Brandon Reviews the Best Classic Films
Want to be a movie buff but don’t know where to start? Or are you just looking for a few more great films to round out your knowledge? I’ve put together a list of classic, essential, or otherwise great movies—the best films of all time—with links to reviews as I write them. All reviews are free from major spoilers unless marked.
View my entire list here, or check out the different categories below.
Decades
Genres
Movies in 1900s
A Trip to the Moon: The Film That Made Us Fall In Love with Film
1902
adventure, comedy
Movies in 1920s
Movies in 1930s
Bringing Up Baby: A Leopard in the Limelight
1938
comedy, romance
Gone With the Wind: The Original Epic Wartime Romance Film
1939
drama, epic, historical, romance
The Wizard of Oz: The Film That Put Kansas On the Map
1939
adventure, fantasy, musical
Movies in 1940s
The Maltese Falcon: The Quintessential Noir Film
1941
film noir
Laura: A Sophisticated Noir Film Worth Watching Today
1944
film noir, mystery
Casablanca: It Doesn’t Get More Classic Than This
1942
romance
Movies in 1950s
Roman Holiday: The Classiest Romantic Comedy of All Time
1953
comedy, romance
The African Queen: A River Cruise Turns Into War Heroism
1951
adventure, romance
Ben-Hur: Faith, Redemption, and an Epic Chariot Chase
1959
adventure, epic, historical
Movies in 1960s
Psycho: A Horror Classic That Holds Up Well Today
1960
horror, mystery
Bonnie and Clyde: Outlaws Outgrow Their Fame
1967
crime
2001: A Space Odyssey: Kubrick's Sci-Fi Masterpiece Reigns Supreme
1968
sci-fi
Movies in 1970s
The Outlaw Josey Wales: An Outlaw Discovers the Horrors of War
1976
war, western
Serpico: Gritty Police-vs-Police Drama
1973
biopic, crime, drama
Star Wars (Original Trilogy): It's Pretty Much Required Viewing
1977-1983
adventure, fantasy, sci-fi
Movies in 1980s
Scarface: A Truly Excessive Crime Film
1983
crime
Back to the Future: Time Travel and Timeless Fun
1985
adventure, sci-fi
Say Anything: Gen-X Tells Previous Gens What They Think
1989
comedy, drama, romance, teen
Movies in 1990s
The Green Mile: A Fairy Tale Set on Death Row
1999
crime, drama
Clueless: A Sharp, Funny, and Surprisingly Smart Teen Classic
1995
comedy, teen
The Big Lebowski: A Modern Morality Play
1998
comedy
Movies in 2000s
Shaun of the Dead: An Entertaining Zombie Parody
2004
comedy, horror, indie, parody
Mulholland Drive: A Complex (and Confusing) Mind Trip
2001
drama, mystery, thriller
In Bruges: A Truly Dark Comedy About Hitmen
2008
comedy, crime, drama, indie
Movies in 2010s
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri: An Intelligent Moral Quandary
2017
drama, indie
Guardians of the Galaxy: A True Underdog Story
2014
comedy, superhero
The Irishman: The End of a Career Criminal's Life
2019
biopic, crime, drama
Movies in action
Akira: The Quintessential Anime Film
1988
animated, action, sci-fi
Battle Royale: The Brutal Precursor to The Hunger Games
2000
action, drama
North by Northwest: The Iconic Classic Action Film
1959
action, mystery, thriller
Movies in adventure
Inglourious Basterds: A Wildly Entertaining Historical Revenge Film
2009
adventure, historical, war
Finding Nemo: A Fantastic Fishy Adventure
2003
adventure, animated
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy: The Epic That Brought Everyone to the Movies
2001-2003
adventure, epic, fantasy
All movies tagged adventure (21)
Movies in animated
Akira: The Quintessential Anime Film
1988
animated, action, sci-fi
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time: A Story of Fate and Love
2006
animated, drama, romance, sci-fi, teen
Your Name: A Refreshingly Complex Teenage Romance
2016
animated, romance, teen
All movies tagged animated (8)
Movies in bad
The Room: The Citizen Kane of Bad Movies
2003
bad, drama, indie
Movies in biopic
The Irishman: The End of a Career Criminal's Life
2019
biopic, crime, drama
BlacKkKlansman: An Entertaining Look at Historical Racism in America
2018
biopic, comedy, crime, indie
Serpico: Gritty Police-vs-Police Drama
1973
biopic, crime, drama
Movies in christmas
Elf: A Modern Christmas Classic
2003
Christmas, comedy
A Christmas Story: Christmas Nostalgia for All Ages
1983
Christmas, comedy
Die Hard: The Ultimate 80s Action Classic
1988
action, Christmas
All movies tagged christmas (3)
Movies in comedy
Sorry to Bother You: Millennials Air Their Workplace Grievances
2018
comedy, indie
This is Spinal Tap: The Best Rock Band That Never Existed
1984
comedy, music, parody
Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels: There's No Honor Among These Bumbling Thieves
1998
comedy, crime, indie
Movies in crime
Monster: The Human Behind the Monster
2003
biopic, crime, drama
Serpico: Gritty Police-vs-Police Drama
1973
biopic, crime, drama
Gangs of New York: America's Brutal Historical Gang Wars
2002
crime, drama, historical
