*Originally published in 2020
Updated on October 18, 2024:
Movies and cinema have become integral to who we are as a society, but not as much as the 50 films on our list. These are the 50 movies you need to watch before you die! We've included movies of all types, varying from genre to genre and crossing multiple generations, so there's a wide variety of storytelling.
Some may say these are some of the best movies ever. How many have YOU watched?
List of Movies to Watch Before You Die:
*The following movies are in no particular order.
**Some movies on this list are Rated R—parental discretion is advised.
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Cast: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman
Synopsis: "A banker convicted of uxoricide forms a friendship over a quarter century with a hardened convict while maintaining his innocence and trying to remain hopeful through simple compassion."
Watch The Shawshank Redemption.
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001–2003)
Cast: Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Viggo Mortensen
Synopsis: "A meek Hobbit from the Shire and eight companions set out on a journey to destroy the powerful One Ring and save Middle-earth from the Dark Lord Sauron."
Watch The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
Watch The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.
Watch The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
Gladiator (2000)
Cast: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nelson
Synopsis: "A former Roman General sets out to exact vengeance against the corrupt emperor who murdered his family and sent him into slavery."
The Prestige (2006)
Cast: Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Scarlett Johansson
Synopsis: "After a tragic accident, two stage magicians in 1890s London engage in a battle to create the ultimate illusion while sacrificing everything they have to outwit each other."
Back to the Future (1985)
Cast: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, Tom Wilson
Synopsis: "Marty McFly, a 17-year-old high school student, is accidentally sent 30 years into the past in a time-traveling DeLorean invented by his close friend, the maverick scientist Doc Brown."
Good Will Hunting (1997)
Cast: Matt Damon, Robin Williams, Ben Affleck
Synopsis: "Will Hunting, a janitor at MIT, has a gift for mathematics, but needs help from a psychologist to find direction in his life."
Die Hard (1988)
Cast: Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman
Synopsis: "A New York City police officer tries to save his estranged wife and several others taken hostage by terrorists during a Christmas party at the Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles."
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Cast: Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Billie Burke, Margaret Hamilton
Synopsis: "Young Dorothy Gale and her dog Toto are swept away by a tornado from their Kansas farm to the magical Land of Oz and embark on a quest with three new friends to see the Wizard, who can return her to her home and fulfill the others' wishes."
Schindler's List (1993)
Cast: Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley
Synopsis: "In German-occupied Poland during World War II, industrialist Oskar Schindler gradually becomes concerned for his Jewish workforce after witnessing their persecution by the Nazis."
It's A Wonderful Life (1946)
Cast: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore
Synopsis: "An angel is sent from Heaven to help a desperately frustrated businessman by showing him what life would have been like if he had never existed."
The Truman Show (1998)
Cast: Jim Carrey, Ed Harris, Laura Linney
Synopsis: "An insurance salesman discovers his whole life is actually a reality TV show."
The Green Mile (1999)
Cast: Tom Hanks, Michael Clarke Duncan
Synopsis: "A tale set on death row, where gentle giant John Coffey possesses the mysterious power to heal people's ailments. When the lead guard, Paul Edgecombe, recognizes John's gift, he tries to help stave off the condemned man's execution."
No Country for Old Men (2007)
Cast: Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin
Synopsis: "Violence and mayhem ensue after a hunter stumbles upon the aftermath of a drug deal gone wrong and over two million dollars in cash near the Rio Grande."
Forrest Gump (1994)
Cast: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Sally Field
Synopsis: "The history of the United States from the 1950s to the '70s unfolds from the perspective of an Alabama man with an IQ of 75, who yearns to be reunited with his childhood sweetheart."
The Godfather Part I and Part II (1972 & 1974)
Cast: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, James Caan
Synopsis: "Follows the fictional Italian-American Corleone family and their involvement in organized crime."
The Dark Knight (2008)
Cast: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart
Synopsis: "When a menace known as the Joker wreaks havoc and chaos on the people of Gotham, Batman, James Gordon and Harvey Dent must work together to put an end to the madness."
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Cast: Tom Hanks, Matt Damon
Synopsis: "Following the Normandy Landings, a group of U.S. soldiers go behind enemy lines to retrieve a paratrooper whose brothers have been killed in action."
Jaws (1975)
Cast: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss
Synopsis: "When a massive killer shark unleashes chaos on a beach community off Long Island, it's up to a local sheriff, a marine biologist, and an old seafarer to hunt the beast down."
The Shining (1980)
Cast: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd
Synopsis: "A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter, where a sinister presence influences the father into violence. At the same time, his psychic son sees horrifying forebodings from both the past and the future."
Citizen Kane (1941)
Cast: Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore
Synopsis: "Following the death of publishing tycoon Charles Foster Kane, reporters scramble to uncover the meaning of his final utterance: 'Rosebud.'"
Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Cast: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, John Rhys-Davies
Synopsis: "In 1936, archaeologists and adventurers of the U.S. government hired Indiana Jones to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis could obtain its extraordinary powers."
Watch Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Singin' in the Rain (1952)
Cast: Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds
Synopsis: "A silent film star falls for a chorus girl just as he and his delusionally jealous screen partner are trying to make the difficult transition to talking pictures in 1920s Hollywood."
GoodFellas (1990)
Cast: Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci
Synopsis: "The story of Henry Hill and his life in the mafia, covering his relationship with his wife Karen and his mob partners Jimmy Conway and Tommy DeVito."
