6 Movies You Have To See Before You Die
There are movies that are good, movies that are bad, and then… every once in a while there are movies that everyone has to see in their lifetime, even just to SAY that they’ve seen it.
This list was hard. Picking five movies was tough, but in the end I didn’t want to bore anyone, and with keeping the list small it keeps it open for YOUR must see movies.
Now, without further ado, may I present 6 movies you have to see before you die.
[Warning: There might be spoilers for the movies mentioned.]
Since this is MY list, Jurassic Park had to be added. Released in 1993, Jurassic Park reinvented movies as we know them. Directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Michael Crichton, Jurassic Park is the story of what would happen if dinosaurs and man were to co-exist once again.
Granted, in the film it’s man that breeds the dinosaurs and attempts to make a theme park surrounding them, but it’s still the story of co-existing, which, as we learn as an audience, doesn’t really work out in the end.
The special effects in Jurassic Park to this day give me chills when I watch it, and let me tell you, I watch this movie A LOT. There is a scene when Dr. Grant and company first arrive on the island and they see a brachiosaurus eating from a tree. First of all, that alone is an AMAZING moment in film history, this dinosaur looks so real that I have a hard time remembering it’s NOT. Then the camera pans away while the score builds and we’re shown not one dinosaur, but herds of them…. and all different species.
The CGI effects were groundbreaking, and throw in that there is a full sized T-Rex? Come on, why WOULDN’T you want to see Jurassic Park?
Why should you see The Wizard of Oz? Because it’s a classic, and because it’s awesome.
Why wouldn’t you want to see a movie about a house falling on a wicked witch in the magical land of Oz? Based on the book by L. Frank Baum, The Wizard of Oz follows Dorothy Gale and her dog Toto as a twister whisks them away in their Kansas farm house and drops them over the rainbow… into a very strange world.
Scarecrows talk, shoes are made of rubies, lions are cowardly, and witches are good and wicked. There’s singing, dancing, AND once Dorothy is over the rainbow, the black and white film melts away to reveal – wait for it – Technicolor!
While it’s not perfect (the mistakes and goofs and continuity errors are a mile long) The Wizard of Oz is a classic, and one of the most beloved movies of all time.
Not to mention the songs are great… but you’ll be singing “Follow the Yellow Brick Road” for days to come after you watch it.
Not that I want anyone to be completely depressed after watching a film, but Schindler’s List is a movie that needs to be seen by everyone. Liam Neeson is Oskar Schindler, a German businessman during World War 2. Schindler employed Jews to work in his factory, and comes to see how the Nazi soldiers are treating the Jewish people.
Based on a true story, Schindler eventually was able to save 1100 Jews from the Auschwitz concentration camp after turning his factory into a refuge for the people.
The film is brilliantly done. While it won’t be winning awards for “feel good movie of all time” the story and the way that it is shot are stunning. Schindler’s List is the most expensive movie to date to be shot in black and white, and while that may seem boring to some viewers, the lack of color just makes you appreciate the film all the more.
Like I said, Schindler’s List isn’t a movie that will make you laugh, but it does show just how important one person can be in the scheme of things.
This is the third movie by Steven Spielberg on this list… the man must make great movies!
Released in 1982 ET will make you laugh, will make you cry, and will make you want to watch it over and over again. ET’s spaceship lands on earth (to this day I’m unclear why) and poor ET gets left behind when his family returns to their home planet without him.
He meets up with a young boy named Elliot who hides him in his bedroom and feeds him Reeses Pieces… all the while looking for a way to get him back home. A bond is formed between ET and Elliot, and eventually things end up not going as planned.
Honestly one of the best movies I’ve ever seen, with some classic scenes (who doesn’t know the bike flying over the moon, or “ET phone home”?), ET is a great movie not only for adults but for kids too!
I’m cheating and listing these as one film. Now, when I talk about Star Wars I’m talking about episodes 4, 5, and 6… or as non geeks like to refer to them as “the ones that came first”.
These are the superior Star Wars films – When Yoda was a puppet and not CGI animation. Star Wars is, in a nutshell, the story of Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, and a whole bunch of other people. And things.
There are spaceships, lightsabers, Wookies, Ewoks, and Carrie Fisher with a really bad hair style. Oh! And don’t forget R2-D2 and C-3PO. Honestly? What can I say about Star Wars that hasn’t already been said?
The fanbase is still strong and out in force today, and movies are STILL being made! That has to say something about the films!
It’s got action, romance, and comedy – not to mention the story is just FANTASTIC and come on! “Use the force, Luke…” There’s too much to say about Star Wars – just see these movies!
