Ever since the movies began, well over a century ago, they have been finding new ways to, well, move us \u2014 to joy, to laughter, to fear, to tears, to the edges of our seats and to profound experiences that resonate through the years. From the misadventures of Peruvian bears<\/a> to the epic quests of almighty fellowships; painterly, whisper-quiet period romances to pop culture-shaping comic book blockbusters<\/a>; and from awe-inspiring animated adventures<\/a> to singular stories about the human experience hailing from all corners of the globe, there truly is something out there for everyone and all tastes.<\/p>\n How We Chose The Top 100 Best Movies Of All Time<\/p>\n In creating Empire’s list of the 100 best movies of all time, we enlisted the help of our esteemed readers, asking you to share your picks for the movies that have comforted, challenged, entertained and inspired you most \u2014 the films that, above all else, made and continue to make you feel something. Receiving over 3,000 responses with your painstakingly selected picks, we counted up the votes, assigning the top choices the most points, and vice-versa. Then, we turned to our experienced team of critics<\/a> and contributors to pool their expertise. Now, having weighed up the list and its entries’ artistic merit and cultural impact, we have, after much heated discussion, settled on our final line-up. Destined to delight some, enrage others, and confuse many more, we wholeheartedly believe that what we have here is a damn fine rundown of a hundred of the greatest features this medium has to offer.<\/p>\n Now, with the formalities dispensed with and the parameters of our cinematic odyssey set, here is Empire’s official rundown of The 100 Best Movies Of All Time…<\/p>\n Read on for a more detailed look at each of our top 100 movies of all time, including where they’re currently available to stream in the US.<\/p>\n The 100 Greatest Movies Ever Made (And Where To Watch Them)<\/p>\n 1) The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring (2001) Director: Peter Jackson<\/p>\n Starring: Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom, Sean Bean, Cate Blanchett, Liv Tyler<\/p>\n Release Date: December 13, 2001<\/p>\n Runtime: 178 minutes<\/p>\n A wizard is never late. Nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he… well, you know the rest. It might have taken 20 years for New Zealand director Peter Jackson’s plucky fantasy to clamber, Mount-Doom-style, to the very pinnacle of our greatest-movies pantheon. But here it is, brighter and more resplendent than ever. The Fellowship Of The Ring<\/a> contains so much movie. Even at the halfway point, as the characters take a breather to bicker in Rivendell, you already feel sated, like you’ve experienced more thrills, more suspense, more jollity and ethereal beauty than a regular film could possibly muster up. But Jackson is only getting started.<\/p>\n Onwards his adventure hustles, to the bravura dungeoneering of Khazad-dum, to the sinisterly serene glades of Lothlorien, to the final requiem for flawed Boromir amidst autumnal leaves. As Fellowship thrums to its conclusion, finally applying the brakes with a last swell of Howard Shore’s heavenly score, you’re left feeling euphoric, bereft and hopeful, all at the same time.<\/p>\n The Two Towers has the coolest battle. The Return Of The King boasts the most batshit, operatic spectacle. But Fellowship remains the most perfect of the three, matching every genius action beat with a soul-stirring emotional one, as its Middle-earth-traversing gang swells in size in the first act, then dwindles in the third. This oddball suicide squad has so much warmth and wit, they’re not just believable as friends of each other \u2014 they’ve come to feel like they’re our buddies too.<\/p>\n An ornately detailed masterwork with a huge, pulsing heart, it’s just the right film for our times \u2014 full of craft, conviction and a belief that trudging forward, step by step, in dark days is the bravest act of all. Its ultimate heroes aren’t the strongest, or those with the best one-liners, but the ones who just keep going. And so Fellowship endures: a miracle of storytelling, a feat of filmmaking and still the gold standard for cinematic experiences. Right, now that’s decided, who’s up for a second breakfast?<\/p>\n Streaming on: HBO Max<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring<\/a>. See where the LOTR films came in our list of the best movie trilogies<\/a> of all time.<\/p>\n 2) Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) Director: Irvin Kershner<\/p>\n Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, David Prowse<\/p>\n Release Date: May 21, 1980<\/p>\n Runtime: 124 minutes<\/p>\n If Star Wars<\/a> gave us a whole new cinematic galaxy, Empire made that galaxy feel so much larger, deeper, and richer. Bolstered by the original’s success, George Lucas shot for the moon a second time around, teaming up with director Irvin Kershner to tell the story of Luke training under Master Yoda, Han and Leia heading to Cloud City, and Darth Vader dropping the daddy of all twists. Episode V ramped up the scope with more astonishing model work, dizzying dogfights, the snowy Hoth battle, and a ferocious lightsaber duel between Luke and Vader. It is, simply, bigger and better than the original Star Wars, influential in its own right with its downer-ending and game-changing familial revelations. We love it. You know.<\/p>\n Streaming on: Disney+<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of The Empire Strikes Back<\/a>, or see our list of the 50 greatest Star Wars characters of all time<\/a>.<\/p>\n 3) The Godfather (1972) Director: Francis Ford Coppola<\/p>\n Starring: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, John Cazale, Talia Shire<\/p>\n Release Date: March 15, 1972<\/p>\n Runtime: 175 minutes<\/p>\n Stanley Kubrick once described Francis Ford Coppola’s adaptation of Mario Puzo’s novel as the best film ever made \u2013 though having previously topped this list, this time it falls to bronze position. At once an arthouse drama and a commercial blockbuster, The Godfather marked the dawn of the age of the mega-movie. An icon of the gangster genre, it\u2019s imprinted in popular culture \u2013 “Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes”, the horse’s head in the bed \u2013 but the first installment of Brando’s cotton-cheeked patriarch’s fight for power is so much more than those moments<\/a>. With performances, style and substance to savor, it managed to both smash box office records and live on<\/a> as a staple of cinematic canon.<\/p>\n Streaming on: Paramount+<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of The Godfather<\/a>, or see our list of the 20 best moments from The Godfather trilogy<\/a>.<\/p>\n 4) The Dark Knight (2008) Director: Christopher Nolan<\/p>\n Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman<\/p>\n Release Date: July 18, 2008<\/p>\n Runtime: 152 minutes<\/p>\n And away\u2026 we\u2026 go! After constructing a whole new Gotham in Batman Begins<\/a>, Christopher Nolan introduced the clown intent on tearing the whole thing down. Despite being a Batman<\/a> movie (albeit the first ever not to have ‘Batman’ in the title), The Dark Knight is absolutely The Joker’s show \u2013 the late, great Heath Ledger (an initially controversial choice) putting in a visceral, transformative, truly terrifying performance as the Clown Prince Of\u2026 not exactly Crime, but pure, unadulterated Chaos. Less than a decade after 9\/11, Nolan re-conceived Batman’s greatest foe as an unpredictable terrorist intent on turning the people of Gotham against each other \u2013 his actions intended to spark mass discord pulled off in jaw-dropping set-pieces. For all the spectacle, this is a very different blockbuster from the off \u2013 the genius opening clown-mask bank heist is the film in miniature, an ambitious crime saga clad in superhero trappings, daring and ruthless and full of surprises. The Dark Knight is full-strength, no-holds-barred, firing-on-all cylinders Nolan, and not just an all-time great comic book movie, but an all-time great movie period \u2014 as the movie’s rightful high ranking here attests.<\/p>\n Streaming on: HBO Max<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of The Dark Knight<\/a>. See where it came in our Batman movie ranking<\/a>.