#1 of 2,075 Best adventure movie
1959 Action Mystery 2h 16m English
98 Metascore
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
About North by Northwest Top 100 · Adventure
The 100 Best Adventure Movies, Ranked
We rank 2,075 of the 11,877 adventure films on the site; these are the top 100. North by Northwest (1959) is #1 with a critics & audiences score of 93/100, ahead of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001). Ranked by Echo Score; 40 of these 100 films have none (released before 2017, when Echo Scores start) and are ranked by a blend of their Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings. A ranked watchlist for quests, expeditions and epic journeys. For new releases and box office hits, see the adventure movies guide.
- ranked adventure films
- 2,075
- adventure films on the site
- 11,877
- release years in the top 100
- 1935–2026
- award winners in the top 100
- 43
#1 of 2,075 Top 10
What Are the Best Adventure Movies?
North by Northwest (1959) leads with a critics & audiences score of 93/100, ahead of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018); 3 of the top 10 are from the 2020s. 5 of the top 10 are ranked by Echo Score, led by Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse at 92; the other 5, all released before 2017, are ranked by a blend of Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings.
- 1. North by Northwest 98 Metascore (Metascore 98 out of 100 (16 critic reviews))
1959 · Action, Adventure · 2h 16m
Dir. Alfred Hitchcock No Echo Score: ranked 93/100 on critics & audiences · 4 award nominations
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2. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 92 Echo (Echo Score 92 out of 100)2018 · Action, Adventure · 1h 57m
Dir. Bob Persichetti 6 award wins · $393.6M worldwide
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2. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring 92 Metascore (Metascore 92 out of 100)2001 · Action, Adventure · 2h 58m
Dir. Peter Jackson No Echo Score: ranked 92/100 on critics & audiences · 12 award wins · $888.5M worldwide
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2. Wolfwalkers 92 Echo (Echo Score 92 out of 100)2020 · Adventure, Fantasy · 1h 43m
Dir. Ross Stewart 1 award win · $1.3M worldwide
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2. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre 98 Metascore (Metascore 98 out of 100)1948 · Adventure, Drama · 2h 6m
No Echo Score: ranked 92/100 on critics & audiences · 5 award wins
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6. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly 90 Metascore (Metascore 90 out of 100)1967 · Adventure, Western · 2h 41m
Dir. Sergio Leone No Echo Score: ranked 91/100 on critics & audiences
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6. The Wild Bunch 98 Metascore (Metascore 98 out of 100)1969 · Action, Adventure · 2h 15m
Dir. Sam Peckinpah No Echo Score: ranked 91/100 on critics & audiences · 3 award nominations
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8. The Wild Robot 90 Echo (Echo Score 90 out of 100)2024 · Animation, Adventure · 1h 41m
Dir. Chris Sanders 4 award wins · $334.5M worldwide
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8. Paddington 2 90 Echo (Echo Score 90 out of 100)2018 · Adventure, Fantasy · 1h 43m
Dir. Paul King 3 award nominations · $290.1M worldwide
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8. Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train 90 Echo (Echo Score 90 out of 100)2021 · Action, Adventure · 1h 57m
Dir. Haruo Sotozaki $485.5M worldwide
#11 to #100
Adventure Movies Ranked #11 to #100
Places 11 to 100: Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom (2026) opens the list and Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) closes it. 28 of these 90 films are not in English; 11 languages appear in all. Filter by decade or language, or sort by year or box office.
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Decade
Language
Places 11 to 100; films with the same score share a rank. Use a filter or another sort to include the top 10.
