Called the “father of Jurassic Park [and] the Alien movies” by Roger Ebert, King Kong is a technical marvel that utilizes every trick in—and not in—the book, including stop-motion animation, live action and special effects. We may be a long way from the â80s and â90s heyday of bone-crunching action flicks, but at least we know that any time we occupy the same year with a new John Wick, weâre getting a movie that rivals the best of Schwarzenegger, Stallone, and Chan. An homage to anime, comic books, and kung fu, the Wachowskis' story of a caped hero named Neo facing off against a race of computer-programmed machines dedicated to wiping out humankind is immeasurably influential in its own right. Props to Gary Ross for getting mileage out of a film with a PG-13 limit, though the real reason his dystopian trilogy opener is on this list is because of Jennifer Lawrence. Essential ingredients include a great story or at least one that can move along at a good pace. The love interest is often a foil in the adventure and there are many mysteries as to whom to trust. Not only is Spielberg’s toothsome classic about a group of men hunting a killer shark the reason we hum “da-dum, da-dum” near a body of water, but it also marks the birth of the summer blockbuster. Top 100 Action & Adventure Movies. This is actually a very well thought out movie and not just a simple "run'n gun" type action movie. Aug 26, 2020 Everett. Original thought. 10 Thor: Ragnarok (2017): 93% Find new blockbusters and classic titles on Blu-ray and DVD. And for better or worse, it never lets off the gas. And it is by far the most original, most visceral undertaking we had the pleasure of experiencing for the year of 2012, if not for the entire decade. Menu. Gadot stars as the titular Justice Leaguer, an Amazonian princess whose warrior potential finds her in another dimension fighting with the boys in the war to end all wars. Harper's BAZAAR participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. Lily James and Sebastian Stan Starring as Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee in Hulu Drama Series? Best Action/Adventure Fantasy Movies. Undeniably one of the best sci-fi movies out there, The Matrix also totally holds itâs own as one of the best action movies of all time. Lengthy. The film’s bloated action and exorbitant production marks the introduction of “Bayhem,” the phenomenon describing the trademark style of a little action filmmaker by the name of Michael Bay. Before taking over the Mission Impossible franchise with Rogue Nation, Christopher McQuarrie was penning what would become one of the most enjoyable Tom Cruise action films to ever hit the screen. More than a great action film, it’s a wakeup call. Sometimes itâs the search for fortune and glory, sometimes itâs the sweep and spectacle, and sometimes itâs all about how long it takes and how far it is from point A to B. Martial arts. â Jordan R. 46. Best-Reviewed Action & Adventure Movies 2019. Action & Adventure TV Shows at Metacritic.com. The Matrix. And the big action heroes were no longer Arnie, Sly and Bruce Willis, but Charlize Theron, Emily Blunt and Zhang Ziyi. Sure, A New Hope introduced the world to the way of the Jedi, but Empire Strikes Back ultimately changed the game, thanks in no small part to one of the most important cinematic reveals in history. Does Patti Jenkins’s record-breaking feat of female empowerment really need any explanation? Pop quiz: Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock costar as Officer Jack and commuter Annie in a nonstop, white-knuckler from the ’90s. Movies. South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook uses the same-name Japanese manga as his springboard for telling Oh Dae-su’s harrowing story. The chase story that introduced Hitchcock’s signature “MacGuffin,” The 39 Steps has been credited as the catalyst for the modern action thriller (think The Bourne Identity and The Fugitive). Steven Spielberg, armed with a story by George Lucas and the rogue charm of Harrison Ford, borrowed from 1930s and ‘40s cinema to make an adventure classic that would inspire a new generation of epics. Careful not to take a stance on the Iraq War, the film depicts the physical and psychological dangers a U.S. bomb disposal soldier faces. And every year, we shrug at how their attempt to get our pulses racing fell somewhere between mildly entertaining and “I’m getting more snacks.” But sometimes, a film so gripping comes along, we have to remind ourselves to breathe. One of its most notable contributions to cinematic history: “bullet time,” or the use of super slo-mo visual effects and ballet wire to create those logic-defying scenes that introduced our jaws to the floor. Full disclosure: