From print to screen
by dy158 | created - 09 May 2020 | updated - 5 days ago | PublicI was originally told that reading helps to improve my vocabulary by a primary school English teacher. It is much more than that since, of what I might had read since childhood making it to the big (and small) screen.
Not a definitive list, even more so I have not read all the books to the films.
But as long as 'Best Adapted Screenplay' exists at the Oscars, there is always a reason to read the original source, if it was originally taken from the book.
So who says the printed press is dead then?
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1. Jane Eyre (2011)
PG-13 | 120 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
A mousy governess who softens the heart of her employer soon discovers that he's hiding a terrible secret.
Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga | Stars: Mia Wasikowska, Michael Fassbender, Jamie Bell, Su Elliot
Votes: 93,022 | Gross: $11.24M
It has always been my all-time favourite novel, since I first read it in secondary school when a passage of it was once used for an English class, leading later to my English teacher helping to make me open my eyes on the Victorian era which was also the setting for the novel.
Naturally I had high expectations when this was released. It was alright in the end though.
2. Sense and Sensibility (1995)
PG | 136 min | Drama, Romance
Rich Mr. Dashwood dies, leaving his second wife and her three daughters poor by the rules of inheritance. The two eldest daughters are the title opposites.
Director: Ang Lee | Stars: Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, James Fleet, Tom Wilkinson
Votes: 125,713 | Gross: $43.18M
While many will cite Pride & Prejudice as their favourite Jane Austen novel, I will always put this ahead of that. Or maybe because I first noticed this when I was in the school's library. The first Austen novel I came across.
The title sounded rather philosophical to me at the time, until I realised it was actually a novel. That was before I was drawn into the lives and loves of the two older Dashwood sisters, Eleanor and Marianne.
Kate Winslet, who is Marianne Dashwood in this, she will always be known for being Rose in 'Titanic' three years later, but one can possibly say this was her before she was known for that. And in hindsight as well, the first time I know about Emma Thompson (as the older Dashwood sister Eleanor in this) before seeing her in other films (like when she became the much-maligned Divination teacher Professor Sybill Trelawney in the Harry Potter films).
3. Pride & Prejudice (2005)
PG | 129 min | Drama, Romance
Sparks fly when spirited Elizabeth Bennet meets single, rich, and proud Mr. Darcy. But Mr. Darcy reluctantly finds himself falling in love with a woman beneath his class. Can each overcome their own pride and prejudice?
Director: Joe Wright | Stars: Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfadyen, Brenda Blethyn, Donald Sutherland
Votes: 330,661 | Gross: $38.41M
Anyone who read this will always remember the famous opening lines. And when you have Keira Knightley (as Elizabeth Bennett) at the heart of it, it is good enough to watch.
Or maybe it is why even after all these while, it is still the favourite Austen novel for many.
4. Les Misérables (2012)
PG-13 | 158 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
In 19th-century France, Jean Valjean, who for decades has been hunted by the ruthless policeman Javert after breaking parole, agrees to care for a factory worker's daughter. The decision changes their lives forever.
Director: Tom Hooper | Stars: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried
Votes: 345,997 | Gross: $148.81M
Kind of cheated here, given the film is the adaptation of the stage musical. But anyone knowing the real story will know that it started life as a novel from Victor Hugo and becoming the work he will always be associated with.
Of course like many I first know of the stage musical version because I had to learn to sing one of the songs back in school in Music classes (no, not 'I Dreamed A Dream', but the younger Cosette's 'Castle On A Cloud'). That was before the class was told of the story of Les Miserables by the Music teacher.
Given how I missed the stage musical even back when it used to come here (I am not talking when it was first here back in the 90s because I was too young to know), the film version was enough for me to make up for those times.
5. The Great Gatsby (2013)
PG-13 | 143 min | Drama, Romance
A writer and wall street trader, Nick Carraway, finds himself drawn to the past and lifestyle of his mysterious millionaire neighbor, Jay Gatsby, amid the riotous parties of the Jazz Age.
Director: Baz Luhrmann | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton, Tobey Maguire
Votes: 596,802 | Gross: $144.84M
Talk about timing. In the same year this was released, the novel from F. Scott Fitzgerald became one of the required reading materials when I was at university doing my mass communications degree. The novel became one of my favourites almost immediately.
