Top IMDB (1970-2024), a list by Morgan McCullough

91

/52073/

87

/29511/

4.6

/2443744/

89

/146/

98

/53477/

82

/22/

3.5

age 15+

Imprisoned in the 1940s for the double murder of his wife and her lover, upstanding banker Andy Dufresne begins a new life at the Shawshank prison, where he puts his accounting skills to work for an amoral warden. During his long stretch in prison, Dufresne comes to be admired by the other inmates -- including an older prisoner named Red -- for his integrity and unquenchable sense of hope.

93

IMDb 79

9.2

/2194735/

88

/35352/

86

/22268/

4.5

/2369298/

97

/153/

98

/41090/

100

/16/

4.0

age 16+

Spanning the years 1945 to 1955, a chronicle of the fictional Italian-American Corleone crime family. When organized crime family patriarch, Vito Corleone barely survives an attempt on his life, his youngest son, Michael steps in to take care of the would-be killers, launching a campaign of bloody revenge.

90

IMDb 90

9.1

/3120291/

88

/87256/

85

/34978/

4.5

/3849185/

94

/341/

94

/173380/

85

/41/

4.0

age 15+

Batman raises the stakes in his war on crime. With the help of Lt. Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to dismantle the remaining criminal organizations that plague the streets. The partnership proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a reign of chaos unleashed by a rising criminal mastermind known to the terrified citizens of Gotham as the Joker.

89

9.0

/2135972/

88

/54623/

84

/25863/

4.5

/1947051/

94

/304/

86

/2050091/

94

/41/

3.5

age 11+

As armies mass for a final battle that will decide the fate of the world--and powerful, ancient forces of Light and Dark compete to determine the outcome--one member of the Fellowship of the Ring is revealed as the noble heir to the throne of the Kings of Men. Yet, the sole hope for triumph over evil lies with a brave hobbit, Frodo, who, accompanied by his loyal friend Sam and the hideous, wretched Gollum, ventures deep into the very dark heart of Mordor on his seemingly impossible quest to destroy the Ring of Power.

93

9.0

/1568131/

88

/25430/

86

/16980/

4.5

/1253752/

98

/135/

97

/22910/

95

/30/

4.0

age 15+

The true story of how businessman Oskar Schindler saved over a thousand Jewish lives from the Nazis while they worked as slaves in his factory during World War II.

91

9.0

/1475480/

87

/21054/

85

/13470/

4.6

/1231676/

96

/129/

97

/18705/

90

/18/

age 16+

In the continuing saga of the Corleone crime family, a young Vito Corleone grows up in Sicily and in 1910s New York. In the 1950s, Michael Corleone attempts to expand the family business into Las Vegas, Hollywood and Cuba.

87

IMDb 64

8.9

/2174366/

87

/63890/

84

/26809/

4.4

/2531333/

91

/235/

95

/80557/

92

/34/

3.0

age 11+

Young hobbit Frodo Baggins, after inheriting a mysterious ring from his uncle Bilbo, must leave his home in order to keep it from falling into the hands of its evil creator. Along the way, a fellowship is formed to protect the ringbearer and make sure that the ring arrives at its final destination: Mt. Doom, the only place where it can be destroyed.

79

8.8

/2560082/

87

/60158/

84

/31234/

4.3

/4703998/

81

/185/

96

/73947/

67

/36/

2.0

age 17+

A ticking-time-bomb insomniac and a slippery soap salesman channel primal male aggression into a shocking new form of therapy. Their concept catches on, with underground "fight clubs" forming in every town, until an eccentric gets in the way and ignites an out-of-control spiral toward oblivion.