We’re still not positive we know what the heck just happened in Christopher Nolan’s highbrow take on the genre. There’s a fantastic action-packed comedy lurking in the annals of unearthed independent gems that premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival nearly a decade ago, and it’s so out-of-this-world good that, yes, it deserves a spot among GOAT action flicks. Every great action film has an X factor. No CGI, no fancy weapons, just a bunch of dudes putting their dukes up and showing off their skill in the Southeast Asian style of martial arts known as Silat. Movies with 40 or more critic reviews vie for their place in history at Decades after Thunderdome, George Miller resurrects his dystopian nightmare of scorched earth, warlording villains, and not-so-mere mortals. As that observation can be credited to its predominantly Black cast and themes that protest systemic racism, its place on this list we credit to its supremely shot action sequences. Blomkamp’s sci-fi thriller is built on innovative CGI action, inventive alien weaponry that would make Cameron salivate, and a reimagined take on “aliens"—all done on a budget. An action film that ditches the shaky cam for steady, choreographed, uncut footage, John Wick wants you to take the punches, sense the sweat, and feel the raw emotion. The film will be released in December, and pack massive action and adventure of Luke Skywalker, Leia and Rey. Geena Davis plays a small-town schoolteacher with amnesia who discovers her past is ⦠DeAnna Janes is a freelance writer and editor for a number of sites, including Harper’s BAZAAR, Tasting Table, Fast Company and Brit + Co, and is a passionate supporter of animal causes, copy savant, movie dork and reckless connoisseur of all holidays. Pixar, the production studio responsible for extending chatter about animated films from the sandbox to the water cooler, has filled its canon with hyper-intelligent crowd-pleasers, and The Incredibles, Brad Bird’s turbocharged superhero spoof, is no exception. 2. But stick with us here. Emily Blunt stars opposite Daniel Kaluuya as a federal agent who’s kept in the dark on why the two have been assigned to a drug mission at the U.S.-Mexico border. Not to mention, there’s plenty of dream fights and things that go boom along the way. Copyright © Fandango. The 100 Very Best Animated Movies 1. Weâve gone through the most popular, top-earning, and the best-reviewed animated movies of all-time to select what we believe to be the 100 best animated movies ever. While there are a ton of categories to choose from, undoubtedly one of the biggest is action and adventure. With rumors of a fifth installment arriving in 2019, it’s clear we still can’t get enough of Indy cracking that whip. Of course there are always predictable moments in movies like these but there is enough fresh material to make this movie worth seeing. And lucky for us, we get Sandy Bullock to guide us through it as mission specialist Dr. Ryan Stone. This genre of the movie always thrills us, pleases us with new journeys, and gives us bliss about knowing the unknown. The frenetic energy and pulsing action do not let up in Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund’s rapid-fire Brazilian Oscar nom for 2004. Becky (Ashleigh LaThrop), Ian (Dan Byrd), Samantha (Jessica Rothe), Wilson Wilson (Desmin Borges) and Grant (Javon "Wanna" Walton) are fans of the Utopia comic and discover secret messages within its pages that predict major world events. The story is simple: They killed his dog. The Best Action Movies to Make You White-Knuckle Your Seat in 2020. Before William Friedkin was unleashing his reckless abandon on our psychological well-being (The Exorcist, Killer Joe), he was exercising that same recklessness with drugs, racism, and a really fast Pontiac LeMans in The French Connection, which is perhaps most celebrated for that inventive car chase sequence. But, really, the best way to take in Lee’s Oscar-winning, action-filled epic is to turn down the party jams, and turn up Tan Dun’s triumphant score. As Katniss Everdeen, she took this female-led venture to the top of the box office. Humphrey Bogart submerges himself in character in this Oscar-winning western adventure that rides off into the Mexican desert. Kung-fu, machine guns, tasty one-liners: there isnât a shortage of action movie tropes to be found in this Wachowski Siblings film that turned the heads of both critics and viewers at the turn of the century. A complete list of Adventure movies in 2020. The entire beloved trilogy is on Netflix, but the first film remains the undisputed best of the bunch, a perfect blend of science fiction, action, and clever comedy. Here you will get the best adventure movies from the 2000s to the 2018âs. While it’s one thing to build a career out of tributes, it’s quite another to do it well. