The rating of the best films is usually compiled by readers. Here everyone can express their opinion about the new movie they like or the masterpiece they remember from childhood. The positions of all the most interesting films are calculated depending on the rating given by users. The list will help you choose a good movie for the evening: it can be a time-honored classic, a light comedy, an exciting series, or a bloody horror movie. It is enough to decide what genre you want to watch and you will find the top best movies for yourself.
Each movie on our list can be called the best. Movies are made for the audience, and they choose which of them is interesting and which does not deserve attention. There are many top good movies of all time compiled by critics and professionals. Our list consists of popular, favorite, and interesting, first of all to the audience, films.
The best films are calculated according to how highly rated they are by the readers and viewers. And each of the listed films is marked as the most interesting and cool movie. Here are the legendary films of David Fincher – “Fight Club” and “Seven”, as well as the best tapes of Quentin Tarantino, James Cameron, and Christopher Nolan – the main geniuses of modern cinema.
This ranking of the best films of all time based on thousands of votes may seem like you’re going all over the place, but most of these feature films will allow you to have a good time in front of your TV.
1. Forrest Gump
A dramatic comedy directed by Robert Zemeckis, Forrest Gump was released in 1994. This adaptation of the novel of the same name by Winston Groom (1986) chronicles the turbulent history of the United States between the 1950s and the 1980s through the eyes of a “simple-minded”, Forrest Gump, who unwittingly becomes the central actor, even the instigator of the main events of this period in America. Forrest Gump is rewarded with six Oscars in the cinema including the best film, best director, and best actor (Tom Hanks).
Forrest Gump is the story of a man described as a “happy fool” in his native Alabama, who becomes a decisive performer in several major events in the history of the United States, between the 1950s and the 1980s. From John Kennedy to Elvis Presley via Richard Nixon and John Lennon, Gump crosses paths with many political and cultural personalities, whom he influences despite himself, lives through the Viet Nam war, the Watergate scandal, the class struggle, flower-power, demonstrations for the rights of African Americans and the emergence of AIDS. A time of great social, cultural, and political tensions, in which he plays, almost by chance, a major role that will make him the antihero par excellence.
The New York Times and the New Yorker criticize Robert Zemeckis in particular for having moderated the Winston Groom novel from which it is adapted. There was raised the question of the need to tell beautiful stories full of hope, rather than giving way to those that truly reflect society and its tensions. This duality is one of the particularities of the film. It offers, between the lines, several readings of American society, from the most naive to the most critical.
2. The Green Mile
Adapted from Stephen King’s novel, The Green Mile (1999) is a film directed by Frank Darabont which stars Tom Hanks (Paul Edgecomb), head warden of Cold Mountain Penitentiary in Louisiana, in 1935. Responsible for ensuring the good executions in block E (the green mile) while trying to soften the last moments of the condemneds. He meets among the condemned a colossus by the name of John Coffey, accused of rape and murder of two little girls.
When we talk about The Green Mile, we often hear the term masterpiece. But why is this film considered such? What’s so special? After all the film takes place mainly in a prison, in a fairly closed space, with few characters. We are far from great frescoes, adventure films, great battles, or super-productions. And yet the film is considered one of the best in its genre.
Its writing and its screenplay are hidden behind this strength. No wonder, because the film is based on a Stephen King book of the same name. Here we can see the story which is extremely human, and poignant and asks us many philosophical questions about life, death, justice, morality, the death penalty, society, fate, etc.
The film immerses us in a penitentiary, where the team of prison guards receives a very special inmate. A certain John Coffey, who has supernatural powers and who is condemned to death.
With the pen of Stephen King, we very easily get carried away in the story and we become attached to the characters, very well written as well as to the unfolding of the heavy, sad and melancholy atmosphere of the prison.
This film, in the end, teaches us a lesson in humanity, it shows us, by indirect means, to what extent humanity is both solely responsible for its own horrors but also holds in its hands the power to make the world a better place.
The feature film, which has received several awards and numerous nominations, manages to intertwine humanity and fantasy, without harming the realism of the harshness of men and the world. It is one of the essentials to watch at least once.
3. Green Book
In 1962, when segregation reigns, Tony Lip, an Italian-American bouncer from the Bronx, is hired to accompany and protect Dr. Don Shirley, a world-famous black pianist, during a concert tour. During their journey from Manhattan to the Deep South, they rely on the Green Book to find establishments welcoming people of color, where Shirley will not be refused service and where he will not be humiliated or mistreated. They must confront humiliations, perceptions, and persecutions.