<\/p>\n 5) The Shawshank Redemption (1994) Director: Frank Darabont<\/p>\n Starring: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, William Sadler<\/p>\n Release Date: September 23, 1994<\/p>\n Runtime: 142 minutes<\/p>\n The warm, leathery embrace of Morgan Freeman’s narration… The reassuringly Gary Cooper-ish rumple of Tim Robbins’ face… Odd that a movie which features such harshness and tragedy should remain a feel-good perennial \u2014 even odder when you consider it was a box-office flop on release. Few directorial debuts are so deftly constructed; no surprise, then, that Frank Darabont has yet to top it.<\/p>\n Rent on: Apple TV<\/a> | Amazon Video<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of The Shawshank Redemption<\/a>.<\/p>\n 6) Jaws (1975) Director: Steven Spielberg<\/p>\n Starring: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss<\/p>\n Release Date: June 20, 1975<\/p>\n Runtime: 124 minutes<\/p>\n The impact of Jaws simply cannot be overstated. It created the notion of the summer blockbuster. It made millions feel it wasn\u2019t safe to go back in the water. And, for all the clear potential of his early work, it well and truly put Spielberg on the map. It was, famously, nightmarish to shoot \u2014 waterlogged, behind schedule, over budget, and with a mechanical shark that kept breaking. But for all that churn beneath the surface, what the audience sees is effortless brilliance \u2014 a tense, beautifully-shot shark-attack thriller with deeply-layered characters, outstanding dialogue, and heart-stopping moments forever burned in the cultural landscape. Roy Scheider is utterly believable as vulnerable everyman police chief Martin Brody, forced to face the reality of a murderous shark on the shores of Amity Island, teaming up with Richard Dreyfuss\u2019 preppy marine biologist Hooper and Robert Shaw\u2019s salty sea-dog Quint to blow it to bits. Their chemistry steers the entire ship \u2014 sure, the scary set-pieces are outstanding, but so too is Quint\u2019s haunting USS Indianapolis monologue. But the real star here isn\u2019t them, or even Bruce the shark \u2014 it\u2019s Spielberg himself. The eerie shark POV shots. The mind-bending dolly zooms. The head popping out of the boat. His work here is a pure display of cinematic mastery from first minute to last \u2014 the head, the tail, the whole damn thing.<\/p>\n Streaming on: Netflix<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of Jaws<\/a>, or our ultimate viewer’s guide to Jaws here<\/a>.<\/p>\n 7) Pulp Fiction (1994) Director: Quentin Tarantino<\/p>\n Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Bruce Willis<\/p>\n Release Date: October 14, 1994<\/p>\n Runtime: 154 minutes<\/p>\n After Reservoir Dogs announced Tarantino as a blistering new voice in American indie cinema, the filmmaker took everything that made his debut great and expanded on it. Across a set of interweaving tales, a host of hitmen, armed robbers, fixers and an ageing boxer find themselves entangled in stories of death, drugs, and lucky escapes in ’90s LA \u2013 all interspersed with self-aware conversations on pop culture, religion, and the nature of crime itself. It’s about everything and nothing at once, an exercise in pure style but with substance to match, and dialogue so memorable that entire chunks have entered the cultural consciousness at large. Pulp Fiction embodies everything that made early ’90s independent cinema (and Tarantino himself) so exciting and fresh \u2013 playful and unexpected, steeped in genre knowledge, the coolest images set to the coolest soundtrack. And with truly iconic performances from John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Harvey Keitel, Bruce Willis and more, the whole thing is an embarrassment of cinematic riches. Somehow both of its time and entirely timeless, Pulp Fiction just never gets old.<\/p>\n Streaming on: AMC+<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of Pulp Fiction<\/a>. See where it came in our Quentin Tarantino movie ranking<\/a>.<\/p>\n 8) Avengers: Infinity War (2018) Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo<\/p>\n Starring: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Chadwick Boseman, Chris Hemsworth, Sebastian Stan, Josh Brolin<\/p>\n Release Date: April 27, 2018<\/p>\n Runtime: 149 minutes<\/p>\n It was the biggest crossover event in cinematic history, and the biggest cliffhanger we never saw coming. After ten years and eighteen movies, Marvel took superhero filmmaking to a new level when they united all of Earth’s mightiest heroes (and several more) against The Mad Titan himself \u2013 and incredibly, devastatingly, they lost. Infinity War crashed much-loved characters into each other’s orbits, flitting between planets at breakneck speed as the Avengers desperately tried to stop Thanos from clicking his fingers and wiping out half the universe. Spectacular action, punch-the-air moments and big-scale battles are perfectly balanced, as all things should be, with hilarious interplays and aching emotion. Oh snap.<\/p>\n Streaming on: Disney+<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of Avengers: Infinity War<\/a>. See where it came in our MCU ranking<\/a>.<\/p>\n 9) Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981) Director: Steven Spielberg<\/p>\n Starring: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, John Rhys-Davies<\/p>\n Release Date: June 12, 1981<\/p>\n Runtime: 115 minutes<\/p>\n In ’81, it must have sounded like the ultimate pitch: the creator of Star Wars teams up with the director of Jaws to make a rip-roaring, Bond-style adventure starring the guy who played Han Solo, in which the bad guys are the evillest ever (the Nazis) and the MacGuffin is a big, gold box which unleashes the power of God. It still sounds like the ultimate pitch.<\/p>\n Streaming on: Prime Video<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of Raiders Of The Lost Ark<\/a>. Read why it’s the best Indiana Jones film here<\/a>.<\/p>\n 10) Goodfellas (1990) Director: Martin Scorsese<\/p>\n Starring: Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco, Paul Sorvino<\/p>\n Release Date: September 19, 1990<\/p>\n Runtime: 145 minutes<\/p>\n No film hits like Goodfellas<\/a>. Just like the cocaine that turns effortlessly charismatic gangster fanboy Henry Hill into a reckless maniac, that drives him to the edge of a heart attack, that makes him paranoid (OR IS HE?), the film enters your system with a jolt, giving you an immediate rush, and keeps you wanting more, more, more, MORE, until it finally comes crashing down, back to bleak reality, and then just finishes. And you have to live the rest of your life like a schnook, because, frankly, no other film compares to Goodfellas. The only solution: another big snort of Goodfellas. Scorsese, writer Nicholas Pileggi and editor Thelma Schoonmaker constructed almost the entire film like a trailer, one scene bleeding into the next, not giving you the opportunity to stop watching, to let go, to take a breath. It\u2019s an unstoppable feat of propulsion. Now that\u2019s cinema.<\/p>\n Streaming on: YoutubeTV<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of Goodfellas<\/a>. See where it came in our Martin Scorsese movie ranking<\/a>.<\/p>\n 11) Star Wars (1977) Director: George Lucas<\/p>\n Starring: Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill<\/p>\n Release Date: May 25, 1977<\/p>\n Runtime: 121 minutes<\/p>\n Such is its cultural ubiquity and omnipresence today that it’s hard now to even imagine the seismic impact of the original Star Wars \u2014 of that opening moment in which the Star Destroyer looms over the camera for a seeming infinity; of that first glimpse of a binary sunset; of that first, well, everything that we’ve come to know and love about that galaxy far, far away. Bursting with iconic aliens, hyper-space travel, and galactic overlords, George Lucas transplanted the classic hero’s journey narrative (Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker is the simple farm-boy who discovers he’s got a much bigger destiny out in the world) into a boundlessly imaginative universe of laser-swords and mystical religions, space-princesses and loveable rogues. From its incredible model work, to its cosmic dogfights, to the look of the opening crawl as it drifts off into the stars, the original Star Wars changed everything \u2013 and the world at large has been feeling the Force ever since.