98 Best Adventure Movies All Time Ranked

Of all the stories humans tell, there's just something about a fantastic adventure that speaks to our souls time and time again, whether it's an ancient text like "The Epic of Gilgamesh" or a more modern-tale like George Lucas' "Star Wars." The fact that we've always been drawn to stories of quests and derring-do proves the power of a good adventure to reach deep into the human spirit. 

When a great adventure comes alive on the big or small screen, it gives viewers a chance to step outside of their world and experience the potential of a transformative journey. Whether it's a journey across the sea or across all of space and time, there's nothing like sitting down with a tub of popcorn and stepping into a new world. Next time you're looking for adventure, we've got you covered with the 98 best adventure movies ever made. 

Updated on May 23, 2022: Great new adventure movies are released all the time! We'll be updating this list every so often to include the best new adventure films, so be sure to check back soon for more fantastic quests! 

Based on the 1844 Alexandre Dumas novel, "The Count of Monte Cristo" follows the adventures of Edmond Dantès, a man on the verge of having the perfect life ... until he's betrayed and tossed into prison by jealous enemies. From there, we watch as Edmond survives imprisonment, escapes from the notorious Château d'If, pursues treasure, and goes through the ultimate glow-up as he presents himself as the "Count of Monte Cristo" to Parisian society. And, oh yeah, the whole time, he's plotting some serious revenge. From pirates to secret tunnels, this film is brimming with equal parts swashbuckling adventure and neoclassical pomp. 

• Starring: Jim Caviezel, Guy Pearce, Richard Harris
• Director: Kevin Reynolds
• Year: 2002
• Runtime: 131 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 73%

In "Ready Player One," teen orphan Wade Watts lives in a miserable dystopian world where RVs are stacked like the world's saddest LEGOs. But lucky for Wade, the wi-fi is fantastic. Our hero — and most everyone else — spends their days inside the OASIS, a video game reality that's the ultimate form of escapism. But when the OASIS creator leaves his vast fortune and company ownership hidden inside his VR world in an Easter egg, Wade embarks on the ultimate virtual adventure to find it, traveling through a world populated with Gen-X pop culture references and baddies for hire. 

• Starring: Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn
• Director: Steven Spielberg
• Year: 2018
• Runtime: 140 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 72%

In this live-action adaptation of the classic animated children's series, second-generation explorer Dora embarks on an adventure with her monkey friend Boots and cousin Diego after her parents go missing while on a hunt for a lost city filled with treasure. A whimsical, teenage reimagining of the beloved show, "Dora and the Lost City of Gold" is a fitting tribute that offers a fair share of family-friendly comedy, whimsy, and adventure.

• Starring: Isabela Moner, Eugenio Derbez, Michael Peña
• Director: James Bobin
• Year: 2019
• Runtime: 102 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85%

Adapted from Patrick O'Brian's series of historical novels, "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" is a seafaring naval adventure set during the Napoleonic Wars. Like the novels, the film follows the adventures of Royal Navy captain Jack Aubrey and his ship surgeon, Dr. Stephen Maturin. In pursuit of French privateers, Captain Aubrey leads the HMS Surprise around Cape Horn to the Galápagos Islands, where they encounter a host of maritime adventures from eerily becalmed waters to strange new species to hand-to-hand combat with unsavory mariners. 

• Starring: Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany, James D'Arcy
• Director: Peter Weir
• Year: 2003
• Runtime: 138 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85%

Long before "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" and "Innerspace," "Fantastic Voyage" would imagine a world where miniaturization technology was the latest front in the Cold War. Aboard the microscopic submarine Proteus, a crew of medical scientists must journey through a scientist's body in order to save him and his top-secret intelligence from a blood clot in the span of an hour. While the science probably won't help anyone through Biology 101, "Fantastic Voyage" is a fun ride through the human circulatory system with a fair share of peak Red Scare antics sprinkled throughout. 

• Starring: Donald Pleasance, Raquel Welch, Stephen Boyd 
• Director: Richard Fleischer
• Year: 1966
• Runtime: 100 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%

Set in feudal Japan, "The Hidden Fortress" finds hard-luck peasants Tahei and Matashichi setting a course for adventure by joining the powerful Yamana clan of soldiers and eventually escorting a princess and her family gold through enemy territory. Imperfect heroes that they are, Tahei and Matashichi are hardly up to the challenge of facing off with warring samurai. But with the help of a few brave allies, they manage to scrape through by the skin of their teeth. One of the biggest influences on 1977's "Star Wars," "The Hidden Fortress" is a true classic of Japanese cinema.

• Starring: Toshiro Mifune, Misa Uehara, Minoru Chiaki
• Director: Akira Kurosawa
• Year: 1958
• Runtime: 139 minutes
• Rating: NR
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%

Adapted from the 1937 Ernest Haycox short story "The Stage to Lordsburg," "Stagecoach" is a Western adventure story set in 1880, where a motley group of strangers — from a drunken doctor and a dangerous gambler to a kindly outlaw and a gold-hearted saloon girl — come together aboard a stagecoach traveling from Arizona Territory to New Mexico. The journey takes place in a world where the American frontier still seems vast and dangerous, forcing the group to work together as they make their epic journey through the Wild West. One of John Ford's finest films, "Stagecoach" is the movie that launched John Wayne to superstardom.

• Starring: Claire Trevor, John Wayne, Andy Devine
• Director: John Ford
• Year: 1939
• Runtime: 96 minutes
• Rating: NR
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%

 "Captain Blood" is a seafaring adventure set in the Golden Age of Piracy, and when it comes to adventure, no one did it better than 17th-century pirates. This high-seas adventure finds Irish physician Peter Blood sold into slavery in the West Indies. After Blood is purchased by the lovely Arabella Bishop, he later escapes Port Royal during a Spanish man-o-war attack, taking up a new life as a Caribbean buccaneer where swashbuckling adventures and romance on the high seas are the order of the day. For those not familiar with old-timey actors, Blood is played by Errol Flynn, the greatest action star of his day, and "Captain Blood" finds him at his adventurous, charming best.

• Starring: Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone
• Director: Michael Curtiz
• Year: 1935
• Runtime: 119 minutes
• Rating: NR
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%

Directed by the legendary William Friedkin, "The French Connection" recounts the true story of two NYC detectives investigating a large-scale heroin operation, one that spans from Brooklyn to Marseille. At the heart of the story, we've got Detective "Popeye" Doyle, the ultimate dirty cop who never met a rule he couldn't break. Played to ferocious perfection by Gene Hackman, Doyle and his partner find themselves going down a mafia rabbit hole that eventually leads to one of the greatest chase sequences of all time — one filmed guerrilla style by Friedkin, resulting in accidental real-life collisions and the feeling of actual danger.

• Starring: Gene Hackman, Roy Scheider, Fernando Rey
• Director: William Friedkin
• Year: 1971
• Runtime: 104 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%

"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is widely considered one of the best and most influential wuxia films of all time, thanks in large part to its gorgeous cinematography and unique martial arts scenes. The story is set in 19th-century China during the Qing dynasty and follows the adventures of female machete warrior Yu Shu Lien and her wudang swordsman friend Mu Bai as they battle other warriors over the 400-year-old sword Green Destiny. Come for the flying duels amongst bamboo, stay for the sweeping romance and epic adventure.

• Starring: Chow Yun-fat, Michelle Yeoh, Zhang Ziyi
• Director: Ang Lee
• Year: 2001
• Runtime: 120 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%

"Moonrise Kingdom" is a love story and adventure about two lonely adolescents who decide to run away together on a New England island after a year of sharing romantic love letters. Suzy and Sam's plan to meet up and live off the land in a hidden cove they call "Moonrise Kingdom" doesn't go quite as planned, and they find themselves on the run from Social Services and Suzy's parents as a violent storm bears down. A charming coming-of-age story set in the mid-1960s, "Moonrise Kingdom" is a nostalgic tale of first love without the baggage of adulthood.

