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Something everyone can enjoy together.

• *batteries not included
• 9
• Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
• Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls
• Addams Family Values
• The Addams Family
• The Adventures of Mark Twain
• Air Bud
• Airheads
• Aladdin

...plus 275 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Part of my The Spirit of Adventure collection. 

Usually the first subgenre that comes to mind when adventure is discussed. These stories are set on Earth, with technology typical of the story's period, and an emphasis on characters journeying to a foreign land significantly different from their home, where they are an outsider to the local culture.

Often, the journey is undertaken as "quest" to acquire an item of value, be it treasure, an artifact, or lost city of significant historical or anthropological value. For example, Around the World in 80 Days (1956) or Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981).

Exotic adventures often feature: faraway lands or uncharted territory, lost cities, ancient ruins, secret ageways, lost civilizations, desert treks, ocean voyages, mountain climbing, deadly jungles, caverns, sharks, snakes, big cats, face-painted 'savage' natives, 'warlike' tribes, cannibals, ritual sacrifice, and treasure or sacred cultural artifacts.

• The Spiders: Part 1 - The Golden Sea
• The Navigator
• Tarzan the Ape Man
• Chandu the Magician
• Tarzan and His Mate
• Chandu on the Magic Island
• Darkest Africa
• The Riders of the Whistling Skull
• Gunga Din
• Jungle Girl

...plus 123 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Adventure. To put it formally: "to engage in hazardous and exciting activity, especially the exploration of unknown territory."

There are many types of adventure depicted in film: to an "exotic" land, perhaps on an "unexplored" continent. On a scientific expedition below the surface of the earth, into outer space, an alien planet, another dimension, or even inside the human body.

A situation - usually in the form of a journey or quest - that takes our protagonists outside the ordinary world of their lives, and into new, unknown territory where they are out of their element.

This collection of lists is not intended to be complete, comprehensive or objectively definitive of the genre. However, it is a definitive list of the adventure films that I dig. I like every single one of these films, and I recommend them all.

I divide adventure into six subgenres. It can be challenging to categorize any given film in only one of these specific boxes, as many mix or combine elements from multiple adventure subgenres. These lists represent my best attempt organize them.

• EXOTIC ADVENTURE: Usually the first subgenre that comes to mind when adventure is discussed. These stories are set on Earth, with technology typical of the story's period, and an emphasis on characters journeying to a foreign land significantly different from their home, where they are an outsider to the local culture.

Often, the journey is undertaken as "quest" to acquire an item of value, be it treasure, an artifact, or lost city of significant historical or anthropological value. For example, Around the World in 80 Days (1956) or Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981).

Exotic adventures often feature: faraway lands or uncharted territory, lost cities, ancient ruins, secret ageways, lost civilizations, desert treks, ocean voyages, mountain climbing, deadly jungles, caverns, sharks, snakes, big cats, face-painted 'savage' natives, 'warlike' tribes, cannibals, ritual sacrifice, and treasure or sacred cultural artifacts.

• SCI-FI ADVENTURE: After exotic adventure, this is the subgenre people most typically associate with the term "adventure movie."

Sci-fi Adventure has its roots in the novels written by Jules Verne, H.G Wells, and Edgar Rice Burroughs at the end of the 19th century, many of which have been adapted into films: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954), Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959), The Time Machine (1960), Mysterious Island (1961), The Land that Time Forgot (1974), At the Earth's Core (1976), and many more, including several adaptations / remakes of each these films.

Sci-fi adventures often feature a retrofuturistic aesthetic, sometimes including Steampunk technology (which may extend to vehicles such as airships / dirigibles / zeppelins, submarines, and Earth-boring craft. Lost cities, lost civilizations, lava, man-eating plants, monsters / giant creatures - especially dinosaurs.

• SPACE ADVENTURE: These stories concern mankind's exploration and/or colonization of space and other planets. Typically, these films will take place in the future, and involve some kind of mission or journey undertaken in a spacecraft. For example, Forbidden Planet (1956) or Guardians of the Galaxy (2014).

Space adventures include elements such as astronauts, cosmonauts, spaceships, interstellar travel, "alien" planets, "alien" creatures, "alien" civilizations, space battles, spacesuits, stasis pods, failing life systems, colorful uniforms, space mercenaries, space pirates, evil space empires, spatial anomalies, black holes, dying stars, and non-corporeal lifeforms.