87

8.8

/1929546/

87

/53331/

84

/23266/

4.4

/1885599/

95

/258/

95

/72895/

87

/39/

3.0

age 11+

Frodo Baggins and the other members of the Fellowship continue on their sacred quest to destroy the One Ring--but on separate paths. Their destinies lie at two towers--Orthanc Tower in Isengard, where the corrupt wizard Saruman awaits, and Sauron's fortress at Barad-dur, deep within the dark lands of Mordor. Frodo and Sam are trekking to Mordor to destroy the One Ring of Power while Gimli, Legolas and Aragorn search for the orc-captured Merry and Pippin. All along, nefarious wizard Saruman awaits the Fellowship members at the Orthanc Tower in Isengard.

90

IMDb 93

8.8

/2403661/

86

/53257/

84

/29515/

4.2

/3743587/

92

/185/

96

/62759/

95

/27/

4.0

age 17+

A burger-loving hit man, his philosophical partner, a drug-addled gangster's moll and a washed-up boxer converge in this sprawling, comedic crime caper. Their adventures unfurl in three stories that ingeniously trip back and forth in time.

86

8.8

/2459557/

85

/54101/

84

/29081/

4.2

/3409579/

75

/157/

95

/92568/

82

/21/

4.0

age 13+

A man with a low IQ has accomplished great things in his life and been present during significant historic events—in each case, far exceeding what anyone imagined he could do. But despite all he has achieved, his one true love eludes him.

86

IMDb 82

8.8

/2774095/

86

/84168/

83

/38473/

4.2

/3561441/

87

/363/

91

/41621/

74

/42/

4.0

age 14+

Cobb, a skilled thief who commits corporate espionage by infiltrating the subconscious of his targets is offered a chance to regain his old life as payment for a task considered to be impossible: "inception", the implantation of another person's idea into a target's subconscious.

89

8.7

/1486712/

86

/41653/

83

/17967/

4.4

/1986377/

93

/174/

97

/42485/

82

/25/

4.0

age 9+

The epic saga continues as Luke Skywalker, in hopes of defeating the evil Galactic Empire, learns the ways of the Jedi from aging master Yoda. But Darth Vader is more determined than ever to capture Luke. Meanwhile, rebel leader Princess Leia, cocky Han Solo, Chewbacca, and droids C-3PO and R2-D2 are thrown into various stages of capture, betrayal and despair.

82

8.7

/2219155/

87

/72958/

82

/27205/

4.2

/2521036/

83

/209/

85

/1307885/

73

/36/

3.0

age 15+

Set in the 22nd century, The Matrix tells the story of a computer hacker who joins a group of underground insurgents fighting the vast and powerful computers who now rule the earth.

91

8.7

/1371558/

85

/25752/

84

/13903/

4.5

/1908257/

93

/167/

97

/29224/

92

/21/

4.0

age 18+

The true story of Henry Hill, a half-Irish, half-Sicilian Brooklyn kid who is adopted by neighbourhood gangsters at an early age and climbs the ranks of a Mafia family under the guidance of Jimmy Conway.

83

IMDb 68

8.7

/2462497/

86

/90848/

84

/38599/

4.4

/4962356/

73

/375/

87

/14163/

74

/46/

3.5

age 11+

The adventures of a group of explorers who make use of a newly discovered wormhole to surpass the limitations on human space travel and conquer the vast distances involved in an interstellar voyage.

89

8.6

/861703/

85

/13747/

84

/7929/

4.6

/998306/

91

/162/

97

/15604/

79

/33/

4.0

age 18+

In the poverty-stricken favelas of Rio de Janeiro in the 1970s, two young men choose different paths. Rocket is a budding photographer who documents the increasing drug-related violence of his neighborhood, while José “Zé” Pequeno is an ambitious drug dealer diving into a dangerous life of crime.

89

8.6

/1617007/

85

/31989/

82

/16779/

4.2

/1300325/

94

/148/

95

/41367/

91

/38/

4.0

age 16+

As U.S. troops storm the beaches of Normandy, three brothers lie dead on the battlefield, with a fourth trapped behind enemy lines. Ranger captain John Miller and seven men are tasked with penetrating German-held territory and bringing the boy home.

