A rich and diverse continent, Africa has a relatively small film industry given its size that doesn’t reach movie theaters all around the world as other productions do. However, Africa has always attracted the eye of filmmakers, who see in it the beauty and majesty of both its people and nature, as well as the stories worth telling about its conflicts and struggles.
The world has seen entertaining animated movies set in Africa, like Madagascar, intense thrillers, like Captain Phillips, and tense war films, like Black Hawk Down. The diversity of Africa's animal population, the beautiful landscape, and the pure but also harsh realities of some of its people, all make for captivating stories that reach around the globe. Here are the 10 best movies that behold the enduring magnificence of Africa.
Madagascar (2005)
One of the greatest hits by DreamWorks Animation, the 2005 adventure comedy follows a group of animals that flee from the zoo and end up on the biggest island in Africa, Madagascar.
The return to the wild comes thanks to Marty, a zebra unsatisfied with his urbanized and routine life, and as they wash ashore on Madagascar after a failed ship trip to Kenya, they face the return to their natural habitat in different ways. Madagascar is an entertaining invitation to experience the wild adventures of this exotic group of friends in Africa, and the first of a franchise that carries over the theme of returning to one's roots.
Tears Of The Sun (2003)
The 2003 action thriller film follows a Navy SEAL squad led by Lieutenant Waters (Bruce Willis) in its rescue mission in war-erupting Nigeria.
Torn between their duty to follow orders and their sensitization to the atrocities that cross their path, the team, led by Willis, is confronted with a high price, either way. The film tackles the brutality that devastates African lands when war arises, and the choice that reaches the people with the ability to help. Its cinematographic appreciation of the beautiful African lands and the moral issues it tackles are concluded by Edmund Burke’s quote, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
The Last King Of Scotland (2006)
This 2006 thriller based on a true story manages to sensitively portray the corruption and infamy surrounding the topic, with a terrific performance by Forest Whitaker as the manipulative and terrifying dictator of Uganda.
The story follows a young Scottish doctor (James McAvoy) who goes on an adventure to the continent after finishing his studies. The movie plays with this trope of the "call of the wild" that Africa represents, which ends up giving some trouble to the young adventurer as he gets to know the ugliest realities of Uganda after becoming the President’s personal doctor.
Beasts Of No Nation (2015)
Written, shot, and directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, the 2015 war drama is one of the crudest depictions of the brutality that has razed Africa through decades of military conflicts.
The hard-knock story of a child soldier fighting for the ill causes of a powerful war chief (Idris Elba), Beasts Of No Nation focuses on the cruel dynamics that many paramilitary organizations in Africa function under, and it pulls no punches by showing the violent acts in which they partake. This raw painting of the effects of war and the lost innocence of a child makes this one of the darkest films about Africa, although, in the end, some hope still glimmers.
Black Hawk Down (2001)
Described accurately by its director Ridley Scott as "anti-war, but pro-military," Black Hawk Down is the tale of a US. Rangers and Delta Force mission in Somalia gone wrong. Tense and visceral throughout its course, the cruel absurdity of war is exposed when soldiers start falling one by one to an invisible and yet omnipresent enemy, for a cause indifferent to them.
It is precisely for this reason that the movie hasn't aged entirely well in its presentation of the trope of the white, noble "hero" group fighting the "savage and uncivilized" faceless Black enemy. Despite this, though, Ridley Scott presents the conflict in an accurate way from a historical event perspective and the violence of the story makes it a great and tragic war movie for fans of the genre, albeit a Hollywood-ized, broad look at the conflict that many see as problematic.
Captain Phillips (2013)
Based on the experiences of merchant mariner Captain Richard Phillips, this 2013 action thriller shocked the world with the depiction of the ongoing piracy in the seas of Eastern Africa.
With great performances by Tom Hanks and Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips is one of the best survival movies ever, following the captain of a ship that is taken hostage by a group of Somalian pirates. The film shows the danger that threatens the African seas, but also goes beyond and scrutinizes the harsh lives of the men who feel they must turn to this dangerous life to survive. A critical and commercial success that received multiple awards, Captain Phillips transformed this frantic and tragic tale into a classic.
The Lion King (1994)
The most famous animated movie of all time follows the story of the return of the lion heir, Simba, and how he learns from his father, Mufasa, about the circle of life and the importance of respecting and protecting the kingdom.
Although its message makes it an inspiring movie that can reach everyone regardless of origin, the purity and beauty which transpire in the film come from a profound appreciation of the African savannah -- a wild and powerful habitat in which the circle of life is on full display, and from the legend of Sundiata Keita, the founder of the Malian Empire, which inspired the film. Stop worrying and love and respect all life are important values that The Lion King expresses, discreetly making the film an ambassador of the continent.
Blood Diamond (2006)
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly, and Djimon Hounsou, this praised 2006 thriller immerses the viewer into the raw and ferocious realities of the diamond trade in West Africa, where the battle for the product can dictate the destiny of its people.
From the perspective of smuggler Danny Archer, the enthralling and dangerous conflict is captured through DiCaprio’s behavior and quotes as an emotionally dulled man that survives by any means necessary. Blood Diamond is a love letter to the raw reality of Africa, as it addresses both the chaos and the beauty of its land.
Who Killed Captain Alex? (2010)
With a meager budget of just $85, Nabwana I.G.G. managed to make the first Ugandan action film, a creatively amazing movie fabricated from the efforts of the self-taught filmmaker and the collaboration of the people from the disadvantaged low-income settlement of Wakaliga.
An example of what can be achieved through the love of cinema and some resourceful thinking, the film follows the plot stated in the title. Its action scenes and comedic commentary added in the online version make the technical limitations go unnoticed, and the genuine passion for filmmaking that emits from the movie shows the unexplored potential that African cinema has.
Tarzan (2013)
The last release of the Disney Renaissance era is the animated adventure film, Tarzan. With music by an inspired Phill Collins, the tale of an orphan raised by gorillas in the African jungle remains one of the most memorable stories to take place on the great continent.
The struggle of living stuck between two worlds is central to Tarzan and appeals to everyone who has ever visited Africa and fallen in love with its magnificent and wild spirit. This animated Disney rendering of the story of the "wild child" is the greatest movie set in Africa that's been told many times and remains in the hearts of everyone.