<\/p>\n Streaming on: Disney+<\/a> | AMC+<\/a> | Philo<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of Star Wars<\/a><\/p>\n 12) Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) Director: George Miller<\/p>\n Starring: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Riley Keough<\/p>\n Release Date: May 15, 2015<\/p>\n Runtime: 120 minutes<\/p>\n In which old dog George Miller taught Hollywood some new tricks. Stripping the chase movie down to its raw essentials (the plot is basically: run away… then run back again!), Miller expertly built the narrative through some of the most astonishing and gloriously operatic action scenes we’d seen in yonks. While also ensuring his female characters are the film’s strongest; Charlize Theron’s Furiosa and Immortan Joe’s ex-brides are inheriting a world “killed” by men\u2026<\/p>\n Streaming on: Netflix<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of Mad Max: Fury Road<\/a><\/p>\n 13) Back To The Future (1985) Director: Robert Zemeckis<\/p>\n Starring: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover<\/p>\n Release Date: July 3, 1985<\/p>\n Runtime: 116 minutes<\/p>\n Part science-fiction caper, part generational culture-clash movie, part weirdo family drama (in which the hero has to rescue his own existence after his mother falls in lust with him, eww), Back To The Future still manages to be timeless despite being so rooted in, well, time. And it might just have the best title of anything on this entire list.<\/p>\n Rent on: Amazon Prime<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of Back To The Future<\/a><\/p>\n 14) The Godfather Part II (1974) Godfather Part II, The \u00a9TMDB films 240<\/p>\n Director: Francis Ford Coppola<\/p>\n Starring: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, John Cazale, Diane Keaton<\/p>\n Release Date: December 12, 1974<\/p>\n Runtime: 202 minutes<\/p>\n Often cited as the greatest-ever sequel, TGPII, as no-one’s ever called it, is more accurately described as a seprequel. In a narrative masterstroke, it parallels Michael’s (Al Pacino) consolidation of power with the ascendance of his Dad, Vito (Robert De Niro); the triumph of one paving the way to the utter corruption of the other.<\/p>\n Streaming on: Paramount+<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of The Godfather Part II<\/a><\/p>\n 15) Jurassic Park (1993) Director: Steven Spielberg<\/p>\n Starring: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough<\/p>\n Release Date: June 11, 1983<\/p>\n Runtime: 127 minutes<\/p>\n When dinosaurs first ruled the movie-Earth, they did so in a herky-jerky stop-motion manner that while charmingly effective, required a fair dose of disbelief-suspension. When Steven Spielberg brought them back on Isla Nublar, he perfected the summer blockbuster<\/a>, and we felt for the first time they could be real, breathing animals (as opposed to monsters). And that’s as much thanks to Stan Winston’s astonishing animatronics work as to ILM’s groundbreaking CGI.<\/p>\n Rent on: Amazon Prime<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of Jurassic Park<\/a>, or see our list of the 28 best dino moments in the franchise<\/a>.<\/p>\n 16) Blade Runner (1982) Director: Ridley Scott<\/p>\n Starring: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Daryl Hannah<\/p>\n Release Date: June 25, 1982<\/p>\n Runtime: 117 minutes<\/p>\n Rain-lashed, noodle-bar-packed streets shrouded in perpetual night, with giant adverts and neon signs doing the job you’d usually expect of the sun itself… The not-too-distant future had never looked cooler than in Ridley Scott’s sci-fi gumshoe noir, and we’re not sure it ever will.<\/p>\n Rent on: Amazon Prime<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of Blade Runner<\/a><\/p>\n 17) Aliens (1986) Director: James Cameron<\/p>\n Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Carrie Henn, Paul Reiser, Bill Paxton<\/p>\n Release Date: July 18, 1986<\/p>\n Runtime: 137 minutes<\/p>\n The genius of James Cameron’s self-penned Alien follow-up was to not try to top the original as one of the greatest ever horror movies. Instead, he transplanted the Alien (and, significantly, Ripley) to a different genre, and created one of the greatest ever action movies. That’s also a Vietnam metaphor. And also one of the most enduringly quotable films.<\/p>\n Streaming on: Hulu<\/a> | Fubo TV<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of Aliens<\/a>. See where it came in our Alien movie ranking<\/a>.<\/p>\n 18) Parasite (2019) Director: Bong Joon-ho<\/p>\n Starring: Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Park So-dam, Choi Woo-sik<\/p>\n Release Date: November 1, 2019<\/p>\n Runtime: 132 minutes<\/p>\n Few award ceremony moments stick in the mind more than Parasite taking the Best Picture gong at the Oscars in 2020. It’s no surprise that it made history as the first non-English language movie to do so \u2013 this South Korean genre-defying delight offers some of the biggest twists and expertly mounted tension in recent memory, with a family of excellent performances from Song Kang-ho, Park So-dam, Choi Woo-sik and more. Bitingly satirical, darkly comedic and made with unmatched precision, Parasite doesn’t just overcome the ‘one inch barrier’ of subtitles, as referenced in director Bong Joon-ho’s acceptance speech \u2013 it obliterates it entirely.<\/p>\n Streaming on: Netflix<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of Parasite<\/a>, or our film-by-film guide to director Bong Joon-ho<\/a>.<\/p>\n 19) Inception (2010) Director: Christopher Nolan<\/p>\n Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Cillian Murphy, Tom Hardy, Elliot Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt<\/p>\n Release Date: July 16, 2010<\/p>\n Runtime: 138 minutes<\/p>\n Talk about a true original. Christopher Nolan\u2019s dreamy blockbuster takes layers of subconsciousness and turns them into action playgrounds, as a group of benevolent criminals set about planting the seed of an idea in the mind of a business magnate. Along with\u00a0Tenet<\/a>, this is the closest Nolan has come to making a Bond movie \u2013 just check out that snowy setpiece. While there\u2019s plenty of braininess here (and a tantalising make-your-own-mind-up ending), there\u2019s real brawn too: the climactic action sequence is so huge it takes up almost half the movie, and is actually\u00a0three\u00a0big action sequences temporally nested inside each other around a surreal, metaphysical-conflict core. Couldn\u2019t be simpler, really.<\/p>\n Streaming on: HBO Max<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of Inception<\/a>. See where it came in our Christopher Nolan movie ranking<\/a>.<\/p>\n 20) The Matrix (1999) Directors: Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski<\/p>\n Starring: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Ann Moss, Laurence Fishburne, Hugo Weaving<\/p>\n Release Date: March 31, 1999<\/p>\n Runtime: 136 minutes<\/p>\n Blending kung-fu brawls, philosophy, identity politics, apocalyptic sci-fi, and a sense of digital dread,\u00a0The Matrix\u00a0took every rule of cinema and bent it to its own end. The Wachowski sisters followed up\u00a0Bound<\/a>\u00a0with a mind-bending action classic, tapping into cyber-anxieties and Gen X disenfranchisement to reimagine the world we know as a simulation, blinding us from the truth. As we watch Keanu Reeves\u2019 Neo find his liberation, we see him unlock the ability to \u2018hack\u2019 himself, and the world around him, for good. Still finding new resonances after all this time,\u00a0The Matrix\u00a0keeps revealing new depths \u2013 while simply remaining one of the coolest blockbusters ever made. (Oh, and\u00a0the sequels are better than you remember<\/a>.)<\/p>\n Rent on: Amazon Prime<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of The Matrix<\/a><\/p>\n 21) Alien (1979) Director: Ridley Scott<\/p>\n Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt, Ian Holm, Harry Dean Stanton<\/p>\n Release Date: May 25, 1979<\/p>\n Runtime: 117 minutes<\/p>\n Talk about a perfect organism. This masterful sci-fi horror is, in its first half, so mysterious and unknowable, conjuring grand interstellar imagery as the crew of the spaceship Nostromo follows a distress call to an inhospitable planet to investigate. And then, in its second half, it brings the terror, as the titular life-form bursts onto the scene (quite literally) and starts picking them all off one by one. Ridley Scott conjures astonishing imagery, and wrangles the chaos with careful precision once the blood starts spraying (whether regular or acid), while Sigourney Weaver\u2019s Ripley emerges from the ensemble not just as a hero, but \u2013 arguably \u2013\u00a0the\u00a0hero.