Hello! So, I know it's been a while since I last did a blog. Truth be told, I wasn't sure if I wanted to keep it going, but I've recently become interested in making a post about a topic that a lot of movie buffs have debated on ever since movies first started being made: The greatest films of all time. What could the best movie ever made be? Is such an idea even possible? I used to think it wasn't, personally speaking. However, with this virus spreading around like crazy, times are getting scary. It's looking pretty bad out there, and lots of people are thinking the end is near. It wouldn't be getting this bad if people would just stay indoors unless absolutely necessary, but that's besides the point. Because it is very likely that time is going to end soon, there's no better time than now to make the official top ten greatest movies of all time list. And I'm not talking about opinions here, no. This isn't my "personal favorites" list, no sir, these are the objective best movies of all time. I made my choices based on box office numbers, other people's lists, and asking members of my family what they would say is the best movie ever. I'd say I have a pretty strong list, as you can see from the image above, so let's just jump into it and count down the official top ten greatest movies of all time!
#10 - Avatar
Avatar is a masterpiece in every sense of the word. It was released in 2009 by legendary director James Cameron. It was the highest-grossing movie of all time for a while, until Avengers: Endgame unceremoniously overtook it in 2019, and for good reason. Avatar is fantastic. You've probably seen YouTube videos or articles saying that Avatar isn't that grea. Well, they're wrong. Avatar is brilliant. It's got a whole cast of memorable characters, like Jake Sully, Sigourney Weaver, the bad guy, and blue. The world it creates is vast, interesting, deep, and the CGI used to bring it to life is absolutely breathtaking. Every single one of this movie's scenes have firmly cemented themselves in cinematic history. Some of my favorites include the part when Jake is trying to tame that bird thing, the scene when Jake and blue lady #1 have weird hair sex, and I'm sure there's other fun scenes, I just can't think of anymore off the top of my head. The actors are all perfectly cast, too. For example: Dolph Lundgren was the perfect villain. He gives us a genuinely good performance, which blew me away. He also gets to drive a cool robot suit, which is fun. It's just a shame he was killed off, though. I was looking forward to seeing him in the sequels. Sigourney Weaver was very good as Sigourney Weaver, I'm glad she was in the movie. She had lots of memorable lines, such as "Get off my plane" as well as other things, I'm sure of it. And, of course, Sam Witwer was the best possible choice to play Jake Sully. Every vocal delivery is flawless, and he looks really good as a blue cat person. And, speaking of the blue cat people, it's kinda hard to talk about Avatar without mentioning the groundbreaking CGI. So let's move on and talk about the story. Firstly, the pro-environment message is always something I can get behind. I'm a huge advocate for reducing our carbon footprints, and so this movie's core message is great. I also enjoyed the story this movie told a lot. You really feel bad for the blue people when their tree is threatened. All they want to do is save their home, but the awful human race wants to destory it. It's a classic "man vs nature" story, it's just that the nature just happens to be the Blue Man Group. All in all, Avatar is a masterpiece. Great story, beautiful music, a brilliant cast, incredible CGI. I can't wait for the sequels. 10/10.
#9 - The Cat in the Hat
Moving on from blue cats, we have human cats. My next pick is a wonderful children's classic that I loved as a kid. It's the 2003 live-action film adaptation of a Dr. Seuss classic: The Cat in the Hat. This movie was directed by Bo Welch, who is also a set designer. He's done prodction design work for movies like Edward Scissorhands, Men in Black, Thor, and Space Chimps. The Cat in the Hat was the first (and, so far, only) feature-length movie Welch has ever directed. Personally, I don't think he could have asked for a better directorial legacy. This movie is amazing. The set design is great, firstly. Every building, every street, every vehicle, every costume, every single prop looks like something that would fit in perfectly in a Dr. Seuss book. The feeling is captured flawlessly by the visuals. And the same goes for the cast! Every single actor brings their A-game to this movie. Alec Baldwin made for a very menacing villain, Kelly Preston was good as the mom, Dakota Fanning and Spencer Breslin were fantastic as Sally and Conrad respectively. And, of course, Mike Myers is exceptional as the Cat. Not since Vince Vaughn as Norman Bates has there been a better casting choice. Myers brings the energy as well as the emotion, and he totally doesn't look like wants to die at all. Not even a little bit, I swear. He gives the Cat one of the most memorable laughs in movie history, too. You hear his laugh and you know things will be okay. The same can be said for Mike's overall presence as the Cat. Every moment he's on-screen, he's perfectly playing the loving teacher character we all know from our childhoods. This movie also has a great sense of humor. I like the parts when the Cat almost says bad words but then doesn't or when the Cat looks at dirty pictures of Kelly Preston, or when the Cat almost beats an innocent child to death with a baseball bat. Every joke is great. I also enjoyed the soundtrack of this movie. Smash Mouth's cover of "Getting Better" by The Beatles is fantastic, and the Smash Mouth original song "Hang On" is also really good. Mike Myers has some pretty good songs, too. I have "Fun, Fun, Fun" in every playlist I've ever made, that's how good it is. This movie, overall, is fantastic and well worthy of a spot on this list. I loved at as a child and I love it even more now that I'm old enough to appreciate it. 22/10.