I’m cheating again and rolling The Lord of the Rings trilogy movies into one. Peter Jackson’s adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien’s novels is the best adaptation of a book to film that I’ve ever seen.
Following Frodo on his quest to destroy “the one ring” The Lord of the Rings trilogy is, well, epic. I could be biased (I have two tattoos in Elivish, so I’m sort of a fan) but I feel that everyone, whether or not you’re a fan of fantasy or sci-fi, should see these movies.
There isn’t a bad thing to say about them. They’re brilliantly cast, the screenplay is near flawless, and the effects? Well, I still sit back in awe when I watch the trilogy and I’ve seen it countless times. The Return of the King alone won 11 Oscars, and if that doesn’t say something about these films, nothing will.
See them, and prepared to be awed. Then prepare to see The Hobbit when it’s released in 2012!
There they are! Six movies to see before you die.
Remember what I said – the list was difficult to trim down to just six, which gets me off the hook for some omissions! As you can probably tell, I like sci-fi and fantasy movies… and looking at that list Spielberg is my favorite director. Who knew?!
I would really love to hear what films you would have listed! And also your comments about my choices as well! Happy watching!
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Wow. Narrowing this down to six (I would absolutely list the two trilogies as one choice each) is impressive because while there are films I would add (The Godfather and Godfather II, Thelma and Louise, Saving Private Ryan)–I wouldn’t want to remove any of your choices.
Terrific list!
I had such a hard time!!! I almost threw down the pen and said forget it a few times. The Godfather 1 & 2 were on my list, but I never even thought of the other two — good choices!!
Love this list. There are definetely some movies I would like to add.
– Dogma: That movie is still relevant today
– Fight Club: Need I say more.
– Matrix: The first one though. It really goes downhill after that.
DOGMA!! Okay, yeah, that one needs to be on this list. As well as the other two, but I’m MAD at myself that I didn’t think of Dogma!
A list like this says more about the person making the list than the films themselves. Though before glancing at the title, I expected to see 6 films that couldn’t really be argued with. For example, The Wizard of Oz may not make everyone’s list, but as a film that has stood the test of time, few would argue against it. However, four of the films inclusion on the list made me arch an eyebrow, and think REALLY??? In fact, one of the films I would strongly argue against, but Not because it’s a not a great film. To me, that film doesn’t belong on the list because there are simply many other BETTER films. It comes back around to a list like this saying more about the person than the films.
I agree that the list would be swayed a little on personal taste (and not just because I wrote it…lol!) but what are the movies that made you think “REALLY???”? And what reasons? I’m very curious to see what you would have placed in their spots and why!
While there were a TON of movies on my initial list I thought that these all had brought something to the industry, either in their given time… or still today! I agree that there are probably other “epic” and “better” films that I could have added, but that’s exactly where the author’s taste takes over, I think.
Next time I’ll try to be a little less biased towards my favorites!
Bias is fine. Everyone has their own taste in movies. Your list may be
different than mine but it is still a valid list nevertheless. The whole
point of a list is to include things that are relevant to you.
John, what would you include in your list?
Hey Eric,
I would start by trying to address what the list is… My favorites? A short history of cinema? Am I giving it to an alien to explain our culture? Ha!
I’ll stick to a few of my favorites:
American Beauty / Fight Club This was a powerful cinematic double punch for me the year they came out.
Planet of the Apes/ Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Duck Soup/ The Grapes of Wrath
Honestly, if pushed, I could probably think of other more recent films, but more than likely I wouldn’t even include any films that aren’t at least 25 years old. Kind of like that period they used to have for putting dead people on US stamps.
The middle group, I could easily repalce with a few others from the period… Chinatown, Easy Rider, The Last Detail spring to mind.
The last group was tricky…do you include a western, a cartoon, a musical, sci-fi, horror…I opted for mainstream, but I could pull a lot of titles out…really, it was probably more about trying to stick to the theme that I started…
Seriously, I could write and write about my favorite films…these were just a few that I thought of first…I tried to spread them out. Looking back over my list, the common thread seems to be people trying to find their place. There is probably a good party game in their somewhere-‘What do your favorite movies say about you?’-NEW FROM MATTELL!
Interesting topic, that’s for sure.
Since you asked, Ithe films on this list that I wouldn’t have included and reasons (not all, but kneejerk reactions) include:
ET: fun, sweet, but on a personal level, it’s simply never been a film that I went back to for repeated viewings. I would probably have included an animated film or another genre.
