How you see Alaska in the movies really depends on what part of the state the movie decides to go to. A lot of people will hear “Alaska” and think of glaciers, unending snowdrifts that span out like a desert, and a place where only the most hardened people live. Well, depending on how far north you go and where you find yourself in the state that could be true. But much of Alaska isn’t too much different than any other city you might find, but it is a climate that’s far different than that of the rest of the United States since thanks to geographical location it is a lot colder up north than it is most anywhere else. But in the movies the experiences of the characters differ quite a bit since Alaska isn’t just unending snow and mountainous ice stretching from border to border. In truth it’s a rather beautiful place that harbors a great diversity of sights and is a prime location for some of the best movies that have ever been created.
Here are some of the best movies that have taken place in Alaska.
5. 30 Days of Night
The extremes in Alaska when it comes to daylight and darkness tend to differ between certain areas that do tend to stay in darkness for much longer. Barrow, which is one of the most northern areas in the state, was the perfect setting for a film featuring a pack of bloodthirsty vampires seeking easy prey that would have no advantage and could be taken down easily. The only thing they didn’t seem to anticipate was that the folks of Barrow, while unprepared for their fury, didn’t just fade away into the night as they’d thought they would. With two among them ready to fight and protect the others the vampires found a resistance they hadn’t expected.
4. Mystery, Alaska
Some people go to Alaska because it’s peaceful, it’s still fairly remote, and because the communities, some of them, are tightly-knit and able to pull together when they have to. When the New York Rangers are brought to Alaska to play against the town’s local team however it becomes a point of pride to not only play them, but to show them that the NHL isn’t the only place in the world where people are raised to eat, breathe, and sleep hockey. While the Mystery team does eventually lose the game 5 to 4, their tenacity and undeniable spirit wins the respect of the Rangers and the towns dignity and pride is kept intact. Two of the players even earn contracts with the Rangers.
3. The Proposal
When her visa to work in the US expires Margaret has to think quickly in order to keep her high-paying job and as a result she makes up a story about how she and her assistant, Andrew, are going to get married. What this entails however is going to Alaska soon after to meet his family, a trip he’d been planning in order to celebrate his grandmother’s birthday. The surprise of his engagement to a woman that his family believed he hated is something of a quandary, but when they start to get to know one another it becomes apparent that there’s more to both of them that they’d never known before.
2. The Grey
A lot of people absolutely hated this movie since they believe that it demonizes wolves in a big way and paints them as the real villains in the story. While that might be true the idea of trying to stay alive in the frozen wilderness is enough to focus on the fact that while the men are attempting to make their way back to civilization, the wolves, hungry and on their trail, aren’t bound to make it easy for them. It does kind of paint the wolves in a very bad light, but the movie also makes for something that you can’t help but anticipate will come down to a very epic showdown that will pit the final survivor against the pack, or at least the alpha, in a battle that neither will really win.
1. Into the Wild
Some people look for adventure, and then some look for something that is beyond the mere adrenaline rush that others might be attempting to find. The whole idea of going into the wild is something that appeals to many people, but the manner in which it’s done is sometimes taken just a bit too far if one comes to realize that isolation is not something that many human beings do that well with. On top of that, being alone is all well and good, but being alone without the means for survival is something few if any humans could possibly endure. The movie is based on a true story, which in turn means it’s quite inspiring, but also kind of saddening as well.
Alaska is a beautiful place, but it carries a heavy price if one doesn’t respect it.
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