#8 - Brightburn
From one horror movie to another, my next pick is one I'm sure not many people have heard of. Most of the people I talk to about the movie say they don't know what it is, so it brings me great pleasure to spotlight it for them. I'm of course talking about 2019's Brightburn, released in 2019. Brightburn was released in 2019 by producer James Gunn. This movie, in essence, asks the very real question of "What if the all-powerful Superman was evil?". Personally, I think this movie answers that question rather well. This movie's evil Superman, named Brandon Breyer, is really scary. He has all the same powers Superman does, aside from the freeze breathe, and he's only, like, 12? I think? He's killed his parents, shattered the bone structure of a poor little girl's arm, blew up a plane and deep fried everyone inside of it, all before he hit puberty. I can only imagine how much damage he'll cause when that happens, maybe that should be the story for the sequel (if there is one). I think Jake Lloyd did a really good job playing Brandon, he nailed this character. The other lead actors were great, too. Elizabeth Banks was good as the Mom and Tim Heidecker was good as the Dad. The rest of the cast does a good job as well, I just can't remember any of their names. Another thing I love about this movie is the special effects. All of Brandon's powers that we see, the flight, the heat vision, the superspeed, all of it looks really good. It looks so real, it's honestly really scary. The best scene is when Brandon kills that one guy by causing his truck to wreck and ripping his jaw off. Gross, yet awesome. Brandon's costume looks really creepy, too. I also really liked the music in this movie. In particular, the use of "Bad Guy" by Billie Eilish was perfect. It's such a good song that the movie uses it twice in a row for some reason. And the cinematography? Eh, it's alright. Overall, 2019 saw the release of a ton of great movies. Parasite, Uncut Gems, The Irishman, Airplane Mode starring Logan Paul, but I think Brightburn stands above all of them. I really hope there's a sequel. 41/10.
#7 - Mulan 2
Direct-to-DVD Disney sequels have a history of not being that good. You've got titles like The Hunchback of Notre Dame II, Kronk's New Groove, Aladdin: The Return of Jafar, and countless others that are seen as pretty bad movies. That is not the case for Mulan 2, though. Mulan 2 is easily the best of the direct-to-DVD Disney sequels, and I'd even go as far as to say it's the best Disney sequel outright. Firstly, the animation? Top-notch. This is the best-looking movie that Disney has ever produced. And the voice acting? Again, top notch. Almost all of the cast from the first movie return to voice their characters in this sequel, and they all do a wonderful job. Hats off fo Eddie Murphy in particular. Mushu was handled with just as much care and dignity in this sequel as he was in the first one, and Eddie plays it perfectly. The soundtrack is incredible, too. I love it when they reused a song from the first one and just changed the lyrics, that was fun. There's also that song about rocks or something, I don't know. The point is that these songs are great. I'm surprised the rock one wasn't nominated for an Oscar. And how about this story? In Mulan 2, the Huns are back and they plan to invade China. This time, the Hun army has, like, tripled or something, so Mulanville and another kingdom need to form an alliance via marraige. Because of this, the Emperor sends his three daughters that we totally knew existed beforehand to make that marraige alliance. If the alliance doesn't happen, then the Huns will invade and everybody in China will die horribly. I like this story. There's real stakes, it's intense. And the story is capped off brilliantly. The princesses marry people from Mulanville and not the kingdom they were supposed to form an alliance with, which means it doesn't happen, and the movie ends there. Absolutely phenomenal ending, didn't see it coming. Can't wait for the live-action remake, it looks great. Mulan 2 is my favorite movie ever. 69/10.
