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Last Survivors

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Drew Mylrea

Drew Van Acker

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Review: ‘Last Survivors’ boasts Montana scenery and nuanced performance by Alicia Silverstone

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The Times is committed to reviewing theatrical film releases during the COVID-19 pandemic . Because moviegoing carries risks during this time, we remind readers to follow health and safety guidelines as outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local health officials .

One fascinating side effect of what the world has gone through these last few years is that stories of extreme isolation and social breakdown no longer seem like the stuff of dystopian science fiction. In the drama “Last Survivors,” for example, a father and son hole up in the middle of nowhere, trying to survive as the outside world crumbles. These days, that premise barely feels like fiction.

Stephen Moyer plays the father, Troy, who has raised his son Jake (Drew Van Acker) in a remote cabin in the woods since he was a little boy. Now in his 20s, Jake has been taught how to live off the land, frugally — and he’s been instructed to kill any people who happen by, since they could be among the marauding rogues that Troy says destroyed civilization.

Then Troy gets hurt and while looking for help, Jake finds Henrietta ( Alicia Silverstone ), a fellow hermit who is much kinder than he’d been led to expect of an outsider. As he spends more time with her, Jake realizes his dad’s joyless, paranoid way of riding out the apocalypse isn’t the only way to go.

Director Drew Mylrea and screenwriter Josh Janowicz have a clear point they want to make with “Last Survivors,” and so too much of the film — including a big plot-twist in the middle — feels over-worked to get to what the movie wants to say about the dangers of overprotective parenting. The story doesn’t really develop organically. There are logical gaps and narrative lurches that are hard to ignore.

What “Last Survivors” does have going for it are some beautiful locations in the chilly Montana wilderness — as well as an incredibly nuanced performance from Silverstone, playing a woman pushed to confront her own biases when she meets Jake, a young man taught to distrust everybody. At its core, this is an earnest movie about how best to endure a crisis: by sharing the load with others, rather than assuming every stranger is an enemy.

'Last Survivors'

Not rated Running time: 1 hour, 38 minutes Playing: Starts Feb. 4, Laemmle Monica, Santa Monica; also available on VOD

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‘last survivors’: film review.

Premiering at FrightFest in London, Drew Mylrea's feature stars Stephen Moyer and Drew Van Acker as a father and son whose off-the-grid existence is threatened by an encounter with a stranger, played by Alicia Silverstone.

By Angie Han

Television Critic

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When we first meet Jake (Drew Van Acker), he’s living out the kind of back-to-nature existence that outdoorsy types might dream of. He catches fish from a stream and swims naked in its icy depths, not a trace of another soul in sight. Eventually, he hikes through the forest back to the cozy log cabin he shares with his dad, Troy ( Stephen Moyer ), to prepare the day’s catch for dinner.

We learn that it’s been this way for many years, Troy and Jake sharing a tiny utopia of two, far from the ruins of a destroyed world. But Last Survivors doesn’t only aim to offer up the usual pleasures of postapocalyptic thrillers like A Quiet Place or It Comes at Night — it also tries to deconstruct their dark appeal, with intriguing but uneven results.

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Venue: FrightFest Cast: Stephen Moyer, Drew Van Acker, Alicia Silverstone, Mark Famiglietti Director: Drew Mylrea Screenwriter: Josh Janowicz

As in all these stories, it’s not long before the family’s status quo is disrupted by an external force — here in the form of Henrietta ( Alicia Silverstone , very sturdy in a smartly written role), a stranger who lives alone in the same woods. Though Jake and Troy generally take a kill-and-be-killed approach to outsiders, Jake can’t bring himself to pull the trigger when the time comes, and it’s not long before his idyllic life with Dad starts to fall apart.

Josh Janowicz’s script and Drew Mylrea’s direction fully embody the allure of these survivalist end-of-the-world narratives. Sure, Jake and Troy teeter on the razor edge of survival every single day, such that a single infection could spell death — but doesn’t life just look so peaceful out there in those pristine snowy woods? Don’t you envy Jake and Troy’s harmony with the natural world and their own primal instincts? Don’t you, too, wish you could reject the hollow comforts and hectic frivolities of modern life, and instead go to bed at the end of each day knowing you accomplished something simply by living to see another?

And then, having seduced the audience with those fantasies, Last Survivors peels away at the gloss to expose the toxic impulses undergirding them: the misanthropy, the misogyny, the misguided fixation on purity and simplicity at the cost of compassion and connection. The first time we hear of Troy’s belief that there’s no such thing as luck, only preparedness, it sounds like pragmatic self-sufficiency; after we’ve heard him rail against the evils of late human civilization a few too many times, we start to wonder what he makes of all the dead people who simply ran out of luck. It’s in this thematic throughline that Last Survivors feels most focused and deliberate.

But these ideas take a while to emerge, and on the way there, Last Survivors makes several critical blunders. It’s clear from early on that some secret is waiting to be revealed about what really happened at the end of the world. But the red flags are so big and so frequent as to become distracting, especially when some of them start pointing toward even bigger red herrings. I spent much of the first two acts driven to distraction by a single line of dialogue suggesting that Jake is unfamiliar with plastic, when there’s no way all plastic would have disintegrated in the 20-odd years since the apocalypse. I still don’t know if it was intended as a clue, or if it was just an instance of awkward writing.

The film’s clumsiness is most damaging in the case of its protagonist. It tracks that Jake’s insular life with his father has left him sheltered, even childlike: Of course he agrees with his dad on everything, because he’s literally never been exposed to any other options. But Jake is not a boy or a teenager or even an especially young man. The naiveté that might seem sweet or sad in a younger kid reads as confusing or even creepy coming from a character who looks closer to middle age than adolescence, and raises yet another pesky question of exactly how old Jake is supposed to be. (He is eventually revealed to be around 25, which does at least make more sense than the 35 that IMDb says Van Acker is.)

In part, that’s the point. We’re meant to understand that Jake has been stunted by his upbringing in ways he’s too clueless to even begin to comprehend. However, Last Survivors doesn’t lean nearly far enough into either the tragedy or the horror of his predicament. His interest in Henrietta has a queasy ambiguity, in that he seems to see her as both a mother figure and a romantic interest; his growing conflict with his dad, meanwhile, gives way to some earth-shattering secrets. And yet, faced with two situations that would make any therapist blurt out “a lot to unpack here,” Last Survivors skates right past their thorny depths in pursuit of more straightforward sentiment, underlined by David Deutsch’s angsty score.

