A Thinker in Space

And now, at long last, we have reached the end – the top 10 movies on the list! If you know me well, you could probably guess some of these blindly, especially if you have seen the rest of these lists. I am not subtle about my favorite films. Even if this list changes, these ten will likely stay similar, or at least stay in the top 15, because each one is either a fantastic movie or holds a very special place in my heart (for many, both of these are true).

#10 – Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

We begin with one of the best films of all time – Pirates of the Caribbean. I love this entire trilogy, but this one is easily the best. There is no contest. Perfect casting, incredible performances, and a mastery of aesthetic make Pirates of the Caribbean one of my favorite works of fiction – there is so much to praise and so little to criticize about this film it is astonishing.

This film also holds a special place in my heart, as we watched it as a New Year’s Eve movie in my household. Every New Year’s Eve (to this day) my family watches two films that are favorites, usually that the kids have not yet seen! This was always an incredibly special time, and it is a tradition I am delighted to have been able to continue with my wife, and will continue with our children! This movie will certainly make the New Year’s list.

#9 – The Princess Bride  

Another New Year’s Eve movie, The Princess Bride is about as close as you can get to being a cult classic while still being relatively mainstream. This is another movie where there are an overwhelmingly large number of things to praise about it, and very few things to criticize. Excellent characters and excellent writing make this movie shine out from its contemporaries, and it takes itself just seriously enough that its comedic elements and dramatic elements are well-blended. This is a movie that I will watch again and again, and I don’t think any of the humor would get tiresome, something that I would be unlikely to say about modern comedy/dramas (looking at you, Thor: Love and Thunder).

#8 – Avengers: Infinity War

Avengers: Infinity War remains the best MCU movie – the crowing achievement of the years we spent going to theaters for the now-named Infinity Saga. The MCU created a ton of hype around its franchise, and Infinity War was the first part of the culmination of that hype. They had introduced Thanos at the end of the first Avengers movie, and had spent post-credits scenes building him up for his arrival in this film. Infinity War accomplished what nearly every single other Marvel movie in this era failed to do – it created a villain who was not simply “I’m evil because I’m evil”. Thanos had your eyebrow raised more than once throughout his time on screen, and had significantly more nuance to his character than most MCU villains. This story was also unique in that it can be fully argued that Thanos is the protagonist of the film, and that The Avengers are the antagonists, because Thanos has the most screen time, and most of the story follows him throughout his collection of the final infinity stones. The fact that Thanos fully believed that morally he was right, that his argument made more sense than most cared to admit, and that he fully and consistently operated under this mindset, killing only when he found it necessary to accomplish his goal made him a fascinating and remarkably well-written villain.

This movie was also one of the best theater-going experiences I have ever had, with stakes that felt real and actions that had consequences reaching far past the ending of the film. Watching this movie for the first time was an incredible experience, and though it is not one I often rewatch, it is one that deserves a place in my favorite films of all time.

#7 – A Christmas Carol (1999)

Most of the rest of the movies in my top 20 films are there because I truly believe they are some of the best movies I have ever seen. All of the rest of the top 10 fall into this category – I truly believe they are incredible films. This movie is a bit of an exception, because while I do love this movie, it would be far, far lower on a “best movies of all time” list. It is the only one that is here almost exclusively for personal reasons.

Don’t get me wrong. I do think this movie is objectively good. Having watched quite a few versions of this story, this is the definitive one for me. It stays very true to the original narrative without much deviation, and Patrick Stewart, for me, is the embodiment of Scrooge’s character. He plays the role masterfully, and sells the script effectively.

However, this movie doesn’t necessarily hit #7 on its own merit. Rather, it is the context behind it that brings this movie higher than some other movies that it could be argued are better.

Christmas has always been a time very near and dear to my heart – I look forward to it every year. It is easily my favorite holiday and makes winter one of the best seasons. I have watched this movie every year since I was much younger (I will be posting my Christmas Standards list around Christmas time (hopefully)! Look out for that), and have loved it from the first viewing. It is associated with all of my feelings about the season, and watching it every year is comforting and magical.

