A Thinker in Space

I love watching movies, and I have seen quite a few over the years (though I am still missing some absolute classics). Over the years, I have tried to organize a list of my favorite movies of all time. Last year, I went through all of my favorite movies, and concretely rated them, ending up with around 125 films, ranked in numerical order. This year, I went back and reevaluated that list, adding movies, and ended up with 163 total (why 163? Well, because I had 160 and realized I should have added one, and I wanted to leave the 161^st movie in my list, and then I remembered a couple more that should be on this list). I reranked them (putting 3 in as “Honorable Mentions”) and feel pretty good about where the list ended up. Since I’m back into blogging, I figured I would start a series going through each of these movies and explaining their ranking – starting with the bottom all the way up to the top! This is going to be a pretty lengthy series, so it will be mixed in with other posts, but I am looking forward to evaluating and explaining each film.

First of all, before we dive in, I’d like to make this clear. The metric by which I am ranking this has to do with personal enjoyment only. Some are ranked with the knowledge of their cultural importance or overall quality as a consideration, but in the end, I’m not ranking them by straight quality, but by my enjoyment of them. A best movies of all time list would be very different from this one, and I’d be the first to admit that some of the movies on this list probably wouldn’t be there, or would be higher/lower. This is simply relegated to personal preference. As this is a list of my favorites, the bottom movies are not movies I dislike, they are still some of my favorite movies that I love to watch/rewatch. Because of this, these articles are going to be much more focused on praise than criticism.

Another important clarification – this list is constantly in flux. As I think of movies, I add them in. If there is a change while I am writing this (and there very well may be), I will address it in the article, explaining what changed and why (likely because there was a movie I didn’t think of that should have been in the list!).

If you feel a movie is missing, it probably is! Either because I simply have not watched it, or have not watched it in a while (for instance, I am missing the X-Men films since I haven’t seen them a while, which is a shame, because many of them would certainly be on this list). I am also constantly remembering movies that I flat-out missed, so there’s that also.

Final note – these reviews will be spoiler-free! If I include a spoiler, I will tag it appropriately, but otherwise, it is a general review quick of each film.

Let’s dive in.

Honorable Mention (#163) – Barbie: The Princess and the Pauper

This list used to be 100 movies. Then, it was 125. When I started writing this article, it was at 160. Then, I inevitably thought of more movies I was missing. Could I have just started at 160? Sure. But then I wouldn’t be able to talk about this fantastic piece of immaculate art at #161 – Barbie: The Princess and the Pauper.

Growing up with two sisters, I watched a ton of Barbie movies. And, despite their branding, they are actually pretty solid? As direct-to-DVD movies for this time period went, they actually had a lot of solid messages and were pretty fun to watch. They also gave us this masterpiece:

While I would be the first to admit that the Barbie movies are much better than you’d expect, this is also the only one on my list, mostly because it is a childhood classic in my household.

And because of Preminger. He sells the movie singlehandedly.

Honorable Mention (#162) – Bionicle

Are all of the movies at the bottom of this list good? No. Are they worth watching? Most assuredly. Is this one worth watching? I’m not sure because I haven’t seen it in Years but I believe that it probably does not hold up very well. However, it does hold a special place in my heart – I have always loved this franchise, and Bionicle will likely always hold a slot on this list just because of its significance in my childhood.

Honorable Mention (#161) – The Lion King 1½

I love every movie on this list. There’s not one movie from here on out that I think is genuinely bad – from here on out I think the movies are at least good, though most of them are very, very good. The bottom of this list should not be seen as movies I don’t like, but as the low end of movies I love, or at least enjoy. Lion King 1½ is another movie from my childhood that is near and dear to my heart. I always thought that intertwining Timon and Pumba’s story with the original Lion King was incredibly creative and also quite funny. There are still quotes from this movie that I think of and use frequently, and have watched and enjoyed it in my adulthood.

