Best Action Movies Sure To Leave You On The Edge Of Your Seat

by hslannigan | created - 08 Nov 2020 | updated - 11 Feb 2021 | Public

Here are Action Films That Are Great, And Will Leave Your Jaw Open, And Barely Sitting On Your Seat!

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1. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

PG | 121 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy

90 Metascore

Luke Skywalker joins forces with a Jedi Knight, a cocky pilot, a Wookiee and two droids to save the galaxy from the Empire's world-destroying battle station, while also attempting to rescue Princess Leia from the mysterious Darth Vader.

Director: George Lucas | Stars: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Alec Guinness

Votes: 1,449,040 | Gross: $322.74M

2. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

PG | 124 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy

82 Metascore

After the Rebel Alliance are overpowered by the Empire, Luke Skywalker begins his Jedi training with Yoda, while his friends are pursued across the galaxy by Darth Vader and bounty hunter Boba Fett.

Director: Irvin Kershner | Stars: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams

Votes: 1,379,139 | Gross: $290.48M

3. Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)

PG | 131 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy

58 Metascore

After rescuing Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt, the Rebel Alliance attempt to destroy the second Death Star, while Luke struggles to help Darth Vader back from the dark side.

Director: Richard Marquand | Stars: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams

Votes: 1,120,985 | Gross: $309.13M

4. Spider-Man: Far from Home (2019)

PG-13 | 129 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy

69 Metascore

Following the events of Avengers: Endgame (2019), Spider-Man must step up to take on new threats in a world that has changed forever.

Director: Jon Watts | Stars: Tom Holland, Samuel L. Jackson, Jake Gyllenhaal, Marisa Tomei

Votes: 556,344 | Gross: $390.53M

5. Batman (1989)

PG-13 | 126 min | Action, Adventure

69 Metascore

The Dark Knight of Gotham City begins his war on crime with his first major enemy being Jack Napier, a criminal who becomes the clownishly homicidal Joker.

Director: Tim Burton | Stars: Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger, Robert Wuhl

Votes: 404,104 | Gross: $251.19M

6. Batman Forever (1995)

PG-13 | 121 min | Action, Adventure

54 Metascore

Batman must battle former district attorney Harvey Dent, who is now Two-Face and Edward Nygma, The Riddler with help from an amorous psychologist and a young circus acrobat who becomes his sidekick, Robin.

Director: Joel Schumacher | Stars: Val Kilmer, Tommy Lee Jones, Jim Carrey, Nicole Kidman

Votes: 266,487 | Gross: $184.03M

7. Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010)

PG | 118 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy

47 Metascore

A teenager discovers he's the descendant of a Greek god and sets out on an adventure to settle an on-going battle between the gods.

Director: Chris Columbus | Stars: Logan Lerman, Kevin McKidd, Steve Coogan, Brandon T. Jackson

Votes: 202,930 | Gross: $88.76M

8. The Dark Knight (2008)

PG-13 | 152 min | Action, Crime, Drama

84 Metascore

When the menace known as the Joker wreaks havoc and chaos on the people of Gotham, Batman must accept one of the greatest psychological and physical tests of his ability to fight injustice.

Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine

Votes: 2,869,309 | Gross: $534.86M

9. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)

PG-13 | 132 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy

66 Metascore

In 1926, magizoologist Newt Scamander arrives in New York during his worldwide tour to research and rescue magical creatures as something mysterious leaves trails of destruction in the city, threatening to expose the wizarding world.

Director: David Yates | Stars: Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Alison Sudol, Dan Fogler

Votes: 507,563 | Gross: $234.04M

10. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)

PG-13 | 134 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy

52 Metascore

Gellert Grindelwald plans to raise an army of wizards to rule over non-magical beings. In response, Newt Scamander's former professor, Albus Dumbledore, seeks his help to stop him.

Director: David Yates | Stars: Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Johnny Depp

Votes: 308,654 | Gross: $159.56M

11. Venom (2018)

PG-13 | 112 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

35 Metascore

A failed reporter is bonded to an alien entity, one of many symbiotes who have invaded Earth. But the being takes a liking to Earth and decides to protect it.

Director: Ruben Fleischer | Stars: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed, Scott Haze

Votes: 538,017 | Gross: $213.52M

12. Captain Marvel (2019)

PG-13 | 123 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

64 Metascore

Carol Danvers becomes one of the universe's most powerful heroes when Earth is caught in the middle of a galactic war between two alien races.

Directors: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck | Stars: Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Jude Law

Votes: 610,448 | Gross: $426.83M

13. A-X-L (2018)

PG | 98 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

29 Metascore

A.X.L. is a top-secret, robotic dog who develops a special friendship with Miles and will go to any length to protect his new companion.

