Discover the 100 best movies of all time
Great movies matter. Movies have the capacity to sharpen our understanding of the world. They take us places weâd otherwise never go, and introduce us to people weâd otherwise never meet. Or they reflect our own lives back at us, and help us understand ourselves a little better. They simply allow us to place reality on pause for a few hours, which, in this day and age, should not be discounted. Thankfully, there are signs that movies still do matter, even for a generation thatâs grown up watching them mostly through the television, like Letterboxd, or the growing popularity of repertory cinemas. And that is ultimately what compels us to list the greatest films of all-time. Itâs not to assert our own canon, or spark quibbles about snubs and arbitrary rankings. Itâs because new film fans are still being born every day, and need a place to start. So consider this a road map.
Jump to list: 100-91 |Â 90-81 | 80-71 | 70-61 | 60-51 | 50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 20-11 | 10-1
How we chose our 100 best movies of all time
Admittedly, the process is not an exact science. Mostly, it involves a bunch of arguing, whittling and deal-making amongst Time Outâs most movie-obsessed writers, and then voila: a top 100 everyone is kinda sorta happy about! In terms of why we chose what we chose, thatâs just as messy and multivarious. Sometimes, itâs for historical achievements, either technically or thematically. Other times, itâs simple obviousness: are you really not going to have The Godfather and Ci