In a country where the civil rights movement is beginning to make itself heard, the two men will be confronted with the worst of the human soul, which they have cured thanks to their generosity and their humor. Together, they will have to overcome their prejudices, forget what they considered to be insurmountable differences, to discover their common humanity.
4. The Godfather
When writer Mario Puzo published The Godfather in 1969, no one knew that it would be the basis for a mythical trilogy that would go down in cinematic history, almost 50 years after the first book was released. It tells the story of the Corleone family, the power of the head of the family, Don Vito, family tension, rivalry with other families, violence, betrayal, and heartbreak. Never (or almost) using the words mafia or Cosa nostra, the three films chronicle the rise and fall of Michael Corleone, Vito Corleone’s son and successor at the head of the family. 3 films, 3 times 3 hours each, a real cinematic odyssey that you want to see and see again.
As already mentioned, the cult trilogy by Francis Ford Coppola tells the story of the Corleone, one of the 5 mafia families of New York in the 1940s. Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando), the godfather of this family, marries his daughter to a bookmaker. Sollozzo, the godfather of the Tattaglia family, offers Don Vito cooperation in the drug trade, but he refuses. Sonny, one of his sons, is in favor of it. To deal with Sonny, Sollozzo tries to kill Don Vito, but he runs away. A film monument that won three Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor (which Marlon Brando turned down).
5. Bohemian Rhapsody
Bohemian Rhapsody is a 2018 biographical musical drama film directed by Bryan Singer from a screenplay by Anthony McCarten and produced by Graham King and Queen’s manager Jim Beach. The film tells the life story of Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of the British rock band Queen, from the formation of the band to their performance at Live Aid in 1985 at the original Wembley Stadium. The film stars Rami Malek as Mercury, with Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy, Joe Mazzello, Aidan Gillen, Tom Hollander, Allen Leach, and Mike Myers in supporting roles. Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor also acted as consultants in the film. A British American company, the film was produced by Regency Enterprises, GK Films, and Queen Films and distributed by 20th Century Fox.
The film was released in the UK on October 24, 2018, and in the US on November 2, 2018. It received mixed and positive reviews from critics. The film was a major box office success, grossing over $904 million worldwide on a production budget of around $50 million, becoming the sixth highest-grossing film of 2018 worldwide and setting box office records for biopic and drama genres. Bohemian Rhapsody won numerous awards, including four wins at the 91st Academy Awards for Best Actor (Malek), Best Film Editing, Best Sound Editing, and Best Sound Mixing; it was also nominated for Best Picture. The film also won Best Drama Film at the 76th Golden Globe Awards and was nominated for the Producers Guild of America Award for Best Theatrical Film and the BAFTA Award for Best British Film, while Malek won the Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award, and the BAFTA Award for Best Film.
6. The Dark Knight
The second part of the Batman trilogy directed by Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight, was released in 2008. Crime in Gotham City is on the rise. The police are desperate, although the newly elected officer, Harvey Dent, seems to be holding out hope for a renewal. Batman (Christian Bale) is more determined than ever to root out the organized crime that is spreading terror in the city. With the support of Lieutenant Jim Gordon and Gotham City Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman expands his field of activity. The collaboration between the three men proved to be very effective and it didn’t take long until the Joker (Heath Ledger) came along to plunge Gotham City into chaos.
The biggest hit of the year, the film won two Oscars, including Best Supporting Actor for Heath Ledger. It’s a huge film in terms of budget, running time, ambition, and acting (Christian Bale and Heath Ledger in particular). Rich in stunts and special effects, brutal and stylized, this blockbuster, which depicts the apocalyptic confrontation between Good and Evil with great dramatic depth, was a phenomenal success worldwide, both with the public and critics. The Dark Knight is more than just a superhero film and comic book adaptation. You should definitely watch this movie.
7. The Shawshank Redemption
Released in 1994, this drama by Frank Darabont tells the story of Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), a young banker sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his wife and her lover. Despite proclaiming his innocence, he is in Shawshank, Maine’s toughest prison. There he meets Red (Morgan Freeman), a disillusioned man imprisoned for 20 years. Thus begins the great story of friendship between two men.
