As summer is on its way, this is the perfect time to start planning the next trip exploring new places. Whether you are preparing for a trip or not, let’s take a look at our list of 20 best travel-themed movies for inspiration for this summer’s adventure. You will be able to learn English in an interesting way through good movies, so hesitate no more, let’s find out about these wonderful movies on Travel & Adventure!
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“A To Z” Tips For Learning English with Movies
Learning English through movies – Reasons to choose
What is it with the hype of learning English through movies? Here is the answer: this method of learning is the full package!
Expand vocabulary
In every movie, each line of dialogues is full of new words and useful expressions. In addition, vocabulary in movies is organized systematically in accordance with their topics. Therefore, many find it easier to memorize vocabulary when learning through movies. Moreover, acquiring new words in this way is proven to be more effective as we learn them in specific expressions and contexts.
Enhance listening – speaking skills
Watching movies will help you practice listening to English at a standard speed equivalent to native people’s speed of speaking. At the same time, this method of studying allows you to approach different tones and accents of English such as American English, British English, Australian English, etc. By listening to and practicing the way movie characters combine their words, sentences, and body language, you can learn how to speak English more fluently and naturally.
Develop logical English thinking
Many of us learners usually develop a habit of thinking in our first language, then trying to translate that into English, which will make our ideas sound unnatural. So how to get rid of that? A method you should try is to familiarize yourself with the English way of thinking through the world of movies. When you dive into the flow of thoughts and conversations of movie characters, you will find yourself getting used to logical English thinking gradually and naturally.
Revive interest in learning English
It is best to learn new things with an open and passionate heart. Learning English through movies is very likely to spark more interest in you rather than traditional ways of learning. As you are immersed in the exciting world of movies, exploring new cultures and lifestyles, you will find English less intimidating and more endearing. Then learning English will simply be doing something you like.
A step-by-step guide to learning English through movies effectively
Below is a summary of the steps to learn English through movies effectively for Intermediate learners. To better understand this learning method, you should read our article “A To Z” Tips For Learning English with Movies” .
Step 1 Watch the whole movie in dual subtitles
After choosing a suitable movie, you should first attempt to watch it with dual subtitles (English subtitles and your mother tongue subtitles). This will make it easier for you to grasp the main contents of the movie as well as the meaning of new words. After watching and noting down new words, you can attempt to watch the movie again but this time with English subtitles to practice on your listening and speaking skills.
Step 2 Extract a small part of the movie to focus on
After watching the whole movie with the help of subtitles, you should choose a few particular scenes (under three minutes) of it to practice further. There are some exercises that you can use such as:
- Watch the scene with English subtitles over and over again
- Look up and save new words and expressions to your notebook
- Practice listening using dictation exercises
- Practice speaking using the shadowing method
Step 3 Rewatch the movie and play games to revise vocabulary
In this step, you should watch the whole movie with English subtitles one more time to check how many percents of new words have you memorized and how much of the movie you can understand. After that, don’t forget to play fun vocabulary games to brush up on the words you have learned from the movie on eJOY eXtension or eJOY app.
Travel the world and learn English with 16 incredible movies
The following Travel – Adventure movies have been handpicked with diverse content and genres ranging from movies, TV series, documentaries to animated movies. They can all be found on Netflix or Amazon Prime. By downloading eJOY eXtension on Google Chrome, your learning experience on Netflix and Amazon will be more pleasant as you can use keyboard shortcuts to navigate easily, for example, repeat a line, access auto-pause feature, and more. You can find more details about how to use eJOY eXtension on Netflix here.
1. Treasure Planet (2002)
Jim Hawkins and his friends set out in search of the treasure of Captain Flint. During the journey, Jim befriended John Silver, a friendly cyborg chef. With the expert guidance of Silver, Jim improved his skills day by day.
Treasure Planet is best suited for those who are currently in Pre-intermediate or Intermediate level. The dialogues in the movie are quite clear, easy to listen to, and easy to understand. The movie has many specific vocabularies related to the field of the universe as well as special idioms such as: “turn a corner” (the situation starts to get better after difficult times), “at the end of the rope ” (out of strength/patience), etc.
2. 180 Degrees South (2010)
This movie depicts the surfer/photographer Jeff Johnson’s quest to re-trace the 1968 trip Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard made with his friend, Doug Tompkins, co-founder of The North Face. The two ventures between California and Patagonia. While the film has plenty of drool-worthy surf and climbing segments, it also has a lot of heart – and a well-balanced message about the importance of conservation.
3. Maiden Trip (2013)
Laura Dekker, a 14-year-old sailor, sets out on a two-year voyage to become the youngest person to sail around the world alone.
4. The Before Trilogy (1995 – 2004 – 2013)
This must be the most famous and wonderful trilogy among romantic movies. The trilogy consists of three movies: Before Sunrise (1995), Before Sunset (2004), and Before Midnight (2013). They follow the love story of Jesse and Céline, two people from two countries who accidentally met on a train to Vienna. They met, fell in love, parted, again and again throughout many years.
5. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is an interesting story about the life of Walter Mitty, an office worker with endless dreams and easily becomes a joke for everyone around. A person with great dreams, but is unable to accomplish the most trivial things in everyday life. The movie represents a long journey to find out who we are in life.
6. Into The Wild (2007)
This movie which is directed by Sean Penn has won the title of the best film at the Gotham Independent Film Awards. Into the wild sets to take the audiences on a real adventure. With only a backpack on his shoulder with simple necessities, the trip takes the young man across the country, to distant lands, to meet strange and kind people. Be it on foot, hitchhiking, sleeping dust along the road, or luckily staying in the cars of a certain immigrant family, etc, his adventure is full of dangerous difficulties and interesting stories.