<\/p>\n Streaming on: Hulu<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of Alien<\/a>. See where it came in our Alien movie ranking<\/a>.<\/p>\n 22) Avengers: Endgame (2019) Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo<\/p>\n Starring: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Paul Rudd, Jeremy Renner, Josh Brolin<\/p>\n Release Date: April 26, 2019<\/p>\n Runtime: 181 minutes<\/p>\n What does it take to dethrone James Cameron? A blockbuster of behemothic proportions. The weight of expectations on Endgame \u2014 the culmination of 11 years of interweaving stories, following up the greatest cinematic cliffhanger since The Empire Strikes Back \u2014 was immense, which only makes it more miraculous that the Russo Brothers (and writers Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeeley) delivered a thrilling, adventurous, emotional time-travelling trip through the entire MCU so far. The character pay-offs are just as staggering as the action \u2014 and when Steve Rogers finally proved worthy enough to lift Mjolnir, a stone-cold cultural moment was created.<\/p>\n Streaming on: Disney+<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of Avengers: Endgame<\/a><\/p>\n 23) 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) Director: Stanley Kubrick<\/p>\n Starring: Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester, Daniel Richter<\/p>\n Release Date: April 3, 1986<\/p>\n Runtime: 149 minutes<\/p>\n Of all Stanley Kubrick\u2019s work, his game-changing science-fiction film is arguably his greatest gift to cinema \u2013 an infinitely ambitious vision of a space-faring future whose narrative centers on the most pivotal moment in human evolution since some ape-man first bashed another ape-man with an old bone.\u00a02001\u00a0is both deeply architectural, as a series of chapters depicting moments across the vastness of time where humanity transcends itself, but also unknowable and mysterious \u2013 and the sheer technical craft of it remains gobsmacking. It\u2019s graceful, gorgeous, unwearied by time’s passing. Rather like those mesmerising monoliths.<\/p>\n Streaming on: Cinemax<\/a> | HBO Max<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of 2001: A Space Odyssey<\/a>. See where it ranked on our list of the best sci-fi movies of all time<\/a>.<\/p>\n 24) Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) Director: James Cameron<\/p>\n Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, Robert Patrick<\/p>\n Release Date: July 3, 1991<\/p>\n Runtime: 136 minutes<\/p>\n Making Arnie’s T-800 a protector rather than a killer for part two could have been a shark-jump moment for the Terminator series. But we’re talking about James Cameron here, so it paid off \u2013 to a mind boggling degree. For all the greatness of the original, this sequel has really become\u00a0the\u00a0Terminator movie, turning the tables on the original premise as the T-800 protects a young John Connor from the slick liquid-metal T-1000. The action is bigger, the effects still excellent, and the heart so clear, as Connor and his metal protector teach each other the ways of the world. And don\u2019t get us started on the evolution of Sarah Connor, both badass and tragic. Hasta la vista, baby.<\/p>\n Streaming on: Paramount+<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of Terminator 2: Judgment Day<\/a><\/p>\n 25) Fight Club (1999) Director: David Fincher<\/p>\n Starring: Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, Helena Bonham Carter, Jared Leto<\/p>\n Release Date: October 15, 1999<\/p>\n Runtime: 139 minutes<\/p>\n Forget the rules: we really should talk about\u00a0Fight Club. David Fincher\u2019s adaptation of the Chuck Palahniuk novel is so many things in one: a psychological thriller, a bruising drama, and \u2013 perhaps most importantly \u2013 a tar-black comedy. There\u2019s a smirking Gen X disdain to the satire here, as 1990s consumerism clashes with raw masculinity run wild \u2013 with literally explosive results. The now widely-known twist is brilliantly handled, as are the twin performances of Edward Norton\u2019s unnamed whacked-out drone, and Brad Pitt\u2019s wiry brawler Tyler Durden, who draws disenfranchised men into his underground fight club (and, eventually, terrorist-cult). All these years on, we\u2019re still talking about it.<\/p>\n Streaming on: Apple TV<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of Fight Club<\/a><\/p>\n 26) Die Hard (1988) Director: John McTiernan<\/p>\n Starring: Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia, Reginald VelJohnson<\/p>\n Release Date: July 15, 1988<\/p>\n Runtime: 132 minutes<\/p>\n It\u2019s no hyperbole to say that\u00a0Die Hard\u00a0reinvented action cinema as we know it. Even now, all these years later, so many modern action films could be teed up as, \u201cIt\u2019s\u00a0Die Hard\u00a0in [insert location here].\u201d In the case of actual\u00a0Die Hard, it\u2019s\u00a0Die Hard\u00a0in an office block \u2013 as Bruce Willis\u2019 ordinary cop John McClane attends his estranged wife\u2019s Christmas office party, and finds himself thwarting a terrorist plot led by Alan Rickman\u2019s Hans Gruber. The action is crisp and propulsive, matched in tempo by the rapid-fire sarcasm of McClane himself, grumbling his way through a very, very bad Christmas Eve. It made Willis into a movie star; it made Rickman immortal; it even made air vents into cinematic gold.<\/p>\n Streaming on: Prime Video<\/a> | Hulu<\/a> | Youtube TV<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of Die Hard<\/a>. See where it came in our Christmas movie ranking<\/a> (yes, it definitely is one!).<\/p>\n 27) The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King (2003) Director: Peter Jackson<\/p>\n Starring: Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom<\/p>\n Release Date: December 17, 2003<\/p>\n Runtime: 201 minutes<\/p>\n It all led to this.\u00a0The Lord Of The Rings\u00a0trilogy was always heading for a fiery conclusion, and Peter Jackson doesn\u2019t hold back on the operatic drama as Frodo, Sam, and Gollum make for Mount Doom \u2013 while the rest of the Fellowship battles for the soul of Middle-earth. This Academy Award-laden trilogy-closer has some of the most colossal and entertaining battle scenes ever mounted; it has an awesome giant spider; it has that fantastic dramatic-ironic twist when Gollum saves the day through his own treachery; and it has that bit where Eowyn says, \u201cI am no man.\u201d In short, it deserves every Oscar \u2013 even if, yes, it does have a\u00a0lot\u00a0of endings.<\/p>\n Streaming on: HBO Max<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of The Return Of The King<\/a><\/p>\n 28) Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade (1989) Director: Steven Spielberg<\/p>\n Starring: Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, alison Doody, Denholm Elliott, John Rhys-Davies<\/p>\n Release Date: May 24, 1989<\/p>\n Runtime: 127 minutes<\/p>\n You voted\u2026 wisely. The final chapter of the original\u00a0Indiana Jones\u00a0trilogy is the most soulful of the lot. Underpinning all the adventure and the Nazi-punching, the father-son relationship \u2013 and its connection to faith \u2013 between Indy and Henry Jones Sr. (Sean Connery, in a masterstroke of casting, despite there only being 12 years between them) is truly heartfelt. On that foundation is built two hours of giddily entertaining popcorn cinema, a globetrotting quest for the Holy Grail that takes in blimps, Venetian churches, and a face-to-face encounter with Hitler himself \u2013 but it\u2019s the bickering dynamic between Indiana and his dad that truly makes it.<\/p>\n Streaming on: Youtube TV<\/a> | Prime Video<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade<\/a>. Here\u2019s our argument for\u00a0why it\u2019s the best Indiana Jones film<\/a>.