Star Wars: A New Hope (1977)
Cast: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher
Synopsis: "Luke Skywalker joins forces with a Jedi Knight, a cocky pilot, a Wookiee and two droids to save the galaxy from the Empire's world-destroying battle station, while also attempting to rescue Princess Leia from the mysterious Darth Vader."
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Cast: John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman
Synopsis: "The lives of two mob hitmen, a boxer, a gangster and his wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption."
Lawrence Of Arabia (1962)
Cast: Peter O'Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn
Synopsis: "The story of T.E. Lawrence, the English officer who successfully united and led the diverse, often warring, Arab tribes during World War I in order to fight the Turks."
Airplane! (1980)
Cast: Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, Leslie Nielsen
Synopsis: "After the crew becomes sick with food poisoning, a neurotic ex-fighter pilot must safely land a commercial airplane full of passengers."
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Cast: Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet
Synopsis: "When their relationship turns sour, a couple undergoes a medical procedure to have each other erased from their memories forever."
Watch Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Cast: Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore, Peter Coyote
Synopsis: "A troubled child summons the courage to help a friendly alien escape from Earth and return to his home planet."
Watch E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial.
Toy Story (1995)
Cast: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen
Synopsis: "A cowboy doll is profoundly threatened and jealous when a new spaceman action figure supplants him as top toy in a boy's bedroom."
Get Out (2017)
Cast: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford
Synopsis: "A young African-American visits his white girlfriend's parents for the weekend, where his simmering uneasiness about their reception of him eventually reaches a boiling point."
Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Heath Ledger, Michelle Williams
Synopsis: "Ennis and Jack are two shepherds who develop a sexual and emotional relationship. Their relationship becomes complicated when both of them get married to their respective girlfriends."
There Will Be Blood (2007)
Cast: Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Dano, Cirán Hinds
Synopsis: "A story of family, religion, hatred, oil and madness, focusing on a turn-of-the-century prospector in the early days of the business."
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)
Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson
Synopsis: "An orphaned boy enrolls in a school of wizardry, where he learns the truth about himself, his family and the terrible evil that haunts the magical world."
Watch Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
Alien (1979)
Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt
Synopsis: "After investigating a mysterious transmission of unknown origin, the crew of a commercial spacecraft encounters a deadly lifeform."
Chariots of Fire (1981)
Cast: Ben Cross, Ian Charleson, Nicholas Farrell
Synopsis: "Two British track athletes, one a determined Jew and the other a devout Christian, are driven to win in the 1924 Olympics as they wrestle with issues of pride and conscience."
Lady Bird (2017)
Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf
Synopsis: "A fiercely independent teenager tries to make her own way in the world while wanting to get out of her hometown of Sacramento, California and to get away from her complicated mother and recently-unemployed father."
Blade Runner (1982)
Cast: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young
Synopsis: "A blade runner must pursue and terminate four replicants who stole a ship in space and have returned to Earth to find their creator."
Thelma & Louise (1991)
Cast: Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis
Synopsis: "Two best friends set out on an adventure, but it soon turns around to a terrifying escape from being hunted by the police, as these two women escape for the crimes they committed."
Ghostbusters (1984)
Cast: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver
Synopsis: "Three parapsychologists forced out of their university funding set up shop as a unique ghost removal service in New York City, attracting frightened yet skeptical customers."
The Princess Bride (1987)
Cast: Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin
Synopsis: "A bedridden boy's grandfather reads him the story of a farmboy-turned-pirate who encounters numerous obstacles, enemies and allies in his quest to be reunited with his true love."
Titanic (1997)
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet
Synopsis: "A seventeen-year-old aristocrat falls in love with a kind but poor artist aboard the luxurious, ill-fated R.M.S. Titanic."
Million Dollar Baby (2004)
Cast: Hilary Swank, Clint Eastwood
Synopsis: "Frankie, an ill-tempered old coach, reluctantly agrees to train aspiring boxer Maggie. Impressed with her determination and talent, he helps her become the best and the two soon form a close bond."
Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
Cast: Steve Carrell, Toni Collette, Greg Kinnear, Abigal Breslin, Paul Dano, Alan Arkin
Synopsis: "A family determined to get their young daughter into the finals of a beauty pageant take a cross-country trip in their VW bus."
Barbie (2023)
Cast: Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling
Synopsis: "Barbie and Ken are having the time of their lives in the colorful and seemingly perfect world of Barbie Land. However, when they get a chance to go to the real world, they soon discover the joys and perils of living among humans."
Parasite (2019)
Cast: Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong
Synopsis: "Greed and class discrimination threaten the newly formed symbiotic relationship between the wealthy Park family and the destitute Kim clan."
Pretty Woman (1990)
Cast: Richard Gere, Julia Roberts
Synopsis: "Edward, a rich entrepreneur, hires Vivian, a prostitute, to accompany him to a few social events. Trouble ensues when he falls in love with her and they try to bridge the gap between their worlds."
Top Gun (1986)
Cast: Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer
Synopsis: "The Top Gun Naval Fighter Weapons School is where the best of the best train to refine their elite flying skills. When hotshot fighter pilot Maverick is sent to the school, his reckless attitude and cocky demeanor put him at odds with the other pilots, especially the cool and collected Iceman."
The Departed (2006)
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson
Synopsis: "An undercover cop and a mole in the police attempt to identify each other while infiltrating an Irish gang in South Boston."
The Terminator (1984)
Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton
Synopsis: "A cyborg assassin from the future attempts to find and kill a young woman who is destined to give birth to a warrior who will lead a resistance to save humankind from extinction."
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