We’ve arrived at the top 100 movies! If you are interested in seeing the rest of the 160 movies, click the links below:
A reminder again – this is not what I consider to be the best movies of all time. It is simply a list of my favorites! I love all 160 of these movies, but for the ones in the top 100, my list of criticisms is much, much smaller than the list of things I love about them.
#100 – TENET
TENET is one of the most recent Christopher Nolan movies, and it is quite a good story! I think the concept surrounding TENET is fascinating, even if it doesn’t quite work. But it remains a great action film with some fantastic and mind-bending sequences.
#99 – Monsters Inc.
I can’t believe Monsters Inc. is #99 on this list. It is truly a testament to how good the rest of these movies are, because Monsters Inc. has always been one of my favorites. This movie has great characters, a great villain, and a story with potent meaning. It is one of the Pixar movies that checks every box and results in a wonderful viewing experience for the whole family.
#98 – Glass Onion
Glass Onion is a solid mystery story, and a fantastic second case for Detective Benoit Blanc of Knives Out fame. I love this new trend of taking a bunch of famous actors and throwing them into a murder mystery – all five of the films with this style recently have been fantastic, in my opinion (though certainly without their fare share of controversy). Glass Onion is simply a solid mystery story with a great detective and supporting cast.
#97 – Phineas and Ferb: Candace Against the Universe
As I mentioned when discussing Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension (#123 on this list), Phineas and Ferb is one of my favorite shows. Candace Against the Universe proves that even after all this time, the directors and writers of this show still have what it takes to make amazing content for it! I am looking forward to the continuation of Phineas and Ferb’s story in the upcoming reboot.
#96 – Ant-Man
Ant-Man is one of the MCU movies that was interesting and original. Does it still have some light-beam wars? Sure. But the heist framing of this film made it incredibly unique, and it remains one of my favorites from this series.
#95 – Cars
Cars is a movie that you need to take a moment to suspend your disbelief in order to enjoy. If you’re able to accept the near-nonsensical framing, you end up with a story that defies traditional storytelling. This movie has no “villain”. It has no “hero”. Instead, it has Lightning McQueen starring in a man vs. man conflict, where he is his own greatest enemy. It is a very successful character-driven film with some heartfelt messages about what truly matters in life.
#94 – Harry Potter: Chamber of Secrets
The next Harry Potter on this list is the second film – Chamber of Secrets. Another great entry in the Harry Potter universe, Chamber of Secrets is a lot of fun, and continues this magnificent tale with the same strong cast from the first movie.
#93 – Spirited Away
Spirited Away is best enjoyed without much knowledge of the story, but suffice it to say, this story is one that is hard to forget! Its messages are fascinating, its character designs are startling, and the movie itself weaves an excellent narrative. This is a movie everyone should watch at least once.
#92 – A Little Princess
A Little Princess is a childhood favorite. Sometimes, when I am looking back at a movie I enjoyed growing up, I wonder if it holds up to a rewatch. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t. This one does, easily. Rewatching it as an adult, I completely understood why I loved this movie so much when I was younger. It is a heart-wrenching and powerful story about heartache, longing, and hope. The lessons it teaches and the messages it shares are enduring and meaningful, and the story is riveting.
#91 – The Dark Knight Returns
This movie rides off the strength of its source material. Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns is a fantastic deconstruction of the character of Batman. It places The Dark Knight years later in his career, and has him face off against villains that challenge everything he believes, including his own code. The movie is very well done (with one notable exception – I do not think the voice actor who plays the Joker fit the character), and adapts the comic effectively without many major changes to the narrative.
NOTE: This movie was released in two parts – I am considering both one complete film.
#90 – Holes
Holes is another film that often was shown in MS/late elementary classrooms (and sometimes even HS) around its release. It strikes a difficult balance – it is a solid movie with a lot of great and interesting scenes that preteens and teens can appreciate, but it is still pretty clean. There are a lot of great scenes in Holes, and some very, very memorable characters. If you’ve never seen it, you should definitely watch it!
#89 – The Dark Knight Rises
The Dark Knight Rises is an interesting movie on this list. It has a slew of problems that are well-documented and well justified. But when putting together this list, I couldn’t put this movie any lower, because I genuinely loved it. When it came out, there was a time where it was one of my top 10 movies. What it does well, it does well, and I loved watching it in the theaters.
#88 – Harry Potter: Goblet of Fire
The next Harry Potter film here is Goblet of Fire. I love all eight of these movies, but there are some that I love more than others. When I look at these films, I look at them in conjunction with the story, which is why some might be higher than others. Goblet of Fire is very well done – the Tri-Wizard Tournament is engaging and presented in an interesting way, and the casting once again is spot-on.