Last Survivors can’t be accused of thoughtlessness — it’s clearly a film with a lot on its mind, one that’s eager to grapple with the gnarled roots of its own appeal. But its reticence keeps it from exploring the more challenging, and possibly more rewarding, paths laid out before it. It presents a story with the potential for intense horror, for unspeakable sadness, for a whole tangle of conflicting emotions that should put Jake, especially, through the wringer. Then, rather than go deeper toward the darkness, it turns too quickly to the light. Maybe that’s reasonable as an approach to life. But it’s a bit of a letdown for a movie.

Full credits

Venue: FrightFest Distributor: Vertical Entertainment Production companies: Yadav Productions, Perkash Productions, Forest Road Company, El Ride Productions, Young at Heart Entertainment Cast: Stephen Moyer, Drew Van Acker, Alicia Silverstone, Mark Famiglietti Director: Drew Mylrea Screenwriter: Josh Janowicz Producers: Sunil Perkash, Akaash Yadav, Michael Jefferson, Wesley Hull, Shaun Sanghani Executive producers: Drew Van Acker, Stephen Moyer, Alicia Silverstone, Michael Baker, David Lugo, Daniel Brandt, Colin Bates, Adam Beasley, Scott Duthie, Rachel Forrester, Director of photography: Julián Amaru Estrada Production designer: Sam Neidenbach Costume designer: Mona May Editor: Bradley Mclaughlin Composer: David Deutsch

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Screen Rant

Last survivors review: silverstone & moyer are good in sci-fi with wicked twist.

Unlike the worst Shyamalan movies, Last Survivors' twist doesn't make or break the film; rather, it provides context to the world-building and mythos.

Last Survivors will surprise everyone who watches it in one way or another. It is a movie that lives and dies on suspension of disbelief and plot twists. Veteran actors Alicia Silverstone ( Clueless ) and Stephen Moyer ( True Blood ) effortlessly carry the indie sci-fi flick, while lead Drew Van Acker ( Titans ) is trying a little too hard. That’s not to say Last Survivors  doesn’t offer more. The snowy locale of Butte Montana paired with the cinematography by Julián Estrada does wonders for each wide shot, and both immediately elevate the film.

Jake (Acker) loses his mother as a child and is scurried away from the tragedy by his now-widowed father, Tro (Moyer). The two have been living in the mountains ever since that horrible day that turned their lives upside down. The problem was that it was no ordinary death and no ordinary day. Now 25, Jake has grown up knowing nothing but fear and contempt for outsiders — namely, anyone who tries to disrupt his way of life. Trained to hunt, live off of the land and never leave the property, Jake was taught many things by his father, but not all of it was good and not all of it was true. This becomes apparent when Jake meets someone other than his father for the first time in Henrietta (Silverstone), the first outsider he doesn’t kill on sight. She shows him exactly what he has been missing cooped up with his dad all these years and it leads him to ask new, yet obvious questions about the world.

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It might not sound like much, but that's because there’s little to say about the plot mechanics of Last Survivors without spoiling it. Sadly, most people will see the trailer before watching the film, but if one can avoid it, the viewing experience becomes exponentially more exciting. Suffice it to say there is a crucial moment in the film where everything changes. Last Survivors deserves credit for making a firm decision on when and where to make that shift and it pays off in a big way. Unlike the worst M. Night Shyamalan movies, the twist in Last Survivors does not make or break the film; rather, it provides context to the world-building and mythos.

The premise of Last Survivors is awesome — no frills, no fuss. A completely ambiguous post-apocalyptic event takes place, a father and son are left without a wife and mother, leading them to trust no one and live as reclusively as humanly possible in order to retain that same humanity. In supporting and often dueling roles, Silverstone and Moyer are doing great work in a good, albeit small film. At no point is Silverstone's nostalgic celebrity distracting, nor is Moyer meant to be the sexy older man. Playing against type would be a step too far, but they are certainly out of their comfort zone as actors.

Acker, on the other hand, is not on the same level. It should be noted that he looks every bit his character's age and is nearly 15 years older in real life. All that to say, Acker isn’t given an environment like high school or characters his age to act against, leaving him in the wild both literally and metaphorically. The resulting performance is equally feral. Intense overacting and a general sweat physically show him trying to be good, but his portrayal is hard to watch at points. Playing a young man whose mental growth was stunted due to long-term isolation, it makes all the sense in the world for him to make a distinct and consistent acting choice for this role, but it's one that doesn't necessarily work.

The lead performance almost shipwrecks Last Survivors , but director Drew Mylrea ( Spy Interventions ) is in complete control of his vision. Silverstone and Moyer feel extremely welcome outside their normal roles and should leave audiences wanting more indie genre fare from the duo. The twist alone should keep audiences watching because  Last Survivors has got one that isn't worth missing out on.

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Last Survivors  released in theaters and on demand on February 4. The film is 98 minutes long and is not rated.

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Last survivors, common sense media reviewers.

Engrossing dystopian drama has violence, nudity.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

In a world full of conflict, the easy choice is to

Jake is a dutiful son who takes brave actions, inc

Most characters are White, except for a minor char

Several people are shot; some blood. Close up of a

Male character is seen completely nude from the ba

Strong language, including "s--t," "SOB," and occa

An injured character drinks whiskey to ease pain.

Parents need to know that Last Survivors is a post-apocalyptic thriller about the ways in which people isolate themselves -- physically and emotionally, literally and figuratively -- in an effort to prevent getting hurt. The characters live in an environment of shoot to kill first, ask questions never. Guns…

Positive Messages

In a world full of conflict, the easy choice is to isolate yourself from the rest of the world, but we need one another to thrive and survive.

Positive Role Models

Jake is a dutiful son who takes brave actions, including following his instincts over his training. Henrietta shows compassion in helping a young man who seems lost, although her choices aren't wise.

Diverse Representations

Most characters are White, except for a minor character briefly seen in a flashback.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Violence & Scariness

Several people are shot; some blood. Close up of a gaping wound. Woman is threatened with a gun and a knife at different times. In survival mode, a dad orders his son that if he encounters an intruder, "shoot them in the face."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Male character is seen completely nude from the backside on multiple occasions. Consensual sex scene includes partial nudity (male backside). Romantic feelings drive the plot.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Strong language, including "s--t," "SOB," and occasional use of "f--k." "Jesus H. Christ" is muttered.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

An injured character drinks whiskey to ease pain. Person enjoying an evening alone at home drinks what appears to be a cocktail.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Last Survivors is a post-apocalyptic thriller about the ways in which people isolate themselves -- physically and emotionally, literally and figuratively -- in an effort to prevent getting hurt. The characters live in an environment of shoot to kill first, ask questions never. Guns are ever present, and there's lots of menacing behavior, threats with weapons, and deadly gun violence, though with minimal blood. The main sex scene isn't graphic, but -- or perhaps butt -- co-star Drew Van Acker 's naked backside is on screen frequently and extensively. An injured person without access to painkillers drinks whiskey. Occasional strong language includes "s--t" and "f--k." To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

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What's the Story?

