10 Movies You Didn’t Know Were Filmed In Iceland

Iceland has been getting a lot of attention lately, and after spending a week there I have absolutely 0 doubts why.

Iceland has some of the most insanely epic scenery you’ll ever see in your entire life, from volcanoes covered in glaciers, to massive yet mystical waterfalls.

You will literally feel like your life is a movie when you’re in Iceland, which is why it isn’t surprising that many famous movies were filmed there! You might not have suspected most of the places, but then again, you probably wouldn’t know what to suspect unless you’ve been there!

So here are a few movie faves with scenes filmed in Iceland, plus a super popular show that you probably didn’t expect was filmed there as well!

1. James Bond (Die Another Day and A View To Kill)

You know those crazy cool fight scenes that are filmed on glaciers or Tibetian looking places? They were actually filmed at one of my personal favorite spots in Iceland, Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon in the Southeast Coast of Iceland.

It’s literally a lagoon filled with beautiful icebergs that break off from the glacier behind it, which makes for the ultimate eerie yet badass back drop for a James Bond Movie.

2. Lara Croft: Tomb Raider

Tomb Raider was also filmed at Jökulsárlón, most likely for the same reasons that James Bond was filmed there. It’s freaking badass. And it’s probably not as dangerous or inaccessible as the glaciers in places like Tibet or Antarctica.

3. Batman Begins

I think in the movie, Batman really is supposed to be in Tibet, but in real life, he’s not. He’s in Iceland. Batman Begins was filmed on Vatnajökull, one of the largest glaciers located in the Southeast Coast of Iceland as well.

4. Prometheus

Prometheus was also partially filmed in Vatnajökull, and I believe the scene is the “sacrafice scene” so sorry in advance for including a clip of that!

5. Thor: The Dark World

This commentary by the cast is cool because you get an idea of what people really think about Iceland. Thor himself (Chris Hemsworth) says that Iceland’s scenery is “epic” and Natalie Portman’s breath was clearly taken away. They filmed at Skogafoss, one of the biggest, most powerful waterfalls on the South coast!

6. Journey to the Center of the Earth

What’s cool about this one is that the movie is filmed at Snæfellsjökull, which is the volcano/glacier in Iceland that the book, Journey to the Center of the Earth, was based off of in the beginning scene. It looks like you’re on another planet if you drive up to it, so I have no doubts that it would lead to the center as well.

7. Hostel II

I have never and will never watch Hostel, but apparently part of it was filmed at the infamous Blue Lagoon in Iceland. It does have a pretty mysterious and eerie vibe to it, but I mostly thought it was just fun and pretty!

8. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Ben Stiller is another turned-Iceland-fan after his trip there to film The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. It was filmed all over Iceland which obviously provides the perfect scenery for his secretly adventurous life…or was it his imaginary one?

9. Game of Thrones

BOOM. Bet ya didn’t know that your favorite mideival fantasy show is mostly filmed in Iceland! That’s right! Not Norway, not Ireland, not Scotland, ICELAND. That is all.

10. Frozen

Ok so maybe Frozen isn’t technically filmed in Iceland, but some of the places I went to looked A LOT like the places you see in the actual movie! Plus Olaf is an Icelandic name, and there’s even a town called Olafsson!

Alyssa Ramos

Alyssa is a self-made travel blogger and social media influencer who packed away all of my stuff a few years ago and has been traveling solo full-time ever since.