Last Updated on 20 December 2025

The following list is a compilation of the 100 best desert-based movies of all time.

I found 16 different ranked lists online of “best desert movies of all time” and pulled them all into Excel and merged them all to get this definitive compilation.  See my Methodology page for the research process that was used, including links to all 16 lists that were averaged. Below is a checklist you can print to track which ones you’ve seen, followed by the ranked list with links to IMDb.

Best Desert Movies – Viewing ChecklistDownload
  1. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
  2. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
  3. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
  4. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
  5. The Mummy (1999)
  6. Dune: Part One (2021)
  7. The English Patient (1996)
  8. Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
  9. The Flight of the Phoenix (1965)
  10. Dune: Part Two (2024)
  11. Three Kings (1999)
  12. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
  13. The Searchers (1956)
  14. There Will Be Blood (2007)
  15. Woman in the Dunes (1964)
  16. The Road Warrior (1981)
  17. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
  18. Stargate (1994)
  19. Thirst (2010)
  20. Tracks (2013)
  21. Walkabout (1971)
  22. Dune (1984)
  23. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
  24. Tremors (1990)
  25. Aladdin (1992)
  26. The Hills Have Eyes (2006)
  27. Rango (2011)
  28. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
  29. Thelma & Louise (1991)
  30. The Martian (2015)
  31. Wake in Fright (1971)
  32. No Country for Old Men (2007)
  33. The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994)
  34. Casino (1995)
  35. Shane (1953)
  36. Mad Max (1979)
  37. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)
  38. Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002)
  39. The Way Back (2010)
  40. Sahara (2005)
  41. Holes (2003)
  42. The Hill (1965)
  43. Duel (1971)
  44. Unforgiven (1992)
  45. Paris, Texas (1984)
  46. High School Musical 2 (2007)
  47. Stagecoach (1939)
  48. Twentynine Palms (2003)
  49. 127 Hours (2010)
  50. Into the Wild (2007)
  51. The Sheltering Sky (1990)
  52. The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980)
  53. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)
  54. Sahara (1943)
  55. Flight of the Phoenix (2004)
  56. Theeb (2014)
  57. Sahara (1983)
  58. Kalki 2898 AD (2024)
  59. The Jewel of the Nile (1985)
  60. Hidalgo (2004)
  61. The Mummy Returns (2001)
  62. Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977)
  63. Disappearance (2002)
  64. Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983)
  65. The Fall Guy (2024)
  66. Zabriskie Point (1970)
  67. Buried (2010)
  68. The Hurt Locker (2008)
  69. Beyond the Reach (2014)
  70. The Book of Eli (2010)
  71. Ace in the Hole (1951)
  72. Blazing Saddles (1974)
  73. The Wages of Fear (1953)
  74. Palm Springs (2020)
  75. The King Is Alive (2000)
  76. Queen of the Desert (2015)
  77. Jarhead (2005)
  78. Downwind (2023)
  79. Fata Morgana (1971)
  80. The Scorpion King (2002)
  81. Gerry (2002)
  82. 3 Women (1977)
  83. Greed (1924)
  84. The Passenger (1975)
  85. Rambo III (1988)
  86. Kandahar (2001)
  87. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
  88. Prisoners of the Sun (2013)
  89. The Hills Have Eyes 2 (2007)
  90. The Ten Commandments (1956)
  91. Gallipoli (1981)
  92. Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (2011)
  93. The Desert of the Tartars (1976)
  94. The Road (2009)
  95. Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975)
  96. The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926)
  97. Gods of Egypt (2016)
  98. Bad Day at Black Rock (1955)
  99. Ice Cold in Alex (1958)
  100. Waking Ned Devine (1998)

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