15 Best Movies of All Time

Determining the best movies of all time is challenging, as countless factors contribute to their appeal. These movies captivate us with memorable imagery, evoke powerful emotions, and weave compelling narratives with vibrant characters. They showcase remarkable technical skills, feature complex plots full of surprising twists, and deliver performances that make fictional characters feel real. The finest movies—whether timeless classics or groundbreaking contemporary works—offer a range of experiences, from heartfelt warmth to intense suspense. These movies become beloved by audiences and acclaimed by critics alike, leaving a lasting impact on both hearts and minds. 

In creating this list, I considered movies that critics and audiences agree on for their ability to comfort, challenge, and pioneer. These movies provided new perspectives and influenced the course of cinema. By blending critics' reviews, audience opinions, and my personal perspective, I have compiled this list of the best movies of all time.

DRAMA
 

The Legend of 1900 (1998)

A child is born on the Virginian, an ocean liner, in the year 1900. A stoker named Danny discovers him while looking for what the rich folks forgot on the ship. Danny decides to adopt and raise him in the engine rooms. He names him Danny Boodmann T.D. Lemon Nineteen Hundred, or Nineteen Hundred for short, and takes care of him until death separates them. Shortly after, the sound of the piano lures Nineteen Hundred away from the engine rooms into the first-class ballroom, where he becomes the greatest jazz improviser of his time.
However, there's a problem. Nineteen Hundred never leaves the ship. He has never walked on land and has no idea what to expect away from the sea. Will he gather the courage to step into the unknown, or will he continue floating until he dies?

Shawshank Redemption (1994)

A successful banker is sent to Shawshank Prison for the murder of his wife, a crime he did not commit. However, his intelligence and uniqueness help him gain the respect of several inmates, most notably "Red" Redding. "Red" Redding is a wise and old black marketeer who could be used to gain influence within the place. The banker comes up with a bold plan and, ultimately, he executes it.
 

A Beautiful Mind (2001)

Young math student John Nash struggles to make a valuable contribution to the world of mathematics until one day he makes one of the most revolutionary breakthroughs in the field. After college, he becomes a teacher and begins a romantic relationship with one of his students, Alicia. Meanwhile, the state asks for his help with cracking Soviet codes, trapping him in a frightening conspiracy plot. After Nash makes a horrid discovery, his mental health deteriorates, putting his position as a great mathematician at risk. Only Alicia can help him regain his mental stability, but it won't be easy.

ACTION/ADVENTURE

Troy (2004)

After the king of Sparta hosts a feast and a party in honor of Paris, the charming prince of Troy, he wakes up to the news that his wife has sailed to Troy with Paris. The king's brother, Agamemnon, finds it an opportunity for more power and land and sets sail with 1,000 ships holding 50,000 Greeks to Troy. However, Troy has never been defeated before, and its walls are impenetrable, so how can they get into the city?
Troy is an adaptation of Homer's classic "The Iliad." It will take you on an emotional rollercoaster where you'll laugh, get excited, feel stressed, and cry. This three-hour epic is filled with complex battle struggles, fascinating fighting scenes, political discussions, and romance that will leave you flabbergasted.

Taken (2008)

A retired CIA agent decides to be closer to his 17-year-old daughter, Kim, who lives with her mother and wealthy stepfather. When Kim and her friend plan a trip to Paris, he faces a tough choice: stop her from going and risk her resentment or allow her to go despite knowing the dangers. Reluctantly, he consents to the trip. Shortly after arriving, Kim and her friend are kidnapped, forcing him to use his CIA experience, skills, and connections to rescue Kim and bring her home safely.

Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)

An unemployed but promising young man learns that his deceased father was a spy for an elite secret intelligence agency and is invited to join. As he undergoes the highly competitive training program, a menacing international threat arises from a twisted tech genius. Can he transition from a life of aimlessness to working with a team and neutralising the deadly threat in time?

CRIME

The Untouchables (1987)

A good old gangster movie about law enforcement officers' trouble catching the notorious American gangster, Al Capone, and his mafia. The story takes place in Chicago during the Prohibition era when a determined Prohibition Agent decides to recruit a team of lawmen who won't accept a bribe or cave in to a threat. The team starts making progress and Al Capone attempts to destroy them, but as the tension rises and the war intensifies, he realises that they are untouchables, or at least not by the usual methods.