Movies in drama
Gangs of New York: America's Brutal Historical Gang Wars
2002
crime, drama, historical
The Sting: A Funny, Nostalgic Crime Caper
1973
comedy, crime, drama
The Deer Hunter: What War Does to a Man
1978
drama, war
Movies in epic
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy: The Epic That Brought Everyone to the Movies
2001-2003
adventure, epic, fantasy
Dances with Wolves: Adding Depth to Native Americans in Westerns
1990
adventure, drama, epic, historical, western
Lawrence of Arabia: The Big, Epic War Film Everyone Should See
1962
biopic, epic, historical, war
Movies in fantasy
Star Wars (Original Trilogy): It's Pretty Much Required Viewing
1977-1983
adventure, fantasy, sci-fi
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy: The Epic That Brought Everyone to the Movies
2001-2003
adventure, epic, fantasy
The Princess Bride: The Best Parody Fairy Tale You'll Ever See
1987
adventure, comedy, fantasy, romance
Movies in historical
Lawrence of Arabia: The Big, Epic War Film Everyone Should See
1962
biopic, epic, historical, war
Gladiator: An Epic Political Revenge Tale
2000
action, epic, historical
Django Unchained: Tarantino's Brutal Historical Revenge Story
2012
drama, historical, western
All movies tagged historical (11)
Movies in horror
Pan's Labyrinth: A Terrifying Grown-Up Fairytale
2006
fantasy, historical, horror, thriller
Alien: Thrills and Kills in Space
1979
horror, sci-fi, thriller
Carrie: The Discomfort of the Teenage Years, the Horror of Womanhood
1976
horror, teen, thriller
Movies in indie
BlacKkKlansman: An Entertaining Look at Historical Racism in America
2018
biopic, comedy, crime, indie
I, Tonya: Breaking the Knees of Boring Biopics
2017
biopic, comedy, drama, indie
In Bruges: A Truly Dark Comedy About Hitmen
2008
comedy, crime, drama, indie
Movies in lgbtq
Dog Day Afternoon: One Non-Sequitur After Another
1975
crime, drama, LGBTQ
The Rocky Horror Picture Show: A Celebration of Any Sexual Preference
1975
comedy, indie, LGBTQ, musical
Little Miss Sunshine: Showing the Beauty of Imperfection
2006
comedy, drama, indie, LGBTQ
Movies in music
This is Spinal Tap: The Best Rock Band That Never Existed
1984
comedy, music, parody
Almost Famous: A Love Letter to the Rock and Roll Era
2000
adventure, comedy, music
A Star is Born: The Best Remake of This Film Yet
2018
drama, music, romance
Movies in musical
The Blues Brothers: Getting the Band Back Together
1980
adventure, comedy, music, musical
West Side Story: The Darkest Version of Romeo and Juliet Yet
1961
musical, romance
The Wizard of Oz: The Film That Put Kansas On the Map
1939
adventure, fantasy, musical
Movies in mystery
Arrival: Language, Time, and the Power of Under­standing
2016
drama, mystery, sci-fi
Who Framed Roger Rabbit: The Wackiest Film Noir of All Time
1988
animated, comedy, film noir, mystery
Hot Fuzz: A Rural British Buddy Cop Movie
2007
action, comedy, mystery, parody
All movies tagged mystery (14)
Movies in parody
This is Spinal Tap: The Best Rock Band That Never Existed
1984
comedy, music, parody
Airplane!: The Best Parody of All Time?
1980
comedy, parody
Shaun of the Dead: An Entertaining Zombie Parody
2004
comedy, horror, indie, parody
Movies in romance
Your Name: A Refreshingly Complex Teenage Romance
2016
animated, romance, teen
Charade: Wit, Romance, and Classic Audrey Hepburn
1963
comedy, mystery, romance
Carol: Love, Loss, and Queer Representation
2015
drama, indie, LGBTQ, Romance
All movies tagged romance (27)
Movies in sci-fi
Metropolis: The Original Science-Fiction Film
1927
sci-fi
Forbidden Planet: The Sci-Fi Classic That Inspired for Decades
1956
sci-fi
2001: A Space Odyssey: Kubrick's Sci-Fi Masterpiece Reigns Supreme
1968
sci-fi
Movies in teen
Ghost World: The Best 90s Teen Film Not Released in the 90s
2001
comedy, indie, teen
Donnie Darko: A Mind-Bending Portrait of Mental Illness
2001
indie, sci-fi, teen
Lady Bird: The Essential Millennial Coming-of-Age Story
2017
comedy, drama, indie, teen
Movies in thriller
Pan's Labyrinth: A Terrifying Grown-Up Fairytale
2006
fantasy, historical, horror, thriller
Carrie: The Discomfort of the Teenage Years, the Horror of Womanhood
1976
horror, teen, thriller
Jurassic Park: The Best Dinosaur Movie of All Time
1993
sci-fi, thriller
All movies tagged thriller (17)
Movies in war
Das Boot: The Horrors of War in a German U-boat
1981
drama, war
Lawrence of Arabia: The Big, Epic War Film Everyone Should See
1962
biopic, epic, historical, war
Apocalypse Now: War, Madness, and Moral Chaos
1979
drama, war
Movies in western
Django Unchained: Tarantino's Brutal Historical Revenge Story
2012
drama, historical, western
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: Sunset on the Classic Western
1969
biopic, western
The Magnificent Seven: The Most American Version of Seven Samurai
1960
action, western