A surprising amount of big international films have been shot in Iceland. The nature of Iceland is incredibly diverse and can stand in for other countries, as well as portraying alien planets or dystopian wastelands! These unique places can be explored on many tours in Iceland.
Among the largest films to have been shot in Iceland include Batman Begins, Interstellar, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Captain America: Civil War, and Justice League. It's not only big Hollywood that makes use of Iceland for their movies, but big films from countries such as India, Britain, Russia, and the Philippines have also utilized the uniqueness of Icelandic nature for their films.
- Learn more about the Story of Icelandic Cinema
Filmmakers choose Iceland because the country is so varied in nature – yet the distances are short and convenient, making it easy to get around on a rental car. Additionally, you can get a highly professional and experienced film crew from Icelandic production companies such as True North and Saga Film. Popular TV series such as Game of Thrones and Black Mirror have also made us of Icelandic filming locations, but in this article, we're only focusing on movies. If you want to explore these movie locations around the country, book accommodation in Iceland.
What follows is a (mostly) complete list of international films that have been filmed in Iceland – with still frames from the movies for reference.
2020s Movies Filmed in Iceland
Following the halt in film production during the early part of the decade, Iceland quickly got whipped into movie-making shape! With big movie productions and other projects being undertaken in Iceland, the film industry is currently flourishing in Iceland.
2023 - Heart of Stone
Heart of Stone is a spy action thriller distributed by Netflix starring Wonder Woman herself, Gal Gadot. As a true international spy film, it was filmed in multiple locations around the world, including a big set piece scene in Iceland. Without spoiling the plot too much, our beloved Harpa Concert Hall gets blown up!
Fortunately, the explosion was all just special effects, and Harpa still stands tall by Reykjavik harbor today. You can even book a table at Harpa and enjoy a delicious meal inside the architectural marvel. It's also a stop on the popular Reykjavik Hop-On Hop-Off tour, which takes you sightseeing around the city.
2022 - The Northman
The Northman is an epic Viking film that is truly visually stunning and was directed by Robert Eggers. The movie stars Alexander Skarsgård and Anya Taylor-Joy in the main roles, with support from Nicole Kidman, Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe, and Iceland's very own Björk (seen above). This is by far the most ambitious Viking film ever made, with a budget of about $80 million dollars.
The movie takes place almost entirely in Iceland and was co-written by Icelandic screenwriter and poet Sjón. Other Icelandic actors that appear in the film include Ingvar E. Sigurðsson and Hafthor "The Mountain" Bjornsson. With all these Icelandic connections and the story of the movie taking place in Iceland, wouldn't you think it was mostly filmed in Iceland? Nope! The movie was mostly filmed in Ireland.
Some indoor scenes were filmed in Akureyri, depicting the insides of Viking longhouses. There is also a wide shot of some newly captured thralls hiking over Svinafellsjokull glacier in Iceland. We encourage you to try glacier hiking in Iceland, but with some sturdy crampons on your feet to keep you steady, something that the Vikings did not have the benefit of. You can even go glacier hiking on the very same glacier that appears in the movie.
2022 - Against the Ice
Against the Ice is a historical survival film based on the ill-fated Denmark expedition to Greenland's Northeast Coast in 1906-1908. It stars Danish actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in the main role (who's also a co-writer), best known as the knight Ser Jaime Lannister from the Game of Thrones series. The movie also stars Charles Dance, who played Jaime's father in the series, Tywin Lannister.
While the movie takes place in Greenland, it was mostly filmed on glaciers in Iceland. There was minimal use of CGI, and the film was mostly shot outside in harsh conditions. The crew had to stop shooting one day and huddle up in a tent because of powerful storms on the glaciers. The movie was produced by Icelandic director Baltasar Kormákur and also stars Icelandic veteran actors Þorsteinn Bachmann and Gísli Örn Garðarsson.
Photo from the Incredible 2-Hour Siberian Husky Dog Sled Sightseeing Tour
A large part of the film includes the two voyagers riding across glaciers on dog sleds. As the movie takes place well before the invention of snowmobiles, this was the fastest way to get across glaciers at the time. If you want to try dog-sledding in Iceland, there are many possibilities, as you can go dog-sledding near Reykjavik or go on an epic Siberian husky sleigh ride in North Iceland.
2020 - Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga
This movie, starring Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams, was released on Netflix on June 26, 2020. It takes place in Iceland and features Icelandic characters, though most of them are played by American actors speaking English. The film is about two musicians from Husavik who dream of making it on the big stage and participating in the Eurovision Song Contest on behalf of Iceland and making their small town proud.
The opening song of the film, Volcano Man, features multiple locations around Iceland. This includes Valhnukamol beach on the Reykjanes peninsula, with the lone sea-stack Karlinn in the background. The two keyboards still stand there today, bolted to the ground.
It also features Skogafoss waterfall frozen over during winter. However, that particular shot looks very green-screeny. If you want to see how it looks in real life, you can book a South Coast tour which brings you right up to the iconic waterfall, no green screens needed.
There are also shots of Ferrell and McAdams walking through the lava fields just outside of Reykjavik (seen on the thumbnail of the video above) and standing on the edge of Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon.
