A Thinker in Space

We are now careening toward my top 100 movies, but we have a few more to discuss before we get there! Just a few reminders – I have been going through my top 160 movies. Here, I covered #160-141, and here, I covered #140-121. Now, I will be going through #120-101.

Just a few reminders – I am not claiming that this is a list of the best movies of all time, simply my personal favorites. If I were making a list of the best movies of all time, it would be vastly different. There also might be some movies that are missing not because they don’t belong on this list, but simply because I either haven’t seen them, or haven’t seen them in a long time.

The bottom of this list is also not full of movies I don’t like. There are simply so many movies out there that I love that #160 is still a movie I really enjoyed! It simply is that low because it is compared to other movies that I enjoy more.

Without further ado, let’s dive in!

#120 – Iron Man

This movie was the catalyst for the MCU, the first film in an epic set of films that would come to its height in Avengers: Endgame. It is an excellent film, with spot-on casting (Robert Downey Jr. certainly earned his stripes as Iron Man throughout his many appearances in the franchise). This was an excellent origin story film, one that remains a candidate for top 10 MCU movies even with all of the films that proceeded it.

#119 – Jaws

Jaws is a classic film, with so much to unpack. I don’t usually go for the monster-vs-man movies, but there is a reason this film is a classic, and it certainly deserves a spot on this list.

#118 – The Lion King

The Lion King is another classic. This is one of my favorite Disney animated films, but I find its ranking very interesting. The system I use ranks these films by ranking them against one another. I do this manually, assigning each movie a number, and then narrowing them down. When I am asked what my favorite classic Disney movie is, I always say Aladdin. And yet, The Lion King ended up higher on the list than Aladdin. Thinking about this, Aladdin is still probably the movie I enjoy more. I would probably be more willing to rewatch it than The Lion King. But I do believe that this movie is a better overall film. The Hamlet-inspired drama between Mufasa and Scar is compelling, and Simba is a much more nuanced character than many others in classic Disney films. It remains an excellent movie, and holds up remarkably well!

#117 – Howl’s Moving Castle

I wish I had more to say about this film. Unfortunately, I have not seen it in quite a few years, and thus I do not have a detailed reason why this movie is where it is. But I do love this film, and I greatly look forward to rewatching it! It has always been a goal of mine to watch more Miyazaki movies, but unfortunately I have only seen three – this one, Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro. Hopefully after I watch more, I will have more on this list!

#116 – Taken

Taken is an intense action film, and, if I am not mistaken, it is the beginning of the Liam Neeson Shoots Tons of People genre (and the best one of the set). The action sequences are memorable, the story is satisfying, and Liam Neeson is an excellent protagonist. This is definitely not a movie that I would rewatch readily, but it is a remarkably well-done film.

#115 – Harry Potter: Sorcerer’s Stone

This is the first Harry Potter movie on this list, and it won’t be the last! The Harry Potter movies were not on my top movies list for a long time because they were hard to differentiate for me. I just love this world so much, and it was difficult to choose. However, I must clarify this – I truly believe that the Harry Potter films are leaps and bounds better after having read the novels. I wouldn’t say this for every book-to-movie adaptation, but the Harry Potter novels are just so rich, and the worldbuilding is so enjoyable to sink your teeth into that it truly deeply enhances the viewing experience, seeing how effectively the directors were able to capture the world that houses Hogwarts. It is a lot of fun to go back and rewatch this movie, because the actors are so young! It set the tone for a fantastic franchise, and I always look forward to rewatching these films.

#114 – Planet of the Apes (1968)

Planet of the Apes is another classic movie that I need to rewatch. There isn’t much to say about this film that hasn’t already been said – it is an excellent work of fiction that had a massive impact upon literature and film after its release.

#113 – Rogue One

I have found that people either love or hate Rogue One, mostly because of its ending. But Rogue One was and remains the best Star Wars movie in the new franchise and has only recently been matched in quality by some of the Star Wars Disney+ content that has been released. Growing up, I loved the Star Wars Expanded Universe, and all the tie-in media that came with it. The reboot was… difficult for me to accept, and the content that was released after the reboot made things worse. I have very strong opinions about Star Wars as a whole, but Rogue One is one of the few things this era did right. This movie proved to me that it really didn’t matter if the old canon was gone, as long as the new canon was good. This movie made major changes to the methods through which the Death Star plans were sent to the rebellion, but it was an excellent narrative that was easily better than the previous story (which was, interestingly enough, a video game called Dark Forces, which has a remaster coming out soon. It is inspired by old-fashioned Doom, running off a startlingly similar engine, and had you play as mercenary Kyle Katarn as he stormed the base and shot stormtroopers until he got the plans. Not the most narratively deep version of the story).

#112 – Sherlock Holmes (2009)

Modern takes on Sherlock Holmes are hit or miss. They all highlight different aspects of Sherlock’s personality, some to their advantage and some to their detriment. Sherlock Holmes I feel flies under the radar nowadays, but it was an excellent portrayal of the master sleuth. Robert Downey Jr. was excellent in this role, and, call me foolish, but I still hold out hope for a Sherlock Holmes 3. Hans Zimmer delivers an excellent soundtrack to back this film, and the take on Sherlock is interesting and unique. If you’ve never seen it, it’s a fun romp worth experiencing!

#111 – The Usual Suspects

There are a lot of classic movies on this section of this list, and this is one that I really wish was higher. However, I simply could not justify putting it anywhere else. The Usual Suspects is a classic for a reason, with a masterclass of acting represented throughout the film. I could do without all of the crude language, but otherwise this is an incredible movie.

