Movies change people. Honestly, that sounds like a cliché you’d find on a dusty Pinterest board, but it’s true. You sit in a dark room—or, let's be real, on your couch with a bag of slightly burnt popcorn—and for two hours, you aren’t you. You’re a mobster in 1940s New York, or a Jedi, or a person just trying to survive a weekend with their parents. This list of must watch movies all time isn't just about technical "greatness." It's about the films that shifted the tectonic plates of culture.
Every year, critics at places like Sight & Sound or The American Film Institute (AFI) try to pin down what makes a film essential. Is it the lighting? The script? Most of the time, it’s just a feeling. It's that moment when the credits roll and you can't move because your brain is trying to process what just happened.
The Problem With The Classics
Let’s talk about Citizen Kane. Most people haven't actually watched it. They know the "Rosebud" spoiler and they know Orson Welles was a genius, but they assume it’s a boring slog. It’s not. It’s actually a pretty cynical, fast-paced drama about a man who has everything and realizes it means nothing. When people discuss must watch movies all time, Citizen Kane is usually the first name dropped to sound smart. But the reason it stays on these lists isn't just because of the deep focus cinematography. It's because it captures a very specific American loneliness that still feels relevant in 2026.
Then there’s The Godfather. It’s basically the gold standard. Coppola didn't just make a movie about crime; he made a movie about a family business where the business happens to be murder. If you haven't seen it, you're missing out on the blueprint for almost every prestige TV show made in the last twenty years. Without Michael Corleone, we don't get Tony Soprano or Walter White. It’s that simple.
Some people argue these older films are outdated. They aren't. They’re foundations. You wouldn't build a house without a slab, right? Watching these is like seeing the DNA of everything you love on Netflix today.
Why Sci-Fi Isn't Just For Nerds
2001: A Space Odyssey is polarizing. Some people think it’s a masterpiece; others think it’s a very expensive screensaver. Kubrick was obsessed with the "why" of humanity. There is almost no dialogue in the first half hour. Think about that. In an era of TikTok-shortened attention spans, 2001 asks you to sit and look at the stars. It’s a sensory experience that CGI still struggles to replicate because Kubrick used practical effects that look more "real" than 90% of what Marvel puts out.
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Then you have Blade Runner. Not the sequel—though Villeneuve did a great job—but the 1982 original. It asks the big question: What makes a human, human? If a robot can cry, does it have a soul? It’s moody, it’s rainy, and Vangelis’s score is basically a character on its own. It’s a vibe.
The Blockbuster Shift
In 1975, Steven Spielberg accidentally invented the summer blockbuster with Jaws. He didn't mean to. The mechanical shark kept breaking, so he had to hide it, which made the movie ten times scarier. That's a lesson in filmmaking right there. Use your limitations. Jaws changed how movies were sold. Suddenly, everyone wanted a "hit."
Star Wars: A New Hope followed shortly after. It’s easy to dismiss it now because it’s a multi-billion dollar franchise with pajamas and Lego sets, but in 1977, nobody had seen anything like it. It was a Western in space. It was dirty and lived-in. George Lucas proved that you could build an entire universe from scratch and people would want to live in it.
- Pulp Fiction: Tarantino proved that dialogue could be as exciting as an explosion.
- Parasite: Bong Joon-ho broke the "one-inch barrier" of subtitles for a whole generation of American viewers.
- The Dark Knight: Ledger’s Joker redefined what a villain could be—pure, unadulterated chaos.
- Spirited Away: Miyazaki’s hand-drawn world is more vibrant than any 3D animation.
Emotional Heavyweights You Only Watch Once
There are some must watch movies all time that are so devastating you probably won’t ever want to see them again. Schindler’s List is the obvious one. Spielberg stripped away the "movie magic" to show the industrialization of evil. It’s a hard watch. It’s supposed to be.
Then there’s Requiem for a Dream. It’s a horror movie disguised as a drama about addiction. Darren Aronofsky uses fast cuts and a haunting score to make you feel like you’re losing your mind along with the characters. It’s effective. It’s brilliant. And it will ruin your weekend.
