IMDB Top 250's Most Overrated Entry

[ROC]

In a desperate effort to bring some film discussion to these hindparts...and partly out of curiosity, let's revisit a topic I made in 2006, the IMDB Top 250's Most Overrated Entry list.

1. 9.4 The Dark Knight (2008) 115,340

2. 9.1 The Godfather (1972) 293,920

3. 9.1 The Shawshank Redemption (1994) 344,106

4. 9.0 The Godfather: Part II (1974) 167,872

5. 8.9 Buono, il brutto, il cattivo., Il (1966) 98,403

6. 8.9 Pulp Fiction (1994) 295,321

7. 8.8 Schindler's List (1993) 196,411

8. 8.8 One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) 148,587

9. 8.8 Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) 207,327

10. 8.8 Casablanca (1942) 127,070

11. 8.8 12 Angry Men (1957) 71,531

12. 8.8 Shichinin no samurai (1954) 71,689

13. 8.8 Star Wars (1977) 248,144

14. 8.8 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) 263,834

15. 8.7 Goodfellas (1990) 161,631

16. 8.7 Rear Window (1954) 85,321

17. 8.7 Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) 186,367

18. 8.7 Cidade de Deus (2002) 105,259

19. 8.7 C'era una volta il West (1968) 48,789

20. 8.7 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) 294,939

21. 8.7 The Usual Suspects (1995) 200,370

22. 8.7 Psycho (1960) 104,444

23. 8.6 Fight Club (1999) 264,674

24. 8.6 Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) 120,157

25. 8.6 WALL·E (2008) 46,871

26. 8.6 The Silence of the Lambs (1991) 178,359

27. 8.6 North by Northwest (1959) 69,023

28. 8.6 Citizen Kane (1941) 108,455

29. 8.6 Memento (2000) 192,359

30. 8.6 Sunset Blvd. (1950) 37,222

31. 8.6 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) 244,221

32. 8.6 It's a Wonderful Life (1946) 76,491

33. 8.6 The Matrix (1999) 279,759

34. 8.5 Se7en (1995) 194,815

35. 8.5 Lawrence of Arabia (1962) 60,248

36. 8.5 Apocalypse Now (1979) 129,374

37. 8.5 Taxi Driver (1976) 108,924

38. 8.5 American Beauty (1999) 218,402

39. 8.5 Léon (1994) 134,386

40. 8.5 Vertigo (1958) 67,008

41. 8.5 American History X (1998) 153,563

42. 8.5 Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain, Le (2001) 130,586

