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Finding the best Disney Plus movies is no small task. Disney’s streaming service is stocked with titles pulled from over a century of making cinema. Faced with such a big library, a bit of decision paralysis is understandable.
The best movies on Disney Plus include some of the industry’s biggest, most acclaimed franchises, like Star Wars, Marvel and Pixar. Disney Plus is where you go to watch the Marvel movies in order and the Star Wars movies in order.
But the streamer offers much more than these beloved brands. So, our crack team of movie lovers has dug deep into the catalog to highlight the best Disney Plus movies. Not only have we found the worthiest entries in the big franchises, but we’ve also found other fantastic films from the House of Mouse.
So, on top of the adventures of the Skywalker Saga and the Infinity Wars, we’ve got adorable family movies, excellent documentaries and absolute classics.
Here are our picks for the best Disney movies. For television, check out our list of the best Disney Plus shows.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
The tragic passing of Chadwick Boseman left a big hole in the world and in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The first Black Panther movie was a smash hit and a critical darling, and a lot of its success rested on Boseman’s capable shoulders. Director Ryan Coogler wanted to find a way to honor his friend and continue the franchise in the sequel, Wakanda Forever.
Much of the film is marked by grief for King T’Challa. Queen Mother Ramonda (Angela Bassett) takes on his leadership role, while Shuri (Letitia Wright) researches a way to bring back the heart-shaped herb that can anoint a new Black Panther. But a new threat looms in the form of Namor (Tenoch Huerta Mejía), the ruler of an ancient underwater civilization. Ramonda, Shuri, Okoye (Danai Gurira) and new tech-genius ally Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) will do whatever it takes to protect Wakanda. – Kelly Woo
Genre: Superhero action
Rotten Tomatoes score: 84%
Stars: Letitia Wright, Angela Bassett, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Winston Duke
Director: Ryan Coogler
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Fire of Love (2022)
Fire of Love is a movie that you’ll be shocked exists. Not only because Katia and Maurice Krafft are a pair of volcano experts who managed to find each other and fall in love, with a match made in magma. But Fire of Love is an utterly impressive documentary because of its sheer amount of footage. The Kraffts, constantly documenting their own work, basically treated every trek as if they were The Beatles on tour, allowing you to see their dangerous work from angles that make you feel like you’re following them from volcano to volcano.
Miranda July’s emotive and heartfelt narration may not be for everyone (though it worked for yours truly), but Fire of Love is the kind of movie that could even melt an icy heart. The Kraffts dedicated their lives to studying volcanoes, doing their best to spread awareness of the danger inside these mountains. From the moment you learn that some volcanoes are basically already-lit explosives — it’s just the length of the fuse we don’t know — Fire of Love will have you entranced with its amazing story. — Henry T. Casey
Genre: Documentary
Rotten Tomatoes score: 98%
Stars: Katia Krafft, Maurice Krafft, Miranda July (narrator)
Director: Sara Dosa
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Turning Red (2022)
A straight-to-Disney Plus movie release often makes you wonder how good a film is going to be. Or at least it did until Turning Red came out. This emotionally resonant coming-of-age movie views puberty through a fantasy lens where 13-year-old Chinese-Canadian girl Meilin “Mei” Lee (Rosalie Chiang) discovers a terrible family secret. Whenever she’s too flustered or emotional, she turns into a giant red panda.
This is the last thing Mei wanted to have to deal with, as she and her friends have already set their sights on going to a huge boy band concert. Unfortunately, the ritual that could free her from this curse just so happens to fall on the same evening as the big 4*Town show. As you might expect, plenty of drama ensues with Mei’s parents, as her mother Ming (Sandra Oh) is protective and doesn’t understand her concerns. — HTC
Genre: Coming-of-age comedy
Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%
Stars: Rosalie Chiang, Sandra Oh, Ava Morse, Hyein Park, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan
Director: Domee Shi
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Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers (2022)
Every now and again, we find a movie that is so much better than it has any right to be. And Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers fits that description perfectly. While Disney Plus gets deserved flack for reheating old nostalgia for profit, this delightful and inventive revival actually brings its old franchise to the modern era, with all the winks and nudges you could ask for along the way.