More than a decade after escaping the violence and chaos of the wars, Troy ( Stephen Moyer ) and his son, Jake ( Drew Van Acker ), have built a life off the grid in a remote forest. Determined that they will be the LAST SURVIVORS, Troy has trained Jake to defend and fend for himself. When Jake must leave the safety of their utopia to find medicine for Troy, he becomes intrigued with a mysterious woman named Henrietta ( Alicia Silverstone ), unsure whether she can be trusted.

Is It Any Good?

Get ready to be sucked into this scratchy dystopian thriller. It could be called Jake: Portrait of a Survivalist , à la '70s-era films like Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway and Sarah T: Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic. Those movies were made as cautionary tales to teens, and, in an odd way, Last Survivors feels like one too. Similarly to a portrait, we see Jake clearly and brightly in the center, while everything around him is fuzzy. Then, as if the filter is slowly being lifted, the details surrounding Jake become clearer, until you're looking at an entirely different picture. And, post-apocalyptic stuff aside, this is really a story about a loving, trusting relationship between a dad and a son and how children see the world through their caregivers' eyes, as it's presented to them. You can interpret the movie on two different levels: for the story it presents -- which is pretty chewy -- or the metaphor it represents, and how that might apply to parents who are overprotective or insistent that their kids share their worldview.

Isolation is the movie's dominant theme, explored through its two older characters. Troy raised Jake in the woods without any other human contact; it was the only way he believed he could keep his son safe. When Jake must leave their remote compound, he spots Henrietta, who has chosen to live in self-isolation to escape the noisiness and confusion of the cities. The choices she makes defy any and all common sense, but if you can suspend your disbelief, the story's hazy edges start to clear. There's a May-December romance that might leave viewers examining their own biases but, again, have patience. They're all unexpected characters, and you're unlikely to have it all figured out, which is always refreshing. This indie isn't going to change lives, but for an evening of entertainment, it'll certainly give your family something to talk about.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about why people isolate themselves (physically and emotionally) and whether that tends to do more harm than good. Is it easier than it used to be for people to isolate themselves from the world?

How is Troy and Drew's story similar to that of real-life "doomsday preppers"? What do you think is the impact of living life preparing for the worst?

Discuss the different ways that Jake and Henrietta demonstrate courage . We often think of bravery in terms of confronting outside threats; how does Last Survivors also deal with the courage to confront ourselves? Why is this an important character strength?

Discuss Last Survivors' violence . In the film's initial violence -- dealing with an intruder -- how did the filmmakers engage your own sense of right and wrong? What's the impact of media violence on kids?

Movie Details

• In theaters : February 4, 2022
• On DVD or streaming : February 4, 2022
• Cast : Drew Van Acker , Stephen Moyer , Alicia Silverstone
• Director : Drew Mylrea
• Inclusion Information : Female actors
• Studio : Vertical Entertainment
• Genre : Thriller
• Run time : 98 minutes
• MPAA rating : NR
• Last updated : December 1, 2022

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

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Last Survivors

Where to Watch

Drew Van Acker (Jake) Alicia Silverstone (Henrietta) Stephen Moyer (Troy) Mark Famiglietti (Officer Sharma) Benjamin Arthur (Andy) Akaash Yadav (Neighbor) Simon Lees (Huntsman)

Drew Mylrea

A father and son, who have been living off grid for 20 years, encounter an outsider who threatens to destroy the utopia they've built.

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Last Survivors (2021) Review

Close to Home

If the past few years have taught us anything, it is that society is only one disaster away from descending into chaos. From wars, to pandemics, the world we know and love can easily be taken for granted, and lost. This is the core of the new film Last Survivors, which follows a father and son living in a self-isolated utopia only to have things crash down due to a stranger.

Jake (Drew Van Acker) and his father, Troy ( Stephen Moyer ) have made a new home for themselves, away from the crumbling society of the civilized world. Having lived this life since he was a little boy, Jake knows very little about the world beyond what his dad tells him, and they both now live off the land, taking only what they need and defending their home should anyone try to invade.

It is a typical post-apocalyptic setup, and sets audience expectations to side with our intrepid survivors, but when Troy is injured and Jake must venture out into the world, things start to get a bit more interesting. It is here he meets Henrietta (Alicia Silverstone), a recluse that quickly shakes Jake’s world to the very core. What once seemed simple, and the only way to live, now feels joyless and hateful.

“ Last Survivors is a stunning film to watch…”

Screenwriter Josh Janowicz and Director Drew Mylrea bring a lot of fascinating concepts to Last Survivors, painting a picture of how isolation is not the answer. The only issue is, while the movie starts out strong, the plot twist and final act feel forced, lacking the natural progression needed to make the audience connect with the characters choices. The story is not given the time to develop properly, with many aspects feeling rushed or skipped over completely to reach the inevitable concussion.  

Even with these narrative shortcomings, Last Survivors is a stunning film to watch, making the most of its Montana location to paint a stunning picture of wilderness untouched by civilization. It does a great job of giving a sense of the pure isolation Troy and Jake deal with daily, with the wilderness acting as a co-star to the cast, working alongside them to capture the scope and scale of the story being told. 

I wanted to like Last Survivors far more than I did. It is well acted, well shot, and brings an interesting concept to the screen, but the narrative flaws are hard to overlook, and take away from what could have been a fantastic story of survival and losing one’s humanity in the face of trauma. While it is flawed, if you happen to find it on VOD , it is well worth a watch if for nothing more than the stunning woodland vistas, wrapped in a shaky story. 

Final Thoughts

Brendan Frye has over a decade of experience in the gaming and media industry. From an early age, he loved gaming, and that life-long passion has found its way to his work. He now works as the EIC of CGMagazine, along with acting as a Judge for numerous gaming conventions. He contributes to shows such as The List and other radio and TV programs. When he is not working, he can be found enjoying the latest Souls experience or finding a good horror movie that is in need of watching.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something, CGMagazine may earn a commission. However, please know this does not impact our reviews or opinions in any way. See our ethics statement.