82

8.6

/1538826/

86

/31998/

85

/18705/

4.3

/1132476/

78

/134/

94

/31674/

61

/36/

3.5

age 16+

A supernatural tale set on death row in a Southern prison, where gentle giant John Coffey possesses the mysterious power to heal people's ailments. When the cell block's head guard, Paul Edgecomb, recognizes Coffey's miraculous gift, he tries desperately to help stave off the condemned man's execution.

83

8.6

/802967/

86

/13315/

84

/13718/

4.4

/670938/

80

/92/

96

/15224/

58

/32/

3.5

age 13+

A touching story of an Italian book seller of Jewish ancestry who lives in his own little fairy tale. His creative and happy life would come to an abrupt halt when his entire family is deported to a concentration camp during World War II. While locked up he tries to convince his son that the whole thing is just a game.

86

8.6

/1146518/

84

/15664/

84

/11120/

4.4

/866205/

93

/135/

96

/14990/

84

/21/

3.0

age 16+

A petty criminal fakes insanity to serve his sentence in a mental ward rather than prison. He soon finds himself as a leader to the other patients—and an enemy to the cruel, domineering nurse who runs the ward.

91

8.6

/950644/

86

/30099/

85

/17811/

4.5

/3244089/

96

/225/

96

/23081/

96

/41/

MAL

8.7

/1391593/

4.0

age 9+

A young girl, Chihiro, becomes trapped in a strange new world of spirits. When her parents undergo a mysterious transformation, she must call upon the courage she never knew she had to free her family.

85

8.6

/1269712/

84

/30810/

81

/13848/

4.3

/892410/

91

/154/

95

/25649/

75

/22/

3.5

age 15+

Ten years after the events of the original, a reprogrammed T-800 is sent back in time to protect young John Connor from the shape-shifting T-1000. Together with his mother Sarah, he fights to stop Skynet from triggering a nuclear apocalypse.

87

8.6

/1695090/

85

/35873/

83

/17440/

4.3

/2662249/

95

/157/

95

/29659/

86

/20/

3.5

age 17+

Clarice Starling is a top student at the FBI's training academy. Jack Crawford wants Clarice to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant psychiatrist who is also a violent psychopath, serving life behind bars for various acts of murder and cannibalism. Crawford believes that Lecter may have insight into a case and that Starling, as an attractive young woman, may be just the bait to draw him out.

84

8.6

/1987610/

85

/43194/

84

/22463/

4.4

/3097724/

84

/156/

95

/26052/

65

/22/

3.5

age 17+

Two homicide detectives are on a desperate hunt for a serial killer whose crimes are based on the "seven deadly sins" in this dark and haunting film that takes viewers from the tortured remains of one victim to the next. The seasoned Det. Somerset researches each sin in an effort to get inside the killer's mind, while his novice partner, Mills, scoffs at his efforts to unravel the case.

89

8.6

/1552233/

84

/47173/

82

/21825/

4.2

/2308678/

94

/206/

96

/34703/

90

/24/

4.0

age 8+

Princess Leia is captured and held hostage by the evil Imperial forces in their effort to take over the galactic Empire. Venturesome Luke Skywalker and dashing captain Han Solo team together with the loveable robot duo R2-D2 and C-3PO to rescue the beautiful princess and restore peace and justice in the Empire.

69

68

8.5

/578414/

74

/352/

70

/82/

2.8

/6167/

40

/5/

92

/275/

age 17+

Based on a true tragedy, the emotionally triggering film sheds light on the plight of Kashmiri Pandits (Hindus), a religious minority in the 1990s Kashmir valley, who were compelled to flee their homes by the Islamic militants.

78

8.5

/1337722/

84

/29012/

83

/15693/

4.0

/1276176/

76

/66/

95

/14690/

64

/12/

2.5

age 16+

Léon, the top hit man in New York, has earned a rep as an effective "cleaner". But when his next-door neighbors are wiped out by a loose-cannon DEA agent, he becomes the unwilling custodian of 12-year-old Mathilda. Before long, Mathilda's thoughts turn to revenge, and she considers following in Léon's footsteps.