The story is simple: Chip (voiced by John Mulaney) and Dale (voiced by Andy Samberg), stars of the titular TV show-within-a-movie, had a falling out back in the day. Now, Dale works the convention circuit and Chip has a desk job. A mystery tied to their old show, though, forces the duo to try to put their past behind them to help a friend. On top of that, a series of hilarious cameos make Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers one of the best movies on Disney Plus. — HTC
Genre: Comedy adventure
Rotten Tomatoes score: 80%
Stars: John Mulaney, Andy Samberg, KiKi Layne, Will Arnett, Eric Bana, Flula Borg
Director: Akiva Schaffer
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Summer of Soul (2021)
Part concert film, part overdue history lesson, Summer of Soul is important and relevant to the current cultural moment. But it’s also simply a blast, from a past most of us knew nothing about. The documentary from first-time director Questlove unearths footage from the other, less famous music festival of the summer of 1969. We’ve all heard plenty about Woodstock; it’s taken too long to learn more about the weekly concerts that took place in a Harlem park.
The doc is a joyful celebration of Black culture and excellence, with absolutely divine performances by Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, BB King, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Mahalia Jackson and Mavis Staples (among many others). The Harlem Culture Festival didn’t get the recognition it deserved then, but we can give it our attention now. — KW
Genre: Documentary
Rotten Tomatoes score: 99%
Stars: Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, B.B. King
Director: Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson
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Hamilton (2020)
Bless Disney Plus for bringing the filmed version of award-winning Broadway musical Hamilton to the masses. Many theater lovers had heard about the phenomenon but couldn’t see it on stage. And let’s give thanks for creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and his astonishing, history-laden, hip-hop-influenced songs. We also can’t forget the cast’s stunning performances, led by Miranda as the Founding Father and Leslie Odom Jr. as rival Aaron Burr.
Hamilton isn’t merely a recording of a stage performance. Director Thomas Kail used several recordings of live performances in front of audiences, as well as sequences filmed without an audience for close-ups. The result is a gorgeous, entertaining and heartstopping movie that will leave you singing (out loud or to yourself) for some time. — KW
Genre: Musical
Rotten Tomatoes score: 98%
Stars: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Leslie Odom Jr., Phillipa Soo, Renée Elise Goldberry, Daveed Diggs
Director: Thomas Kail
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Avengers: Endgame (2019)
The Earth’s mightiest warriors need to stop the madman known as Thanos (Josh Brolin), who just decimated life as they know it. Fortunately, there are ways to crack a man who looks like the Grimace’s jacked cousin. With some ingenuity, time travel and new intergalactic friends Captain Marvel and the Guardians of the Galaxy, the Avengers have a chance at restoring their own reality.
And, sure, we could have also included the first Avengers (which created the formula) or Avengers: Infinity War (without which, we couldn’t have Endgame), but this Avengers movie is the best because it’s simply more dramatically interesting. This is a movie about the different ways we process grief. Oh, and its ending — that epic big battle scene — is cooler, too. — HTC
Genres: Superhero, sci-fi, action
Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%
Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner
Directors: Anthony Russo and Joe Russo
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Toy Story 4 (2019)
I can hear your complaints as I write this out — yes, the only Toy Story movie on this list is the most-recent. But stick with me here. Toy Story 4, which had no right to be as excellent as it is, gave us a story that the series set up, but never delivered: what would have happened if Woody & Bo Peep had a second chance?
It doesn’t start there, though. It begins as we look at the entire concept of a toy, as young Bonnie fashions together Forky (Tony Hale), who seems like a Frankenstein’s Monster of a toy. But after a family road trip goes awry, Woody has to take a strong look at what he wants to do with his life. Toy Story 4 was a huge surprise to see in theaters, especially after Toy Story 3 felt like a perfect (if utterly depressing at times) send-off. — HTC
Genre: Comedy adventure
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%
Stars: Tom Hanks, Annie Potts, Tim Allen, Tony Hale, Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele
Director: Josh Cooley
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Black Panther (2018)
After we first met Wakanda’s new king T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) in Captain America: Civil War, a solo film for Black Panther was an inevitability. And this is a very personal tale, as T’Challa’s ascent to the position of Black Panther isn’t a smooth process. The arrival of a hitherto-unknown heir to the throne — Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan in top form) — presents a difficult challenge.