#6 - Where the Wild Things Are
My next pick is another movie adaptation of a children's book. This time, we have Where the Wild Things Are. It was released in 2009 by director Spike Jonze. Doug Walker, aka the Nostalgia Critic, has previously called this movie "perfect". I'm gonna have to agree with him. This movie is gorgeous. If you didn't cry at least six times while watching it, you have no soul. Max's story is told with perfection. They didn't make him too mean in the beginning, making his change as the movie progresses a harder pill to swallow because I can't forget the awful things he did at the beginning, such as biting his mother on the shoulder and destroying his sister's room. That didn't happen at all, I swear. Max was given a fair, perfectly balanced story. And the actor that portrays him (I can't remember his name, but I'm 87% sure it was Tom Hanks) does so splendidly. The CGI used to being the Wild Things to life look otherworldly amazing. I didn't even think it was possible for a movie to look this good, but here we are. All the Wild Things are voiced very well, too. Idris Elba in particular gives a great performance. The "kids suck, so just deal with it" message is told flawlessly. I'm left with tears in my eyes every time I watch it. I've only seen this movie once, which was back when it first came to DVD. After it ended, I told my Mom I never wanted to see it again. I was a stupid younger person, in that case. I don't know what I didn't see in Where the Wild Things Are back then, but I now see exactly how fantastic it is. Perfect for the family. The tie-in Wii game is pretty good, too. 100/10.
#5 - The Emoji Movie
Now, you might be thinking "Alex, you absolute fraud, you already talked about this movie". If you're thinking that, you're correct. I have, but The Emoji Movie is so good that it's worth covering again. The first thing of note is the animation. It's great! The art style is great, all the characters are expressive and adorable, the designs are lovely. This movie looks beautiful. And the story is very good, too. The "go outside" message isn't done too much at all, why would you even ask such a thing? I've been waiting for a movie about emojis for so long, and it's finally here. I used to send emojis to my friends, look at them and go, "Huh. I wonder what their lives are like". Now, I finally know. I'm so glad this movie exists to answer my burning questions. And the actors all kill it. TJ Miller, who isn't a terrible person at all (just trust me), was great as Gene. He brings the comedy and the emotion, and he mixes them together perfectly. James Corden proves once again that he's a great actor on top of being the best talk show host ever, Patrick Stewart was hilarious, Avril Lavigne was good as Wyldstyle (or whatever her name was). And the soundtrack is very good. The original score was nice, all the lisenced songs were used brilliantly. I love this movie so much, I especially enjoy the part where they play Just Dance and Candy Crush for ten minutes. This movie rules. 166/10
#4 - Doogal
Here's another movie you probably haven't heard about. That's why I'm here though, to spotlight it! This movie was released in 2006. It's the American dub of a British movie called The Magic Roundabout. I haven't seen the British version, but there's no way it's better than the American dub. Doogal is easily the best animated movie ever made. The voice actors are all outstanding here. Jimmy Fallon, Ian McKellen, Kevin Smith, Jon Stewart, Whoopie Goldberg, all of them absolutely kill it. This movie is very funny, first and foremost. Jon Stewart's Zeebad is the funniest villain in any morie ever, Chevy Chase is great as the train, William H. Macy is great as Brian, and even Kylie Minogue gets a couple laughs in as Florence. Every single cast member is clearly bringing their all to this movie, and it shows. They sound like they're having a great time, just like how I had a great time watching it. The story is emotional and heartfelt. It's about Doogal being a dumb dog and accidently releasing an evil spring guy and also nearly killing his owner. That's a good dog, right there. There's also a good amount of action. The final right against Zeebad is fun, there's a remarkable battle between Zeebad and Zebedee in the middle, all the main characters do battle against a bunch of skeletons at one point, it's all very fun stuff. And I also enjoyed how this movie handled the music. Jimmy Fallon and Whoopi Goldberg show off their singing skills with a beautiful cover of "You Really Got Me", "Simply Wonderful" is one of my favorite songs ever, I loved the way "Magic" by Pilot is used, and any movie with the guts to use "Mr. Blue Sky" is great in my book. All in all, Doogal is simply wonderful. I don't see why it was so hated. 204/10.
