The 50 Best Movies of All Time

Here's a list that ranks the 50 best movies of all time. The list was generated with Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer Score & Audience Score and IMDb's user rating, among other resources. Did your movie make the list?

Ask 100 people to name their top five movies, and you'll get 100 different answers. That's the beauty of cinema: it's an art form that impacts each viewer uniquely. One list will be filled with classic Hitchcock horror; the next with modern, independent dramas and Cannes Film Festival darlings.

Combine all those individual opinions into a single list, however, and you'll likely wind up with a ranking much like the one below. Regardless of whom you ask, the same 50 films tend to emerge time and time again.

Creating a definitive list of the "50 Best Movies of All Time" is a subjective and challenging task, as opinions on the greatest films vary widely. However, here's a list of 50 influential and critically acclaimed movies, spanning various genres and eras, that are often considered some of the best in cinematic history. They are listed in no particular order:

The Godfather (1972)

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, this crime epic is a masterpiece of storytelling and filmmaking.

Citizen Kane (1941)

Orson Welles' groundbreaking film is often cited as one of the greatest of all time.

Casablanca (1942)

A classic romance set against the backdrop of World War II, directed by Michael Curtiz.

Schindler's List (1993)

Steven Spielberg's powerful Holocaust drama.

Pulp Fiction (1994)

Quentin Tarantino's non-linear crime film that redefined storytelling in cinema.

Gone with the Wind (1939)

A sweeping historical epic based on Margaret Mitchell's novel.

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

A prison drama based on Stephen King's novella, directed by Frank Darabont.

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

A beloved family classic directed by Victor Fleming.

The Godfather: Part II (1974)

The sequel to "The Godfather" that some argue is even better than the original.

Seven Samurai (1954)

Akira Kurosawa's epic samurai film, a masterpiece of Japanese cinema.

Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

David Lean's visually stunning and epic biographical drama.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

Milos Forman's adaptation of Ken Kesey's novel, starring Jack Nicholson.

12 Angry Men (1957)

A gripping courtroom drama directed by Sidney Lumet.

Raging Bull (1980)

Martin Scorsese's biographical film about boxer Jake LaMotta.

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

Steven Spielberg's heartwarming sci-fi family film.

Goodfellas (1990)

Martin Scorsese's crime drama based on the life of Henry Hill.

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Jonathan Demme's psychological thriller featuring Hannibal Lecter.

Apocalypse Now (1979)

Francis Ford Coppola's Vietnam War epic inspired by Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness."

The Matrix (1999)

The Wachowskis' groundbreaking science fiction film.

The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

David Lean's World War II epic.

Star Wars: Episode IV

A New Hope (1977)

George Lucas' space opera that launched a cultural phenomenon.

The Great Dictator (1940)

Charlie Chaplin's satirical masterpiece.

The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

The darker and acclaimed sequel to "Star Wars."

The Graduate (1967)

Mike Nichols' coming-of-age drama.

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Stanley Kubrick's visually stunning and thought-provoking sci-fi epic.

The Third Man (1949)

Carol Reed's atmospheric film noir set in post-World War II Vienna.

The Deer Hunter (1978)

Michael Cimino's powerful drama about the Vietnam War.

Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

Guillermo del Toro's dark fantasy masterpiece.

The Maltese Falcon (1941)

John Huston's classic film noir starring Humphrey Bogart.

Spirited Away (2001)

Hayao Miyazaki's enchanting animated fantasy film.

Gandhi (1982)

Richard Attenborough's biographical drama about Mahatma Gandhi.

Amadeus (1984)

Milos Forman's film about the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

Stanley Kubrick's disturbing dystopian film.

To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

Robert Mulligan's adaptation of Harper Lee's novel.

Blade Runner (1982)

Ridley Scott's influential sci-fi film.

Jaws (1975)

Steven Spielberg's iconic shark thriller.

Sunset Boulevard (1950)

Billy Wilder's noirish look at Hollywood.

A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

Elia Kazan's adaptation of Tennessee Williams' play.

The Shining (1980)

Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of Stephen King's novel.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Michel Gondry's unique romantic sci-fi film.

The Breakfast Club (1985)

John Hughes' quintessential coming-of-age film.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)

Sergio Leone's epic Spaghetti Western.

The Princess Bride (1987)

Rob Reiner's beloved fantasy adventure.

