I put together this list of about 100 movies to watch, picking from different genres like action, drama, and comedy. It’s not meant to be the ultimate list-just a mix of movies that are popular, award-winning, or have had a major impact on culture.
It’s just an item on my bucket list, with the goal of watching them all to get a better understanding of life, history, and different perspectives on things. So I figure out I should create a dedicated page to track my progress.
I’ll try to watch them all in the original version (whatever language it was created in) and only cross them off if I’ve watched them after the list was created (September 2024). So yes, I’ve seen a lot of them years ago, but that doesn’t count.
| Category | Box Office | Awards | Cultural Impact | Emotional Impact | IMDb Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Action | Avengers: Endgame (2019) Black Panther (2018) | Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) Gladiator (2000) | Terminator 2 (1991) Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) | John Wick (2014) Braveheart (1995) | The Dark Knight (2008) |
| Adventure | Jurassic Park (1993) Avatar (2009) | Lawrence of Arabia (1962) The Revenant (2015) | The Lord of the Rings (Trilogy 2001-2003) Cast Away (2000) | Life of Pi (2012) The Motorcycle Diaries (2004) | The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) |
| Drama | Forrest Gump (1994) Titanic (1997) | Schindler’s List (1993) 12 Years a Slave (2013) | The Godfather (Trilogy 1972-1990) A Beautiful Mind (2001) | The Green Mile (1999) Requiem for a Dream (2000) | The Shawshank Redemption (1994) |
| Crime/Mystery | The Departed (2006) Seven (1995) | No Country for Old Men (2007) The Godfather Part II (1974) | Pulp Fiction (1994) Goodfellas (1990) | Prisoners (2013) Mystic River (2003) | The Usual Suspects (1995) |
| Sci-Fi/Fantasy | Star Wars (Original Trilogy 1977-1983) Inception (2010) | Interstellar (2014) E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) | The Matrix (1999) 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) | Her (2013) Children of Men (2006) | MCU Spider-Man Trilogy (2017–2021) |
| Romance | La La Land (2016) The Notebook (2004) | Pride and Prejudice (2005) Casablanca (1942) | In the Mood for Love (2000) The Princess Bride (1987) | Life is Beautiful (1997) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) | Good Will Hunting (1997) |
| Comedy | The Hangover (2009) | The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) Annie Hall (1977) | The Big Lebowski (1998) Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) | Untouchable (2011) | Back to the Future (1985) |
| War | Dunkirk (2017) Saving Private Ryan (1998) | The Hurt Locker (2008) Apocalypse Now (1979) | Platoon (1986) 1917 (2019) | Hacksaw Ridge (2016) Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) | Grave of the Fireflies (1988) |
| Historical | The King’s Speech (2010) The Last Emperor (1987) | Gandhi (1982) Lincoln (2012) | Braveheart (1995) The Imitation Game (2014) | 12 Years a Slave (2013) The Pianist (2002) | Oppenheimer (2023) |
| Documentary | Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004) | An Inconvenient Truth (2006) Searching for Sugar Man (2012) | March of the Penguins (2005) He Named Me Malala (2015) | The Cove (2009) I Am Not Your Negro (2016) | Blackfish (2013) |
| Biopics | Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) The Social Network (2010) | The Theory of Everything (2014) Raging Bull (1980) | Selma (2014) Malcolm X (1992) | The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) Erin Brockovich (2000) | Hamilton (2020) |