#87 – Toy Story 4
I unapologetically believe that Toy Story 4 is a masterpiece, and I will fight anyone who disagrees. Well, maybe not fight them. But I will strongly disagree with them and defend this movie until it gets the recognition it deserves. I think a lot of people missed the point of this film and wrote it off as full of goofy nonsense and unnecessarily sad moments. If you look at this film that way, you completely miss the fact that this movie ties together one of the best character arcs in fiction – Woody. I will be writing an article about this at some point because I truly believe that he has one of the best arcs I have ever seen, and that his whole story is brilliantly and beautifully written, and this movie ties it together nicely. It also grapples with complicated themes such as identity, self-worth, sacrifice, and finding your calling as you grow and change, and it does so effortlessly and meaningfully. In my opinion, this is the last (so far) truly great Disney/Pixar film. Honestly, the fact that this movie is only #87 is a crime. It should be higher.
Don’t let any of this fool you into thinking I am excited for Toy Story 5 though. It will take a lot to justify that movie’s existence – I am very interested to see if it lives up to the narrative standard set by the first four. Plus, Disney has not been quite on the up-and-up lately with delivering quality films, so we’ll have to wait and see.
#86 – Harry Potter: Order of the Phoenix
There is a lot to be said about this movie, but most has already been stated. It is the longest book, and the shortest film, and that goes to its detriment. However, it does capture quite a lot of the book very, very well. Imelda Staunton’s performance as Dolores Umbridge nearly singlehandedly rises this movie this high – she is an incredible antagonist, and I always liked the way the lines were blurred between good and evil in Harry Potter. The fact that the government is trying to cover up Voldemort’s rise to power feels very apropos and works very well with the overarching story.
#85 – The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
This is one of the greatest book-to-movie adaptations out there – it perfectly captures the heart of an excellent work of fiction. It is excellently cast, and basically is a one-to-one putting the novel on screen. The two follow-ups to this movie did not do this one justice. The soundtrack is also incredible. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a franchise with such a perfect first movie get so badly decimated in its follow-ups. The only one that comes to mind is The Matrix (which is possibly worse?). But this movie remains a cinematic masterpiece, and holds a gold standard when adapting novels to the screen.
#84 – Batman: Under the Red Hood
Batman is one of my favorite characters of all time. When he is well-written, he is nuanced and interesting, and his struggles are realistic. Batman also boasts one of the most well-developed Rogue Galleries of any superhero, and this is one of the movies where his kingpin antagonist, The Joker, shines the brightest. John DiMaggio’s Joker was perfectly cast for this movie, and plays a fantastic role. But Black Mask and, of course, Red Hood are also excellent. There is one scene in this movie that is… questionable at best in its believability, but other than that, this is an excellent showcase of Batman’s character and personality. It is definitely my favorite of the DC Animated films (outside of the DCAU).
#83 – A Haunting in Venice
A Haunting in Venice might be inflated by recency bias, but then again, perhaps not? It is a great movie with interesting characters, another film like Glass Onion that is simply a satisfying mystery movie. Kenneth Branagh’s take on Poirot has been incredibly controversial, but I have loved every movie he has delivered so far. This is not a perfect adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Poirot. But it doesn’t need to be – this character of Poirot has personal growth to do, and in every movie he appears he continues to change and mature. In order to appreciate these movies, you have to leave your preconceived notions of who Poirot is at the door, and appreciate this new take on the character for who he is.
A Haunting in Venice is a solid third case for Branagh’s Poirot. I feel that he is capturing very well the bite-sized mystery story that with twists and turns and surprises along the way. I look forward to what he does next with this character, and I hope that he is not discouraged by the criticism these movies have received.
#82 – Far From Home
Far From Home followed up Endgame nicely. It didn’t try to be sweeping or massive, instead – it stayed within its box. It also does some very interesting things with Nick Fury that were concerning until the end of the movie. Overall, it was a fun film, and Tom Holland’s Spider-Man shines in this! Mysterio was an excellent villain, and the plot was meaningful. It also dealt with the fallout of Endgame effectively, setting up some interesting situations. This film was released when most viewers were still excited about the future of the MCU, and was the second tease of the multiverse before diving into it with Loki and Multiverse of Madness.
#81 – Mask of the Phantasm
Mask of the Phantasm is a fantastic Batman story. It is probably one of the best movie tie-ins to an animated series ever released. The characters are excellent, the voice acting is immaculate, and the storyline is deep, thought-provoking, and well-developed. It takes the things that set Batman: The Animated Series apart as one of the best animated shows out there, and encapsulates them into a full-length feature. It is a movie every Batman fan should watch.
80 more to go! These articles have been a lot of fun to write – we’re halfway there now! I am looking forward to continuing this series, and tackling the top half of the list. There are some controversial placements ahead, but I am pretty confident in the placement of these films!
Let me know what movies you think are still to come in the comments below!
A Thinker in Space 
What do you think?