Movies Like Above Us the Waves (1955)

Above Us the Waves is a 1955 war film from Ralph Thomas with a MovieMagicScore of 6.1/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with The Cruel Sea and We Dive at Dawn.

War

The Cruel Sea

1953

At the start of World War II, Cmdr. Ericson is assigned to convoy escort HMS Compass Rose with inexperienced officers and men just out of training. The winter seas make life miserable enough, but the men must also harden themselves to rescuing survivors of U-Boat attacks, while seldom able to strike back. Traumatic events afloat and ashore create a warm bond between the skipper and his first officer

6.9

MagicScore

We Dive at Dawn

1943

A gripping tale of WWII naval warfare in the Baltics, starring John Mills as Lt. Freddie Taylor, a British submarine Captain. The crew of the Sea Tiger are summoned from leave on shore with their families, and sent on a secret mission to intercept the Nazi battleship Brandenburg. In the ensuing battle the British submarine is damaged by a German destroyer. The submarine is leaking fuel so badly that the crew won't be able to make it back to Britain before running out somewhere along the Danish coast. When it seems that their only option may be to blow up the submarine and try to escape to Denmark, seaman James Hobson hatches a plan...

6.4

MagicScore

In Which We Serve

1942

The story of the HMS Torrin, from its construction to its sinking in the Mediterranean during action in World War II. The ship's first and only commanding officer is Captain E.V. Kinross, who trains his men not only to be loyal to him and the country, but—most importantly—to themselves.

6.8

MagicScore

Greyhound

2020

A first-time captain leads a convoy of allied ships carrying thousands of soldiers across the treacherous waters of the "Black Pit" to the front lines of WWII. With no air cover protection for 5 days, the captain and his convoy must battle the surrounding enemy Nazi U-boats in order to give the allies a chance to win the war.

7.4

MagicScore

Dunkirk

2017

The story of the miraculous evacuation of Allied soldiers from Belgium, Britain, Canada and France, who were cut off and surrounded by the German army from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk between May 26th and June 4th 1940 during World War II.

7.5

MagicScore

Lifeboat

1944

During World War II, a small group of survivors is stranded in a lifeboat together after the ship they were traveling on is destroyed by a German U-boat.

7.4

MagicScore

The Wave

2015

Although theorised, no one is really ready when a mountain pass above the scenic and narrow Geiranger fjord in Norway collapses and creates a tsunami over 300 feet high. A geologist is one of those caught in the middle of it.

6.7

MagicScore

The Heroes of Telemark

1965

Set in German-occupied Norway, resistance fighter Knut Straud enlists the reluctant physicist Rolf Pedersen in an effort to destroy the German heavy water production plant in rural Telemark.

6.9

MagicScore

The Commander

2023

One dark night during the early phases of WWII, the Italian Royal Navy submarine Cappellini sinks an armed merchant ship sailing with lights out. At that moment, its commander Salvatore Todaro makes a decision that was destined to go down in history: to save the 26 shipwrecked Belgians who otherwise would have drowned in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and disembark them at the nearest safe harbor. To make room for them on board his submarine, he is forced to navigate on the surface of the water for three days, visible to the enemy forces and endangering his life and that of his men.

6.9

MagicScore

#10

Attack Force Z

1982

Sent to rescue survivors from the site of a plane crash in the South Pacific during WWII, Captain Kelly and his elite squad of Australian commandos must keep tabs on a defecting Japanese official who could hold the secret to peace.

6.0

MagicScore

#11

1941

1979

In the days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, panic grips California, where a military officer leads a mob chasing a Japanese sub.

5.8

MagicScore

#12

The Sea Wolves

1980

A German spy is passing on information about the location of Allied ships in the neutral harbor of Goa, India, with catastrophic results. Unable to undertake a full military operation in the Portuguese stronghold, English intelligence brings out of retirement a crew of geriatric ex-soldiers, veterans from World War I, using their age as cover. These old soldiers are asked to take to the seas and pull off an unlikely undercover mission.

5.9

MagicScore

#13

Eye of the Needle

1981

Great Britain, 1944, during World War II. Relentlessly pursued by several MI5 agents, Henry Faber the Needle, a ruthless German spy in possession of vital information about D-Day, takes refuge on Storm Island, an inhospitable, sparsely inhabited island off the coast of northern Scotland.

6.6

MagicScore

#14

H.M.S. Defiant

1962

Defiant's crew is part of a fleet-wide movement to present a petition of grievances to the Admiralty. Violence must be no part of it. The continual sadism of Defiant's first officer makes this difficult, and when the captain is disabled, the chance for violence increases.

6.5

MagicScore

#15

Carry On Jack

1964

Able seaman Poop-Decker signs up for adventure on the high seas with the wicked Captain Fearless. Those swabbing the decks include Juliet Mills, Charles Hawtrey and Donald Houston. The film was originally to be titled Up the Armada, but the British Board of Film Censors objected to such a rude title.

5.9

MagicScore

#16

Yellowbeard

1983

For years Yellowbeard had looted the Spanish Main, making men eat their lips and swallow their hearts. Caught and convicted for tax evasion, he's sentenced to 20 years in St. Victim's Prison for the Extremely Naughty. In a scheme to confiscate his fabulous treasure, the Royal Navy allows him to escape and follows him, where saucy tarts, lisping demigods and some awful puns and punishments await.

5.6

MagicScore

#17

The Battle of the River Plate

1956

In the early years of the World War II, the Royal Navy is fighting a desperate battle to keep the Atlantic convoy routes open to supply the British Isles, facing the great danger posed by the many German warships, such as the Admiral Graf Spee, which are scouring the ocean for cargo ships to sink.

6.2

MagicScore

#18

Norwegian Ninja

2010

Norwegian Ninja is the true story of how Commander Arne Treholt and his Ninja Force saved Norway during the Cold War. In 1983 the Ninja Force discovers that the sinister NATO force Stay Behind, who take charge in times of war and emergency, are planning a coup-d'état in peacetime. Treholt and the Ninjas see only one solution: a full can of whoop-ass.

4.7

MagicScore

#19

The Abyss

1989

A civilian oil rig crew is recruited to conduct a search and rescue effort when a nuclear submarine mysteriously sinks. One diver soon finds himself on a spectacular odyssey 25,000 feet below the ocean's surface where he confronts a mysterious force that has the power to change the world or destroy it.

7.3

MagicScore

#20

Atlantis: The Lost Empire

2001

A young linguist named Milo Thatch joins an intrepid group of explorers to find the mysterious lost continent of Atlantis.

7.0

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Above Us the Waves?

The top films similar to Above Us the Waves by MovieMagicScore are The Cruel Sea (6.9), We Dive at Dawn (6.4), In Which We Serve (6.8). Each shares war themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Above Us the Waves worth watching?

Above Us the Waves holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.1/10 from 29 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Above Us the Waves?

Above Us the Waves (1955) is a war film directed by Ralph Thomas, starring John Mills, John Gregson, Donald Sinden.

Where can I find more recommendations like Above Us the Waves?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more war recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like The Cruel Sea Movies like We Dive at Dawn Movies like In Which We Serve Movies like Greyhound Movies like Dunkirk Movies like Lifeboat

About movies like Above Us the Waves

This ranked list pairs Above Us the Waves (1955), a war film from Ralph Thomas, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of John Mills take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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