Top 100: Best Must See Movies of All Time

So you say you like movies? We have compiled a list of the absolute best movies of all-time.

One of the hardest things to do as a human being is tell people what your favorite must see movies are. Why is it so difficult? Because the human animal is a very complex life form. He (or she) can change their minds from day-to-day, month-to-month, and year-to-year.

What they enjoyed at one point can grow stale and distasteful as time passes, life experiences build, and perceptions change.

There are also the mood swings, which can greatly influence the types of entertainment you're interested in seeing from hour to hour. That's why you can have the choice between a masterpiece like The Godfather Part II and opt for a sleaze bucket slasher pic like Sleepaway Camp instead. You don't necessarily like Sleepaway Camp better, but it's the preferred film in that moment.

In that spirit, we finished with a list of Best Picture winners, Best Picture nominees, movies that were snubbed, major blockbusters, and the guiltiest pleasures this side of the adult film industry.

What we ended up with is as eclectic of a Top 100 as you are likely to see. But don't take my word for it. Let's get started! 

What makes it great: Andy Griffith is Lonesome Rhodes, a likable good ol' boy country and western singer...until you get to know him. Those closest to Rhodes see him as an egotistical manipulator willing to step on anyone to get what he wants.Griffith did this film in his pre-Mayberry days when he was known more as a simpleton comedian, so the character was a huge and risky departure. And despite a bit of overacting on his part, it completely works.

Hardware: None

Critics Rating: 92%

What the fans say: 8.2 out of 10 (9,486 ratings) 

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: For the first time, Hollywood was able to create a character you felt for and feared outside of the human form. King Kong is both sympathetic and a horrible beast not bad for a stop-motion gorilla.

Hardware: Nothing major

Critics Rating: 98%

What the fans say: 8 out of 10

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: Andy Griffith is Lonesome Rhodes, a likable good ol' boy country and western singer until you get to know him. Those closest to Rhodes see him as an egotistical manipulator willing to step on anyone to get what he wants.Griffith did this film in his pre-Mayberry days when he was known more as a simpleton comedian, so the character was a huge and risky departure. And despite a bit of overacting on his part, it completely works.

Hardware: None

Critics Rating: 92% 

What the fans say: 8.2 out of 10 (9,486 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: None of this DC gloom-and-doom grit. Marvel's reputation for making colorful and fun superhero films started here, and that makes it a must see. Its immediate follow-up, Spider-Man 2, is well worth checking out as well.

Hardware: Two Oscar nominations, but no wins

Critics Rating: 89%

What the fans say: 7.3 out of 10 (519,069 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: Michael Bay is not a great filmmaker, we'll give you that; however, he absolutely knocked it out of the park with his first Transformers effort. Unfortunately, he followed it up with Revenge of the Fallen, which was so bad it wasn't worth watching any more after that.Here, however, the FX work is strong, the humor is endearing, and the story though simple leads us to a riveting finale.

Hardware: Three Oscar nominations, no wins

Critics Rating: 57% - no idea what the critics were thinking on this one; most fans loved it

What the fans say: 7.1 out of 10 (496,029 ratings)

Where to buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: Robert Downey, Jr., period.

Hardware: Two Oscar nominations, no wins

Critics Rating: 94%

What the fans say: 7.9 out of 10 (655,125 ratings)

Where to buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: A hitman goes home for his 10-year high school reunion. This great little action-comedy will catch you off-guard with the performances of John Cusack and Dan Aykroyd as the rival gunmen going head-to-head. There are also some surprisingly awesome fight scenes.

Hardware: None

Critics Rating: 79%

What the fans say: 7.4 out of 10 (71,571 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: There is something Hitchcockian in the structure of this otherwise hilarious comedy. It's an odd combination. Mixed with a stellar cast, this is required viewing. The sequels? Not so much.

Hardware: No Oscars, but it did win the Golden Globe for Best Picture Comedy or Musical

Critics Rating: 79%

What the fans say: 7.8 out of 10 (562,111 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: A perfect companion piece to Paul Verhoeven's RoboCop. Violent, funny, full of imagination, and completely self-aware.

Hardware: One Oscar nomination, no wins

Critics Rating: 63%

What the fans say: 7.2 out of 10 (215,275 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: Erotic and thrilling, this daring suspense flick was the pinnacle of writer Joe Eszterhas' talents, and it's told at a lightning pace by director Paul Verhoeven. Trashy and not for everyone, yes, but it is unapologetic and a lot of fun. However, you should stay far away from BI2.

Hardware: Two Oscar nominations, no wins

Critics Rating: 54%

What the fans say: 6.9 out of 10 (128,916 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: James Wan is a talented director as seen with the seventh Fast and Furious, The Conjuring, Insidious, the early Saw franchise, etc. However, it was this revenge thriller where we think he was at his most gripping.The story is simple, but the telling of it will leave you on the edge of your seat. Critics hated it because it was too violent, but the few who have seen it respond pretty well to it.

Hardware: None

Critics Rating: 20%

What the fans say: 6.8 out of 10 (58,779 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: Well-acted and subtly horrifying, there isn't much in the horror genre that tops Session 9.