#6 – The Dark Knight  

We completely change the vibe with #6. The Dark Knight is critically regarded as one of the best movies of all time for a reason. Honestly, now that this trilogy is over, I can take or leave Christian Bale’s version of Batman. I don’t dislike him – I think he did a fine job. Especially as Bruce Wayne – Bale’s Bruce Wayne is one of my favorites. But his version of Batman is not what makes this movie so good. It is the Joker.

Before diving into all of the reasons this movie deserves to be on this list (or higher), I need to address Heath Ledger’s Joker. Christopher Nolan took a bold step of reinvention when directing this film – the version of Joker in this film removes most of the Joker humor audiences were used to and replaced it with anarchistic psychopathy. Even to this day, I normally don’t include Heath Ledger’s Joker amongst favorite versions of the character, because he wasn’t really Joker. I would actually contend that we have never had a true live action Joker – only reinventions of the character, some that worked, and some that did not work. For a true, by-the-books Joker, one need not look any further than Arkham Asylum and Arkham City, where the Joker is voiced by Mark Hamill (who remains the gold standard for the Joker’s voice, so much so that Troy Baker, the recent replacement, often imitates Mark Hamill’s voice in his performances). This takes the version of the Joker from Batman: The Animated Series and gives him the edge of an adult audience (though the show did an incredibly good job of making his character menacing and disturbing even in their limited content requirements).

Despite this, Ledger’s Joker is a cinematic legend for a reason. His role in this movie is one greatest of the villain performances of all time. Two-Face is excellent here as well, a fantastic complement to Joker.

There is so much to love in this movie, from incredible cinematography to Oscar-winning performances to well-written characters with depth. In all honesty, Batman is one of the weaker parts of this film, mostly because everything else shines so strongly. I actually watched this movie with my grandparents when I was still young enough not to realize that doing this was a terrible idea, and to this day they talk about how much they hated it. One of the reasons that they cite was that Batman was useless throughout the film, and that he didn’t really do anything. Which is fair. But if the dark and brooding atmosphere of a Gotham that sometimes feels hopeless masterfully captured by a prolific director is the kind of movie that entices you, this film is one you will remember for years to come.

#5 – The Emperor’s New Groove  

If you know my favorite movies, you already know this one is up here. In all of my rankings throughout this year, this one tends to stay from #10-5, but lately it has settled solidly in the #5 slot. Emperor’s New Groove is the gold standard when it comes to the type of comedic doesn’t-take-itself-seriously style of fiction. I love this kind of humor, and there are two other movies on my top 20 that have the same brand (Clue and Storks). But this one is easily my favorite, making it one of my favorite movies of all time. I can quote quite a bit of this movie from memory (though I know at least one other person who has me beat in this department personally), and I have watched it again and again without the premise, humor, characters, or story getting old. It has infinite rewatchability, which is something I could not say for most films. It’s a timeless classic, and my favorite piece of media Disney has ever produced.

#4 – Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Most of the movies on my top 20 have proven their staying power – they have been around for quite a few years, and they have earned their places because of this. For a recent movie to work its way up here and to stay consistently in the top 5 means that it must have been incredible. Across the Spider-Verse, the sequel to Into the Spider-Verse (also an incredible movie) just does everything right. Sony has released a couple movies since Tom Holland’s Spider-Man arrived into the MCU, hoping to cash out on some of that hype. So far, the movies they have released have been… well, I was going to say lackluster, but I think that’s too generous. Bad. Those movies have been bad. I have never seen Venom, but I’ve heard it has a bit more going for it than some of the others? But they have had miss after miss, almost legendarily so with Morbius and Madame Web getting absolutely panned by critics and audience viewers alike.

However, somewhere in that studio some executive gave the keys to their portrayal of Miles Morales to a brilliant writer/director combo, and we have had two of the best superhero movies ever released in Across and Into the Spider-Verse. After how incredible Into the Spider-Verse was, it was hard to believe that they could match their success with a sequel. With works of fiction that are almost perfect, adding more tends to result in one perfect film and one that is adequate at best. However, Sony struck gold twice in a row with these movies, with Across the Spider-Verse being easily just as good if not better than its predecessor. In fact, the only thing that could tarnish this movie’s reputation is the finale of the trilogy, Beyond the Spider-Verse, which is currently slated for release next year. If they nail the ending, this will be one of the best movie trilogies ever released. If not, it will go down in history as one of the greatest examples of unfulfilled expectations in cinema.