For now, I am counting just being in space or on another planet as an "adventure," so there are more static / stationary type of films on this list than any other. For example, virtually any film set on a space station - such as The Green Slime (1968) - currently qualifies as a "space adventure."

• FANTASY ADVENTURE: Quests, epic journeys and events that take place in a world or reality different than our own, but *not* in the form of another planet within our universe. Fantasy worlds are built on magic and mythical archetypes. Sometimes, characters from our world will enter this magical fantasy realm. Also, stories that take place in a fictionalized version of our own past - for example, films that depict prehistoric humans existing alongside dinosaurs.

Narratively, fantasy adventures are often structured around a quest, which is usually undertaken by a diverse band of participants. Think of Dorothy, accompanied by the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion on her way to Oz in The Wizard of Oz (1939) - or Frodo, accompanied by Gandalf, Aragorn, Gimli and the others in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001).

Fantasy adventures often feature elements such as: magic, quests, kings, queens, princes and princesses. Mythical creatures, sea monsters, cave monsters, giant insects, and dragons. Caverns, underground ageways, enchanted forests, imable mountains, and impenetrable castles. Witches, wizards, and sorcerers. Dwarves, elves, orcs, goblins, giants, and trolls. Swords, sandals, and the Gods of Greek, Egyptian, African and South American mythology. Re-animated skeletons, angels, demons, even heaven or hell.

• SWASHBUCKLING ADVENTURE: Swashbuckling is defined as "engaging in daring and romantic adventures with bravado or flamboyance."

For the most part, these stories are set before the Industrial Revolution and concern pirates and their exploits on the "high seas," in films that span from Captain Blood (1935) to Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) and beyond. However, it is possible to have an entirely land-based 'swashbuckler' such as The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938).

Swashbucklers often feature pirates, fair maidens, galleons, the 'high seas', tropical islands, sword fights, swinging on ropes from ship to ship, skeletons and buried treasure chests.

• ROAD TRIP ADVENTURE: Contemporary (to the time the film was made) stories about characters on relatively low-stakes road trips or vacations. Often featuring elements quirky side characters, flat tires, rest stops, gas stations, hitch hikers, planes, trains, and automobiles. For example, Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (1985).

These lists are a work in progress, all suggestions are welcome!!!

The list below is a combination of the six individual subgenre lists, and can be seen as an adventure genre macro overview.

*ON OMISSIONS: There are many notable omissions to this list. For example, no Die Nibelungen: Siegfried (1924). No Woman in the Moon (1929). Why? Because as influential in the development of the genre as they are, they're also boring, and I simply can't endorse them. Of the Star Wars prequel trilogy, only Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002) is on this list. And so on. Point being, this is a list of every adventure film ever made... that I endorse.

• A Trip to the Moon
• Gulliver's Travels Among the Lilliputians and the Giants
• The Monster
• The Kingdom of the Fairies
• Faust in the Underworld
• Faust and Marguerite
• The Impossible Voyage
• The Palace of the Arabian Nights
• The Merry Frolics of Satan
• A Marriage in the Moon

...plus 594 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Part of my The Spirit of Adventure collection. 

Quests, epic journeys and events that take place in a world or reality different than our own, but *not* in the form of another planet within our universe. Fantasy worlds are built on magic and mythical archetypes. Sometimes, characters from our world will enter this magical fantasy realm. Also, stories that take place in a fictionalized version of our own past - for example, films that depict prehistoric humans existing alongside dinosaurs. 

Narratively, fantasy adventures are often structured around a quest, which is usually undertaken by a diverse band of participants. Think of Dorothy, accompanied by the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion on her way to Oz in The Wizard of Oz (1939) - or Frodo, accompanied by Gandalf, Aragorn, Gimli and the others in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001).

Fantasy adventures often feature elements such as: magic, quests, kings, queens, princes and princesses. Mythical creatures, sea monsters, cave monsters, giant insects, and dragons. Caverns, underground ageways, enchanted forests, imable mountains, and impenetrable castles. Witches, wizards, and sorcerers. Dwarves, elves, orcs, goblins, giants, and trolls. Swords, sandals, and the Gods of Greek, Egyptian, African and South American mythology. Re-animated skeletons, angels, demons, even heaven or hell.