Hardware: None

Critics Rating: 63%

What the fans say: 6.5 out of 10 (42,613 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: Wonderful period recreation by Captain America director Joe Johnston. This film adapts the late, great Dave Stevens' trademark comic book creation for the big screen with a phenomenal cast and smart script.

Hardware: No majors

Critics Rating: 61%

What the fans say: 6.4 out of 10 (42,733 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: The performance of Pat Morita and the friendship of his Miyagi to Daniel. Also, the musical score. Try to watch that ending without Bill Conti's stuff, and it's pretty terrible.

Hardware: Morita got an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor, but the film fell short on wins.

Critics Rating: 90%

What the fans say: 7.2 out of 10 (119,935 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: Fritz Lang's German horror-thriller tells the all-too-real tale of a creepy child murderer, who avoids authorities with such cunning that he becomes the target of everyone, from police to criminals. Peter Lorre is amazing in the lead role, but Lang is why the picture truly shines. Was forgettably in 1951.

Hardware: None, probably because of how edgy and uncomfortable the material was for 1931.

Critics Rating: 100%

What the fans say: 8.4 out of 10 (94,518 ratings)

Where to buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: Don't Look Now is a film you will find in the horror section on your streaming provider (or your video store if you still have them). However, it is more of a family and relationship drama with spooky overtones and a horrific ending, which makes it MORE effective than most horror films.Donald Sutherland is superb in the lead role as a grieving father, who thinks the red-coated image running along the streets of Venice is the spirit of his dead child. So much nope.

Hardware: No Awards, no nominations.

Critics Rating: 96%

What the fans say: 7.4 out of 10 (33,059 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: The Coen's are in their element with this moody crime-thriller about a gangster's advisor, who gets caught between warring factions. Gabriel Byrne, Marcia Gay Harden, Albert Finney, and John Turturro, turn in what could be their best performances.

Hardware: Criminally neglected, in that it's one of the Coen Brothers' best films, yet there isn't even a nomination.

Critics Rating: 91%What the fans say: 7.9 out of 10 (100,525 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy at Amazon

What makes it great: Charlie Chaplin teams his wits to those of a young homeless woman to try and make it in newly industrialized society. It's funny and offers a compelling glimpse into a world that is simultaneously in its infancy and yet very old by today's standards.

Hardware: No major Awards

Critics Rating: 100%

What the fans say: 8.6 out of 10 (133,871 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: Robert Mitchum's Preacher character is as close as you can get to a demon in human form without FX/makeup. His Love Hate tattoos on the knuckles of opposing hands  a creation of Davis Grubb's novel  have influenced many a wannabe tough guy's tattoo choice since first hitting the screen over 60 years ago.

Hardware: None

Critics Rating: 98% 

What the fans say: 8.1 out of 10 (62,430 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: David Fincher brings the fear and paranoia of the Zodiac case back to haunting life. His stellar cast, which includes Robert Downey, Jr., Jake Gallenhaal, and Mark Ruffalo, make the most of the material from James Vanderbilt's screenplay based on the Robert Graysmith book. Gyllenhaal plays Graysmith in the film.

Hardware: Nada

Critics Rating: 89%

What the fans say: 7.7 out of 10 (284,127 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: Kathleen Turner at her sizzling best. A young Mickey Rourke. William Hurt. Great old school noir vibe in a modern-looking thriller.

Hardware: One Golden Globe nomination, but no wins.

Critics Rating: 97%

What the fans say: 7.4 out of 10 (22,457 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: Romantic, lavish, well-acted Hollywood's talkie era had never seen anything like it, and today it remains a well-told romance. It's also the number one ticket seller of all time (at 200 million), beating out the original Star Wars by more than 22 million tickets sold.

Hardware: Eight Academy Award wins including Best Picture, 1939

Critics Rating:94%

What the fans say: 8.2 out of 10 (205,536 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: The combination of projectile vomiting, shockingly foul language, disturbing imagery  all dumped into a very modern, very real world, ensured that most couldn't sleep for a week. That said, some of us prefer The Exorcist III, which only started turning up on critic radars in recent years after someone finally realized that it isn't the stinker that The Exorcist II turned out to be.

Hardware: Won Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Sound, 1973

Critics Rating:  87%

What the fans say: 8.0 out of 10 (274,412 ratings)

What to Buy: Click here to buy Amazon

What makes it great: This heartwarming tale of friendship has a very dark undercurrent that makes for compelling viewing. Seriously, if you haven't given Fried Green Tomatoes a watch, you should.

It will make you laugh, make you cry, make you angry, and ultimately make you uncomfortable with the level of satisfaction you derive from the film's stunning twist.

Hardware: Two Oscar nominations, no wins

Critics Rating: 73%

What the fans say: 7.6 out of 10 (49,913 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: Arthur Penn's historical crime-drama reached new levels of violence for mainstream cinema, but given the way the actual B&C went out, it's hard to see how he could have done it any other way. Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway are excellent in the titular roles, and Gene Hackman, Michael J. Pollard, and Estelle Parsons, all lend considerable weight.

Hardware: Parsons and cinematographer Burnett Guffey were the only two winners despite the 10 nominations.

Critics Rating: 90%

What the fans say: 7.9 out of 10 (76,890 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: More action, more optimism, better villains, and an ending that wasn't utterly ridiculous (see original Superman). It also happens to be the last Man of Steel movie worth seeing.

