The NeverEnding Story (1984)
If you’ve never sobbed your eyes out watching Artax the horse sink slowly in a swamp, this is your sign to watch The NeverEnding Story—STAT! The fantasy kid’s movie is about a 10-year-old boy who discovers a book that transports him into the world of Fantasia. There, he follows the story of Atreyu, another young boy who is sent on a quest across this magical land to help a young Empress. It’s got everything you could want from an adventure movie: high stakes, magical creatures, and a hero you can’t help but root for until the very end.
Sunshine (2007)
Sunshine is one of the most severely underrated adventure movies of the 2000s. The film follows an international group of astronauts tasked with an impossible mission: reignite a dying Sun with a nuclear fission bomb before life on Earth ceases to exist. The film could be classified as science fiction, but it’s less about the science and more about the astronauts themselves, played by an all-star cast including Cillian Murphy, Chris Evans, Michelle Yeoh, and more.
Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)
It’s impossible to limit Everything Everywhere All at Once to just one genre. The Oscar-winning film is about multiverses, the immigrant experience, taxes, and laundry—it’s a family drama, science-fiction, and action movie all at the same time. Just press play, and you’ll go on a dizzying adventure without leaving your couch!
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Children of Men (2006)
In a dystopian future, women are no longer able to get pregnant, and London, one of the last civilized cities, has become a police state. Enter: Theo (Clive Owen), a man recruited by his ex-wife to help a miraculously pregnant immigrant, Kee, get papers. But what starts as a simple favor quickly becomes a potentially deadly mission to keep Kee and her child safe—whatever it takes.
The Green Knight (2021)
Based on a 14th century poem, The Green Knight follows Sir Gawain, an ambitious knight whose life changes when he defeats a magical Green Knight, sending him on an epic quest. The story is definitely more fantastical than other adventure movies, but you’ll find at least one part very, very realistic: Dev Patel has never been hotter.
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
The Wizard of Oz is an iconic adventure movie and truly one of a kind in its scale and impact. The musical follows a young teenage girl who is transported from her home to a magical world where she teams up with a Scarecrow, a Tin Man, and a Cowardly Lion to find the Wizard of Oz. If you love adventure movies, you must watch this at least once, even if it’s just so you understand all the references to a yellow brick road.
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The Lost City of Z (2016)
In one of the most classic types of adventure stories—a treasure hunt—Charlie Hunnam stars as a real-life explorer who goes looking for an ancient civilization in the Amazon jungle over and over again.
The Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
Just hearing that iconic theme music makes me want to run away from home and go on a high seas adventure. There is literal swash-buckling in this movie, y’all; it doesn’t get much better than this.
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
I mean, all of the LOTR movies are adventure movies, but nothing captures the spirit of the first one. When Sam talks about every step being the furthest he’s taken from home? That’s what it’s all about!
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Furious 7 (2015)
Okay, okay, okay, there are a lot of action-adventure franchises, and it’s hard to pick just one film to represent each of these cinematic universes. Most people regard Fast Five as the best in the family, but we gotta pay tribute to Paul Walker’s final outing of the franchise and the legend that is “See You Again.”
Back To The Future (1985)
Marty McFly unintentionally travels to the past and immediately starts screwing things up for the future. He’s got to figure out how to get home and make sure home is the same when he returns. Sometimes, accidents make for the best adventures.
Wonder Woman (2017)
Gonna try not to list too many DC movies here, no disrespect to Aquaman, but how can you deny the power of the first Wonder Woman? Diana comes from the type of place you’d usually expect to adventure to. Her adventure is to our world, for better and for worse.
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Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Charlize Theron has emerged as one of our most important action stars (see: Atomic Blonde, The Old Guard). In this, she frees a group of formerly captive women and they lead a chase across an apocalyptic landscape with non-stop action and adventure.
Black Panther (2018)
The audience is the one going on the adventure in Black Panther as we journey to the magical world of Wakanda for the first time. The journey that T’Challa goes on, rather, is more of an internal one as he decides what kind of king he wants to be.
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 2 (2012)
In the world of Twilight, marriage is the biggest adventure of all. Also, that Volturi fight. Need I say more? No offense but The Avengers, the Justice League, and The X-Men simplywish they could go that hard.
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Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)
This Disney animated adventure about a quest to discover Atlantis, the lost underwater city, is extremely underrated. Also, Milo Thatch is very hot. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.
The Old Guard (2020)
This might be considered a “hidden gem” on Netflix now, but can we pinky promise to make it trend, like, all the time? The Old Guard is not only another opportunity for Charlize Theron to show off her action skills, it also freakin’ rules. It’s about immortal warriors who basically work as freelance heroes, and they’re very, very burnt out when they get a new member and a new enemy.
Pacific Rim (2013)
Don’t be fooled by the big monsters and robots in this movie, it’s actually about feelings. Charlie Hunnam and Mako Mori play two pilots who literally need to form an emotional connection in order to power the technology to save the world. Pacific Rim‘s big heart could rival Ted Lasso, but they’d probably hug it out instead.
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Stand By Me (1986)
This is controversial, but when it comes to kid-ventures, I think Stand By Me is better than The Goonies. Sorry! They’re both classics, but if I had to pick just one, I’m going with the emotional highs and lows of this one.
The Princess Bride (1987)
Team Kissing Books! The quest to rescue Princess Buttercup (played by Robin Wright, who is also a bad*ss warrior in Wonder Woman) is one of the funniest and most romantic adventures put to film.
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