• Starring: Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Frances McDormand
• Director: Wes Anderson
• Year: 2012
• Runtime: 94 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%

The ultimate American road comedy, "National Lampoon's Vacation" is the first film in the "Vacation" series and follows the Griswold family's adventures as they embark on a cross-country road trip from suburban Chicago to the beloved theme park Walley World. Partly due to patriarch Clark Griswold's many personality flaws, the family encounters more than their share of troubles along the way, including a hostage situation when things don't go as they planned at the park. Anyone who's taken a long family road trip will relate to the comedic miseries visited upon the Griswold's Wagon Queen Family Truckster. 

• Starring: Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, John Candy
• Director: Harold Ramis
• Year: 1983
• Runtime: 98 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%

A fictionalized tale based on the real-life escape of Allied POWs during World War II, "The Great Escape" tells the story of a large-scale prison break from a high-security camp in 1942. Working together, the prisoners manage to dig a tunnel without the guards' knowledge and end up on the run in Hitler-led Germany. A heart-pounding tale of hope and ingenuity, "The Great Escape" is a reminder of human resilience in the face of overwhelming adversity. Plus, it features one of the all-time great motorcycle sequences, complete with the "King of Cool" himself, Steve McQueen.

• Starring: Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough
• Director: John Sturges
• Year: 1963
• Runtime: 172 minutes
• Rating: NR
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%

The archetypal spaghetti Western, "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" follows three gunslingers on a quest to find a cache of Confederate gold hidden by a fugitive during the bloody peak of the Civil War. On one side, you've got the "Good," a marksman/bounty hunter who's always one step ahead of everybody else. Then there's the "Bad," a squinty-eyed mercenary with no remorse when it comes to murder. And finally, there's the "Ugly," a sniveling bandit who's a lot faster on the draw than you might expect. Together, these three double-cross each other, butt heads, and occasionally give each other a hand as they search for treasure. With three iconic characters and Ennio Morricone's incredible score, it's no wonder this is the ultimate Wild West adventure.

• Starring: Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, Lee Van Cleef
• Director: Sergio Leone
• Year: 1966
• Runtime: 161 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%

Directed by John Huston, "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" finds two down-on-their-luck drifters teaming up with an aging prospector to dig for gold in the Sierra Madre mountains. While they find what they're looking for, trust between the party begins to quickly fray as they encounter locals, a gang of bandits with sights set on their gold, and that nastiest of human enemies — greed. Humphrey Bogart gives one of his all-time performances as Fred C. Dobbs, a man with big dreams, dollar signs in his eyes, and darkness in his heart.

• Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Walter Huston, Tim Holt
• Director: John Huston
• Year: 1948
• Runtime: 124 minutes
• Rating: NR

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%

With a theme park chock full of cloned dinosaurs, what could go wrong? This is the central question in the film "Jurassic Park," which finds a group of survivors on the run from dinos off the coast of Costa Rica. Not long after experts paleobotanist Ellie Sattler, paleontologist Alan Grant, and chaos theory math whiz Ian Malcolm arrive to sign off on the park's safety, a storm and a disgruntled hacker descend upon the island, leaving the resident dinos to run amok after the park's electric fences lose power. Throw a couple of kids into the mix, and it's a recipe for some serious prehistoric adventure, complete with eye-popping effects, both practical and CGI.

• Starring: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum
• Director: Steven Spielberg
• Year: 1993
• Runtime: 128 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%

Based on Rudyard Kipling's novella, "The Man Who Would Be King" is set in 1880s British-colonized India and the neighboring Kafiristan. Told from the perspective of a fictionalized Rudyard Kipling, the story recounts the adventures of two former British soldiers who set a course for adventure, only to find it less exciting than they pictured. So they two men — who so happen to be Kipling's compatriots — set their sights set on looting Kafiristan, a plan that gets adjusted when one of them is taken for a god by the locals.

• Starring: Sean Connery, Michael Caine, Christopher Plummer
• Director: John Huston
• Year: 1975
• Runtime: 129 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%

One of the world's few Thanksgiving films, "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" is part buddy comedy, part road trip adventure. The tale finds frustrating but friendly traveling salesman Del Griffith crossing paths with uptight marketing exec Neal Page as they team up in a desperate bid to get Neal home in time for his turkey dinner. Despite the short distance between New York and Chicago, the unlikely pair find themselves on something of an epic journey after their plane gets diverted to Wichita. This hilarious and heartwarming adventure should be on everyone's Turkey Day watch list, largely thanks to the incredible chemistry between comedic legends John Candy and Steve Martin.

• Starring: Steve Martin, John Candy, Laila Robins
• Director: John Hughes
• Year: 1987
• Runtime: 92 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%

A comedy adventure written and performed by the Monty Python comedy team, "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" follows King Arthur and his squire Patsy as they roam around the British countryside looking for knights to join the legendary Round Table and help in their quest for the fabled Holy Grail. Along the way, they get into all sorts of Arthurian adventures from a witch trial to a bout of plague. With plenty of anachronisms and absurdist humor, the film represents everything that's great about Monty Python and everything that's not so great about medieval England.

• Starring: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam
• Director: Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones
• Year: 1975
• Runtime: 90 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%

"The African Queen" takes place on a steamboat in 1948 German East Africa — a unique location for a sweeping story. The film finds a pair of sibling British missionaries caught in the middle of a war between the U.K. and Germany. But after her brother's death at the hands of German troops, Rose Sayer teams up with a local steamboat captain, heavy-drinking Canadian Charlie Allnut, to upgrade his boat — the African Queen — into a massive torpedo to take on the Germans. Granted, the uptight Christian and the booze-guzzling riverman don't get along at first, but strange circumstances often lead to strange romances. This adventure story was shot on location in the Congo and Uganda, efforts that paid off in terms of the film's gorgeous Technicolor scenery. 

• Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Katharine Hepburn, Robert Morley
• Director: John Huston
• Year: 1951
• Runtime: 105 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%

Easily one of the most influential and iconic sci-fi films, "Forbidden Planet" takes place in the 23rd century when a United Planets starship heads to Altair IV to investigate an expedition that disappeared two decades ago. During their exploration of the planet, they encounter Robby the robot, along with Dr. Morbius and his daughter Altaira. Things turn strange pretty quickly as they often do in the sci-fi world with the crew encountering strange creatures and a powerful intellectual enhancer, among other surprises. The film has been widely discussed for its parallels to William Shakespeare's "The Tempest," and for the time, its special effects are pretty darn impressive.

• Starring: Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, Leslie Nielsen
• Director: Fred M. Wilcox
• Year: 1956
• Runtime: 98 minutes
• Rating: G
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%

An 18th-century swashbuckling adventure, "Pirates of the Caribbean" is a fantastical tale that follows Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann as they cross paths with the infamous pirate Captain Jack Sparrow and the cursed crew of the Black Pearl. Based on the beloved Disney Parks ride of the same name, the "Pirates" film series is a surprisingly exciting adventure filled with plenty of mythology and wacky adventures. But it all started here with a film that became an instant classic, largely thanks to Johnny Depp's iconic performance as rum-loving, rock star pirate.

• Starring: Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom
• Director: Gore Verbinski
• Year: 2003
• Runtime: 143 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 80%

In "Free Guy," even non-playable characters (NPC) get to have big adventures. In the video game world of "Free City," NPC Guy becomes self-aware thanks to a new AI code in the system. As a result, he starts to go off-script, encountering game developer Millie who mistakes him for a noob. Things get even more complicated when Guy falls in love with Millie and sparks a game-wide revolution. Despite the very heavy existential subtext and slightly chilling AI implications, the story manages to stay in its lane as a fun adventure in the virtual world.

• Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Jodie Comer, Lil Rel Howery
• Director: Shawn Levy
• Year: 2021
• Runtime: 115 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 80%

Inspired by the Homerian epic poem "The Odyssey," "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" is a Coen brothers satire set in the Great Depression that follows three escaped convicts on a treasure hunt after breaking out of a chain gang. Ulysses Everett McGill leads his pals Delmar and Pete on a wild journey where they encounter figures taken straight from Homer to the tune of period folk music. Clever, fun, and more lighthearted than many other Coen brothers projects, the film is a must-watch for anyone who enjoys a great soundtrack and a solid adventure. 

• Starring: George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson
• Director: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
• Year: 2000
• Runtime: 106 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 78%

When teenager Alex is rejected for his scholarship, he turns to the only cool thing in his trailer park for comfort: the "Starfighter" arcade game. After beating the game's high score, he learns that it's really a recruitment strategy for an intergalactic space army, and as a result, he ends up aboard a real-world Starfighter. The ultimate '80s teen video game fantasy, "The Last Starfighter" has developed a cult following over the years thanks to its cheesy "Star Wars" knock-off storyline. 

• Starring: Lance Guest, Dan O'Herlihy, Robert Preston
• Director: Nick Castle
• Year: 1984
• Runtime: 100 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 76%

Based on the 1844 Alexandre Dumas novel of the same name, "The Three Musketeers" follows the 17th-century adventures of d'Artagnan after joining forces with the famed "three inseperables" — Athos, Porthos, and Aramis. The silent French historical adventure finds the quartet swashbuckling their way around Europe with plenty of fancy swordplay and gorgeous period costumes. 

• Starring: Douglas Fairbanks, Leon Bary, George Siegmann
• Director: Fred Niblo
• Year: 1921
• Runtime: 120 minutes
• Rating: NR

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%

Perhaps the greatest Japanese movie ever made, "Seven Samurai" is an epic adventure tale set in 16th-century Japan, following the adventures of seven rōnin (masterless samurai) hired by farmers to fight off bandits who keep stealing their crops. Realizing that the farmers need to learn to defend themselves, the samurai arm and train the locals, helping them to fortify their village in anticipation of the next raid. Directed by one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Akira Kurosawa, the action scenes in "Seven Samurai" blow most modern-day battle sequences out of the water. Don't be scared off by the runtime. This epic adventure flick will grab you from the start and never let go. 

• Starring: Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Keiko Tsushima
• Director: Akira Kurosawa
• Year: 1954
• Runtime: 207 minutes
• Rating: NR
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%

A continuation of the cult series "Firefly," "Serenity" is a space Western that picks up where the show leaves off with the smuggler crew of the Firefly-class spaceship Serenity. Like the series, "Serenity" is set in the 26th century and finds the crew harboring a pair of refugees — the psychic science experiment River Tam and her brother Simon. Plus, we've got bank robberies, we've got the cannibalistic Reavers, and we've got an obsessed government assassin who'll stop at nothing to track down our heroes. With a cast that includes Nathan Fillion, Alan Tudyk, Gina Torres, and Chiwetel Ejiofor, "Serenity" is an imaginative space adventure full of the magic that "FIrefly" fans came to love during the show's too-short run.

• Starring: Nathan Fillion, Alan Tudyk, Summer Glau
• Director: Joss Whedon
• Year: 2005
• Runtime: 119 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 82%

When 2nd-century Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius refuses to pledge his loyalty to the murderous Commodus, he ends up arrested while his wife and son are crucified. After escaping and burying his family, Maximus ends up enslaved to a gladiator trainer, eventually becoming a crowd favorite thanks to his gladiator skills and savvy. With loads of great Colosseum action and peak Roman violence, "Gladiator" is one of the best stories set in this period.

• Starring: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen
• Director: Ridley Scott
• Year: 2000
• Runtime: 155 minutes
• Rating:
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 77%

Perhaps the most exciting entry in the MonsterVerse franchise, "Kong: Skull Island" finds a group of scientists and soldiers heading to the titular isle. Little do they know, they're in for a big surprise, as the place is crawling with giant insects, massive sea creatures, and one very large ape. That's right, it's King Kong, the island's protector who's engaged in a war with subterranean reptilian predators called "skullcrawlers." Half our heroes want to ally with Kong. The other half wants to kill him. Everybody wants to get off that island ... but the monsters have other ideas. The film reimagines King Kong as a lonely god figure who must be protected at all costs and adds to the mythology of the Kong universe. 

• Starring: Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, Brie Larson
• Director: Jordan Vogt-Roberts
• Year: 2017
• Runtime: 118 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 75%

Based on the 1963 children's story by Maurice Sendak, "Where the Wild Things Are" is a live-action fantasy adventure that takes a long and soulful look at the heartache and beauty that comes with raising a child. An imaginative child of divorce, Max is acting out, unable to control his emotions in a way that's driving his mother to a state of distress, where she's literally afraid of her own child. Locked in his room, Max journeys to a faraway land of his own imagination where he meets seven wild creatures who he's able to convince he is a king. Despite being a family film, "Where the Wild Things Are" is a complex and layered story that many viewers will find meaning in. 

• Starring: Max Records, Catherine Keener, James Gandolfini
• Director: Spike Jonze
• Year: 2010
• Runtime: 101 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 73%

Based on the fantasy book series by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi, "The Spiderwick Chronicles" is a family fantasy-adventure centered around the Spiderwick estate and a field guide to magical fairies including brownies, goblins, fairies, and a shapeshifting ogre. After twin Jared happens across the book and encounters a brownie, he and his siblings find themselves caught up in a fantastical world where magic is real.

• Starring: Freddie Highmore, Sarah Bolger, Mary-Louise Parker
• Director: Mark Waters
• Year: 2008
• Runtime: 97 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 81%

Set during the Great Depression, 2005's "King Kong" marks the second time the original 1933 "King Kong" film would be remade. While NYC actress Ann Darrow is sacrificed to King Kong by the angry residents of Skull Island, the rest of her party find themselves face-to-face with dinosaurs and oversized insects. After they manage to escape, sketchy filmmaker Carl Denham captures Kong and puts him on Broadway, which goes exactly like it sounds it would. An exciting CGI-powered tribute to the original film, Peter Jackson's "King Kong" is a grand adventure, one that works thanks to the strong relationship that builds between Ann and Kong, who's portrayed by mo-cap legend Andy Serkis.

• Starring: Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody
• Director: Peter Jackson
• Year: 2005 
• Runtime: 187 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 84%

A Technicolor tribute to Jules Verne's classic novel, Disney's "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" is a sci-fi steampunk masterpiece. The tale finds Professor Aronnax — accompanied by sidekick Conseil and harpooner Ned Land — searching for a mysterious sea monster, all to discover the creature is actually the Nautilus — a submarine captained by the obsessive Captain Nemo. Aboard the Nautilus, our heroes encounter cannibals, warships, and even a giant squid as they explore the ocean in all its beauty. Even by today's standards, the 1954 special effects are spectacular, and James Mason's performance as Nemo might be a career best.

• Starring: Kirk Douglas, James Mason, Paul Lukas
• Director: Richard Fleischer
• Year: 1954
• Runtime: 127 minutes
• Rating: G
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%

Adapted from the 2001 novel by Yann Martel, "Life of Pi" is a philosophical fantasy adventure following the journey of the titular Pi, a young man who survives a shipwreck. Our hero makes his way aboard a lifeboat and finds he has to sail across the ocean with a number of zoo animals, including a very hungry Bengal tiger. Surreal and meditative, the visually stunning tale explores the power of imagination in the face of great pain and loss. 