Hardware: None

Critics Rating: 89%

What the fans say: 6.8 out of 10 (71,970 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: Heath Ledger was the first actor since Peter Finch of Network fame to win a posthumous Academy Award, but this wasn't just a way to honor his memory. The performance was really, really good.

Unfortunately, the movie suffers from the half-formed movie tacked onto the end of it that hastily disposes of Two-Face, but until that point, it is pitch-perfect.

Hardware: Two Oscars Best Supporting Actor, Best Sound Editing, 2008

Critics Rating: 94%

What the fans say: 9.0 out of 10 (1,584,457 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: While The Dark Knight was good, Batman Begins was better. That's because it is a film of fresh and original ideas, rather than a mere continuation of those fresh and original ideas, and it never loses sight of what a superhero film should be fun.

Hardware: One Oscar nomination, no wins

Critics Rating: 85%

What the fans say: 8.3 out of 10 (921,480 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: It wasn't that we had failed to see these characters interact before see 1980s television movies but this was the first time that we got to see it on a grand cinematic scale, and it did not disappoint. Great FX, but more importantly, a wonderful cast and sense of humor elevate it beyond most superhero fare.

Hardware: One Oscar nomination, no wins

Critics Rating: 92%

What the fans say: 8.1 out of 10 (932,237 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: It is the quintessential revenge film because it takes an honest look at the subject matter. Charles Bronson's liberal Paul Kersey reverts to a primitive killer when he realizes the law can do nothing to bring in the gang that killed his wife and raped his daughter.

By the end of the film, revenge has turned him into a villain of sorts, but one that we can completely empathize with. This film also lacks the silliness and exploitative elements of its sequels.

Hardware: None

Critics Rating: 67%

What the fans say: 7.0 out of 10 (24,209 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: Terry Gilliam (Monty Python fame) makes a children's movie with time-traveling little people and exploding parents. It's hilarious, dark, and fun, with an incredible cast.

Hardware: Nothing

Critics Rating: 91%

What the fans say: 7.0 out of 10 (44,313 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: The dangerous and delusional Rupert Pupkin (Robert DeNiro) kidnaps a late night talk show host (a phenomenal Jerry Lewis) and takes his place as guest in Martin Scorsese's hilarious dark comedy.

Hardware: No wins, no major nominations

Critics Rating: 89%

What the fans say: 7.8 out of 10 (49,353 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: It taps into that zombielike state that we all experience at some point in our work lives, and mines it thoroughly for comedic effect. Characters are great, situations are completely relatable.

It's tough for comedies to maintain their watchability over time, but this one has survived for close to two decades, and it's still hilarious.

Hardware: None

Critics Rating: 79%

What the fans say: 7.8 out of 10 (193,595 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: Pixar has mad a lot of great films that are worth checking out, but this one gets our pick because it doesn't try to get too heady or take itself overly serious (looking at you, Up). It's just a fun movie.

Hardware: Two Oscar wins Best Sound Editing, Best Animated Feature Film, 2004

Critics Rating: 97%

What the fans say: 8.0 out of 10 (453,771 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: The shocks may be tame by today's standards, but the only reason you are looking at today's standards is because Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece taken from the Robert Bloch novel of the same name set the tone.

Anthony Perkins is excellent, and the ending, a taboo jolt in 1960, deserves continued appreciation. Also, it inspired one sequel Psycho II that remains an unnerving little mystery.

Hardware: Four Oscar nominations, but the only win was a Golden Globe for Janet Leigh as the original Scream Queen

Critics Rating: 96%

What the fans say: 8.5 out of 10 (400,553 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: A love story about a married man, who becomes obsessed with a political activist's wife. The film is massive in scope extending from the First World War to the October Revolution. Was remade for television in 2002.

Hardware: 10 Academy Award nominations, won five, but dropped Best Picture to The Sound of Music

Critics Rating: 83%

What the fans say: 8.0 out of 10 (54,255 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: The head-to-head between Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro while the two stars were still near the top of their game is a sight to behold. Unfortunately, it was a complete bust when they tried it again in the horrid Righteous Kill, but with director Michael Mann's help, they made Heat an intense crime-drama classic.

Hardware: Bunch of noms, but no wins

Critics Rating: 86%

What the fans say: 8.2 out of 10 (413,541 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: Large, talented cast; complex murder mystery; some shocking moments; and a tense, unexpected finale successfully bring the James Ellroy novel to the big screen.

Hardware: Two Oscar wins Best Supporting Actress for Kim Basinger, Best Adapted Screenplay for Curtis Hanson and Brian Helgeland, 1997

Critics Rating: 99%

What the fans say: 8.3 out of 10 (398,136 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: It was a tossup between this, Daniel Craig's version of Casino Royale, and The Spy Who Loved Me with Roger Moore. In the end, Skyfall strikes the perfect balance of modern grit and Bond-like adventure. It also has slightly better pacing and a terrific bad guy in Javier Bardem.

