The 20 Best Movies Of All Time

Get ready for the ultimate movie marathon! Cinema is packed with unforgettable magic, from the dark, twisted fantasy of Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth to the heart-pounding suspense of Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window. To cut through the noise, Screen Rant smashed together critic scores and fan ratings to unleash a definitive list of the 20 greatest movies ever made. Packed with everything from fast-talking gangsters to mind-blowing superhero spectacles, this spectacular watchlist is guaranteed to fuel your next movie night.

20. 12 Years A Slave (2013) :: Biography, Drama, History

Critically acclaimed 2013 biographical drama directed by Steve McQueen. Based on the 1853 memoir by Solomon Northup, it tells the painful true story of a free Black man from New York who is kidnapped and sold into slavery in 1841. Forced to endure twelve years of brutal plantation life in Louisiana, Northup fights to stay alive and reclaim his freedom. The emotional film features stunning cinematography, a moving score, and standout performances by Chiwetel Ejiofor and Lupita Nyong'o in her Oscar-winning debut.

19. Titanic (1997) :: Drama, Romance

Director James Cameron boldly reframes a historic tragedy by focusing on a forbidden, class-divided romance between Jack and Rose. Framing the disaster through their vacation love story makes the immense loss of life deeply personal and relatable. While the premise shares similarities with Dirty Dancing, Cameron elevates the film into an epic cinematic triumph through meticulous attention to detail, spectacular staging, and a commentary on obsession.

18. Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) :: Drama, Fantasy, War

Set in 1944 Fascist Spain, director Guillermo del Toro’s dark fantasy follows a bookish girl who escapes her sadistic stepfather through a mythical labyrinth. This visually inspiring masterpiece blends the grim horrors of reality and fantasy, acting as a mature, darker Alice in Wonderland. Ultimately, the film's stunning cinematography, visual effects, and poignant themes deliver extraordinary storytelling that stands as the director's finest work.

17. Seven Samurai (1954) :: Action, Drama

On the simplest framework of a poor farming community hiring warriors for protection, director Akira Kurosawa mounts an absorbing, funny, and exciting epic. Despite its 207-minute runtime, the film is an easy, blood-stirring watch that serves as a deep study of human strengths and flaws. Driven by superb performances from Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura, this original masterpiece outshines its many famous Hollywood and animated remakes.

16. In the Mood for Love (2000) :: Drama

The second this 2000 masterpiece opens, you sense you are in the hands of a master director. Wong Kar-wai guides viewers through 1960s Hong Kong as two neighbors discover their spouses are having an affair. As they reenact their partners' behavior, they fall for each other while desperately trying to respect their wedding vows. Loaded with longing, the film creates an intense sense of intimacy and faultless performances that shiver with sexual tension.

15. There Will Be Blood (2007) :: Drama

Before becoming a premier modern filmmaker, director Paul Thomas Anderson transitioned into a hard-nosed investigator of the American confidence man. This pivotal shift birthed a mournful epic about an oil baron prospector, fueled by a bone-deep cynicism reminiscent of Chinatown. Powered by Jonny Greenwood's score and an ultra-scary performance by Daniel Day-Lewis, this serious masterpiece captures the director at his most intense.

14. The Shawshank Redemption 1994 :: Drama

Chronicles the experiences of a formerly successful banker as a prisoner in the gloomy jailhouse of Shawshank after being found guilty of a crime he did not commit. The film portrays the man’s unique way of dealing with his new, torturous life; along the way he befriends a number of fellow prisoners, most notably a wise long-term inmate named Red.—J-S-Golden

13. 13 Sins 2014 :: Horror, Thriller

Drowning in debt and desperate to support his pregnant girlfriend and disabled brother, a fired salesman hits rock bottom. Out of the blue, a mysterious phone call invites him to win millions by completing thirteen increasingly aggressive, gruesome, and brutal tasks. Though initially skeptical, he accepts the challenge after receiving instant bank deposits for the first tasks, only to realize too late that there is no turning back.

12. 47 Ronin 2013 :: Action, Drama, Fantasy

While hunting in the forest, Lord Asano of Ako and his samurai find a young half-breed and take him with them to live in the castle. Several years later, Lord Asano holds a tournament to welcome the Shogun to Ako. The night after the tournament, Lord Asano is bewitched into hurting Lord Kira of Nagato, and is punished into committing seppuku by the Shogun. Realizing that it was a Lord Kira’s evil plot, the samurais and the half-breed sets out for revenge against the Shogun’s order.—Immanuel A.