The Big Lebowski (1998)

The Coen brothers' cult classic comedy.

It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

Frank Capra's heartwarming holiday classic.

Memento (2000)

Christopher Nolan's mind-bending thriller.

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Steven Spielberg and George Lucas' action-adventure classic.

Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

Guillermo del Toro's dark fantasy masterpiece.

Fight Club (1999)

David Fincher's subversive and thought-provoking film.

Forrest Gump (1994)

Robert Zemeckis' heartwarming tale of a simple man's extraordinary journey.

This list includes a mix of classic films from different eras, genres, and cultures. It's important to note that "best" is highly subjective in the world of cinema, and these films have been selected based on their historical significance, critical acclaim, and enduring popularity. Your personal preferences may lead you to different choices for the "best" movies of all time.

Classic Films in the Top 10, Modern Films After

Classic, influential films dominate the top 10. "The Godfather" revolutionized the mobster flick, with its meticulous cinematography and timeless characters. "Gone With the Wind" remains one of cinema's great love stories. "Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope" is among the most important sci-fi fantasy movies ever. “12 Angry Men” stands out for its bold approach to cinematic structure (filmed almost entirely in one room). The only post-1990 films to crack the top 10 are “Schindler's List” and “Pulp Fiction” — and even these were made more than 20 years ago.

Outside the top 10, however, films from the '90s and '00s dominate the list.

Are viewers more likely to praise recent movies, or are films simply getting better? To some extent, both are probably true. On the one hand, our rating sources have better coverage for movies since the '90s. Now that almost every vote, score and opinion gets logged online, it's much harder for a great film to slip through the cyber cracks, and much more likely for a modern film to rise on a swell of viral enthusiasm.

On the other hand, there is more talent than ever in the entertainment industry, with an increasing number of aspiring actors, directors and screenwriters. What's more, new filmmakers have even more resources for getting started. As video recording technology, editing resources and online film distribution channels continue to grow, it's likely we'll see even more creativity and experimentation throughout the next decade.

Pixar's Dominance

Pixar nabs five spots in the top 50 — fairly remarkable for a studio with fewer than 20 films to its name. Most of this is well deserved, but Pixar might also benefit from mass appeal, a characteristic typical of good children's movies.

Consider that Stanley Kubrick's iconic “A Clockwork Orange" registers a 90 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, while “Ratatouille" notches a 96 percent. Both are great movies, but in the aggregate, kids' movies might stand at a slight advantage. Dark, controversial movies tend to garner more contrarians and critics, even as they impact the industry in important ways.

Scorsese, Jackson, Spielberg

Directors Martin Scorsese, Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg each notch three films in the top 50, more than any other directors.

Scorsese and Spielberg owned the late ‘70s through ‘90s, the former tending toward gritty character studies (“Taxi Driver,” “Raging Bull”), the latter toward big-budget epics (“Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “Saving Private Ryan”). Remarkably, Jackson ties the two legends, earning a top slot for all three entries of the Lord of the Rings series.

Icons like Francis Ford Coppola and Alfred Hitchcock earn only two slots each, which might speak to the recency bias inherent in modern film websites, and to some extent, our methodology. Along the same lines, directing luminaries Orson Welles (“The Third Man,” 1949) and Stanley Kubrick (“Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb,” 1964) earn only one top film apiece.

Drama, Adventure, Fantasy

Perhaps unsurprisingly, drama is the best-represented genre on the list, while fiction favorites like adventure and fantasy appear the next-most frequently.

Note that our genre definitions are fairly liberal. We tag each film with multiple genres, and, as a result, many films are counted more than once in the visualization below.

Action and comedy films are comparatively less well represented, mirroring a similar tendency in the Academy Awards. Removing children's movies and dark comedies (“Dr. Strangelove”), you could argue the top 50 list includes just two true comedies: “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” and “Modern Times.”

The Future

The explosion of film technology and opportunity may have one downside for filmmakers: It's likely tougher than ever to produce something that stands out from the talented pack. In order for new films to crack the top 50, we'll probably have to see a movie really reshape or disrupt the industry. “Mad Max: Fury Road” might be the best recent attempt, a film that shook up the action genre, with its cinematographic experimentation, confidence in set design and strong female protagonist.

Even so, the film barely missed this top 50 list. Such are the stakes — and the inherent challenge — of breaking into such a prestigious group.

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