Adventure Movies

From the first bone thrown into the sky to a mind beyond the infinite, Kubrick maps human evolution as a cold, beautiful mystery.

Editor's note

“2001: A Space Odyssey is the entry our readers write to us about most. Half of those letters disagree with the placement. We read all of them and we have not changed our minds.”

Paul Atreides joins the Fremen and walks knowingly into the role of messiah, aware that the holy war he leads will consume worlds.

Editor's note

“I have shown Dune: Part Two to people who insisted they did not like science fiction films. It has never once failed. That is the closest thing to proof a ranking like this can offer.”

A shark closes a beach town, and three men go out to kill it on a boat that is far too small.

Editor's note

“Every revisit turns up another detail hiding in plain sight. Jaws remains our internal benchmark — when we argue about a new release, this is the film someone inevitably reaches for.”

A lonely boy hides a stranded alien in his suburban bedroom and builds him a way home.

Homer's returning soldier is filmed as a decade-long endurance test, where every island is another argument about what is left of the man who set out.

A legendary concierge and his lobby boy chase a stolen painting across a Europe about to disappear.

A survivor who remembers her lost world takes a road trip across the galaxy with a girl seeking revenge, and finds out what she is willing to be.

Editor's note

“Watch the first ten minutes of Supergirl with the sound up and no distractions. If it has not got you by then, this collection may not be for you — and that is genuinely fine.”

A live-action retelling of the wayfinder's first voyage, staged on real water with the scale of an ocean that refuses to be a backdrop.

Science teacher Ryland Grace wakes up on a spaceship light years from home with no recollection of who he is or how he got there. As his memory returns, he begins to uncover his mission: solve the riddle of the mysterious substance causing the sun to die out. He must call on his scientific knowledge and unorthodox ideas to save everything on Earth from extinction.

As armies mass for a final battle that will decide the fate of the world--and powerful, ancient forces of Light and Dark compete to determine the outcome--one member of the Fellowship of the Ring is revealed as the noble heir to the throne of the Kings of Men. Yet, the sole hope for triumph over evil lies with a brave hobbit, Frodo, who, accompanied by his loyal friend Sam and the hideous, wretched Gollum, ventures deep into the very dark heart of Mordor on his seemingly impossible quest to destroy the Ring of Power.​

Young hobbit Frodo Baggins, after inheriting a mysterious ring from his uncle Bilbo, must leave his home in order to keep it from falling into the hands of its evil creator. Along the way, a fellowship is formed to protect the ringbearer and make sure that the ring arrives at its final destination: Mt. Doom, the only place where it can be destroyed.

Editor's note

“Watch the first ten minutes of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring with the sound up and no distractions. If it has not got you by then, this collection may not be for you — and that is genuinely fine.”

Frodo Baggins and the other members of the Fellowship continue on their sacred quest to destroy the One Ring--but on separate paths. Their destinies lie at two towers--Orthanc Tower in Isengard, where the corrupt wizard Saruman awaits, and Sauron's fortress at Barad-dur, deep within the dark lands of Mordor. Frodo and Sam are trekking to Mordor to destroy the One Ring of Power while Gimli, Legolas and Aragorn search for the orc-captured Merry and Pippin. All along, nefarious wizard Saruman awaits the Fellowship members at the Orthanc Tower in Isengard.

Cobb, a skilled thief who commits corporate espionage by infiltrating the subconscious of his targets is offered a chance to regain his old life as payment for a task considered to be impossible: "inception", the implantation of another person's idea into a target's subconscious.

Struggling to find his place in the world while juggling school and family, Brooklyn teenager Miles Morales is unexpectedly bitten by a radioactive spider and develops unfathomable powers just like the one and only Spider-Man. While wrestling with the implications of his new abilities, Miles discovers a super collider created by the madman Wilson "Kingpin" Fisk, causing others from across the Spider-Verse to be inadvertently transported to his dimension.

A small woodland creature and a majestic bird, two natural sworn enemies of the Valley, magically trade places and set off on an adventure of a lifetime to switch back. Their journey soon uncovers a greater threat—one that could endanger not only their species, but the entire valley they call home.

Editor's note

“Watch the first ten minutes of Swapped with the sound up and no distractions. If it has not got you by then, this collection may not be for you — and that is genuinely fine.”

The epic saga continues as Luke Skywalker, in hopes of defeating the evil Galactic Empire, learns the ways of the Jedi from aging master Yoda. But Darth Vader is more determined than ever to capture Luke. Meanwhile, rebel leader Princess Leia, cocky Han Solo, Chewbacca, and droids C-3PO and R2-D2 are thrown into various stages of capture, betrayal and despair.

Eighties teenager Marty McFly is accidentally sent back in time to 1955, inadvertently disrupting his parents' first meeting and attracting his mother's romantic interest. Marty must repair the damage to history by rekindling his parents' romance and - with the help of his eccentric inventor friend Doc Brown - return to 1985.

Avatar Aang, the world's last Airbender, learns of an ancient power that could save his culture from extinction. With the help of his friends, he embarks on a global quest to find it before it falls into the wrong hands and threatens to upend the peace they sacrificed everything to achieve.

Sophie, a young milliner, is turned into an elderly woman by a witch who enters her shop and curses her. She encounters a wizard named Howl and gets caught up in his resistance to fighting for the king.

Editor's note

“We nearly moved Howl's Moving Castle three places in either direction, twice. It stayed because Hayao Miyazaki does one thing here that nobody has improved on since, and you will know it when you reach it.”

As the Avengers and their allies have continued to protect the world from threats too large for any one hero to handle, a new danger has emerged from the cosmic shadows: Thanos. A despot of intergalactic infamy, his goal is to collect all six Infinity Stones, artifacts of unimaginable power, and use them to inflict his twisted will on all of reality. Everything the Avengers have fought for has led up to this moment - the fate of Earth and existence itself has never been more uncertain.

After the devastating events of Avengers: Infinity War, the universe is in ruins due to the efforts of the Mad Titan, Thanos. With the help of remaining allies, the Avengers must assemble once more in order to undo Thanos' actions and restore order to the universe once and for all, no matter what consequences may be in store.

After the death of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, his devious son takes power and demotes Maximus, one of Rome's most capable generals who Marcus preferred. Eventually, Maximus is forced to become a gladiator and battle to the death against other men for the amusement of paying audiences.

After reuniting with Gwen Stacy, Brooklyn’s full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters the Spider Society, a team of Spider-People charged with protecting the Multiverse's very existence. But when the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles finds himself pitted against the other Spiders and must set out on his own to save those he loves most.

Editor's note

“Watch the first ten minutes of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse with the sound up and no distractions. If it has not got you by then, this collection may not be for you — and that is genuinely fine.”

Princess Leia is captured and held hostage by the evil Imperial forces in their effort to take over the galactic Empire. Venturesome Luke Skywalker and dashing captain Han Solo team together with the loveable robot duo R2-D2 and C-3PO to rescue the beautiful princess and restore peace and justice in the Empire.