Summary
Rotten Tomatoes recently released a new ranking of the 300 best movies ever, but the list is filled with odd surprises when analyzed in detail. The list uses a formula which takes into account a movie’s audience score as well as its critical reception. (viaRotten Tomatoes) This formula has thrown up plenty of strange choices, and the list is quite unlike any other ranking of the best movies of all time.
One big surprise is that the 1997 crime thrillerL.A. Confidentialis in the top spot, rather than one of the usual candidates such asCasablanca, The GodfatherorSeven Samurai.Someclassics aren’t even on the Rotten Tomatoes list.Vertigo, TitanicandThe Shawshank Redemptionare all missing, showing how unusual the Rotten Tomatoes methodology is. These are far from the only oddities that have come from the controversial ranking.
The 60 Best Movies Of All Time
Screen Rant breaks down the best movies of all time, from old classics to modern masterpieces across multiple genres of cinema.
10Citizen Kane Is Ranked At Number 33
Orson Welles' masterpiece has topped plenty of other lists of the greatest films ever
Orson Welles' masterpieceCitizen Kaneappears on practically every “best movies ever” list, and it frequently pops up near the top of these lists. The Rotten Tomatoes list hasCitizen Kanesitting in the number 33 spot, which is still impressive, but it’s much lower than it has appeared in many other lists and polls. For a film which so often cracks the top five, this is a strange anomaly.
Citizen Kanewas ranked number one in the AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Movies list, and it also claimed top spot in the BFI’s Sight & Sound poll five times in a row over the course of 40 years.
Citizen KaneandCasablancaare often the heavyweight contenders for the title of “best movie ever”. Rotten Tomatoes hasCasablancain third place.Citizen Kanewas ranked number one in the AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Movies list, and it also claimed top spot in the BFI’s Sight & Sound poll five times in a row over the course of 40 years. Its Rotten Tomatoes audience score of 90% is low enough to drag it down beneath movies likeSpotlight, How to Train Your DragonandSelma.
94 Movies From 2023 Are Ranked Higher Than Oppenheimer
Christopher Nolan’s Oscar-winner is at number 199
Although Christopher Nolan’s biopicOppenheimerwon the Academy Award for Best Picture, the Rotten Tomatoes list suggests that 2023 produced four movies that would have been more worthy winners.The highest-rated movie from last year isThe Holdovers,which sits at number 36. Also ranked higher thanOppenheimerareMission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One,Spider-Man: Across the Spider-VerseandJohn Wick: Chapter 4.
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One,Spider-Man: Across the Spider-VerseandJohn Wick: Chapter 4all place higher than the Best Picture winner.
While these are all great movies, it’s a little surprising that they outrankOppenheimer, which is placed at number 199. The Rotten Tomatoes system takes audience opinion into account, so crowd-pleasing blockbusters tend to do well, even if they aren’t the types of films which are geared toward awards-season success. This explains how movies from theMission: ImpossibleandJohn Wickfranchises place so highly.
87 Of The Last 10 Best Picture Winners Are Absent
Oppenheimer is a rare exception
AlthoughOppenheimer’s relatively low ranking is a surprise, many Best Picture winners are completely absent from the list. The only three Best Picture winners from the last decade on the Rotten Tomatoes top 300 areOppenheimer, ParasiteandSpotlight.Other winners likeBirdman,MoonlightandThe Shape of Waterwere more popular with critics than they were with regular moviegoers.
The only three Best Picture winners from the last decade on the Rotten Tomatoes top 300 areOppenheimer, ParasiteandSpotlight.
Best Picture winners aren’t always popular with audiences, andthe Rotten Tomatoes list favors movies which have a broad appealto accompany their critical success. This explains why a lighthearted and creative family comedy likePaddington 2makes the list over a dark and unusual romance likeThe Shape of Water,although both movies were released in 2017. The Academy doesn’t take audience opinions into consideration.
7The Two Towers Is 161 Places Higher Than The Next Best Lord Of The Rings Movie
Peter Jackson’s three Lord of the Rings movies are usually on an equal footing
Peter Jackson’s brilliantLord of the Ringstrilogy is often regarded as one of the finest film series of all time, and it’s not uncommon for all three movies to appear in lists similar to the Rotten Tomatoes top 300. For example,all three movies are in the top 12 ofIMDb’s Top 250 Movies. For some reason, the Rotten Tomatoes has them much more spread out, withThe Two Towersthe onlyLord of the Ringsmovie in the top 100.
The Fellowship of the Ringis ranked at number 201 andThe Return of the Kingis at number 205. It makes sense that these movies are practically level with one another, but it’s strange thatThe Two Towersis 161 places higher up.
The Fellowship of the Ringis ranked at number 201 andThe Return of the Kingis at number 205. It makes sense that these movies are practically level with one another, but it’s strange thatThe Two Towersis 161 places higher up. AlthoughThe Return of the Kingis the one which was showered with awards, it has the lowest audience score of the trilogy, possibly due to the common criticism that the ending drags on for too long.
6Stanley Kubrick Has Just 1 Movie In The Top 100
Dr. Straneglove is Kubrick’s only movie anywhere near the top of the list
Any director would be honored to have one of their movies in the top 100, but Stanley Kubrick’s body of work includes multiple movies which are considered among the best of all time. His Cold War comedyDr. Strangeloveis at spot number 38, just belowInside Out,but his next highest-rated movie is all the way down at number 161, withPaths of Glory.The Killingis his only other movie to creep into the top 300, at number 297.