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Last Survivors – Movie Review (4/5)

Posted by Karina "ScreamQueen" Adelgaard | Nov 2, 2021 | 3 minutes

LAST SURVIVORS is a new thriller of the very dystopian variety. A simple plot with strong performances makes for a very intense movie. The movie had its world premiere at FrightFest. Read our full Last Survivors movie review here!

LAST SURVIVORS is a new thriller with a small cast. While the plot is also quite small in a sense, it hits damn hard. With strong performances to carry the simple plot of this dystopian thriller, you should be entertained from start to finish.

MORE DYSTOPIAN STORIES WITH DADDY ISSUES? Check out our review of the Sweet Tooth series on Netflix here >

Very appropriately, this dystopian movie had its world premiere at FrightFest 2021, which is how we screened it now. It’s due out in wider release in early 2022.

Continue reading our Last Survivors movie review below.

A strong trio to lead

The small cast in  Last Survivors  is led by Drew Van Acker, Stephen Moyer, and Alicia Silverstone. Overall, this is mostly the story of Drew Van Acker’s character, but you will also get background stories for the characters of Stephen Moyer and Alicia Silverstone.

In fact, this is a huge strength of the movie. Especially since their stories are very unique and relevant to the core plot of surviving on your own.

Stephen Moyer ( True Blood ) and Drew Van Acker ( Pretty Little Liars ) play father and son while Alicia Silverstone ( The Lodge , Clueless ) is an outsider. And that’s all I’ll say about their respective roles to avoid spoilers. I will, however, point out that I was very impressed with all three performances.

Last Survivors  would not work as a believable story if they didn’t. Kudos to the cast for making this plot work as well as it truly does.

A real passion project

The principal cast members – the above-mentioned Drew Van Acker, Stephen Moyer, and Alicia Silverstone – are also executive producers of this movie. And I do actually think that you can feel the kind of commitment to and passion for this project that comes from being involved on a deeper level.

Also, I have to mention that this movie is produced by Sunil Perkash who has been involved with some huge Blockbusters. Including  Salt  (2010) starring Angelina Jolie.

However, he began his production career on Guillermo del Toro’s feature film debut  Cronos  (1993) as the U.S. production coordinator. He then went on to produce  Blast from the Past  (1999) starring Alicia Silverstone, Brendan Fraser, and Christopher Walken.

Still,  Last Survivors  feels like a very different kind of movie. Probably because it’s smaller and more intense in both its story, cast, and production. Fortunately, all of these things work in its favor!

Last Survivors  premiered at FrightFest 2021

Drew Mylrea is the director of Last Survivors  which is only his second feature film. His first was  Spy Intervention  from 2020, which also starred Drew Van Acker. Josh Janowicz is the screenwriter and he previously wrote and directed the sci-fi thriller  Life Like (2019) which  also  starred Drew Van Acker.

Yes, it does almost seem like Drew Van Acker is key to this movie being made. While I have always liked him as an actor in various movies and TV series, I really do think this character was perfect for him. He’s that ageless kind of actor, who can still play a teenager or young adult despite being in his 30s now (he was born in 1986).

There really wasn’t much I didn’t enjoy about  Last Survivors , but I do have to keep this review short to avoid spoilers. Honestly, I expect many will guess most plot twists ahead of time, but that’s fine. Us viewers aren’t supposed to be shocked. But Jake (Drew Van Acker) surely will be and that  is the point!

LAST SURVIVORS had its world premiere at Frightfest Film Festival on October 30, 2021. The film will be out in Theatres and On Demand on February 4, 2022 (exclusively on DIRECTV January 6 – February 3).

DIRECTOR: Drew Mylrea WRITER: Josh Janowicz STARS: Stephen Moyer, Drew Van Acker, Alicia Silverstone, Mark Famiglietti

Troy and his son Jake have been living off the grid for over twenty years. Every day is a fight for survival with Troy warning his son of dire consequences should he go beyond the barriers of the woodland Utopia they have built together as all interlopers are dealt with in the most brutal fashion. But the sheltered and naive Jake is naturally becoming curious about life outside their isolated wilderness. And a chance encounter with a beautiful stranger is about to see their world unravel in a shocking flood of secrets, lies and homegrown horror.

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About The Author

Karina "ScreamQueen" Adelgaard

I write reviews and recaps on Heaven of Horror. And yes, it does happen that I find myself screaming, when watching a good horror movie. I love psychological horror, survival horror and kick-ass women. Also, I have a huge soft spot for a good horror-comedy. Oh yeah, and I absolutely HATE when animals are harmed in movies, so I will immediately think less of any movie, where animals are harmed for entertainment (even if the animals are just really good actors). Fortunately, horror doesn't use this nearly as much as comedy. And people assume horror lovers are the messed up ones. Go figure!

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LAST SURVIVORS: Survivalist Thriller With Spirit

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The survivalist genre is an ever changing cinematic form of expression, encapsulating razor thin to deeply invested psychological emotions and situations all within the unrelenting drive to survive. And while some may leave a lasting impression longer than others, they each deliver their own level of catharsis. Drew Mylrea ’s Last Survivors is a multi-layered examination into the relationship of father and son and the meaning of survival all within the framework of life following the downfall of humanity. While it may not be a film remembered years after its release, it is surprisingly engaging and philosophical as it peels away each perspective in the characters it chooses to examine.

A Film the Fights to Survive

Last Survivors has a soft opening — episodic-feeling, but peaceful. As the camera slowly takes in the forest setting, it not only resonates the feeling of isolation, the voiceover that accompanies it feels prophetic, almost a warning to the viewer. “It’s hard not to feel lucky”, the voiceover professes, his words quiet monologue bringing viewers through the forest, guiding us to the crafted utopia of Troy ( Stephen Moyer , True Blood ) and Jake ( Drew Van Acker , Pretty Little Liars ).

As we watch the two work together in both action and dialogue maintaining their home, the isolation initially established is effectively cemented. Further compounding is the feeling of codependence between father and son. As we discover, Troy’s ability to plan for the future provided him and Jake a chance to survive the wars. While it is not revealed how much time has passed since, there is the feeling that their aftermath and the need to survive runs through every fiber of Troy — and subsequently Jake.

Last Survivors struggles with its first act following this opening, father and son speaking to one another, but failing to fully engage an audience. Even as danger lurks, its aftermath presenting new challenges, there is no emotional connection with the characters that drives our concern. And as the film in the first act leans more to a modernized version of M. Night Shyamalan ’s The Village and Margaret Peterson Haddix ’s R unning Out of Time , there is too much similarity to truly allow the film to find its unique perspective and voice.