43. 8.5 Paths of Glory (1957) 31,253

44. 8.5 The Departed (2006) 173,067

45. 8.5 M (1931) 27,767

46. 8.5 To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) 61,240

47. 8.4 The Third Man (1949) 37,154

48. 8.4 Chinatown (1974) 55,921

49. 8.4 Leben der Anderen, Das (2006) 40,752

50. 8.4 A Clockwork Orange (1971) 139,811

51. 8.4 Alien (1979) 129,924

52. 8.4 The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) 23,249

53. 8.4 Forrest Gump (1994) 206,228

54. 8.4 Double Indemnity (1944) 25,403

55. 8.4 The Shining (1980) 122,125

56. 8.4 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) 151,638

57. 8.4 The Pianist (2002) 86,863

58. 8.4 Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (2001) 68,366

59. 8.4 Laberinto del fauno, El (2006) 99,744

60. 8.4 Saving Private Ryan (1998) 199,346

61. 8.4 Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) 119,808

62. 8.4 Requiem for a Dream (2000) 126,325

63. 8.4 The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) 43,665

64. 8.4 L.A. Confidential (1997) 126,392

65. 8.4 Boot, Das (1981) 53,740

66. 8.4 Reservoir Dogs (1992) 152,604

67. 8.4 Aliens (1986) 124,848

68. 8.4 Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) 163,062

69. 8.4 Rashômon (1950) 27,132

70. 8.4 The Maltese Falcon (1941) 38,217

71. 8.4 Untergang, Der (2004) 52,609

72. 8.4 Raging Bull (1980) 63,819

73. 8.4 Metropolis (1927) 27,419

74. 8.4 No Country for Old Men (2007) 118,836

75. 8.3 There Will Be Blood (2007) 74,118

76. 8.3 Modern Times (1936) 23,918

77. 8.3 Rebecca (1940) 24,983

78. 8.3 Singin' in the Rain (1952) 40,516

79. 8.3 All About Eve (1950) 25,814

80. 8.3 City Lights (1931) 17,518

81. 8.3 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) 120,147

82. 8.3 Sin City (2005) 178,128

83. 8.3 Vita è bella, La (1997) 76,576

84. 8.3 Some Like It Hot (1959) 49,214

85. 8.3 Hotel Rwanda (2004) 61,179

86. 8.3 Amadeus (1984) 71,394

87. 8.3 The Prestige (2006) 122,602

88. 8.3 Sjunde inseglet, Det (1957) 24,894

89. 8.3 The Great Escape (1963) 44,078

90. 8.3 The Elephant Man (1980) 39,643

91. 8.3 On the Waterfront (1954) 28,926

92. 8.3 Touch of Evil (1958) 23,178

93. 8.3 Nuovo cinema Paradiso (1988) 31,458

94. 8.3 Full Metal Jacket (1987) 106,256

95. 8.3 The Sting (1973) 47,494

96. 8.3 The Apartment (1960) 24,686

97. 8.3 Jaws (1975) 100,731

98. 8.3 Once Upon a Time in America (1984) 49,545

99. 8.3 The Great Dictator (1940) 24,711

100. 8.3 Batman Begins (2005) 181,754

101. 8.3 Braveheart (1995) 180,240

102. 8.3 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) 24,026

103. 8.3 Blade Runner (1982) 139,715

104. 8.3 Strangers on a Train (1951) 23,532

105. 8.3 The Manchurian Candidate (1962) 26,628

106. 8.3 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) 129,842

107. 8.2 Back to the Future (1985) 143,028

108. 8.2 Ladri di biciclette (1948) 17,520

109. 8.2 Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) 161,355

110. 8.2 High Noon (1952) 24,832

111. 8.2 Notorious (1946) 22,338

112. 8.2 The Big Sleep (1946) 20,874

113. 8.2 Oldboy (2003) 58,985

114. 8.2 Unforgiven (1992) 67,331

115. 8.2 The Wizard of Oz (1939) 76,385

116. 8.2 Fargo (1996) 123,081

117. 8.2 Ran (1985) 25,145

118. 8.2 Mononoke-hime (1997) 45,807

119. 8.2 Cool Hand Luke (1967) 30,992

120. 8.2 Yojimbo (1961) 20,538

121. 8.2 The Green Mile (1999) 136,570

122. 8.2 Per qualche dollaro in più (1965) 27,363

123. 8.2 Donnie Darko (2001) 147,779

124. 8.2 Salaire de la peur, Le (1953) 9,159

125. 8.2 Gladiator (2000) 199,528

126. 8.2 Die Hard (1988) 130,335

127. 8.2 Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) 165,006

128. 8.2 Annie Hall (1977) 46,371

129. 8.2 Into the Wild (2007) 41,702

130. 8.2 The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) 91,368

131. 8.2 Million Dollar Baby (2004) 93,685

132. 8.2 It Happened One Night (1934) 17,133

133. 8.2 Ratatouille (2007) 78,895

134. 8.2 The General (1927) 13,746

135. 8.2 Notti di Cabiria, Le (1957) 7,066

136. 8.1 Ben-Hur (1959) 42,425

137. 8.1 The Deer Hunter (1978) 62,758

138. 8.1 The Sixth Sense (1999) 181,891

139. 8.1 Platoon (1986) 78,598

140. 8.1 Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949) 8,646