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Why watch them then? Because film is meant to make you feel things. Not just "good" things. If a movie doesn't challenge your worldview or make you uncomfortable, is it really art? Or is it just content? There’s a huge difference between the two.
The International Perspective
If you only watch English-language films, you’re missing out on half the story. Seven Samurai by Akira Kurosawa is the grandfather of the "team-up" movie. The Magnificent Seven, A Bug's Life, and even The Avengers owe their structure to this 1954 Japanese epic. Kurosawa understood pacing better than almost anyone in history.
And you can't ignore City of God. It’s an explosion of energy from Brazil. It’s violent, colorful, and feels like a documentary filmed in the middle of a war zone. It’s a reminder that great cinema happens everywhere, not just in Hollywood backlots.
The Modern Essentials
Recently, the list of must watch movies all time has expanded to include films that play with the medium itself. Everything Everywhere All At Once is a perfect example. It’s a family drama, a kung-fu flick, and a sci-fi multiverse movie all shoved into one. It felt fresh because it was chaotic in a way that mirrored how we live our lives online today.
We also have to talk about Mad Max: Fury Road. It’s basically a two-hour car chase. But it’s a perfect car chase. George Miller showed that you don't need a complex plot if your visual storytelling is top-tier. Every shot tells you something about the world or the characters. That’s pure cinema.
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Common Misconceptions About "The Best"
A big mistake people make is thinking a movie has to be "important" to be a must-watch. That’s nonsense. Singin' in the Rain is one of the greatest movies ever made because it’s pure joy. It’s technically perfect, the dancing is superhuman, and it makes you feel better about being alive. That’s just as important as a three-hour historical epic.
Another misconception is that old movies are slow. Go watch His Girl Friday. The dialogue moves faster than a modern action movie. The characters talk over each other, they quip, they hustle. It’s exhausting in the best way possible.
How To Actually Watch These Movies
Don't try to marathon them. You'll get burnt out. If you're looking to dive into the must watch movies all time, pick a "pathway" that interests you.
If you love thrillers, start with Hitchcock’s Rear Window or Vertigo. Hitchcock was the master of suspense because he knew that what you don't see is scarier than what you do. He played the audience like a piano.
If you like "vibe" movies, try Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love. It’s a movie about a romance that never quite happens. The colors are lush, the music is hypnotic, and it’s deeply romantic without being cheesy.
- Step One: Pick a genre you already like. Don't force yourself to watch a 4-hour Russian drama if you hate slow movies.
- Step Two: Find the "ancestor." If you love John Wick, watch The Killer or Le Samouraï. See where the style came from.
- Step Three: Turn off your phone. Seriously. These movies were made for a big screen and undivided attention.
- Step Four: Read a little bit about the production afterward. Knowing that the set of Apocalypse Now was a literal disaster zone makes the movie even more impressive.
The real "must watch" list is personal. What resonates with me might bore you to tears. But the films mentioned here are the ones that have survived the test of time. They’ve been analyzed, parodied, and studied because they tapped into something universal. Whether it’s the fear of the unknown in Alien or the search for identity in Moonlight, these stories are our collective history.
Stop scrolling through the "Recommended for You" section and go find a masterpiece. It might change your life, or at the very least, it'll give you something better to talk about at dinner than the weather.
Actionable Next Steps
- Check your local library: Most people forget that libraries have massive DVD and Blu-ray collections, often including Criterion Collection editions of these classics for free.
- Use Letterboxd: Start a "To Watch" list. Following film critics or even just friends who have good taste can help you navigate the thousands of options out there.
- Look for a local independent theater: Many indie cinemas run "classic nights." Seeing 2001: A Space Odyssey or Pulp Fiction on a big screen is a completely different experience than watching it on a laptop.
- Pick one "Scary" Classic: Choose one movie you've always felt "intimidated" by—maybe it’s black and white, or maybe it’s three hours long. Commit to watching just the first 30 minutes this weekend. Usually, you’ll find that these movies are famous for a reason: they’re actually really good.