Not only does Killmonger have a valid claim to the throne, he’s also better at politicking in this world than T’Challa is. The two fight for the throne and future of Wakanda, as T’Challa wants peace and Killmonger wants vengeance. However, T’Challa has one thing his rival doesn’t: the support of the badass Dora Milaje (most notably Danai Gurira as Okoye) and his family.
Black Panther isn’t just an exceptional standalone MCU film, it’s also a strong reminder of how talented Boseman was, and how tragic it is that we lost him at such a young age. Black Panther set a tall bar for Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever. — HTC
Genres: Superhero, sci-fi, action
Rotten Tomatoes score: 96%
Stars: Chadwick Boseman, MIchael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya
Director: Ryan Coogler
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Free Solo (2018)
Alex Honnold does things no mortal man, and even most Marvel heroes, even think of: He’s a master of the “free solo” climb, wherein there are no ropes. Not only is Honnold on his own, but he’s even challenged himself with some of the most massive rock formations, including the El Capitan summit in California (you may have seen it on your macOS wallpaper about seven years ago). And Free Solo shows off how wild and dangerous his pursuit is.
Free Solo also goes beyond the glossy. This film shows Honnold as a very driven and motivated guy who is far from normal. We see that he’s put his climbing career ahead of everything, and is somewhat emotionally stunted. It shows how he’s unhappy, and by not providing his answer when he’s asked if he’s depressed, the film basically gives us the answer. — HTC
Genre: Documentary
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%
Stars: Alex Honnold, Tommy Caldwell, Sanni McCancless, Jimmy Chin
Directors: Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin
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Coco (2017)
Young Miguel, who lives in Santa Cecilia, Mexico, only wants to be a musician when he grows up. The problem? Well, his family would accept practically any other career choice. But during the Day of the Dead, an accident sends Miguel into a state he probably never expected: interacting with those long-departed in the (rather gorgeous) Land of the Dead. Filled with emotion and humor, Coco is one of the best Disney Plus movies, period.
Arguably the best Disney movie if you want a cathartic ugly-cry experience (hey, no judgment, moods are moods), Coco is a brilliant animated feature from Disney and Pixar that you better have seen by now (seriously, finish reading this list and then go watch it). I don’t often find myself watching music-driven animated films, but I strongly encourage you to try this one. — HTC
Genre: Musical drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%
Stars: Anthony Gonzalez, Gael García Bernal, Benjamin Bratt, Alanna Ubach, Renee Victor
Directors: Adrian Molina, Lee Unkrich
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Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Almost two movies perfectly meshed into one, Thor: Ragnarok helped elevate the already well-esteemed Taika Waititi to the next level. Now, big studios could give the guy behind What We Do in the Shadows a huge budget and expect a fun, original and entertaining action movie in return. Ragnarok is the third (and so-far-best) chapter of Thor’s solo movies, and while it helps to have seen the previous Thor movies (also on Disney Plus), you don’t need to.
This movie is a lot more self-contained, as Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is trying to protect Asgard from the apocalypse known as Ragnarok, as well as Hela (Cate Blanchett). But the other half of Ragnarok is much sillier, as Thor finds himself stuck on the planet of Sakaar, where he’s sold to a quirky guy called The Grandmaster (an inspired Jeff Goldblum), who forces him to compete in gladiatorial games. This is when Ragnarok becomes the Step Brothers of the MCU, as Thor reunites with the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), and it doesn’t exactly go smoothly. Fortunately, this movie also introduces Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie, an instant fan-favorite. — HTC
Genres: Superhero, comedy, action
Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%
Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Taika Waititi, Cate Blanchett, Tessa Thompson, Jeff Goldblum, Mark Ruffalo
Director: Taika Waititi
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Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi (2017)
When you think about the third trilogy of Star Wars’ Skywalker Saga, look past the one that is far too similar to A New Hope (The Force Awakens) and the one that’s way too obsessed with Emperor Palpatine (The Rise of Skywalker). While The Last Jedi is also rooted in the past of the movies, thanks to amazing work from Mark Hamill playing a hermit-like Luke, it’s a much more fresh and original addition to the lineup.
