It’s rare for a movie to be good enough to anger literally none of the critics who took the time to review it. Sometimes, you end up with something that’s as close to perfect as you can get—or, at least, enjoyable enough that no one has anything bad to say about it!
Toy Story (1995)
Toy Story showed the world what computer generated graphics were capable of and also introduced everyone to Pixar. While we take for granted now that Pixar makes the best-looking CG movies around, Toy Story was an outright revelation in 1995.
Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Grave of the Fireflies is a haunting war movie about two children who try to survive in Japan during the height of the Second World War. After their mother passes away, they look for new ways to survive, exploring the countryside and searching for a place to belong. Be forewarned, though, that this movie will make you cry.
His House (2020)
His House is a haunting, gripping horror movie that uses equal parts gritty realism and dream-like fantasy to both terrify and enlighten you. The protagonists managed to escape war-torn South Sudan, but find their home in London still hides horrors from their past…
Cool Hand Luke (1967)
Cool Hand Luke shows Paul Newman in his best outing. Everything fires on all cylinders in this unparalleled, excellent movie. Each actor’s performance is exemplary, the sets look appropriately sun-drenched and grimy, and the script will have you hooked from the moment the film opens with Luke knocking the heads off parking meters.
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013)
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya is an animated film based on the ancient Japanese fairy tale of the same name. It features charming animation, wonderful voice acting, and a timeless story. It’s literally all you can ask for with a modern retelling of a cute folk tale.
One Cut of the Dead (2017)
This hilarious zombie genre parody gets weird and goes several meta-layers deep with movies-within-movies. It’s ostensibly about a film crew that needs to make a zombie movie in one take, but it gets so much weirder, cooler, and funnier than that premise suggests.
Seven Samurai (1954)
Akira Kurosawa is one of the greatest directors to have ever lived. His opus, Seven Samurai, is as close to a perfect film as exists. Each character is fully fleshed out and has believable motivations, and the script will leave you contemplating everything from honor and justice to the role of violence in shaping society.
The Terminator (1984)
James Cameron simply does not miss. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s finest outing in Hollywood will always be The Terminator, a breathless, thrilling action movie that starts with horror and ends with heart-stopping explosions. Its many, many sequels have never quite lived up to the effortless tension and cold, clinical efficiency (we mean that in the best possible way) of the original.
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12 Angry Men (1957)
You wouldn’t think a black-and-white movie about twelve jurors arguing over a court case would be entertaining. What’s more, 12 Angry Men takes place entirely in one room during one deliberation session. And yet, it’s a phenomenal, gripping film that will have you questioning everything you know about the legal system—and society.
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Toy Story 2 (1999)
Are you surprised? Toy Story 2 managed to do the same thing as its predecessor: impress the pants off every critic under the sun. This riveting second outing proved that the first film wasn’t a fluke, that Pixar was that good, and that CG animated films were here to stay.
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