Top Ten Movies of All Time

Films are an incredibly personal form of entertainment. Each person will have a different opinion about which movies are the best. However, there are some films that have stood the test of time and are considered classics. This list is a compilation of the top 10 movies in the United States. It was compiled by combining the IMDb Top 250, Letterboxd Top 250 and Sight and Sound Critic’s Top 250 lists.

1. “The Avengers”

The Avengers is one of the most significant films of this generation. It has redefined superhero pop culture and established an entirely new standard for the genre. With an impressive cast, impressive VFX, and an engaging story, the film is an epic that fully lives up to its hype.

Joss Whedon’s script understands the delicate balance between light and dark, and thankfully resists the grating cliches of the Dark Knight movies. The action is fast and intense, but the characters feel real and genuine, and there’s plenty of humor to keep things interesting.

When the evil brother of Thor (Tom Hiddleston) gains access to a powerful energy cube called the Tesseract, Director Nick Fury assembles a team to protect Earth. With a charismatic cast, a wealth of exciting set pieces and spectacular VFX, the movie delivers on its promise and raises the bar for Marvel movies at the box office.

2. “Grease”

Grease is about teens who rebel against mainstream society’s rules and become greasers. The film’s songs are classics, and its cast included many now-famous stars, including John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, and Adrienne Barbeau. It was the first major motion picture that addressed teen sexuality. It also was the first movie to be released in 3-D, which made it more profitable with pricier tickets.

The film reveals many cultural truths about America. Like Hair before it and The Rocky Horror Show that came a year later, it is about repression versus sexual freedom. It is about 1950s teens’ love for rock and roll, which was the first music form to change human sexuality.

Frankie Avalon’s song “Venus” mentions the Goddess of Love. This was a reference to the Greek mythology. Michael Beck also used the name of Venus for his character in Xanadu, which was set during the same time period as Grease.

3. “The Phantom Menace”

The domestic, inflation-adjusted list is a more accurate representation of the top grossing movies of all time than the worldwide totals, which would be biased by the ever-increasing cost of movie tickets. This list also includes re-releases and re-issues, which can significantly bolster a film’s total earnings.

A huge disappointment to most fans, the prequel to George Lucas’ original Star Wars trilogy came in second place but will probably never see its way back to the top of the box office charts. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a big hit, particularly with kids. Those “prequel kids,” as actor Ewan McGregor calls them, will always hold The Phantom Menace in a special place—despite Jar Jar Binks and all. The movie did introduce a whole new generation to the universe of Star Wars, after all. That’s no small achievement.

4. “Jurassic Park”

The highest-grossing movie in history until “Titanic” sailed past it four years later, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi fable of dinosaurs at the park is a significant milestone for modern blockbusters. It ushered in an era where fantasy, comic book adventures and a heavy-handed adherence to spectacle became the biggest ticket draws.

It also set the standard for modern special effects, combining Stan Winston’s animatronics with ILM’s computer animation for the iconic T-rex attack scene. The film has been a hit with audiences and spawned extensive games, toys, books and collectibles.

The only R-rated entry on the list, it shows that even in this era of PC politics and PG-13 content, there is still a market for a good story with solid acting. Besides, who doesn’t love a dinosaur?

Top 10 Movies In The USA

5. “The Godfather”

The Godfather dominated the box office until it was passed by James Cameron’s “Avatar.” The film holds a special place in movie history, however. Francis Ford Coppola’s epic adaptation of Mario Puzo’s bestselling novel about the Corleone family in post-World War II New York City is considered one of the finest examples of American filmmaking.

The film is long, and the story takes some time to unfold, but the performances are top notch and the movie draws you in. It also strayed from convention in that it presented the Mafia in a way that felt real and was reportedly believable even to members of gang families.

It ushered in an era that brought us a generation of blockbusters, including Steven Spielberg’s Jaws and George Lucas’ Star Wars. That’s significant for this list because it demonstrates that high quality and audience appeal can still make a movie huge.

6. “Avatar”

It’s no secret that James Cameron’s Avatar is a landmark film. It was the highest-grossing movie ever until “Endgame” passed it, and even if inflation is taken into account, it still ranks as one of the top ten movies of all time.

It also revolutionized motion capture and 3D, and its visual effects are still unrivaled. The Na’vi’s planet of Pandora and its flora and fauna are stunningly detailed, and the movie offers a thought-provoking and compelling critique of capitalism and colonialism.

But the movie doesn’t quite live up to its honorable ambitions, and the dissonance between its themes and some of its key storytelling decisions is frustrating. For example, its reliance on the cliches of white saviors and noble savages makes it an easy target for critics like Hana Shams Riazuddin. Despite this, the movie’s impact is undeniable.

7. “The Graduate”

This movie by Mike Nichols earned him a best director Oscar, brought the music of Simon and Garfunkel to a wider audience, and gave Dustin Hoffman his first great breakthrough. It also came at a time when the film industry was in turmoil, and it was widely seen as marking a departure from traditional conventions.

The Graduate was a satire exaggerating and criticising many aspects of American culture at the time. For the fan magazine Modern Screen it was’middle class suburban life’, for Variety it was ‘the materialism of contemporary society’ and for the Catholic Film Newsletter ‘the piteous immaturity and anti-intellectualism of a substantial segment of the supposedly educated affluent middle-class’.

This is a stunning domestic drama amplified by Durkin’s sharp visual language. Carrie Coon, Elizabeth Olsen and Natasha Lyonne are brilliant as they face a series of family crises that threaten to rip them apart.

8. “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”

If you like your popcorn movies with a bit of heart, then this is the movie for you. It contains lots of hand-to-hand combat, and some of the main characters are in near-constant peril. There is also some mild language, and some minor characters are killed in fairly gruesome ways.

The triumvirate of George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Harrison Ford came together to make this swashbuckling adventure. It may not be as enduring or well-made as Raiders or Temple of Doom, but it is still a solid and thrilling film. Moreover, it largely avoids the cynicism and annoyance of that middle installment. It is a stealth origin story, tracing Indy’s journey from his childhood to his quest for the Holy Grail. In the end, it all works out for him in a way that’s both satisfying and moving.

9. “The Exorcist”

A genuinely societal phenomenon when it was released in 1973, The Exorcist spoke to a nation searching for answers about an unknown and seemingly uncontrollable force. Its popularity also signaled to studios that horror motion pictures were viable box office draws.

By this point in the new Hollywood era, little by little had movies stripped away taboos about language, nudity and violence (physical and verbal). But The Exorcist took it to a whole new level, and became a touchstone for America’s subsequent debates about the intersection of science and religion.

10. “Doctor Zhivago”

This epic drama smashed records when it came out, but still has enough staying power to be near the top of this list. It benefited from higher ticket prices, but it still held its own against other blockbusters of the time.

This David Lean-directed 1965 film is based on Boris Pasternak’s 1957 novel. It tells the story of a married doctor and poet caught up in the Russian Revolution and civil war. The movie features Omar Sharif as Yuri Zhivago and Julie Christie (who went on to star in Far From the Madding Crowd) as his love interest Lara. Rod Steiger, Alec Guinness, and Tom Courtenay also appear.

When you’re crate-digging for secondhand LPs, you’ll be much more likely to find the soundtrack to this movie than The Sound of Music. That’s because this was a period when people really did hang onto films they loved, and listened to their soundtracks on LP players.