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, whose roles were initially intended for SNL alums Jon Lovitz and Dana Carvey, won out as the Miami buddy cops slinging jokes and dodging bullets. It’s about a group of inner city teens who take it among themselves to save South London from an alien invasion. Shop for action and adventure movies at BestBuy.com. Spaghetti westerns. Action junkies these days have a lot to pick from when it comes to streaming choices. Goal achieved. Just sit back and enjoy this one. Best adventure movies are always amusing. As for how this unrelenting film will make you feel upon first viewing, there are many words. In random order and purely subjective. But unlike its predecessor, Park’s film—gratuitous with its violence, gut-wrenching with its imagery, and tormenting with its narrative—steers clear of exploitation while pioneering a new genre of action-torture horror. Akira Kurosawa’s Japanese adventure drama, about a group of samurai protecting a village, deserves your attention. Now, he must kill them. You know the one. Kathryn Bigelow knows how to jigger nail-biting action, and her work on this unconventional war thriller won her top prize at the Oscars in 2010. A fanboy cinephile, he owes his two-volume epic about Beatrix Kiddo and her Bill-killing quest to cinema of yore. Leave it to Christopher Nolan to elevate the saga about a bat and his joker to the highest brow. All rights reserved. You name it, Quentin Tarantino has pulled red-sauced inspo from it. One of the best, and most underrated, action movies of all time. Subtitled. But its real magic is delivered via its leading man: John Boyega in his feature film acting debut. Further harrowing details, however, we’ll let you discover on your own. It really is. Retro action is cool! Come along for a heart-thumping ride with Tom Cruise, Ryan Reynolds, Gal Gadot, and more this year. Mel Gibson’s Oscar-winning display of Scottish martyrdom has found permanent residence as one of the best historical epics of all time. And let us tell you, from the very opening scene, in which a massive cartel operation is seized, you will not be able to catch your breath. But the simplicity pretty much ends there. Sci-fi warfare moving faster than a speeding locomotive, Bong Joon-ho’s apocalyptic masterpiece stars Chris Evans and Tilda Swinton aboard a globe-circling train divided into a class system reaching a Soylent Green level of despair in its caboose. A glossy delight with sociopolitical subtext, it shakes the kiddie stigma and takes 'toons to new heights. A brilliant work of art, the film about a warrior, a sword, and the romantic adventure that takes him to the treetops makes for the ideal conversation starter, so we get it. Sundance prides itself on shining the spotlight on barebones films, and it doesn’t get more barebones than Gareth Evans’s Raid. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. Sure, it’s bookended with blows of brutality and the vengeance of war, but more than just a battle cry, Braveheart is an intimate love story, and a beautiful one at that. Enjoy! If you are an adventure movie freak then you came to the right path! RELATED: The 10 Best Dramas Of All Time (According To Rotten Tomatoes) With the logistics explained, it's time to look back at the greatest action and adventure movies to jump onto the big screen. How to use action-adventure in a sentence. On the opposite end of the spectrum are slower-paced adventure movies that are more dramatic or romantic, like The Revenant or The Princess Bride, respectively. Though Bullock gets a little help from her costar, George Clooney, Alfonso Cuarón’s multi-Oscar winner (like, seven) is pretty much a one-hander that relies on Bullock for propelling its narrative themed with grief, the will to live, and female empowerment. Monochromatic. Eligible movies are ranked based on their Adjusted Scores. At least, that’s what this writer did when Jan de Bont’s now-essential action film hit video way back when. Star Wars: The Last Jedi. By DeAnna Janes. Widely regarded as the best installment of the series, it’s a fascinating familial melodrama enrobed in a science fiction chase adventure—and love it we shall. Many adventure movies are action-adventure, which means they are heavy on the action, like any Indiana Jones film. Grindhouse. The 36 Best Action/Adventure Movies of All Time. But if we were forced to conjure just one: gutted. These are those films and the films that inspired them. Plus, it boldly went where few (if any) directors had gone before—it put a woman in the driver’s seat, thus opening the floodgates