Hardware: Two Oscar wins Best Original Song, Best Sound Editing, 2012

Critics Rating: 93%

What the fans say: 7.8 out of 10 (499,540 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: Quentin Tarantino has said that some of the best work he's done as a writer comes in the first 20 minutes of this action-war epic. It's hard to argue with that, but it isn't the only saving grace of Inglourious Basterds. The film is funny; the violence is well-staged; the suspenses scenes are flawless; and the finale is a stylized work of art.

Hardware: Best Supporting Actor Christoph Waltz

Critics Rating: 89%

What the fans say: 8.3 out of 10 (832,158 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: Amazing FX work. T2 still holds up today since CGI wasn't as far along at the time, and director James Cameron had to rely on his share of practical FX to complement what was there. Good story, fine acting, strong female character, and Arnold's not even that bad.

Hardware: Four Oscar wins, all in makeup and effects categories

Critics Rating: 93%

What the fans say: 8.5 out of 10 (709,200 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: While Temple of Doom wasn't exactly a misstep, it was certainly the weaker of the original IJ trilogy. (Let's pretend Crystal Skulls doesn't exist.)

With this, the final Indiana Jones film, we get more of the historical intrigue, humor, and fantastics stunt work with none of the previous film's distractions (i.e. Short-Round and an annoying female lead).

Hardware: One Oscar, Best Sound Editing, 1989

Critics Rating: 88%

What the fans say: 8.3 out of 10 (489,769 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: Marlon Brando is one of few actors to give multiple career-making performances. One is The Godfather. A close second is his turn here as ex-prizefighter-turned-dock worker Terry Malloy. He's superb in this tale of a man driven by guilt to speak out against the mob.

Hardware: Best Picture Winner, 1954

Critics Rating: 98%

What the fans say: 8.3 out of 10 (95,578 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: Quentin Tarantino's script defies the textbook example of your three-act structure. It starts near the end, then backtracks and skips around. At one point, a character dies and then features prominently in a future portion of the film. It is a disjointed anthology that somehow fuses together and works beautifully.

Hardware: Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen was its only Oscar, though it was nominated for six others, including Best Picture.

Critics Rating: 93%

What the fans say: 8.9 out of 10 (1,258,148 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: This was an actual crime-drama, not just an homage to a crime-drama. There's a difference. While Quentin Tarantino still makes good films, they are mostly homages to past originality. This, however, is a truly original creation worthy of such tribute.

Hardware: Nope

Critics Rating: 90%

What the fans say: 8.4 out of 10 (629,226 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: Clint Eastwood is great, but the film wouldn't have been half as good without Andy Robinson as Scorpio, the murderous serial killer with a choirboy face. He makes you want to see Dirty Harry deliver some vigilante justice.

Hardware: None, though Robinson probably should have won for Best Supporting Actor

Critics Rating: 95%

What the fans say: 7.8 out of 10 (110,514 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: It's hard to be both horrifying and hilarious, but director John Landis' film successfully walks that line. The on-screen metamorphosis is still a shocker, setting the standard by which future metamorphoses (of a lycanthropic nature) would be judged.

None, by the way, have ever come close to beating it, thanks to the efforts of FX man Rick Baker. Bottom line: if your friends tell you they love horror movies and they don't like this film, they're idiots.

Hardware: One Oscar win Best Makeup, 1981

Critics Rating: 89%

What the fans say: 7.6 out of 10 (61,297 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: The fact that you don't know where any of the murderous rage is coming from, and that John Carpenter allows his directing skill and our imagination to provide most of the shocks that's why this remains a perfect horror film. All sequels and remakes beyond the original Halloween II and practically unrelated-but-decent Halloween III are terrible.

Hardware: LOL

Critics Rating: 92%

What the fans say: 7.9 out of 10 (151,771 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: It has the box office and the fan support to warrant a place on this list. But more importantly, it made many of us who had fallen out of love with the series after the hideous prequels once again have hope.

Hardware: Too early to tell at the time of this post

Critics Rating: 92 percent

What the fans say: 8.4 out of 10 (428,122 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

Are you a Star Wars fan? Make you check out our article on What the Greatest Star Wars Movie of All Time.

What makes it great: Lots of people have problems with the Ewoks and the story in general, but with what had come before it, we can't think of any better ending than what the original trilogy got with ROTJ. Lay off!

Hardware: Four Oscar nominations, zero wins

Critics Rating: 80%

What the fans say: 8.4 out of 10 (639,173 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: The trio of lead characters led by Jeremy Renner as the maverick bomb squad leader are intense as they face the daily perils of life in war-torn Iraq. Director Kathryn Bigelow does an outstanding job of managing the macho subject matter with even-handedness and a commitment to realism that few, if any, male directors could have handled better.

Hardware: Best Picture Winner, 2008, six Oscars total

Critics Rating: 98%

What the fans say: 7.6 out of 10 (317,862 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: As good as it gets in the sci-fi department. The film looked like a ridiculous B-movie when trailers initially dropped, but it shocked and riveted audiences when they finally got a chance to see it. Murphy's crucifixion scene remains one of the roughest pieces of work ever put to film.

Hardware: Two Oscar nominations, no wins

Critics Rating: 88%

What the fans say: 7.5 out of 10 (172,750 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: The relationship between Leon (Jean Reno) and 12-year-old Matilda (Natalie Portman) can get uncomfortable at times, but Luc Besson keeps it all on the straight and narrow and ends up making it a touching action film about a daughter in need of a father and a hit man in need of a friend.