Echo Score, our 0–100 rating (films from 2017 on) Blend: Metascore with IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings, for films without an Echo Score
- 1 1. North by Northwest
1959 · Action, Adventure · 2h 16m
93 Blend - 2 2. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
2018 · Action, Adventure · 1h 57m
92 Echo $393.6M - 2 2. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
2001 · Action, Adventure · 2h 58m
92 Blend $888.5M - 2 2. Wolfwalkers
2020 · Adventure, Fantasy · 1h 43m
92 Echo $1.3M - 2 2. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
1948 · Adventure, Drama · 2h 6m
92 Blend - 6 6. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
1967 · Adventure, Western · 2h 41m
91 Blend - 6 6. The Wild Bunch
1969 · Action, Adventure · 2h 15m
91 Blend - 8 8. The Wild Robot
2024 · Animation, Adventure · 1h 41m
90 Echo $334.5M - 8 8. Paddington 2
2018 · Adventure, Fantasy · 1h 43m
90 Echo $290.1M - 8 8. Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train
2021 · Action, Adventure · 1h 57m
90 Echo $485.5M - 8
8. Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom2026 · Animation, Adventure · 1h 31m
90 Echo $19.3M - 8
8. Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna2020 · Adventure, Fantasy · 1h 35m
90 Echo $17.4M - 8
8. The Mitchells vs. The Machines2021 · Adventure, Sci-Fi · 1h 53m
90 Echo - 14
14. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope1977 · Action, Adventure · 2h 1m
90 Blend $775.4M - 15
15. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King2003 · Action, Adventure · 3h 21m
90 Blend $1.1B - 16
16. WALL-E2008 · Adventure, Sci-Fi · 1h 38m
89 Blend $527.4M - 16
16. Toy Story1995 · Adventure, Fantasy · 1h 21m
89 Blend $394.4M - 18
18. Shazam!2019 · Action, Adventure · 2h 12m
89 Echo $367.8M - 18
18. La Chimera2024 · Adventure, Comedy · 2h 10m
89 Echo $5.2M - 18
18. The Wizard of Oz1939 · Adventure, Fantasy · 1h 42m
89 Blend - 18
18. 777 Charlie2022 · Drama, Adventure · 2h 46m
89 Echo $7.5M - 22
22. The Lion King1994 · Adventure, Drama · 1h 29m
88 Blend $979.2M - 23
23. Black Panther2018 · Action, Adventure · 2h 14m
88 Echo $1.3B - 23
23. It Was Just an Accident2025 · Action, Adventure · 1h 41m
88 Echo $10.5M - 23
23. Back to the Future1985 · Adventure, Sci-Fi · 1h 56m
88 Blend $385.1M - 23
23. Coyote vs. Acme2026 · Animation, Adventure · 1h 41m
88 Echo $101.9M - 23
23. Amaran2024 · Adventure, Action · 2h 49m
88 Echo $1.7M - 23
23. The Searchers1956 · Adventure, Drama · 1h 59m
88 Blend - 23
23. Sam Now2023 · Adventure, Drama · 1h 27m
88 Echo - 30
30. Toy Story 32010 · Adventure, Fantasy · 1h 43m
88 Blend $1.1B - 31
31. The Right Stuff1983 · Adventure, Biography · 3h 13m
87 Blend $21.2M - 32
32. Inside Out2015 · Adventure, Drama · 1h 34m
87 Blend $859.1M - 33
33. Jaws1975 · Adventure, Thriller · 2h 4m
87 Blend $477.9M - 33
33. The Bob's Burgers Movie2022 · Adventure, Comedy · 1h 42m
87 Echo $34.1M - 33
33. Penguin Highway2019 · Adventure, Fantasy · 1h 58m
87 Echo $4M - 33
33. Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe2020 · Adventure, Sci-Fi · 1h 26m
87 Echo $5.7M - 33
33. The Roundup2022 · Crime, Action · 1h 46m
87 Echo $101.2M - 33
33. Proxima2020 · Action, Adventure · 1h 47m
87 Echo $759.4K - 33
33. The Dawn Wall2018 · Adventure, Documentary · 1h 40m
87 Echo $1.4M - 33
33. Spirited Away: Live on Stage2023 · Adventure, Fantasy · 2h 50m
87 Echo $1.5M - 33
33. Stagecoach1939 · Adventure, Drama · 1h 36m
87 Blend - 33
33. The Incredible Journey1963 · Adventure, Drama · 1h 20m
87 Blend - 43
43. The Triplets of Belleville2003 · Adventure, Comedy · 1h 18m
86 Blend $14.8M - 44
44. Monty Python and the Holy Grail1975 · Adventure, Fantasy · 1h 31m
86 Blend $2.9M - 45
45. Mission: Impossible – Fallout2018 · Action, Adventure · 2h 27m
86 Echo $824.2M - 45
45. Incredibles 22018 · Action, Adventure · 1h 58m
86 Echo $1.2B - 45
45. Isle of Dogs2018 · Adventure, Sci-Fi · 1h 41m
86 Echo $72.7M - 45
45. The Goat Life2024 · Adventure, Drama · 2h 53m
86 Echo - 45
45. Klaus2019 · Adventure, Comedy · 1h 36m
86 Echo - 45