#3 - The Room
Yeah, I went there. We're pulling out the big guns today, baby. We're going with The Room. This movie was released in 2003, and it is probably the most important movie ever made. It was written, directed, and produced by the one and only Tommy Wiseau (who also plays the lead character). Tommy plays Johnny, and the movie follows a couple days in his life. We see through various means that life doesn't treat Johnny too well. His future wife is cheating on him, him and his best friend have a huge fight, the people at his workplace betrayed him. Life is tearing him apart, and he doesn't care anymore. He wants out, and, at the end, that's exactly what he gives himself. A way out. His story is that of legends, and Tommy tells it supurbly. From the moment Johnny first walks through the door to when he shoots himself at the end, Tommy gives us one of the most memorable characters in movie history. But there's more to love about this movie than just Tommy. The other cast members are all amazing as well. Greg Sestero as Mark, Juliette Danielle as Lisa, Philip Haldiman as Denny. All of them are magnificent in their roles. The music is nice, too. The original score is iconic in every way, and the same can be said for the use of actual songs. And the dialogue? Chef's kiss! The Room features some of the most memorable dialogue in all of cinema. Overall, I love this movie. 600/10
#2 - Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
Everyone loves Tom and Jerry, don't they? How can you not? They're a classic duo. And what about Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory? That movie is also a classic, one of my favorites as a kid. So, what happens when you put Tom and Jerry and Willy Wonka in the same movie? You get my pick for the second best movie ever made, Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. This movie is great. Or, I'm pretty sure it is. I don't know, I've never seen it. It's on this list, though, so it's gotta be good. Again, though, I haven't seen it. I can't comment on how good it is, but just take my word for it that it's great. 1027/10.
#1 - Avengers: Endgame
I think a few of you saw this coming. Yes, my friends. My pick for the definitive greatest movie of all time is Avengers: Endgame. What else could it have been? It's a masterpiece! Endgame is the conclusion of 11 years worth of build-up in the Marvel Cinematic universe, and it was the perfect finale. All of your favorite Marvel heroes show up in this movie, they all have really deep and complex stories to tell, and it all culminates in the best final battle in any movie ever. Every character that got turned to dust at the end of Infinity War comes back to life, and it doesn't in any way ruin that ending, and they all rush at Thanos with everything they have. Heck, Thanos is so evil and so hated that he dies twice in the movie. How many other fictional characters can say they've died twice in a single movie? Yeah, didn't think so. The soundtrack is amazing, and so is the story. The way it ties in to previous MCU movies is great, the way all the characters interact is nice, I love the pacing and the special effects. I lost my mind when Captain America finally said "Avengers, assemble" and you'd be lying if you said you didn't. Tony's death was handled very well. He was given one final one-liner, he got to be the one to kill Thanos, and they properly honored him with a funeral. It was a very good scene, and it's nice to know that Marvel doesn't plan on bringing the character back at all. In short, Avengers: Endgame is marvelous. I already did a full review of it, so there's no need to go too in-depth. My feelings on it haven't changed since then, I promise. Just know that I mean it when I say it's the best movie of all time. And it's also the highest-grossing movie ever made now, so that's good. 3000/10.
I'm aware that this list might be controversial to some, but these are the facts. These are the top ten greatest movies ever made. Definitively. No questions about it. Every cinematic triumph in history, it all boils down to these ten films. In the future, when the Earth is a barren wasteland, alien creatures will study these ten movies when they want to know what the greatest achievements in all of mankind were. This is it. We might as well just stop making movies. Nothing is ever going to top these ten titles. And, even though my picks were backed by science, it's okay if you disagree with them. One thing you can't dispute, however, is that this blog was sponsored by Raid: Shadow Legends.
