15 Classic Movies Everybody Must Watch If They Haven’t Seen Many Films In Life

Summary Some movies are considered classics for a reason. Select iconic and revolutionary films to understand different genres and styles.

"Alien," "Dr. Strangelove," and "Pulp Fiction" offer a shortcut to grasping filmmaking techniques and genre elements.

"The Lion King," "Jaws," and "Casablanca" reinvent classic stories with originality, grand spectacle, and unforgettable characters.

Everyone has their favorite movies, but anyone interested in learning more about filmmaking needs to watch a few movies that are considered cinema classics. Trying to develop a greater cultural palate for cinema can be intimidating. With over a century of movies to choose from, it seems difficult to know where to begin. Luckily, some movies can provide a shortcut to understanding the art form, thanks to their exemplary use of genre or vital filmmaking techniques, and this is the case in just about every genre in every decade of film history.

It's difficult to quantify which films rank as the best movies of all time. Cinema is an extremely varied medium, encompassing everything from animated children's musicals to disturbing horror movies. However, developing a greater appreciation of film doesn't require watching hundreds and hundreds of movies. By carefully selecting a handful of iconic and revolutionary works, it becomes easier to get to grips with different genres, movements, and styles. These are some of the best movies ever made.

Related 15 Movies That Will Be Considered Classics In 20 Years Time Between groundbreaking action movies, profound period dramas, and the most stressful crime thriller ever, these films could reach "classic" status.

15 Alien (1979)

Dir. Ridley Scott

Alien (1979) Release Date June 22, 1979 Cast Sigourney Weaver , Ian Holm , John Hurt , Veronica Cartwright , Harry Dean Stanton , Tom Skerritt , Yaphet Kotto

1979's Alien is a classic movie in two genres. Ridley Scott took the conventions of a haunted house tale and placed them in a spaceship cruising far from Earth, resulting in an extremely claustrophobic thriller with no escape. Horror stories tap into public anxieties, and Alien was the first major movie in the age of space exploration that questioned what might be waiting for us far out in the cosmos. It also created one of the most recognizable monsters in pop culture history in a haunted house setting.

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The sci-fi horror foundations laid out by Alien morphed as the franchise continued, with James Cameron turning it into more of a sci-fi action movie. David Fincher and Jean-Pierre Jeunet took it in a more cerebral direction. Scott returned in 2012 with a prequel in Prometheus, but nothing compares to the horror elements of the original Alien movie. The movie won the Oscar for Visual Effects and then the Library of Congress added it to the National Film Registry in 2002.

The Alien franchise is still going strong over 40 years later. Alien: Romulus has a release date set for 2024.

14 Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb (1964)

Dir. Stanley Kubrick

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Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb (1964) Release Date January 29, 1964 Cast George C. Scott , Slim Pickens , Peter Sellers , Keenan Wynn , Sterling Hayden

Stanley Kubrick has a lot of movies that film lovers should seek out, from his horror masterpiece The Shining to his war movie Paths of Glory. However, the one movie everyone needs to see to appreciate black comedy and satire movies better is his funny nuclear war movie, Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb. The movie showcases the director's taut camerawork and unparalleled eye for dramatic blocking, but the dialogue shines above all else.

Peter Sellers makes a strong claim for the title of the greatest comedic performance of all time, as he plays three different roles with cartoonish zeal

Dr. Strangelove still holds up today despite the plot being firmly guided by the tensions of the Cold War. The movie sees Russia and the United States on the verge of a nuclear war, while the men in the war rooms are mostly bumbling fools. Peter Sellers makes a strong claim for the title of the greatest comedic performance of all time, as he plays three different roles with cartoonish zeal, lampooning the foibles of a polite Brit, a cocksure American, and a wildcard German. The Library of Congress added it to the National Film Registry in 1989.

13 Portrait Of A Lady On Fire (2019)

Dir. Céline Sciamma

Portrait of a Lady on Fire Director Céline Sciamma Release Date September 18, 2019 Main Genre Romance

While not technically a "classic movie," Portrait of a Lady on Fire is a modern-day classic. A modern masterpiece, Céline Sciamma's period drama pulses with forbidden desire and the distant promise of freedom, all encased in the gorgeous surroundings of eighteenth-century France. Portrait of a Lady on Fire is a neatly packaged character study, focusing sharply on the relationship between a painter and her subject. It juggles meditations on love, art, and sexual liberation without ever losing its vitality.

Céline Sciamma's period drama pulses with forbidden desire and the distant promise of freedom

Sciamma's use of music is revolutionary, sparse, and fleeting, but the crescendo of Portrait of a Lady on Fire's ending is unforgettable. The movie goes a long way into helping introduce movie fans to the world of French cinema, a country that has produced amazing classic movies like Breathless, The 400 Blows, and Army of Shadows. Portrait of a Lady on Fire received a nomination at the Indipendent Spirit Awards and the Golden Globe Awards.