141. 8.1 Smultronstället (1957) 13,995

142. 8.1 Heat (1995) 101,499

143. 8.1 Life of Brian (1979) 68,721

144. 8.1 Diaboliques, Les (1955) 9,136

145. 8.1 The Killing (1956) 16,670

146. 8.1 Battaglia di Algeri, La (1966) 8,732

147. 8.1 Amores perros (2000) 42,008

148. 8.1 Finding Nemo (2003) 111,677

149. 8.1 Brief Encounter (1945) 8,574

150. 8.1 Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) 9,168

151. 8.1 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) 41,161

152. 8.1 8½ (1963) 19,368

153. 8.1 V for Vendetta (2005) 148,970

154. 8.1 The Wild Bunch (1969) 22,351

155. 8.1 The Incredibles (2004) 108,766

156. 8.1 The Big Lebowski (1998) 122,335

157. 8.1 The Graduate (1967) 56,813

158. 8.1 The Night of the Hunter (1955) 17,017

159. 8.1 The Princess Bride (1987) 98,376

160. 8.1 Witness for the Prosecution (1957) 11,577

161. 8.1 Stand by Me (1986) 65,066

162. 8.1 Children of Men (2006) 104,152

163. 8.1 Dog Day Afternoon (1975) 39,491

164. 8.1 Gandhi (1982) 34,970

165. 8.1 Iron Man (2008) 81,246

166. 8.1 Snatch. (2000) 114,754

167. 8.1 Shadow of a Doubt (1943) 14,000

168. 8.1 The Grapes of Wrath (1940) 16,308

169. 8.1 Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) 33,754

170. 8.1 The Gold Rush (1925) 13,990

171. 8.1 Harvey (1950) 16,471

172. 8.1 Gone with the Wind (1939) 57,075

173. 8.1 Trainspotting (1996) 107,596

174. 8.1 The Thing (1982) 50,375

175. 8.0 Scarface (1983) 101,653

176. 8.0 Crash (2004/I) 123,246

177. 8.0 Groundhog Day (1993) 95,325

178. 8.0 The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) 16,054

179. 8.0 The African Queen (1951) 25,614

180. 8.0 Duck Soup (1933) 19,206

181. 8.0 Toy Story (1995) 98,339

182. 8.0 The Conversation (1974) 22,619

183. 8.0 The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) 12,282

184. 8.0 Sleuth (1972) 11,162

185. 8.0 Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004) 127,432

186. 8.0 The Terminator (1984) 123,092

187. 8.0 Twelve Monkeys (1995) 122,420

188. 8.0 The Lion King (1994) 87,194

189. 8.0 Belle et la bête, La (1946) 6,739

190. 8.0 The Hustler (1961) 17,591

191. 8.0 Wo hu cang long (2000) 86,808

192. 8.0 Little Miss Sunshine (2006) 100,110

193. 8.0 Patton (1970) 28,921

194. 8.0 The Lost Weekend (1945) 8,166

195. 8.0 The Lady Vanishes (1938) 11,703

196. 8.0 King Kong (1933) 27,560

197. 8.0 Hotaru no haka (1988) 22,003

198. 8.0 Scaphandre et le papillon, Le (2007) 12,257

199. 8.0 Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) 83,815

200. 8.0 Umberto D. (1952) 5,330

201. 8.0 The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) 21,267

202. 8.0 Ed Wood (1994) 52,512

203. 8.0 The Ox-Bow Incident (1943) 5,831

204. 8.0 Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922) 19,881

205. 8.0 Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927) 6,955

206. 8.0 Stalag 17 (1953) 14,847

207. 8.0 The Exorcist (1973) 72,939

208. 8.0 Glory (1989) 42,738

209. 8.0 Spartacus (1960) 36,314

210. 8.0 Frankenstein (1931) 15,902

211. 8.0 All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) 15,045

212. 8.0 Magnolia (1999) 92,461

213. 8.0 Cabinet des Dr. Caligari., Das (1920) 11,502

214. 8.0 The Philadelphia Story (1940) 20,603

215. 8.0 Casino (1995) 73,140

216. 8.0 Bride of Frankenstein (1935) 11,243

217. 8.0 Bonnie and Clyde (1967) 28,405

218. 8.0 Rosemary's Baby (1968) 32,992

219. 8.0 The Kid (1921) 7,701

220. 8.0 Anatomy of a Murder (1959) 10,411

221. 8.0 Dial M for Murder (1954) 19,372

222. 8.0 Rope (1948) 20,249

223. 8.0 A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) 23,072

224. 8.0 In the Heat of the Night (1967) 15,751

225. 8.0 Stalker (1979) 13,370

226. 8.0 Big Fish (2003) 94,446

227. 8.0 Mystic River (2003) 79,231

228. 8.0 Roman Holiday (1953) 21,444

229. 8.0 Manhattan (1979) 26,784

230. 8.0 American Gangster (2007) 74,358

231. 8.0 The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) 16,717

232. 8.0 The Searchers (1956) 22,337

233. 8.0 Lola rennt (1998) 63,548

234. 8.0 Strada, La (1954) 11,625

235. 8.0 Dolce vita, La (1960) 12,953

236. 8.0 His Girl Friday (1940) 14,509

237. 8.0 Network (1976) 21,236

238. 8.0 Ace in the Hole (1951) 4,111

239. 8.0 Mou gaan dou (2002) 23,995