Hardware: 0

Critics Rating: 71% because critics can be really dumb sometimes

What the fans say: 8.6 out of 10 (687,756 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: The second and third films were okay, but the original Back to the Future set too high of a standard for them to live up to. It handles the time travel storyline to near perfection, and the dynamic duo of Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd is priceless. Great comedy, great adventure.

Hardware: Best Sound Editing, 1985

Critics Rating: 96%

What the fans say: 8.5 out of 10 (689,816 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: John Wayne plays a bigoted cowboy, who first wants to find his kidnapped niece, then wants to kill her when he discovers she has assimilated to Native American culture. His much more level-headed counterpart played by Jeffrey Hunter (Captain Pike himself) will die before he lets anything happen to her, setting up a will-they-or-won't-they confrontation with some unexpected results.

Hardware: Insane, but nothing

Critics Rating: 100%

What the fans say: 8.0 out of 10 (59,810 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: For ladies the romance; for guys the eye-popping crash sequence. James Cameron does such a great job of transporting his audience to the ill-fated 1912 voyage that you feel like you're actually there until the bitter end.

Hardware: Best Picture Winner, 1997, 11 Oscars wins total

Critics Rating: 88%

What the fans say: 7.7 out of 10 (756,186 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: Keeping the monster in shadows for a good portion of the film allowed director Ridley Scott to make the most of his shocker scenes, namely the infamous chest-burst. Sigourney Weaver is very good here, but a less formed character than what you would see later in the series.

Hardware: One Oscar win Best Visual Effects, 1979

Critics Rating: 97%

What the fans say: 8.5 out of 10 (535,246 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: After Star Trek: The Motion Picture, expectations were significantly lower. Then this sci-fi adventure masterpiece dusts off a popular villain from the original series and delivers a marvelously paced story with tragic, yet hopeful consequences. It truly is one of the greatest science fiction films ever made.

Hardware: None

Critics Rating: 88%

What the fans say: 7.7 out of 10 (87,840 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: Jack Nicholson, those friggin' creepy twins, an isolated hotel at the center of a massive snowstorm and that lady in the tub in director Stanley Kubrick's hands, it is the stuff of nightmares. Stephen King hated the film, but his later mini-series is utterly terrible, so what does he know?

Hardware: None

Critics Rating: 91%

What the fans say: 8.4 out of 10 (576,590 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: Claustrophobia in horror has been a longstanding motif for a reason. It works. This film's Antarctic setting only expounds on that. The phenomenal all-male cast (sorry, ladies) as well as John Carpenter's direction and the creature FX of Rob Bottin do the rest.

Hardware: None

Critics Rating: 80%

What the fans say: 8.2 out of 10 (244,696 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: Considering that every zombie movie and television show that came afterward pretty much ripped it off, you've got to include it here. Roger Ebert also called it one of the best horror movies ever made, so that's something.

Hardware: Nothing major

Critics Rating: 92%

What the fans say: 8.0 out of 10 (87,042 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: The two films-in-one structure may seem disjointed on the surface, especially when you consider the first half is hilarious and the second decidedly serious; but director Stanley Kubrick uses it to show how war changes us with effective results. And oh yes, R. Lee Ermey steals the show.

Hardware: One Oscar nomination, no wins; insane when you consider that it's far better film than widely praised Best Picture Winner Platoon.

Critics Rating: 95%

What the fans say: 8.3 out of 10 (459,355 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: It's a completely unconventional way of doing good guys versus bad guys, and as such, has been copied repeatedly by movie franchises ever since. Bad guys win, good guys barely survive, bombshell dropped on our hero. We gotta see how this ends!

Hardware: Best Sound, 1980

Critics Rating: 94%

What the fans say: 8.8 out of 10 (788,469 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: Robert DeNiro (as star) and Martin Scorsese (as director) are what make Raging Bull so effective. Also, they are working from some pretty great source material with the crazy real-life character of middleweight prizefighter Jake LaMotta, who had 106 professional fights in his long career and fought legendary Hall of Famer Sugar Ray Robinson an astounding six times.

Hardware: Insane as it is, Raging Bull only won two Oscars (DeNiro and Thelma Schoonmaker for Best Editing). It was nominated for a lot more, including Best Picture. The Academy gifted the top prize to Ordinary People instead.

Critics Rating: 97%

What the fans say: 8.3 out of 10 (224,889 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: Bogey the one and only Sam Spade. This noir drama from the novel by Dashiell Hammett is one of the most entertaining of its kind and aptly handled by the legendary director John Huston.

Hardware: Nothing, though it did receive three Oscar nominations.

Critics Rating: 100%

What the fans say: 8.2 out of 10 (107,979 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: In the Depression-era South, Atticus Finch takes on the case of a wrongfully accused African-American man. The charge: rape. Gregory Peck fights against the overwhelming odds with a quiet dignity that shows us it is always possible to do the right thing, no matter how much of the world may be going to hell.

Hardware: Gregory Peck scored the Best Actor Award, while Horton Foote picked up Best Adapted Screenplay. TKAM also won for Art Direction, but it came up short on Best Picture losing out to Lawrence of Arabia.