88

8.5

/1051115/

83

/33745/

81

/15889/

4.2

/1656240/

93

/207/

94

/22400/

89

/34/

4.0

age 15+

During its return to the earth, commercial spaceship Nostromo intercepts a distress signal from a distant planet. When a three-member team of the crew discovers a chamber containing thousands of eggs on the planet, a creature inside one of the eggs attacks an explorer. The entire crew is unaware of the impending nightmare set to descend upon them when the alien parasite planted inside its unfortunate host is birthed.

88

8.5

/1534619/

83

/31310/

81

/15766/

4.3

/1398605/

91

/285/

94

/58086/

85

/39/

4.0

age 17+

To take down South Boston's Irish Mafia, the police send in one of their own to infiltrate the underworld, not realizing the syndicate has done likewise. While an undercover cop curries favor with the mob kingpin, a career criminal rises through the police ranks. But both sides soon discover there's a mole among them.

81

8.5

/1260786/

84

/23608/

83

/12241/

4.2

/789695/

84

/88/

96

/34092/

62

/32/

3.0

age 17+

Derek Vineyard is paroled after serving 3 years in prison for killing two African-American men. Through his brother, Danny Vineyard's narration, we learn that before going to prison, Derek was a skinhead and the leader of a violent white supremacist gang that committed acts of racial crime throughout L.A. and his actions greatly influenced Danny. Reformed and fresh out of prison, Derek severs contact with the gang and becomes determined to keep Danny from going down the same violent path as he did.

87

8.5

/1430885/

85

/47175/

83

/21262/

4.2

/2405392/

92

/118/

95

/40116/

88

/27/

3.5

age 10+

Eighties teenager Marty McFly is accidentally sent back in time to 1955, inadvertently disrupting his parents' first meeting and attracting his mother's romantic interest. Marty must repair the damage to history by rekindling his parents' romance and - with the help of his eccentric inventor friend Doc Brown - return to 1985.

89

8.5

/502759/

86

/22453/

83

/8162/

4.4

/3205074/

95

/397/

95

/4558/

86

/60/

4.0

age 9+

After reuniting with Gwen Stacy, Brooklyn’s full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters the Spider Society, a team of Spider-People charged with protecting the Multiverse's very existence. But when the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles finds himself pitted against the other Spiders and must set out on his own to save those he loves most.

91

8.5

/1133941/

85

/43995/

85

/19948/

4.5

/4844739/

99

/485/

90

/2503/

97

/56/

4.0

age 16+

All unemployed, Ki-taek's family takes peculiar interest in the wealthy and glamorous Parks for their livelihood until they get entangled in an unexpected incident.

87

8.5

/999780/

84

/15728/

84

/9833/

4.4

/1109428/

95

/186/

96

/10818/

85

/40/

3.5

age 15+

The true story of pianist Władysław Szpilman's experiences in Warsaw during the Nazi occupation. When the Jews of the city find themselves forced into a ghetto, Szpilman finds work playing in a café; and when his family is deported in 1942, he stays behind, works for a while as a laborer, and eventually goes into hiding in the ruins of the war-torn city.

78

8.5

/1224880/

83

/22749/

81

/11062/

4.1

/845756/

87

/83/

96

/25629/

76

/22/

1.5

age 17+

Held in an L.A. interrogation room, Verbal Kint attempts to convince the feds that a mythic crime lord, Keyser Soze, not only exists, but was also responsible for drawing him and his four partners into a multi-million dollar heist that ended with an explosion in San Pedro harbor – leaving few survivors. Verbal lures his interrogators with an incredible story of the crime lord's almost supernatural prowess.

77

8.5

/1012379/

85

/22414/

82

/18061/

4.2

/775374/

75

/127/

93

/2824/

57

/31/

2.5

age 16+

A true story of two men who should never have met – a quadriplegic aristocrat who was injured in a paragliding accident and a young man from the projects.