As the film moves into the second act, Jake meeting the outsiders he has been warned against, the film truly begins to craft its engagement, welcoming investment from its audience slowly and cautiously. It is never in a rush to give too much away or outpace its narrative, but it is also aware of its need to keep the story moving. To be honest, by the time viewers reach the film’s end, they will be surprised to find how invested they really are, the film’s effectiveness sneaking up on you.

Survival as a State of Mind and Generational Beliefs

Last Survivors puts a spin on the idea of survival. Toted as a father and son living in the woods in a designed utopia following the downfall of mankind, the film evolves into a deeper examination of survival. It is not only one’s survival from an event, but also the survival of one’s mind, body and spirit. Each character in the film is working through their own survival, each with their own perspective to tackle. As each character is presented with their own struggle to survive, it gives Last Survivors a multilayered feeling to is narrative, providing further depth to its characters.

This is not just a simple story of surviving the elements, or the depravity of others, but rather one’s own mind, struggles and limitations. This complexity, as it builds, drives our engagement and investment as an audience, successfully bringing us to the film’s third act and emotionally crafted conclusion.

But it is not just survival that is at the forefront, but an idea of generational beliefs — those values and perspectives handed from one generation to another. In this case, it is Troy passing his own values on to Jake, his influence compounded by the isolation of the new world and the forest they have found sanctuary within. There is validity in both the belief system that Troy transfers to his son, the world view he has valid and true to him. Jake, limited in influences, sees this as doctrine. But as the outside world encroaches throughout the years, talismans to interactions begin to bring Jake new information and perspectives, not only challenging what he knows but empowering him to ask questions – to strive to see the world differently. It is a powerful showcase that will resonate strongly with viewers.

Last Survivors concludes on a high note, yet retains the same feeling as most survivalist films. What happens after you have survived? How do you move on from the experience? A good survivalist film crafts a deep psychology within its characters that by the film’s end you want to know what happens next. You want to know where this journey will continue to take them. It speaks to the depth Last Survivors is able to accomplish and the effectiveness of its narrative.

Last Survivors may fade to the recesses of your mind following its conclusion, but it is a film that for a moment will make you think deeper and reevaluate your own idea of survival – body, mind and spirit.

Have you seen Last Survivors? What did you think? Let us know in the comments below!

Last Survivors will be released in theaters and VOD on February 4, 2022.

Watch Last Survivors

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‘last survivors’ review: alicia silverstone shines in smartly written post apocalyptic thriller.

The end results are in.

Last Survivors is a well written, if uneven, post apocalyptic thriller. The story starts like it is going to be just another entry in the sub genre, before moving in a different direction. Jake (Drew Van Acker) lives with his father (Stephen Moyer) alone in their perfect little world in the woods. As expected, this peace does not last long. When Henrietta ( Alicia Silverstone ) enters their utopia, Jake cannot bring himself to kill the outsider as he was taught.

There was a time when Silverstone was the “It Girl” in Hollywood. Clueless seemed to be the beginning of what would be a long and iconic career. While Silverstone has gone on to build a successful resume, she never quite reached the heights that she seemed destined for. Last Survivors is a reminder of the talent and charisma Silverstone can effortlessly convey.

The script is where things become choppy. There is definitely a sense that Last Survivors is trying to explore areas not normally seen in these types of movies. It is interesting to see how Jake and Troy have handled the end of the world versus how Henrietta dealt with things, for example. There are many times when the movie veers off into unexpected directions, also.

The relationship between father and son is another neat idea. Jake has only known his father so it makes complete sense that he almost blindly believes everything Troy tells him. Last Survivors does not present this as a liability or give it a childlike innocence. Jake is simply suffering from a case of arrested development. How Jake sees Henrietta is a little odd, however.

The characters may benefit from strong writing, but the actual story can be pretty frustrating. It becomes clear early on that Last Survivors does not want the audience to just accept the world has been destroyed. The entire time, the film seems like it is reminding audiences there is a big secret that it is going to tell – but only when it wants to. It is the equivalent of someone holding their finger right in front of your face and saying, “I’m not touching you.”

Last Survivors seems like it is bringing people along to explore deeper themes, but it never is able to take them on. It is an engaging character study that eventually reaches a point where it becomes content. There is not necessarily anything wrong with this, but it is hard to shake the feeling the film did not live up to its full potential. In the end, the strong writing and some great performances make this an easy watch.

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Last Survivors (2022). Movie Reviews

Last Survivors is a 2022 thriller movie directed by Drew Mylrea . Starring Benjamin Arthur and Mark Famiglietti . With Alicia Silverstone .

A father and son, who have been living off grid for 20 years, encounter an outsider who threatens to destroy the utopia they’ve built. (Filmaffinity)

Movie Reviews

“Kudos to the cast for making this plot work as well as it truly does (…) There really wasn’t much I didn’t enjoy about ‘Last Survivors’ (…) Rating: ???? (out of 5)”  Karina Adelgaard: Heaven of Horro

“The story doesn’t really develop organically. There are logical gaps and narrative lurches that are hard to ignore (…) [But it has] an incredibly nuanced performance from Silverstone”  Noel Murray: Los Angeles Times 

“[It] can’t be accused of thoughtlessness — it’s clearly a film with a lot on its mind (…) But its reticence keeps it from exploring the more challenging, and possibly more rewarding, paths laid out before it”  Angie Han: The Hollywood Reporter

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Survivor 46 recap: Two blindsides are better than one

After bringing all the players together onto one beach, the game splits them apart again, and two victims pay the price.

California Dreams was better than Saved by the Bell. There, I said it.

This week’s episode of Survivor 46 morphed into a Doublemint gum ad as we doubled our pleasure and doubled our fun with not one, but two blindsides. More amazingly, apparently both of them were orchestrated by Venus! I know! It doesn’t seem to make sense, but I have sources that confirm Venus swam over to the old Siga camp and influenced the entire yellow team into voting out Tim. Evidently, she even convinced Tim to vote himself out, until producers intervened and told Tim he was not allowed to do that.

Not satisfied with those somewhat pedestrian examples of Survivor mind control, Venus then went to Tribal Council and convinced Jeff Probst to do away with the final four fire-making, go back to a final two, and resume skydiving or jet-skiing the votes back to a live reunion show. I’m telling you, it’s all there in the outtakes! RELEASE THE SECRET SCENES, CBS!!!

And that wasn’t all. Realizing the Tribal Council set is actually on the same island as the Survivor art department, Venus snuck out after the Soda torch-snuffing and persuaded production designer Zach Jensen to make a huge statue of her at the exact same size and scale of Boston Rob and Sandra .