45. Togo2019 · Adventure, Biography · 1h 53m
86 Echo - 51
51. Ben-Hur1959 · Adventure, Drama · 3h 32m
86 Blend - 52
52. Up2009 · Adventure, Drama · 1h 36m
86 Blend $735.1M - 53
53. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon2000 · Action, Adventure · 2h
85 Blend $214M - 54
54. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back1980 · Action, Adventure · 2h 4m
85 Blend $550M - 54
54. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind1985 · Adventure, Sci-Fi · 1h 57m
85 Blend $9M - 54
54. The African Queen1952 · Adventure, Drama · 1h 45m
85 Blend - 54
54. The Man Who Would Be King1975 · Adventure · 2h 9m
85 Blend $12.7K - 54
54. To Have and Have Not1945 · Adventure, Thriller · 1h 40m
85 Blend - 59
59. Barry Lyndon1975 · Adventure, Drama · 3h 4m
85 Blend $283.9K - 60
60. Avengers: Endgame2019 · Action, Adventure · 3h 1m
85 Echo $2.8B - 60
60. Mad Max: Fury Road2015 · Action, Adventure · 2h
85 Blend $380.4M - 60
60. Avengers: Infinity War2018 · Action, Adventure · 2h 29m
85 Echo $2.1B - 60
60. Dune: Part One2021 · Action, Adventure · 2h 35m
85 Echo $410.7M - 60
60. Thor: Ragnarok2017 · Action, Adventure · 2h 10m
85 Echo $855.3M - 60
60. Godzilla Minus One2023 · Action, Adventure · 2h 5m
85 Echo $113.9M - 60
60. David2025 · Animation, Adventure · 1h 55m
85 Echo $91.1M - 60
60. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 22017 · Action, Adventure · 2h 16m
85 Echo $863.8M - 60
60. Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl2025 · Animation, Adventure · 1h 10m
85 Echo $191.5K - 60
60. The Count of Monte-Cristo2024 · Action, Adventure · 2h 53m
85 Echo $85.9M - 60
60. Goldfinger1965 · Action, Adventure · 1h 50m
85 Blend - 60
60. The Summit of the Gods2021 · Adventure, Drama · 1h 35m
85 Echo $1.8M - 60
60. The Endless Trench2020 · Action, Adventure · 2h 27m
85 Echo $1.3M - 60
60. Love and Monsters2020 · Action, Adventure · 1h 49m
85 Echo $1.1M - 60
60. Lupin III: The First2020 · Action, Adventure · 1h 33m
85 Echo $7.5M - 60
60. Kishkindha Kaandam2024 · Drama, Thriller · 2h 5m
85 Echo $1.9M - 60
60. Stand by Me Doraemon 22020 · Adventure, Animation · 1h 36m
85 Echo $65.2M - 60
60. The Great Escape1963 · Adventure, Drama · 2h 52m
85 Blend - 60
60. K.G.F: Chapter 12018 · Adventure, Thriller · 2h 36m
85 Echo $6.4M - 60
60. In Searching2018 · Adventure, Drama · 1h 30m
85 Echo $5.2K - 60
60. Charged: The Eduardo Garcia Story2017 · Adventure, Biography · 1h 26m
85 Echo $15.9K - 60
60. Hilda and the Mountain King2021 · Adventure, Drama · 1h 25m
85 Echo - 82
82. The Hidden Fortress1960 · Adventure, Drama · 2h 6m
84 Blend - 83
83. Django Unchained2012 · Action, Adventure · 2h 45m
84 Blend $426.1M - 83
83. Kiki's Delivery Service1989 · Adventure, Drama · 1h 43m
84 Blend $10.4M - 85
85. Toy Story 21999 · Adventure, Fantasy · 1h 32m
84 Blend $497.4M - 85
85. The Bridge on the River Kwai1957 · Adventure, Drama · 2h 41m
84 Blend - 87
87. Dune: Part Two2024 · Action, Adventure · 3h 15m
84 Echo $714.8M - 87
87. The Boy and the Heron2023 · Animation, Adventure · 2h 4m
84 Echo $295.6M - 87
87. Suzume2023 · Action, Adventure · 2h 2m
84 Echo $221.3M - 87
87. Mirai2018 · Adventure, Drama · 1h 38m
84 Echo $28.8M - 87
87. Toy Story 52026 · Animation, Adventure · 1h 42m
84 Echo $1.1B - 87
87. Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie2017 · Action, Adventure · 1h 29m
84 Echo $125.4M - 87
87. Minions & Monsters2026 · Animation, Adventure · 1h 30m
84 Echo $528.9M - 87
87. Forgotten Island2026 · Animation, Action · 1h 38m
84 Echo $68.5M - 87
87. I, the Executioner2024 · Action, Adventure · 1h 58m
84 Echo - 87
87. My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising2019 · Animation, Fantasy · 1h 44m
84 Echo - 87
87. Lupin III: The First2019 · Adventure, Animation · 1h 33m
84 Echo - 87
87. Hundreds of Beavers2024 · Action, Adventure · 1h 48m
84 Echo - 87
87. Treasure Island1950 · Adventure, Family · 1h 36m
84 Blend - 100
100. Mutiny on the Bounty1935 · Adventure, Biography · 2h 12m
84 Blend
No film in this list matches both filters. Choose "All" in one of them.
