Best Movies of All Time: 50 Films You Must Watch

What does “best movies of all time” actually mean? In this guide, it means films that combine critic acclaim, audience love and lasting cultural influence — the kind of movies people are still watching, quoting and studying decades after release. We built this list by cross-checking critic polls, institutional rankings, audience ratings and award history, not just one source.

Below you’ll find a ranked list of 50 films across every major genre and era, a quick-answer summary, a comparison table, a breakdown by decade and genre, and a FAQ section answering the questions people ask most. Use the table of contents to jump straight to what you need.

If you only read one section, read this one.

• Most critically acclaimed of all time: Citizen Kane (1941) and Vertigo (1958), both repeat winners of the Sight and Sound critics’ poll.
• Highest audience-rated on IMDb: The Shawshank Redemption (1994), narrowly ahead of The Godfather (1972).
• Most Oscars won by one film: Ben-Hur (1959), Titanic (1997) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), tied at 11 wins each.
• Best modern pick (2010s–2020s): Parasite (2019), the first non-English-language film to win the Best Picture Oscar.
• Best for a first-time classic-film watcher: The Godfather (1972) — widely considered the most complete entry point into “great cinema.”

There is no single, universally agreed “best movie ever.” Different lists optimize for different things: critical craft, audience love, cultural impact, or box office legacy. This guide covers all four angles.

What Does “Best Movies of All Time” Mean?

The phrase gets used loosely, so it’s worth defining. A genuine “best movies of all time” list usually blends four different kinds of evidence:

• Critical consensus — polls of professional film critics, most famously the British Film Institute’s Sight and Sound poll, run once a decade and widely regarded as the most authoritative critics’ survey in the world. See the official Sight and Sound Greatest Films poll.
• Institutional rankings — lists compiled by major film bodies, such as the American Film Institute’s AFI 100 Years… 100 Movies. See the AFI 100 Years list.
• Audience ratings — large-scale public voting, most visibly the IMDb Top 250, found at IMDb’s Top 250 Movies, and the Letterboxd Top 250, found at Letterboxd’s Top 250 Narrative Feature Films.
• Award history and cultural legacy — recognition from bodies like the Academy Awards, tracked on the official Oscars awards database, and preservation by institutions like the Library of Congress National Film Registry, which can be explored on the National Film Registry page.

No single source gets it “right.” This list blends all four so you get a well-rounded answer, not just one website’s opinion.

How We Picked This List

We did not rank purely by star rating. Each film on this list had to meet at least two of these four criteria:

1. Appears on a major critics’ poll (Sight and Sound, AFI, or a comparable national critics’ survey).
2. Rated highly by audiences on IMDb or Letterboxd over a sustained period, not just at release.
3. Won or was nominated for major awards (Oscars, Cannes Palme d’Or, BAFTA).
4. Still widely discussed, referenced or studied at least 10 years after release.

This filters out films that were simply big at the box office but faded from cultural conversation, and it filters out critic-only darlings that general audiences never connected with. You can see how critics evaluate films professionally through Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer methodology.

The 50 Best Movies of All Time (Ranked)

This list blends the sources above. Ranking “best ever” is subjective by nature — use this as a strong, well-researched starting point, not gospel.

1. The Godfather (1972) — dir. Francis Ford Coppola
2. The Shawshank Redemption (1994) — dir. Frank Darabont
3. Citizen Kane (1941) — dir. Orson Welles
4. The Godfather Part II (1974) — dir. Francis Ford Coppola
5. Pulp Fiction (1994) — dir. Quentin Tarantino
6. Schindler’s List (1993) — dir. Steven Spielberg
7. 12 Angry Men (1957) — dir. Sidney Lumet
8. The Dark Knight (2008) — dir. Christopher Nolan
9. Vertigo (1958) — dir. Alfred Hitchcock
10. Casablanca (1942) — dir. Michael Curtiz
11. Seven Samurai (1954) — dir. Akira Kurosawa
12. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) — dir. Peter Jackson
13. Parasite (2019) — dir. Bong Joon-ho
14. Goodfellas (1990) — dir. Martin Scorsese
15. Fight Club (1999) — dir. David Fincher
16. Forrest Gump (1994) — dir. Robert Zemeckis
17. Inception (2010) — dir. Christopher Nolan
18. Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980) — dir. Irvin Kershner
19. The Matrix (1999) — dir. the Wachowskis
20. Interstellar (2014) — dir. Christopher Nolan
21. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) — dir. Miloš Forman
22. Spirited Away (2001) — dir. Hayao Miyazaki
23. City of God (2002) — dir. Fernando Meirelles & Kátia Lund
24. Saving Private Ryan (1998) — dir. Steven Spielberg
25. The Silence of the Lambs (1991) — dir. Jonathan Demme
26. Léon: The Professional (1994) — dir. Luc Besson
27. Whiplash (2014) — dir. Damien Chazelle
28. The Green Mile (1999) — dir. Frank Darabont
29. Psycho (1960) — dir. Alfred Hitchcock
30. American History X (1998) — dir. Tony Kaye
31. Apocalypse Now (1979) — dir. Francis Ford Coppola
32. Se7en (1995) — dir. David Fincher
33. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) — dir. James Cameron
34. The Lion King (1994) — dir. Roger Allers & Rob Minkoff
35. Back to the Future (1985) — dir. Robert Zemeckis
36. Oldboy (2003) — dir. Park Chan-wook
37. Memento (2000) — dir. Christopher Nolan
38. The Pianist (2002) — dir. Roman Polanski
39. Grave of the Fireflies (1988) — dir. Isao Takahata
40. Rear Window (1954) — dir. Alfred Hitchcock
41. Alien (1979) — dir. Ridley Scott
42. Modern Times (1936) — dir. Charlie Chaplin
43. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) — dir. Stanley Kubrick
44. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) — dir. Steven Spielberg
45. Django Unchained (2012) — dir. Quentin Tarantino
46. The Departed (2006) — dir. Martin Scorsese
47. The Prestige (2006) — dir. Christopher Nolan
48. Gladiator (2000) — dir. Ridley Scott
49. Coco (2017) — dir. Lee Unkrich & Adrian Molina
50. Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) — dir. Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert

For a continuously updated, crowd-voted version of a similar list, see Letterboxd’s Top 250 Narrative Feature Films and the live IMDb Top 250 chart, which updates daily based on user ratings.

Comparison Table: Top 10 at a Glance

You can verify award counts yourself on the official Academy Awards database.

Best Movies of All Time by Genre

Different readers want different things from a “best ever” list. Here’s a shortcut by genre.

Best Drama Movies of All Time

The Godfather, The Shawshank Redemption, Schindler’s List, 12 Angry Men, Forrest Gump

Best Crime Movies of All Time

The Godfather, Goodfellas, Pulp Fiction, City of God, The Departed

Best Sci-Fi Movies of All Time

2001: A Space Odyssey, The Matrix, Inception, Interstellar, Alien

Best Animated Movies of All Time

Spirited Away, The Lion King, Coco, Grave of the Fireflies

Best Thriller Movies of All Time

Se7en, Psycho, Vertigo, The Silence of the Lambs, Memento

Best War Movies of All Time

Saving Private Ryan, Apocalypse Now, The Pianist, Schindler’s List

Best Action Movies of All Time

The Dark Knight, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Gladiator

A deeper breakdown of genre-specific rankings is available from the American Film Institute’s genre lists and Rotten Tomatoes’ best movies by genre collections.

Best Movies of All Time by Decade

• 1940s: Citizen Kane (1941), Casablanca (1942)
• 1950s: 12 Angry Men (1957), Vertigo (1958), Seven Samurai (1954), Rear Window (1954)
• 1960s: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Psycho (1960)
• 1970s: The Godfather (1972), The Godfather Part II (1974), Apocalypse Now (1979), Star Wars (1977)
• 1980s: Back to the Future (1985), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
• 1990s: The Shawshank Redemption (1994), Pulp Fiction (1994), Schindler’s List (1993), Goodfellas (1990), The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
• 2000s: The Dark Knight (2008), City of God (2002), The Departed (2006), Spirited Away (2001)
• 2010s: Inception (2010), Whiplash (2014), Interstellar (2014), Parasite (2019)
• 2020s so far: Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)

The 1990s and 1970s are widely viewed as two of the strongest decades in film history on critic and audience lists alike, which this breakdown reflects.

Most-Awarded Movies in Oscar History

If “best ever” means Oscar success specifically, these are the records to know:

• Most Oscars won (tie): Ben-Hur (1959), Titanic (1997) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) — 11 wins each.
• Most Oscar nominations: All About Eve (1950), Titanic (1997) and La La Land (2016) — 14 nominations each.
• First non-English film to win Best Picture: Parasite (2019).

See the complete, searchable record on the official Oscars.org ceremonies archive.

Best Movies of All Time According to Major Critic Polls

Critic polls often disagree with audience lists, and that disagreement is useful — it shows you films that are technically important even if they’re less “fun” to watch casually.

Sight and Sound (critics’ poll, most recent edition): Frequently places Vertigo, Citizen Kane and Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles near the top. Full results: BFI Sight and Sound Greatest Films of All Time.

AFI 100 Years… 100 Movies: Ranks Citizen Kane first, followed by The Godfather and Casablanca. Full list: AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies.

National Film Registry: Not a ranked list, but a preservation list of films deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” by the Library of Congress. Browse it at the National Film Registry.

Best Foreign-Language and International Films

A genuinely global “best movies of all time” list has to look beyond Hollywood.

• Seven Samurai (1954, Japan) — dir. Akira Kurosawa
• Parasite (2019, South Korea) — dir. Bong Joon-ho
• City of God (2002, Brazil) — dir. Fernando Meirelles & Kátia Lund
• Oldboy (2003, South Korea) — dir. Park Chan-wook
• Spirited Away (2001, Japan) — dir. Hayao Miyazaki
• Grave of the Fireflies (1988, Japan) — dir. Isao Takahata
• The Pianist (2002, multiple countries) — dir. Roman Polanski

For more international picks, the Criterion Collection’s catalog and Mubi’s curated library are excellent starting points beyond mainstream streaming services.

