The allure of adventure films is the journey they take you on. There’s excitement and wonder as each scene unfolds. You find yourself swept up in a fantasy that makes you forget the real world, if only for a few hours. The storytelling in these films is epic, presenting a protagonist who’s up against the odds in some way and manages to conquer the inevitable obstacles that arise.
These films incorporate themes anyone can relate to, including courage, an irrepressible need to know more, and the satisfaction of triumph following difficulty. Consider Sinbad in “The Golden Voyage of Sinbad” (1973), where his quest is all about finding three golden tablets so he can unlock access to the Oracle of All Knowledge. He is on a mission to acquire knowledge and stops at nothing to reach his goal.
Classic adventure films also highlight interpersonal relationships. Beauty meets beast in the movie “Mighty Joe Young” (1949), and you embark on the journey with a young woman who presents the giant gorilla she raised to Hollywood. It’s chaos—but the spellbinding kind. When there is constant action in a film, you’re entranced and eager for the next reveal.
These timeless films include battles and chases as well as grounding themes that appeal to people of all generations. You’re invited into an imaginative state where you explore the unknown along with the characters you come to appreciate. This film genre persistently presents a distinct moral framework, lending to a simplicity you find comforting. (If you like your movies a little on the heavy side, here are the best crime dramas of all time.)
To determine the best classic adventure films, 24/7 Tempo developed an index using average ratings on IMDb, an online movie database owned by Amazon, and a combination of audience scores and Tomatometer scores on Rotten Tomatoes, an online movie and TV review aggregator, as of May 2024, weighting all ratings equally. Only movies released before 1980 with at least 1,000 reviews on IMDb were considered, and documentaries were not excluded. Cast information is from IMDb.
Scroll down for the best classic adventure movies ever made:
50. The Prince and the Pauper (1937)
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
- IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (2,468 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 63% (3,025 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 67% (6 reviews)
- Cast: Errol Flynn, Claude Rains, Henry Stephenson
49. Moonfleet (1955)
Source: Getty Images / Moviepix via Getty Images
Source: Getty Images / Moviepix via Getty Images
- IMDb user rating: 6.6/10 (3,524 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 70% (505 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 69% (13 reviews)
- Cast: Stewart Granger, George Sanders, Joan Greenwood
48. The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973)
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (8,789 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 64% (7,681 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 75% (16 reviews)
- Cast: John Phillip Law, Caroline Munro, Tom Baker
47. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
- IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (43,186 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 71% (340,361 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 67% (27 reviews)
- Cast: Dick Van Dyke, Sally Ann Howes, Lionel Jeffries
46. The Towering Inferno (1974)
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
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- IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (41,740 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 72% (28,365 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 70% (33 reviews)
- Cast: Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, William Holden
45. Ivanhoe (1952)
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
- IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (8,710 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 64% (5,042 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 81% (16 reviews)
- Cast: Robert Taylor, Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Fontaine
44. Unconquered (1947)
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (2,356 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 65% (381 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 83% (6 reviews)
- Cast: Gary Cooper, Paulette Goddard, Howard Da Silva
43. King Solomon’s Mines (1950)
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
- IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (5,975 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 59% (3,245 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (12 reviews)
- Cast: Deborah Kerr, Stewart Granger, Richard Carlson
42. The Vikings (1958)
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
- IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (13,764 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 73% (5,591 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 76% (21 reviews)
- Cast: Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis, Ernest Borgnine
41. Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959)
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
- IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (16,694 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 69% (9,320 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 83% (30 reviews)
- Cast: James Mason, Pat Boone, Arlene Dahl
40. The Three Musketeers (1948)
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
- IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (5,979 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 74% (2,328 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 78% (9 reviews)
- Cast: Lana Turner, Gene Kelly, June Allyson
39. Fantastic Voyage (1966)
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
- IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (18,085 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 67% (6,881 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (33 reviews)
- Cast: Stephen Boyd, Raquel Welch, Edmond O’Brien
38. The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
- IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (42,779 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 76% (47,418 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 80% (25 reviews)
- Cast: Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Shelley Winters
37. Mighty Joe Young (1949)
Source: Courtesy of RKO Radio Pictures
Source: Courtesy of RKO Radio Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (5,054 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 64% (7,783 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (21 reviews)
- Cast: Terry Moore, Ben Johnson, Robert Armstrong
36. It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963)
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
- IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (39,740 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (22,366 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 70% (37 reviews)
- Cast: Spencer Tracy, Milton Berle, Ethel Merman
35. Moby Dick (1956)
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
- IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (20,980 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 73% (8,362 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 84% (25 reviews)
- Cast: Gregory Peck, Richard Basehart, Leo Genn
34. Swiss Family Robinson (1960)
Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
- IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (15,225 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 78% (41,502 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 82% (22 reviews)
- Cast: John Mills, Dorothy McGuire, James MacArthur
33. The Time Machine (1960)
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
- IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (39,104 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (19,503 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 76% (38 reviews)
- Cast: Rod Taylor, Alan Young, Yvette Mimieux
32. Quo Vadis (1951)
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
- IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (14,424 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 73% (3,732 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (17 reviews)
- Cast: Robert Taylor, Deborah Kerr, Leo Genn
31. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)
Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
- IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (32,250 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 74% (68,939 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (28 reviews)
- Cast: Kirk Douglas, James Mason, Paul Lukas
30. Treasure Island (1950)
Source: Courtesy of RKO Radio Pictures
Source: Courtesy of RKO Radio Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (7,817 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 67% (8,746 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (7 reviews)
- Cast: Bobby Driscoll, Robert Newton, Basil Sydney
29. The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958)