#3 – Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse  

Based on the previous film, you probably could have guessed that this one would be above it. After rewatching both, I do think I like this movie just a smidge better. Partially because I have to reserve some of my judgement about Across the Spider-Verse while waiting for the finale, whereas Into the Spider-Verse stands on its own. When Into the Spider-Verse was announced, we were awash with quite a bit of Spider-Man content. We had Spider-Man: Homecoming releasing soon, as well as the Insomniac Spider-Man game on PS4, and comparisons were running rampant between Toby McGuire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland (who had relatively recently picked up the mantle in Captain America: Civil War). Nobody expected Sony to drop the best Spider-Man movie ever released – the trailer looked cool, but didn’t raise any “best media ever released” flags. Then, the movie released, and spread like wildfire. Sony had somehow created magic. The first thing that strikes you about Into the Spider-Verse is its animation style. The entire movie feels like it was ripped off the pages of a comic book – it is an experimental art style that really lands. When I think of the best of the best when it comes to innovative animation, the Spider-Verse series and Arcane are the two that come to mind, because they both created a new standard that now other shows are imitating/trying to reach (speaking of which, stay tuned for a review of Arcane when Season 2 drops!! I have a lot to say about that franchise already, and will have plenty more to talk about when it finishes in the Fall).

The second thing that immediately is noticeable is the dialogue. I have overused the word “snappy” in this series when talking about writing where every line hits in a fast-paced but followable train of humor. This movie really nails its writing. I’ve also talked about the balance about films that don’t take themselves seriously, and how some of the best movies are able to do this without losing anything from the plot. Into the Spider-Verse is absolutely the perfect example of this. In a story full of deeply emotional moments and powerful dialogue, you have a cartoon pig who can take a hammer out of a pocket dimension and whack a bad guy with it. Somehow, it just works. You accept the nonsense because they establish it so well, but the story doesn’t become absurdist fiction.

The place where this movie really shines is in its heart. At its core, it is a beautiful story about family and friendship, and about coming to terms with who you are. This continues into Across the Spider-Verse, where the things that Miles learns in this film are challenged in ways he never would have anticipated. I am so excited to see Beyond the Spider-Verse – if it is as good as the other two, I might need to find a slot for it on this top 10.

#2 – It’s a Wonderful Life  

If you have been following since the beginning and already know what movies I adore, you know what these last films are by process of elimination. Again, I am not subtle with my favorite films, and It’s a Wonderful Life is here for a plethora of reasons. My discussion on Christmas Carol (#7) gives you quite a bit of these reasons already – this film has what I will call “Christmas Inflation” – it is already going to be higher up because it is a Christmas movie that I watch every year. But, I mean, what’s not to love about It’s a Wonderful Life? I don’t cry during movies, but there have been years where this one has gotten me. It is a beautiful narrative about a man who is selfless at heart but selfish in mind, and is constantly warring between these two aspects of his personality. Again and again his heart wins out, as he sacrifices for others, and even though his life is not what he would have planned when he was younger, it is perfect nonetheless. This is a movie everyone should watch at least once, if not multiple times – its messages are timeless, and it has endured for generations for a reason.

And now, at long last, we have arrived at movie #1! Most of you already know what it is, but if you don’t – here we go! Movie #1 is:

#1 – The Lord of the Rings

Yep. You came all the way to the top just to realize that I cheated. Or at least bent the rules a little bit. My list has been like this for years, and I have gotten some flack for it when asked about my top ten films. Here’s the rationale – The Lord of the Rings, despite it being 3 separate films, is in my top slot because all three films are immaculate, and they would be #1, 2, and 3. I’ve always felt that doing this would be a bit boring (33% of my top 10 would just be the same franchise), so I have condensed them into one film slot. Which, if you watch all of them back to back as I have, is actually kind of fair, because they all blend together.

NOTE: In this section I am going to be talking about the Extended Editions. I have never seen (nor do I have any desire to see) the Theatrical versions, as I would always want to have as complete of a Lord of the Rings experience as possible.