Best Modern Movies (2015–2026)

If you want films from the last decade that are already being discussed as future classics:

• Parasite (2019)
• Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
• Whiplash (2014)
• Dune (2021) — dir. Denis Villeneuve
• Oppenheimer (2023) — dir. Christopher Nolan
• Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

It’s too early to know which of these will stand the test of time the way The Godfather has, but all six already appear on major year-end and decade-end critics’ lists. You can track ongoing critical consensus at Metacritic’s film rankings and Rotten Tomatoes’ Certified Fresh collections.

Where to Stream the Best Movies of All Time

Availability changes often, so always check current listings rather than relying on an old article. These official tools make it easy:

• JustWatch — search any film and see every streaming service that currently carries it, by country.
• Netflix official site
• Max official site
• Amazon Prime Video
• The Criterion Channel — best source for classic and foreign-language films specifically.

Many of the older films on this list (like Citizen Kane or Casablanca) rotate between streaming services and library/rental platforms, so checking JustWatch before each movie night will save time.

How to Build Your Own Watchlist

A “best ever” list is only useful if you actually watch something from it. Here’s a simple method.

Step 1: Pick one film from three different decades. This keeps your viewing varied instead of binge-watching only recent movies.

Step 2: Alternate genres. Follow a heavy drama with something lighter, like an animated film or an action movie.

Step 3: Read nothing about the plot beforehand. Many of these films (especially thrillers like Se7en, Oldboy and Memento) are best experienced with zero spoilers.

Step 4: Watch with intention. Turn off your phone. Several films on this list, particularly 2001: A Space Odyssey and Citizen Kane, reward focused, uninterrupted viewing far more than background viewing.

Step 5: Track what you’ve seen. Apps like Letterboxd let you log, rate and review every film, and build your own personal “best of” list over time.

Common Mistakes People Make Picking “Best Ever” Movies

Relying on only one source. IMDb alone skews toward recent, English-language, mainstream films because voting is open to the public. Critic polls like Sight and Sound skew toward older, more experimental work. Use both.

Confusing “favorite” with “best.” A film can be technically excellent without being your personal favorite, and that’s fine — this list separates “objectively significant” from “personally fun,” and both categories matter.

Ignoring context. Watching Citizen Kane without knowing it was made in 1941, when many of its camera and sound techniques were brand new, makes it harder to appreciate why it’s considered so influential.

Skipping older or foreign films entirely. Some of the most influential films ever made, like Seven Samurai and Battleship Potemkin, directly shaped how modern blockbusters are made and edited.

Free Tools to Plan Your Movie Night

Every Tools offers free calculators and tools that pair well with planning a watch list or a movie-night budget.

• Figure out how much your streaming subscriptions actually cost per month with our hourly to salary calculator to see what your time is worth before you commit to a long watchlist.
• Explore more free online tools on the Every Tools homepage.
• Learn more about the site on our About page.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best movie of all time?

There is no single official answer, but The Godfather, The Shawshank Redemption and Citizen Kane are the films most frequently ranked first across major critic and audience polls, including AFI and IMDb.

How is a “best movies of all time” list decided?

Lists like this combine critic polls such as Sight and Sound, institutional rankings like the AFI 100 Years, audience ratings from IMDb and Letterboxd, and a film’s lasting cultural influence.

What is the highest-rated movie on IMDb?

The Shawshank Redemption has held the top spot on the IMDb Top 250 for most of the list’s history, narrowly ahead of The Godfather.

What movie won the most Oscars of all time?

Ben-Hur, Titanic and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King are tied for the most Academy Awards won by a single film, each with 11 wins.

What is considered the first great film?

Film historians often point to early landmark films from the 1910s through 1920s, including Battleship Potemkin (1925) and Metropolis (1927), as early masterpieces of film craft. Some early films are also studied for technique while being criticized for their content, so historical context matters.

What is the best movie according to critics, not audiences?

Critics’ polls, particularly the Sight and Sound survey, have historically ranked Vertigo and Citizen Kane at or near the very top, slightly different from audience-favorite lists like IMDb’s.

Are newer movies ever considered “all time best”?

Yes, though it usually takes a decade or more for consensus to form. Parasite (2019) and Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) are already appearing on many critics’ “best of the decade” lists.

What is the best animated movie of all time?

Spirited Away is the animated film most consistently ranked among the greatest films ever made by both critics and audiences, alongside Grave of the Fireflies and The Lion King.

Where can I watch classic movies from this list?

Use JustWatch to search any title and see which streaming services currently carry it in your country, since availability changes often. The Criterion Channel is the best dedicated source for classic and international films.

Final Verdict

If you’re starting from zero, begin with The Godfather, The Shawshank Redemption and Parasite — one true classic, one modern audience favorite, and one recent critical landmark. From there, branch out by genre and decade using the lists above. The “best movies of all time” conversation never really ends, and that’s part of the fun. New films join the canon every year, and rewatching an old favorite with fresh eyes often reveals something new.

Plan your next movie night, check your streaming options on JustWatch, and start logging what you watch on Letterboxd to build your own personal “best ever” list over time.