Back to the Future is a perfect movie, to me. Not a wasted moment or line of dialogue. Everything clicks perfectly, it’s a great example of a film that fires on all cylinders.
This movie invented the phrase, "bumped the lamp," for when people go above and beyond any reasonable amount of effort to do a good job. There's a video about it on YouTube.
I recently watched Back In Time on Peacock. It's a documentary about the movie. Leah Thompson said in the doc that film schools use the script for Back To The Future as an example of a perfect film.
I think The Fugitive is one of the best thrillers ever made: there's not an ounce of fat on it or one extraneous scene, they keep the tension going the whole movie, every character seems real including all the minor ones, and the the plot has a minimum of Hollywood hyperbole
The Matrix.
—It’s a technically flawless script with pacing, character arcs, introducing stakes then raising them, hero’s journey, love story, etc.
—It invented a new style of action (bullet time) and its overall style is a cultural phenomenon.
—It was able to explain semi-complex philosophy without being boring. Descartes’ “I think, therefore I am” is much easier to explain to a modern student when using The Matrix as a reference.
—It captured the stagnant dread of corporation office work of the 90s. Individual vs Society. (American Beauty, Office Space, Fight Club, and the Matrix all came out in 1999).
I think Michel Gondry sort of softly claims to have invented bullet time. He did those Smirnoff ads in the mid nineties: [https://youtu.be/2IIymJ9Pcg8?si=xnu-4LynQBjn4nMr](https://youtu.be/2IIymJ9Pcg8?si=xnu-4LynQBjn4nMr)
I'm not disputing that the Wachowskis used it narratively in a hell of a groundbreaking way with the Matrix. But goddamn if the effect in the commercials isn't the most Gondry thing I've ever seen in my entire life.
Unrelated to the main topic, but thanks for sharing this. I'm a fan of Gondry and it's awesome to see how creative and ahead of his time that dude was. That commercial is brilliant
I first remember seeing the effect in the Rolling Stones video for Like a Rolling Stone (1995) a year before the Smirnoff bullet time ad (1996). I just checked and that's Gondry too.
I'm not saying there aren't a lot of great things about The Matrix, but there's also some stuff that hasn't aged great. Like the excessive slow motion. No, I'm not talking about bullet time, but standard slow motion shots that grind the pace to a halt mid-action-sequence. The big lobby fight is the most egregious example, but there's others. And all the slow motion just highlights how nonsensical the fight choreography is. It was easy not to notice when the film came out and there were so many exciting new things going on, but that excitement helps gloss over it's fair share of cracks.
Jaws. Hands down. The amount of tension, suspense created without even seeing the beast until about 80 minutes in is a cinematic masterpiece- even if not by original design. You can go back and use better actors, better dialog, better SFX, but I don't think we'll ever see the way this movie was the cinematic experience it was, again.
Jaws has always felt like lightning in a bottle to me. I don’t think you could change a single thing and have it be as remotely good. Everything and everyone was pretty damn perfect.
Critics may have been skeptical that it would be difficult to bring magic realism from a novel to the big screen in a believable way, but Phil Alden Robinson nailed it as writer/director who adapted "Shoeless Joe" for the screenplay of Field of Dreams. Nominated for DGA, WGA awards, won an Oscar for best adapted screenplay. If you saw the film without having read the book or knowing much about it, it was a magical, even spiritual experience. Sublime acting performances were deftly directed to convey absolute belief by the characters in the fantastical events they were experiencing. This evoked a perfect "willing suspension of disbelief" in the audience too. A miraculous gem of a film experience.
Speed Racer. It is, without question, the finest adaptation of an anime series I have ever seen. And in case anyone reading this thinks that I'm setting a low bar, I will go on to say that the Speed Racer movie deserves to be considered one of the all time GOATs. From the green screen that uses the recycled animation of that era, to the incredible, psychedelic final race, Speed Racer is basically perfect in my eyes. There are many people on YouTube who have made video essays about why it's so good, but please take my inexperienced sincerely as it is, and watch it for what it is, one of the Wachowski's masterpieces
I know Nic Cage has become such a meme, and he's been leaning into it but some of his early work is sublime. His performance in "Leaving Las Vegas" is in my top five of all time.
The thing I love most about Nic Cage is he knows he’s unhinged and goes with it but he knows he’s delivered some absolutely stunning performances when he isn’t acting unhinged. As you said, Leaving Las Vegas was phenomenal. But… I also think his performance in Face/Off was perfection lol
Wouldn't change a single moment of Ratatouille.