240. 8.0 Young Frankenstein (1974) 45,279

241. 7.9 Harold and Maude (1971) 20,276

242. 7.9 Juno (2007) 99,363

243. 7.9 In Cold Blood (1967) 7,685

244. 7.9 Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) 21,761

245. 7.9 Great Expectations (1946) 6,001

246. 7.9 Out of the Past (1947) 7,464

247. 7.9 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) 174,459

248. 7.9 Bringing Up Baby (1938) 17,564

249. 7.9 Haine, La (1995) 18,832

250. 7.9 Inherit the Wind (1960) 8,322

It is interesting to see how this list changes. I remember on the list I posted back in '06, Star Wars Episode III was on the list as well as (I think) Garden State. Obviously, trade that out for the indie film du jour Juno and the typical "high rated early buzz" of Dark Knight and Wall-E, and the list is mostly unchanged. As for my choice, it's easily Crash. Haggis's movies tend to be very sardonic in making a point, but oftentimes without the steady hand of a Clint Eastwood or...anybody that isn't himself frankly, they tend to get very heavy-handed very quickly and I felt Crash did that. I don't hate the movie, but I found it the most overrated film that I've seen from this list.

[GoGo Yubari]

Honestly, I'm just glad that Return of the King isn't in the top ten anymore. Jesus, that was exasperating.

[Katsuya]

Das Leben Der Anderen is good, but not Top 50 worthy...

[the machine]

American History X is the first movie I came across in the top 50 that had no business being there. Although I second the motion that Return of the King had no place at the very top of the list.

[-A-]

Most of the stuff from the last two years is over-rated, but it's actually not offensive now since they're mostly films worthy of being somewhere on the list. Maybe I'm just used to the fact that they'll be higher up than I expect.

Braveheart definitely sticks out to me as it's just not a film I can take seriously. It's the kind of thing got shown at the end of the school year when we had no work left to do - perfectly enjoyable but not something I ever thought of as a 'great film.'

Similarly, V for Vendetta. I really enjoyed that film, probably more than most people I talked to about it, but I didn't really think that would make this kind of list either.

[Toe]

This is probably an opinion that not many share with me, but I don't like the Shawshank Redemption and think it should be lower or off the list.

[GA!]

My overrated list.

1. 9.4 The Dark Knight (2008) 115,340 - I'm not seeing this until Sunday but no. A superhero film will never be the greatest film ever made.

2. 9.1 The Godfather (1972) 293,920 - Good but overrated. I have this theory about why Godfather is deemed the perfect film, such as why GTA is deemed a perfect game, why the Sorpanos is deemed a perfect series and why people like gangster rap. We all wanna be gangstaz y'all!

6. 8.9 Pulp Fiction (1994) 295,321 - I'm not an A-Level student anymore, Tarantino isn't God.

14. 8.8 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) 263,834 - The third film about walking.

20. 8.7 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) 294,939 - The first film about walking.

23. 8.6 Fight Club (1999) 264,674 - A five-star film in my opinion, but not the 23rd best film ever.

25. 8.6 WALL·E (2008) 46,871 - Again. No. No no NO!

31. 8.6 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) 244,221 - The second film about walking.

61. 8.4 Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) 119,808 - Tough one. This is ever so slightly overrated.

66. 8.4 Reservoir Dogs (1992) 152,604 - See Pulp Fiction.

74. 8.4 No Country for Old Men (2007) 118,836 - Slightly overhyped. I get the feeling people said they liked the film out of fear of being called an idiot. I do think it's a great film though.

81. 8.3 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) 120,147 - My issue with the final act isn't how I don't get it, rather how it doesn't fit with the rest of the film whatsoever.

82. 8.3 Sin City (2005) 178,128 - Average.

100. 8.3 Batman Begins (2005) 181,754 - Just saw this last night. The second half of the film has major inconsistency issues.

103. 8.3 Blade Runner (1982) 139,715 - Seen it twice, hated it twice. It just doesn't work.

