(Credits: Netflix)

The Marine Corps just hit 250 years, which is wild when you think about how long that is. Entire countries have formed and fallen in that time, and these people have been out here training like every day is leg day. Meanwhile, some of us get winded climbing a single flight of stairs.

Netflix didn’t waste a second before jumping into the celebrations, obviously. The platform put together a small list that doesn’t just show uniforms and drills, but it shows the side you never see: the nerves, the personalities, the mistakes, and the friendships that form faster than a group chat during a crisis. And so we thought we’d take advantage of the opportunity and get you four stories about the Marine Corps.

The coolest part? Each title in this list taps into a different flavour of marine life. One gives you the raw training experience, another drags you through the harsh reality of war, one takes you back to the ’90s with all the social tension included, and then suddenly you’re watching a romantic drama where the Marine is fighting his own debt as much as anything else.

So, if you are ready to leave your civilian perspective at the door for a bit, let’s start with the list of stories of real-life heroes.

Four Marine Corps–inspired stories to stream on Netflix

MARINES (2025)

Starting with a recent release, MARINES, which is a documentary about the tough life on water. You’re suddenly standing with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit in the Pacific, and nobody is slowing down for the camera. You see recruits mentally negotiating with their own bodies, seniors barking instructions that sound like they were translated through three different languages, and a lot of faces trying very hard to pretend they’re not tired. Spoiler: they are.

But here is what actually pulls you in: the quiet bits. The moments between drills when someone cracks a joke that shouldn’t be funny but somehow is, or when a recruit admits they have no idea what they are doing, but they are trying anyway. You start recognising people, rooting for them, and guessing who’s going to step up next. The show doesn’t try to inspire you, and it doesn’t need to. It just places you in the middle of their world and lets you watch them become whatever they’re trying to become, one imperfect step at a time.

Jarhead (2005)

Sliding out of present-day training and dropping straight into the desert, Jarhead shows you what happens when a young Marine signs up expecting action… and ends up battling boredom and bad decisions and his own head instead. You follow Anthony Swofford, who is trying to survive boot camp, sniper school and the very specific misery we have all experienced at some point: waiting for something to happen while everything around us goes wrong.

The film has this relatable rhythm, and not because we’ve been to war (thank god), but because we all know what it feels like to train for something huge and then realise the real fight is with your own thoughts. Thankfully, Swofford has one friend who keeps him sane when everything else feels upside down. By the end, you understand why some stories stay with people long after the uniform comes off.

Boots (2025)

Moving from the sand to the ’90s, Boots feels like someone handed you a diary from a kid who had no idea he was about to walk into the hardest chapter of his life. Cameron is a closeted guy who is completely unprepared for Marine boot camp. His best friend, Ray, joins him, and suddenly you are watching two teenagers try to survive push-ups, authority, identity and, most importantly, teenage emotions.

What makes this show stand out is how honestly it treats its characters. You do not have any dramatic speeches or heroic slow-motion scenes. The show might be based on the ’90s, but the direction isn’t. You are watching kids trying to grow up in a place that tolerates nothing except discipline.

Purple Hearts (2022)

And finally, after all the sweat, sand and emotional damage, we land in the world of romance, Marine style. This movie became a sensation when it first came out in 2022. Purple Hearts gives you Cassie and Luke, two people who decide to fake a marriage for some very odd reasons, and suddenly they are stuck navigating rules and expectations and feelings and drama neither of them planned for. Cassie needs help, Luke needs money, and the military benefits system becomes the inconvenient middleman.

The unpolishness of their relationship is the real heart of the movie. They argue A LOT, and they also misread each other and their problems, but that’s also something that makes them feel more believable. It’s not a fairy tale. Just two people making questionable choices and trying to hold everything together while life throws complications at them from every direction. Nevertheless, this movie is a good weekend watch when you want something soft.