Related 10 Movies That Defined Their Decades But Are Still Timeless Classics Each decade shapes cinema with defining ideas and trademarks in its films. While this can sometimes date a film, others manage to remain timeless.

12 Pulp Fiction (1994)

Dir. Quentin Tarantino

Quentin Tarantino's movies can be best understood as shared experiences. Pulp Fiction borrowed from almost a century of American cinema to delight its audience with violence, wit, and raw emotion. The non-linear storytelling and the interlocking plot structure elevated Pulp Fiction above mere mimicry, and it became a cinematic touchstone in its own right. Pulp Fiction's characters are so richly drawn that they transcend their own genre boundaries. They're now imitated just as often as Tarantino's own inspirations.

It is the dialogue and script that makes it a masterpiece, and that is what elevates the movie above its imitators.

The seminal Tarantino movie celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2024 and remains one of his most beloved releases. The film follows two hitmen, but only part of the story is about their role as enforcers, as it is more about the inner workings of the people who live in this area of darkness. It is the dialogue and script that makes it a masterpiece, and that is what elevates the movie above its imitators. The Library of Congress added it to the National Film Registry in 2013.

11 The Lion King (1994)

Dir. Rob Minkoff, Roger Allers

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The Lion King emphasizes cinema's capacity to reinvent classic stories. Based primarily on William Shakespeare's "Hamlet," the plot also borrows elements from the Biblical tales of Jesus and Moses. However, its gorgeous 2D animation retells the stories with incredible originality. The movie tells the story of Simba, the son of King Mufasa, and his terrifying life after he goes on the run following his father's tragic death — believing himself responsible. He has to find himself before he can return and claim his role as King.

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Arguably the most outstanding product of Disney's 1990s renaissance, The Lion King exhibits the grand spectacle of a stage musical, assisted in no small part by one of the best movie soundtracks of all time. The movie won two Oscars and four Grammy Awards and made almost $1 billion worldwide at the box office. The Library of Congress added The Lion King to the National Film Registry in 2016. The movie also spawned several sequels and a CGI remake in 2016.

10 Jaws (1975)

Dir. Steven Spielberg

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Jaws Release Date June 18, 1975 Cast Roy Scheider , Robert Shaw , Richard Dreyfuss , Lorraine Gary , Murray Hamilton , Carl Gottlieb

Before child-friendly movies like Jurassic Park and E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Steven Spielberg created a blood-soaked thriller about a killer shark on a rampage. Jaws features all the requisite gore and suspense to be recognized as a horror classic, but the interplay between the characters is far more polished than most monster movies would ever have room for. Despite its looming presence, the great white has very little screen time. That is for the best as the creation of the shark was one of the troubled aspects of the shoot.

Jaws features all the requisite gore and suspense to be recognized as a horror classic, but the interplay between the characters is far more polished than most monster movies would ever have room for.

The movie instead relies on the conflict between a police chief, an oceanographer, and a grizzled shark hunter as they wait for the beast to appear. The summer blockbuster is something that is normal in the movie industry today, and it was Jaws that created that phenomenon, with Spielberg ushering in a new era of big-budget blockbusters that have arrived every summer since 1975. The Library of Congress added it to the National Film Registry in 2001.

Related 10 Classic Movies You Totally Forgot Had Sequels It may come as a shock, but cult classics like Grease, The Mask, and Donnie Darko have sequels, albeit lesser-known than the original movies.

9 Casablanca (1942)

Dir. Michael Curtiz

Casablanca Release Date November 26, 1942 Cast Humphrey Bogart , Ingrid Bergman , Paul Henreid , Claude Rains , Conrad Veidt , Sydney Greenstreet

Set against the backdrop of World War II, Casablanca tells the story of a doomed romance. Humphrey Bogart is on top form as Rick, the cynical American expatriate whose past returns to haunt him. Ingrid Bergman stars as his love interest Ilsa, and the pair's unrivaled chemistry easily carries the plot. Casablanca's endlessly quotable script and brooding style build to a bittersweet finale when Rick and Ilsa must sacrifice their love for a greater cause.

Ultimately, Casablanca is as much about redemption and change as it is about romance. Even more than that, it is also a movie about using a distinctive setting to set up a masterclass of acting and storytelling, as the World War II backdrop in the small Casablanca is as important as the characters and their love story. The movie won Best Picture at the Oscars and the Library of Congress added this masterpiece to the National Film Registry in 1989 — the very first year the inductions began.