7. 127 Hours (2010)
127 Hours takes audiences through the thrilling self-rescue journey of the adventurous guy Aron Ralston. During an adventure climbing, he, unfortunately, fell into a deep pit, stuck and could not escape. With no help from the outside, he cut off the lower part of his arm with a blunt knife to save his life. Based on a true story, the film is suitable for adventure-loving audiences, where they will find courage, bravery, and smartly solve the situation of the human being when approaching death.
Due to the specific content of the movie, 127 Hours does not have too many conversations but spends most of the time solely on the main characters’ monologues when stuck in the canyon. The language used is of medium difficulty, in addition, the character’s speaking speed is quite slow, corresponding to the fatigue caused by his being stuck.
8. Eat Pray Love (2010)
Eat, Pray, Love is a story about the successful woman Elizabeth Gilbert. She has a near-perfect life: a flourishing career, a handsome, rich husband, and a comfortable home. However, Elizabeth always felt disoriented and even she herself did not know what she really wanted in life. After the divorce, Elizabeth faced many choices for a new life. She decided to travel around the world to rediscover herself.
9. Gulliver’s Travels (2010)
Gulliver is a small man who works at a small newsroom in a huge world of giant buildings in Manhattan. In a controversy mid writing an article about the Bermuda triangle, Gulliver went there for the purpose of discovering more material. Unexpectedly, Gulliver got lost and found himself in Lilliput – the world of tiny people.
Gulliver’s Travels has a moderate pace, clear lines, and the American – English accent of the actors are very easy to listen to. This movie will be suitable for practicing English for the Intermediate level. The simple, non-dramatic movie plot is also a factor that makes it easier for audiences to focus on learning English.
10. Tales by light (2015)
Talented photographers and filmmakers travel around the world together to capture amazing images, moments of people, creatures, landscapes, and cultures depicted from new perspectives. The adventure takes the audience through residential areas of Bangladesh, coral reefs in Indonesia, and Australia’s beautiful countryside.
11. Jago: A life underwater (2015)
Set in the spectacular setting of Indonesia’s Togian Islands, Jago: A life underwater is an award-winning documentary about Rohani, an 80-year-old hunter who is capable of diving deep into the ocean for several minutes with only one breath. With just a harpoon and a single breath, the 80-year-old diver has maintained an incredible tradition of Indonesian Bajau: deep-sea hunting.
12. National Parks Adventure (2016)
A hundred years ago, the beauty of nature in America was officially protected with the establishment of national parks. Join a group of modern explorers on an adventure through the most famous national parks in the United States to admire the wonders of nature.
13. Chasing Coral (2017)
The beautiful coral reefs in the world are disappearing at an incredible rate. Follow professional divers, photographers, and scientists to explore the mysterious world at the bottom of the ocean and find out why corals are disappearing.
14. The Martian (2015)
During a mission on Mars, Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is said to have died after a major storm and was left behind by the whole team. However, he was lucky to survive and got stuck alone on a barren planet. He has to use all his experience and knowledge to survive on a planet without life and hope that one day he will be saved. Despite being millions of miles away, NASA and international scientists still work tirelessly to bring Watney back safely.
15. Man vs. Wild with Bear Grylls and PM Modi (2019)
Indian Prime Minister Modi joins the brave explorer Bear Grylls on a journey of exploration to explore the natural environment, wildlife conservation as well as hot issues related to environmental pollution and climate change in India.
16. A Map for Saturday
A Map for Saturday is a documentary about Brook Silva-Braga who gave up his career to spend 11 months traveling abroad. It’s called “A Map for Saturday” because he says when you’re involved in long-term travel, every day feels like Saturday. He highlights a dozen of the 26 countries he visited. (Viagra)
17. Tracks (2013)
The movie tells the remarkable true story of Robyn Davidson (Wasikowska), a young woman who leaves her life in the city to make a solo trek through almost 2,000 miles of the sprawling Australian desert. Accompanied by only her dog and four unpredictable camels, she sets off on a life-changing journey of self-discovery. Along the way, she meets National Geographic photographer Rick Smolan (Driver) who begins to photograph her voyage
18. Lost in Translation
Lost in Translation is about a faded movie star and a neglected young woman forming a surprising friendship while venturing through Tokyo. This movie is beautiful, intimate, and mesmerizing. It’s visually stunning with brilliant use of music and exceptionally written and acted, the film is a reflection on life, freedom, and the lessons we learn from one another and from finding our place in the world.
19. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011)
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is about a group of aging people unexpectedly thrust together in the search for a different life. Enticed by advertisements for the newly restored Marigold Hotel and bolstered with visions of a life of leisure, they arrive to find the palace a shell of its former self. Less luxurious than advertised, the Marigold Hotel nevertheless slowly begins to charm in unexpected ways.
20. Wild (2014)
With the dissolution of her marriage and the death of her mother, Cheryl Strayed has lost all hope. After years of reckless, destructive behavior, she makes a rash decision. With absolutely no experience, driven only by sheer determination, Cheryl hikes more than a thousand miles of the Pacific Crest Trail, alone. WILD powerfully captures the terrors and pleasures of one young woman forging ahead against all odds on a journey that maddens, strengthens, and ultimately heals her.
The colorful movies with the vivid beauty of nature, culture, and life all over the world must have brought you a satisfying and rewarding English learning experience. The knowledge gained through these movies will most likely help you to communicate fluently in your upcoming abroad trips. Let’s practice hard and don’t forget to download eJOY eXtension to use the convenient features to support your English learning!