<\/p>\n 29) Apocalypse Now (1979) Director: Francis Ford Coppola<\/p>\n Starring: Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall<\/p>\n Release Date: August 15, 1979<\/p>\n Runtime: 147 minutes<\/p>\n The making of\u00a0Apocalypse Now\u00a0was famously not fun. Budgets blown, schedules vastly overrunning, actors going rogue \u2013 it was a shoot of sweltering madness. Which is exactly what Coppola\u2019s Vietnam war epic needed, channelling Joseph Conrad\u2019s\u00a0Heart Of Darkness\u00a0in its tale of a Colonel gone mad (Marlon Brando\u2019s magnetic Kurtz) and the soldier dispatched to track him down (Martin Sheen\u2019s Captain Willard), going up-river into ever-deeper thickets of the jungle on his quest. The results are mesmeric, tapping into something primal and translating it onto the context of a specific conflict. It\u2019s gone on to influence an entire generation of filmmakers \u2013 not just war movies, but across the cinematic spectrum.<\/p>\n Rent on: Apple TV<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of Apocalypse Now<\/a><\/p>\n 30) Heat (1995) Director: Michael Mann<\/p>\n Starring: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer, Jon Voight<\/p>\n Release Date: December 15, 1995<\/p>\n Runtime: 170 minutes<\/p>\n There\u2019s a reason why\u00a0Heat\u00a0has remained the pinnacle of epic crime cinema for over three decades. Combining the directorial sweep of Michael Mann, with the ultimate\u00a0mano a mano\u00a0between Al Pacino (as LA detective Lt. Vincent Hanna) and Robert De Niro (as criminal Neil McCauley), this is the one of the all-time-great cat-and-mouse thrillers. The duo only share the screen twice across the runtime, but they are monumental showdowns, where every word feels weighted not just with\u00a0Heat\u2019s own heft, but the entire cinematic legacies of each star. Those scenes virtually fizz with alpha-star electricity \u2013 the exact reason\u00a0Heat remains so hot.<\/p>\n Streaming on: Fubo TV<\/a> | Paramount+<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of Heat<\/a><\/p>\n 31) Interstellar (2014) Director: Christopher Nolan<\/p>\n Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain<\/p>\n Release Date: November 5, 2014<\/p>\n Runtime: 169 minutes<\/p>\n To an extent, Interstellar stands as Christopher Nolan\u2019s most intelligent movie \u2013 its evocation of black holes, gravity distortions and extra-dimensional science was cooked up with physicist Kip Thorne for cutting-edge fidelity. But it\u2019s all in service of his most heartfelt message \u2013 using those PhD smarts to convey that the most powerful force in the entire universe is love, actually. Matthew McConaughey is heartbreaking as the NASA pilot who mans a last-ditch mission to space to save the human race from a dying Earth \u2013 even though it means leaving his daughter behind. Across the stars, he hopes to find a new home for humanity, all the while reckoning with his own. Epic and emotional in equal measure, with a sarcastic robot to boot.<\/p>\n Rent on: Amazon Video<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of Interstellar<\/a>. Here’s our explanation of the plot<\/a>, if it left you a bit confused.<\/p>\n 32) The Thing (1982) Director: John Carpenter<\/p>\n Starring: Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley, Keith David, Richard Masur<\/p>\n Release Date: June 25, 1982<\/p>\n Runtime: 109 minutes<\/p>\n Taking its bones from Howard Hawks\u2019 1951 film The Thing From Another World, John Carpenter\u2019s chilly paranoid terror is perhaps the ultimate example that a remake can outstrip the original. The Thing is both a stomach-churning sci-fi horror bursting with gruesome gore, as its shape-shifting intergalactic menace revels in fleshy mutations; but it\u2019s also a tense brainteaser, as everyone (the audience included) tries to sniff out which character, at any time, might be the Thing in disguise. It wasn\u2019t a hit at the time, but Carpenter\u2019s biological nightmare has proved an endlessly rewatchable frightfest, particularly thanks to Rob Bottin\u2019s SFX genius.<\/p>\n Rent on: Amazon Video<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of The Thing<\/a>. See where it came on our list of the 50 best horror movies of all time<\/a>.<\/p>\n 33) Casablanca (1942) Director: Michael Curtiz<\/p>\n Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains<\/p>\n Release Date: January 23, 1943<\/p>\n Runtime: 102 minutes<\/p>\n If you had a drink of gin every time an all-time-classic line is spoken in Casablanca, you\u2019d be comatose before the end credits. Part political thriller, part aching romance, it\u2019s a film that shifts in shades of grey (and not just because of that gorgeous black-and-white photography), set against the backdrop of World War II. Humphrey Bogart\u2019s elusive Rick has left the conflict to set up a bar in Morocco, a place where all people pass through \u2013 including, to his shock, his big ex, Ingrid Bergman\u2019s Ilsa. Will Rick help her evade the Nazis, even if he risks putting himself in the firing line? Blending personal heartbreak with the sweep of history, it\u2019s a tender and tense masterpiece.<\/p>\n Streaming on: HBO Max<\/a> | Cinemax<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of Casablanca<\/a><\/p>\n 34) The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers (2002) Director: Peter Jackson<\/p>\n Starring: Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Andy Serkis, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom<\/p>\n Release Date: December 18, 2002<\/p>\n Runtime: 179 minutes<\/p>\n The middle chapter of Peter Jackson\u2019s trilogy could have suffered from not being either the opening or closing of the Lord Of The Rings story. Instead, it deepens everything that made Fellowship so great \u2013 offering Shakespearean human drama in the Rohan plot line, bringing ancient mythology to life in the walking-talking tree-people Ents, and delivering the slipperiest fish to Frodo and Sam as they trudge closer to Mordor: Gollum. Andy Serkis\u2019 performance is one for the ages, bringing sinister edge and serious pathos to the wretch ensnared by the One Ring. Oh, and it all builds up to the battle of Helm\u2019s Deep, a ferocious action crescendo, which features gratuitous scenes of dwarf-tossing.<\/p>\n Streaming on: HBO Max<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of The Two Towers<\/a><\/p>\n 35) The Shining (1980) Director: Stanley Kubrick<\/p>\n Starring: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd<\/p>\n Release Date: May 23, 1980<\/p>\n Runtime: 144 minutes<\/p>\n The ultimate haunted house move is actually a haunted hotel movie. The Overlook is a place of pure evil, its vast (intensely-patterned) hallways holding decades of horrifying history in ghostly entities that drive Jack Nicholson\u2019s Jack Torrance to murderous madness. (Admittedly, he was already somewhat close.) Stanley Kubrick elegantly translates Stephen King\u2019s ghostly novel into one of the scariest movies ever made \u2013 though King famously hated the adaptation for the tweaks it made to the story. Still, for the rest of us it\u2019s a total masterpiece, both in its quietly unsettling moments, and in its nerve-shredding Jack-with-an-axe finale.<\/p>\n Streaming on: HBO Max<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of The Shining<\/a>. See where it came in our\u00a0Stephen King movie ranking<\/a>.<\/p>\n 36) Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (2004) Director: Michel Gondry<\/p>\n Starring: Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Tom Wilkinson, Elijah Wood, Mark Ruffalo<\/p>\n Release Date: March 19, 2004<\/p>\n Runtime: 108 minutes<\/p>\n Director Michel Gondry and screenwriter Charlie Kaufman are two of the most imaginative filmmakers around \u2013 so their collaboration on an anti-romcom (or is it?) it bursting with invention. Eternal Sunshine deconstructs the relationship drama via a fantastic psycho-sci-fi device, as Jim Carrey’s Joel races through his own mind to reverse a process by which all the memories of his failed relationship with Kate Winslet’s Clementine are about to be erased. Which is a brilliantly weird, round-the-houses way of reminding us that heartbreak should be valued as one of the things that makes us. Better to have loved and lost, and all that.