No Country for Old Men (2007)

It was 1980 in rural Texas when a hunter stumbled upon loads of dead drug runners' bodies who had slain each other in a fierce exchange. However, as lawlessness and misrule ruled the place, he seized two million dollars from the battlefield without informing the authorities. This puts a psychopathic killer on his trail as he impassively and gruesomely murders nearly everyone that he comes across. As the hunter fights for survival, he realises he may have entered a deadly game with no way out.

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

A Clockwork Orange, the novel, was given to Stanley Kubrick like the Tablets of Stone were given to Moses. For what story is more suitable to Kubrick than one that is fun, controversial, and thought-provoking?
The story takes place in futuristic Britain, where Alex, a charming yet sadistic teenager from a rich family, leads his friends in committing heinous crimes every night. One day, he falls into the hands of the police and is sentenced to fourteen years in prison. After two long years, he earns his freedom by participating in the government's experimental de-conditioning program that promises to eradicate all violent tendencies from one's mind.
The questions then become: How will Alex function now? Is it possible to live well without violent tendencies? And does he even have free will anymore?

FANTASY

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006)

An orphan is thrown in the slums of eighteenth-century Paris to be fragile, vulnerable, and undesirable. However, he possesses a blessing and a curse: a prenominal sense of smell. As the young man discovers the world around him, one scent captivates him: the aroma of a woman's body. To not lose the intoxicating beauty of a woman's scent, he spent the years of his life attempting to capture it. The dedication takes him on a dark journey filled with murder, darkness, and beauty.

The Jungle Book (2016)

In one of the only good remakes of a classic, we see a young boy named Mowgli as he learns to live and survive in a wolf pack, while the jungle and its inhabitants lurk all around them. However, when the villainous tiger Shere Khan endangers his life to an unanticipated point, Mowgli is given the choice to leave the jungle behind and live in a nearby village like any other human, safe from the wild. Guided by his stern mentor Bagheera, a wise panther, Mowgli goes away from danger through danger on a journey of self-discovery. 

Mortal Kombat (2021)

MMA fighter Cole Young has no idea of his heritage or why Outworld's Emperor has sent an otherworldly Cryomancer to hunt him down. For his family's sake, Cole begins a quest for Sonya Blade at the direction of a Special Forces Major who bears the same strange dragon marking Cole was born with. Shortly after, he reaches the temple of an Elder God. After the Elder God grants him refuge for bearing the mark, Cole starts training to stand with Earth's grandest champions against the foes from Outworld in a critical battle for the universe. But can Cole unlock his arcana in time to protect his family and put an end to Outworld once and for all?

ANIMATION

Your Name (2016)

Mitsuha is the daughter of the mayor of a small mountain town. She is an honest and direct schoolgirl who has no trouble expressing her lack of interest in religion and her dispassion for her father's electoral campaign. Mitsuha views her town as a dull place and yearns to leave it for Tokyo. Meanwhile, a high school boy in Tokyo named Taki dreams of becoming an artist while working part-time in an Italian restaurant. 
The two teenagers share a deep, supernatural connection when they discover they are swapping bodies. Things become even more complicated when they decide to meet in person.

A Bug's Life (1998)

Every year, a gang of greedy grasshoppers forces an ant colony to give them food in exchange for not harming them. One day, before their arrival, the annual offering is accidentally dropped into the river by Flik, an undesirable inventor ant. To make it up to the colony, he sets out to the city to recruit warrior bugs to battle the grasshoppers. When he returns, he realizes that the band of warriors he gathered is incompetent. But they are the colony's only hope.

Brother Bear (2003)

As the Earth was leaving the Ice Age, three brothers took on the responsibility of hunting for their tribe. One day, a bear attacks them and kills the eldest brother. Angered by this, Kenai, the youngest, kills the bear but is transformed into a bear himself. The spirit of his older brother instructs him to go to the Northern Lights to become human again. Meanwhile, the middle brother, believing a bear killed both of his brothers, seeks revenge.

To survive his brother's attacks and reach the Northern Lights, Kenai befriends a bear cub and travels with him, meeting various animals along the way. Experiencing the world as a bear, Kenai gains a new perspective on human cruelty and animal suffering.