Critics Rating: 92%

What the fans say: 8.4 out of 10 (203,238 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: The film's inventiveness as well as its warmth, heart, and performances, are why we still remember it 70 years after it hit theaters. James Stewart is at his very best as George Bailey, the small-time dreamer who sees himself as a loser even though he is a hero to so many. Lionel Barrymore as Mr. Potter is also one of cinema's best screen villains.

Hardware: Though nominated in three of the biggest categories (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor) with five nods altogether, it never won a single Oscar.

Critics Rating: 94%

What the fans say: 8.6 out of 10 (263,023 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: High Noon uses a unique storytelling device real-time to show the fear and, in the end, resolve that a Marshal (Gary Cooper) must go through as an impending gun battle with four vengeful criminals draws near. When the entire town and seemingly his own bride-to-be have turned their backs on him, Will Kane plows forward facing insurmountable odds. It remains a riveting and influential western.

Hardware: Oscar wins for Best Actor (Cooper), Best Film Editing, Best Original Song, Best Musical Score

Critics Rating: 96%

What the fans say: 8.1 out of 10 (76,695 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: Frances McDormand as Marge Gunderson is an unlikely but capable heroine. Even as she manages the difficulties of pregnancy, she is able to solve murders and go head-to-head with the bad guys. Joel and Ethan Coen do what they do best here create authentic settings with authentic characters from the majors to the minors.

Hardware: Two Oscar wins for Best Actress (McDormand) and Original Screenplay (the Coen Brothers).

Critics Rating: 94%

What the fans say: 8.2 out of 10 (430,954 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: Peter Finch steals the show as Howard Beale, a television host who plans to kill himself on live TV. The story really centers on Faye Dunaway's Diana and William Holden's Max, but Finch takes the ball and runs with it, effectively making the film his own.

Hardware: Finch had died before being nominated and receiving the Academy Award for Best Actor. That has only happened twice as it relates to the acting profession. The second time was when Heath Ledger won in 2008 for his performance as The Joker in The Dark Knight.

Critics Rating: 91%

What the fans say: 8.1 out of 10 (97,973 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: Paul Newman and Robert Redford initially won over audiences with their partnership in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, but it was this con artist comedy-drama from 1973 where the duo really hit their stride. This time around, they are two likable crooks out to bilk the mob big-time for friendship, for revenge, for money.

Hardware: Best Picture Winner, 1973

Critics Rating: 93% (The Sting II, however, which returned none of this film's big stars scored a rare 0 percent)

What the fans say: 8.3 out of 10 (167,100 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: Bogey was very un-Casablanca-like in this adventure drama about the power of greed. Two Americans and an old prospector seek out a fortune in Mexico's Sierra Madre Mountains and find mostly heartache. Superb direction from John Huston, superb acting from his father Walter and lead star.

Hardware: Three Oscar wins, but lost the big one to Hamlet in a thorough miscarriage of justice.

Critics Rating: 100%

What the fans say: 8.3 out 10 (75,578 ratings), presumably because IMDb audiences are too young to appreciate anything that doesn't have explosions or superheroes .

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: A harmonica playing gunman seeks revenge on a ruthless assassin in the Old West. The reversal of heavy Charles Bronson in the good guy role and blue-eyed leading man Henry Ford in the bad make this compelling along with Sergio Leone's masterful direction.

Hardware: None

Critics Rating: 98%

What the fans say: 8.6 out of 10 (206,092 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: Respected film lists have placed Citizen Kane among the top films of all time, with AFI once naming it the top dog. It's easy to see why the film gets such high praise with its underlying mystery and terrific performances.

What is considerably more difficult to understand, however, is how a film like How Green Was My Valley could beat it out for Best Picture from the 1941 crop of nominees.

Hardware: Best Original Screenplay

Critics Rating: 100%

What the fans say: 8.4 out of 10 (285,304 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: Classic film noir. It can be a bit of a shock to the system to see Fred MacMurray in such a serious role if you grew up thinking of him as Professor Ned Brainard from the old Absent-Minded Professor movies, but he will quickly make you forget. Barbara Stanwyck is stunning as the femme fatale.

Hardware: Nominated for 7 Oscars, it won nothing.

Critics Rating: 96%

What the fans say: 8.4 out of 10 (92,878 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: The opening on Omaha Beach; the characters; the unflinching ferocity with which it depicts war; and a stirring final act make Saving Private Ryan pretty close to the perfect war film.

Hardware: The next time someone tells you you should take the Academy Awards seriously, just remember that Shakespeare in Love beat this out for Best Picture.

Critics Rating: 92%

What the fans say: 8.6 out of 10 (834,638 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: As hilarious as it is dramatic, the unhinged or perhaps re-hinged performance of Kevin Spacey steals the show. He plays Lester Burnham, a man sick and tired of his suburban life and unhappy marriage. When Lester starts making dramatic changes, it comes with some pretty drastic consequences.

Hardware: Best Picture Winner, 1999, five Oscars altogether

Critics Rating: 88%

What the fans say: 8.4 out of 10 (785,355 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: In its uncut form, Once Upon a Time in America is almost as good as the first two Godfather movies. It's long, but the acting is can't-take-your-eyes-off-it stuff thanks to Robert DeNiro, James Woods, and an all-star cast that is literally too long to list.