11. Air Force One 1997 :: Action, Crime, Drama

The President of the USA goes to Moscow and gives a stirring speech outlining the USA’s new “Zero-tolerance” policy with respect to terrorism. On the flight home, terrorists take over Air Force One (the President’s official plane) and take the passengers (including his wife and daughter) hostage. The terrorists plan to execute one hostage every half-hour unless/until their demands are met. However, the President is a former Medal of Honor winner, so the terrorists may be in for a surprise…—Afterburner

10. Apocalypto 2006 :: Action, Adventure, Drama

In the Maya civilization, a peaceful tribe is brutally attacked by warriors seeking slaves and human beings for sacrifice for their gods. Jaguar Paw hides his pregnant wife and his son in a deep hole nearby their tribe and is captured while fighting with his people. An eclipse spares his life from the sacrifice and later he has to fight to survive and save his beloved family.—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

9. Automata 2014 :: Action, Drama, Sci-Fi

After solar storms reduce Earth to a desert city of 21 million, a robot company creates the Automata Pilgrim 7000 with two protocols: do not harm humans, and do not alter robots. The status quo breaks when an insurance agent investigates claims of self-altering, self-aware androids. Forced into the surrounding desert alongside a modified robot, he uncovers a corporate cover-up regarding the machines' unlimited learning capacity, witnessing a breakthrough that will change the world forever.

8. World War Z 2013 :: Action, Adventure, Horror

Life for former United Nations investigator Gerry Lane and his family seems content. Suddenly, the world is plagued by a mysterious infection turning whole human populations into rampaging mindless zombies. After barely escaping the chaos, Lane is persuaded to go on a mission to investigate this disease. What follows is a perilous trek around the world where Lane must brave horrific dangers and long odds to find answers before human civilization falls.—Kenneth Chisholm (kchishol@rogers.com)

7. Wonder Woman 2017 :: Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Diana, princess of the Amazons, trained to be an unconquerable warrior. Raised on a sheltered island paradise, when a pilot crashes on their shores and tells of a massive conflict raging in the outside world, Diana leaves her home, convinced she can stop the threat. Fighting alongside man in a war to end all wars, Diana will discover her full powers and her true destiny.

6. Cast Away 2000 :: Adventure, Drama, Romance

An operations executive's frantic work schedule is abruptly halted when his plane crashes in the South Pacific, leaving him stranded on a deserted island. To survive physically and emotionally, he relies on a pocket watch featuring his girlfriend's photo and a volleyball he names Wilson. Though fueled by the desire to reunite with his love, he faces an uphill battle against treacherous surf to escape, unaware of how difficult returning to his old life will be after years away.

5. Captain Phillips 2013 :: Action, Biography, Crime

Directed by Paul Greengrass, this pulse-pounding thriller examines the 2009 Somali pirate hijacking of an unarmed U.S. container ship. The film focuses on the intense relationship between the vessel's commanding officer, Captain Richard Phillips, and the pirate leader, Muse, who takes him hostage. Set on an unstoppable collision course 145 miles off the coast, both men find themselves at the mercy of globalization and forces beyond their control.

4. Elysium 2013 :: Action, Drama, Sci-Fi

Set in 2154, this sci-fi thriller explores a polarized future where the ultra-wealthy inhabit a pristine space station called Elysium, while the rest of humanity struggles on an overpopulated, ruined Earth. To protect her citizens' luxury, a ruthless government official violently enforces strict anti-immigration laws against desperate Earth residents. When an unlucky laborer named Max is backed into a corner, he accepts a daunting mission that could save his life and bring equality to both worlds.

3. Enter Nowhere 2011 :: Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Three strangers arrive one by one to a mysterious cabin in the middle of nowhere after enduring separate life-altering predicaments. Searching for a way out of the woods, frustrated, hungry and battling to stay warm they discover their mysterious connection and realize what they have to do in order to get out of the woods alive.—Elizabeth Obermeier, Marketing Manager

2. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly 1966 :: Adventure, Drama, Western

Amid the chaos of the American Civil War, three gunfighters embark on a relentless race to locate a fortune in buried gold coins. After a dying soldier separately reveals parts of the treasure's location, former partners Blondie and Tuco become bitter rivals forced to keep each other alive. As a ruthless mercenary named Angel Eyes tracks the same bounty, the three men set out on a collision course toward a legendary final showdown.

1. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer :: Crime, Drama, Fantasy

Jean-Baptiste Grenouille (Ben Whishaw) came into the world unwanted, expected to die, yet born with an unnerving sense of smell that created alienation, as well as talent. Of all of the smells around him, Grenouille is beckoned to the scent of a woman’s body and spends the rest of his life attempting to smell her essence again by becoming a perfumer, and creating the essence of an innocence lost...