• Starring: Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Rafe Spall
• Director: Ang Lee
• Year: 2012
• Runtime: 125 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86%

When bullied and economically disadvantaged adolescent Jess meets his new neighbor, Leslie, the pair invent an imaginary world called Terabithia — a land of magic and escape. More of a story about the heartache and challenges of adolescents having to face the adult world than a simple children's story, "Bridge to Terabithia" is an emotional tale of two kids finding strength in their own creativity.  

• Starring: Josh Hutcherson, AnnaSophia Robb, Zooey Deschanel
• Director: Gábor Csupó
• Year: 2007
• Runtime: 95 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85%

Equal parts survival story and extended FedEx advertisement, "Cast Away" finds globetrotting workaholic and FedEx productivity expert Chuck Noland taking an unexpected mandatory unpaid leave after his plane crashes, leaving him stranded on a deserted island for years. Stuck in the middle of nowhere, Chuck struggles to survive against incredible odds with only a volleyball to keep him company. When it comes to survival films, "Cast Away" is one of the best ever made thanks in no small part to Tom Hanks' incredible one-man performance for most of the film. 

• Starring: Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt, Nick Searcy
• Director: Robert Zemeckis
• Year: 2000
• Runtime: 143 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89%

A genre-bending revenge fantasy, "Kill Bill: Vol. I" takes its influences from everything director Quentin Tarantino loves, including spaghetti Westerns, martial arts films, and Blaxploitation. The tale finds the Bride waking up from a years-long coma to declare revenge on her old comrades, the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, who turned her wedding day into a bloodbath and tried to kill her. A vivid and bloody odyssey, the film is mandatory viewing for anyone who loves great cinema.  

• Starring: Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, Vivica A. Fox
• Director: Quentin Tarantino
• Year: 2003
• Runtime: 110 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85%

Inspired by the 14th-century chivalric romance poem "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight," David Lowery's trippy film is an Arthurian tale that finds King Arthur's cousin, Gawain, on a quest to the Green Chapel, where he's meant to die at the hands of the legendary Green Knight. In his travels through the eerie, mythical forests of medieval England, he crosses paths with a talking fox and a ghost, among other strange encounters. 

• Starring: Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander, Joel Edgerton
• Director: David Lowery
• Year: 2021
• Runtime: 125 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89%

A sequel to "Rise of the Planet of the Apes," "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" picks up a decade after the human population has been all but wiped out by the Simian flu. In the wreckage of what remains, intellectually enhanced apes have created a colony and are beginning to take a hard line against the remaining humans. After all, people weren't too kind to these guys before civilization fell. A violent and metaphoric look at humanity's faults, the film is considered one of the best in the "Planet of the Apes" saga. 

• Starring: Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman
• Director: Matt Reeves
• Year: 2014
• Runtime: 130 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%

When an 11-year-old with a love of history and an overactive imagination discovers a magical portal in his bedroom, he embarks on an odyssey through various historical eras with a group of ornery time-traveling dwarves who've abandoned their mission repairing holes in spacetime to rack up riches through the ages. Together, the crew travels through time and space, bumping into historical figures like Robin Hood, King Agamemnon, and Napoleon Bonaparte. A Terry Gilliam production, the film is strange and over-the-top in all of the best ways. 

• Starring: John Cleese, Sean Connery, Shelley Duvall
• Director: Terry Gilliam
• Year: 1981
• Runtime: 110 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%

One of Hollywood's few pre-Code films, "King Kong" is a beauty-and-the-beast tale that uses stop-motion animation to depict Kong, the monstrously large ape that makes his home on Skull Island, a mysterious land populated with prehistoric creatures. After Kong is captured and brought to New York City, the creature breaks free, absconding with actress Ann Darrow and rampaging through Manhattan. "King Kong" is the widely considered one of the most influential monster films of all time, and its legacy can be seen in many new films today. 

• Starring: Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, Bruce Cabot
• Director: Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack
• Year: 1933
• Runtime: 100 minutes
• Rating: NR
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 99%

Based on Jules Verne's classic novel, "Journey to the Center of the Earth" finds a group of explorers traveling far into the planet's interior, where they encounter a vast subterranean world. Deep inside the Earth, they encounter many wonders, including an ocean, dinosaurs, and the lost city of Atlantis. The effects here are incredibly charming in an old-fashioned way, with oversized mushrooms and "dinosaurs" that are actually real-life lizards made to look larger than life.

• Starring: James Mason, Pat Boone, Arlene Dahl
• Director: Henry Levin
• Year: 1959
• Runtime: 132 minutes
• Rating: G
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83%

"Avatar" is set in the year 2154, when humanity's reckless environmental habits have finally taken their toll. Amid the ensuing energy crisis, the Resources Development Administration has begun mining an ore called unobtanium on the lush moon Pandora in the Alpha Centauri system. To help communicate with the Na'vi, the blue humanoids who call the planet home, the human representatives use avatars to appear like the locals. But when one human begins falling for both a Na'vi and her way of life, we're taken on the journey of a lifetime. Part "Romeo and Juliet," part critique of imperialism, "Avatar" creates a vivid and imaginative world straight out of James Cameron's sci-fi dreams. 

• Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Stephen Lang
• Director: James Cameron
• Year: 2009
• Runtime: 162 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 82%

Based on the 1812 novel by Johann David Wyss, "The Swiss Family Robinson" finds the Robinson family en route from Switzerland to their new home in New Guinea when a pirate attack leaves them stranded on a desert island with two Great Danes. The family learns to survive, in the process encountering animals ranging from an angry tiger to a baby elephant and building the world's most amazing treehouse, complete with its own water wheel.

• Starring: John Mills, Dorothy McGuire, James MacArthur
• Director: Ken Annakin
• Year: 1960
• Runtime: 128 minutes
• Rating: G
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83%

If you're looking for a fun, exciting time, then you can't go wrong with "The Mask of Zorro." In this 19th-century adventure, the famed masked swordsman is ready to find a protége who's willing to take up the mask and sword in his stead. His new student happens to be Alejandro Murrieta, an uncouth bandit who has a lot to learn about high society and swordplay if he ever wants to get revenge on the man responsible for his brother's death. Of course, he'll also have to deal with the beautiful and dangerous Elena, a noblewoman with a connection to the OG Zorro. Romantic, swashbuckling adventure commences, with plenty of fencing duels, tangoes, and witty repartee.

• Starring: Antonio Banderas, Anthony Hopkins, Catherine Zeta-Jones
• Director: Martin Campbell
• Year: 1998
• Runtime: 136 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83%

The '90s was a great decade for sci-fi adventure flicks. For proof, look no further than "Men in Black." Will Smith plays the enthusiastic Agent J, a New York Cop recruited to work for the Men in Black, a secret government organization that monitors and polices alien life forms. Partnered up by Tommy Lee Jones' veteran Agent K, J picks up a neuralyzer — which can erase human memories as needed — and finds himself in a world of talking pugs, coffee-loving ETs, and a cockroach-like alien wreaking havoc in New York.

• Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Linda Fiorentino
• Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
• Year: 1997
• Runtime: 98 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%

The first film in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, "The Fellowship of the Ring" finds hobbit Frodo Baggins embarking on his hero's journey to return the evil One Ring to Mordor where it can be destroyed once and for all. With the Fellowship of the Ring to protect him in his task, Frodo travels through treacherous lands, with his long and arduous journey only just beginning. Featuring one of the all-time movie scores from composer Howard Shore, "Fellowship of the Ring" is set against the beautiful vistas of New Zealand and features a host of impressive practical effects, some stirring battle sequences, and plenty of heartfelt emotions.

• Starring: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler
• Director: Peter Jackson
• Year: 2001
• Runtime: 178 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%

After pre-teen David Freeman disappears in 1978, he reappears eight years later without having aged at all. Shortly after, when NASA captures a spaceship, they begin to realize that David was abducted and traveled inside this alien craft to a planet hundreds of light years away. And yet despite this fairly terrifying premise, "Flight of the Navigator" is a surprisingly uplifting family adventure film with a cult following that finds Max on the adventure of his life when he decides climb back aboard the UFO and befriend the intelligent being inside.