#160 – Five Nights at Freddy’s

After my most recent change, I looked at the last movie on this list and was honestly shocked. How did FNAF end up on the bottom? I actually really enjoyed this movie, and would certainly watch it again. But in looking upwards on the list, it is simply because I like all of these moves so much, and it ended up down here by process of elimination. I am not huge on horror movies, and this might be why this one isn’t higher up (even though it is soft horror). But it still is an enjoyable story that did a lot right. The animatronics look amazing, something that was unexpected, the villain was well done, and the characters were engaging. I don’t have many bad things to say about this movie – it’s a solid game adaptation, and I am very pleased that Scott Cawthon’s empire grew to include such a well-done movie! It’s up there on the list of game-to-film adaptations for sure.

#159 – Star Wars I

The Phantom Menace had to be on here. I didn’t need to put it high, but I did need to include it. For all its faults, I love this movie. I will actually more readily watch it than most of the others, simply because of nostalgia. Do I agree with most of the criticisms of this film? Absolutely. Does it get a lot of well-deserved flack? Sure. But gosh darn it if it isn’t a huge nostalgia trip. It came out when I was very young, and was one of the first “Grown-Up” movies I was allowed to watch, so I adored it. It might be a mess, but it’s my mess, and I will keep enjoying it for what it is despite the knowledge of what it could have been.

#158 – Neverending Story

Quite a few of the movies down here are based on nostalgia. The Neverending Story freaked me out as a child. One of the core components of the plot is that there is a nothingness that is devouring the land, and the concept of life being consumed by simply… nothing? This terrified little me. But I still have a soft spot for the bizarre nature of this film, and I actually love the novel this film is based on.

#157 – Super Mario Bros

This movie checks so many boxes for me. Does it have deep characters? Nuanced plotlines? Villains with complicated motivations? No. But I’d posit that it does not have to in order to do what it needs to do. Mario doesn’t really need nuance – it is colorful, fun, and chaotic. This movie is fun from beginning to end, and the actors were excellent in their roles. By keeping with the spirit of the franchise, Universal struck gold here, and I believe this is one of the best video game films ever made (though the competition is severely lacking)

#156 – The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything

The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything is a very entertaining film! Every time I watch this I find myself guffawing at something unexpected. It teaches a good lesson while having some classic, patented VeggieTales humor. Highly recommend!

#155 – The Flash

Don’t hate me but I really enjoyed this movie? Again, I get the criticism. I understand its issues. In fact, it was much, much higher after the movie came out. I don’t think that any movie on my list has tanked so far from recency bias – when it came out, I actually loved it, and would have put it much, much higher. Then, every time I reevaluated this list, it dropped. But I still enjoyed seeing Keaton back as Batman, and thought the plot was actually pretty engaging.

#154 – Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie

Another fantastic VeggieTales classic – rewatching this as an adult, it continues to be hilarious and an excellent method of telling an important biblical story. It also has a fantastic commentary by Larry and Lunt, with the actors ad-libbing throughout the film.

#153 – Zootopia

Zootopia is a solid movie. I don’t know a better way to say it – it’s just a great movie. The characters are fun, the story is interesting, and the discussions it brings to the table are worth having. It also is a lot of fun, which is a huge bonus.

#152 – Encanto

I really enjoyed Encanto! It is an excellent Disney movie sure to become a classic. Great music, great story, and characters with depth. It is one of the stronger Disney musicals recently, and is certainly a movie I will return to.

#151 – Toy Story

Okay. Toy Story is a very, very good movie. Not only that, but it was a groundbreaking film. I get all of that. But despite all of that, I can’t put it higher. Woody is just so… mean. Everything is much more negative than in the rest of the films. But again, Toy Story is a classic and it earned its slot as one of the top animated films of all time. If I was organizing best films of all time, this would be much, much higher.

As an aside, Woody, in my opinion, has one of the best character development arcs in fiction, and I will defend this to the end (actually this might be a fun article – keep an eye out!).