While we appreciate the whole cast’s contributions to The Last Jedi, this was the chapter where Daisy Ridley’s Rey felt most alive and vibrant and interesting. Oh, and Rian Johnson and his team contribute some of the most amazing visuals the Star Wars world has ever seen, including the red mineral-laced world of Crait. — HTC
Genres: Space opera, action adventure
Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%
Stars: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, Kelly Marie Tran, Laura Dern, Benicio del Toro
Director: Rian Johnson
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Hidden Figures (2016)
HIdden Figures isn’t just an important film for its depiction of women of color breaking barriers in STEM fields, but it’s also a highly entertaining and thrilling one.
The movie is based on the true story of Black mathematicians working at NASA in the 1960s. Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson) calculated flight paths for Project Mercury, Dorothy Vaughn (Octavia Spencer) supervised the programming department and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe) was NASA’s first Black female engineer. These women were computers before computers were put into wide use. — KW
Genre: Historical drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%
Stars: Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencter, Janelle Monáe, Mahershala Ali, Kevin Costner
Director: Theodore Melfi
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Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
No conversation about ranking the best Marvel movies can truly exist without mention of Captain America’s second solo adventure. Not only does this film throw a gigantic wrench in the works of one of Marvel’s biggest organizations, practically blowing up definitions of good and bad, but it’s simply a fantastic standalone movie on its own.
That’s because Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) has yet another personal story to tell, as The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) is a chilling blast from Cap’s past. Fortunately, our hero has some help, or at least he’s got two people he may be able to trust: Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Natasha Romanov/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) are both here, and both will have their allegiances tested. On top of that, this is Sam Wilson’s MCU debut! — HTC
Genres: Superhero, espionage thriller
Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%
Stars: Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Sebastian Stan, Robert Redford, Anthony Mackie
Directors: Anthony and Joe Russo
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Big Hero 6 (2014)
Did you know Disney made a Marvel movie that was never supposed to be part of the MCU? It’s true, though you’d be forgiven for forgetting Big Hero 6 was originally a short-lived Marvel comic. But barring a few names, superheroics and Stan Lee, the movie has virtually nothing in common with the source material. Instead we have a fairly typical superhero story, albeit one that’s more designed for kids and features a cuddly inflatable robot.
Big Hero 6 is a story about loss, which is not uncommon for comic book movies, with main character Hiro (Ryan Potter) having to come to terms with the death of his brother, Tadashi (Daniel Henney). Fortunately Hiro is able to turn his brother’s final creation, the inflatable robot doctor Baymax (Scott Adsit), into a crime-fighting hero. With the help of Tadashi’s friends, they’re able to form the super-team Big Hero 6 and do what heroes do best: Save the world. — Tom Pritchard
Genres: Superhero, comedy
Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%
Stars: Ryan Potter, Scot Adsit, Maya Rudolph, TJ Miller, Daymon Wayans Jr, Jamie Chung, Genesis Rodriguez, Alan Tudyk, James Cromwell
Director: Don Hall and Chris Williams
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Frozen (2013)
A cultural phenomenon on a par with the very biggest Disney animations, 2013’s Frozen will forever cause the parents of pre-school kids to break out in paroxysms of fear. Not because it’s scary or bad — it’s not — but because of those songs. You know the ones: “Let it Go,” “Do You Want to Build a Snowman,” and “For the First Time in Forever.” As the father of twin girls who were aged three when it came out, I must have heard them 300 times. And that’s not an exaggeration.