Kubrick’s admirers may have expected to seeA Clockwork Orange, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket, Barry Lyndonor2001: A Space Odysseyin the top 300.
Dr. Strangelovedeserves its place, but Kubrick’s admirers may have expected to seeA Clockwork Orange, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket, Barry Lyndonor2001: A Space Odysseyalongside it. These movies all have high Rotten Tomatoes scores with critics and audiences, but they aren’t enough. Other legendary directors have a little more luck on the Rotten Tomatoes list.Alfred Hitchcock has four movies in the top 100, while Francis Ford Coppola has three.
5Daniel Day-Lewis Has Just 1 Movie On The List
Daniel Day-Lewis has won three Oscars, four BAFTAs, and countless other accolades.In a career spanning almost 50 years, he developed a reputation as one of the greatest dramatic actors of all time, and his movies were routinely showered with praise from critics. This outstanding success doesn’t translate onto theRotten Tomatoeslist, however, as onlyMy Left Footmakes the cut.
There Will Be Blood, In the Name of the FatherandLincolnare all hugely popular with critics and audiences alike, but they clearly aren’t quite popular enough.
Many more ofDaniel Day-Lewis' best movieswouldn’t have looked out of place on the list.There Will Be Blood, In the Name of the FatherandLincolnare all hugely popular with critics and audiences alike, but they clearly aren’t quite popular enough. Day-Lewis' presence in a movie is all but a guarantee of quality, but he may not have the kind of general appeal that other actors do, since he focused on standalone dramatic works rather than splashy blockbusters or comedies.
4There Are Some Sci-Fi Classics Missing From The List
Many of the greatest sci-fi movies of all time are nowhere to be seen
Some genres appear more frequently than others on the Rotten Tomatoes list. Horror classics don’t always receive glowing critical reviews, and comedy movies are more subjective, so it’s no surprise that the methodology behind the list made it hard for either of these genres. The lack of some sci-fi classics is a little more surprising, since sci-fi can often please critics just as much as regular movie fans.
EvenEverything Everywhere All at Once,which might have benefited from its recent popularity, doesn’t crack the top 300.
Many of thebest sci-fi movies of all timeare absent from the list, despite their impressive Rotten Tomatoes scores.The Matrix, Jurassic ParkandBlade Runnerall have great scores, but they aren’t quite high enough to make it on to the list. Stanley Kubrick’s2001: A Space Odysseyis often cited as the pinnacle of the sci-fi genre, but it is also absent. EvenEverything Everywhere All at Once,which might have benefited from its recent popularity, doesn’t crack the top 300.
3There Are No Movies From 2005
2005 is strangely under-represented
For some reason,2005 is the only year within the last 40 that doesn’t contribute a single movie to the list. Even the lean pandemic years are able to add one or two movies. Recency bias seems to be an issue with the Rotten Tomatoes list, as the 21st century is disproportionately represented, but 2005 is the one year that doesn’t benefit from this phenomenon, despite delivering a few films now considered classics.
Brokeback Mountain, V for VendettaandSin Cityare just three candidates that would have made sense on any best movies of all time list, but they don’t have high enough Rotten Tomatoes ratings to qualify.
Brokeback Mountain, V for VendettaandSin Cityare just three candidates that would have made sense on any best movies of all time list, but they don’t have high enough Rotten Tomatoes ratings to qualify.Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbitwas probably closer to being included, as it has a 95% critical score, but its 79% audience score may have held it back.
2Pixar Has 6 Movies Ranked Higher Than Any Disney Animation
Every Toy Story movie is on the list
One thing that stands out from a cursory glance over the list is the abundance of Pixar movies.Toy Story 2is the studio’s highest-ranked movie in the number 8 spot. This also makes it the highest-ranked animated movie of any kind. Before Disney Animation makes its way on to the list at number 32 withZootopia,Pixar also hasToy Story, Up, Finding Nemo, Toy Story 3andCoco.
Before Disney Animation makes its way on to the list at number 32 withZootopia,Pixar also hasToy Story, Up, Finding Nemo, Toy Story 3andCoco.
Many ofPixar’s best moviespop up throughout the list, including Soul, Ratatouille andMonsters, Inc.All four of Pixar’sToy Storymovies, not including the spinoffLightyear,hold a place in the top 50, which makes it the most successful franchise by far. Disney Animation movies simply can’t compete. While there are a few inclusions, likeMoanaandAladdin,these fall further toward the bottom of the list.
1Curtis Hanson’s Only Movie In The Top 300 Is In The Top Spot
L.A. Confidential is the list’s big surprise
One of the most obvious surprises of the list is thatL.A. Confidentialsits at number one. The 1997 retro thriller is undoubtedly a great movie, but it still raised plenty of eyebrows when it beat out classics likeCasablancaandThe Godfather.What’s even more surprising is thatL.A. Confidentialis Curtis Hanson’s only film in Rotten Tomatoes' top 300, while other directors have plenty of entries.
Hanson also wrote and produced the neo-noir crime drama, based on the novel by James Ellroy.
Curtis Hanson’s other movies include8 MileandThe Hand That Rocks the Cradle.None of them have achieved the same level of critical acclaim asL.A. Confidential.Hanson also wrote and produced the neo-noir crime drama, based on the novel by James Ellroy. For whatever reason, he seems to have clicked with the project, making it by far his most critically successful movie.
