Adventure has always been something for which people have yearned. Leaving a familiar place in search of the unknown appeals to all of us, so it’s no wonder that the medium of film has been so successful in fulfilling that need.
What’s more, adventure can synthesize with practically any other film genre effortlessly. Let’s discover the 19 best adventure films of all time. (If you’re looking for something more rustic, click here for the best western films ever made.)
To determine the best adventure movies of all time, 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 October 2023, weighting all ratings equally. We considered only movies with at least 5,000 audience votes on either IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes. Directorial credits are from IMDb.
19. Stand by Me (1986)
- IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (380,190 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (270,467 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (57 reviews)
- Directed by: Rob Reiner
When they learn that a man has been killed in their town, four Oregon boys set out to see it. Soon, however, the boys run afoul of a mean junk man and a marsh full of leeches. In the process, they learn more about each other and their home lives in a journey that will mark a pivotal moment in all of their lives.
What makes “Stand by Me” one of the best adventure films ever is how deftly it captures a group of adolescent boys’ rite of passage. Certain elements in the movie make it a timeless piece of nostalgia, expertly riding the line between boyhood and adulthood in a way that only gets better with time.
18. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II (2011)
- IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (849,283 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (250,000 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (332 reviews)
- Directed by: David Yates
The film follows up on the first part of the Deathly Hollows series, but this time the stakes are high. Harry Potter and his friends prepare for a fight against Lord Voldemort. Simultaneously, they must search for the Horcruxes, talismans that keep Voldermort immortal. Soon, they will meet at Hogwarts for an epic showdown of good versus evil.
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II” is, no doubt, a satisfying conclusion to the Harry Potter film series. Its effects are dazzling, the acting is powerful, and the film’s overall solemn, grim tone contrasts nicely with the first Harry Potter movie. For its success, the film was nominated for three Academy Awards.
17. Jaws (1975)
- IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (565,147 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (945,011 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (93 reviews)
- Directed by: Steven Spielberg
After a man-eating shark attacks beachgoers in a sleepy, seaside town, the police chief races to action. To help capture this abominable creature, the chief enlists the help of a marine biologist and a professional shark hunter. Together, they must outsmart the deadly beast before he takes more lives.
What makes “Jaws” one of the best adventure movies of all time is how downright scary it can be. Chock full of impressive effects, a solid cast, and an expert, hair-raising pace, the movie provides thrilling action entertainment of the highest order. For its success, “Jaws” won Academy Awards for Best Film Editing, Best Original Dramatic Score, and Best Sound. (Discover the best Steven Spielberg movies of all time.)
16. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
- IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (379,622 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (876,535 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 99% (145 reviews)
- Directed by: Victor Fleming
Teenage girl Dorothy is attempting to escape an incoming tornado. Instead, she is lifted and dropped in a strange, alien land. There she learns that her landing killed a powerful witch. However, she does not know how to get home, so she must follow the yellow brick road to find the Wizard of Oz. Along the way, she meets three friends who will help Dorothy on her fact-finding journey.
What makes “The Wizard of Oz” one of the best adventure films of all time is how perfectly it evokes a sense of wonder. Filled with eye-popping sets and fantastical creatures, the film conveys the hero’s journey in a simple, evocative way. For its unprecedented success, “The Wizard of Oz” won Academy Awards for Best Original Score and Best Original Song.
15. Sullivan’s Travels (1941)
- IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (25,347 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (8,614 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (35 reviews)
- Directed by: Preston Sturges
The film portrays a Hollywood comedy director desperate to make a socially-relevant, dramatic movie. Lacking inspiration, the director decides to live life as a tramp to gain the experience needed to make an accurate movie. Along the way, he connects with an aspiring actress who accompanies him on his journey of self-discovery.
Based, in part, on the classic adventure novel “Gulliver’s Travels,” the film received mixed reviews upon its initial release. Over time, however, “Sullivan’s Travels” was recognized as a classic, blending escapism, fantasy, and moral significance effortlessly. It’s now considered one of the best movies ever made about movie-making.
14. Inception (2010)
- IMDb user rating: 8.8/10 (2,171,143 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (571,783 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 87% (361 reviews)
- Directed by: Christopher Nolan
The film depicts a professional thief who specializes in stealing information from people by entering their subconscious minds. He encounters his toughest challenge yet, however when he is tasked with planting an idea in someone’s subconscious. Though this job offers him a chance to have his criminal history erased, he will risk everything he cares about in the process.
One of the best adventure films of all time, “Inception” is a mind-melding, edge-of-your-seat journey into the labyrinth of the mind. Its visuals are innovative and hypnotic, its story is like a chess game, and the result is a film unlike any you’ve ever seen. For its success, “Inception” won Academy Awards for Best Cinematography, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Visual Effects.
13. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
- IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (211,273 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (54,763 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (61 reviews)
- Directed by: David Lean
When a group of British prisoners of War is ordered by their Japanese captors to build a strategically important bridge, the group of soldiers does everything they can to sabotage and delay construction. That is, until, their commanding officer orders them to get to work. Little do they know, however, that a group of allied soldiers is on their way to destroy the same bridge.
While “The Bridge on the River Kwai” is undoubtedly one of the best adventure films of all time, it is also a deeply moving and compelling character study. Frankly, the film has everything with moments of gripping drama as well as acerbic humor. Ultimately, what makes the film so great is it asks hard questions without giving in to easy answers about the nature of war and the men who fight it. For its success, “The Bridge on the River Kwai” won seven Academy Awards.
12. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
- IMDb user rating: 8.9/10 (1,710,236 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (34,679,773 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (275 reviews)
- Directed by: Peter Jackson
A continuation of the previous film, “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” picks up with Sam and Frodo as they inch nearer to Mount Doom in an attempt to destroy the One Ring. Meanwhile, the rest of the crew prepares for battle against the evil sorcerer Sauron and his troops in the city of Minas Tirith.
Chock-full of incredible visuals and carried at an impeccable pace, “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” is one of the best adventure films of all time. It is a perfect ending to the already remarkable movie series, capturing both impressive detail and expansive atmosphere with a momentum that ends in satisfaction. For its success, the film won an astounding twelve Academy Awards.
11. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
- IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (296,218 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (50,000 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (132 reviews)
- Directed by: David Lean
The film follows the real-life figure, Lawrence, and his experiences in the Ottoman Empire provinces of Hejaz and Greater Syria during the First World War. There, he allied with the Arab National Council to stage attacks in Aqaba and Damascus as he struggles with the emotional quotient of violence while his sense of identity blurs.
With its sweeping desert vistas and impeccably acted roles, it’s no surprise that “Lawrence of Arabia” is considered one of the best adventure films of all time. Though it functions as a blockbuster epic, the film is a vivid and intelligent portrayal of a man trapped between two widely different cultures and societies. For its success, “Lawrence of Arabia” won seven Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor. (Here are the highest-grossing movies based on true stories.)
10. The Great Escape (1963)
- IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (246,586 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (103,579 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (49 reviews)
- Directed by: John Sturges
Based on a book of the same name, “The Great Escape” follows a group of British prisoners of war at the German POW camp Stalag Luft III during World War II. There, they will work together to outsmart their German captors and make a daring escape to freedom.
Though “The Great Escape” received adequate reviews upon its release, it was only over the ensuing decades that the film earned the praise it deserved. It has everything really, with moments of terror and despair as well as humorous slices of life that ultimately revel in the unbreakable human spirit. For its success, it received one Academy Award nomination.
9. The Princess Bride (1987)
- IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (408,278 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (527,843 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (78 reviews)
- Directed by: Rob Reiner
The film follows a farmhand named Westley, who is on a mission to save his true love, Princess Buttercup from the sinister Prince Humperdinck. Along the way, he meets a gang of unlikely friends. Together, they evade evil forces and outsmart cunning wizards in an attempt to unite Westley with his one true love.
Operating through a metafictional narrative style of a movie within a children’s book, “The Princess Bride” works on multiple levels. It’s funny, self-referential, ironic yet still retaining a sweet sincerity, and full of great fantasy-adventure moments. Though not a box-office success, “The Princess Bride” gained a cult following and is now considered a hallmark of the adventure genre.
8. North by Northwest (1959)
- IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (312,200 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (79,896 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (109 reviews)
- Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
The film follows an innocent man as he is doggedly pursued by agents of a mysterious organization. That’s because the man is trying to block this organization from smuggling microfilm out of the country that contains a laundry list of government secrets. Soon, he meets a beautiful but mysterious woman who joins him on his daring escape from shadowy, sinister forces.
What makes “North by Northwest” one of the best adventure films of all time is how perfectly it captures the zeitgeist of the time. It has Cold War spies, deception, and several classic action sequences, but there is so much more. It’s an expertly crafted meditation on intrigue, identity, and conspiracy-laden sinister forces. For its success, “North By Northwest” was nominated for three Academy Awards.
7. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
- IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (119,669 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (26,178 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (52 reviews)
- Directed by: John Huston
An adaption of the classic B. Traven novel by the same name, “The Treasure of Sierra Madre” follows two poor, dispossessed men in search of success. Soon, they encounter a cynical old prospector who is on a similar journey. Together, they will venture into Mexico on a hunt for hidden gold.
One of the few movies to ever hold a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes, “The Treasure of Sierra Madre” is an expertly crafted tale of adventure and morality. Though remade more than once, nothing has come close to touching the original’s compelling meditation on greed, the desolation of nature, and man’s place in it. For its success, “The Treasure of Sierra Madre” won Academy Awards for Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Screenplay.
6. Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977)
- IMDb user rating: 8.6/10 (1,277,193 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 96% (863,326 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (132 reviews)
- Directed by: George Lucas
Set in a fictional universe long ago and in a galaxy far away, the film follows a resistance group as they attempt to destroy the Empire’s newest weapon, the Death Star. However, when rebel leader Princess Leila is kidnapped, an unassuming young man named Luke Skywalker must save her using his deep wellspring of metaphysical power called “the force.”
Easily one of the best adventure films of all time, “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope” is an incredible mixture of scope, imagination, and humanity. It combines the best elements of adventure with the most compelling aspects of human emotion. This results in a sci-fi space opera that is greater than the sum of its parts. For its success, “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope” won seven Academy Awards including Best Visual Effects, Best Sound, and Best Costume Design.
5. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
- IMDb user rating: 8.8/10 (1,731,527 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (1,355,751 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (235 reviews)
- Directed by: Peter Jackson
Set in a fantastical realm called Middle Earth, the film follows the unlikely trail of the One Ring, a powerful talisman that affects anyone who touches it. Though the evil sorcerer Sauron seeks it, the ring has ended up in the possession of a young hobbit named Frodo. After he learns of the object’s might, Frodo joins forces with a rag-tag group of adventures to take the ring to Mount Doom and destroy it for good.
One of the best adventure films of all time, “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” is a beautiful, epic tale of good versus evil. It has astounding scope yet a keen sense of detail, resulting in a journey that is gripping, powerful, yet just as intimate. For its success, the film won Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects, Best Original Score, Best Makeup, and Best Cinematography.
4. Back to the Future (1985)
- IMDb user rating: 8.5/10 (1,113,249 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (1,095,654 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (83 reviews)
- Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
The film follows teenager Marty McFly who is accidentally sent back in time in a modified DeLorean by his eccentric scientist friend Doc Brown. When he arrives in 1955, he inadvertently prevents his future parents from falling in love. Since this may erase his very existence, McFly must reconcile his soon-to-be parents so he can return to his future.
What makes “Back to the Future” one of the best adventure films of all time is how deftly it flips expectations about time travel. Ostensibly a small story about a small town, the film starts funny and charming but ends up in a wondrous display of possibility and love. For its success, Back to the Future received four Academy Award nominations, winning for Best Sound Editing.
3. Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
- IMDb user rating: 8.4/10 (917,143 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 96% (827,087 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (84 reviews)
- Directed by: Steven Spielberg
The film follows Indiana Jones, a globe-trotting archeologist in a race against Nazi forces to recover the long-lost religious relic, The Ark of the Covenant. To do so, Jones teams up with his former love interest Marion Ravenwood. Together, the pair will fight the Nazis and prevent them from using the Ark’s power for their evil ends.
Upon release, “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark” was an instant classic. Inspired by adventure tales of the past, the film expertly crafts a vision of a singular, yet accessible hero that is as appealing as it is thrilling. For its visionary might, the film won Academy Awards for Best Art Direction, Best Film Editing, Best Sound, Best Sound Editing, and Best Visual Effects. (Discover the most popular action stars of all time.)
2. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
- IMDb user rating: 8.7/10 (1,546,188 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (1,341,428 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (255 reviews)
- Directed by: Peter Jackson
The first film in the Lord of the Rings series, “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” picks up where the first left off: with Sam and Frodo on their journey to destroy the One Ring, now accompanied by an unsettling creature named Gollum. Meanwhile, the rest of the crew are reunited with the good wizard Gandalf before fighting the evil legions controlled by the sorcerer Sauron.
Usually, the second film in a trilogy is the most plodding, but “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” manages to avoid the cliche. It’s a perfectly balanced mixture of exposition and action, satisfying plot points in dazzling displays while still leaving audiences eager for the trilogy’s final chapter. For its success, the film won Academy Awards for Best Sound Editing and Best Visual Effects.
1. Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
- IMDb user rating: 8.7/10 (1,205,389 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 97% (1,058,608 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (105 reviews)
- Directed by: Irvin Kershner
Following in the footsteps of “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope,” “The Empire Strikes Back” depicts an epic ice-laden battle between the Rebel Alliance and the Galatic Empire. Soon after, Luke Skywalker begins his Jedi training on the swamp planet of Dagobah. Meanwhile, Han Solo and crew are double-crossed on the cloud planet Bespin by Solo’s old friend.
One of the best adventure movies of all time, “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope” defies expectations about sequels, introduces audiences to an even grander scope than the original movie, and results in a satisfying conclusion that still leaves audiences wanting more. It’s funny, heartfelt, and chock-full of imagination. For its success, “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope” won an Academy Award for Best Sound. (If you’re looking for something more intense, discover the best R-rated Sci-Fi movies of all time.)