15. The Naked Gun (1988)
This film is comic gold. Leslie Nielsen has never been funnier.
This is one of the rare films that promotes nonstop laughter. From the opening scene to the hilarious end, it’s hilarious the entire way. There are so many great lines and moments.
14. Airplane! (1980)
Very much like Naked Gun, this is just a hilarious movie. It’s written and directed by the same people and Leslie Nielsen makes an appearance in a hilarious supporting role.
Unfortunately the two main characters are not all that funny, but that does not serve as a drawback because all the supporting characters and hilarious things happening.
13. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
This is easily one of the greatest action movies ever made. The plot once again features an Arnold Schwarzenegger-shaped terminator traveling back in time, only this time to protect the young John Connor from a more advanced machine sent back to kill him. It also features Linda Hamilton reprising her role of Sarah Connor, only this time much more badassly.
This has some great action scenes and special effects, from the semi/motorcycle chase to the suspenseful prison break to the final showdown in the industrial complex, it’s all great. James Cameron truly has a knack for directing action scenes, and that’s a big reason why he’s directed four films on my list (one is left to come).
Again what makes this movie so great, though, is the characters. They all have depth to them, even the non-human Terminator. While you can make the case that Edward Furlong is pretty annoying as John Connor, he is at least a competent and well-developed character, the likes that the series had not yet seen. There are actually some quite touching moments in this film, and that’s what makes it such a great movie. It’s fun but also strangely powerful.
12. Star Wars (1977)
The original and in my opinion, still the best. It works as an exciting adventure, enveloping the viewer in its fictional universe the way The Lord of the Rings and The Wizard of Oz do. The characters are all great, as is the dialogue and the story.
Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) is a young man living on the planet Tatooine who becomes involved with the Galactic Rebellion when he meets Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) who receives a message from the captive Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher).
Along the way Luke and Kenobi meet Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and his wookiee partner Chewbacca, both classic characters. They eventually get sucked into the Empire’s Death Star and embark on a mission to save the Princess and eventually the galaxy.
The narrow focus on one narrative helps develop the characters and build up to a fantastic climax the way the series was never able to duplicate. In addition to this, a great deal of the action is outstanding. Even if dated, the lightsaber duel between Obi-Wan and Darth Vader is great because of what’s going on in context of the movie. And the space battles are fantastic.
This is maybe the epitomic good versus evil movie. It’s fun, relentlessly entertaining, and thought-provoking in a subtle way.
11. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
You cannot ask for an action movie to be better than this. It’s old-school in the best way possible, with impressive sets, great cinematography, and great on-location shooting. This film fills you with an exhilarating feeling of adventure and what more could you ask for?
It has a very interesting opening scene, of course, perfectly establishing the character of Indiana Jones and the overall tone of the movie. And what follows that is an engaging plot and great action scenes. This movie is so good, you hardly notice the disappointing ending.
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