for a wave of powerhouse heroines (Beatrix Kiddo, Sarah Connor) that soon, unfortunately, crested. Watch the climatic Big Ben scene and you’ll see why. Best and Biggest Summer Blockbusters of 2017, 18 Baseball Movies to Turn You Into a Sports Lover, Amazing Football Movies to Give You All the Feels, 20+ Halloween Movies to Stream on Netflix, 2017's Best New Movies You Need to See From Cosmopolitan.com. RELATED: The 10 Best Action & Adventure Movies Of The Decade (According To Rotten Tomatoes) The movie and TV show website has given every adventure movie a star rating. Ryan Coogler’s royal adventure about a Wakanda king whose highly advanced nation comes under enemy threat isn’t just a really great action film; it’s the trailblazer of a new subgenre: It’s a superhero film “that [deals] with issues of being of African descent,” the director explained to TIME magazine. It’s elevated action that transcends preference—meaning everyone will enjoy this film. 2020 Adventure movies, movie release dates. Chris Pine plays her sidekick, and we can’t wait to see what happens in the next chapter, 1984. More than full-throttle action, its visual storytelling reinvents the chase film while honoring the concept from which it was born. The best (perhaps only worthwhile) action movie of last year, this is the rare genre entry in which the intense build-up may impress more than the guns-blazing climax â itself a euphoric, sublimely executed bout of showmanship. The variable in Neill Blomkamp’s South African action satire? Plus, a bulked-up Emily Blunt stars as the world’s greatest killer soldier, giving Charlize Theron a run for best action-movie badass. Finding the Best Animated Movies of All-Time. The 10 movies at the top will show up here. Of course, the fantasy technology becomes a lot more persuasive when pushed by Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Ellen Page. Before we were given a welcome case of Vertigo, Alfred Hitchcock was honing his suspense mastery on a staircase in London. Every year, a slew of films starring Hollywood’s It biceps hands out tickets to their gun show. About a madman who sends Reeves’s LAPD cop on an explosive goose chase to dismantle a bomb he’s affixed to the bottom of a metro bus, the film spends nearly two hours speeding through one impossible pickle after another, culminating in one of the very best action films of all time. Though not the first or anywhere near the only, T2 is quite possibly the most noted sequel to improve upon its original: the action, drama, and taglines are all the more robust the second time around. You're gonna need a bigger bowl of popcorn. Get the freshest reviews, news, and more delivered right to your inbox! Best Action Adventure Movies 2017. Release Calendar DVD & Blu-ray Releases Top Rated Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Showtimes & Tickets In Theaters Coming Soon Coming Soon ⦠Preview, buy, or rent Action & Adventure movies in up to 1080p HD on iTunes. Set in a gang-controlled slum of Rio de Janeiro, the true-story-based film follows the lives of two locals: Li’l Ze, a drug lord, and Rocket, a budding photographer documenting the fall of his city. This is action-making entertainment as fearless as the film's Hattori Hanzo-wielding heroine. 60 Best Adventure Movies of All Time. Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015), Seven Samurai (Shichinin no Samurai) (1956), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 (2011), Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977), Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980), A Fistful of Dollars (Per un Pugno di Dollari) (1964), The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Aguirre, the Wrath of God (Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes) (1972), Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol (2011). Toy Story 4 What do you do? Not to mention, its 2009 Oscar snub is the reason we now have more than five nominees in the race for Best Picture. This score, based on the votes of registered users on a scale of 1 to 10, is what we'll be using to count down to the greatest films in this genre out there. By Hilary Weaver. More than just an outer space adventure, Gravity is an interstellar experience. Movies with 40 or more critic reviews vie for their place in history at Rotten Tomatoes. Star Wars: The Last Jedi will be one of the best action movies of 2017. A tale about a bunch of cowboys blinded by greed for gold, the film’s themes are echoed throughout cinema—Star Wars and Indiana Jones included. You're gonna need a bigger bowl of popcorn. Told through the lens of the Black experience, the film looks, sounds, and feels like no other Hollywood hero blockbuster. There are a lot of movies