I suppose it is a blessing in disguise that I got most of the references when I watched it at the cinema, because not many did at the time. Or maybe because we even had to discuss about the various themes raised in the novel in class.
6. Love Story (1970)
PG | 100 min | Drama, Romance
A boy and a girl from different backgrounds fall in love regardless of their upbringing - and then tragedy strikes.
Director: Arthur Hiller | Stars: Ali MacGraw, Ryan O'Neal, John Marley, Ray Milland
Votes: 37,440 | Gross: $106.40M
7. Little Women (2019)
PG | 135 min | Drama, Romance
Jo March reflects back and forth on her life, telling the beloved story of the March sisters - four young women, each determined to live life on her own terms.
Director: Greta Gerwig | Stars: Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen
Votes: 245,734 | Gross: $108.10M
Given of how I have always considered Louis May Alcott's Little Women as amongst my favourite American novels of all time, there is a certain degree of expectation when this was released, given of what I remembered watching the 1994 version after reading the novel in my early teens in the early 2000s.
Even if I did not re-watched the 1994 version prior to this, at least this film will get a different generation of viewers a glimpse into how life is like in 19th century United States at the height of the American Civil War, the setting of when the novel and the film took place.
8. Little Women (1994)
PG | 115 min | Drama, Family, Romance
The March sisters live and grow in post-Civil War America.
Director: Gillian Armstrong | Stars: Susan Sarandon, Winona Ryder, Kirsten Dunst, Claire Danes
Votes: 63,577 | Gross: $50.08M
For a slightly older generation, the version which has Winona Ryder (as Jo March, before Saoirse Ronan took on the role in the 2019 version) amongst others in this, it has always been the standard bearer. People like me, who has always imagine her as that...until the 2019 version came along.
But it is always a matter of debate of which version is better.
9. The Age of Innocence (1993)
PG | 139 min | Drama, Romance
A tale of nineteenth-century New York high society in which a young lawyer falls in love with a woman separated from her husband, while he is engaged to the woman's cousin.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Daniel Day-Lewis, Michelle Pfeiffer, Winona Ryder, Linda Faye Farkas
Votes: 67,784 | Gross: $32.20M
It is only much later that I know that Daniel Day-Lewis was the one who played Newland Archer, even if I already like his portrayal in the only film I have watched being directed by Martin Scorsese (I know).
Much like how I first encountered Jane Austen's Sense & Sensibility, the title sounded philosophical to me at first. Until I realised it was an extension of what Newland came to face in 19th century high-society New York choosing between the woman he was engaged to and her rebellious cousin who came to make him look at the ways of the world in a different manner.
Or from the novel of the same title by Edith Wharton, which eventually became amongst my favourites after 'Little Women' in terms of my favourite American novel.
10. Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
Approved | 115 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A young New York socialite becomes interested in a young man who has moved into her apartment building, but her past threatens to get in the way.
Director: Blake Edwards | Stars: Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard, Patricia Neal, Buddy Ebsen
Votes: 192,139
Consider this as one of those times where I had never read the original work (which started out as a novella from Truman Capote) before watching the film which eventually came to be what many associate Audrey Hepburn with.
11. The Da Vinci Code (2006)
PG-13 | 149 min | Mystery, Thriller
A murder inside the Louvre, and clues in Da Vinci paintings, lead to the discovery of a religious mystery protected by a secret society for two thousand years, which could shake the foundations of Christianity.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Jean Reno, Ian McKellen
Votes: 458,790 | Gross: $217.54M
Unlike how the father already knew I am a Harry Potter fan before he got the tickets to the film adaptation of 'Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire', he had originally asked if I wanted to watch this.
My only request before heading for the cinema, I needed to read the novel first to get a feel of it first-hand, even more so of the understandable controversy surrounding the themes raised in the novel itself. In the end it was alright.