Hardware: None, but you almost understand it when you realize that Leone's full vision was not unleashed to audiences until the advent of DVD. The highly edited theatrical cut is a confusing mess, so critics didn't appreciate it until much later.

Critics Rating: 89%

What the fans say: 8.4 out of 10 (210,095 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: One of the most intense crime-dramas of at least the 21st Century, the film is great partly because it closely follows the Cormac McCarthy source material, and partly because it's Joel and Ethan Coen handling the screenwriting, casting, and direction. It also features four insanely good performances from Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, and Kelly MacDonald.

Hardware: Best Picture Winner, 2007, four Oscar wins total

Critics Rating: 93%

What the fans say: 8.1 out of 10 (581,822 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: A dramatic shift in tone from the first film, which was inarguably a horror movie. This time around, we're in action terrain, but the change is seamless and works beautifully. Great characters and great FX also factor in. James Cameron never came close to making a better film.

Hardware: Two Oscar wins Best Sound Effects, Best Visual Effects, 1986

Critics Rating: 98%

What the fans say: 8.4 out of 10 (466,369 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: Mel Gibson's acting and directing were never better than in this historically flawed, yet thoroughly entertaining war drama. The graphic violence was off-putting for some critics, but when characters getting decapitated and drawn-and-quartered is integral to the plot, what can you do? The best part: FREEDOM!!

Hardware: Best Picture Winner, 1995, five Oscar wins in all

Critics Rating: 78%

What the fans say: 8.4 out of 10 (702,192 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy it on Amazon

What makes it great: A stellar drama set near the height of Rome's power, this follows a military figure on his quest for revenge.

His target: the Roman Emperor responsible for murdering his family. His plan: to use his standing as a champion gladiator to get close enough for payback.

It's intense, moving, and expertly directed by the great Ridley Scott. Joaquin Phoenix is a highlight as Emperor Commodus.

Hardware: Best Picture Winner, 2000, five Oscars altogether

Critics Rating: 76%

What the fans say: 8.5 out of 10 (932,731 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: David Lean's masterpiece tells the story of a British military man and his conflicting loyalties during a time of war. The 3 hour, 36 minute epic isn't one you likely have time to watch in one sitting, but it's well worth getting through however you can manage it. Peter O'Toole gives the performance of a lifetime, and he's helped along by Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, and Omar Sharif.

Hardware: Best Picture Winner, 1962

Critics Rating: 99%

What the fans say: 8.4 out of 10 (183,162 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: The performances of Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, and Will Sampson elevate this gloomy drama featuring petty criminal McMurphy (Nicholson), who rallies the patients at a mental ward against their tyrannical Nurse (Fletcher) with sometimes uplifting, sometimes devastating results.

Hardware: Best Picture Winner, 1975

Critics Rating: 95%

What the fans say: 8.7 out of 10 (648, 652 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: Director Martin Scorsese (Taxi Driver, GoodFellas) is firing on all cylinders and manages to get some very good performances from Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon, Martin Sheen, and Mark Wahlberg. The ending is a real shocker, too.

Hardware: Best Picture Winner, 2006

Critics Rating: 91%

What the fans say: 8.5 out of 10 (827,350 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: Many will point to The Good, the Bad, and The Ugly as the best of the Man with No Name westerns; but just because an opinion is popular, that doesn't make it right. When watching the complete trilogy successively, it occurred to us how much better and more tightly paced this, the second film, is compared to its followup and, for that matter, its predecessor (A Fistful of Dollars).

For a Few Dollars More features Clint Eastwood at his best, and his reluctant partnership with Lee Van Cleef builds to a stirring, unexpected, and exciting climax. Plus, the direction of Sergio Leone is always a joy to watch.

Hardware: None

Critics Rating: 94%

What the fans say: 8.3 out of 10 (147,782 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: David Lean's second entry on this list, the legendary director was at his best in this rousing story of the Allies' plan to destroy an important bridge during World War II. Heading the effort is a British colonel (Alec Guinness), who is unaware of what the men under him are plotting. His personal journey of redemption gives the film most of its weight.

Hardware: Best Picture Winner, 1957

Critics Rating: 94%

What the fans say: 8.2 out of 10 (141,847 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: Humphrey Bogart is the quintessential loner with a heart of gold, helping people in the early part of World War II to escape the dangerous clutches of the Axis Powers. A former freedom fighter himself, his life gets even more complicated when he's asked by the one that got away to help her husband escape from Morocco to the United States.

Hardware: Best Picture Winner, 1942

Critics Rating: 97%

What the fans say: 8.6 out of 10 (371,329 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: Well, Jodie Foster is terrific for starters; then, there is the scene-stealing Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter, a character played previously by Bryan Cox in Manhunter a few years earlier. Throw in a few cringeworthy scenes involving maniac Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine) and a riveting final 15 minutes, and you have a thriller deserving of its accolades.

Hardware: Best Picture Winner, 1991, plus another four Oscar wins.

Critics Rating: 95%

What the fans say: 8.6 out of 10 (836,990 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: Always hard to watch because of the guy, but Ralph Fiennes is the big story here. His horrifying turn as Amon Goeth effectively catapulted him onto the A-list. Liam Neeson is good here, too, and the story is a reminder of how goodness survives the most horrible of circumstances.