89

8.5

/1129263/

84

/31455/

83

/16195/

4.4

/3844987/

94

/304/

94

/5075/

89

/50/

4.0

age 15+

Under the direction of a ruthless instructor, a talented young drummer begins to pursue perfection at any cost, even his humanity.

80

8.5

/1565152/

83

/36070/

82

/17095/

4.3

/1609958/

77

/206/

92

/43661/

66

/36/

3.0

age 14+

A mysterious story of two magicians whose intense rivalry leads them on a life-long battle for supremacy -- full of obsession, deceit and jealousy with dangerous and deadly consequences.

77

8.5

/1822335/

84

/43708/

82

/20386/

4.2

/1872910/

80

/260/

87

/1652336/

67

/46/

2.0

age 16+

After the death of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, his devious son takes power and demotes Maximus, one of Rome's most capable generals who Marcus preferred. Eventually, Maximus is forced to become a gladiator and battle to the death against other men for the amusement of paying audiences.

85

8.5

/1854998/

84

/53074/

81

/27425/

4.3

/2880991/

87

/295/

92

/16016/

81

/42/

age 18+

With the help of a German bounty hunter, a freed slave sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner.

86

8.4

/708408/

83

/31844/

81

/7380/

4.4

/2928132/

92

/466/

95

/2263/

79

/62/

3.5

age 13+

Follow the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a path of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, Paul endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.

88

8.4

/1100906/

82

/29867/

79

/13299/

4.2

/1167108/

94

/157/

96

/26529/

86

/17/

4.0

age 11+

When Dr. Indiana Jones – the tweed-suited professor who just happens to be a celebrated archaeologist – is hired by the government to locate the legendary Ark of the Covenant, he finds himself up against the entire Nazi regime.

85

8.4

/1751416/

83

/45654/

82

/23589/

4.4

/3143924/

89

/332/

88

/36637/

69

/36/

4.0

age 17+

In Nazi-occupied France during World War II, a group of Jewish-American soldiers known as "The Basterds" are chosen specifically to spread fear throughout the Third Reich by scalping and brutally killing Nazis. The Basterds, lead by Lt. Aldo Raine soon cross paths with a French-Jewish teenage girl who runs a movie theater in Paris which is targeted by the soldiers.

85

8.4

/832850/

82

/24887/

79

/10522/

4.1

/839877/

94

/143/

94

/22899/

84

/23/

3.5

age 15+

Ripley, the sole survivor of the Nostromo's deadly encounter with the monstrous Alien, returns to Earth after drifting through space in hypersleep for 57 years. Although her story is initially met with skepticism, she agrees to accompany a team of Colonial Marines back to LV-426.

87

8.4

/1302487/

84

/47828/

81

/19808/

4.2

/2385441/

95

/258/

90

/50436/

95

/39/

3.5

age 5+

What if mankind had to leave Earth and somebody forgot to turn the last robot off? After hundreds of years doing what he was built for, WALL•E discovers a new purpose in life when he meets a sleek search robot named EVE. EVE comes to realize that WALL•E has inadvertently stumbled upon the key to the planet's future, and races back to space to report to the humans. Meanwhile, WALL•E chases EVE across the galaxy and sets into motion one of the most imaginative adventures ever brought to the big screen.

81

8.4

/1418257/

84

/58301/

82

/27119/

3.9

/3111168/

94

/552/

90

/20562/

78

/57/

2.5

age 13+

After the devastating events of Avengers: Infinity War, the universe is in ruins due to the efforts of the Mad Titan, Thanos. With the help of remaining allies, the Avengers must assemble once more in order to undo Thanos' actions and restore order to the universe once and for all, no matter what consequences may be in store.

88

8.4

/770795/

86

/44572/

83

/16736/

4.4

/3988304/

97

/399/

93

/6140/

87

/50/