8 Spirited Away (2001)

Dir. Hayao Miyazaki

Spirited Away (2001) Release Date July 20, 2001 Cast Rumi Hiiragi , Miyu Irino , Mari Natsuki , Takashi Naitô , Yasuko Sawaguchi , Tsunehiko Kamijô , Takehiko Ono , Bunta Sugawara Main Genre Fantasy

Due to its high cost, animation mostly relies on pragmatism and efficiency, but Spirited Away luxuriates in its complexity. Hayao Miyazaki's expansive canvas hides loving touches in every corner, and his world of fantastical creatures and obscure magic requires multiple viewings. There are so many generous details that are not strictly necessary for the continuation of the plot, but the movie's style is as vital as its substance. Miyazaki's boundless creativity renders an impossible landscape with staggering clarity.

Spirited Away was the first Japanese anime to win the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, and it took Miyazaki 22 years before he won his second

The movie is also a perfect introduction to Japanese animation, and more specifically, the work of Hayao Miyazaki. Spirited Away was the first Japanese anime to win the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, and it took Miyazaki 22 years before he won his second, with The Boy and the Heron in 2023. The movie is also a gateway movie, and there are so many more to explore after this, from How's Moving Castle and Kiki's Delivery Service to My Neighbor Totoro.

7 The Godfather (1972)

Dir. Francis Ford Coppola

With The Godfather, Francis Ford Coppola garnered sympathy and understanding for a family of brutal criminals. The Corleone family have a peculiar business, but they value honesty, loyalty, and respect, just like anyone else. The dark, expressive style of The Godfather envelops the audience with confidence. In the end, the extreme specificity of the characters gives them a broad appeal. The Godfather is a violent and thrilling movie, but it shows that expert characterization can garner sympathy for even the most cold-blooded survivalists.

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The sequel is, in some ways, even better than the first movie. Both movies won several Oscars, including Best Picture for both of them and Best Director for The Godfather Part II. Marlon Brando won Best Actor for the first movie and Robert De Niro won Best Supporting Actor for the second — both men playing the same character. Both films also won for Best Adapted Screenplay. The gangster genre has been around since the silent era, but these movies remain the best of the best.

The Godfather Part II continues the saga of the Corleone family, and it deserves a place in the canon of essential cinema on its own merits.

Related 10 Classic Movies That Were Box Office Bombs Most hit films are defined by their enormous box office take, but some films that are considered classics today initially failed at the box office.

6 It's A Wonderful Life (1947)

Dir. Frank Capra

It's a Wonderful Life Release Date January 7, 1947 Cast James Stewart , Thomas Mitchell , Lionel Barrymore , Donna Reed , Henry Travers

Over 70 years after its production, It's a Wonderful Life remains the quintessential Christmas movie. Some movies, even some excellent movies, lose their appeal with repeat viewings, but It's a Wonderful Life's warm embrace could be enjoyed at least once every December if not more. The movie is realistically a tragic drama about a man who decides he wants to die by suicide but then he learns what his town and the people he loves would be like if he had never existed, learning his importance in the world.

The earnest emotion of It's a Wonderful Life is an irresistible tonic to modern cynicism, and irrefutable proof of the intangible magic of cinema.

It's a moralistic fable in the vein of Dickens or the great Greek tragedies, celebrating the ordinary lives that can pass us by every day. The earnest emotion of It's a Wonderful Life is an irresistible tonic to modern cynicism, and irrefutable proof of the intangible magic of cinema. The movie earned five Oscar nominations, and then through a lack of renewal, it fell into the public domain in 1974, which is why it plays on several different networks every holiday season.

5 Parasite (2019)

Dir. Bong Joon-ho

Parasite Release Date November 8, 2019 Cast Yeo-Jeong Jo , Myeong-hoon Park , Jeong-eun Lee , Sun-kyun Lee , Ji-so Jung , So-dam Park , Keun-rok Park , Kang-ho Song , Ji-hye Lee , Woo-sik Choi , Seo-joon Park , Hye-jin Jang

Parasite is another movie that is only a classic in the vein of modern classics. The story straddles the line between a class-conscious comedy of manners and a twisted tale of rebellion and fraud. The Kim family mirrors this strange dichotomy, caught between their home, halfway underground and infested with insects, and the more affluent life they sneak into. Parasite satirizes the class divide for around half of its runtime, before shirking its sense of humor and opting for bloodshed and rage.

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It's a manipulative thriller with a message, but Parasite never fails to entertain along the way. Outside of the story, Parasite is an extremely important movie concerning movie history. It is the first-ever Non-English language film to win the Best Picture Oscar. It also won Best Director for Bong Joon-ho and Best Screenplay. As a South Korean dark comedy thriller, Parasite might be the best place to start when breaking into the Asian film market, of which there are many masterpieces released over the years.