Hardware: Best Picture Winner, 1993

Critics Rating: 96%

What the fans say: 8.9 out of 10 (820,918 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: The blistering violence can be hard on the squeamish viewer, but it's supported by three terrific lead performances from Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci, and Ray Liotta. Though it did not win Best Picture, one could certainly make the case that it is director Martin Scorsese's best film.

Hardware: Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Joe Pesci; well-deserved

Critics Rating: 96%

What the fans say: 8.7 out 10 (692,844 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: Roy Scheider did a marvelous job as the aqua phobic Sheriff Brody, who follows shark-hunter Quint (Robert Shaw) and marine biologist Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) into a deadly confrontation with a murderous Great White Shark.

Made in 1975, it's considered the first true summer blockbuster. However, the characters, story, and action are all great, so that's where similarities with most summer blockbusters end.

Hardware: Three Academy Award nominations, no wins.

Critics Rating: 97%

What the fans say: 8.1 out of 10 (391,782 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: While the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences still has a long way to go on respecting film diversity, awarding In the Heat of the Night a Best Picture Oscar was a huge leap forward in acknowledging the racism problem in America.

It also showed for the first time on a grand scale that an African-American lead could command the respect of general audiences. Outside of context, however, it's also a great little murder mystery.

Hardware: Best Picture Winner, 1967, along with four additional Oscars; it also inspired two sequels, They Call Me Mister Tibbs (1970) and The Organization (1971) as well as a Golden Globe-winning TV series that started in 1988 and ran for 146 episodes.

Critics Rating: 95%

What the fans say: 8.0 out of 10 (47,156 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: Robert DeNiro is amazing as Vietnam veteran Travis Bickle, who takes a nighttime job as a cab driver to burn off some of his instabilities. Unfortunately, this brings him face-to-face with street criminals and pretty much the worst parts of New York. Moved to do something about it, he sees an opportunity when he befriends a pre-teen prostitute. Things get pretty violent and pro-vigilante from there.

Hardware: Nominated for four Academy Awards, lost every category with Rocky taking the Best Picture trophy.

Critics Rating: 98%

What the fans say: 8.4 out of 10 (479,685 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: The 1977 original broke so much ground in the special effects department that many people forget it received a total of 10 Academy Award nominations, including for Best Picture. While it fell short of that honor, it did rack up six total wins. Awards aside, the story is simple, fun, and instantly hooks the imagination.

Hardware: 6 Academy Awards including Best Music/Original Score (John Williams), Best Film Editing, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound, Best Costume Design, and Best Art Direction. It was nominated for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Alec Guinness), and Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen/Best Director (George Lucas).

Critics Rating: 94%

What the fans say: 8.7 out of 10 (862,015 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: Harrison Ford, a great throwback storyline, incredible real-stunt set pieces that still hold up. Wonderful film.

Hardware: Four Oscars, nominated for Best Picture but failed to win

Critics Rating: 96%

What the fans say: 8.5 out of 10 (629,483 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: The underdog story of club fighter Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) getting a shot at the Heavyweight Champion of the World plays into the old American ideal that if you just keep punching, things will work out in the end.

This one has a superb cast, able direction, and a breakout performance from Stallone that endures 40 years later, most recently in the box office success of Creed, the franchise's seventh installment. Most of the ones in between are worth checking out as well.

Hardware: Best Picture Winner, 1976

Critics Rating: 93%

What the fans say: 8.1 out of 10 (351,692 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: Based on the Stephen King novella Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, this prison drama is at-times heart breaking, at-others uplifting. It is a stirring piece of work filled with great performances from the top of the cast on down. The ending still gets us every time.

Hardware: Nominated for seven Oscars; didn't win a single thing. Coincidentally, this was about the time we stopped putting any stock in the annual Awards ceremony. Related? You decide.

Critics Rating: 91%

What the fans say: 9.3 out 10 (1,608,129 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: Director Francis Ford Coppola does a tremendous job of balancing the two storylines in two separate time periods as we learn who Vito Corleone (Robert DeNiro playing a young Brando) is, how he came to be, and what's next for the mob now that his empire rests firmly in the hands of son Michael (Pacino).

Hardware: Best Picture Winner, 1974, and 5 additional Oscars

Critics Rating: 97%

What the fans say: 9.0 out of 10 (749,397 ratings)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

What makes it great: Marlon Brando's performance is but one highlight. With an extended cast that includes James Caan, Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, Abe Vigoda, Talia Shire, and Diane Keaton, it's surprising that it didn't win any more than that.

However, as you can see below, it did win where it counted. There's also the toilet/restaurant hit and a bloody, expertly filmed montage at the end.

Hardware: Best Picture Winner, 1972

Critics Rating: 99%

What the fans say: 9.2 out of 10 (1,100,000 votes)

Where to Buy: Click here to buy on Amazon

If we would have left the movies off this post, it would be a total movie sin and it is just flat out wrong. These movies would make any movie goers list because they are just that darn good.

Let's keep this party going...

So what did you think of our must see movies list, and which ones would you add to the list? Sound off in the comments section!