• Starring: Joey Cramer, Sarah Jessica Parker, Paul Reubens
• Director: Randal Kleiser
• Year: 1986
• Runtime: 89 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 84%

A lovely film brimming with imagination, "Big Fish" takes a whole bunch of tall tales and spins them into a lovely little yarn. When an estranged son returns home to see his dying dad, he recounts some of the outlandish flights of fancy his father told him over the years. The stories are beyond unbelievable, with fables touching on witches, giants, and childhood growth spurts so dramatic they left our storyteller bedridden. A tale of familial love, forgiveness, and reconciliation, the film is one of Tim Burton's more emotional ventures. 

• Starring: Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, Billy Crudup
• Director: Tim Burton
• Year: 2003
• Runtime: 125 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 75%

A Muppet mayhem-fueled reimagining of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic adventure, "Muppet Treasure Island" is a surprisingly good introduction to the quintessential pirate tale. After an encounter with buccaneer Billy Bones, English orphan Jim Hawkins finds himself the latest owner of a pirate treasure map. Unfortunately for Jim and his Muppet pals, their journey to find said treasure gets them entangled with a crew of greedy pirates who want it for themselves. 

• Starring: Tim Curry, Frank Oz, Dave Goelz
• Director: Brian Henson
• Year: 1996
• Runtime: 99 minutes
• Rating: G
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 71%

When perpetually immature cab driver John manages to lose his lady, his apartment, and his job in the span of a few hours, he and his bestie Russell decide to enlist with Uncle Sam. Despite their ridiculous antics during basic training, the pair end up stationed in Italy, where their continued shenanigans land them in the middle of some serious Berlin Wall-era Cold War hijinks. If you're a fan of "Ghostbusters," you'll definitely want to check out this hilarious flick, as it features a lot of the same talent both in front of and behind the camera.

• Starring: Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Warren Oates
• Director: Ivan Reitman
• Year: 1981
• Runtime: 105 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%

A reimagining of Disney's 1977 live-action animated musical, "Pete's Dragon" is the story of a child who bonds with a large green forest-dwelling dragon after losing his parents in a car crash. A metaphor for the challenge of learning to trust again after trauma, "Pete's Dragon" is a heartfelt adventure that's family-friendly and still manages to pack in plenty of depth. 

• Starring: Bryce Dallas Howard, Oakes Fegley, Wes Bentley
• Director: David Lowery
• Year: 2016
• Runtime: 103 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%

Set in Morocco during World War II, "Casablanca" finds American expatriate and club owner Rick entangled in a dangerous international affair when his former lover Ilsa comes to him for help getting her Czech resistance leader husband out of the country to safety. A tale of star-crossed lovers in a world turned upside down by war, "Casablanca" is widely considered one of the most romantic films of all time.

• Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid
• Director: Michael Curtiz
• Year: 1942
• Runtime: 102 minutes
• Rating: NR
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 99%

After awakening from deep-space hibernation, misanthropic astronaut George Taylor finds himself on a strange planet where humans have devolved and intelligent apes rule the world. After he's captured and enslaved, Taylor befriends two chimpanzee scientists, but he'll have to convince the all-powerful orangutan Dr. Zaius that humanity is worth saving ... something that might not actually be true. Featuring one of the most shocking endings ever put to film, "Planet of the Apes" is a true adventure classic, one that won an honorary Oscar for its impressive ape make-up.

• Starring: Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Maurice Evans
• Director: Franklin J. Schaffner
• Year: 1968
• Runtime: 112 minutes
• Rating: G
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86%

In "Romancing the Stone," steamy romance novelist Joan Wilder finds herself in the middle of her own real-life romantic adventure when her sister is kidnapped by a pair of skeezy treasure hunters in Colombia. After crossing paths with a bird hunter looking to make a few bucks, the couple end up on the run from corrupt cops in an adventure ripped straight from the pages of a Harlequin. Anyone looking for a lighthearted romp with a few splashy thrills will get a kick out of this very '80s flick.

• Starring: Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, Danny DeVito
• Director: Robert Zemeckis
• Year: 1984
• Runtime: 105 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85%

Christopher Nolan's trippy sci-fi adventure "Inception" takes a deep dive into the innerspace of the human subconscious. Dom Cobb is a thief who uses specialized technology to enter dreams and make of with prized information. But when he and his team are hired to implant an idea into the deepest regions of a businessman's mind, things get really dangerous really fast, especially as Dom is haunted by memories that literally follow him. With dreams layered inside dreams, the film is equal parts seat-gripping adventure and philosophical exploration of grief. 

• Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Elliot Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
• Director: Christopher Nolan
• Year: 2010
• Runtime: 148 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 87%

After his 1988 alien abduction, Peter Quill is all grown up and working with the intergalactic team of criminals who absconded with him as a child. But things take a turn when he gets caught up in a fight over an orb that can destroy worlds. After crossing paths with stern assassin Gamora, vengeful Drax the Destroyer, and bounty hunters Groot and Rocket (a friendly tree and a talking raccoon, respectively), Quill teams up with the rag-tag bunch to save the galaxy from the villainous Ronan the Accuser, a zealot with big plans for that aforementioned orb. An equally lighthearted yet emotional adventure in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, "Guardians" doesn't ask its viewers to know the ins and outs of the MCU to enjoy the adventure. 

• Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista
• Director: James Gunn
• Year: 2014
• Runtime: 122 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%

Thanks in large part to the whimsical brain of Taika Waititi, "Thor: Ragnarok" is a tonally different entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in all the right ways. When Thor's family troubles spin out of control, the Norse god finds himself stranded on a trash planet where the campy Grandmaster (played adorably by Jeff Goldblum) pits him against Hulk in a gladiator ring. He'll have to make peace with the big green guy pretty quickly — as well as his tricksy brother Loki and the drunken warrior Valkyrie — if he wants to get back home to Asgard to save it from his sister, the goddess of death.

• Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett
• Director: Taika Waititi
• Year: 2017
• Runtime: 130 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%

Based on James Fenimore Cooper's classic novel, "The Last of the Mohicans" is a stirring adventure tale set in the 18th century. During the French and Indian War, we follow the adventures of Hawkeye, the adopted white son of the Mohican Chingachgook and adopted brother of Uncas, as he gets caught up in the fighting between the French, the British, and the Hurons. If you're a fan of movies like "Collateral" and "Thief," then it will be fascinating to see director Michael Mann trying his hand at a period piece, especially one anchored by a great Daniel Day-Lewis performance and one of the most rousing musical themes you'll ever hear in an adventure film.

• Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Madeleine Stowe, Eric Schweig
• Director: Michael Mann
• Year: 1992
• Runtime: 114 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%

The final film in the "Lord of the Rings" saga, "The Return of the King" finds Frodo finally reaching Mordor after his long and arduous journey. At the same time, Aragorn leads his armies against Sauron's dark forces in an epic battle of good against evil to assist Frodo in the final stage of his journey. A call to bravery and action in the face of darkness and death, the film is a powerful and visually moving tribute to J.R.R. Tolkien's epic tale. It also cleaned house during awards season, winning a staggering 11 Oscars, including Best Picture.

• Starring: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler
• Director: Peter Jackson
• Year: 2003
• Runtime: 200 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%

In the world of mandatory '80s viewing, "The Goonies" reigns supreme as the ultimate coming-of-age adventure. After a group of kids in Astoria, Oregon, find themselves getting pushed out of their neighborhood by a country club, they decide to embark on a final adventure together in search of pirate One-Eyed Willie's lost treasure. The adventure leads to them into a fantastical subterranean adventure while on the run from a group of gangsters, resulting in a high-energy tale that's packing loads of laughs and genuine sense of childlike wonder. 