When the pair gets accepted to participate in the Icelandic song contest in Reykjavik, the University of Iceland is depicted as the headquarters for Icelandic Public Television. Now that's some movie magic!
The town of Husavik is prominently featured in the film and sets the stage for a whirlwind story. The bar Will Ferrell and friends perform at frequently can be visited if you go to Husavik and has been renamed the Jaja Ding Dong Bar & Eurovision Exhibition and features a display of memorabilia from Iceland's entries in the song contest, as well as some costumes which were featured in the film, including the epic Volcano Man costume.
There is a nod to Husavik's reputation as the "Whale Watching Capital of Europe" when Will Ferrell's character talks directly to the whales at the town's harbor, and two whales perform a synchronized pirouette! If you want to get to see the whales that live in Skjalfandi bay, book this oak boat whale-watching tour in Husavik. We can't promise a synchronized pirouette, though.
The story of Husavik being chosen as Will Ferrell's character's hometown is pretty interesting. Ferrell had wanted to do a comedy movie featuring Eurovision since he first saw the song contest in 1998 with his Swedish wife. Two decades and countless blockbusters later, he decided to finally make it happen. However, Sweden was simply too successful in Eurovision, having won it multiple times, so depicting singers from Sweden wouldn't have that same underdog quality. That's why Iceland was chosen.
When they were deciding where to shoot it in Iceland, David Dobkin, the director of the film, simply pointed to Husavik on a map and asked Netflix if they could shoot there, without ever having visited. Netflix agreed, and the rest is history. If you want to visit the town yourself, make sure to book accommodation in Husavik beforehand, as it's been getting popular in recent years. Above, you can see the many shots featuring this small town, which now has become well-known around the world.
2020 - The Midnight Sky
The Midnight Sky is a film directed and starring George Clooney and was partially shot in Iceland for scenes depicting the Arctic. This post-apocalyptic movie takes place in the year 2049 and is about an aging scientist and a 7-year-old girl on a large Arctic base looking for a communications tower in the vast icy snowscapes to warn astronauts about the situation on Earth. That's quite a doozy!
While half of the movie takes place in outer space, the other is dedicated to traversing the harsh Arctic plains, and whenever a film needs large swaths of white snow, the glaciers of Iceland make for a great shooting lot.
The Arctic parts of the movie, which feature only George Clooney and the girl, were shot on Skalafellsjokull, a glacier tongue of Vatnajokull, the largest glacier in Europe. In some scenes, they zoom across the snowy surface on snowmobiles as they try to reach the large satellite antenna. You can go snowmobiling on the very same glacier on this exciting 3-hour glacier snowmobiling tour on Vatnajokull. You can even imagine you're a heroic scientist saving the world!
There's also a great shot in the film inside of an authentic ice cave! These marvels of nature can be explored in Iceland during the winter. Check out this epic ice cave tour in Vatnajokull. It looks even more jaw-dropping in person!
These ice caves form naturally in the glaciers of Iceland and can be visited during the winter.
2010s Movies Filmed in Iceland
In the second decade of the 21st century, Iceland had fully established itself as a reliable filming location for big-budget movies. The local production companies had acquired a lot of experience, and the Icelandic camera crews were trustworthy and diligent, resulting in a lot of large projects during this decade.
2018 - Through Night and Day
It's not just big Hollywood filmmakers who get attracted to the allure of Iceland as a backdrop for their blockbusters. Some smaller film industries around the world also utilize Iceland for their movies, such as this romantic comedy from the Philippines.
The movie is about a couple that is getting married, and they decide to go on a trip to Iceland, the fiancée's dream destination, to test their relationship to the fullest. The movie hit #1 on Netflix in the Phillippines and was quite popular in its home country when it came out.
Without going into details of the plot, they go through their ups and downs as they travel around the country.
The movie features so many different spots and destinations in Iceland that it's hard to highlight all of them. One of the sweetest scenes in the movie takes place inside Fridheimar, a tomato farm restaurant in Hveragerdi. You can book a table at Fridheimar if you want to experience it yourself.
Of course, they have to visit the beautiful waterfall Seljalandsfoss, where they try to take an epic selfie without getting too wet. If you want to get your own selfie there, check out this 10-hour South Coast minibus tour, which takes you to the waterfall and other gems of Iceland's southern region.
There's also a funny scene where the couple is complaining about high prices in an Icelandic supermarket (compared to their home country), but at least they are aware enough that they do not need to buy bottled water in Iceland as the tap water is the cleanest in the world!
And, of course, the northern lights make an appearance. The wife-to-be understandably gets mad at her fiance for not waking her up to see the aurora. If you want to see the northern lights during your visit, make sure to book a northern lights tour to witness the dancing lights up in the sky.
The climactic scene of the movie takes place in the beautiful Reykjavik Botanical Garden, making full use of its autumn charm.
2017 - Justice League
Not many movies utilize the remote and beautiful Westfjords for shooting locations, but that is where the opening scene of the superhero blockbuster Justice League takes place. Bruce Wayne, played by Ben Affleck, goes there to recruit Aquaman to join the team he is forming.