After suffering, Andy will receive support from Red and find a way to guarantee some comfort in prison, allowing influential people to use his accounting skills.
Andy takes Tommy, a young prisoner, under his supervision, who will confirm to him that he is indeed innocent of the crime he is accused of, thus awakening Andy’s need for freedom.
Through patience and determination spiced with hope, Andy ends up escaping and arranging a reunion years later with his old friend Red on a beach in Mexico.
Since its release in 1994, this film has touched millions of viewers. The film is based on Stephen King’s book Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, which was published in 1982 in the collection Different Seasons. Although Stephen King is known as a master of horror and fantasy, his writing is nonetheless particularly realistic, so people can sometimes mistakenly think that this is a real story. If the plot is fictional, then the shooting took place in a real prison. This is the Mansfield prison in Ohio, which served as the setting for the film. It was closed in 1990 because its appearance was deemed too inhuman but the site’s destruction waited several years before filming by Frank Darabont was allowed.
8. Pulp Fiction
Pulp Fiction is an American neo-noir crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino in 1994 and starring Roger Avary. Along with John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Tim Roth, Ving Rhames, and Uma Thurman, it tells several Los Angeles crime stories. The title refers to the tabloids and hard-boiled crime novels popular in the mid-20th century, known for their graphic violence and biting dialogue.
Tarantino wrote Pulp Fiction in 1992 and 1993, incorporating scenes originally written by Avery for True Romance (1993). The plot unfolds in chronological order. The film is also self-referential from its very first moments, beginning with the title page, which gives two dictionary definitions of “pulp”. Significant screen time is devoted to monologues and casual conversations, with eclectic dialogue revealing each character’s perspective on multiple topics, and the film is a tongue-in-cheek mix of humor and intense violence. TriStar Pictures reportedly rejected the script as too crazy. Then Miramax co-president Harvey Weinstein was enamored, and the film became the first to be fully funded by Miramax.
Pulp Fiction won the Palme d’Or at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival and was a major critical and commercial success. It was nominated for seven awards at the 67th Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and won Best Original Screenplay; it brought Travolta, Jackson, and Thurman Oscar nominations and boosted their careers. Its development, marketing, distribution, and profitability had a huge impact on independent cinema.
Pulp Fiction is considered Tarantino’s masterpiece, especially for the screenplay. The self-reflexivity, unconventional structure, and numerous homages and pastiches have led critics to describe it as a touchstone of postmodern cinema. It is often considered a cultural turning point, influencing films and other media that adopted elements of its style. In 2008, Entertainment Weekly named it the best film since 1983, and it has made lists of the greatest films ever made by many critics. In 2013, Pulp Fiction was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the US National Film Registry as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.
9. The Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is the first film in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy. This film is 178 minutes long and tells about the search for the Ring of Omnipotence. Released in 2001, the film received 4 Oscars.
It all starts in the Shire when Frodo leaves the Cul-de-Sac and enters the forest. He meets his friend Gandalf the Grey, who is riding in a cart loaded with dozens of fireworks to the birthday party of Bilbo Baggins, Frodo Baggins’ elderly uncle. Gandalf and Bilbo see each other again and talk for hours until night falls.
In this chapter of the trilogy, young and shy Frodo Baggins inherits a ring. Far from being a simple trinket, this is the Ring of Omnipotence, an instrument of absolute power that will allow Sauron, the Dark Lord, to rule Middle-earth and enslave its peoples. Unless Frodo, with the help of a company of hobbits, men, a wizard, a dwarf, and an elf, can carry the Ring across Middle-earth to the Breach of Fate where it was forged, and destroy it forever. Such a journey means penetrating deep into Mordor, the land of the Dark Lord, where his army of evil orcs is gathered. The company must fight not only with external forces of evil but also with internal strife and the corrupting influence of the Ring. The outcome of the upcoming story is closely connected with the fate of the Company.
10. Fight Club
In 1999, American director David Fincher’s film Fight Club was released, starring Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, and Helena Bonham Carter. It is an adaptation of the 1996 novel of the same name by writer Chuck Palahniuk. Released on the eve of 2000, it received mixed reviews. Indeed, just looking at the trailer, it looks like an American action movie among others. It deals with the violence of a group of men in an underground atmosphere – the slums of New York – and supports criticism of modern society. The film is about Jack, a young insomniac insurance salesman who is disillusioned with his personal and professional life. When his doctor advises him to go into therapy to put his ill health into perspective, he meets Marla at a self-help group with whom he manages to find a balance.