• Starring: Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Ke Huy Quan
• Director: Richard Donner
• Year: 1985
• Runtime: 111 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 76%

Starring Charlton Heston in the title role, "Ben-Hur" is an epic tale of a wealthy Jewish nobleman who finds himself facing off against Roman imperialism in the time of Christ. After his betrayal by a childhood friend, Ben-Hur's fall from grace places him as a galley slave. But once his fortunes start turning, he makes his way back home to become a charioteer ... and to get a little revenge. At the time of its release, "Ben-Hur" was one of the most epic adventures ever made, and even today, the chariot race is an unparalleled piece of action filmmaking.

• Starring: Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkins, Haya Harareet
• Director: William Wyler
• Year: 1959
• Runtime: 203 minutes
• Rating: G
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85%

Adapted from Stephen King's 1982 novella "The Body," "Stand by Me" is a nostalgic coming-of-age adventure set in 1959, when four friends set out to find the body of a missing boy. On their long hike, our heroes face off with a gang of local hoodlums, a speeding train, leech-filled waters, and their own personal troubles. Lacking any of the supernatural stuff that King is usually known for, "Stand by Me" is a fun adventure flick while also be a contemplative look at grief, death, and the all-too-brief moment of childhood.

• Starring: Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman
• Director: Rob Reiner
• Year: 1986
• Runtime: 89 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%

The best among about a half-dozen adaptations of Rudyard Kipling's 1894 story collection, "The Jungle Book" is a live-action CGI remake of the 1967 Disney original. The story follows the adventures of Mowgli, who was raised by animals in the jungles of India including the black panther Bagheera, the friendly bear Baloo, and a pack of wolves. Of course, life gets a little complicated with the tiger Shere Khan shows up looking for a snack. Using songs from the original film and boasting voice talent from the likes of Scarlett Johansson, Lupita Nyong'o, and Christopher Walken, "The Jungle Book" is even better than the bare necessities.

• Starring: Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba
• Director: Jon Favreau
• Year: 2016
• Runtime: 106 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%

An odyssey for anyone who's dreamed big despite naysayers, "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" finds the planet Earth flush with mysteries of an extraterrestrial origin, from rolling blackouts to chasing after UFOs. Those who experience encounters find themselves drawn to a mysterious site in the middle of nowhere, where the U.S. military plans on greeting Earth's new visitors. 

• Starring: Richard Dreyfuss, Teri Garr, Melinda Dillon
• Director: Steven Spielberg
• Year: 1977
• Runtime: 135 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%

Directed by David Lean, "Lawrence of Arabia" recounts the tale of British adventurer and officer T.E. Lawrence. Against the backdrop of World War I, Lawrence makes his way to the deserts of Arabia, where he encounters and advises Prince Faisal during the Great Arab Revolt. Along the way, he befriends the testy Sherif Ali, but as Lawrence's glory grows, so does his outsized ego. And you know what they say about the bigger they are...

"Lawrence of Arabia" is deemed by many directors and critics to be one of the greatest films ever made, with Peter O'Toole's performance lauded as one of the best dramatic performances of all time. Add on some eye-popping cinematography and one of the very best match cuts (literally), and you have an adventure classic for the ages. 

• Starring: Peter O'Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn
• Director: David Lean
• Year: 1962
• Runtime: 216 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%

When Zak, who has Down syndrome, goes on the lam from a living facility to pursue a career as a wrestler, he ends up on the run with a fisherman named Tyler. Together with facility employee Eleanor, the pair build a raft and take off on an adventure to find Zak's favorite wrestler, Salt Water Redneck. The film is a touching homage to Mark Twain's "Huckleberry Finn," with an optimistic feel that seems rare these days. 

• Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Zack Gottsagen, Dakota Johnson
• Director: Tyler Nilson, Michael Schwartz
• Year: 2019
• Runtime: 96 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%

Even the CIA needs pencil pushers, and 40-year-old Susan Cooper is one of them in "Spy." Normally stuck behind a desk assisting field agent Bradley Fine, Susan gets drawn into her own real-world espionage adventure to track down an errant nuke. Melissa McCarthy is at her best in this giddy tale of tough women taking charge in a world overrun with machismo. 

• Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham, Rose Byrne
• Director: Paul Feig
• Year: 2015
• Runtime: 115 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%

"The Secret of Roan Inish" is a dreamy adventure set in 1946 Ireland in a world where Irish folklore is real. After traveling to live with her grandparents and cousin on the coast of Ulster amid a series of personal tragedies, young Fiona finds herself in a world where humans and nature live in harmony. There, she learns a family legend that an ancestor was once married to a seal-woman, also known as a selkie. A meditative film that looks for magic in a world of heartache and loss, "The Secret of Roan Inish" provides a soulful vision of a world where myth and reality blur beautifully.

• Starring: Mick Lally, Eileen Colgan, John Lynch
• Director: John Sayles
• Year: 1994
• Runtime: 103 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%

The fourth "Mad Max" film, "Mad Max: Fury Road" is considered by many to be the best in the series. Set in a post-apocalyptic Australia, this standalone movie finds road warrior Max Rockatansky forging an alliance with Imperator Furiosa, a one-armed warrior who's decided to rescue the brides of the despotic Immortan Joe. More than just a dieselpunk fantasy, "Fury Road" is a complex and layered story that manages to find meaning as a feminist anthem and a reimagined Western. It's also perhaps the greatest action movie ever made, complete with wild stunt work, unbelievable worldbuilding, and the greatest 2-hour car chase you will ever see.

• Starring: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult
• Director: George Miller
• Year: 2015
• Runtime: 120 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%

One of the most beloved Studio Ghibli films, "Spirited Away" finds 10-year-old Chihiro and her parents captured by supernatural beings who reside at an apparently abandoned amusement park. There, she encounters countless supernatural creatures including yōkai, shapeshifters, shikigami, and other various spirits. While trapped in the spirit realm, the child (renamed Sen) comes to care for a spirit named Haku while also hoping to break a curse that has turned her parents into pigs and led to her own enslavement. 

• Starring: Rumi Hiiragi, Miyu Irino, Mari Natsuki
• Director: Hayao Miyazaki
• Year: 2001
• Runtime: 125 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%

When trucker Jack Burton and his friend Wang Chi go to pick up the latter's fiancée at the airport, the pair end up ensnared in a Chinatown gang conflict that involves a Chinese crime lord, ancient magic, and two warring factions of Chinese warriors with supernatural abilities. Wacky, over the top, and frequently nonsensical in the best way possible, "Big Trouble in Little China" offers no shortage of adventure and remains a cult favorite for many cinema lovers. Plus, it does an amazing job skewering the whole "white savior" concept, as Jack Burton is completely useless and Wang Chi is the most capable guy in the whole movie.

• Starring: Kurt Russell, Kim Cattrall, Dennis Dun
• Director: John Carpenter
• Year: 1986
• Runtime: 98 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 75%

The film that popularized the concept of simulation theory and introduced terms and concepts like "bullet time" and (inadvertently) "the red pill," "The Matrix" is part cyberpunk reimagining of Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," part philosophical exploration of cognitive dissonance, part critique of the world's overdependence on technology. The film finds computer programmer Neo traveling down an existential rabbit hole when he encounters Morpheus and Trinity, who help him realize that most of humanity lives in a virtual world where they have been enslaved by intelligent machines. If he wants to find freedom, he'll have to don a pair of sunglasses, learn kung fu, and become "the One."

• Starring: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss
• Director: The Wachowskis
• Year: 1999
• Runtime: 136 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%

Based on P. L. Travers' 1934 children's book, "Mary Poppins" is a live-action animated Disney film that follows the adventures of a British nanny with fantastical abilities and a taste for whimsy. A lesson in the importance of relating to children as intelligent beings with their own minds, "Mary Poppins" finds the eponymous nanny whisking her two young wards around London on magical adventures while at the same time teaching them the importance of responsibility and recognizing other's struggles in life. 

