Need some movie ideas? Check out this list of the best epic films of all time, which encompasses some of the best movies of all time that Hollywood has to offer. These are movies with incredible stories and characters, and whose mere existence have enriched the world of cinema in some way. From historical war films to the best superhero flicks, these are hands down some seriously epic flicks. Take James Cameron's Avatar whose imagined planet and humanity are now the stuff of Oscar legend and whose cast was catapulted to fame. Or Batman Begins which simultaneously reinvented the superhero movie and the Batman franchise. These are some of the biggest, most important movies ever. But which one deserves the top spot?
What are the best epic movies of all time? What makes a great modern day epic movie? By definition, epic movies have a larger than life storyline, take place over a span of time, and has a plot that carries out some kind of heroic deed or epic adventure. Every epic movie listed can be sorted by actor, director, and title and every epic film on this list is more epic than the last. What's the best epic movie? That's for you to decide! Enjoy this list of the greatest epic movies and use it as a starting point for your own epic movie list. Whichever you choose as your favorite, these epics are definitely worth adding to your must-watch list.
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5,7772,333Forrest Gump
Tom Hanks, Sally FieldReleased: 1994
Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
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4,9052,307Saving Private Ryan
Tom Hanks, Matt DamonReleased: 1998
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
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3,4831,676The Green Mile
Tom Hanks, Gary SiniseReleased: 1999
Directed by: Frank Darabont
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1,674667Apollo 13
Tom Hanks, Bryce Dallas HowardReleased: 1995
Directed by: Ron Howard
5
1,784954The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Clint Eastwood, Eli WallachReleased: 1966
Directed by: Sergio Leone
6
6,7973,915The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Cate Blanchett, Ian McKellenReleased: 2003
Directed by: Peter Jackson
7
1,522833Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Harrison Ford, Sean ConneryReleased: 1989
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
8
465222Jurassic Park
Samuel L. Jackson, Jeff GoldblumReleased: 1993
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
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2,0801,259Back to the Future
Michael J. Fox, Christopher LloydReleased: 1985
Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
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1,111573Alien
Sigourney Weaver, John HurtReleased: 1979
Directed by: Ridley Scott
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2,4311,431The Matrix
Keanu Reeves, Hugo WeavingReleased: 1999
Directed by: Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski
12
925506The Silence of the Lambs
Jodie Foster, Anthony HopkinsReleased: 1991
Directed by: Jonathan Demme
13
1,388858Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Johnny Depp, Keira KnightleyReleased: 2003
Directed by: Gore Verbinski
14
1,058666The Lion King
Whoopi Goldberg, Jeremy IronsReleased: 1994
Directed by: Rob Minkoff, Roger Allers
15
1,8021,161The Godfather Part II
Al Pacino, Robert De NiroReleased: 1974
Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola
16
736351Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Harrison Ford, Steven SpielbergReleased: 1984
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
17
2,7611,677Schindler's List
Liam Neeson, Ralph FiennesReleased: 1993
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
18
1,455895The Terminator
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bill PaxtonReleased: 1984
Directed by: James Cameron
19
812439Aliens
Sigourney Weaver, Bill PaxtonReleased: 1986
Directed by: James Cameron
20
1,433859Inception
Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom HardyReleased: 2010
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
21
2,2761,554Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
Harrison Ford, Alfred MolinaReleased: 1981
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
22
891536The Bridge on the River Kwai
Alec Guinness, William HoldenReleased: 1957
Directed by: David Lean
23
3,5302,289The Godfather
Al Pacino, Marlon BrandoReleased: 1972
Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola
24
3,4202,211The Shawshank Redemption
Morgan Freeman, Rita HayworthReleased: 1994
Directed by: Frank Darabont
25
777502E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Drew Barrymore, Erika EleniakReleased: 1982
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
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