My Top 15 Favorite Movies of all Time!

What kind of movie reviewer would I be if I didn’t talk about my all-time favorite movies of all time? So for my birthday celebration, a present from me to you. My top 15 favorite movies of all time. These are the movies that I cherish the most and still watch over and over. I hope you enjoy.

Honorable mentions:

Aladdin, Coraline, Kung Fu Panda 2, Shrek 2, Spy Kids

15. Muppet Treasure Island

The Muppet movie I watched the most as a kid and I still do today. The puppeteering is impressive as usual and the production design is really nice too. Tim Curry has so much fun as John Silver that he fits with the Muppets. I also enjoy the dynamic between Gonzo and Ratzo. This is pretty much this list’s popcorn movie, it’s not artistic or meaningful it’s just a fun retelling of Treasure Island.

14. Jaws

Steven Spielberg’s first of many great movies. I used to be afraid of watching this movie but that changed when my family and I watched it one night and it was amazing. Chief Brody is great because of his determination to protect people and he’s wonderfully played as the late Roy Scheider. Not showing the shark helps build great tension and mystery and even though the shark does look a bit fake it’s still impressive at the time.

13. Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark

Sure Amy from Big Bang Theory had a point that without Indiana Jones the Nazis would’ve been dead anyway but who cares. Just by watching the opening gets anyone engaged, even the other actions scenes are great. Ironically for one of the greatest action movies the climax is more of the hero watching the villains suffer. Without Harrison Ford, Indiana Jones would not have been the badass adventurer we knew and love.

12. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

I think Walt Disney’s idea of making separate shorts than combining into one really helped give Pooh a following. While it doesn’t have your usual three act structure is does let you interact with incredibly lovable characters and explore the Hundred Acre Wood which is one of those locations I’ve always wanted to visit. I watched this so many times in my childhood and in my opinion the Disney Studio’s most likable animated movie.

11. Batman

A movie I remember watching at my Grandma’s house. Both Michael Keaton and Jack Nicolson are great as Batman and the Joker. Something I realized recently is that Joker killed Bruce Wayne’s parents which created Batman and Batman dropped Jack into the chemicals which created the Joker. I like that both created each other. I honestly prefer everything from the bat mobile, Gotham City and of course Michael Keaton as Batman to The Dark Knight (sorry).

10. The Avengers

Sorry, Avengers: Endgame is too recent to be placed on here. Back then crossovers felt like a rare treat. Though sometimes the payoff wasn’t on point (looking at you Rugrats Go Wild). The Avengers however is pretty much a crossover done right. It took five movies to introduce and establish four superheroes and finally bring them together and it paid off wonderfully. The interactions between the heroes are great and the action is awesome.

9. Toy Story and Toy Story 2

I do like Toy Story 2 more but I’d feel bad if I left out the first one too so it’s a tie. Both have great stories, great music and great characters. Who didn’t want these toys? Each movie has their pros. Pixar’s first movie Toy Story was simple like Disney’s first movie Snow White. Toy Story 2 is also my personal favorite sequel because it continued the story and introduced new memorable characters.

8. Star Wars: a New Hope

I know Empire Strikes Back is usually considered the best but I just like this one more because established the characters, story, galaxy, and the hero’s journey. I think my enjoyment of this movie also comes from outside the movie itself. I remember watching both original VHS my Grandma has and the special edition version just because I liked spotting the differences. I also enjoy reading DK’s Star Wars: Incredible Cross-Sections books which show a lot of great world building and their fun to read.

7. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

For years Harry Potter has been my favorite movie franchise ever so I had to include one here. I picked the first one because much like A New Hope, Sorcerer’s Stone helped established the characters, the world and the story wonderfully. John William’s score brings so much joy into this world much like Star Wars too. There’s just a sense of light hearted magic in this one before the others got more serious. This movie also has one of the best discs 2’s ever.

6. Back to the Future

Steven Spielberg is not just my favorite director but also my favorite film worker since I also enjoy the movies he produces too. It has one of the most well done narratives I’ve seen. Little details in the beginning come into play later in the movie. Michael J Fox and Cristopher Lloyd are great together. Time travel is usually very difficult to do in stories but fortunately it was easier to understand here.

5. Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

This and Back to the Future are Robert Zemeckis’ best achivements. I think many people have always wanted to see Disney and Looney Tunes together in the same movie and this was their dream coming true. Bob Hoskins and Cristopher Lloyd are great as Eddie Valiant and Judge Doom. This movie cleverly balances cartoony nonsense with dark film noir themes and atmosphere with special effect and lighting that helped make these toons feel real.

4. Jurassic Park

I always remember that camping trip where we watched this for the first time. This movie is epic! The set pieces are epic, the theme song is epic, and the visual effects perfectly balance CGI (that still holds up) and practical effects are epic. Dr. John Hammond is also one of my favorite characters because his vision of opening this park was not for profit but to help capture to imagination of everyone. This in my opinion is Universal Studio’s best achievement.

3. Tarzan

I think it’s should be fair that the first movie I saw in theaters would be on this list and Tarzan immediately became my favorite Disney movie after seeing it. An interesting moment I’ve noticed recently is when Jane asks Tarzan to show them the gorillas but he refuses. His only reason is one name, Kerchak. You know the situation and the consequences just by mention of Kerchak. The animation, music, and songs by Phil Collins help give the movie a great jungle-like atmosphere.

2. The Wizard of Oz

I think this was one of the first live action and non-Disney movies I’ve ever seen. The characters are likeable and the sets while obviously sets are still beautiful. One of my favorite movie scenes of all time is the long shot of Munchinland. First off the transition from brown to Technicolor is really clever, 2^nd off, it introduces you to the world of Oz and lets you breath in the atmosphere and honestly it’s just a beautiful set to look at.

1. Up

This felt like the appropriate time to do this list because of the 10^th anniversary of my favorite movie of all time Up. There’s so much silly stuff in this movie like a house flying by millions of balloons and talking dogs that even fly airplanes. Up also tells in my opinion the best love story ever in just 10 minutes and with no dialogue and wonderful music. Fortunately the rest of the movie is just as great. I love every minute of this movie and even after 10 years this is not just my favorite Pixar or Disney or animated movie, it’s my favorite movie of all time. Happy 10^th anniversary Up!

Thank your for reading. What are your favorite movies of all time?