Venus is the mastermind, the puppet-master, the evil genius, and the stealth conductor of everything that happened this week on Survivor . Or… you know…  not . But make no mistake, if Zach Jensen isn’t going to do it, then fans should build a gargantuan and mildly disturbing facial statue of the young Canadian. Not only did Soda giving (and Venus taking) credit for the blindside lead to a hilarious reaction shot of a clearly fuming Tevin (who actually orchestrated it, even if he voted for Venus as a Shot in the Dark protection), but the data analyst has been a great chaos agent all season long.

To judge a player’s value to a season, you not only have to look at what they do, but how other people react to what they do. Whether it’s via Randen , Soda, Tevin, or Maria, Venus has created tons of drama and story this season. Hunter said in our mid-game interview she wasn’t really participating in any of the Nami social activities — and my guess is Venus would counter that by saying she was not included — but Venus definitely has been playing the game. Whether she has been playing it well is up for debate… and indeed has been debated early and often on social media, but she is undeniably playing and forcing other players to act and react to her latest shenanigans. And those shenanigans have added some spice to season 46. Like I said, build her a statue. And no, Venus did not orchestrate this opening section of my recap. Just ask Tevin, he’ll tell you.

Let’s hit on the other big stuff that went down on episode 7 of Survivor 46 .

Robert Voets/CBS

Rock the vote

First off, I have no idea what a Nuinui is. I downloaded a Fijian dictionary because apparently that’s where I am now in my life, and it says “nui” means “to hope, to hope for, to yearn for it” so I guess Nuinui means to really hope, to really hope for, to really yearn for it. I have no idea how that ended up as the tribe name, seeing as how I asked the entire cast before the season what they wanted the tribe name to be and the cast barely even seemed to know what the most common Fijian word, “bula,” meant. And certainly nobody appeared even remotely hip to the Nuinui trip. Seeing as how half the cast wanted to name it after the dogs or children, perhaps Nuinui is for the best.

But forget about all of that. I can’t believe it took me this long to get to the best moment of the entire Survivor season! And that moment would be when Venus accused Soda of voting for her at Tribal Council and Soda replied that it must have been Moriah who did it… even though Moriah did not even vote. Of course, this would have been even better had Soda actually cast the offending vote and then blamed it on someone who very publicly and openly did not vote because she played her Shot in the Dark. But it was still good stuff.

And, to be clear, I don’t blame Soda at all for not remembering Mo didn’t have a vote. I am terrible at keeping track who has no votes, who has two votes, who has six geese a-laying, five golden rings, four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree. Too much math!

All this drama was positively delicious, with Tevin noting that the Venus-Soda feud was “showing the people how toxic and dangerous they are to the game.” But just when it appeared like this could be a major story moving forward, fuddy-duddy Charlie blew it all by coming clean that he cast the Venus vote. Booooooooooo! Did you not learn anything, Charlie, by the public’s insatiable attitude for Taylor Swift boyfriend drama that spectacle sells? Why would you blow out that lit fuse? That fire could have raged for at least 20 more hours had you left it alone. Team Q on this one!

Also, a special night 13 shout out to Kenzie for helping Ben calm down when he woke up in the middle of the night in panic mode. I mean, I don’t want to give her too much credit. Kenzie could have made this episode 17 million times better if she had then gone over to Venus and said that she had actually been the one to vote for her, thereby creating major confusion on multiple levels, but if she was not going to do that, then I suppose helping Ben is the next best thing.

Getting a leg up

“Bring in the boats!” I guess that’s what Probst says now when they stage immunity challenges at sea??? I like it. Of course, I’d like it even more if he would also start saying it at challenges on land. “Bring in the boats!” Just completely nonsensical. He should totally do it. I’ll tell Venus to convince him.

This week’s immunity challenge — which split the tribe into two teams to balance on a triangular platform out in the water, with two immunities at stake and one person later being voted out by each team — was another example of how unpredictable challenges in the ocean can be. This exact same contest was run in the same waters for Survivor 42 and the most anyone could last then was three minutes due to the huge swells. This time, the water was essentially glass and I honestly think the majority of players would still be up there had Probst not plagiarized from Andrea Boehlke and Brenda Lowe and forced the nine remaining contestants to lift one foot in the air.

Am I mistaken, or did they not even show the players on the lower perch and just picked up the “action” on the upper perch before they went to the top platform? If so, that was probably a solid editing decision. Realizing that there really was not a whole lot going on during the vast majority of this challenge other than people just kind of standing there, the producers did the smart thing and essentially turned the competition into a comedy segment, with Q getting increasingly frustrated as people kept messing up his alphabet game. Charlie even made up for his miscue the night before by intentionally screwing up just to frustrate the Alphabet King. (Also, am I the only one not buying that Q “threw” that challenge?)

In the end, Kenzie — KENZIE! — won immunity for the yellow team, and Maria lasted the longest out of everyone, ensuring not only her safety, but also that her group would go to Tribal Council second and the person voted out would make the jury, while the player booted from yellow would not. Meaning Tim essentially didn’t make the jury due to rock draw. Well, that and what was about to happen next.

+ 1 - 1 = 5

So just how solid was the +1 alliance of six that Q, Tim, and Hunter formed on their jury? Not so solid, it seems. When Q brought up ousting Ben since he was not part of the six, Tim kept countering that “Hunter is Nami” (even though Hunter was also part of the six). No doubt, Tim was in a tough spot here. Because Kenzie won immunity — KENZIE! — he could not even counter Q’s strike at Ben with someone else who was not in the alliance of six. So he had to choose between his Siga alliance and his shaky and unproven +1 agreement.

What was even more interesting was Q’s response to Tim's reticence. Yanu and Hunter had the numbers. All they had to do was go ahead and put the numbers on Ben anyway. Instead, Q immediately shifted to voting +1 member Tim out. (Then he shifted again back to Ben. And then he shifted again back to Q. But all that is neither here nor there.)

In a way, Q’s willingness to bust apart the +1 alliance was even more rash than Tim gunning for Hunter. And Tim looked legitimately shocked once Probst starting repeatedly reading his name on parchment. You could see the emotion when Tim froze while walking after having his torch snuffed — wiping his face before continuing. “I was a leader, not a loser,” he proclaimed in his final words, to which I would ask: Can’t one be both?

Tim is a unique dude, and I like him. You could tell by the way he called out the names of tribe mates’ family members that he was looking to connect with people past a game level. I mentioned this in my premiere recap from when I was on location, but the way he cheered on his puzzle-solving tribe mates by yelling, “I’m not shouting, I’m motivating!” while calling out the names of Maria’s three sons — “This is for Seb! This is for Leo! This is for Juju!” — was super cool to witness and a level of challenge-cheering participation I had never seen, especially on day three.