In the movie, Aquaman is residing in an isolated village in the fjords where he is considered some kind of legend who helps the poor townspeople. But first, Bruce Wayne needs to trek toward the village, and he takes a rather tough route across Fjallsjokull glacier on horseback, which is located way on the opposite of the country, in the southeast. Does he not know he can easily reach the Westfjords on a 4x4 rental vehicle?!
The town hall of the village is actually an old herring factory in the town of Djupavik. If you want to see it for yourself, go ahead and book accommodations in the Westfjords for a nice place to stay in the region.
It is a very cinematic location as the herring factory is towered by a cliff where Djupavikurfoss waterfall cascades down and overlooks a fjord, giving it a great dramatic flair that looks good on camera. The ice in the fjord in this shot, however, is CGI added in post-production.
Even though the movie takes place in modern times, the Icelanders are mostly dressed like 19th-century farmers and fishermen. It would have probably taken the audience out of the immersion of the film if they were wearing H&M and Crocs.
Aquaman, played by Jason Momoa, even attempts to speak Icelandic, which sounds rather unintelligible, but apparently, the townspeople are used to his accent as they seem to understand him, and he gets a big laugh. Maybe they are just too nervous not to laugh at a joke by a God of the Sea?
The scene ends when Aquaman decides to join Batman on his journey to defeat the bad guys, as he walks into the ice-cold waters of what's supposed to be the fjord by the village but is actually Fjallsarlon glacier lagoon in the southeast of Iceland. You can see this beautiful natural wonder up close on this boat tour on Fjallsarlon glacier lagoon. Just keep your shirt on.
2017 - The Fate of the Furious
Where do you go if you need to shoot a scene at a separatist military base in the fictional state of Vladovin in Russia during winter? To beautiful Lake Myvatn, of course!
As you can see from the photo above, the lake is quite lovely during the summer and is well known for its green pseudocraters, which can be found both in and around the lake. We recommend visiting this beautiful gem on one of the many available Myvatn tours to explore the area.
Lake Myvatn was chosen to shoot this particular scene in the eighth film of the prestigious Fast & the Furious franchise because it reliably freezes over during the winter, with ice thick enough to safely hold dozens of cars and trucks.
This chase scene not only features Lamborghinis, tanks, monster trucks with rockets, and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson but also a giant Russian submarine that breaks through the ice.
Oh, and did I mention explosions?
In fact, the grand finale of the chase scene, when the submarine blows up, is the second biggest man-made explosion in Iceland! It was surpassed by The Tomorrow War in 2021.
Prior to the chase scene across the frozen lake, there are some scenes showing the Russian military base that was shot by the harbor of Akranes, in an abandoned cement factory. There is a quick panning shot of a Russian military helicopter taking off, which gives away the shooting location, as the sign on the iron fence reads "Óviðkomandi bannaður aðgangur," which is Icelandic for "Authorized Personnel Only." Not quite Russian, huh?
If you'd like to visit this region during the winter, as it appears in the movie (minus a submarine), there is a body of water by the lake that never freezes over and stays nice and warm all year around. The Myvatn Nature Baths offer a serene experience of bathing in comforting geothermal waters. If you need a place to stay, make sure to book accommodations in the Myvatn area. It's a beautiful and peaceful region that's worth visiting. No explosions, we promise!
- Learn more: The Ultimate Guide to Lake Myvatn
2016 - Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is... a Star Wars story. A late prequel to the first Star Wars movie, about how the Rebel forces acquired the blueprints of the Death Star. Even before Rogue One was released, it was obvious from the trailer that scenes were shot on the South Coast of Iceland. We recognize those black sands and mossy green mountains anywhere!
The movie starts with a beautiful shot of a black sand beach in Iceland, with only a small Star Warsian spacecraft (the ST 149, to be exact) being seen in the distance, reminding you that this, indeed, is not supposed to be Iceland.
Those black sand beaches can be found all along the south coast of Iceland. This particular sand plain is Myrdalssandur, and those pretty green mountains are Hjorleifshofdi and Hafursey, located just east of Vik.
Iceland portrays the planet Lah'mu in the film, where our main character Jyn Erso and her parents are in hiding at the very beginning of the film. Jyn Erso's father, played by Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen, is a scientist who worked on creating the Death Star, and the bad guys want to bring him back.
Aside from its appearance in Hollywood blockbusters, Myrdalssandur is also known for the DC-3 plane wreck that crashed in the sand in 1973. You can visit the plane wreck and zoom across the sand on this thrilling 2-hour ATV buggy ride tour.
At the end of the scene, little Jyn Erso flees while her parents are killed by the Sith troops. She hides in a nearby cave called Gygjagja, and manages to escape the watchful eye of the death troopers (yes, stormtroopers in black are called death troopers).
Now, this wouldn't be worth mentioning, aside from the fact that the cave she runs into has a strange connection to the Star Wars franchise. The cave opening just so happens to resemble the silhouette of the character Yoda and has sometimes been called the Yoda Cave because of its likeness. Would you call that an Easter egg? Or a porg egg? Whatever you call it, it's neat that the Yoda Cave makes an appearance in an actual Star Wars movie. To see it yourself, book a hotel in Vik and make your way there!