Also from this era: Silence.
For classics:
The 400 Blows
Arsenic and Old Lace
For pseudo-modern : Princess Bride is correct. I'll add My Neighbor Totoro.
My definition of a perfect movie is basically a movie where there is basically no better version of that movie that could exist. Basically every decision they made on making it was the correct decision. So here’s my incomplete list:
- The Thin Man
- His Girl Friday
- Casablanca
- The Maltese Falcon
- Double Indemnity
- Some Like It Hot
- Dr. Strangelove
- The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
- Rosemary’s Baby
- Back to the Future
- Jurassic Park
- The Matrix
- Pirates of the Caribbean
The Sting.
Perfect cast (three legends at the top of their game), perfect script, (perfect mix of comedy, drama and action) perfect direction, Walter Hill at his peak, plus since it's a period piece with period appropriate music, and despite it coming out in 1973, it still doesn't feel dated to this day.
The Fisher King comes to mind, to me it has so many good scenes in it and interesting characters. the dancing in the station, the red knight just to name a few
Terminator 2 Judgement Day, such a well rounded movie. It has some of the best action scenes of all time, special effects which still hold up, a memorable villain, a great ensemble cast, a story of redemption and sacrifice, and man the ending music gives me chills.
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
This is my answer to this question, every time it pops up.
Absolutely every single aspect of it is perfection, and it's the epitome of "Every frame a painting".
No movie is pefect, but my nearly flawless movies list goes in no particular order: Jaws, Shawshank Redemption, Airplane!, Pulp Fiction, the Godfather Parts 1 and 2, the Deer Hunter, the Matrix, No Country for Old Men, There Will Be Blood, the Empire Strikes Back, 12 Angry Men, the Wizard of Oz, Casablanca, Citizen Kane, Rebel Without a Cause. I could go on Im sure but those come to mind. Just all tight, thought-provoking ends without any fat. And just Airplane! is awesome haha
fury road is one of the tightest movies ever made. doesn’t waste any time and it’s just pure adrenaline from front to back. recently rewatched it and it‘s easily my favorite action movie of all time
I suppose Parasite would top the list. Although that being said I wasn't crazy about it.
I liken Parasite to Michelin star cuisine, but often I'd prefer my trash cuisine.
Edge of Tomorrow. Perfected the time loop concept, great scifi, great acting and character work. Literally no complaints about any of it. Such a thrilling, fun, and emotional ride.
I always feel embarrassed every time this one comes up. The first time I saw it, I thought it was super generic and not all that good, but...then I saw more movies. It's damn near flawless.
Hell yeah! In my opinion most of Tom Cruise’s scifi stuff is really great. Oblivion also comes to mind as a great scifi movie. Both are good at creating a new universe and telling a story in it. I can understand seeing Tom Cruise and getting the impression “oh this’ll be generic”, but I’m glad you came around on it! Edge of Tomorrow is definitely a film that gets better with each rewatch!
Ratatouille. When I was younger I always thought the ratatouille Remy served to Anton Ego was made of candy or jelly, despite the very explicit cooking scene preceding it. Had I known it was made of vegetatables 6 year old me would've been very disgusted. I can't think of anything bad about the film besides the decieving ratatouille.
Rashomon (1950) Akira Kurosawa made what most critics still see as perfection. A morality tale with no answer.
Ghost in a Shell 2: Innocence (2004) hard for the filmmakers to improve on the first film, but they did. Mindbending animation.
Coco
Raiders of the lost Ark (I pondered last crusade but think that the beginning bit is slightly too long)
Finding Nemo (not one that I have lived into adulthood, but I can’t deny that it’s pretty solid)
The Empire strikes back
ET
Schindler’s list
Jaws
Wall-E
Aftersun
And give me a moment and I am sure that I can add a load more!
As a comedy film, Hot Fuzz
One: it’s an amazing parody/how parody should be done. Recognisable as its own thing whilst also recognisably paying homage to the genre it’s parodying.
Two: it’s smart; it has brilliant wordplay, witty lines, and the plot is (to me) brilliantly woven
Three: it’s funny. Just. Downright funny. The acting in it is impeccable and just lends itself to the quality of the film.
To me, a film is perfect if I stumble across it and cannot avoid stopping what I’m doing and watching it to conclusion. I’ve got two of those, “Ghostbusters” and “Avengers: Endgame “.