Whether he is, indeed, the sexiest dad to ever do this, I leave for others to debate and discuss, but he’s an interesting guy, even if we didn’t get to see enough of that on the actual show. The silver lining about not making it to the jury is that he at least got to get back to his family earlier, which I’m guessing cushioned the blow a bit.

Nami civil war

To the untrained eye, Charlie would have seemed like a dead duck after Maria won immunity, but the fact is Nami has more cracks than my 19th century house, and my 19th century house is basically held together with duct tape and dreams. Everyone from Nami wanted someone from Nami out. “I want to be the curator of the first blindside of the season,” Tevin told us. TOO BAD HE FORGOT TO TELL VENUS, HAHAHAHAHA!!!

Soda was definitely down to get rid of the Canuck in their midst, but she may have erred when she told Tevin how close she was with Charlie, explaining that “I have him really tight.” That could not have sat well with the guy who was already so worried about her social game that he proclaimed, “Soda got to goda.” He then mobilized Liz, Maria, and Charlie to take out his former ally.

But, of course, all roads lead back to Venus, who started pitching the Siga twosome on getting rid of Tevin or Soda. And the twosome’s reaction to Venus’ approach spoke volumes. Maria told us Venus is oblivious and does not read the room well, which is all well and fine. People say similar things about other players approximately every 13 seconds on this show. No big whoop. But they rarely say it to somebody’s face. “When you come at people, you come at people,” Maria told Venus as an explanation for why she didn’t like working with her.

But what Charlie did was actually even more telling. Quick Survivor quiz: When you are either on the absolute bottom or are supposed to be pretending you are on the absolute bottom, and someone approaches with a plan to save you and vote someone out, what should you do? A: Get down and kiss their feet. B: Say “Yes, yes, yes, a million times yes! Now may I kiss your feet?” C: Immediately recite as many Taylor Swift lyrics as possible that either convey a sense of profound appreciation or an unhealthy obsession with feet. D: Just respond, “Nah, I’m good.”

You basically do anything but answer D. Yet, when Venus approached Charlie about voting Soda out, not only would he not commit EVEN THOUGH THAT IS WHAT HE WAS GOING TO DO ANYWAY, he pretty much just said no right on the spot. What a weird thing to do. Just say “Yes! Sounds good! Let’s do this like Brutus ‘cause we always knew this!” (Maybe not that last part.) You are supposed to be pretending you are desperate, so act like it! This interaction seemingly ended up playing no role in Soda eventually being blindsided, yet I am obsessed with it anyway — especially the fact that it did not set off alarm bells for Venus that she was out of the loop.

Losing Venus would have been a TV viewing tragedy of epic proportions — kind of like having a tribe immunity idol given to you and then immediately ripped out of your hands and given to someone else instead. But losing Soda is a bummer as well. I knew when I met Soda pre-game that she had a huge personality because it was impossible to not know that after spending five minutes around her. But I didn’t recognize that she would be seen as such a social force in the game — to the point where her own allies would want to get rid of her. There was no blending in for Soda, not even on the jury, judging by her reaction shot in the preview for next week's episode.

But you have not heard the last from either Soda or Tim. That’s because you'll definitely want to hear what Soda has to to say about her 'complicated' relationship with Venus , and find out if Tim actually ever pooped on the island. That’s in addition to an exclusive deleted scene . Also make sure to check out all the merge tribe nominations from the entire cast , including an actually great one from… Jelinsky ??? And see what Hostmaster General Jeff Probst has to say about this week’s episode as well. Okay, that’s it, but Venus says I’ll be back next week with another scoop of the crispy!

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Related content:

• Soda Thompson explains 'complicated'  Survivor  relationship with Venus
• Tim Spicer 'surprised, shocked, and hurt' by Survivor 46 blindside
• Survivor 46 exclusive deleted scene shows Kenzie worried about the upcoming challenge
• Jeff Probst says psychologists were contacted after  Survivor  panic attack
• Survivor 46 players reveal their merge tribe name nominations
• Moriah Gaynor reveals what we did not see at that  Survivor 46  Tribal Council
• Hunter shares unseen Nami tribe dynamics in exclusive mid-game  Survivor 46  interview

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The Last Survivors

A teenage girl fights to protect the last working well in a drought-stricken valley from a greedy water baron. A teenage girl fights to protect the last working well in a drought-stricken valley from a greedy water baron. A teenage girl fights to protect the last working well in a drought-stricken valley from a greedy water baron.

• Tom Hammock
• Jacob Forman
• Haley Lu Richardson
• Booboo Stewart
• Max Charles
• 33 User reviews
• 31 Critic reviews
• 3 wins & 2 nominations

• (as Nicole Fox)

• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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• Trivia Filming took approximately three weeks to film. 18 days were spent filming the desert scenes and just a few days were spent for the indoor attic scenes.
• Goofs At the end when the airplane is started they show it being propped (started by turning the prop by hand) and the sound track is of the engine being started with an electric starter.

Kendal : Stay lucky!

User reviews 33

• Theo Robertson
• May 12, 2015
• How long is The Last Survivors? Powered by Alexa
• December 3, 2015 (Kuwait)
• United States
• Official Facebook
• Official Site
• Lucerne Valley, California, USA
• Federighi Films
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

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• Runtime 1 hour 35 minutes

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The 10 Best Survivor Seasons

Survivor has released over 40 seasons over the years, but a few stand out as the best.

Survivor is considered one of the best reality shows of all time, and for good reason. The series changed the TV landscape forever when it premiered back in 2000. The show still airs two new season on CBS ever year, which can also be streamed with a Paramount+ subscription . As a superfan, I'll continue watching each new installment of the show, but there are 10 seasons of Survivor which I think stand out as the best.

Obviously this is a subjective discussion, as most Survivor fans have their own opinions about which batch of episodes is the best. While some of the seasons listed have fantastic gameplay, others are just downright entertaining thanks to the interpersonal dynamics at play. So without further ado, and without ranking them in order, here are the ten seasons of Survivor I think that are the best. Beware: there are spoilers involved!.

Survivor Heroes vs Villains

This one was an obvious choice, as most Survivor fans agree that Season 20 aka Heroes vs. Villains was definitely a high point for the franchise. We watched some of the most iconic players of all time duke it out in this season, in the ultimate battle of good vs evil. But in a game built on deception and greed, it was clear that the Villains had a leg up on the rest of the competition.