Then again, they are great songs and Frozen is a great movie. Loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen, it does that classic Disney thing of blending a rip-roaring story with slapstick humor, mild peril and chaste romance. But this being the 21st century, the female leads are all strong characters who really don’t need saving by the men in the tale, thank you very much. It looks fantastic, too, while the voice acting (and singing) by Kristin Bell, Idina Menzel and Josh Gad is flawless. — Marc McLaren
Genre: Fairy tale, musical drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%
Stars: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, Josh Gad, Santino Fontana
Director: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee
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Avatar (2009)
Remarkably, Avatar is still the highest grossing film of all time, 13 years after its release. It’s arguably not quite as special as those box-office takings might imply, but James Cameron’s sci-fi epic remains a must-watch movie if only because of its sumptuous CGI.
Set on the lush colony of Pandora, Avatar follows former marine Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) as he initiates himself into the complex society of the Na’vi species by way of an ‘avatar’ — a human-Na’vi hybrid that can tolerate the moon’s toxic atmosphere.
The story isn’t exactly groundbreaking in its originality — there’s a love interest in the form of Zoe Saldana’s Neytiri, a nemesis in the form of her jealous former boyfriend, and that’s about it — but boy does it look good. Set yourself up in front of one of the best OLED TVs, fire up one of the best soundbars and immerse yourself in a true cinematic experience. (And get ready for Avatar 2 and the other impending sequels.)— MMc
Genre: Sci-fi
Rotten Tomatoes score: 82%
Stars: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, Sigourney Weaver
Director: James Cameron
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Ratatouille (2007)
Remy the rat lives a life that’s very unbecoming of a rodent. This Paris-based pipsqueak has the finest taste in food, which confuses all of his fellow rats. Those two sentences don’t make sense, though, do they? Or at least they wouldn’t until you realize that Remy is voiced by Patton Oswalt, who brings an enthusiastic and manic energy to Remy, who dreams of a better life. And once you hear a rat voiced by Oswalt, everything kinda falls into place.
Remy stumbles into his dream when one pipe leads to another, which leads to one of Paris’ finest eating establishments. There, he meets aspiring chef Linguini, who is dealing with a concern as big as Remy’s appetite: a snobbish food critic named Anton Ego. Already an instant-classic, Ratatouille just got a little more life thanks to the references in Everything Everywhere All At Once. — HTC
Genre: Comedy
Rotten Tomatoes score: 96%
Stars: Patton Oswalt, Ian Holm, Lou Romano, Brian Dennehy, Peter Sohn, Brad Garrett
Director: Brad Bird
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10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
This modernized take on William Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew follows the romantic entanglements of teen sisters: independent, snarky Kat (Julia Stiles) and boy-crazy Bianca (Larisa Oleynik). Their strict dad’s dating rules mean Bianca can’t date anyone until Kat has a boyfriend, which seriously bums out sweet new student Cameron (Joseph Gordon-Levitt).
A senior also interested in Bianca pays rebellious outsider Patrick (Heath Ledger) to woo Kat so he can take the younger sister to the prom and have sex with her. Kat rebuffs Patrick at first, but finds herself falling for his devilishly charming ways. When the truth comes out at prom, everything falls apart. As Shakespeare himself wrote, the course of true love never did run smooth. — KW
Genre: Romantic comedy
Rotten Tomatoes score: 70%
Stars: Julia Stiles, Heath Ledger, Larisa Oleynik, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Director: Gil Junger
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A Goofy Movie (1995)
A Goofy Movie, especially to those of a certain vintage who were kids when the film was in theaters on TV, is a classic bit of animation. And it’s also how we learned that Walt Disney mainstay Goofy (the dog who walks upright and wears a whole outfit) has a son named Max. And unfortunately for Max, Goofy is still … how do we put this … goofy?