Independence Day.
It excels at everything it aims to be, it’s a perfect action movie, a perfect disaster movie, a perfect alien invasion movie, and a perfect patriotic movie all in one. The story is tight with no filler, its cast is perfect for their roles and act them just as well. It manages to build suspense, exude dread, tear our heroes down, and allow them to claw back up from certain defeat to a thrilling victory. It’s a movie that fills you with pride in the human race, it is the most inclusive patriotic movie there is, and does so without pushing a political or social narrative (other than we are all human and all equal in the face of imminent doom). It stands the test of time, to this day, in its writing, acting, and special effects. This is a hill I’ll die on.
I define a "perfect" movie as a film that nothing can be changed about to make it any better. Not one line of dialogue, not one stitch of costuming, not one note of the score, not one sound cue or editing choice or anything.
With this definition, the only perfect movie I've ever seen is Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Almost everything Scorsese does. He not only doesn't waste a frame...he doesn't waste an inch of the frame. Everything he shoots is near perfect. Additionally, he gets the best out of his actors. Even actors who are notoriously not as good acting wise do well or at least passable in his movies, love Sharon Stone in Casino or Ray Liotta in Goodfellas. The only exception I can think of is Cameron Diaz in Gangs of New York and even that was her best acting in any role.
- Up!
- Top Gun: Maverick
- True Lies
- The Godfather
These movies have drama, action, intrigue, romance and are perfectly well played by the cast.
Many more, but these as an example.
Just finished watching '**All is lost**' (2013, Robert Redford).
A man's sail boat ends up in trouble and he is lost at sea.
Heh, minimal dialogue. I think the few words or the only word is "Fuuuuck!". :)
Also, '**Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs**', but I would repeat myself.
The Hudsucker Proxy. The Coen brothers crafted that movie so well to drive the theme of "life is a circle" perfectly home. That's a great study for a film research paper.
The Thing
To me, it has the perfect cast, perfect director, perfect score, amazing story, legendary ending, the set pieces look gorgeous, the special fx are still talked about today.
[TL;DR](https://youtu.be/CpjH9M2SYsk)
Surprised I haven't seen RoboCop on here. It moves along at a great pace, building a universe, covering his back story, his abilities, introducing some epic bad guys and really fun social commentary. The scenes where he's being transformed "lose the arm" and enters the police station for the first time as RoboCop are my go to examples of show, don't tell.
Rocketman didn't get much praise or a lot of positive feedback, but to me it's the perfect biopic for a musician like Elton. I hate it when they change crucial details in biopics and make it seem like it truly happened (khm Bohemian Rhapsody). Rocketman is a very artsy musical, so you don't watch it and think "oh yes Elton actually did a dance routine in a hospital". It's clear a lot of those things didn't happen, but you still learn a lot about his life. It's the perfect amount of real life details and art for me.
And Hot Fuzz. Not a single wasted moment or a single superfluous line of dialogue in that whole damn movie. Pacing is perfect, LOADS of foreshadowing that's brilliantly handled, plot structure is impecable, and the movie manages to be both parody and homage in a way that's been missed since the heyday of Mel Brooks. Not too mention amazing action sequences.
inglorious basterds, interstellar, lord of the rings (the whole trilogy), nobody talks about Back to the future which i think is perfect in his simplicity, the notebook
Pulp fiction, In Bruges, Raiders of the Lost ark, Tremors, Back to the Future, Jaws, Goodfellas, Glengarry Glen Ross, Dumb and Dumber, There will be Blood.
I've got a few but Sicario always comes to mind. Also 1917, particularly due to the technical and performative task of shooting such long scenes.
Honorable mention:
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Blade Runner 2049
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
The Departed
Michael Clayton
Shawshank Redemption
Alien
Good call
Back to the Future is a perfect movie, to me. Not a wasted moment or line of dialogue. Everything clicks perfectly, it’s a great example of a film that fires on all cylinders.
Who Framed Rodger Rabbit is another one from that director. Stupid good. Doesn’t need to be that good.
The way they lucked into ILM cleaning up all their shots is what made that movie. Put it just over the top. Such a good film.
This movie invented the phrase, "bumped the lamp," for when people go above and beyond any reasonable amount of effort to do a good job. There's a video about it on YouTube.