Director: Oliver Daly | Stars: Alex Neustaedter, Becky G, Alex MacNicoll, Dominic Rains

Votes: 13,247 | Gross: $6.50M

14. Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)

PG | 136 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy

51 Metascore

Two Jedi escape a hostile blockade to find allies and come across a young boy who may bring balance to the Force, but the long dormant Sith resurface to claim their original glory.

Director: George Lucas | Stars: Ewan McGregor, Liam Neeson, Natalie Portman, Jake Lloyd

Votes: 856,099 | Gross: $474.54M

15. Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)

PG | 142 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy

54 Metascore

Ten years after initially meeting, Anakin Skywalker shares a forbidden romance with Padmé Amidala, while Obi-Wan Kenobi discovers a secret clone army crafted for the Jedi.

Director: George Lucas | Stars: Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman, Ewan McGregor, Christopher Lee

Votes: 758,624 | Gross: $310.68M

16. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)

PG-13 | 140 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy

68 Metascore

Three years into the Clone Wars, Obi-Wan Kenobi pursues a new threat, while Anakin Skywalker is lured by Chancellor Palpatine into a sinister plot to rule the galaxy.

Director: George Lucas | Stars: Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman, Ewan McGregor, Samuel L. Jackson

Votes: 845,069 | Gross: $380.26M

17. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

PG-13 | 133 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

65 Metascore

In a time of conflict, a group of unlikely heroes band together on a mission to steal the plans to the Death Star, the Empire's ultimate weapon of destruction.

Director: Gareth Edwards | Stars: Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Alan Tudyk, Donnie Yen

Votes: 686,203 | Gross: $532.18M

18. Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)

PG-13 | 135 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

62 Metascore

During an adventure in the criminal underworld, Han Solo meets his future co-pilot Chewbacca and Lando Calrissian years before joining the Rebel Alliance.

Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Alden Ehrenreich, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover

Votes: 378,999 | Gross: $213.77M

19. Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)

PG-13 | 138 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

80 Metascore

As a new threat to the galaxy rises, Rey, a desert scavenger, and Finn, an ex-stormtrooper, must join Han Solo and Chewbacca to search for the one hope of restoring peace.

Director: J.J. Abrams | Stars: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson

Votes: 973,477 | Gross: $936.66M

20. Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)

PG-13 | 152 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy

84 Metascore

Rey develops her abilities with the help of Luke Skywalker, as the Resistance prepares for battle against the First Order.

Director: Rian Johnson | Stars: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher

Votes: 671,713 | Gross: $620.18M

21. Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker (2019)

PG-13 | 141 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy

53 Metascore

The surviving Resistance faces the First Order once again in the conclusion of the Skywalker saga.

Director: J.J. Abrams | Stars: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver

Votes: 493,096 | Gross: $515.20M

22. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)

PG | 152 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy

65 Metascore

An orphaned boy enrolls in a school of wizardry, where he learns the truth about himself, his family and the terrible evil that haunts the magical world.

Director: Chris Columbus | Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Richard Harris

Votes: 855,706 | Gross: $317.58M

23. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)

PG | 161 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy

63 Metascore

Harry Potter lives his second year at Hogwarts with Ron and Hermione when a message on the wall announces that the legendary Chamber of Secrets has been opened. The trio soon realize that, to save the school, it will take a lot of courage.

Director: Chris Columbus | Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Richard Harris

Votes: 692,073 | Gross: $261.99M

24. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)

PG | 153 min | Action, Adventure, Family

78 Metascore

As Harry Potter begins his sixth year at Hogwarts, he discovers an old book marked as "the property of the Half-Blood Prince" and begins to learn more about Lord Voldemort's dark past.

Director: David Yates | Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Michael Gambon

Votes: 595,301 | Gross: $301.96M

25. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

PG | 142 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy

82 Metascore

Harry Potter, Ron and Hermione return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for their third year of study, where they delve into the mystery surrounding an escaped prisoner who poses a dangerous threat to the young wizard.

Director: Alfonso Cuarón | Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Richard Griffiths

Votes: 691,275 | Gross: $249.36M

26. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)

PG-13 | 130 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy

85 Metascore

Harry, Ron, and Hermione search for Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes in their effort to destroy the Dark Lord as the final battle rages on at Hogwarts.

Director: David Yates | Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Michael Gambon

Votes: 947,969 | Gross: $381.01M

27. The Incredible Hulk (2008)

PG-13 | 112 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

61 Metascore

Bruce Banner, a scientist on the run from the U.S. Government, must find a cure for the monster he turns into whenever he loses his temper.

Director: Louis Leterrier | Stars: Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, William Hurt

Votes: 523,318 | Gross: $134.52M



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