Jurassic Park/ Lord of the Rings: fun movies, that I’ve seen many times, but CGI and effects don’t make a film. I can honestly say neither would make even my top 100.
Star Wars: Honestly, I was always more of a Star Trek guy, but I wouldn’t argue with anyone who put Star Wars (the first one) on their lists, the others in the series, well, I am not going to be the one to argue their mythology or their importance in film.
Schindler’s List: It’s inclusion is the film that really made me take notice. I’ve seen it a few times. Powerful film. But I can’t say I ever enjoyed it. It feels odd writing that a film with such an important story wouldn’t make my list, but honestly, I would probably put something like The Diary of Anne Frank before it, assuming I was trying to stay within the subject matter. It’s dark…and let me stress I like dark. It left me depressed every time. Incredibly depressed.
Spielberg: Great director. I’m sure his films will be studied for decades, but he adds touches to his films that sometimes bother me and that I feel they would have been better without. For example: Schindler’s List… one thing has ALWAYS bothered me in that film…the use of the color red. I didn’t just notice it. I actively disliked it. Much like the use of the falling banner at the end of Jurrassic Park. In both cases, I had an immediate negative reaction and am always pulled out of the moment. Honestly, they and moments like them make me feel like the director is trying to manipulate my emotions. I know that’s his job, but I’m not supposed to be thinking that during the film. Honestly, every time, it’s like having cold water thrown on me in that moment. And not in a theatrical good way…but one that makes me think…the director is toying with you.
Like I wrote in my original post, the list says a lot about the writer. Heck, reading this, probably says a lot about me to you. Hopefully not all bad…
I’ll add a few films that I would put on my list in my comment to Eric’s post.
Thanks for replying! I think what you said is correct, it’s really a matter of the writer when a list like this is being made… which is why ET, Jurassic Park, and Star Wars made my lists.
However, even though they are some of my favorites, I’m still sticking with that they had a big impact on the movie industry, either at their time or that they continue to.
As far as Spielberg is concerned – I hesitated to put that many of his movies in this list; but ultimately decided to just go for it. I didn’t really realize that I was THAT much of a fan of his until I had this article completed!
I think we have different tastes in not only movies but director styles – because i LOVED the use of red in Schindler’s list as well as the banner at the end of Jurassic Park.
I love debating different opinions, especially with someone that can defend theirs, so thanks again for posting!!
It’s very telling…people and their lists… Rolling Stones vs. Beatles. Elvis vs. Buddy Holly.
You are right though, I would never deny Spielberg’s films changed cinema. Personally, I could watch Jaws over and over. I feel that way about most of his early work. I sort of lost interest in him as a director in cinematic terms though about the time his name became linked to the term ‘blockbuster’.
Confession…I worked at a cinema for the better part of a decade starting in the mis-80’s so I was overexposed to a lot of his wortk.
I enjoyed reading your list though. Maybe you can revisit the topic at a later date. I know I’m really looking forward to everyone’s thoughts over the reactions to the new OScar winners.
I think I’d like to do another pass at this and stick to a film from each genre and maybe pull a date range…lol. It was hard for me because I was looking at the industry in its entirety. And my other problem is I don’t see a lot of the “classic” movies. My film background is sadly lacking in that department!
Great list Kelly! I think the challenge in writing a list like this is that you cannot pick only your favorite movies, but the movies that you think everyone should see because they represent something important in the movie world and of course had an impact on you too.
But of course all these lists will always be subjective and that’s why they’re fun. I think my list would have to include The Matrix and probably Lord of the Rings too. That said I’m sorry to say that Star Wars wouldn’t be on my list.
Oh, it’s SAD that Star Wars wouldn’t have made your list…lol. the Matrix is one that I toyed with, but I wasn’t THAT big of a fan! But putting that aside, people SHOULD see that movie.
I know it’s cliche but I think my list would have to include Black Swan – if only because I’ve never been startled by a movie the way I was with Black Swan. I’m usually one to go, sit down, watch a movie, and leave without thinking about it afterwards but that wasn’t the case with Black Swan.
I’ve never seen Schindler’s List so other than that and Jurassic Park (Sorry! It’s a great movie… but must see?!) I would say that all of the other 4 movies seem to be legitimate must-sees, if only to catch major, oft-used pop culture references.
Black Swan…. that is a GOOD call. I agree, there hasn’t been a movie out in a long time that made me feel the way that Black Swan did after I saw it.
I would probably replace ET with either Gone With the Wind or Lawrence of Arabia. I love both period pieces and they completely engross you in a different time and place.
Gone With The Wind is a great one.