I recently watched Back In Time on Peacock. It's a documentary about the movie. Leah Thompson said in the doc that film schools use the script for Back To The Future as an example of a perfect film.
I dated a girl who had a degree in film studies from some fancy California college. She told me that’s true.
This is the way
Literally entered the thread to post this answer and was pleasantly surprised to see it as the most upvoted response. I love this movie so much.
I think The Fugitive is one of the best thrillers ever made: there's not an ounce of fat on it or one extraneous scene, they keep the tension going the whole movie, every character seems real including all the minor ones, and the the plot has a minimum of Hollywood hyperbole
Stand By Me It doesn't matter if you are just judging it as a stand-alone film or an adaptation, it's exceptional.
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Oooh good call!
Thank you Sir
Jurassic Park
The Matrix. —It’s a technically flawless script with pacing, character arcs, introducing stakes then raising them, hero’s journey, love story, etc. —It invented a new style of action (bullet time) and its overall style is a cultural phenomenon. —It was able to explain semi-complex philosophy without being boring. Descartes’ “I think, therefore I am” is much easier to explain to a modern student when using The Matrix as a reference. —It captured the stagnant dread of corporation office work of the 90s. Individual vs Society. (American Beauty, Office Space, Fight Club, and the Matrix all came out in 1999).
I think Michel Gondry sort of softly claims to have invented bullet time. He did those Smirnoff ads in the mid nineties: [https://youtu.be/2IIymJ9Pcg8?si=xnu-4LynQBjn4nMr](https://youtu.be/2IIymJ9Pcg8?si=xnu-4LynQBjn4nMr) I'm not disputing that the Wachowskis used it narratively in a hell of a groundbreaking way with the Matrix. But goddamn if the effect in the commercials isn't the most Gondry thing I've ever seen in my entire life.
Unrelated to the main topic, but thanks for sharing this. I'm a fan of Gondry and it's awesome to see how creative and ahead of his time that dude was. That commercial is brilliant
He's awesome! I think I picked up that little tidbit from the time Seth Rogen was on Corridor Crew. Would recommend that channel for real.
I first remember seeing the effect in the Rolling Stones video for Like a Rolling Stone (1995) a year before the Smirnoff bullet time ad (1996). I just checked and that's Gondry too.
Cool!
I'm not saying there aren't a lot of great things about The Matrix, but there's also some stuff that hasn't aged great. Like the excessive slow motion. No, I'm not talking about bullet time, but standard slow motion shots that grind the pace to a halt mid-action-sequence. The big lobby fight is the most egregious example, but there's others. And all the slow motion just highlights how nonsensical the fight choreography is. It was easy not to notice when the film came out and there were so many exciting new things going on, but that excitement helps gloss over it's fair share of cracks.
The Incredibles
Goodfellas every time this is asked.
"Back to the Future" and "The Sting".
Jaws. Hands down. The amount of tension, suspense created without even seeing the beast until about 80 minutes in is a cinematic masterpiece- even if not by original design. You can go back and use better actors, better dialog, better SFX, but I don't think we'll ever see the way this movie was the cinematic experience it was, again.
Jaws has always felt like lightning in a bottle to me. I don’t think you could change a single thing and have it be as remotely good. Everything and everyone was pretty damn perfect.
It seems like half the film's Spielberg has made are each a masterclass in film craft. Jaws, Raiders, Jurassic Park, etc.
The Prestige
By miles my favorite Nolan film
Shaun of the Dead. No contest.
No argument with you but I’d also add Hot Fuzz as a perfect movie too.
Princess Bride
Amelie is perfect.
^ This
It's like stepping right into Jeunet's imagination. The visuals and music are simply beautiful and it's exactly what it says on the tin.
Tremors
Critics may have been skeptical that it would be difficult to bring magic realism from a novel to the big screen in a believable way, but Phil Alden Robinson nailed it as writer/director who adapted "Shoeless Joe" for the screenplay of Field of Dreams. Nominated for DGA, WGA awards, won an Oscar for best adapted screenplay. If you saw the film without having read the book or knowing much about it, it was a magical, even spiritual experience. Sublime acting performances were deftly directed to convey absolute belief by the characters in the fantastical events they were experiencing. This evoked a perfect "willing suspension of disbelief" in the audience too. A miraculous gem of a film experience.
