Everyone has an opinion on the top 10 greatest movies of all time, but honestly, most lists you see are just popularity contests. You’ve probably seen the same three or four titles swapped around for decades. It’s usually The Godfather, maybe Citizen Kane if the writer wants to sound smart, and almost always something with capes or lightsabers if it's a fan poll.
But what actually makes a movie "the greatest"?
Is it how much money it made? No. If that were the case, we’d be talking about blue aliens and superheroes for the next two thousand words. True greatness is about the "DNA" of cinema—how a film changes the way every movie after it is shot, edited, or written. As of 2026, the critical consensus has shifted slightly, bringing some unexpected names to the top while certain "untouchable" classics are being looked at through a fresh lens.
The Heavyweights That Still Rule the Conversation
If we’re being real, you can’t talk about the top 10 greatest movies of all time without mentioning Orson Welles. Citizen Kane (1941) held the #1 spot on the Sight & Sound critics' poll for fifty years. Fifty! Think about that. Most tech doesn't last five years before it's obsolete, yet a movie made during World War II still sets the bar for cinematography.
Welles was basically a kid—only 25—when he made it. He used "deep focus," where everything in the frame stays sharp, from the guy in the front to the door in the back. It sounds simple, but it changed how we see depth on screen.
Then there’s The Godfather (1972). Some people call it a "perfect" movie. It’s hard to argue. Francis Ford Coppola took a pulp novel and turned it into a Shakespearean tragedy about the American Dream curdling. It’s not just a mob movie; it’s a family business movie. Al Pacino’s slow descent from a war hero to a cold-blooded killer is still the gold standard for character arcs.
👉 See also: Charlie Charlie Are You Here: Why the Viral Demon Myth Still Creeps Us Out
The Experimental Shift: Why Critics Love Jeanne Dielman
This is where things get "kinda" controversial for casual fans. In the last major Sight & Sound poll, a film called Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975) took the top spot.
It’s three and a half hours long. It’s about a widow doing chores. You literally watch her peel potatoes in real time.
Why is it one of the top 10 greatest movies of all time? Because it forces you to feel the weight of a life that is usually ignored by cinema. Director Chantal Akerman proved that the "mundane" could be just as gripping as a car chase if you have the guts to let the camera linger. It’s a masterpiece of feminist cinema that challenges everything we think we know about pacing.
The Sci-Fi Apex: 2001 and Beyond
Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) is often cited as the ultimate "experience" movie. Honestly, it’s more of a visual poem than a traditional narrative. There’s barely any dialogue in the first and last acts.
Kubrick didn’t want to tell you a story; he wanted to show you the evolution of humanity. The "Star Gate" sequence at the end was done entirely with practical effects—no CGI, obviously—and it still looks better than half the Marvel movies coming out today. It’s the kind of film that makes you feel small, which is exactly what great art should do.
✨ Don't miss: Cast of Troubled Youth Television Show: Where They Are in 2026
The International Icons
You can't have a serious list without looking toward Japan. Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai (1954) is basically the blueprint for the modern action movie. If you’ve seen The Magnificent Seven, A Bug’s Life, or even certain Star Wars episodes, you’ve seen Kurosawa’s influence. He pioneered the "gathering the team" trope.
Then you have Tokyo Story (1953) by Yasujirō Ozu.
It’s devastating.
It’s a simple story about elderly parents visiting their busy children in the city. The kids don't have time for them. It’s a universal gut-punch. Ozu used a "tatami-shot," where the camera is placed very low, about the height of someone sitting on a traditional mat. It makes you feel like an observer in the room, making the emotional distance between the characters even more painful.
Hitchcock and the Master of Suspense
Vertigo (1958) is Alfred Hitchcock’s most personal and disturbing work. For a long time, people preferred Psycho or Rear Window, but Vertigo has climbed the ranks because it’s so weirdly psychological. It’s about obsession, voyeurism, and the way men try to "remake" women into their own fantasies. The "dolly zoom" effect—where the background seems to stretch while the subject stays the same—was invented here to simulate acrophobia.
🔗 Read more: Cast of Buddy 2024: What Most People Get Wrong
The Modern Entrants: Mulholland Drive and In the Mood for Love
It takes a long time for "new" movies to be considered among the top 10 greatest movies of all time. Usually, a film needs twenty or thirty years to prove it has staying power. However, two 21st-century films have crashed the party:
- In the Mood for Love (2000): Wong Kar-wai’s masterpiece of unrequited longing. The colors, the music, the way the slow-motion captures the steam from a noodle stall—it’s the most beautiful-looking movie ever made. Period.
- Mulholland Drive (2001): David Lynch’s surrealist nightmare about Hollywood. It’s a puzzle that doesn't necessarily want to be solved. It captures the "vibe" of a dream better than almost anything else in history.
What People Get Wrong About These Lists
Most people think these lists are "settled." They aren't. Cinema is a living thing. In the 1950s, nobody thought The Searchers was a high-art masterpiece; they thought it was just another Western. Now, it’s studied in every film school for its complex take on racism and the American frontier.
Greatness is also about impact. Singin' in the Rain (1952) is often dismissed because it’s a "happy" musical, but it is technically flawless. The choreography and the transition from silent film to "talkies" provide a meta-commentary on the industry that is still relevant.
Why You Should Actually Watch Them
Don't watch these because you "have to." Watch them because they explain why movies look the way they do today. When you see a long take in a modern thriller, you’re seeing the ghost of Ugetsu or Citizen Kane. When you see a director use color to show emotion, that’s In the Mood for Love talking to you.
Actionable Steps for Your Cinema Journey
If you want to move beyond the blockbuster bubble and really understand the top 10 greatest movies of all time, here is how to start:
- Watch the "Gateway" Classics First: Start with The Godfather or Seven Samurai. They are incredibly entertaining and don't feel "stale" or "academic."
- Use the "10-Year Rule": If you’re wondering if a modern movie like Parasite or Everything Everywhere All At Once belongs on this list, wait. See if people are still talking about their technical innovations in 2035.
- Look Beyond the Language Barrier: Subtitles are a small price to pay for the genius of Ozu, Kurosawa, or Sciamma.
- Check the Sight & Sound Poll: This is the "industry bible." Every ten years, over 1,600 critics and directors vote. The next one is due in 2032, but the 2022 results (currently being discussed in 2026) are the gold standard for what is "great" right now.
Start with one movie this weekend. Don't look at your phone. Turn off the lights. Let the film do what it was designed to do: transport you.