Decade by decade
The Best Adventure Movie of Every Decade
From The Wizard of Oz (1939) in the 1930s to Wolfwalkers (2020) in the 2020s: the highest-ranked adventure movie of each of 10 decades. The 2020s place the most films in the top 100 (38).
- 1930s 92 Metascore The Wizard of Oz 1939
- 1940s 98 Metascore The Treasure of the Sierra Madre 1948
- 1950s 98 Metascore North by Northwest 1959
- 1960s 90 Metascore The Good, the Bad and the Ugly 1967
- 1970s 90 Metascore Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope 1977
- 1980s 87 Metascore Back to the Future 1985
- 1990s 96 Metascore Toy Story 1995
- 2000s 92 Metascore The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring 2001
- 2010s 92 Echo Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2018
- 2020s 92 Echo Wolfwalkers 2020
Awards
Which Adventure Movies Won the Most Awards?
Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) has the strongest record with 33 wins from 62 nominations, including wins at Oscars, Golden Globes and BAFTA. Wins and nominations are counted across every ceremony on our awards pages.
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Everything Everywhere All at Once 33 wins / 62 nom.2022 · Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA · 67 Echo - Mad Max: Fury Road 29 wins / 47 nom.2015 · Oscars, BAFTA, Saturn Awards · 90 Metascore
- The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 28 wins / 38 nom.2003 · Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA · 94 Metascore
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Avatar 18 wins / 34 nom.2009 · Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA · 83 Metascore - Dune: Part One 16 wins / 41 nom.2021 · Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA · 85 Echo
- Ben-Hur 16 wins / 18 nom.1959 · Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA · 90 Metascore
- Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope 15 wins / 30 nom.1977 · Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA · 90 Metascore
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Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid 15 wins / 23 nom.1969 · Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA · 66 Metascore
Keep exploring
More Ways to Explore Adventure Movies
The top 100 are the best 5% of 2,075 ranked adventure films. The adventure guide, the full list of 11,877 films and the adventure box office chart cover the rest of the genre.
FAQ
Adventure Movies: Questions & Answers
Answers from the adventure ranking above: the best adventure film, how many adventure movies there are, the strongest decade and the most awarded adventure film.
What is the best adventure movie?
North by Northwest (1959) is the best-ranked adventure movie on What's After the Movie, with a critics & audiences score of 93/100. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) follow. 5 of the top 10 are ranked by Echo Score, led by Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse at 92; the other 5, all released before 2017, are ranked by a blend of Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings.
About North by Northwest How many adventure movies are there?
The site lists 11,877 adventure films. 2,075 of them are ranked: features of 60+ minutes with a real audience, critic, award or box office signal and a score. This page shows the top 100.
All adventure movies Which decade has the best adventure movies?
The 2020s place 38 films in the top 100, more than any other decade. The oldest film in the list is Mutiny on the Bounty (1935), the newest Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom (2026).
What is the most awarded adventure movie?
Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) won 33 awards from 62 nominations, ahead of Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) (29 wins), counted across the Oscars, festivals and guild awards on our awards pages.
Movie awards How is this list different from the adventure genre page?
This page is only the ranking of the 100 best adventure films. The adventure genre page covers the whole genre: new releases, the biggest box office hits, its directors and how it changed over the decades.
Adventure movies guide