12. Angels & Demons (2009)
PG-13 | 138 min | Action, Mystery, Thriller
Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon works with a nuclear physicist to solve a murder and prevent a terrorist act against the Vatican during one of the significant events within the church.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Tom Hanks, Ewan McGregor, Ayelet Zurer, Stellan Skarsgård
Votes: 309,581 | Gross: $133.38M
Anyone watching a film knowingly that it first started life in book form will always know there will always be scenes that has been altered or being omitted altogether for various reasons. That is the reason I still allow to let it slide when it came to the 2011 film adaptation of Jane Eyre due to the understandable high expectations I had considering it was my all-time favourite novel.
But when it came to Angels & Demons, it was very disappointing, considering I really enjoyed the novel. Probably still the only time to date I was genuinely disappointed at what I saw on screen, if I know the film originally started out from the pages of a book.
13. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
R | 120 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
A teenager from the slums of Mumbai becomes a contestant on the show 'Kaun Banega Crorepati?' When interrogated under suspicion of cheating, he revisits his past, revealing how he had all the answers.
Directors: Danny Boyle, Loveleen Tandan | Stars: Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Saurabh Shukla, Anil Kapoor
Votes: 877,749 | Gross: $141.32M
A film I always consider one belonging to the 'feel-good' category, but not many know that it started out as a novel as 'Q&A'. I didn't know that either, until after once watching it when it was on local television here.
14. The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
PG-13 | 109 min | Comedy, Drama
A smart but sensible new graduate lands a job as an assistant to Miranda Priestly, the demanding editor-in-chief of a high fashion magazine.
Director: David Frankel | Stars: Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, Adrian Grenier, Emily Blunt
Votes: 466,945 | Gross: $124.74M
15. Cold Mountain (2003)
R | 154 min | Adventure, Drama, Romance
In the waning days of the American Civil War, a wounded soldier embarks on a perilous journey back home to Cold Mountain, North Carolina to reunite with his sweetheart.
Director: Anthony Minghella | Stars: Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, Renée Zellweger, Eileen Atkins
Votes: 156,069 | Gross: $95.64M
16. Oliver! (1968)
G | 153 min | Drama, Family, Musical
After being sold to a mortician, young orphan Oliver Twist runs away and meets a group of boys trained to be pickpockets by an elderly mentor in 1830s London.
Director: Carol Reed | Stars: Mark Lester, Ron Moody, Shani Wallis, Oliver Reed
Votes: 41,395 | Gross: $16.80M
I have to admit, I never once read Charles Dickens's 'Oliver Twist', and it was due to the class once watching this during English Literature class in secondary school and we were even being made to discuss after it ended but more of the characters featured.
Still until then, what I know of Oliver Twist, it first started out when a passage of it (I know) was used in English class as a comprehension exercise. The film made it more enjoyable for me though.
17. Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)
R | 97 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Bridget Jones is determined to improve herself while she looks for love in a year in which she keeps a personal diary.
Director: Sharon Maguire | Stars: Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Gemma Jones
Votes: 263,459 | Gross: $71.54M
18. Animal Farm (1999 TV Movie)
PG | 91 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
The animals of a farm successfully revolt against its human owner, only to slide into a more brutal tyranny amongst themselves.
Director: John Stephenson | Stars: Kelsey Grammer, Ian Holm, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Julia Ormond
Votes: 6,484
As someone who did History in secondary school, what I know of Animal Farm was due to how it was a novel written by George Orwell. After reading the novel, I understood what he was trying to say.
Historical references in a novel, what is there not to like? Or maybe it is the kind of combination I can always approve of.
19. The Phantom of the Opera (2004)
PG-13 | 143 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
A young soprano becomes the obsession of a disfigured and murderous musical genius who lives beneath the Paris Opéra House.
Director: Joel Schumacher | Stars: Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum, Patrick Wilson, Miranda Richardson
Votes: 130,676 | Gross: $51.27M
Much like Les Miserables, much of The Phantom of the Opera especially to the English-speaking world is known through the stage musical version. And like Les Miserables (where it all began as what was to be Victor Hugo's most known work), it also actually first began life as a novel from Gaston Leroux. Sarah Brightman's interpretation as Christine in the stage musical version may have been the benchmark but there are those who may not have watched it performing on stage, people like me.
Like many, I also first know about The Phantom of the Opera due to the stage musical. But I did also seek out the original novel that started it all and used to read it in my teens. In the novel, the Phantom's real name was revealed, whereas in this film adaptation of the stage musical (with Emmy Rossum as Christine and Gerard Butler as the Phantom), it was never mentioned at any point.