#110 – The Matrix

Another classic, one that completely changed cinema forever. The Matrix is a film that still blows me away every time I see it – its fast-paced action sequences and shocking moments still hit for me every time I watch the film.

#109 – Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation

This is probably one of the most obscure movies on this list, but it is such a fun movie. A family goes on vacation to a beach house that has seen better days, and all sorts of shenanigans ensue. This film is quite fun, and the characters are engaging. It has the chaotic nature of films made in this era, and it is the better for it. This is another movie I wish I could rank higher!

#108 – Harry Potter: Deathly Hallows Part 1

Another Harry Potter movie – we jump from the beginning to the end. I still really like Deathly Hallows, Part 1, don’t get me wrong. However, I do think you feel the stretch of making the last book two parts in this film. I don’t think they could have done this story well in one normal-length movie, but two might have been a bit ambitious. Regardless, it is an excellent film from an excellent franchise!

#107 – Coco

Coco is an excellent Disney/Pixar film, one with a lot of heart that tackles the concept of death in a healthy way. Disney has been struggling to match their previous successes, and I would venture to say that Coco is one of the last truly great Disney/Pixar films (with one notable exception). I hope that Pixar can one day recapture the magic these films had and create movies that don’t just skate by and instead shine.

#106 – The LEGO Batman Movie

The LEGO Batman Movie remains one of the best theater-going experiences I have ever had. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed that hard so long in a movie. This film is hilarious, with tons of nods to great Batman stories throughout the ages. The only thing that holds it back is that Joker and Batman’s relationship is a liiiiittle difficult to watch here, and I don’t fully agree with everything they have going on in the movie’s messaging? But that aside, it is so much fun, and if I ever need to just have something on to relax and laugh, this is high on my list.

#105 – Captain America: Civil War

Captain America: Civil War is one of the biggest victims of recency bias for me. When this movie came out, I threw it on my top 5. As you can see, it is not there anymore. Not by a long shot. I am not sure why I loved it so much on the first watch – perhaps because it was a major development and there was so much anticipation? Despite its fall from grace, I still think this movie is a fantastic piece of storytelling, and that Zemo (while he should not have been named Zemo) was a very well-done villain. Thus, it remains on this list, and still relatively high!

#104 – Spider-Man Homecoming

Spider-Man Homecoming was Tom Holland’s first full-length premier as Spider-Man, and he took up the mantle well! I still think he is my favorite of the three live action Spideys we’ve gotten (though Spectacular Spider-Man is still, in my opinion, the best adapted version of the character), though I agree with one of the main criticisms of his run – he hasn’t gotten too much of a chance to be his own hero, living too closely in Iron Man’s shadow. Hopefully, Spider-Man 4 is able to give Holland’s Spider-Man a chance to be his own character and find his own identity. This movie I think was outshined by the following two films, but still remains an excellent introduction to the character after his first appearance in Civil War!

#103 – Jurassic Park

Yet another classic – Jurassic Park remains to this day one of the strongest monster vs. man movies out there. It holds up well to this day and remains one of the best dinosaur movies on the market.

#102 – Batman Begins

Batman Begins should be higher. By all accounts, this movie should be easily top 50. However, there is one scene, one single scene, that plummets this movie in my list. Everything about it is great. Liam Neeson is fantastic in this, I enjoy Christian Bale’s portrayal of Batman, and Scarecrow is very well done. If it wasn’t for one scene (if you’ve seen the movie, you likely know what I mean) that does a great disservice to Batman’s character, it would be one of my favorite films.

#101 – Equilibrium

Equilibrium is a film that flies under the radar, but shouldn’t. It is a 1984-inspired action film that has some fantastic characters, and, of course, fight sequences. Christian Bale and Sean Bean are excellent in this film, and there are so many things about it that make it great. It is a satisfying movie, with an excellent protagonist who feels like an unstoppable juggernaut. This is one I look forward to rewatching.

Next, we dive into the top 100! Writing these has been a lot of fun, and it’s been really interesting to see some patterns emerging. I have listed some highlights here:

#160-141 – This one was full of animated movies (most of them children’s films). 15/23 movies mentioned (including the first three honorable mentions) were animated, and 18 have kids as their main target audience. That means there were only 5 movies on this list fully targeted towards teens/adults (all of which were PG-13 except Bringing Up Baby)

#140-121 – This one continued the trend with 8/20 of the films being animated, and 10 being targeted towards kids, making 28/43 of the movies up until this list kids films. This list also included the first MCU movies, including 5 superhero movies total (the previous list included 3.5 (with Big Hero 6 as the 0.5).

#120-101 (this list) was chock full of classic films. The only two classic films so far not on this list were Wizard of Oz at #146 and Citizen Kane at #138. 5/20 of the films on this list would be included in that category. It also contains 5 superhero films, and only 4 films with kids as their target audience. So, out of the first 60 (or rather 63 movies):

32 are targeted towards children

13 are superhero films

7 are cinematic classics

It is interesting to see how certain movies group together in this list, and how many at this point are targeted towards younger audiences. All of these movies, however, are on here because they are also excellent films despite their target audience.

Next week, we tackle the first 20 movies in my top 100!! Super excited to keep breaking these down. Let me know anything about the first three articles that interested you are surprised you, or anything you think I might have missed!

See you next week!

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