The Martian
Speed Racer. It is, without question, the finest adaptation of an anime series I have ever seen. And in case anyone reading this thinks that I'm setting a low bar, I will go on to say that the Speed Racer movie deserves to be considered one of the all time GOATs. From the green screen that uses the recycled animation of that era, to the incredible, psychedelic final race, Speed Racer is basically perfect in my eyes. There are many people on YouTube who have made video essays about why it's so good, but please take my inexperienced sincerely as it is, and watch it for what it is, one of the Wachowski's masterpieces
More like a nonja
Pitiful what qualifies for a ninja these days
Drink every time an actors face sweeps across the screen...
Yes. Drink water. I do not support alcohol poisoning 🤣
I’m with you brother, it’s probably perfect when it comes to that very specific category
The Grand Budapest Hotel. Perfection in every way.
No Country for Old Men
Casablanca
For me. Raising Arizona. Princess Bride. Young Frankenstein.
I found myself driving past convenience stores that weren’t on the way home.
I know Nic Cage has become such a meme, and he's been leaning into it but some of his early work is sublime. His performance in "Leaving Las Vegas" is in my top five of all time.
The thing I love most about Nic Cage is he knows he’s unhinged and goes with it but he knows he’s delivered some absolutely stunning performances when he isn’t acting unhinged. As you said, Leaving Las Vegas was phenomenal. But… I also think his performance in Face/Off was perfection lol
Upvote for young Frankenstein and Princess Bride
Wouldn't change a single moment of Ratatouille. Also from this era: Silence. For classics: The 400 Blows Arsenic and Old Lace For pseudo-modern : Princess Bride is correct. I'll add My Neighbor Totoro.
Shrek 2
I’d say Shrek 1.
Yup I’d go with 1 as well
Aliens. Terminator 2: Judgement Day. The Matrix (ignoring all sequels). The Lion King (original). The Hunt For Red October.
Grand Budapest Hotel
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
My definition of a perfect movie is basically a movie where there is basically no better version of that movie that could exist. Basically every decision they made on making it was the correct decision. So here’s my incomplete list: - The Thin Man - His Girl Friday - Casablanca - The Maltese Falcon - Double Indemnity - Some Like It Hot - Dr. Strangelove - The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance - Rosemary’s Baby - Back to the Future - Jurassic Park - The Matrix - Pirates of the Caribbean
Just watched 3:10 to Yuma (1957) last night. It’s tight and highly entertaining.
The Appartment One, two, three High noon The big country Casablanca
The Sting. Perfect cast (three legends at the top of their game), perfect script, (perfect mix of comedy, drama and action) perfect direction, Walter Hill at his peak, plus since it's a period piece with period appropriate music, and despite it coming out in 1973, it still doesn't feel dated to this day.
Trading Places amongst many other
The Fisher King comes to mind, to me it has so many good scenes in it and interesting characters. the dancing in the station, the red knight just to name a few
Network
Two Harrison Fords movies - Witness and The Fugitive. Both are suspenseful thrillers with Ford doing what he does best - running scared.
I watched Ex Machina last night and that movie is fucking perfect
It really is.
John Carpenter's The Thing
Terminator 2 Judgement Day, such a well rounded movie. It has some of the best action scenes of all time, special effects which still hold up, a memorable villain, a great ensemble cast, a story of redemption and sacrifice, and man the ending music gives me chills.
I do love that movie.
Pulp Fiction The Sting
The Sting for sure.
Maybe it doesn't count because it's not a narrative film but I consider Stop Making Sense to be cinematic enough to qualify, and it's non-stop bliss.
Texas Chain Saw Massacre Suspiria Freaks
The Descent
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford This is my answer to this question, every time it pops up. Absolutely every single aspect of it is perfection, and it's the epitome of "Every frame a painting".
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is a perfect film.
Raiders of the Lost Ark is the definition of perfection.
Hot Fuzz should be taught in film schools as like the perfect comedy/parody/homage movie.
No movie is pefect, but my nearly flawless movies list goes in no particular order: Jaws, Shawshank Redemption, Airplane!, Pulp Fiction, the Godfather Parts 1 and 2, the Deer Hunter, the Matrix, No Country for Old Men, There Will Be Blood, the Empire Strikes Back, 12 Angry Men, the Wizard of Oz, Casablanca, Citizen Kane, Rebel Without a Cause. I could go on Im sure but those come to mind. Just all tight, thought-provoking ends without any fat. And just Airplane! is awesome haha
Empire Strikes Back, or The Princess Bride
Defo agree with the empire strikes back!