2016 - Captain America: Civil War
The epic superhero movie Captain America: Civil War, which saw the Avengers split up and bicker with each other, was partly shot in Iceland. The opening shot depicting the colds of Siberia, from where the Winter Soldier hails from, was shot near the village of Vik in Iceland.
Aside from that opening shot, it's hard to tell which exterior shots were actually filmed in Iceland or inside the comforts of a greenscreen studio, but we'll take it!
2016 - War on Everyone
War on Everyone is a British black comedy buddy cop film starring Alexander Skarsgård and Michael Peña as crooked cops who plan a heist together with the help of criminals. The shot above is right in front of Hallgrimskirkja church.
A few scenes were shot in Reykjavik, as they go looking for one of their accomplices who fled to Iceland after the heist went sour. Despite not knowing where in Iceland he's staying, they spot him immediately walking up Skolavordustigur street while eating hardfiskur in a crowd of Icelanders.
A chase scene ensues across the city, down Skolavordustigur, past Laugavegur street, and ending up at Nautholsvik beach where he is finally caught. Afterward, all three of them go for beers at Kaffibarinn in downtown Reykjavik to discuss why the heist went wrong.
In a previous scene, the two crooked cops discuss the Blue Lagoon, with Michael Peña's character showing interest in it, while Skarsgård's character is less than enthused. If you'd like to take a dip in the warm geothermal waters of this famous spa, check out the many available Blue Lagoon tours or buy admission to the Blue Lagoon directly.
2015 - Star Wars: The Force Awakens
The first movie in the Disney trilogy of the Star Wars saga has a few exterior shots from Iceland, depicting parts of the powerful Starkiller Base, which is similar to the Death Star from the original trilogy... but much bigger and more powerful, of course.
These exterior shots were filmed close to Eyjafjallajokull volcano, which lies under the massive Vatnajokull glacier, the largest one in Europe. The constructions in the shot were added in post-production by the legendary Industrial Light & Magic visual effects company. This area can be explored on an exciting 1-hour snowmobiling tour on Eyjafjallajokull.
The shots featuring close-ups of the iconic characters in the movie were shot with a greenscreen, so Harrison Ford did, in fact, not travel to Iceland to shoot his parts for the film.
2015 - Dilwale
The Indian action-comedy film Dilwale has a sequence filmed entirely in Iceland. It was a huge hit in its native country when it came out and remains one of the highest-grossing Indian films of all time. The song "Gerua," featured in the film, was shot in various places around the country, which you can see in the video above.
Some of the locations in the film include Reynisfjara black sand beach, Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon, Skogafoss waterfall, and Mount Vestrarhorn. In true Bollywood fashion, there are some fantastical special effects sprinkled in to make the beautiful Icelandic landscapes appear even more magical. For further examination of all locations in the music video, read our full article about Dilwale in Iceland.
2014 - Interstellar
Interstellar is an epic science fiction film directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, and Matt Damon. Parts of the movie were filmed in two different locations in Iceland, representing different planets. Both locations are in the South-East of Iceland, a stone's throw away from each other (or about an hour's drive).
Mafabot is a low land between the open sea and a river, not far from the town of Kirkjubaejarklaustur, and it was there where an intense scene on an ocean planet takes place. It's not really a place you can "visit" as the film crew had to create a road and transport their equipment on massive trucks just to get there.
The other filming location was Svinafellsjokull glacier, which represents the ice planet where Matt Damon's character was stranded. Multiple scenes were filmed of the space crew hiking over the glaciers in full gear as they look for the missing astronaut.
This is a popular destination for glacier hiking and you can easily visit it on a guided glacier hiking tour on Svinafellsjokull. You’ll feel like you’re exploring alien territory!
2014 - Noah
Noah is an epic biblical film about the story of Noah and the Flood. The producers of Noah felt that Iceland's relative newness played well to their setting: the beginning of the world.
Most of the pre-flood scenes of the movie were filmed on the Reykjanes peninsula, making full use of the moss-covered lava fields that characterize the region.
Mount Hafursey also makes an appearance, located on Myrdalssandur beach on the South Coast of Iceland. The stark contrast between the black sand and the green mountain looks great on film! This location would be used again for another film that came out the following year: Rogue One.
Noah goes to see his grandfather to make sense of his visions of an upcoming flood. His grandfather is Methuselah, played by Anthony Hopkins, and lived to the ripe old age of 969, according to the Bible. This scene was shot inside Raufarholshellir cave.
You can go visit this magnificent cave on a fun 1-hour lava tunnel caving tour of the Raufarholshellir lava tubes. You can even stand in the exact same spot as Sir Anthony Hopkins did and pretend to be the oldest man that ever lived.
2013 - Oblivion
Oblivion is a sci-fi blockbuster starring Tom Cruise that takes place in a post-apocalyptic world in the year 2077. And whenever Hollywood needs a good location to shoot a desolate Earth, there's no better place than Iceland! In the shot above, hydrothermal platforms float above the water and convert seawater into fusion energy. Let's invent those soon!