109. 8.2 Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) 161,355 - Fanboyed into this ranking.

127. 8.2 Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) 165,006 - See Reservoir Dogs.

148. 8.1 Finding Nemo (2003) 111,677 - Why is Toy Story ranked number 181 when this, another in a long line of 'oh no, I'm a cute animal that needs to find his way home' animated films, is ranked higher?

155. 8.1 The Incredibles (2004) 108,766 - A lot better than I expected, but still ranked higher than Toy Story for some reason.

173. 8.1 Trainspotting (1996) 107,596 - Overrated and (in this country anyway) overplayed.

185. 8.0 Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004) 127,432 - Oh fuck off. This is a one star film if I ever did see one. It also rivals Knocked Up for the Academy Award for Most Filler.

192. 8.0 Little Miss Sunshine (2006) 100,110 - I don't identify myself as unique, whacky and anti-mainstream. Also: I didn't laugh once.

199. 8.0 Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) 83,815 - I'm embarrassed that this is seen as one of the best British films ever. This film is for people who proudly buy magazines like Nuts and Zoo, common men who wish they could replace their factory jobs with a life of crime.

223. 8.0 A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) 23,072 - I didn't enjoy it.

Wow, I hate lots of things.

Edited July 25, 2008 by GA

[Toe]

No, I agree with a lot of your choices.

Dark Knight should be on that list, but not at number one. I do think that the Godfather deserves its place on the list - I have seen it numerous times and not become bored with it, and all the parts are played to perfection. Everything else (except No Country For Old Men, which I think is underrated here) I agree with.

[Liam]

I dunno, I disagree with a fair few of GA's problems, but thats just me.

My main problem is The Departed making the list, when Infernal Affairs, the original and better version doesn't....but then again, its not as big a film, so thats kinda obvious.

EDIT: And yeah, throw my hat in the ring for Toy Story being too low.

Edited July 25, 2008 by rvdwannabe

[slain]

Ughhh. There is absolutely NO way in hell that The Dark Knight should be listed as "The Greatest movie in the history of film". Maybe in the top 50. Maybe even in the top 20. Just not #1! Annnndd. I really enjoyed the LOTR trilogy, and believe that they should be where they are now. Toy Story should also get bumped into the top 100. Classic movie.

EDIT: Fight Club, too. Fantastic movie with a great twist. I think EVERYONE should go see it.

Edited July 25, 2008 by slain

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

I dunno, I disagree with a fair few of GA's problems, but thats just me.

My main problem is The Departed making the list, when Infernal Affairs, the original and better version doesn't....but then again, its not as a film, so thats kinda obvious.

Agreed. Infernal Affairs is a ridiculously better film.

Anyway, Dark Knight is overrated.

Alien and Amelie are badly underrated.

Lots more overrated films in there but I decided to start and stop at number 1.

[Universal]

The IMDB Top 250 is a statistical culmination of everyone rating films on IMDB. It is the closest to a Top 250 films we will probably ever get. It the general opinion and like a focus group or the TV ratings system, it has a VERY good perception of what the general population thinks. IMDB has hundreds of thousands of users.

I personally don't believe a film can be over-rated. Under-rated maybe because it didn't get the attention it deserved or came out at a bad time, but barely ever over-rated. If people enjoy the film, they are going to rate it as such. However, if the film isn't as good as they originally heard, they are not going to go "Well... that was... GREAT!" Indiana Jones 4 had so much hype going into it and so many people went to see it. It was rated like an 8.5 on its first weekend and is now down to a 7.0 on IMDB. If people don't like something, no matter how excited they are for it, they will voice their opinion on a film rating site. Every film has the same criteria for judgment. Every film on IMDB has the same chance of being #1.

As much as i dislike Tarantino's style sometime, Pulp Fiction is a great film. It deserves to be high. How high? I don't know. It is a great film and my dislike for the over-hyped Tarantino goes away for 2 1/2 hours every time i watch it.

Currently, The Dark Knight is number 1 and has been voted by 115,000 people, more than the 75,000 it took for Indy 4 to be brought down to 7.0. This film ain't going very far. It is staying in the top 10. While i don't think it is up there just yet with The Godfather, Shawshank Redemption or Schindler's List... It is damn good. If it stays as #1, i would be fairly disappointed. However, if it does, then it deserved it. Every other film before had that same chance and The Dark Knight did something right. Nobody is being brainwashed or threatened into liking this movie. People generally love it and are pumped after seeing it. The Dark Knight struck a nerve with the audience and that's something that cannot be said by any other recent film.

