Must See Movies: 25 Films Everyone Should Watch at Least Once

Every movie lover has a mental list of films they keep meaning to watch. This is ours: 25 must see movies that have earned their reputation over years — in some cases, decades — of being watched, quoted, argued about and passed on to friends. They are not all “the greatest” in some official sense, and you will probably disagree with an omission or two. That’s fine. What they all share is staying power: each one does something so well that cinema still feels its influence today.

We’ve grouped the list by mood and era, so whether you want a black-and-white classic, a nerve-shredding thriller or an animated film that will quietly break your heart, there’s a place to start.

The Classics That Set the Standard

Casablanca (1942) — Michael Curtiz’s wartime romance is the most quotable film ever made, but it’s also a genuinely moving story about love losing to duty. Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman give it a ache that still lands eighty years on.

Rear Window (1954) — Alfred Hitchcock traps James Stewart in a wheelchair with a broken leg and turns the audience into voyeurs alongside him. It’s a masterclass in building suspense out of almost nothing.

12 Angry Men (1957) — Sidney Lumet’s courtroom drama never leaves one room, yet it’s one of the most gripping films on this list. A single juror slowly dismantles a seemingly certain verdict, and every minute earns its tension honestly.

The Godfather (1972) — Francis Ford Coppola’s crime epic is the rare film that lives up to every word of its reputation. Marlon Brando and Al Pacino anchor a story about family and power that changed American filmmaking for good.

Dramas That Stay With You

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) — Jack Nicholson’s Randle McMurphy rebels against a psychiatric ward ruled by Nurse Ratched, and what begins as a comedy turns into something much sadder. It swept the five major Academy Awards, deservedly.

Schindler’s List (1993) — Steven Spielberg’s black-and-white account of Oskar Schindler, the factory owner who saved over a thousand Jewish lives during the Holocaust, is harrowing and essential. Not an easy watch, but an important one.

The Shawshank Redemption (1994) — Frank Darabont’s prison drama flopped on release and then became one of the most beloved films ever made through sheer word of mouth. It’s a story about hope that never feels sentimental about it.

Forrest Gump (1994) — Tom Hanks plays a kind-hearted man who drifts through decades of American history, touching everyone he meets. Warm, funny and quietly devastating in the right places.

Crime and Thriller Essentials

Goodfellas (1990) — Martin Scorsese’s kinetic true-crime story follows Henry Hill through thirty years of mob life. For two hours it feels glamorous; then it shows you the bill.

The Silence of the Lambs (1991) — Jodie Foster’s young FBI trainee consults Anthony Hopkins’ imprisoned Hannibal Lecter to catch another killer. Their scenes together are pure electric tension, and it remains the only horror film to win Best Picture.

Pulp Fiction (1994) — Quentin Tarantino shuffled timelines, small talk and sudden violence into something that felt completely new. Its structure has been imitated endlessly; the original still feels alive.

Se7en (1995) — David Fincher’s rain-soaked serial killer film follows two detectives hunting a murderer who uses the seven deadly sins as his pattern. Bleak, methodical, and with an ending people still reference.

The Dark Knight (2008) — Christopher Nolan made a superhero film that plays like a crime saga, and Heath Ledger’s Joker remains the performance against which all screen villains are measured.

Parasite (2019) — Bong Joon Ho’s class satire begins as a sly comedy about a poor family conning its way into a wealthy household, then pivots into thriller and tragedy. It became the first non-English-language film to win Best Picture.

Sci-Fi and Adventure Landmarks

Alien (1979) — Ridley Scott turned a spaceship into a haunted house. Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley redefined action heroes, and the film’s slow, quiet dread still outperforms most modern horror.

The Empire Strikes Back (1980) — The rare sequel that deepened everything about its predecessor: darker, stranger, and with a final-act revelation that changed pop culture permanently.

Back to the Future (1985) — Robert Zemeckis’s time-travel comedy is about as perfectly constructed as mainstream filmmaking gets. Every setup pays off, every joke lands, and it has never stopped being fun.

The Matrix (1999) — The Wachowskis fused philosophy, Hong Kong action and groundbreaking effects into a film that made audiences question reality itself. Its influence on action cinema is still everywhere.

Inception (2010) — Christopher Nolan’s heist film set inside dreams within dreams is a blockbuster that trusts its audience to keep up — and rewards them for it, right down to that final spinning shot.

Animation and Modern Masterpieces

Toy Story (1995) — Pixar’s first feature proved computer animation could carry a story with real wit and feeling. Woody and Buzz’s rivalry-to-friendship arc works for five-year-olds and forty-year-olds alike.

Spirited Away (2001) — Hayao Miyazaki’s tale of a girl working in a bathhouse for spirits is strange, beautiful and deeply humane. For many viewers, it was the door into anime as a whole.

Whiplash (2014) — A jazz drummer and his abusive teacher push each other to the edge in Damien Chazelle’s electrifying two-hander. The final scene is one of the most intense sequences in modern film — and there’s barely a word of dialogue in it.

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) — George Miller returned to his own franchise at seventy and out-directed everyone. Essentially one long chase, it’s a miracle of practical stunts, clarity and momentum.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) — An animated film that looks like a comic book come alive, and tells a genuinely fresh superhero story about Miles Morales learning that anyone can wear the mask.

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) — The Daniels turned a multiverse premise into a story about family, regret and kindness, with Michelle Yeoh holding the chaos together. Absurd, inventive and unexpectedly moving.

Where to Watch Them

The good news is that you don’t need to hunt any of these down. Every film on this list is available through major legal streaming services or digital rental stores, and most rotate through the big subscription platforms regularly — a quick search on your service of choice will find them. If you’d like a refresher on telling safe, legitimate viewing options apart from risky ones, our guide to a movie site’s safety, legality and reputation walks through what to look for.

Start wherever your taste points you — a classic you’ve never seen, a thriller you’ve only heard quoted, an animated film you dismissed as “for kids.” Twenty-five films later, you’ll understand the references, the homages and half the conversations film fans have. Happy watching.