As Tom Cruise's character looks for another human life on the post-apocalyptic Earth, he comes across a desolate football stadium where "the last Superbowl" was played in 2017. This is actually Hrossaborg crater in Northeast Iceland, with additional CGI to show the remnants of the stadium.
Another scene shows Tom Cruise riding on a motorcycle across black sand deserts near Lake Drekavatn in the highlands of Iceland. Large parts of Iceland's interior consist of black sand dunes like this, minus the post-apocalyptic scraps. You can explore this part of Iceland on many available Highland tours.
A climactic scene in the movie takes place on a base high on top of a mountain that overlooks the Jarlhettur mountain ridge near Langjokull glacier. The Hollywood crew had a hard time pronouncing the Icelandic name and simply called it "Earl's Peak."
At the time when Oblivion was filmed in Iceland, it was the biggest, most ambitious movie to have been filmed in Iceland, along with The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, and with the biggest star power as well. The success of the movie and how smoothly the shoots in Iceland went, paved the way for many blockbusters to come. In the short featurette above, you can hear about Tom Cruise's experience shooting in Iceland, which was something that he wanted to do for a long time.
2013 - Star Trek: Into Darkness
The black sands of Iceland are always popular for filmmakers wanting to display a stark, desolate planet. That is exactly how it's utilized in the sci-fi action film Star Trek: Into Darkness, about the adventures of Kirk, Spock, and the USS Enterprise.
Dr. McCoy and Dr. Marcus land on a planetoid near Qo'noS, the home planet of the Klingons. Their mission there is to retrieve and diffuse an advanced long-range torpedo. This scene was shot on Reynisfjara black sand beach in Iceland.
The area has been "re-imagined," shall we say, with the help of special effects so it looks like a large desert with black cliffs here and there. But it certainly manages to capture the feeling of exploring strange new worlds!
2013 - Thor: The Dark World
Iceland makes sense as a filming location for a movie about a character based on Norse mythology, which is exactly the case for Thor: The Dark World, starring Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, and Natalie Portman.
The black sand plains of Skeidararsandur were the setting for Svartalfheim, the home planet of the dark elves. This realm is based on a place with the same name from Norse cosmology, which is primarily attested in Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda.
Thor: The Dark World was also shot at Skogafoss waterfall, Domadalur valley, and Fjadrargljufur canyon. Unfortunately, the visual effects specialists at Marvel Studios took the title of the film a little too seriously, as you can barely see what's going on during most of the movie, let alone where in Iceland it was shot!
In the short video above, you can see behind-the-scenes footage of Hemsworth and the gang shooting in Iceland, minus the CGI shroud of darkness, so you can actually see the Icelandic landscapes in all their glory.
2013 - The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, directed by and starring Ben Stiller, is a movie about a man who works at a stale job, has an uneventful life, and goes on a globe-trotting journey of a lifetime. The majority of the movie was shot in Iceland, while representing three countries.
Mitty's first stop on his journey is Nuuk, Greenland. However, the scenes representing Greenland were, in fact, shot in Stykkisholmur, Iceland. The red house seen to the left in the image above is actually Hotel Egilsen, an excellent hotel in a historic building.
While in Nuuk, Mitty meets a helicopter pilot played by veteran Icelandic actor Ólafur Darri Ólafsson. Mitty takes a leap of faith and goes with the helicopter pilot to Iceland (with a short stop swimming in shark-infested waters) and travels all around the country.
When Mitty comes to Iceland, he starts heading towards Eyjafjallajokull volcano on a bike. What follows is a series of beauty shots of Iceland as Ben Stiller bicycles, hikes and longboards across the country.
The Icelandic vibes of this section of the movie are elevated even further with the song "Dirty Paws" by the Icelandic band Of Monsters and Men, which is played during the montage.
Walter Mitty ends up in the town of Stykkisholmur... which was actually shot in the town of Seydisfjordur! Why not just call it Seydisfjordur in the movie? I guess the movie makers are not concerned about the few souls that know the difference between these two small towns, being taken out of the immersion of the movie. Hotel Aldan, seen in the background, is an excellent country hotel that you can stay at if you're looking for accommodations in Seydisfjordur.
At one point in the movie, Mitty stops by a Papa John's Pizza restaurant in Iceland. This is a case of true movie magic as there is no, and never has been, a Papa John's in Iceland. It is, in fact, a bakery in the town of Borgarnes, which was dressed up as a Papa John's for the sake of the movie. Such is the wonder of product placement.
From there, Walter Mitty travels through Afghanistan with local companions as he heads toward the Himalayan mountains. In reality, Ben Stiller was still in Iceland, and in the shot above, you can see him hiking by the iconic Skogafoss waterfall, which is supposed to represent Afghanistan. This waterfall can be visited on this excellent 10-hour tour of the south coast of Iceland.
What follows is ANOTHER montage of beauty shots of Iceland, but this time representing the Afghan Himalayas. filming locations include Kalfafellsdalur valley and Fjallsjokull glacier, an outlet glacier of Oraefajokull.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty came out in 2013, which, at that point, was the most ambitious movie to be shot in Iceland, along with Oblivion that same year. With A-list actors and multiple locations across the country, it served as a great display of both the possibilities of Iceland as a shooting location and the competency of Icelandic film crews involved in the making of the movie. In the clip above, you can see Ben Stiller raving about his experience shooting in Iceland and why he felt it was perfect for the movie.
