10 Great Movies Filmed in Utah

Did you know Utah was originally going to be called Deseret? The leader of the Mormon Church at the time, Brigham Young, suggested this name in 1850, but it was turned down by the federal government. Utah was finally incorporated as a state in 1896, with Salt Lake City as its capital. The state was originally populated mostly by members of the Church of Latter Day Saints and took the beehive as its state emblem, symbolizing the kind of cooperative work required to make the desert bloom. These days, many movies filmed in Utah take advantage of its stunning geography of vast desert, lakes, and mountain scenery. 

1. 127 Hours (2010)

This harrowing biographical drama follows rock climber Aron Ralston (played by James Franco) after he finds that he is stuck alone in a canyon with only one option for escape. Ralson’s story was adapted, written and directed by Danny Boyle, who chose the film’s title based on the time it took from when Ralston was first trapped through to the time he was rescued.  Filmed in and around the rock climbing mecca of Moab, Utah, it is a cautionary tale and a classic among movies filmed in Utah.

2. The Tree of Life (2011)

Starring Jessica Chastain, Brad Pitt, and Sean Penn, the film ponders the meaning of life as chronicled in the dream-like memories of a young man as he comes of age and lives his life. Terrence Malick this indelible feature.

3. John Carter (2012)

This science-fiction action film is adapted from Edgar Rice Burroughs’ A Princess of Mars, written in 1912. Taylor Kitsch plays John Carter, with a standout supporting cast including Willem Dafoe, Dominic West, Samantha Morton, and Ciaran Hinds.

The film follows John Carter on his first interplanetary adventure in which he tries to help two warring intergalactic civilizations come to an agreement to end their conflict. Moab, Big Water, and Lake Powell, Utah, do a fine job of standing in for another planet.

4. The Lone Ranger (2013)

The hero John Reid, known as the Lone Ranger, is played by then-newcomer Armie Hammer, while his loyal sidekick Tonto, a Native American, is played against type by Johnny Depp. In this latest telling of the story, we are treated to Tonto’s point of view of the facts.

Filmed in Monument Valley, Moab, and Dead Horse Point State Park, this is a fine example of movies filmed in Utah, as it is almost entirely filmed in the desert landscape.

5. Gravity (2013)

Sandra Bullock plays Dr. Ryan Stone and George Clooney plays Lieutenant Matt Kowalski. Together they star as American astronauts in this thriller directed by Alfonso Cuarón. After a freak accident involving fast-moving space debris, the astronauts are stranded in space and are lucky to make their way back to their space shuttle base.

The two are horrified to discover the space shuttle has been incapacitated by the accident and the rest of the crew is dead. Will Stone and Kowalski make it back to Earth against all odds? While space scenes were filmed using CGI and green screen, the Earth scenes were filmed at Utah’s Lake Powell.

6. The Giver (2014)

The film is adapted from a 1993 story of the same name by Lois Lowry. Jeff Bridges stars as the Giver, and Meryl Streep stars as the Chief Elder in this dystopian drama in which society has been reorganized to remove any hint of conflict, pain, or suffering from human experience. Unfortunately, joy, love, and freedom have also been removed from human experience. Will the full range of human emotion ever return?

7. Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)

This is a science-fiction action film that ingeniously showcases the Transformers line of toys. A complicated backstory has been created to make the story interesting for adults and children. The strong cast is led by Mark Wahlberg in this green-screen CGI extravaganza of Transformers action. Real-life scenes were filmed in Monument Valley and Moab Utah to look suitably post-apocalyptic.

8. Wind River (2017)

Jeremy Renner plays Cory Lambert, a US Fish and Wildlife officer who finds a dead Indigenous woman while he is conducting a survey in a remote area. Elizabeth Olsen plays FBI agent Jane Banner, sent to the reservation to investigate the death.

Wind River highlights the plight of unknown numbers of Indigenous women who disappear across the United States every year. There seems to be a genocide taking place across the US with no government agency doing anything to stop it. Filmed in and around Park City, Utah, the film highlights the desolate beauty of movies filmed in Utah.

9. Brigsby Bear (2017)

This comedy stars Kyle Mooney, Claire Danes, Mark Hamill, and Andy Samberg. Mooney plays James, a man who has been a captive in an underground bunker for a very long time. During his incarceration, he obsessed over a kids TV program called Brigsby Bear.

Upon his rescue, he is told his captor was also the creator of the TV show. Once James is rescued, he continues to obsess over the show, and the only way to get it out of his system is to finish the story himself.

10. Molly’s Game (2017)

This is a crime drama written and directed by Aaron Sorkin and based on an autobiography by Molly Bloom. Jessica Chastain stars as Molly who is gutsy, smart, and incredibly brave as she conceives of and sets up an illicit poker game empire.

She makes mind-blowing amounts of money until the FBI catches on to her activities. Part of the film takes place in the wealthy winter playground of Park City, Utah.

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