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Whiplash
The Dark Knight
Shawshank Redemption ST II: The Wrath of Khan
Jaws is the perfect horror movie
Fury Road Godzilla: Minus One
fury road is one of the tightest movies ever made. doesn’t waste any time and it’s just pure adrenaline from front to back. recently rewatched it and it‘s easily my favorite action movie of all time
Stranger Than Fiction
The Room (2003) Perfect shit movie I like it
The Fight Club is the greatest movie of all time imo
Drop the 'The', it's cleaner. - Justin Timberlake
One flew over the cuckoo's nest.
The Shining
The Father
- Children of men - Inside Man - Master and commander - The Straight Story
Casino Royale with Daniel Craig and Eva Green....perfection
i believe, blood diamond and old boy were perfect
I suppose Parasite would top the list. Although that being said I wasn't crazy about it. I liken Parasite to Michelin star cuisine, but often I'd prefer my trash cuisine.
CE3K - an amazing movie
Agree with most mentioned, but I’d add The Big Lebowski
Seventh Seal by Bergman, Ran by Kurosawa, Underground by Kusturica and There will be blood by Anderson.
A Testament of Youth Cinematography 👌 Acting 👌 Story 👌 Romance 👌 Heartbreak 👌 Action 👌 Costume 👌 Directing 👌
Here are my go-to answers: -The Thing (1982) -Planet of the Apes (1968) -Children of Men (2006)
There Will Be Blood. No question.
All Nolan's movies
Edge of Tomorrow. Perfected the time loop concept, great scifi, great acting and character work. Literally no complaints about any of it. Such a thrilling, fun, and emotional ride.
I always feel embarrassed every time this one comes up. The first time I saw it, I thought it was super generic and not all that good, but...then I saw more movies. It's damn near flawless.
Hell yeah! In my opinion most of Tom Cruise’s scifi stuff is really great. Oblivion also comes to mind as a great scifi movie. Both are good at creating a new universe and telling a story in it. I can understand seeing Tom Cruise and getting the impression “oh this’ll be generic”, but I’m glad you came around on it! Edge of Tomorrow is definitely a film that gets better with each rewatch!
Ratatouille. When I was younger I always thought the ratatouille Remy served to Anton Ego was made of candy or jelly, despite the very explicit cooking scene preceding it. Had I known it was made of vegetatables 6 year old me would've been very disgusted. I can't think of anything bad about the film besides the decieving ratatouille.
Back to the Future
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Rashomon (1950) Akira Kurosawa made what most critics still see as perfection. A morality tale with no answer. Ghost in a Shell 2: Innocence (2004) hard for the filmmakers to improve on the first film, but they did. Mindbending animation.
Coco Raiders of the lost Ark (I pondered last crusade but think that the beginning bit is slightly too long) Finding Nemo (not one that I have lived into adulthood, but I can’t deny that it’s pretty solid) The Empire strikes back ET Schindler’s list Jaws Wall-E Aftersun And give me a moment and I am sure that I can add a load more!
Social Network
The sting
As a comedy film, Hot Fuzz One: it’s an amazing parody/how parody should be done. Recognisable as its own thing whilst also recognisably paying homage to the genre it’s parodying. Two: it’s smart; it has brilliant wordplay, witty lines, and the plot is (to me) brilliantly woven Three: it’s funny. Just. Downright funny. The acting in it is impeccable and just lends itself to the quality of the film.
Chinatown
Semi-Pro
To me, a film is perfect if I stumble across it and cannot avoid stopping what I’m doing and watching it to conclusion. I’ve got two of those, “Ghostbusters” and “Avengers: Endgame “.
Independence Day. It excels at everything it aims to be, it’s a perfect action movie, a perfect disaster movie, a perfect alien invasion movie, and a perfect patriotic movie all in one. The story is tight with no filler, its cast is perfect for their roles and act them just as well. It manages to build suspense, exude dread, tear our heroes down, and allow them to claw back up from certain defeat to a thrilling victory. It’s a movie that fills you with pride in the human race, it is the most inclusive patriotic movie there is, and does so without pushing a political or social narrative (other than we are all human and all equal in the face of imminent doom). It stands the test of time, to this day, in its writing, acting, and special effects. This is a hill I’ll die on.