2013 - The Fifth Estate
The Fifth Estate is a thriller starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the founder of Wikileaks, Julian Assange. The film also stars Daniel Brühl and Anthony Mackie. This biographical movie chronicles the life of Assange during the founding of Wikileaks, which has some Icelandic connections, including the current editor-in-chief being Icelandic.
A short protest scene was shot in front of the Parliament of Iceland, at Austurvollur square. In the scene, actress Carice van Houten portrays real-life Icelandic MP Birgitta Jónsdóttir, who was a spokeswoman for Wikileaks, as she addresses the crowd. You can book a room at Hotel Borg for a wonderful view of this historic square in Reykjavik.
Another scene takes place with Benedict Cumberbatch and Daniel Brühl as they have a secret meeting at the Blue Lagoon. Why they would have a secret meeting at the most popular and well-known location in Iceland is unclear. Why the Blue Lagoon was totally empty that day, which never happens, is also a mystery. However, if you want to take a dip in this geothermal wonder, check out the selection of Blue Lagoon tours available.
- Learn more: Iceland's Blue Lagoon: The Ultimate Travel Guide
2013 - Naayak
Naayak is an Indian Telugu-language thriller starring Tollywood superstar Ram Charan. Most of the movie was shot in India, but there is an extended song sequence that was entirely shot in Iceland. Shooting locations are mostly on the south coast of Iceland and include the black sand beach of Reynisfjara and the crater lake of Ljotipollur.
There's also an epic shot of the movie's hero with the Reynisdrangar sea stacks in the background. However, don't be disappointed if, when you go there, you only see a couple of cliffs in the ocean, as they appear to have been copy/pasted all over the place for this shot to create a truly fantastical vision of Iceland for this movie.
2012 - Prometheus
The sci-fi horror Prometheus marked the return of director Ridley Scott to the Alien franchise, which he started with the eponymous film in 1979. It serves as a prequel to Alien and, without going too much into the plot, is about the origin of the iconic aliens, and even mankind. The movie starts with beautiful wide shots of Icelandic landscapes during the title sequence.
The opening scene features the so-called "Engineer" on what is supposed to be an alien planet. The scene was shot at the massive Dettifoss waterfall in North Iceland. This is the most powerful waterfall in the country, with a staggering 6,186 cubic feet (193 cubic meters) tumbling down every second! The waterfall can be explored on this immersive 9-hour guided tour of Iceland's northern region.
The engineer drinks a mysterious liquid, and then his body starts disintegrating as he falls apart and stumbles into the waterfall, washing away and supposedly creating new life on this alien planet.
- Read more: Top 20 Most Beautiful Waterfalls in Iceland
2011 - Tree of Life
Tree of Life is an experimental coming-of-age drama starring Brad Pitt and Sean Penn, directed by Terrence Malick. The movie is about the relationship between father and son and takes place simultaneously in the 1950's and the 2010's, with Sean Penn playing the son of Brad Pitt's character.
To make things even more confusing, the film also features depictions of the beginnings of life on Earth, dinosaurs and all! As Iceland is the youngest land mass on Earth, it makes sense to utilize it to display the planet coming to life. In the shot above, you can see the Krafla geothermal area.
Another location featured in the movie is the Namafjall geothermal area seen above, with its multi-colored fumaroles and boiling mud pots.
2011 - Faust
Faust is a Russian German-language film based on the legend of Faust, who sold his soul to the devil for worldly pleasures. It is directed by Russian master filmmaker Alexander Sokurov, who won the Golden Lion, the highest honor at the Venice Film Festival, for this film. It was mostly shot in the Czech Republic, but the climax sequences at the movie's end were shot in Iceland.
The ending of the movie has the film's characters dangerously close to an erupting hot spring, as well as a beautiful wide shot of a glacier. As you can see from these stills, the movie was shot in a 4:3 aspect ratio, and it also features long sequences where the picture goes in and out of focus as it eschews and stretches on the screen. In short, it's quite the experimental movie.
2000s Movies Filmed in Iceland
During the first decade of the 21st century, Hollywood would dip their toe into moviemaking in Iceland. Not many foreign films were shot in Iceland during this time, but the few that did were big-budget blockbusters with big-name actors. It helped get the word out to production studios that Iceland looked great on film!
2008 - Journey to the Center of the Earth
Journey to the Center of the Earth is an adventure film starring Oscar-award-winning actor Brendan Fraser and is based on the classic sci-fi novel of the same name by Jules Verne. In the novel, the journey through the hollow Earth starts on Snaefellsjokull glacier in Iceland.
In the movie, which takes place in modern times, Brendan Fraser's character wants to investigate whether the events of Verne's novel are indeed factual accounts, so he travels with his 13-year old nephew to Iceland. As they fly to Iceland, you can see a beautiful establishing shot of an Icelandair airplane, which looks like it's taken straight out of a TV commercial (which it probably was). If you want to make a similar journey, you can easily book your flight to Iceland today.