<\/p>\n Rent on: Amazon Video<\/a> | Apple TV<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind<\/a><\/p>\n 37) Seven (1995) Director: David Fincher<\/p>\n Starring: Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Kevin Spacey, Gwyneth Paltrow<\/p>\n Release Date: September 22, 1995<\/p>\n Runtime: 127 minutes<\/p>\n David Fincher’s second film (the first that he was actually happy with, since he famously loathed Alien 3) goes toe-to-toe with The Silence Of The Lambs for the darkest, scariest serial-killer thriller Hollywood ever made. There\u2019s a novelty factor to the premise of Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman\u2019s cops tracking down a murderer taking tenets from the seven deadly sins \u2013 but in Fincher\u2019s hands it becomes an exercise in properly rattling terror, delivering nightmare images in the killings set up by warped murderer-moralist \u2018John Doe\u2019. From its shocking central twist, to that \u201cwhat\u2019s in the box?!\u201d gut-punch, it\u2019s a film you need to scrub off your skin come the end credits.<\/p>\n Rent on: Amazon Video<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of Seven<\/a><\/p>\n 38) The Good, The Bad And The Ugly (1966) Director: Sergio Leone<\/p>\n Starring: Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, Lee Van Cleef<\/p>\n Release Date: December 29, 1967<\/p>\n Runtime: 161 minutes<\/p>\n The culmination of Sergio Leone\u2019s \u2018Man With No Name\u2019 trilogy is a true Western epic \u2013 three hours of Spaghetti Western cooked perfectly al dente. Following A Fistful Of Dollars<\/a> and For A Few Dollars More<\/a> \u2013 thematically, if not narratively \u2013 this one sets three renegades against each other in a treasure hunt backdropped against the chaos and madness of the American Civil War. The result is the movie on Leone\u2019s CV which best balances art and entertainment. Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef are great value as Blondie and Angel Eyes, but it’s Eli Wallach’s Tuco who steals this Wild West show: \u201cWhen you have to shoot, shoot. Don’t talk.\u201d Cue the howling flutes of Ennio Morricone\u2019s immortal score.<\/p>\n Streaming on: Fubo TV<\/a> | Philo<\/a> | Youtube TV<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of The Good, The Bad And The Ugly<\/a><\/p>\n 39) Gladiator (2000) Director: Ridley Scott<\/p>\n Starring: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Djimon Hounsou<\/p>\n Release Date: May 5, 2000<\/p>\n Runtime: 154 minutes<\/p>\n Say ‘Ridley Scott’, and chances are you think sci-fi: Alien, or Blade Runner. But Gladiator made him a master of the sword \u2019n\u2019 sandals epic too, after a tricky directorial run (1492<\/a>, White Squall<\/a> and GI Jane<\/a>). Russell Crowe got his big Hollywood breakthrough as Maximus Decimus Meridius (father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife etc etc), making a name for himself in the Colosseum by surviving bloody battles aplenty. Gladiator was a leap forward in CGI too \u2013 the movie that showed the industry you could make colossal historical epics commercially viable once more. Yes, we were entertained.<\/p>\n Streaming on: Paramount+<\/a> | Youtube TV<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of Gladiator<\/a><\/p>\n 40) Citizen Kane (1941) Director: Orson Welles<\/p>\n Starring: Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore, Agnes Moorehead<\/p>\n Release Date: May 1, 1941<\/p>\n Runtime: 119 minutes<\/p>\n ‘Rosebud’ might be the operative word when it comes to Citizen Kane, but this is arguably the film where the entire medium of cinema went into full bloom. Orson Welles’ game-changing fictional biopic fundamentally evolved the language of movies, managing to both launch his film career and ruin it at the same time (turns out it’s not a good idea to piss off powerful newspaper magnates by viciously satirising them). Not only did he use impressive new film-making techniques that make Kane feel like a movie far younger than its 80+ years, but its power-corrupts story still resonates loudly.<\/p>\n Rent on: Apple TV<\/a> | Amazon Video<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of Citizen Kane<\/a><\/p>\n 41) The Silence Of The Lambs (1991) Director: Jonathan Demme<\/p>\n Starring: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn, Ted Levine<\/p>\n Release Date: February 14, 1991<\/p>\n Runtime: 118 minutes<\/p>\n In the decades since its release, the sheer filmmaking power of The Silence Of The Lambs hasn\u2019t lost a single bit of its vice-like grip. Jonathan Demme’s take on the Thomas Harris novels broke major Hollywood ground \u2013 not only the first horror to win a Best Picture Oscar, it’s also only the third movie to score in all four main categories: Picture, Director, Actress (Jodie Foster) and Actor (Anthony Hopkins) \u2014 the latter managing that despite technically being a supporting performer, with a mere 25-ish minutes of screen time. For all of Hannibal Lecter’s cultural ubiquity, Lambs feels like Foster’s movie more than anybody’s: her vulnerable-but-steely Clarice Starling is defined by her ability, not her gender.<\/p>\n Streaming on: Youtube TV<\/a> | Philo<\/a> | AMC+<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of The Silence Of The Lambs<\/a><\/p>\n 42) 12 Angry Men (1957) Director: Sidney Lumet<\/p>\n Starring: Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Martin Balsam<\/p>\n Release Date: April 13, 1957<\/p>\n Runtime: 96 minutes<\/p>\n Juries most often amount to little more than set dressing in courtroom dramas. But Sidney Lumet’s film finds all its drama outside the courtroom itself and inside a jury deliberation room packed with fantastic character actors, who are forced to re-examine a seemingly straightforward case by lone-voice juror Henry Fonda. It’s all about the value of looking at things differently, and a reminder that nothing is more important than great dialogue, as the titular jurors change their minds one-by-one through reasoned discussion and open ears.<\/p>\n Streaming on: Fubo TV<\/a> | Youtube TV<\/a> | Philo<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of 12 Angry Men<\/a><\/p>\n 43) There Will Be Blood (2007) Director: Paul Thomas Anderson<\/p>\n Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Dano, Ciar\u00e1n Hinds<\/p>\n Release Date: December 26, 2007<\/p>\n Runtime: 158 minutes<\/p>\n If America were a person, then oilman Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) is a vampire. (A milkshake-drinking vampire, if you feel like mixing our metaphor with his own.) Which is why it’s appropriate that Paul Thomas Anderson gives his gargantuan American epic a kind of horror-movie vibe throughout, depicting a rot of the soul as Plainview drains the very land beneath his feet \u2013 and exploits everyone around him \u2013 in the pursuit of bounteous riches. Day-Lewis delivers such a deliciously monstrous performance, imbuing one of cinema’s most gleefully hissable villains with a glint of oil-black humor, right up to the spine-chilling finale in an empty mansion, where he’s haunted only by himself.<\/p>\n Rent on: Apple TV<\/a> | Amazon Video<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of There Will Be Blood<\/a><\/p>\n 44) It’s A Wonderful Life (1946) Director: Frank Capra<\/p>\n Starring: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barryone, Thomas Mitchell, Henry Travers<\/p>\n Release Date: December 20, 1946<\/p>\n Runtime: 130 minutes<\/p>\n Frank Capra’s Christmas fantasy was the movie that coaxed a war-battered James Stewart back to acting, and a good thing, too: as George Bailey, who’s shown a mind-blowing parallel reality in which he never existed, Stewart was never more appealing. Rightly, the film has gone down as a festive favorite, sending audiences out on a warm, fuzzy high as Bailey gets a Christmas Carol-esque recalibration of the soul just in time for the big day. But Stewart and Capra temper any potential schmaltz, too, with a sense of underlying world-weariness \u2014 there’s real darkness to the existential quandary that plays out before that finale, one that only makes the ending all the more touching and beautifully earned.<\/p>\n Streaming on: Prime Video<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of It’s A Wonderful Life<\/a><\/p>\n 45) The Big Lebowski (1998) Directors: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen<\/p>\n Starring: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi, Philip Seymour Hoffman<\/p>\n Release Date: March 6, 1998<\/p>\n Runtime: 117 minutes<\/p>\n The entire appeal of The Big Lebowski is encompassed by its central figure, Jeffrey ‘The Dude’ Lebowski: so laid-back he’s basically horizontal; living for the pursuit of simply floating by; out of step with the wildness of the world around him. Bridges’ Dude really is The Big Lebowski. Except, he’s not, because the entire plot hinges on a case of mistaken identity, when he’s attacked by thugs looking to extort rich philanthropist Jeffrey Lebowski. Thus begins a shaggy-dog farce with bowling, marmots, and a urine-stained rug, resulting in arguably the funniest movie of the ’90s, and a genuine cult phenomenon. The Coens manage to construct a kidnap mystery in which the detective isn’t a detective, and nobody was actually kidnapped. As ever, The Dude abides.