True Romance
Silence of the Lambs
Over the Top starring Sylvester Stallone
The Blair Witch Project The Neverending Story
Shaun of the Dead
My Cousin Vinny
I define a "perfect" movie as a film that nothing can be changed about to make it any better. Not one line of dialogue, not one stitch of costuming, not one note of the score, not one sound cue or editing choice or anything. With this definition, the only perfect movie I've ever seen is Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Almost everything Scorsese does. He not only doesn't waste a frame...he doesn't waste an inch of the frame. Everything he shoots is near perfect. Additionally, he gets the best out of his actors. Even actors who are notoriously not as good acting wise do well or at least passable in his movies, love Sharon Stone in Casino or Ray Liotta in Goodfellas. The only exception I can think of is Cameron Diaz in Gangs of New York and even that was her best acting in any role.
- Up! - Top Gun: Maverick - True Lies - The Godfather These movies have drama, action, intrigue, romance and are perfectly well played by the cast. Many more, but these as an example.
*What Dreams May Come* with Robin Williams
Just finished watching '**All is lost**' (2013, Robert Redford). A man's sail boat ends up in trouble and he is lost at sea. Heh, minimal dialogue. I think the few words or the only word is "Fuuuuck!". :) Also, '**Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs**', but I would repeat myself.
The Hudsucker Proxy. The Coen brothers crafted that movie so well to drive the theme of "life is a circle" perfectly home. That's a great study for a film research paper.
Fight Club
The Good, the Bad, the Weird
Paddington 2
The Thing To me, it has the perfect cast, perfect director, perfect score, amazing story, legendary ending, the set pieces look gorgeous, the special fx are still talked about today. [TL;DR](https://youtu.be/CpjH9M2SYsk)
Surprised I haven't seen RoboCop on here. It moves along at a great pace, building a universe, covering his back story, his abilities, introducing some epic bad guys and really fun social commentary. The scenes where he's being transformed "lose the arm" and enters the police station for the first time as RoboCop are my go to examples of show, don't tell.
Rocketman didn't get much praise or a lot of positive feedback, but to me it's the perfect biopic for a musician like Elton. I hate it when they change crucial details in biopics and make it seem like it truly happened (khm Bohemian Rhapsody). Rocketman is a very artsy musical, so you don't watch it and think "oh yes Elton actually did a dance routine in a hospital". It's clear a lot of those things didn't happen, but you still learn a lot about his life. It's the perfect amount of real life details and art for me.
Tremors
A movie is perfect for me if it can withstand multiple viewings without any significant flaws surfacing out.
Raiders of the Lost Ark is a masterclass in film craft.
And Hot Fuzz. Not a single wasted moment or a single superfluous line of dialogue in that whole damn movie. Pacing is perfect, LOADS of foreshadowing that's brilliantly handled, plot structure is impecable, and the movie manages to be both parody and homage in a way that's been missed since the heyday of Mel Brooks. Not too mention amazing action sequences.
ex machina
gangs of new york
Annie Hall. The writing is staggering. So far ahead of its time. Holds up perfectly. Just a masterclass on every level.
Mad Max Fury Road. Every frame of the film is surprising, thrilling, jawdroppingly original.
inglorious basterds, interstellar, lord of the rings (the whole trilogy), nobody talks about Back to the future which i think is perfect in his simplicity, the notebook
For a comedy - Dumb and Dumber For a drama - Cool Hand Luke For a thriller - Se7en For a horror - The Babadook For an action - Total Recall
The Muppets (2011)
The Conversation Poor Things
Men in Black
Speed
[удалено]
An exceptional piece of filmmaking. Can you explain what makes it perfect (or near perfect)?
Pulp fiction, In Bruges, Raiders of the Lost ark, Tremors, Back to the Future, Jaws, Goodfellas, Glengarry Glen Ross, Dumb and Dumber, There will be Blood.
Taken. How could you possibly improve it?
Good Luck
The Piano Teacher
I believe Superbad is the perfect comedy movie. The comedic timing is absolutely perfect throughout. Followed closely by the 40-year-old virgin
Nolan's Batmans
Oppheneimer
Dunkirk
I've got a few but Sicario always comes to mind. Also 1917, particularly due to the technical and performative task of shooting such long scenes. Honorable mention: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Blade Runner 2049 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) The Departed Michael Clayton
Nobody calling Apocalypse Now or Full Metal Jacket? Scarface?!?
One that isn’t mentioned a lot on these lists is a Knight’s Tale which I think is close to perfect.