When they arrive in Iceland, they start heading toward the Snaefellsnes peninsula where they meet the daughter of a famed volcanologist, played by Icelandic actress Aníta Briem, who claims that the events of the novel were true. They climb up Snaefellsjokull glacier, looking for the entrance as they get trapped inside a cave during a lightning storm. From there, an epic adventure begins inside the Earth, but Iceland's exterior does not make another appearance in the movie. If you want to step in the footsteps of Brendan Fraser, you can go on a glacier hike up Snaefellsjokull on this thrilling tour or explore a cave in West Iceland.
2007 - Stardust
Stardust is a fantasy adventure film starring Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert De Niro, Ricky Gervais, Peter O'Toole, Ian McKellen, and Henry Cavill. That's quite a cast! While most of the movie was shot in Scotland, one scene was shot on the south-east coast of Iceland near Brunnhorn mountain.
Sometimes called the "Batman mountain" because of its shape, it appears in the background of one scene where a soothsayer is trying to predict the future for the mean Prince Septimus, played by Mark Strong.
2007 - Hostel Part II
For his sequel to Hostel, director Eli Roth filmed a spa sequence that’s supposed to take place in Italy, but is actually the Blue Lagoon in Iceland. Eli Roth has further connections to Iceland as the inspiration for his directorial debut Cabin Fever came from when he was staying in Iceland and developed a terrible skin infection. Additionally, in the original Hostel film, one of the main characters was Icelandic, played by an Icelandic amateur actor.
2006 - Letters from Iwo Jima
Letters from Iwo Jima is Clint Eastwood's companion piece to his 2005 film Flags of Our Fathers. While the first film was from the American viewpoint during the invasion of Iwo Jima in World War II, this film focuses on the Japanese side, with Ken Watanabe portraying General Tadamichi Kuribayashi, who oversaw the defense of the island. Much like Flags of Our Fathers, the battle scenes of this film were shot at Sandvik beach on the Reykjanes peninsula as the two movies were shot back-to-back.
2005 - Flags of Our Fathers
Flags of Our Fathers is a World War II movie directed by Clint Eastwood about the Battle of Iwo Jima in 1945. While most of the movie was shot in California, there were some simple scenes filmed at the real Iwo Jima island in Japan. However, as over 10,000 Japanese soldiers were laid to rest on the island in the war, it was not possible, or appropriate, to reenact the invasion on a large scale at Iwo Jima. Therefore, the black sand beach of Sandvik on the Reykjanes peninsula was the perfect filming location for the battle scenes of both Flags of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima.
This was an incredibly complex shoot, with over 1,000 people taking part in it, including helicopters, tanks, boats, and a lot of explosions. Even though the beach of Iwo Jima is 10 times larger than the beach at Sandvik, they managed to recreate the battle very convincingly, and it's truly harrowing to watch.
2005 - Batman Begins
Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins is the first movie in the highly popular and acclaimed Dark Knight trilogy about the black-clad masked superhero played by Christian Bale. Iceland is featured in a few scenes revealing Batman's origin story as he trains with the martial artists of the League of Shadows, led by the mysterious Ra's al Ghul, played by Liam Neeson.
While these scenes are supposed to take place in Tibet, they were actually shot at Svinafellsjokull glacier on Iceland's south coast. In the first scene of this origin story, Bruce Wayne is tossed out of a truck and left on the side of the road. Anyone familiar with Icelandic foliage will recognize the typical mossy lava field in the scene.
Then, there is a long panning aerial shot as Bruce Wayne walks toward the Tibetan monastery. In this shot, the Icelandic landscape is unmistakable as we get a nice view of the glacial tongue of Svinafellsjokull. If you want to hike on the very same glacier, check out this top-rated glacier walk tour in Skaftafell.
The high point of these Tibetan scenes that were shot in Iceland is the long sword duel between Christian Bale and Liam Neeson, who dusts off his lightsaber skills from playing Qui-Gon Jinn a few years prior. During the filming of this scene, both actors voiced concerns about the crackling noise of ice as they fought on it, afraid it would break underneath their feet. Fortunately, both actors survived, and the film was a great success.
2002 - Die Another Day
Die Another Day is the 20th film in the James Bond franchise and the second one to feature Iceland. Without going too much into the (convoluted) plot, James Bond, played by Pierce Brosnan, goes to Iceland to meet with a billionaire bad guy who has an ice palace by Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon.
Every bad guy needs cool-looking headquarters to plan all his villainous schemes, right?
It's not just an ice palace for a gaudy villain, but is also a popular "ice hotel." That's a hotel made of ice, if that wasn't clear. I hope I don't need to clarify that this palace does not exist in reality, but it's a combination of special effects and set design. However, there are hotels close to Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon where you can stay, such as the excellent Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon.
What follows is a thrilling chase scene across the frozen lagoon on all kinds of vehicles. For the shooting of this scene, the filmmakers had to create a temporary dam to prevent seawater from flowing into the lagoon. Otherwise, it would have been too warm for it to freeze over.
As one does in a Bond film, our hero needs to escape from an orbital mirror satellite sun-ray from space, which chases him across the ice.