• Gulliver's Travels Among the Lilliputians and the Giants
• The Monster
• The Kingdom of the Fairies
• Faust in the Underworld
• Faust and Marguerite
• The Palace of the Arabian Nights
• The Merry Frolics of Satan
• The Knight of the Snow
• The Dinosaur and the Missing Link: A Prehistoric Tragedy
• L'Atlantide

...plus 156 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Part of my The Spirit of Adventure collection. 

Contemporary (to the time the film was made) stories about characters on relatively low-stakes road trips or vacations. Often featuring elements quirky side characters, flat tires, rest stops, gas stations, hitch hikers, planes, trains, and automobiles. For example, Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (1985).

• Lassie Come Home
• The Great Race
• Easy Rider
• Deliverance
• Smokey and the Bandit
• Wanda Nevada
• National Lampoon's Vacation
• Pee-wee's Big Adventure
• Follow That Bird
• Stand by Me

...plus 22 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Part of my The Spirit of Adventure collection. 

After exotic adventure, this is the subgenre people most typically associate with the term "adventure movie."

Sci-fi Adventure has its roots in the novels written by Jules Verne, H.G Wells, and Edgar Rice Burroughs at the end of the 19th century, many of which have been adapted into films: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954), Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959), The Time Machine (1960), Mysterious Island (1961), The Land that Time Forgot (1974), At the Earth's Core (1976), and many more, including several adaptations / remakes of each these films.

Sci-fi adventures often feature a retrofuturistic aesthetic, sometimes including Steampunk technology (which may extend to vehicles such as airships / dirigibles / zeppelins, submarines, and Earth-boring craft. Lost cities, lost civilizations, lava, man-eating plants, monsters / giant creatures - especially dinosaurs.

• The Impossible Voyage
• The Aerial Submarine
• The Automatic Motorist
• The Lost World
• The Mysterious Island
• King Kong
• The Phantom Empire
• The Lost City
• Sharad of Atlantis
• Creature from the Black Lagoon

...plus 105 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• A Trip to the Moon
• The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
• Nosferatu
• Battleship Potemkin
• The General
• Metropolis
• Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
• Man with a Movie Camera
• Un Chien Andalou
• City Lights

...plus 561 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Riot
2. Trading Places
3. Die Hard
4. Die Hard 2
5. Gremlins
6. Home Alone
7. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
8. Dial Code Santa Claus
9. Silent Night, Deadly Night
10. Batman Returns

...plus 82 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Essential films about cinema or the film industry.

• Sullivan's Travels
• Sunset Boulevard
• Singin' in the Rain
• The Bad and the Beautiful
• Peeping Tom
• 8½
• Contempt
• Beware of a Holy Whore
• The Last Movie
• Day for Night

...plus 40 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Do you prefer Argento, Fulci, or Bava? What’s your favorite Argento film? Favorite Fulci film? favorite Bava film?

What’s your favorite grimy New York 80s film: The Driller Killer, Basket Case, or Maniac?

Which zombie trilogy do you prefer, “Of The Dead,” or “Return” ?

You find yourself standing in a group of genre heads talking about horror classics. You want to be able to keep up, but you feel a bit out of your depth. 

If you’re ready to finally do your homework, this is the list you’re looking for.

I consider all of these films fundamental to a true knowledge of the genre. If you want to say you know horror there are no skippers here. 

That said, not all of these films are good, or even entertaining. There are plenty of snoozers here, but every film on this list is influential, relevant, noteworthy or otherwise important to the genre in one way or another. It’s not a list of the ‘best’ horror or even good horror. It is a list of films essential to a broad knowledge of the genre. 

And of course, it’s a work in progress, incomplete, and all suggestions are welcome.

• The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
• Nosferatu
• Häxan
• Dracula
• Frankenstein
• Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
• The Mummy
• Murders in the Rue Morgue
• Freaks
• Vampyr

...plus 273 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

THE RULES:

• Significantly bigger than a human

• Can't be an extra-large real world animal. For example, no JAWS, no CONGO, no MOBY DICK. Unless the animal is absolutely MASSIVE - like KING KONG.

• Similar to the above rule, not a *natural* dinosaur. No JURASSIC PARK franchise, no LOST WORLD, etc.

• Dragons are too much of their own genre to count as kaiju. Some exceptions on this list.

