The Internet Selects the 10 Greatest Movies of All Time

1 year ago by Ben Kendrick

10 Greatest Movies of All Time The Internet Selects the 10 Greatest Movies of All Time

Screen Rant owner Vic Holtreman originally founded this site with the intention of providing readers with a middle-ground/average person perspective on movie news and reviews – hence our old mantra “movie and TV news without the sugar coating.” While the site has certainly evolved – we now cover a wider range of genres and provide readers with a variety of diverse “voices” – our willingness to champion both entertaining and/or artistic movies (at least on a case by case basis) hasn’t changed.

Which is why we (Vic and myself) jumped at the chance to participate in Film School Reject‘s recent article the “10 Greatest Movies of All Time (According to the Internet).” Now the results are in.

The original idea (read the full FSR list), drummed-up by the host of their popular podcast (Reject Radio), Cole Abaius, was a response to Sight & Sound‘s acclaimed “Greatest Films Poll” – which is revisited every ten years (the 2012 list should be revealed soon). That said, while previous Sight and Sound lists are certainly full of celebrated films – FSR was more interested in discovering which entries would make the cut if the “greatest movies” list was decided by a younger generation of Internet-based personalities (plus, as mentioned, a few bonus filmmakers).

Check out the 2002 Sight and Sound “Critics Top 10 Poll” list below, followed by FSR‘s compiled list of the “10 Greatest Movies of All Time (According to the Internet)”:

2002 Sight and Sound “Critics Top 10 Poll”

Citizen Kane (46 mentions)
Vertigo (41 mentions)
La Règle du Jeu (The Rules of the Game) (30 mentions)
The Godfather and The Godfather Part II (23 mentions)
Tokyo Story (22 mentions)
2001: A Space Odyssey (21 mentions)
The Battleship Potemkin (19 mentions)
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (19 mentions)
8½ (18 mentions)
Singin’ in the Rain (17 mentions)

10 Greatest Movies of All Time (According to the Internet) [2012]

Citizen Kane (73 points)
Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (61)
The Godfather (57)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (53)
Casablanca (48)
8½ (44)
Back to the Future (44)
2001: A Space Odyssey (43)
Bicycle Thieves (41)
Vertigo (40)

FSR was intentionally vague about how respondents should interpret the word “greatest” – which certainly allows for more ambiguity than a similar word such as “Best.” As a result, not only were contributor lists presented individually, everyone was also allowed a brief explanation detailing why they selected the films on their list – which, no doubt, offered interesting insight into how online writers approached deciding which films are the “greatest.”

You can check out the full list of contributors over on the original Film School Rejects article – but I have included the lists (and explanations) put forth by Vic and myself below. Without question, our choices should (if nothing else) stir some interesting debate in the comments.

Aliens Queen The Internet Selects the 10 Greatest Movies of All Time

Vic Holtreman (Owner/Editor-In-Chief, Screen Rant)

Aliens
It’s a Wonderful Life
Casablanca
The Godfather Part 2
Goodfellas
The Princess Bride
Die Hard
The Matrix
The Incredibles
Rocky

On His List: Call me a populist, I don’t care – for me, movies that make my overall top 10 list are those that I can watch over and over again and never tire of them – mostly movies that entertain me, not movies with some deep, meaningful message (if I want that, I’d rather read a novel). Really, I could add another 10-15 films to the list above and just jumble them in no particular order as favorites, but as of the moment when I assembled the list, this is where I stand.

Ben Kendrick (Screen Rant Editor and Host of the Screen Rant Underground Podcast)

Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope
The Dark Knight
Pulp Fiction
Up
The Godfather
Inception
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
The Sixth Sense
Se7en
The Avengers

On His List: While other contributors will no-doubt have a list of superiorly-crafted dramas chock-full of Academy Award winners (and for good reason), I tend to think about the “Top 10 Movies of All Time” in terms of the lasting effect they had on moviegoers and the industry alike. Plenty of my selections could be picked apart for cheesy dialogue and awkward directing choices, among other technical shortcomings. However, these films either set the standard for future entries in their respective genres, offered some genuinely interesting core story ideas, and/or provided flat-out fun moviegoing experiences worthy of repeat viewings – all while remaining grounded in memorable and intriguing character moments.

I’m sure I’ll take a lot of guff for including The Avengers as one of the “greatest” movies of all time (the answer was, admittedly, intended to be a fun underdog choice at #10) but that’s why the FSR list is, ultimately, an enjoyable opportunity for moviegoers – because we all have a few guilty pleasures.

We’d love to hear your lists for the “10 Greatest Movies of All Time” in the comments below – and be sure to check out the full list over at Film School Rejects.

Follow me on Twitter @benkendrick for more movie, TV, and gaming news.

Source: Film School Rejects