• Starring: Julie Andrews, David Tomlinson, Glynis Johns
• Director: Robert Stevenson
• Year: 1964
• Runtime: 140 minutes
• Rating: G
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%

In the second and easily most problematic film in the "Indiana Jones" series, the titular character takes a break from fighting European baddies and, on the run from a Shanghai crime boss, ends up narrowly escaping a crashing plane in the Himalayas with his young friend Short Round and nightclub singer Willie. The road to adventure leads the trio to northern India, where they end up stumbling onto a dangerous Thuggee cult who enjoy pastimes such as practicing human sacrifice. Despite its darker tone and the annoying persona of Willie, the film is still one of the better cinematic adventures made to date, complete with a white-knuckle mine cart chase. 

• Starring: Harrison Ford, Kate Capshaw, Ke Huy Quan
• Director: Steven Spielberg
• Year: 1984
• Runtime: 118 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 84%

A sequel to the 1995 board game-themed film starring Robin Williams, "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" finds four high school kids getting full-on Breakfast Clubbed when they're sent to detention — only here, they end up getting sucked into the video game version of "Jumanji." Inside their simulated reality, they're transformed into their avatars as they try to understand the game mechanics and stay alive long enough to hopefully return to the real world. 

• Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan
• Director: Jake Kasdan
• Year: 2017
• Runtime: 119 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 76%

"Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" finds the famed archaeologist on a quest to track down his lost father Henry Jones, who went missing while searching for the Holy Grail. His journey takes him through Venetian catacombs to the tomb of a First Crusade knight, to the fictional Canyon of the Crescent Moon, where he encounters several traps and tests that lead him to the Holy Grail. The third "Indiana Jones" sequel coming directly after the dark, unsettling "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom," this film is heavy on the lighthearted humor and adventure that made "Raiders of the Lost Ark" a classic, and the cranky yet charming relationship between Harrison Ford and Sean Connery is hilarious.

• Starring: Harrison Ford, John Rhys-Davies, Sean Connery
• Director: Steven Spielberg
• Year: 1989
• Runtime: 127 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%

When a trio of parapsychologists lose their university gig, they decide to start a new company investigating paranormal occurrences and eliminating ghosts with the help of proton packs and nuclear-powered containment tech. When business picks up, they end up hiring a fourth team member. Things are looking great until the Ghostbusters run afoul of the EPA, resulting in a mishap that floods the city with captured ghosts and supernatural beings including the demigod Zuul and Gozer, the shapeshifting god of destruction. Creative, comedic, and completely ridiculous, "Ghostbusters" is a totally '80s adventure. 

• Starring: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver
• Director: Ivan Reitman
• Year: 1984
• Runtime: 107 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%

"Joe Versus the Volcano" is one of those hidden cult gems that far too few people have had the pleasure of viewing, and it's full of hilarious quotable moments and charming banter to spare. After miserable Staten Island rectal probe factory worker/hypochondriac Joe Banks is told that he has a terminal "brain cloud," he quits his job and accepts an offer from a wealthy businessman to throw himself into a volcano on the tropical island of Waponi Woo. Along the way, he bonds with the industrialist's daughters, Angelica and Patricia (both played by Meg Ryan), and encounters the finest luggage money can buy. 

• Starring: Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Abe Vigoda
• Director: John Patrick Shanley
• Year: 1990
• Runtime: 102 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 65%

Based on the dystopian novel series by Susan Collins, "The Hunger Games" is set in Panem, a future North American nation that sees 12 districts living under the oppressive rule of the Capitol elites. Each year, the districts are forced to send tributes who fight to the death in a televised event that leaves only one remaining survivor. When Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take her sister's place, she finds herself trapped in a deadly game where everyone is out to kill her, especially the Head Gamemaker. Drawing on mythological elements and Roman gladiatorial games, the film offers plenty of adventure yet still contains enough interesting layers to make it ripe for interpretation. 

• Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth
• Director: Gary Ross
• Year: 2012
• Runtime: 142 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 84%

"The Neverending Story" is a love letter to anyone who's ever felt more at home in a good book than facing the mundane struggles of everyday life. Based on Michael Ende's 1979 novel, the story follows the adventures of 10-year-old Bastian Bux, who steals a magical book from a store after running inside to hide from bullies. Cutting class to hide in the school's attic and read all day, Bastian gets absorbed in the book about an evil force eating away at the magical land of Fantasia, a world built by human imagination. When Bastian's thoughts and actions as the reader begin to impact the story, he begins to realize that he holds the key to saving Fantasia. 

• Starring: Noah Hathaway, Barret Oliver, Tami Stronach
• Director: Wolfgang Peterson
• Year: 1984
• Runtime: 92 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 81%

An adaptation of C.S. Lewis' classic tale, 2005's "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" follows the adventures of four siblings who travel through that titular enchanted wardrobe into the magical kingdom of Narnia. In the absence of its ruler Aslan, the once-glorious kingdom has been gradually turned to winter by the villainous White Witch. Heeding the call to adventure, the four siblings help lead an army against her.

• Starring: Tilda Swinton, Liam Neeson, Anna Popplewell
• Director: Andrew Adamson
• Year: 2005
• Runtime: 140 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 76%

"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" is a magical journey into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where children with a magical aptitude are placed into one of four houses and trained in the use of magic. The story is told through the eyes of the eponymous protagonist, an abused, bespectacled orphan who learns that his parents were important in the wizarding world and died at the hands of the dark wizard Lord Voldemort, whose attempt to kill the infant Harry left him with a notorious lightning bolt scar. The film, which follows J.K. Rowling's book closely, addresses the importance of finding acceptance as an outcast and of refusing to give ground to those who would harm others. 

• Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson
• Director: Chris Columbus
• Year: 2001
• Runtime: 152 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 81%

When it comes to cult classics, few are loved more feverishly than the 1986 fantasy film "Labyrinth," which stars an uncomfortably attractive David Bowie as Jareth the Goblin King, a teenage Jennifer Connelly, a whole lot of freaky-looking Muppets, and one of the dreamiest costume collections in cinematic history. When the teenage Sarah is more interested in her fantasy book than babysitting her crying infant half-sibling Toby, Jareth answers her frustrated plea that goblins should steal her baby brother away. As is often the case with teenagers, Sarah immediately regrets her impulsiveness and embarks on a maddening quest through Jareth's labyrinth to get Toby back. 

• Starring: David Bowie, Jennifer Connelly, Toby Froud
• Director: Jim Henson
• Year: 1986
• Runtime: 101 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 74%

A vivid and whimsical trip through Luc Besson's imagination, "The Fifth Element" is a 23rd-century adventure that finds rough-around-the-edges cabbie Korben Dallas assisting a strange orange-haired woman named Leeloo who falls from a building into his cab. Together with the help of priest Vito Cornelius, they work to stop an evil weapon from destroying Earth. While the film doesn't make a whole lot of sense, it's a zippy adventure through a fascinating future brimming with wild aliens and Jean-Paul Gaultier fashions. 

• Starring: Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman, Milla Jovovich
• Director: Luc Besson
• Year: 1997
• Runtime: 126 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 70%

A Technicolor imagining of the Saxon legend, "The Adventures of Robin Hood" is set in 12th-century England and finds nobleman Sir Robin of Locksley leading the fight against oppressors working on the authority of pretender Prince John, who's taken over in the absence of abducted King Richard. A romantic and exciting swashbuckler of a film, "The Adventures of Robin Hood" would become the template for all future adaptations of the story, leaving an indelible mark on Western pop culture. 