Edited July 25, 2008 by Universal

[-A-]

The IMDB Top 250 is a statistical culmination of everyone rating films on IMDB. It is the closest to a Top 250 films we will probably ever get. It the general opinion and like a focus group or the TV ratings system, it has a VERY good perception of what the general population thinks. IMDB has hundreds of thousands of users.

This is not true at all, because you have no proof that IMDB users - particularly IMDB users who are inclined to cast votes - are representative of the population at large. I strongly doubt that they are, as I doubt anyone on the internet is representative as anything other than a certain subset of person. The IWC isn't even representative of the wrestling audience in general and we're a far less diverse group (primarily males 12-30, say) that people who watch films (basically everyone.) I'm sure a list of the greatest wrestlers of all time conducted by visitors to the Wrestling Observer website would have the likes of Shelton Benjamin and Matt Hardy far higher than a poll conducted by WWE of their live audiences or of a proper focus study done to account for the different demographics of the wrestling audience.

Octogenarians watch films and are far less likely to vote on IMDB than those in their 20s. The fact that aberrations can and do happen is evidenced by the positions of films like The Dark Knight and Juno which would probably not be ranked as highly as they are in a normal list of the 'greatest films.'

[livid]

Actually, he's fairly right about The Dark Knight. The hype of it's release will eventually die down and the movie will start to get lower but I don't think it's going drop a whole lot as it's legitimately a great movie and a lot of people tend to agree.

And after looking at what GA has problems with, I can't imagine what movies he actually likes.

[Jimmy]

He didn't say he didn't like the movies, he just said they were the 'Insert Number' Greatest Film of all time.

Edited July 25, 2008 by Split Second

[GA!]

And after looking at what GA has problems with, I can't imagine what movies he actually likes.

I can see why. I tend to watch films and judge them as their own entity instead of favouring a certain director, genre or whatever.

Back to the list. These are the films I've seen AND loved...

3. 9.1 The Shawshank Redemption (1994) 344,106

8. 8.8 One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) 148,587

11. 8.8 12 Angry Men (1957) 71,531

17. 8.7 Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) 186,367

22. 8.7 Psycho (1960) 104,444

23. 8.6 Fight Club (1999) 264,674 - But like I said, its a bit overrated.

26. 8.6 The Silence of the Lambs (1991) 178,359

30. 8.6 Sunset Blvd. (1950) 37,222

40. 8.5 Vertigo (1958) 67,008

51. 8.4 Alien (1979) 129,924

53. 8.4 Forrest Gump (1994) 206,228

56. 8.4 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) 151,638

61. 8.4 Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) 119,808 - See Fight Club.

67. 8.4 Aliens (1986) 124,848

74. 8.4 No Country for Old Men (2007) 118,836 - See Monty Python.

84. 8.3 Some Like It Hot (1959) 49,214

96. 8.3 The Apartment (1960) 24,686

97. 8.3 Jaws (1975) 100,731

99. 8.3 The Great Dictator (1940) 24,711

106. 8.3 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) 129,842

115. 8.2 The Wizard of Oz (1939) 76,385

121. 8.2 The Green Mile (1999) 136,570

123. 8.2 Donnie Darko (2001) 147,779

131. 8.2 Million Dollar Baby (2004) 93,685

136. 8.1 Ben-Hur (1959) 42,425

143. 8.1 Life of Brian (1979) 68,721

149. 8.1 Brief Encounter (1945) 8,574 - I especially love how people consider it to be a romantic film.

162. 8.1 Children of Men (2006) 104,152

163. 8.1 Dog Day Afternoon (1975) 39,491

181. 8.0 Toy Story (1995) 98,339

202. 8.0 Ed Wood (1994) 52,512 - The only good Tim Burton film.

222. 8.0 Rope (1948) 20,249

237. 8.0 Network (1976) 21,236

For the record, my favourite film is The Truman Show, which isn't in the top 250. Neither are other favourites including Shaun of the Dead, The 400 Blows, The Rescuers, Frenzy, Bowling For Columbine and so on...