The Lord of the Rings is a film trilogy that has been discussed to no end. Return of the King is already 21 years old, which is unbelievable to me even though I grew up aware that these movies were incredible. But because they are my favorite films of all time, I will add a bit of dialogue to the conversation about why these movies are so incredible.

First of all, let’s not even go to the things that really make these movies stand out, and simply look at the basics. The aesthetics and visuals. Somehow, these 20+ year-old movies look visually incredible, even today. Looking at The Flash’s $200 million dollar budget and comparing the visuals to these movies? There is absolutely no contest. One looks like a Windows XP dumpster fire in some scenes, and the other one looks incredible. If you told me this blindly and showed me the release dates of both films, I would automatically assume that the movie made in 2001 (Fellowship of the Ring, in this case – the Balrog is amazingly well done) was the Windows XP dumpster fire. I would be wrong.

Visuals do not make a movie. They are incredibly helpful, but visuals with no substance results in flat-out bad movies. The Lord of the Rings had the advantage of being based off one of the best series of novels of all time, but that has not stopped other movie adaptations from being trash, obviously. This series, though, stayed true to Tolkien’s original narrative, and because of this, captured the emotional and riveting story that has kept these novels enduring for all these years.

The characters are excellent, their arcs are incredibly well done, and the story is a tale of good and evil and corruption, teaching important lessons about the fallibility of man and the encroaching power of evil, and the forces of good that seek to defeat and destroy that which is only capable of destruction

All that said, this list is about ranking my favorite films, so I am going to rank the three films and talk about them all individually.

#1c – The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

#1c and #1b oscillate all the time. The Fellowship of the Ring is such a strong film with so many iconic scenes that it could easily be in the #1b slot. I have nothing but good things to say about all three of these films. I really have very little to criticize, if anything, about Fellowship – the only reason it is here instead of higher up is because the other two movies are just as good if not better. This movie has the Balrog, Rivendell, the Shire, the journey of the Fellowship… it is an incredible viewing experience, and a cinematic masterpiece. The Lord of the Rings also has an incredible cast, all of whom shine through each film they are in, and Howard Shore’s soundtrack is incredible and timeless.

#1b –  The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

The Two Towers pushes the envelope with massive battlegrounds and large armies, and pulls it off far better than some modern movies. This movie has so much to love – Sam and Frodo’s journey into Mordor begins here, as well as the arrival of Gollum as a main character. King Théoden’s story is fantastic, Helm’s Deep is incredible, and the Battle of Isengard (or The Last March of the Ents) was a cinematic masterpiece.

And the final one – my favorite movie of all time:

#1a – The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Is this the best movie ever made? I have not seen every film, so I can’t make that call. But it is the best movie I’ve ever seen, and perhaps the best work of fiction I have ever experienced. The magic that is captured in this film is incomparable, except perhaps by the previous two films in this trilogy. Never before or since has a movie trilogy been this good. If Beyond the Spider-Verse is as good as the first two, it will still be a runner-up to The Lord of the Rings. This movie is a perfect ending to the trilogy – every plotline wraps up in a satisfying way, and the actors give incredible performances throughout. There is a scene at the end of this movie in a bedroom that makes me tear up every single time I watch it, because it is so beautiful. The soundtrack, the visuals, the characters, the actors, everything comes together and synthesizes into a masterpiece of cinema.

And there you have it. We started this journey back in May, and we wrap it up in July. It has been a lot of fun to write and discuss all 160 movies (even though this really should be my top 165 movies, since I had 3 movies as Honorable Mentions and 2 additional movies listed in the #1 slot), and I hope you have enjoyed reading this as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Writing through and justifying my list has been an invigorating exercise for me, and I hope that if there are movies on this list you haven’t scene, I’ve piqued your interest to try them out! Thank you for accompanying me on this journey – I can’t wait to keep writing! I will not be doing another serialized set of articles like this one for a bit (though I am going to be starting a new series that I will be writing intermittently, as well as continuing to discuss Underrated Games), but there will be other lists like this in the future!

Next week’s article in this slot will be an epilogue to this series where I will be discussing movies that either didn’t make the cut, should be on here and are not for one reason or another, or movies whose absence I would like to explain. Are there any movies that aren’t on this list but should be? Or movies that I should watch to consider adding? Let me know in the comments below!

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