes of the dark and barren lands where the dark forces dwell. It is interesting to see how the “villains” of the story are characterized to have a poor relationship with nature while the “good guys” live in a flourishing, green garden. All three of the movies were filmed in New Zealand and feature spectacular landscapes. If you’re someone with an interest in films that feature nature, check out these films!

How does a movie about a thrilling daydreaming exploration sound?

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013) is a movie about Walter Mitty (Ben Stiller) and him changing his life, which occurred through adventures in nature. Walter Mitty is an employee at the Life magazine, and he spends his days developing photos. His days consist of repetitive tasks, so Walter inhabits a world of thrilling daydreams in which he is the hero. After many troubles with the magazine, he gets a chance to have a real adventure when Life’s new owners send him on a journey to obtain the perfect photo for the final print issue. Throughout the movie, Walter explores some gorgeous, rugged landscapes in search of Sean Penn’s photographer character. It is a tour of different parts of nature, which has Iceland stand in for both Greenland and the Himalayas. It has scenes from the Snaefellsnes Peninsula, the Skogafoss waterfall, and the mountainous Vatnajökull National Park. The nature around him plays a critical role in his journey and shapes the person he becomes. If you are interested in various nature scenes, adventures, and a thrilling daydreaming exploration, then this is the movie for you!