#150 – Big Hero 6

Big Hero 6, or Iron Giant Lite, is a fabulous movie with a lot of heart and a meaningful story about loss and love. Baymax is a wonderful character, and it is a well-cast film. The characters are great, the inventions and gizmos are interesting, and the world is engaging. This movie is a Disney classic, and I am so happy we were blessed with it!

#149 – Peter Pan

Peter Pan is an absolute classic. A fantastic animated story that has continued to be enjoyable through the ages. We actually themed our son’s nursery after Peter Pan – it fit very well. This is a movie I always love to rewatch. Captain Hook is a great villain, Peter Pan’s arrogance and self-assurance is always enjoyable to watch, and there are plenty of interesting little things that one notices when rewatching.

#148 – Frozen

I struggled a lot with where to put Frozen on this list. I never connected with Frozen in the same way as others, but I do really really like it. In the end, it ended up falling here and I am satisfied with its placement. It is a lot of fun and has a powerful message with excellent characters and character growth. It definitely deserves its slot on this list!

#147 – Shazam!

The DCU is officially finished, and we are careening hard towards a new era with James Gunn at the helm. There have rarely been more hopes and expectations for a movie than Superman has, at least not in recent years. It is make-or-break movie, but Gunn has a tendency to make good movies, so here’s hoping he nails it as creative director!

There are a very small number of DCU movies on this list. In fact, I think there are only two. Man of Steel is… okay. It’s a good movie, but not good enough to make this list (the tornado scene by itself makes a massive dent in its rating for me). Aquaman was almost on this list, but just barely didn’t make the cut. Shazam, though, was a great movie, and is one of the best things this franchise gave us.

As a character, when done well, Shazam has always been near and dear to my heart. His childlike wonder in both adult and child form is so exciting to see, and conceptually he has always been intriguing to me. The film version of this character was, I think, a very good showcase of what Shazam should be. It isn’t perfect – Billy Batson and Shazam do often feel disconnected, but it is a moving story that is personal, and has powerful messages about family.

#146 – Wizard of Oz

There’s not much to say about Wizard of Oz that hasn’t been said over and over again. This is a fabulous, classic film.

#145 – Onward

I heard a lot of criticism of Onward when it came out, which surprised me. I mean, it’s not Wall-E or Incredibles, but it is a solid addition to the Disney/Pixar catalogue, and it has some great worldbuilding. I’ve always loved this movie, and there are scenes in it that get me every time.

#144 – Batman: Year One

Frank Miller’s Year One is an incredible work of fiction. I just reread it in my DC Reading list, and really, really enjoyed revisiting such a complicated and interesting story. This isn’t my favorite of the DC animated films, but it is probably the one that sticks to the original story the closest, and it does an excellent job of capturing what makes this journey into the mind of Commissioner Gordon (and, of course, the Dark Knight) so captivating.

#143 – Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

I think this movie would move up on my list during a rewatch. It is fun, peppy, and hilarious, with some excellent casting choices. As it is, it rests at 143 due mostly to its competition (there are a lot of really good movies out there).

#142 – Bringing Up Baby

I reeeally wanted this movie to be higher up, but I just couldn’t justify it when putting it side by side with some of the later movies. But because this one is so niche nowadays I wish I could give it more accolades than 142 on my list, because it deserves recognition for how insane it is. This film is a 1938 classic about a woman, a man, and a tiger. It’s really hard to predict what is going to happen from scene to scene because the plot is so bizarre. I highly recommend this movie – it holds up very well and is still incredibly entertaining just under 90 years after release.

#141 – Monsters University

We cap off this first list with Monsters University. I love this movie – I think it is a severely underrated Pixar film. A dangerous and problematic message in today’s children’s media is that anyone can do anything. This movie makes the bold claim that no, you might not be able to do what you want to do if you put your mind to it. But if you find what you’re good at, you could be great! The lessons this movie teaches are excellent and needed, and the story is a whole lot of fun.

And there we have it! We’ve reached the end of the first 20 (or 23) movies on my list! What are your thoughts? Should any of these films be higher? Are there any you’re expecting me to include? Let me know in the comments below!