12. Dune- In the year 10191, two families are fighting over a spice (melange), and control over the planet Arrakis. One man fighting for power decided to throw the families against each other so he could sneak in and take control. He tried getting the offspring of the two families to mate and provide a “superhuman” that would tarnish the families’ bloodlines. Unknowingly, the offspring that came from this strategy resulted in the birth of the messiah. I had always been intrigued by this movie/novel since 5th grade, when I wanted to do my book reports on it, but soon realized it was too long. The book cover was deceiving, because it portrayed this man fighting a giant worm. I guess that is why they say don’t judge a book by its cover. The movie did have some worm sightings but it mainly focused on the messiah and his escape from execution. I might not have fully understood the movie, but it did have some characteristics to get on this list.
11. Tremors- When I was younger Tremor was a scary movie for me. Those giant, ugly worms that would pop out of the ground and eat humans would cause any young child a scare. This movie brings an element of surprise because the viewer never knows when the worms will attack. The movie is a little repetitive and predictable but even so those worms are scary once they pop up.
10. Lord of the Rings- These movies, based on the novels by JR Tolkien, have blossomed into one of the most successful trilogies ever made. Lord of the Rings brings together fantasy and adventure, as hobbits have to travel to Mordor to destroy the all powerful ring. The movies run very long (3+ hours), but this is for good reason. By making the movies longer than usual, the films were able to incorporate more information from the novels, that otherwise would’ve been left out. The Series does a good job relaying the excitement, suspense, and surprise that the novels showed.
9. Terminator- Who doesn’t love Arnold and his corny lines that never seem to be forgotten? "I’ll be back" has become a staple, and it seems every movie he stars in features that line. Terminator is a movie where a killer machine disguised as a human (a terminator) comes back from the future to destroy the leader of the rebel army before the leader is ever born. The terminator spends most of the movie riding around on a motorcycle, with his heavy artillery, searching out John Conner, so he can end the rebel movement before it ever starts.
8. Back to the Future- This movie is an all time favorite and classic to not only me but also my dad. The movie stars Michael J. Fox as the young Marty McFly and Christopher Lloyd as Doc Brown. Doc Brown has created a time machine where he and Marty go back in time. While there they make some changes in the past which unknowing creates a disturbance in the future. Both characters offer comedic moments as they try to fix the flux capacitor and find ways to get back to the present. Even today, twenty years after being made, the movie still attracts viewers among all ages, and all the major networks show it when they get a chance.
7. X-Men- The X-Men series is a great example of a cartoon that made it to the big screen successfully. X-Men tells the story of Charles Xavier, who runs an academy for mutants, outcasts of today’s society. The mutants are hated by society yet they also fight their own kind. The film was able to put together a star studded cast that effectively portrayed the mutant heroes (Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, and Halle Berry to name a few). Wolverine is as edgy and hairy as the original Wolverine, and Cyclops is still the leader who lacks the confidence to profess his love for Jean Grey. X-Men is an exciting action movie that needs to be watched. The good news is that the movies keep coming. A cartoon/comic fan would be pleased with the way the movies have come out.
6. E.T. - E.T. is everyone’s favorite alien. He’s ugly yet adorable at the same time. In a time where most alien movies had kids hiding under their covers and having nightmares for weeks, E.T. had kids asking their parents to re-rent the movie. As a child I was one of those kids, before I got the movie for Christmas, I constantly begged by parents to rent it every Friday night. No child from the 90’s will ever forget E.T and his line “E.T. phone home”. The lack of air time E.T. receives in today’s time is shocking to me. E.T. is a full head and shoulders above the children movies that plague the screens today. The movie was able to add a real life component by having real humans instead of today’s movies where it seems to be all cartoon centered. The movie is an all time great children’s movie, and it is a shame how television has just thrown it aside.
5. Transformers- Transformers is another example of a cartoon turned into a successful trilogy. I would watch Transformers every time it was on. Saturday was cartoon day for me. Transformers the movie brings Optimus Prime and the rest of the Autobots to the big screen where they fight Megatron and the Decepticons. Then to add to all the excitement, they add Megan Fox to the cast. So when you’re not watching the robots, there is a second option.
4. Matrix- The Matrix trilogy is one of my favorite trilogies of all time. The series can be very confusing to many, especially if they don’t understand the concept of the digital world as reality. The matrix is a world where the creator rules all. Every object can be seen, but in reality it isn’t there. The only reason it appears is because the mind believes that the object is there. Keanu Reeves might not be that great of an actor, but he and Mr. Smith made one of the best rivalries in movie history. It was inevitable that this movie appear on this list.
3. Men in Black- One of the few comedies on this list, Men in Black relays the concept of alien life forms living on Earth undercover as regular human beings. Just imagine every bug is an alien, and the guy who delivers your papers could have six arms. Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones provide the comedic aspect to the movie as they go along blasting and capturing the bad aliens. Smith (J) is the impatient one who loves to use his gun, and Jones (K) is the stern one who is famous for his one line responses. If you want to see MIB III you‘re going to have to wait, because it doesn’t come out until 2012.
2. Harry Potter- This series has taken the popular book series and turned it into real life adaptation of teenage life. The movie is directed toward a teen audience and the director makes the movie relevant to today’s teenagers. Ignoring the magical world of wizardry the movie incorporates the everyday problems that teenagers go through on an everyday basis like school, relationships, and the different personality’s people can have. Harry is the jock whom everyone is envious of, Ron is the reliable wingman, and Hermione is the nerd who spends her time engulfed in the library or a book. The magic is used to create a fantasy element that reels in the attention of the viewer.
1. Star Wars- This is one of the greatest movie series ever made. It spans over three decades, and hasn’t lost a beat. George Lucas did a fantastic job in combining technology and the space world together. The effects for its time are unreal. Even after a sixteen year lay-off, the prequels all garnered the same attention as the first three. Money also doesn’t lie, Star Wars is in the top three for best trilogy series of all time.
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