In 2020, Parasite became the first foreign language movie to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.

4 Playtime (1967)

Dir. Jacques Tati

Playtime Director Jacques Tati Release Date December 16, 1967 Cast Jacques Tati Runtime 124 Minutes

40 years later than everyone else, Jacques Tati reverted to the techniques of silent movies for his sweeping satire of mid-century urban corporatism. Tati plays Monsieur Hulot, an oafish but lovable character perfectly at odds with the sleek sophistication of polite society. He staggers around gray monolithic skyscrapers with bewilderment, until society unravels at once into raucous misalignment at a calamitous restaurant opening. It requires no subtitles, since every beat is conveyed through expressions and actions, with a picture-book simplicity and joy.

A fun and inventive comedy and is a callback to the silent-era slapstick movies of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton.

This French comedy is part of a trilogy that also includes Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot and Mon Oncle, all of which feature Hulot. It is a fun and inventive comedy and is a callback to the silent-era slapstick movies of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. While any of those movies remain worth seeking out (with City Lights and The General as perfect starting points), this French-made movie might be the better place to start that journey, as it is a slightly more modern take on the genre.

Related 10 Most Unnecessary Remakes Of Classic Movies While some movie remakes have been successful, others miss the target or add nothing new. And some films should never have received a remake at all.

3 Lost In Translation (2003)

Dir. Sofia Coppola

Lost In Translation focuses on two American strangers who meet in Tokyo and begin an unlikely affair. It's at once hopeful and heartbreaking, as the inescapable finality of their short time together hangs over their witty exchanges. Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson play two people at completely different stages of life, but both are searching for a deeper meaning to their existence. They confide in each other in the way that only strangers can, and Lost In Translation's bold, enigmatic ending leaves the true depth of their relationship open to interpretation.

While Sofia Coppola remains an acquired taste as a director in many of her movies, this is one release that has crossover appeal and works on a higher level. It is one of Bill Murray's greatest performances (he earned an Oscar nomination) and shows how great Scarlett Johansson is in smaller movies. The movie also earned Coppola an Oscar nomination, as well as a Best Picture nomination, while winning the Best Original Screenplay Award. While released in 2003, it is similar to the indie movies that showcased the 1990s.

2 Raising Arizona (1987)

Dir. Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

Raising Arizona Release Date April 10, 1987 Cast Nicolas Cage , Holly Hunter , Trey Wilson , John Goodman , William Forsythe , Sam McMurray , Frances McDormand , Randall 'Tex' Cobb

For a crime caper, kidnapping a baby would usually seem too unsavory, but Raising Arizona has enough heart to back up its dark premise. The movie is ostensibly set in the American West, but the characters speak with an affected, antiquated style. Some story elements could fit into the Old Testament, like the bounty hunter who streams across the desert like a vengeful demon. Raising Arizona proudly flaunts its neo-expressionist style. The events and characters are intentionally outlandish. However, they amount to an American fable with a square focus on true justice.

This movie is a perfect example of the absurdist filmmaking in their dark comedies that made The Coen Brothers cult favorites.

This movie is also a good starting point for anyone who wants to break into the films of The Coen Brothers. The brothers developed their own style of filmmaking, making them contemporaries of Quentin Tarantino — albeit starting a decade earlier. They went on to win an Oscar later in their career, but this movie is a perfect example of the absurdist filmmaking in their dark comedies that made The Coen Brothers cult favorites. It also has one of Nicolas Cage's great early performances before he became a major star.

1 Psycho (1960)

Dir. Alfred Hitchcock

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Psycho Release Date September 8, 1960 Cast Janet Leigh , Martin Balsam , Anthony Perkins , John Gavin , Vera Miles

Not content with simply being one of the most iconic horror movies ever, Psycho switches things up halfway through and becomes one of the most gripping detective stories ever too. Thanks to its twisty plot, Psycho changed the way people watch movies, and its effects are still being felt to this day. Alfred Hitchcock's incredible use of dramatic irony still advises the horror genre, as does his pioneering use of the Dutch angle. The shower scene has rightly entered the debate over the best scenes in movie history, but Psycho offers much more than bloody violence.

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Fans of horror movies might not have a better place to start than with Hitchcock's terrifying film. Many film historians consider Psycho to be the grandfather of the slasher genre, coming out over a decade before movies like Black Christmas and Halloween, often seen as the starting point for the subgenre. On top of that, the shocking opening with Janet Leigh has been copied and parodied in movies for the last six decades, no more so than in Scream. Hitchcock created an entire subgenre of horror movies with Psycho, and its influence on cinema ensures it's remembered as one of the most important classic movies.