The cast of Heroes vs. Villains was outstanding, and included two previous winners with Parvati Shallow and Sandra-Diaz Twine . They both miraculously made it deep into the game, and Parvati's double idol play is still one of the most thrilling Tribal Council moments of all time. And who can forget JT giving Russell Hantz his idol, complete with a love letter? It's hard to imagine a better cast of characters, all of whom provide hilarious soundbites. Frankly, there was Survivor before Season 20 and then there was the game afterward. And yes, the queen stays queen.

Survivor All-Stars

Survivor All-Stars was another game changer for the beloved CBS series, as it was the first time that the show brought back previous contestants. It was only Season 8 of the show's insanely long run on the air, and influenced countless shows after that also made All-Stars seasons. 

Season 8 is a total blast because the cast knows the game already, and are out for blood. Their decisions are also influenced by how the public received them, especially since it was at the height of Survivor 's popularity. Seeing everyone's egos clash was delightful, like when Rupert Decided to dig into the sand to make a shelter, against Jerry's wishes. All-Stars also resulted in a love story, with Survivor royalty Boston Rob Mariana and Amber Brkich falling for each other, while also making it all the way to Final Tribal. She would end up winning the title of Sole Survivor, but their on-screen engagement made it clear they were both taking home the prize. 

Survivor Gabon

Survivor Gabon is the 17th installment of the show, which is still early considering that we're in the forties now. While this season might not have changed the game in regards to gameplay, it was a fascinating and often hilarious social experiment. And while most recent casts are lovey dovey, the drama on the Gabon cast runs deep to this day.

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The location of Gabon is landlocked, making it an especially physically grueling location. But the cast also witnesses amazing wildlife. Although it's the tribe drama that really makes Gabon stand out among other Survivor fans, particularly the rivalry between Sugar Kiper and Corinne Kaplan and Randy Bailey. It makes for thrilling TV, particularly with Corinne's brutal Final Tribal speech . And it should be no surprise that this trio of castaways all returned to play again. 

Survivor Micronesia

Micronesia is another wildly popular season of Survivor that probably doesn't surprise fans to see on this list. The season pits Fans vs. Favorite players, and the drama is pretty explosive. But perhaps the most thrilling aspect of it is watching how Parvati ascended to win the season.

Rather than sticking with the Favorites, Parvati forms a new alliance with the newcomer women (as well Amanda Kimmel and the legendary Cirie Fields ) and forms the Black Widow Brigade. This is the most legendary all-female alliance in the game, and they pull off a number of truly iconic moves, including convincing Erik to give up his Immunity Necklace. And who can forget Amanda secretly finding her Idol, and it only being revealed during Tribal? Honestly, this is some A+ Survivor . 

Survivor 44

Now for the most recent entry on this list. Survivor 44 aired in 2023, and is perhaps the most thrilling entry in the "new school" version of the game we're currently in. The main reason why it's such a great ride: the personalities of the cast. And yes, I'm obviously talking about one Carolyn Wiger and the reaction she got from fans . 

Carolyn was a truly unique character, and brought an unfiltered sense of honesty that was a breath of fresh air. Whether she was screaming in the background of Challenges or making big facial expressions when reacting to her fellow castaways, it was a delightful ride. Special points also go to the delightful Yam Yam, who is one of the most iconic queer Survivor players we've ever had. And Survivor 44 was so good it got an Emmy nomination , which hadn't happened for years. 

Survivor Blood vs Water

The 27th Season of Survivor introduced a fascinating new fold to the game: having players compete with their loved ones. Blood Vs. Water was born, and was a wildly entertaining season of the long-running reality competition series. And for some reason, the network was only thought to use this outstanding concept once afterward.

The stakes and emotions on Blood vs. Water are high sky immediately. Splitting up the couples into two separate tribes means that every win is also a loss for your loved one. Add in the Redemption Island challenges, and there were tears basically every episode. There were a number of moments for the history books, especially Ciera Eastin voting out her own mother. And I'm really surprised they only did one other loved ones season afterward. 

Survivor One World

For years Survivor came up with themes for its seasons, with the producers trying out a number of major twists. One of these big swings came in Season 24 with One World . The main concept was a battle of the sexes, with the tribes split between men and women. But there was another wrinkle: they were all going to share one beach and live amongst each other.

As you might have guessed, there was plenty of wild drama throughout the season's run. The cast also includes a number of wild personalities, some of which returned for future seasons such as Colton, Troyzan, Kat, and the great Kim Spradlin. Between the gameplay and the interpersonal drama, One World is one for the record books. 

Survivor Brawn vs Brains vs. Beauty

The 28th Season of Survivor is officially titled Cagayan, but it's known among fans as Brawn vs Brains vs. Beauty . The cast was split into three groups based on which of the three categories they seemingly use to navigate the world. And for some reason that formula resulted in an explosive season. 

Perhaps credit should go to the cast, a number of whom were asked to come back for future seasons. Tony Vlachos is consistently wild throughout the season, miraculously pulling out a win despite his aggression. Other standouts include Chaos Kass, Sarah, Spencer, and Tasha. The fact that so many of them returned proves just how elevated their gameplay was throughout this season. 

Survivor Pearl Islands

Pearl Islands is the seventh season of Survivor , and aired during the height of the show's popularity. And it featured some of the most iconic players and moments from the show's decades-long run on the air. And quite frankly, they just don't make them like this anymore.

Pearl Islands introduced us to fan favorite characters like Sandra Diaz-Twine and Rupert Boneham, both of whom would play a number of times over the years. The season also featured Jonny Fairplay, who famously pretended that his grandmother died to win a Reward Challenge. It's a chaotic one, full of wild arguments that we rarely see nowadays. 

Survivor China

Survivor China was the 15th season, and was smack dab in the glory days of the long-running reality show. The elements were brutal this season, but there were some killer strategic plays, as well as personal drama from the cast. The results are explosive, especially because the game was changing formats so frequently. And it would influence future seasons, specifically with Immunity Idols being hidden within the camp. 

The season also featured one of my favorite Survivor winners: Todd Herzog, who offered perhaps the best Final Tribal Council performance of all time. He's also one of just a handful of LGBTQ+ winners, offering a performance that should be studied by potential new players. The season also included other truly iconic castaways like Amanda Kimmel, Courtney Yates, James Clement, and Peih-Gee Law. 

Of course, this list could change at any point if we're given a truly outstanding future season of Survivor . In the meantime, check out the 2024 TV premiere list to see what's airing soon and in the near future. 

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more. 

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