<\/p>\n Streaming on: Youtube TV<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of The Big Lebowski<\/a>. See where it came in our Coen brothers movie ranking<\/a>.<\/p>\n 46) Schindler’s List (1993) Director: Steven Spielberg<\/p>\n Starring: Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley, Caroline Goodall<\/p>\n Release Date: December 15, 1993<\/p>\n Runtime: 195 minutes<\/p>\n For all the blockbuster spectacles he’s committed to the screen, Schindler’s List finds Spielberg at the peak of his powers. There are no flaws to be found in his harrowing, (mostly) monochromatic depiction of Nazi persecution of the Jewish community in Krakow, while Neeson’s Oskar Schindler attempts to save the lives over a thousand Jewish people by employing them in his factories. Spielberg puts all his abundant talent for creating dynamic cinema into portraying a haunting piece of history that should never be forgotten \u2013 and though it’s not an easy watch, it’s a masterful work from one of the all-time-greats. If you haven’t seen it, you’re missing out.<\/p>\n Rent on: Apple TV<\/a> | Amazon Video<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of Schindler’s List<\/a>. See where it came in our Steven Spielberg ranking<\/a>.<\/p>\n 47) Do The Right Thing (1989) Director: Spike Lee<\/p>\n Starring: Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, John Turturro<\/p>\n Release Date: June 30, 1989<\/p>\n Runtime: 120 minutes<\/p>\n Spike Lee had already caused a stir with his first two films \u2013 She’s Gotta Have It and School Daze \u2013 but this was the one that changed everything, with Lee in complete command and full of fury. Over the longest, hottest summer’s day in Brooklyn’s Bed-Stuy, already-boiling tensions between the African-Americans on the block and the Italian-Americans running a pizzeria eventually peak, erupting into violence. It’s an absolutely flawless, funny, frightening piece of work, rammed with soon-to-be iconography from start to finish. It hasn’t dated a day.<\/p>\n Streaming on: Apple TV<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of Do The Right Thing<\/a><\/p>\n 48) Ghostbusters (1984) Director: Ivan Reitman<\/p>\n Starring: Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver<\/p>\n Release Date: June 8, 1984<\/p>\n Runtime: 107 minutes<\/p>\n As high-concept comedies go, Ghostbusters is positively stratospheric: a story of demonic incursion… with gags! The sharpness of its execution \u2013 and the magic chemistry of its central cast \u2013 spawned Ghostbusters into an ongoing franchise, but one that has never managed to recapture the lightning-in-a-bottle quality of the original. Reitman wrings a fantastic supernatural adventure out of his central conceit, as Peter Venkman (Murray), Ray Stantz (Aykroyd), Egon Spengler (Ramis) and Winston Zeddemore (Hudson) strap on proton packs to battle spectral forces in NYC, while never neglecting the opportunity to deliver a great laugh; or, on the flipside, ever allowing the zaniness to swallow up plot coherence. Ray Parker Jr was right: bustin’ does indeed make us feel good.<\/p>\n Streaming on: Youtube TV<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of Ghostbusters<\/a><\/p>\n 49) Spirited Away (2002) Director: Hayao Miyazaki<\/p>\n Starring: Miyu Irino, Rumi Hiiragi<\/p>\n Release Date: September 20, 2002<\/p>\n Runtime: 124 minutes<\/p>\n The film that truly broke Japanese animation legends Studio Ghibli into Western cinema. In a cinematic culture rooted in the easy good-vs-evil dichotomies (and European folktale narrative traditions) of Disney movies, Spirited Away proved a bracing change of pace \u2013 pure, uncut Ghibli. Taking in bathhouses, spirits of Shinto folklore, and obfuscated morality, Hayao Miyazaki<\/a>‘s major crossover hit is distinctly Japanese, overflowing with imaginative imagery, brimming with breathtaking fantasy sequences, all tethered to a story that changes direction at a moment’s notice. That unruliness and cultural specificity is what made Spirited Away so groundbreaking \u2013 bringing anime at large to mainstream Western audiences, an influence increasingly felt in the likes of Moana<\/a> and Frozen II<\/a>.<\/p>\n Streaming on: HBO Max<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of Spirited Away<\/a>. See where it ranked in our list of the best anime movies<\/a>.<\/p>\n 50) Vertigo (1958) Director: Alfred Hitchcock<\/p>\n Starring: James Stewart, Kim Novak<\/p>\n Release Date: May 9, 1958<\/p>\n Runtime: 128 minutes<\/p>\n Across his legendary filmography, Alfred Hitchcock explored all kinds of sub-genres \u2013 animal-attack movies, psycho thrillers, mystery adventures and the like. But of everything, Vertigo is perhaps his greatest exercise in pure suspense \u2013 a film that truly gets under your skin, appropriately enough for its exploration of obsession. With James Stewart’s detective stalking Kim Novak’s mysterious woman, witnessing her suicide, then becoming obsessed with her double, it’s certainly disturbing and most definitely (as the title suggests) disorientating, in the most artful and inventive way. A thrilling cinematic rabbit-hole down which to tumble.<\/p>\n Streaming on: Youtube TV<\/a> | Prime Video<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of Vertigo<\/a><\/p>\n 51) Whiplash (2014) Director: Damien Chazelle<\/p>\n Starring: Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons<\/p>\n Release Date: October 10, 2014<\/p>\n Runtime: 106 minutes<\/p>\n If Damien Chazelle’s semi-autobiographical drama taught us anything, it’s that jazz drumming is more hazardous to learn than base jumping. Especially when your mentor is J.K. Simmons’ monstrous Fletcher: a raging bully who makes army drill instructors look like Care Bears. Though, of course, you could always argue that Fletcher’s methods certainly got great results out of Miles Teller’s battered but triumphant Andrew, in a tale of what it takes (or does it?) to strive for GOAT status. This is a firecracker first feature proper from Chazelle, staying entirely on beat across a taut runtime, closing out in a breathless drum-solo of a finale \u2013 both figuratively and literally. Cue standing ovation.<\/p>\n Rent on: Apple TV<\/a> | Amazon Video<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of Whiplash<\/a><\/p>\n 52) Point Break (1991) Director: Kathryn Bigelow<\/p>\n Starring: Keanu Reeves, Patrick Swayze, Gary Busey, Lori Petty<\/p>\n Release Date: July 12, 1991<\/p>\n Runtime: 122 minutes<\/p>\n “Ever fired your gun in the air and gone ‘Ahhhh?'” PC Danny Butterman’s well-placed reference in Hot Fuzz confirmed, if confirmation were ever needed, that Point Break is a fundamental pillar of ’90s pop culture cool, and one of the most memorable action blockbusters ever made. In Keanu Reeves<\/a> and Patrick Swayze, we get two smouldering sides of the same anti-heroic coin; in W. Peter Iliff’s screenplay, we get gems of dialogue like, “The correct term is ‘babes’, sir”; and in Kathryn Bigelow’s frenetic, confident direction, we get intense foot chases, fiery shoot-outs, epic surfing, and a spot of light skydiving. It shouldn’t work: extreme sports, bank robberies and male bonding? But it does, every time.<\/p>\n Streaming on: Peacock<\/a> | Fubo TV<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of Point Break<\/a><\/p>\n 53) Forrest Gump (1994) Director: Robert Zemeckis<\/p>\n Starring: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright<\/p>\n Release Date: July 6, 1994<\/p>\n Runtime: 142 minutes<\/p>\n Still one of the most quotable movies ever made. Robert Zemeckis’ era-spanning fable takes an affable stroll through some of America’s most turbulent decades, as seen through the childlike eyes of the simple-but-successful Forrest \u2014 the role which earned Tom Hanks his second Oscar in two years. It says a lot about its emotional heft that it managed to bag that Academy Award when it was in competition with both Pulp Fiction and The Shawshank Redemption. Plus, how many films do you know that have successfully spawned their own globe-spanning restaurant chains? Sign us up for some Bubba Gump Shrimp.