on Netflix, so finding the right ones for you can be tricky. It’s taut suspense to the umpteenth degree. Blaxploitation. Rotten Tomatoes. But that’s part of the genius. The finale in a cat-and-mouse trilogy that gets better with each release, Paul Greengrass's Ultimatum plays with time and place, brings Jason Bourne’s identity crisis full circle, and elevates a genre suffering from stunt overload to a higher art form, one that moves at a breakneck pace and turned Matt Damon into a grade-A superstar. Among all the films Netflix has to offer, their lineup of action and adventure films is impressively robust. List of the best new adventure movies. Impossible Expectations for Black Women’s Bodies, Biden Picks Deb Haaland for Interior Secretary, In 2020, Holiday Traditions Matter More Than Ever, This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. A horror film at its core, Ridley’s Scott’s genre-bending classic still gets an A for action. Borrowing the Groundhog Day time loop, McQuarrie’s narrative captures Cruise in a never-ending suicide mission against a race of Mimic aliens that’s at once funny, action-packed, and a surprisingly fresh take on the time-travel subgenre. A choice of 419 of the best action and action-packed movies released from 2000 to 2020. Here are the 20 best action movies to ⦠Only live-action movies included. Best of Rotten Tomatoes. Answer: You watch it on repeat. Sort by movie gross, ratings or popularity. Not only is it a rewarding watch on its own, but decades later, it continues to leave its mark on the entire canon of war, heist, and battle epics—including Quentin Tarantino’s complete body of work. Exhilarating and masterful, this one comes from director-of-the-moment Denis Villeneuve, whose works include Prisoners, Arrival, and the forthcoming Dune. Well, only because touting Gal Gadot and promoting the first female-directed studio superhero adventure never gets old, we’ll go on. Title Director Cast Country Subgenre/Notes Action in the North Atlantic: Lloyd Bacon, Byron Haskin, Raoul Walsh: Humphrey Bogart, Raymond Massey: United States: Sea adventure, war adventure Adventure in Iraq With Bourne now back, we thought it was the perfect time to take another look back at the recent history of the genre, and so weâve expanded our old list and picked out the 50 Best Action Movies since the year 2000. Action-adventure definition is - featuring characters involved in exciting and usually dangerous activities and adventures. David Selznick’s thriller about a beast and the damsel in his grip was a monstrously innovative achievement for its time, but watch it today and you’ll see it remains quite the wild and creepy ride. Browse a wide selection of Action & Adventure movies and your downloads will be instantly accessible. Search all Adventure movies or other genres from the past 25 years to find the best movies to watch. My selection below includes movies as varied as pirate adventure and science fiction yet they all fall into the action adventure genre, and are in my opinion, some of the best movies ever made. Sidney Poitier’s 7 Most Memorable Performances, All Harry Potter Movies Ranked Worst to Best by Tomatometer, Chadwick Boseman and Carey Mulligan Take Top Acting Prizes at Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards. It’s possible you couldn’t go to a house party in the early aughts without seeing Ang Lee’s remarkable fantasy adventure playing in the background, juxtaposing a playlist of Jay-Z, Eminem, and Destiny’s Child. Action romance movies are filled with witty banter in dramatic and exciting situations. James Cameron’s man-versus-metal masterpiece was a machine at the box office and its enduring legacy—like its cyborgs—is impossible to kill. With every Nolan project, subsequent viewings are necessary—none more so than the filmmaker’s marathon mind-bender that somehow makes us believe dream thievery is a real thing. These are just a few of the best adventure films in the last 60 years, but each has a cool, distinctive approach to action within plot that makes it entertaining in its own right. Here’s hoping she—along with the other badass heroines on this list—help to put the odds of ending the gender gap forever in our favor. Recalling Hurricane Katrina and its destructive aftermath, the indie film, told from the yay-high viewpoint of a six-year-old girl named Hushpuppy (Quvenzhané Wallis) who lives with her daddy in a Louisiana region called the Bathtub, takes viewers on an adventure across the Southern wild. The adventure movie is hard to define, but you know it when you see it. Hollywood's unlikeliest action heroâ who has dead-ass starred in some of the best action movies of all timeâdoes it again with National Treasure, â¦