The pair regularly don’t get along, despite both meaning well. But things are looking up for ol’ Max when a prank he pulls at school gets Roxanne (his crush of many years) to notice him. Unfortunately, that same stunt has max in hot water with the principal, who informs Goofy about all of this. Afraid for his son’s future, Goofy demands they both go on a fishing trip, as parents always believe the thing that worked for them will be right for their kids. Little did he know (or care) that Max had plans to take Roxanne to a Powerline (Tevin Campbell) concert. — HTC
Genre: Coming of age comedy
Rotten Tomatoes score: 61%
Stars: Bill Farmer, Jason Marsden, Jim Cummings, Kellie Martin, Rob Paulsen, Wallace Shawn
Director: Kevin Lima
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The Lion King (1994)
Most ’90s kids keep a place in their hearts for The Lion King (the 2D original, mind you), a musical drama that’s as endearing as it is joyous and rewatchable. Its story follows Simba, a young lion who is the heir to the kingdom after his father Mufasa. Unfortunately, his evil uncle Scar complicates things, and Simba has to grow up and mature on his own.
Fortunately, he makes new friends who help him discover many new things, including the motto “No worries for the rest of your days.” As you might expect, though, Simba has to go back to make things right at home. Highly recommendable for most audiences across all age demographics, The Lion King’s songs are a delight, and its characters are memorable. An experience that you should not miss. — Sanjana Prakash
Genres: Drama, comedy
Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%
Stars: Mathew Broderick, James Earl Jones, Jeremy Irons, Nathan Lane, Rowan Atkinson
Director: Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff
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Home Alone (1990)
If you were lucky enough to never even think about skipping a family holiday growing up, you may not be able to relate to Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin). Aside from being annoyed at being the member of the household most likely to annoy another relative, Kevin’s frustrated this Christmas season because his siblings and cousins love to make him look like the bad guy.
So, wouldn’t you know it, a series of accidents leaves Kev home alone for the holidays — but not for long. Before he knows it, Kevin has to deal with real bad guys: Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daniel Stern), the so-called Wet Bandits, who want to rob the McCallister household during the holiday break. These two may not be the sharpest cutlery on the counter, but they’re feisty enough that they don’t turn away even once they realize they’re fighting a devious mind. Solid slapstick humor with a warm heart, Home Alone is one of the best Disney Plus movies during the holiday season. — HTC
Genre: Slapstick comedy
Rotten Tomatoes score: 67%
Stars: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, Catherine O’Hara
Director: Chris Columbus
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The Princess Bride (1987)
Not to be confused with The Princess Diaries, which is also on Disney Plus, The Princess Bride is a fantasy tale that pokes fun at all the usual cliches and tropes associated with fairy tales and princess movies. You know, the kind of stuff you’d normally find on Disney Plus.
The Princess Bride tells the story of Wesley and his companions as he tries to rescue his true love Buttercup from a forced marriage with the villainous Prince Humperdinck. The gimmick here is that the movie frames the story with a grandfather (Peter Falk) reading to his sick grandson (Fred Savage) — both of whom offer commentary as the movie progresses.
Naturally, a small boy has a lot to say about what he assumes is “a kissing book”. If you found yourself balking at the title, you and Fred might have a lot in common. But like him, there’s a very good chance you’ll find yourself more and more enamored with the characters and their fate as the story progresses. — TP
Genre: Fantasy, comedy, romance
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%
Stars: Robin Wright, Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Andre the Giant, Wallace Shawn, Christopher Guest, Chris Sarandon, Billy Crystal, Fred Savage, Peter Falk
Director: Rob Reiner
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Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Why do we think Empire is the best Star Wars movie of all time? Well, in part because it delivered the most drama. The big reveal at the end of the film is still one of the coolest record needle-scratch moments in the history of film. On top of that, it gave us Yoda. What is Star Wars without the diminutive Jedi? Especially when Yoda goes all roadside maintenance and helps retrieve Luke’s X-Wing from the swamp.
That said, a lot of the positivity we have for Empire Strikes Back comes from a couple of chilling situations. First off, the opening scenes on the ice planet of Hoth, especially with how the rebels took down the AT-AT walkers, are forever etched in our brains. Secondly, Empire is when we saw Han Solo frozen in carbonite, yet another truly iconic moment from the original trilogy — HTC
Genre: Space opera
Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%
Stars: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, Frank Oz, Peter Mayhew
Director: Irvin Kershner
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