The film’s rather subtle script illustrates deeper psychological issues. Among the issues addressed in the film, some are especially related to adolescence. Although the main characters are already adults, they are in their thirties, their worries are reminiscent of teenagers. It is also noteworthy that in the mixed reception that the film received from the public, only the teenage population reacted enthusiastically to it, which critics did not fail to note, sometimes very condescendingly. Only a few years after the film’s release, in retrospect, critics and journalists considered Fight Club a film that was especially representative of the 1990s and especially their youth. Thus, this film can be read as a synthesis, as an allegory of adolescence’s transition into its different dimensions.
11. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Randall Patrick McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) chooses a psychiatric hospital to avoid prison after being accused of raping a minor. He wants to play the game.
McMurphy hallucinates seeing where he just stepped. Surrounded by good barges like Cheswick (Sydney Lassick), Martini (Danny DeVito), Harding (William Redfield), Taber (Christopher Lloyd), or even Sefelt (William Duell). McMurphy sympathizes with young Billy Bibbit (Brad Dourif). He is intrigued by the Indian chief (Will Sampson).
In this asylum, it is impossible to escape the authority of the head nurse, Miss Ratched (Louise Fletcher), whose role is to keep patients under control. McMurphy is quick to show insubordination. He refuses to be treated and promises the group that he will escape by grabbing a giant fountain and letting it through the window. He confronts Miss Ratched and repeatedly refuses. McMurphy is fearless.
The touching film won 5 Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor for Jack Nicholson, Best Actress for Louise Fletcher, and Best Adapted Screenplay. The film is based on Ken Kesey’s bestselling book One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, published in 1962.
12. Gladiator
The peplum was a very popular genre in the 60s. It then fell out of favor before experiencing a resurgence in the early 21st century thanks to Ridley Scott. In 2000, an American filmmaker known for his passion for action films brought to the screen a plot set in the time of the Roman Empire, with its share of blood and sweat.
“Gladiator” was a phenomenal success. The film won five Oscars, among others, and was a hit at the box office. An exceptional cast with Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix completely revived public interest in the peplum.
Traditionally, this genre consists in linking its plot with antiquity. Then the director must more or less strictly observe the real facts. In Gladiator, Ridley Scott tells the story of the Roman general Maximus Decimus. Brave and resourceful, he connected military victories with his emperor Marcus Aurelius, to whom he was very close. When the son of Marcus Aurelius, Commodus, kills his father and rises to power, he tries to get rid of Maximus and kills his family. But the fallen general escapes death and is captured by a gladiatorial merchant. Then he must fight for his life, plotting revenge.
Thus, “Gladiator” plunges us into the reign of Marcus Aurelius, the Roman emperor of the late second century AD. While the story of Maximus is indeed fictional, Ridley Scott wanted to remain close enough to historical reality for the context of his film. He also called on historians to give him advice. Unfortunately, the director ended up taking a lot of liberties with the real facts in order to better meet the audience’s expectations. Thus, many historical inconsistencies were added to the script.
Thus, the fights staged in the film contain many anachronisms. The weapons used by the Romans, such as incendiary projectiles or powerful ballistic, did not yet exist in the 2nd century. The gladiator fights at the center of the film also differ from reality. First, the death of wrestlers was rare. Fighters were expensive for their owner, who wanted to get the most out of them. Therefore, the execution of a gladiator in the arena was an exceptional case. Then the gesture of the organizer of the fights is completely invented, raising or lowering the thumb as a sign of death. Nevertheless, the film gained the love of the public and popularity.
13. Interstellar
For this sci-fi film, Christopher Nolan has assembled an amazing cast including Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Michael Caine, Casey Affleck, and Matt Damon. Submission: While the Earth is dying, a team of astronauts navigates a wormhole that has appeared near Saturn and leads to another galaxy to explore a new star system in the hope of finding a habitable planet and establishing a space colony there to save humanity.
Interstellar takes viewers into the heart of new cosmic horizons. Christopher Nolan drew on several scientific theories from famous physicists, such as Albert Einstein and Kip Thorne’s theories of quantum mechanics and relativity, to build his complex scenario with space exploration and time travel as the backdrop. After 2 hours 49 minutes of watching and concepts sometimes unknown to the general public, Interstellar can leave a lot of questions for the public.