• Starring: Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone
• Director: Michael Curtiz, William Keighley
• Year: 1938
• Runtime: 102 minutes
• Rating: PG

• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%

The ultimate time travel story, "Back to the Future" tells the tale of Marty McFly, whose adventures with his slightly mad (but in a good way) scientist friend Doc Emmett Brown leave him stranded in 1955, where he almost immediately sabotages his own future after a run-in with his parents. Teaming up with the Doc Brown of 1955, Marty has to work to send himself back to the future while making a love connection between his parents so he doesn't wipe himself out of existence. A wild and wonderful adventure, the impact of "Back to the Future" cannot be overstated, from its role in popularizing skateboarding as a mainstream activity to its influence on television shows like "Rick and Morty" and "12 Monkeys."

• Starring: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson
• Director: Robert Zemeckis
• Year: 1985
• Runtime: 116 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%

Adapted from the 1999 Neil Gaiman fantasy novel, "Stardust" tells the fantastical tale of romantic underdog Tristan, who travels into an enchanted land via a magical candle left for him by his mother. The motive for his quest? He hopes to retrieve a fallen star for a woman he's pursuing. Despite learning that the star is in the form of woman who calls herself Yvaine, Tristan captures the star anyway, imprisoning her with an unbreakable chain. Along their journey back to Tristan's village, the pair are pursued by three witches who plan to eat Yvaine's heart. Full of magic and Gaimanesque mythology, "Stardust" is a lovely little adventure with a fairy-tale feel and includes an outstanding performance from Michelle Pfeiffer. 

• Starring: Claire Danes, Charlie Cox, Sienna Miller
• Director: Matthew Vaughn
• Year: 2003
• Runtime: 128 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 77%

In a world where extra-terrestrials are often portrayed as menacing colonizers or monsters, "E.T." is a rare reminder that not everything strange is malevolent. When a group of alien botanists visits the planet Earth, one gets left behind after a run-in with the U.S. government. While hiding in a San Fernando Valley neighborhood, the creature is discovered by 10-year-old Elliott, who befriends the little guy. Together with his sister Gertie and brother Michael, Elliott hides the alien, who calls himself "E.T.," until the government intervenes. The film is a heartfelt metaphor for the importance of communication in overcoming differences.

• Starring: Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace, Peter Coyote
• Director: Steven Spielberg
• Year: 1982
• Runtime: 115 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 99%

Despite being somewhat controversial among the fandom, "Star Trek" is an enjoyable reboot of the original series that doesn't detract from the overall "Trek" canon. That's thanks to a little alternate timeline magic (dubbed the "Kelvin timeline" by "Trek" fans). So even after the Romulan ship Narada travels back in time under the command of the vengeful Nero and kills the families Kirk and Spock, this alternate yet still iconic pair still end up together aboard the USS Enterprise under the leadership of Captain Christopher Pike. Tonally darker than the original "Star Trek" series, the film is nonetheless a fitting tribute to one of the Federation's finest crews. 

• Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, John Cho
• Director: J.J. Abrams
• Year: 2009
• Runtime: 126 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%

"The Mummy" finds dreamy 1920s adventurer Rick O'Connell working with wannabe Egyptologist and librarian Evelyn Carnahan and her brother Jonathan on a quest to find Hamunaptra, the City of the Dead. When Evelyn reads from the Book of the Dead near a tomb, she accidentally awakens a long-dormant curse, unleashing the mummified high priest Imhotep on the world, who in turn unleashes ten plagues on Egypt. On the run from Imhotep, the group must work together using their collective book smarts to defeat the ancient villain. 

• Starring: Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah
• Director: Stephen Sommers
• Year: 1999
• Runtime: 124 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 61%

A vivid and imaginative musical adaptation of Frank L. Baum's 1900 children's book, "The Wizard of Oz" is one of the most culturally influential fantasy films of all time. When Kansas teenager Dorothy and her dog Toto don't make it into the storm shelter ahead of a tornado, they're blown away to a strange land called Oz. Here, Dorothy immediately earns the ire of the Wicked Witch and the praise of the locals due to circumstances completely beyond her control. While traveling through Oz in search of a way home, Dorothy befriends the Scarecrow, the Cowardly Lion, and the Tin Man, who join her on her journey. The film resonates with viewers for a variety of reasons and is sometimes seen as a metaphor for the personal journey to find truth and enlightenment, and it fits perfectly with Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon."

• Starring: Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger
• Director: Victor Fleming
• Year: 1939
• Runtime: 101 minutes
• Rating: G
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98%

Stanley Kubrick's epic historical drama "Spartacus" recounts the tale of the titular historical figure, a Thracian slave thrust into greatness during a period when the Roman Republic is on the slippery slope to its own demise. When Spartacus is shipped off to gladiatorial school, he leads his fellow slaves in an uprising, building an army that Rome can't seem to put down no matter how many legions they send.

• Starring: Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons
• Director: Stanley Kubrick
• Year: 1960
• Runtime: 184 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%

"The Empire Strikes Back" represents "Star Wars" at its best. The film, set a few years after the Death Star's destruction, finds the Imperial fleet finally catching up with the Rebels on the frozen planet Hoth. After his escape, Luke travels to Dagobah, where he trains to use the Force under the guidance of Jedi master Yoda, preparing to face off against Darth Vader. Things turn from bad to worse for the Rebels, setting the stage for the epic face-off in "The Return of the Jedi," giving us one of cinema's greatest twists, and resulting in perhaps the most exciting lightsaber battle in "Star Wars" history.

• Starring: Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford
• Director: Irvin Kershner
• Year: 1980
• Runtime: 124 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%

Based on the 1973 William Goldman novel, "The Princess Bride" is the romantic and comedic tale of Buttercup, who falls in love with Westley, a farmhand always answers her demands with a dreamy "as you wish." After Westley leaves to make his fortune so they can afford to get hitched, his ship comes under attack by the Dread Pirate Roberts, whose claim to fame is that he doesn't leave survivors. A few years later when the brokenhearted Buttercup finds herself forced to marry the murderous Prince Humperdinck, she finds herself kidnapped and then kidnapped from her kidnappers only to learn that Westley is still alive. Packed full of charming performances, quotable dialogue, and memorable characters, "The Princess Bride" is one of the best adventures ever filmed. 

• Starring: Robin Wright, Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin
• Director: Rob Reiner
• Year: 1987
• Runtime: 98 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%

The first in the "Indiana Jones" series, "Raiders of the Lost Ark" finds archaeologist-adventurer Indiana Jones striving to stay a step ahead of the Hitler-led Germans on their quest for global domination via the biblical Ark of the Covenant. With his mentor's hard-drinking and hard-fisted daughter at his side, Indy travels to Egypt, hoping to find the all-powerful Ark before the Germans can get their hands on it. Complete with plenty of witty dialogue-fueled romance, mysterious ancient booby traps, and some of the best stunts in cinema history, "Raiders of the Lost Ark" is the ultimate treasure hunters' tale. 

• Starring: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman
• Director: Steven Spielberg
• Year: 1981
• Runtime: 115 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%

The second film in the "Lord of the Rings" series and the best in the trilogy, "The Two Towers" finds the Fellowship of the Ring split, with Frodo and Sam continuing the trek to Mordor and Merry and Pippin planning an attack on Saruman's fortress. Elsewhere, Legolas, Aragorn, Gimli reunite with an old mystical friend. Spectacular and emotional, the film is a beautiful tribute to J.R.R. Tolkien's epic tale, and it all leads up to one of the greatest showdowns in cinematic history — the Battle of Helm's Deep. When it comes to battle scenes, they don't get any better than this one. Plus, the movie introduced us to the mo-cap wonder that is Gollum, a character who still haunts our memories with his calls of "my precious."

• Starring: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler
• Director: Peter Jackson
• Year: 2002
• Runtime: 179 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%