In a way watching this (albeit via on Apple iTunes) is also relieving whatever I still remember from reading the novel, where it also delved more into the backstories of Christine and Raoul.
20. Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
PG | 105 min | Drama
After his wife leaves him, a work-obsessed Manhattan advertising executive is forced to learn long-neglected parenting skills, but a heated custody battle over the couple's young son deepens the wounds left by the separation.
Director: Robert Benton | Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Jane Alexander, Justin Henry
Votes: 154,707 | Gross: $106.26M
The film that actually began with the novel of the same title, it is the courtroom scenes which became the reason for why the film was recommended by one of my lecturers back when I did my advanced diploma in mass communications, due to what the film came to explore about in terms of the evolving role of what is expected of being a mother and a father when this film was released.
In hindsight coincidentally enough, this became one of the two films recommended in class by my former lecturer which had Meryl Streep in it. The film that eventually earned Streep her first Oscar but in the Best Supporting Actress category, before she won Best Actress with 'Sophie's Choice', the other film recommended by my same former lecturer as well.
Watching the intense courtroom scenes, it did make me understand why this film was recommended back in class. That is until one read about what had happened to Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep when they did this film which made the scenes in the courtroom compelling.
21. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
PG-13 | 120 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A young Chinese warrior steals a sword from a famed swordsman and then escapes into a world of romantic adventure with a mysterious man in the frontier of the nation.
Director: Ang Lee | Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Ziyi Zhang, Chang Chen
Votes: 281,605 | Gross: $128.08M
22. The Princess Diaries (2001)
G | 115 min | Comedy, Family, Romance
Mia Thermopolis has just found out that she is the heir apparent to the throne of Genovia. With her friends Lilly and Michael Moscovitz in tow, she tries to navigate through the rest of her sixteenth year.
Director: Garry Marshall | Stars: Julie Andrews, Anne Hathaway, Hector Elizondo, Heather Matarazzo
Votes: 163,550 | Gross: $108.25M
23. Sophie's Choice (1982)
R | 150 min | Drama, Romance
Sophie is the survivor of Nazi concentration camps, who has found a reason to live with Nathan, a sparkling if unsteady American Jew obsessed with the Holocaust.
Director: Alan J. Pakula | Stars: Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Peter MacNicol, Rita Karin
Votes: 52,761 | Gross: $30.04M
24. Nanny McPhee (2005)
PG | 97 min | Comedy, Family, Fantasy
A governess uses magic to rein in the behavior of seven ne'er-do-well children in her charge.
Director: Kirk Jones | Stars: Emma Thompson, Colin Firth, Angela Lansbury, Kelly Macdonald
Votes: 85,487 | Gross: $47.14M
25. 84 Charing Cross Road (1987)
PG | 100 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
True story of a transatlantic business correspondence about used books that developed into a close friendship.
Director: David Hugh Jones | Stars: Anne Bancroft, Anthony Hopkins, Judi Dench, Jean De Baer
Votes: 11,224 | Gross: $1.08M
26. Forrest Gump (1994)
PG-13 | 142 min | Drama, Romance
The history of the United States from the 1950s to the '70s unfolds from the perspective of an Alabama man with an IQ of 75, who yearns to be reunited with his childhood sweetheart.
Director: Robert Zemeckis | Stars: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Sally Field
Votes: 2,256,625 | Gross: $330.25M
27. Anne with an E (2017–2019)
TV-PG | 60 min | Drama, Family
The adventures of a young orphan girl living in the late 19th century. Follow Anne as she learns to navigate her new life on Prince Edward Island, in this new take on L.M. Montgomery's classic novels.
Stars: Amybeth McNulty, Geraldine James, R.H. Thomson, Andrea Arruti
Votes: 66,384
28. Les Misérables (1998)
PG-13 | 134 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
Valjean, a former criminal, has atoned for his past and now finds himself in the midst of the French Revolution, avoiding a law-obsessed policeman hell-bent on capturing him.
