Collider's 100 Essential Movies Any Serious Film Fan Should See
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If you’re a budding cinephile, it can be difficult to know where to start or even to find a baseline. Cinema becomes more daunting every year as new films are released and old films are reappraised. With this in mind, the staff of Collider.com has collaborated on 100 movies we think every film fan needs to see.
To be clear, this list is not an ending, but a beginning. It’s meant to serve as a starting point. Just because a movie didn’t make this list of 100, that doesn’t mean it’s “inessential.” Rather, we wanted to provide a good foundation that would spark a person’s curiosity about where to go next. Additionally, while many essential movies were done by white, male directors because historically those are the people who have had power, we didn’t want to neglect international cinema, female filmmakers, or filmmakers of color, and we have sought to include their work here.
Another group of film fans could come up with their own “Essential 100” and make a strong argument for it. However, we didn’t create this list to spark an argument, but to spark curiosity. If you look at this list as a guide rather than an end-point, then it should set you on a path to building your knowledge and appreciation of cinema.
Also, it should be noted that this list is organized alphabetically. We have not ranked these movies against each other because part of the purpose of this list is to get you to start with any film that piques your interest and see where it leads you.
Below is an overview of our list, and you can click on each title to read our justification for why it’s essential. But if you want the complete experience, scroll through the complete version of the list at the bottom.
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70 new
Pulp Fiction
1994, in 38 top lists Check -
47 new
The Godfather
1972, in 42 top lists Check -
3 new
2001: A Space Odyssey
1968, in 45 top lists Check -
60 new
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
2001, in 31 top lists Check -
78 new
The Shining
1980, in 28 top lists Check -
24 new
Citizen Kane
1941, in 39 top lists Check -
85 new
Star Wars
1977, in 40 top lists Check -
90 new
Taxi Driver
1976, in 34 top lists Check -
5 new
Alien
1979, in 30 top lists Check -
10 new
Apocalypse Now
1979, in 37 top lists Check -
28 new
The Dark Knight
2008, in 27 top lists Check -
96 new
Vertigo
1958, in 42 top lists Check -
79 new
The Silence of the Lambs
1991, in 36 top lists Check -
22 new
Casablanca
1942, in 39 top lists Check -
61 new
The Matrix
1999, in 30 top lists Check -
84 new
Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi
2001 — a.k.a. Spirited Away, in 39 top lists Check -
50 new
Goodfellas
1990, in 31 top lists Check -
38 new
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
1980, in 25 top lists Check -
34 new
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop...
1964, in 37 top lists Check -
73 new
Rear Window
1954, in 31 top lists Check -
12 new
Back to the Future
1985, in 25 top lists Check -
54 new
Jaws
1975, in 29 top lists Check -
77 new
Shichinin no samurai
1954 — a.k.a. Seven Samurai, in 36 top lists Check -
40 new
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
2004, in 28 top lists Check -
80 new
Singin' in the Rain
1952, in 37 top lists Check -
49 new
Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo
1966 — a.k.a. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, in 29 top lists Check -
71 new
Raiders of the Lost Ark
1981 — a.k.a. Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, in 29 top lists Check -
86 new
Sunset Blvd.
1950 — a.k.a. Sunset Boulevard, in 35 top lists Check -
43 new
Fargo
1996, in 26 top lists Check -
23 new
Chinatown
1974, in 31 top lists Check -
58 new
Lawrence of Arabia
1962, in 40 top lists Check -
63 new
Metropolis
1927, in 36 top lists Check -
99 new
The Wizard of Oz
1939, in 37 top lists Check -
92 new
The Thing
1982, in 20 top lists Check -
83 new
Some Like It Hot
1959, in 35 top lists Check -
94 new
Toy Story
1995, in 25 top lists Check -
55 new
Jurassic Park
1993, in 23 top lists Check -
72 new
Rashômon
1950 — a.k.a. Rashomon, in 34 top lists Check -
18 new
Blue Velvet
1986, in 27 top lists Check -
1 new
8½
1963, in 35 top lists Check -
48 new
Gone with the Wind
1939, in 31 top lists Check -
33 new
Double Indemnity
1944, in 37 top lists Check -
9 new
The Apartment
1960, in 28 top lists Check -
31 new
Die Hard
1988, in 21 top lists Check -
2 new
Les quatre cents coups
1959 — a.k.a. The 400 Blows, in 26 top lists Check -
53 new
Fa yeung nin wah
2000 — a.k.a. In the Mood for Love, in 30 top lists Check -
37 new
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
1982, in 31 top lists Check -
68 new
Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens
1922 — a.k.a. Nosferatu, in 28 top lists Check -
76 new
The Searchers
1956, in 26 top lists Check -
64 new
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
1975, in 23 top lists Check
Last updated on Oct 3, 2019; source