<\/p>\n Rent on: Apple TV<\/a> | Amazon Video<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of Forrest Gump<\/a><\/p>\n 54) Saving Private Ryan (1998) Director: Steven Spielberg<\/p>\n Starring: Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Giovanni Ribisi, Adam Goldberg<\/p>\n Release Date: July 24, 1998<\/p>\n Runtime: 169 minutes<\/p>\n There had never been a war movie quite like Saving Private Ryan \u2013 and, frankly, there still hasn’t been one since. Much of its impact comes from the sheer bludgeoning, blood-spilling, visceral power of its Omaha Beach during the D-Day-landing opening act, an overwhelming suite that ensured Steven Spielberg’s fourth World War II movie set the standard for all future battle depictions. There’s more heart \u2013 and heartbreak \u2013 in the rest of its story, as a band of brothers set off to save the lone surviving son of a mother whose entire brood have been killed across the combat. Private Ryan’s shaky-staccato-desaturated style (courtesy of Janusz Kaminski’s ingenious cinematography) has been often copied, but rarely bettered.<\/p>\n Rent on: Apple TV<\/a> | Amazon Video<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of Saving Private Ryan<\/a><\/p>\n 55) Taxi Driver (1976) Director: Martin Scorsese<\/p>\n Starring: Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd, Albert Brooks<\/p>\n Release Date: February 7, 1986<\/p>\n Runtime: 114 minutes<\/p>\n The haunting power of Taxi Driver hasn’t waned a single bit since its release \u2013 this is a film that you still need to scrub off your skin after a rewatch, such is its potency and corrosive atmosphere. Martin Scorsese and Paul Schrader’s violent noir is a gripping portrayal of a mentally crumbling Vietnam vet (Robert De Niro’s Travis Bickle), who ultimately figures out that the only way to wash the crime-caked streets of New York is with a nice, big bloodbath. Everyone here’s at the top of their game: director, writer, actor, 14-year-old Jodie Foster and composer Bernard Herrmann. Yes, it’s still talkin’ to us.<\/p>\n Streaming on: Netflix<\/a> | The Criterion Channel<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of Taxi Driver<\/a><\/p>\n 56) The Social Network (2010) Director: David Fincher<\/p>\n Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer<\/p>\n Release Date: October 1, 2010<\/p>\n Runtime: 120 minutes<\/p>\n Or, I’m Gonna Git You Zuckerberg. Portrayed as an \u00fcber-ruthless ultra-nerd by Jesse Eisenberg, it’s fair to say the Facebook founder came out of David Fincher’s social-media drama smelling less of roses than the stuff you grow them in. But it is great drama, expertly wrought by screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, who exploits the story’s central paradox (a guy who doesn’t get people makes a fortune getting people together online) to supremely juicy effect, amped up by a pulsating masterpiece score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.<\/p>\n Rent on: Apple TV<\/a> | Amazon Video<\/a><\/p>\n Read Empire’s review of The Social Network<\/a><\/p>\n
\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/lord-of-the-rings-fellowship.jpg\"\/)
<\/p>\n![\"Lord](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/lotr-4.jpg\"\/)
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\n![\"Avengers:](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2-infinity-war.jpg\"\/)
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\n![\"Jurassic](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/jurassic-6.jpg\"\/)
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\n![\"Blade](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/3-blade-runner.jpg\"\/)
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\n![\"Aliens\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/aliens-main.jpg\"\/)
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\n![\"Parasite\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/parasite-1.jpg\"\/)
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\n![\"Inception\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Inception.jpg\"\/)
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\n<\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\n![\"Avengers:](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/avengers-endgame.jpg\"\/)
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\n![\"2001](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/5-2001.jpg\"\/)
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\n![\"Terminator](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/terminator-2-jd.jpg\"\/)
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\n![\"Fight](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/fight-club.jpg\"\/)
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\n![\"Indiana](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/indiana-jones-and-the-last-crusade.jpg\"\/)
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\n![\"Apocalypse](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/apocalypse-now.jpg\"\/)
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\n![\"Heat\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/heat-al-pacino.jpg\"\/)
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\n![\"Interstellar\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/interstellar-mcconaughey-hathaway.jpg\"\/)
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\n![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/thing.jpg\"\/)
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\n![\"Casablanca\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2-casablanca.jpg\"\/)
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\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/53-lotr-two-towers.jpg\"\/)
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\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/shining.jpg\"\/)
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\n![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/se7en.jpg\"\/)
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\n![\"Gladiator\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/30-gladiator.jpg\"\/)
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\n![\"Citizen](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/citizen-kane.jpg\"\/)
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\n![\"Silence](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Silence-Of-The-Lambs.jpg\"\/)
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\n<\/p>\n
\n![\"There](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/11-there-will-be-blood.jpg\"\/)
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\n![\"It's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/its-a-wonderful-life.jpg\"\/)
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\n![\"Jeff](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/dude-big-lebowski.jpg\"\/)
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\n![\"Schindler's](\"https:\/\/images.bauerhosting.com\/legacy\/media\/619d\/9866\/f590\/5e19\/e406\/4898\/46%20schindler's%20list.jpg?auto=format&w=1440&q=80\"\/)
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\n![\"Bill](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/peter-venkman-murray-ghostbusters.jpeg\"\/)
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\n![\"Spirited](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Spirited-Away.jpg\"\/)
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\n![\"Vertigo\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Vertigo.jpg\"\/)
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\n![\"100](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Whiplash.jpg\"\/)
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\n![\"Point](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/3-point-break.jpg\"\/)
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\n![\"Gump\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/forrest-gump-hanks.jpg\"\/)
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\n![\"Where](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Saving-Private-Ryan.jpg\"\/)
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\n![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/taxi-driver-1.jpg\"\/)
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