[NobBe Nobbs]

My main problem is The Departed making the list, when Infernal Affairs, the original and better version doesn't....but then again, its not as big a film, so thats kinda obvious.

And, you know, the Departed was a phenomenal film in its own right, with plenty of details that set it apart from Infernal Affairs as its own film (or to paraphrase Scorsese, I think it was, when he said that the Departed was more a cousin of Infernal Affairs than any closer relation), and that to quantify IA as the better film because it was the original is incredibly stupid. I know you're not explicitly saying the second part and maybe aren't even implicitly saying it either, but that opinion is one I heard way too much by people who often take the same tack on the Seven Samurai/Magnificent Seven films (among others, such as Audition/Hard Candy and Ringu/The Ring). Hell, one guy had the same opinion - and is one of those guys who constantly insist that books are better than the films made from them, no matter what - despite later admitting that he'd never actually seen all of the Magnificent Seven, although he was a prick to begin with.

[zero]

See, here's the problem with judging anything on arbitrary numbers, stars, letters, tomatoes, or whatever other ridiculous thing we come up with - it just doesn't work.

The Dark Knight is a phenomenal movie - of course I give it about a month before all the tragically hip nerds run around screaming "that movie fucking sucks, aren't I cool for being so edgy and different?!" Personally, I can't find a single flaw with The Dark Knight, it's the perfect movie going off its source material and its appeal to its audience, it is exactly what the movie should be. So if it's exactly what the movie should be, where's the harm in giving it a 10? Well, the problem is a lot of people feel that way and then film snobs come out of the woodwork and start screaming "BUT IT'S A COMIC BOOK MOVIE! TIGHTS! MEN IN MAKEUP AND CAPES! THAT'S A POPCORN FLICK, NOT A MASTERPIECE!" But how do you rate it?

If all movies are subject to the same 10 point scale, it just doesn't work. We'll take The Godfather, arguably the perfect movie, so that's our example of a Perfect 10/10. Now, take a movie like Empire Strikes Back, it's the perfect movie for what it was supposed to be and how it appealed to its audience, but it has aliens and lasers and spaceships, so can that be judged on the same scale as The Godfather? What about a movie like My Cousin Vinny? Which I think is one of the funniest movies ever made and is one of my favorite movies, but can you put it on the same level with The Godfather?

10/10 means different things to different people. If I ranked movies based on numbers, I'd give Beetlejuice a 10/10, but does that mean I think it's a better movie than The Godfather? Every movie is different, which is why I don't get trying to make them all fit in some arbitrary system of 1-10 (even with internet nerd shit like 9.76). This is why my favorite reviews were Siskel & Ebert's - thumbs up or thumbs down. They liked it or they didn't and then they'd tell you why. What really matters is the review before we throw out the number or the star, because that's how you find out what kind of movie it is. We don't like Spaceballs for the same reasons we like Gone With the Wind, so attaching a number to each movie is just silly.

Now, in terms of my personal opinion on most overrated movie on the list, Leon (or The Professional as it's called here), hands down. Don't get me wrong, love the movie, but I could probably name about 200+ movies I like more.

[-A-]

I can't watch Leon any more or I become more and more convinced I'm going to prison.

EDIT: Where I will be severely chastised by the inmates.

Edited July 26, 2008 by -A-

[Thatz]

The thing that bugs me about IMDB is that a lot of idiots are voting on the website. They don't vote based on what they actually think of the movie, they vote to try and influence the score. Movies get way too many 10/10 scores and 1/10 scores from people trying to balance things out. I don't care if you don't really like the Godfather, but come on. You can't give it a 1/10, even if you hated the damn thing. A movie has to be absolutely horrible to get a 1/10, and you don't see too many of those. Give a movie that you didn't like a 5/10 or whatever, but the people who play the numbers to try and boost or lower certain film's scores need to get a life.

I like the list for the most part, but just as a general guide. A lot of absolutely incredible films aren't on there just because they're old or whatever, and a lot of films that aren't that great are on the list, but it's still a nice guide. If you look at it just to see what some of the most well-recieved films are, then it's good. I've used it to discover quite a few movies that I might not have watched otherwise. If you're looking for a definitive list of the greatest films ever made, however, the list isn't worth a shit.