At the end of Interstellar, Cooper, played by Matthew McConaughey, falls into the heart of a black hole suspended in a dimension beyond time and space, which then takes on the appearance of a library light years away in his daughter Murph’s room. He then tries to communicate with her: at the beginning of the film, 10-year-old Murph shares her concerns with her father, convinced that a “ghost” is trying to communicate with her. Then, at the end of that movie, we discover that this “ghost” is none other than her father in the future and that the children’s library is the gate. Seeing books and footprints on the ground, Murph tries to decode the received signals. Remembering these events, in the future, the adult Murph discovers that she is indeed being transmitted coordinates that allow her to find a solution to leave Earth.
14. Star Wars. Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back
The second episode of the first trilogy (and probably the best of them all), “The Empire Strikes Back”, takes place after the destruction of the Death Star.
Despite the destruction of the Death Star, the Empire maintains control of the galaxy and relentlessly fights the Rebel Alliance. Based on the ice planet of Hoth, the Rebels are under attack from Imperial forces. After managing to escape, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca, and C-3P0 head to Bespin, the cloud city ruled by Lando Calrissian, Han’s former companion. Following Obi-Wan Kenobi’s instructions, Luke Skywalker travels to the Dagobah system, a marshy planet, where he is to receive the teachings of the last Jedi Master, Yoda. After learning about the arrest of his comrades by Darth Vader’s stormtroopers after Lando’s betrayal, Luke decides to interrupt his training in order to save his friends and face the dark lord of the Sith.
Darth Vader, in an effort to capture the rebels, sent thousands of homing probes across the galaxy. One of them crash-lands on the distant frozen planet of Hoth, where a new rebel base is located.
Luke Skywalker and his old friend Han Solo take a detour. Finding nothing suspicious, Solo decides to return to base. Meanwhile, Luke wants to do one last check due to what appears to be a meteorite impact (which is most likely a probe), but his tauntaune suddenly panics. Luke, not realizing what is happening, is furiously attacked by a wampa, a snow monster, and the latter takes him to his cave.
Meanwhile, at Echo Base, Han Solo tells Carlist General Rikan that he must leave to settle his debts with Jabba the Hutt once and for all or the gangster will kill him. Princess Leia hears him and tries to convince him to stay, but he refuses and hints that she is in love with him, but the Alderaan survivor categorically denies this. Further events unfold in an interesting way, fans of this genre should definitely watch this film.
15. Seven
In David Fincher’s acclaimed thriller, disillusioned police inspector William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) is assigned to team up with the idealistic young David Mills (Brad Pitt). They first investigate the murder of an obese man who was forced to eat by the killer until his death. As soon as the investigation began, a second crime is committed, just as terrible, then a third. Gradually, two police officers establish a connection between all these murders.
Inspector Somerset meets an unusual criminal seven days before his retirement. Assassin decided to cleanse society from the evils that corrode it by committing seven murders based on the seven deadly sins: gluttony, greed, laziness, pride, lust, envy, and anger.
At both crime scenes, investigators discover the words “Greed” and “Pride” written on the wall. Somerset sees it as a reference to the seven deadly sins and confidently announces 5 other crimes that soon follow.
Meanwhile, Somerset has used his connections to track down a certain John Doe (Kevin Spacey), who will eventually turn himself into the police, his shirt covered in blood. He makes a deal with the investigators to bring them to the scene of his next murder.
Mills and Somerset smell a scam. They end up in the desert. John Doe admits to Mills that he is jealous of his everyday life and that he beheaded his wife, Tracy (Gwyneth Paltrow). Van approaches. The courier brings a cardboard box. Somerset seems to be disgusted by what he finds there. From a distance, Mills realizes that John Doe is not bluffing. Overwhelmed by his emotions, he eventually succumbs to anger and shoots him several times in the head.
Investigation completed. John Doe did his job. Mills will end up in jail. Somerset promises that he will stay.
Conclusion
The world of cinema does not stand still, every year there are more and more new films that conquer the hearts of the audience. But nevertheless, there are eternal films, so-called, classics that you want to review constantly. In our list, we talked about the 15 most popular films. If you haven’t seen them yet, then be sure to watch them out, and if you have found your favorite movie on the list, then review it.