4/15/2018 200 Essential Movies To Watch Now

200 Essential Movies To Watch Now

Rotten Tomatoes staff presents 200 essential movies to watch now, whether you’re a film buff or just
starting your journey into cinema! We culled choices across genres, film movements, and centuries,
mixed with staff favorites to shake things up. Best of all, every movie on the list is Certified Fresh!

Ready to take on the watching challenge? Click here and head to FandangoNOW where you can sort
the list and buy or rent any of the movies!

#1

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

99%

#1
Critics Consensus: An absolute masterpiece whose groundbreaking visuals and deft storytelling are still
every bit as resonant, The Wizard of Oz is a must-see film for young and old.
Synopsis: L. Frank Baum's classic tale comes to magisterial Technicolor life! The Wizard of Oz stars
legendary Judy Garland as Dorothy,... [More]

Citizen Kane (1941)

100%

#2
Critics Consensus: Orson Welles's epic tale of a publishing tycoon's rise and fall is entertaining,

https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/guide/200-essential-movies-to-watch-now/ 1/5
4/15/2018 200 Essential Movies To Watch Now

poignant, and inventive in its storytelling, earning its reputation as a landmark achievement in film.
Synopsis: This is the labyrinthine study of the life of a newspaper tycoon.... [More]
Directed By: Orson Welles

The Third Man (1949)

99%

#3
Critics Consensus: This atmospheric thriller is one of the undisputed masterpieces of cinema, and boasts
iconic performances from Joseph Cotten and Orson Welles.
Synopsis: American writer, Holly Martins, arrives in post-war Vienna to visit his old friend Harry Lime. On
arrival, he learns that... [More]
Directed By: Carol Reed

Get Out (2017)

99%

#4
Critics Consensus: Funny, scary, and thought-provoking, Get Out seamlessly weaves its trenchant social
critiques into a brilliantly effective and entertaining horror/comedy thrill ride.
Synopsis: Now that Chris and his girlfriend, Rose, have reached the meet-the-parents milestone of
dating, she invites him for a weekend... [More]
Directed By: Jordan Peele

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

97%

#5
Critics Consensus: With exhilarating action and a surprising amount of narrative heft, Mad Max: Fury
Road brings George Miller's post-apocalyptic franchise roaring vigorously back to life.
Synopsis: Filmmaker George Miller gears up for another post-apocalyptic action adventure with Fury
Road, the fourth outing in the Mad Max... [More]
Directed By: George Miller

All About Eve (1950)

100%

#6

https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/guide/200-essential-movies-to-watch-now/ 2/5
4/15/2018 200 Essential Movies To Watch Now

Critics Consensus: Smart, sophisticated, and devastatingly funny, All About Eve is a Hollywood classic
that only improves with age.
Synopsis: Based on the story The Wisdom of Eve by Mary Orr, All About Eve is an elegantly bitchy
backstage story... [More]
Critics Consensus: A visually awe-inspiring science fiction classic from the silent era.
Synopsis: In a futuristic city sharply divided between the working class and the city planners, the son of
the city's mastermind... [More]
Directed By: Fritz Lang

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

98%

#10
Critics Consensus: Playing as both an exciting sci-fi adventure and a remarkable portrait of childhood,
Steven Spielberg's touching tale of a homesick alien remains a piece of movie magic for young and old.
Synopsis: Both a classic movie for kids and a remarkable portrait of childhood, E.T. is a sci-fi adventure
that captures that... [More]
Directed By: Steven Spielberg

It Happened One Night (1934)

98%

#11
Critics Consensus: Capturing its stars and director at their finest, It Happened One Night remains
unsurpassed by the countless romantic comedies it has inspired.
Synopsis: Frank Capra's seminal screwball comedy, which won all five major Academy Awards for 1934,
is still as breezy and beguiling... [More]
Directed By: Frank Capra

Singin' in the Rain (1952)

100%

#12
Critics Consensus: Clever, incisive, and funny, Singin' in the Rain is a masterpiece of the classical
Hollywood musical.
Synopsis: Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds and Donald O'Connor star in Singin' in the Rain, one of the
greatest and most successful... [More]

https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/guide/200-essential-movies-to-watch-now/ 3/5
4/15/2018 200 Essential Movies To Watch Now

Casablanca (1942)
97%

#13
Critics Consensus: An undisputed masterpiece and perhaps Hollywood's quintessential statement on
love and romance, Casablanca has only improved with age, boasting career-defining performances from
Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman.
Synopsis: One of the most beloved American films, this captivating wartime adventure of romance and
intrigue from director Michael Curtiz defies... [More]
Directed By: Michael Curtiz

Moonlight (2016)
98%

#14
Critics Consensus: Moonlight uses one man's story to offer a remarkable and brilliantly crafted look at
lives too rarely seen in cinema.
Synopsis: The tender, heartbreaking story of a young man's struggle to find himself, told across three
defining chapters in his life... [More]

A Hard Day's Night (1964)

98%

#15
Critics Consensus: A Hard Day's Night, despite its age, is still a delight to watch and has proven itself to
be a rock-and-roll movie classic.
Synopsis: The year is 1964 and four young lads from Liverpool are about to change the world - if only
the... [More]
Directed By: Richard Lester

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

98%

#16
Critics Consensus: With its involving story and characters, vibrant art, and memorable songs, Snow
White and the Seven Dwarfs set the animation standard for decades to come.
Synopsis: It was called "Disney's Folly." Who on earth would want to sit still for 90 minutes to watch an
animated... [More]

https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/guide/200-essential-movies-to-watch-now/ 4/5
4/15/2018 200 Essential Movies To Watch Now

North by Northwest (1959)

100%

#17
Critics Consensus: Gripping, suspenseful, and visually iconic, this late-period Hitchcock classic laid the
groundwork for countless action thrillers to follow.
Synopsis: While having lunch at the Plaza Hotel in New York, advertising executive Roger O. Thornhill
(Cary Grant) has the bad... [More]
Directed By: Alfred Hitchcock

The Maltese Falcon (1941)

100%

#18
Critics Consensus: Suspenseful, labyrinthine, and brilliantly cast, The Maltese Falcon is one of the most
influential noirs -- as well as a showcase for Humphrey Bogart at his finest.
Synopsis: After two previous film versions of Dashiell Hammett's detective classic The Maltese Falcon,
Warner Bros. finally got it right in... [More]
Directed By: John Huston

King Kong (1933)

98%

#19
Critics Consensus: King Kong explores the soul of a monster -- making audiences scream and cry
throughout the film -- in large part due to Kong's breakthrough special effects.
Synopsis: "How would you like to star opposite the tallest, darkest leading man in Hollywood?" Enticed by
these words, brunette leading... [More]

https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/guide/200-essential-movies-to-watch-now/ 5/5