Then Bond paraglide-surfs on a large wave on the glacier lagoon. A normal day at the office, really.
As he paraglides to safety, he hops on a conveniently placed snowmobile and tries to escape. Even if you're not escaping from baddies, going on a snowmobile tour in Iceland is a lot of fun!
Then, a long chase scene involving two Aston Martins with rocket launchers ensues on the ice. This was a "real" chase scene with stunt drivers on the frozen lagoon, with no CGI used. The filmmakers had waited for a few days for the lagoon to freeze over, which it usually doesn't do, and were ready to pack up and shoot the scene in Canada instead. Fortunately, the lagoon froze over just in time so they could shoot this ambitious chase scene on the ice. Fifteen years later, another chase scene on ice would be shot in Iceland for Fast and the Furious 8.
2001 - Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
Angelina Jolie portrays the iconic video game character Lara Croft in this action-adventure film from 2001. It is a true tomb-raiding, world-hopping adventure flick that takes place in various exotic places and contains a short scene shot at Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon in Iceland.
In this scene, Iceland is supposed to represent Siberia, Russia. The famous glacier lagoon is unmistakable in the background, while a set of huts and cabins in the foreground represent a small Siberian settlement. With plenty of huskies, of course!
Then, Lara Croft and her crew travel across the glacier lagoon on an amphibian boat. This is something that's possible to do during the summer, so book an amphibian tour on the Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon if you want to see the floating icebergs up close.
As Lara Croft gets closer to the artifact she's after, she rides across the snow on a dog sled. If you want to try this out, check out the selection of dog-sledding tours in Iceland.
20th Century Movies Filmed in Iceland
The 20th century did not see many international films being shot in Iceland. However, during the last two decades of the century, Icelandic cinema made great progress. Many movies considered Icelandic classics today were made during that time, such as Með allt á hreinu (On Top), Hrafninn flýgur (The Raven Flies), Sódóma Reykjavík (The Remote Control), and the Oscar-nominated Börn náttúrunnar (Children of Nature). The experience gained by Icelandic filmmakers during this time would prove invaluable when Hollywood came-a-knockin' in the 21st century.
1995 - Judge Dredd
Judge Dredd is a sci-fi action film starring Sylvester Stallone that takes place in a dystopian future, where an unspecified disaster transformed Earth into a "cursed" wasteland. And there's no other place to depict a cursed wasteland than the Reykjanes peninsula in Iceland!
Most of the movie was shot on set in England, but a few scenes depicting the "Cursed Earth," where criminals are sent to die, were filmed in Iceland. In the shot above, you can see the large city wall that protects the city in the movie, while the black sand plains are unmistakably Icelandic.
In the shot above, you can see the expansive lava fields on the Reykjanes peninsula, which definitely give off dystopian vibes. Keep in mind that there's a dark-reddish filter on the lens, making the fields look even more harrowing. You can explore this region of Iceland on the many available tours of the Reykjanes peninsula.
- Learn more: 22 Best Things to Do on the Reykjanes Peninsula
1985 - A View to a Kill
The movie that truly kicked off Iceland as a viable shooting location for big-budget Hollywood films was A View to a Kill, the fourteenth James Bond film and the last to have Roger Moore playing the iconic Agent 007.
The opening shot of the movie is of a helicopter flying over Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon, with an expanding "gun barrel" iris shot in true James Bond fashion, following the end of the title sequence.
In this opening scene, Iceland is supposed to represent Siberia, where James Bond has been sent to recover a Soviet microchip from the buried body of a British spy. Once he finds the chip, he needs to escape from an attack helicopter and a regiment of Soviet guards who are patrolling the area... on skis!
The highlight of this sequence is when James Bond defeats two armed guards with nothing but a snowboard!
Who knew 58-year old Roger Moore was such a rad snowboarder?
Then, a toy helicopter crashes into one of the icebergs!
That's a pretty large explosion for such a small helicopter!
Then James Bond makes his way into an iceberg-shaped submarine that was lurking in the lagoon, Union Jack and all! Thus concludes the first big-budget sequence ever filmed in Iceland. I hate to break the illusion of cinema magic, but Roger Moore did not travel to Iceland to shoot this sequence. His face can only be seen a couple of times during close-up shots, which were filmed in a studio, and a stunt actor did all the action in this scene.
1919 - Borgslægtens Historie (Sons of the Soil)
Now we go way into the past, back to the silent film era, with this full-length film by Danish director Gunnar Sommerfeldt. It was based on a novel by Icelandic author Gunnar Gunnarsson, making it the first Icelandic novel to be adapted into a film. The entire film was shot in Iceland, using a mix of Danish and Icelandic actors. It is a dramatic film about the relationship between two brothers around the turn of the 20th century.
Sons of the Soil is not available for viewing online, but it was last shown in Iceland in 2021 with a new original composition performed by the Nordic Symphony Orchestra. Below is a collection of frames from this remarkable piece of history, which gives a glimpse into life in Iceland over 100 years ago.
That's it for our list of movies filmed in Iceland. What is your favorite of these films? What shooting location would you most like to visit? Let us know in the comments below!