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (12,752 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 76% (8,775 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (16 reviews)
- Cast: Kerwin Mathews, Kathryn Grant, Richard Eyer
28. The Mark of Zorro (1940)
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
- IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (9,801 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (8,672 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (11 reviews)
- Cast: Tyrone Power, Linda Darnell, Basil Rathbone
27. Papillon (1973)
Source: Courtesy of Allied Artists Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Allied Artists Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (132,119 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (48,752 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 79% (28 reviews)
- Cast: Steve McQueen, Dustin Hoffman, Victor Jory
26. Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N. (1951)
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
- IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (7,231 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 78% (1,201 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (9 reviews)
- Cast: Gregory Peck, Virginia Mayo, Robert Beatty
25. The Guns of Navarone (1961)
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (47,868 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (20,768 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (24 reviews)
- Cast: David Niven, Gregory Peck, Anthony Quinn
24. Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
- IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (23,465 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (8,083 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (42 reviews)
- Cast: Charles Laughton, Clark Gable, Franchot Tone
23. The Ten Commandments (1956)
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (67,181 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (60,282 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (41 reviews)
- Cast: Charlton Heston, Yul Brynner, Anne Baxter
22. The Thief of Bagdad (1940)
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
- IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (12,717 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (3,981 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (29 reviews)
- Cast: Conrad Veidt, Sabu, June Duprez
21. Lifeboat (1944)
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
- IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (27,765 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (9,430 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (28 reviews)
- Cast: Tallulah Bankhead, John Hodiak, Walter Slezak
20. The Caine Mutiny (1954)
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (26,715 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (7,564 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (25 reviews)
- Cast: Humphrey Bogart, José Ferrer, Van Johnson
19. Forbidden Planet (1956)
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
- IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (47,116 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (21,506 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (45 reviews)
- Cast: Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, Leslie Nielsen
18. Ben-Hur (1959)
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
- IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (228,610 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (106,248 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 86% (51 reviews)
- Cast: Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkins, Stephen Boyd
17. The Sea Hawk (1940)
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
- IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (9,586 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (5,004 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (14 reviews)
- Cast: Errol Flynn, Brenda Marshall, Claude Rains
16. The Prisoner of Zenda (1937)
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
- IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (4,398 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 80% (717 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (10 reviews)
- Cast: Ronald Colman, Madeleine Carroll, C. Aubrey Smith
15. Little Big Man (1970)
Source: Courtesy of National General Pictures
Source: Courtesy of National General Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (34,080 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (17,453 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (26 reviews)
- Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Faye Dunaway, Chief Dan George
14. Spartacus (1960)
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (136,454 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (78,142 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (61 reviews)
- Cast: Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons
13. The African Queen (1951)
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
- IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (75,886 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (33,504 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (45 reviews)
- Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Katharine Hepburn, Robert Morley
12. The Searchers (1956)
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
- IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (85,281 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (40,865 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (49 reviews)
- Cast: John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, Vera Miles
11. King Kong (1933)
Source: Courtesy of RKO Radio Pictures
Source: Courtesy of RKO Radio Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (82,510 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (90,230 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (66 reviews)
- Cast: Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, Bruce Cabot
10. Captains Courageous (1937)
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
- IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (9,280 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (3,818 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (18 reviews)
- Cast: Spencer Tracy, Freddie Bartholomew, Lionel Barrymore
9. Red River (1948)
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
- IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (29,715 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (8,571 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (30 reviews)
- Cast: John Wayne, Montgomery Clift, Joanne Dru
8. The Man Who Would Be King (1975)
Source: Courtesy of Allied Artists Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Allied Artists Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (47,055 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (16,059 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (31 reviews)
- Cast: Sean Connery, Michael Caine, Christopher Plummer
7. Stagecoach (1939)
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
- IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (46,215 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (14,658 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (45 reviews)
- Cast: John Wayne, Claire Trevor, Andy Devine
6. Captain Blood (1935)
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
- IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (13,750 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (8,214 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (27 reviews)
- Cast: Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Lionel Atwill
5. The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
- IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (49,143 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (33,979 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (48 reviews)
- Cast: Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone
4. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (296,218 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (50,000 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (132 reviews)
- Cast: Peter O’Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn
3. The Great Escape (1963)
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
- IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (246,586 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (103,579 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (49 reviews)
- Cast: Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough
2. North by Northwest (1959)
Source: Archive Photos / Moviepix via Getty Images
Source: Archive Photos / Moviepix via Getty Images
- IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (312,200 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (79,896 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (109 reviews)
- Cast: Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason
1. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
- IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (119,669 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (26,178 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (52 reviews)
- Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Walter Huston, Tim Holt