• Movie has to be *about* the kaiju - not just feature them as a side attraction along a journey or relish on another plot. SHANG CHI does not count even though it features two A+ Kaiju that battle late in the third act - the film isn’t about them, and they don’t have enough screen time. 

* There can be multiple or even many Kaiju that appear - like PACIFIC RIM - but they must all be unique and strange in their own ways, like in PACIFIC RIM or several of the Godzilla multi-villain face-off movies. THEM! Should probably not be considered a Kaiju film, but is too good to be excluded from this list. 

There are some debatable, potential exceptions on this list - MIGHTY JOE YOUNG for example. The exceptions occur when a film spiritually, thematically, and/or structurally “feels” like an authentic Kaiju story.

• King Kong
• The Son of Kong
• King Kong Escapes
• King Kong
• King Kong Lives
• King Kong
• Kong: Skull Island
• Godzilla
• Godzilla Raids Again
• Rodan

...plus 102 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Films that actively influence my approach… not the “best” ever or anything like that - just personal favs.

• The American Friend
• Flashdance
• Mauvais Sang
• Moonstruck
• King of New York
• Until the End of the World
• Three Colours: Red
• Heat
• No Country for Old Men
• Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

...plus 7 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Skeletons. Cobwebs. Foggy cemeteries. Tombstones. Caskets. Spiders. Ghosts, ghouls, and werewolves. Vampires. Haunted mansions.

• Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy
• The Addams Family
• Beetlejuice
• The Beyond
• Black Sunday
• Braindead
• Bram Stoker's Dracula
• Bride of Frankenstein
• Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein
• The Cabin in the Woods

...plus 74 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Part of my The Spirit of Adventure collection. 

These stories concern mankind's exploration and/or colonization of space and other planets. Typically, these films will take place in the future, and involve some kind of mission or journey undertaken in a spacecraft. For example, Forbidden Planet (1956) or Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). 

Space adventures include elements such as astronauts, cosmonauts, spaceships, interstellar travel, "alien" planets, "alien" creatures, "alien" civilizations, space battles, spacesuits, stasis pods, failing life systems, colorful uniforms, space mercenaries, space pirates, evil space empires, spatial anomalies, black holes, dying stars, and non-corporeal lifeforms.

For now, I am counting just being in space or on another planet as an "adventure," so there are more static / stationary type of films on this list than any other. For example, virtually any film set on a space station - such as The Green Slime (1968) - currently qualifies as a "space adventure."

• A Trip to the Moon
• A Marriage in the Moon
• A Trip to Mars
• A Trip to Mars
• Aelita: Queen of Mars
• Cosmic Journey
• Flash Gordon
• Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars
• Buck Rogers
• Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe

...plus 137 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Mindhunters

• Oppenheimer
• Devotion
• Athena
• Nope
• Loki
• The Midnight Sky
• Mank
• Tenet
• Triple Frontier
• Mary Magdalene

...plus 15 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

So-bad-it's-good, outsider art, wild auteur cinema. Movies that refuse to be tamed.

• Zardoz
• The Super Inframan
• Starcrash
• Xanadu
• Staying Alive
• Yor, the Hunter from the Future
• Revenge of the Ninja
• The Boxer's Omen
• Furious
• The Toxic Avenger

...plus 91 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• North by Northwest
• Goldfinger
• Invasion of Astro-Monster
• PlayTime
• 2001: A Space Odyssey
• Barbarella
• Le Cercle Rouge
• Trafic
• Solaris
• Live and Let Die

...plus 7 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Part of my The Spirit of Adventure collection. 

Swashbuckling is defined as "engaging in daring and romantic adventures with bravado or flamboyance."

For the most part, these stories are set before the Industrial Revolution and concern pirates and their exploits on the "high seas," in films that span from Captain Blood (1935) to Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) and beyond. However, it is possible to have an entirely land-based 'swashbuckler' such as The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938).

Swashbucklers often feature pirates, fair maidens, galleons, the 'high seas', tropical islands, sword fights, swinging on ropes from ship to ship, skeletons and buried treasure chests.

• The Black Pirate
• Captain Blood
• The Flame and the Arrow
• Anne of the Indies
• The Crimson Pirate
• Avenger of the Seven Seas
• Swashbuckler
• Nate and Hayes
• Shipwrecked
• Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves

...plus 4 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.