Director: Bille August | Stars: Liam Neeson, Geoffrey Rush, Uma Thurman, Christopher Adamson
Votes: 43,178 | Gross: $14.10M
29. Nanny McPhee Returns (2010)
PG | 109 min | Comedy, Family, Fantasy
Nanny McPhee arrives to help a harried young mother who is trying to run the family farm while her husband is away at war, though she uses her magic to teach the woman's children and their two spoiled cousins five new lessons.
Director: Susanna White | Stars: Emma Thompson, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Ralph Fiennes, Oscar Steer
Votes: 37,024 | Gross: $29.20M
30. Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)
R | 129 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
A spy organisation recruits a promising street kid into the agency's training program, while a global threat emerges from a twisted tech genius.
Director: Matthew Vaughn | Stars: Colin Firth, Taron Egerton, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Caine
Votes: 716,036 | Gross: $128.26M
31. Watership Down (2018)
TV-PG | 51 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
Fleeing their doomed warren, a colony of rabbits struggle to find and defend a new home.
Stars: James McAvoy, Nicholas Hoult, John Boyega, Ben Kingsley
Votes: 6,974
32. Alias Grace (2017)
TV-MA | 45 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Grace, an Irish immigrant in 19th-century Canada, is convicted of the murder of her employer. However, things take a different turn when a psychiatrist arrives to analyze her mental state.
Stars: Sarah Gadon, Edward Holcroft, Rebecca Liddiard, Zachary Levi
Votes: 37,812
33. Around the World in 80 Days (2004)
PG | 120 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
To win a bet, an eccentric British inventor embarks, with his Chinese valet and an aspiring French artist, on a trip full of adventures and dangers around the world in exactly 80 days.
Director: Frank Coraci | Stars: Jackie Chan, Steve Coogan, Jim Broadbent, Kathy Bates
Votes: 94,752 | Gross: $24.01M
34. Anna Karenina (I) (2012)
R | 129 min | Drama, Romance
In late-19th-century Russian high society, St. Petersburg aristocrat Anna Karenina enters into a life-changing affair with the dashing Count Alexei Vronsky.
Director: Joe Wright | Stars: Keira Knightley, Jude Law, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Matthew Macfadyen
Votes: 106,526 | Gross: $12.82M
35. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)
PG | 152 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
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: 855,963 | Gross: $317.58M
36. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
PG | 161 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
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: 692,274 | Gross: $261.99M
37. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
PG | 142 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
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: 691,485 | Gross: $249.36M
38. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
PG-13 | 157 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Harry Potter finds himself competing in a hazardous tournament between rival schools of magic, but he is distracted by recurring nightmares.
Director: Mike Newell | Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Eric Sykes
Votes: 681,459 | Gross: $290.01M
39. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
PG-13 | 138 min | Action, Adventure, Family
With their warning about Lord Voldemort's return scoffed at, Harry and Dumbledore are targeted by the Wizard authorities as an authoritarian bureaucrat slowly seizes power at Hogwarts.
Director: David Yates | Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Brendan Gleeson
Votes: 633,173 | Gross: $292.00M
40. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
PG | 153 min | Action, Adventure, Family
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: 595,489 | Gross: $301.96M
41. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)
PG-13 | 146 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
As Harry, Ron and Hermione race against time and evil to destroy the Horcruxes, they uncover the existence of the three most powerful objects in the wizarding world: the Deathly Hallows.
Director: David Yates | Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Bill Nighy
Votes: 599,057 | Gross: $295.98M
42. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)
PG-13 | 130 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
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: 948,361 | Gross: $381.01M
43. Vanity Fair (2004)
PG-13 | 141 min | Drama
Growing up poor in London, Becky Sharp defies her poverty-stricken background and ascends the social ladder alongside her best friend, Amelia Sedley.
Director: Mira Nair | Stars: Reese Witherspoon, Romola Garai, James Purefoy, Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Votes: 23,503 | Gross: $16.14M
44. Life of Pi (2012)
PG | 127 min | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
A young man who survives a disaster at sea is hurtled into an epic journey of adventure and discovery. While cast away, he forms an unexpected connection with another survivor: a fearsome Bengal tiger.
Director: Ang Lee | Stars: Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Adil Hussain, Tabu
Votes: 666,789 | Gross: $124.99M
45. The Time Traveler's Wife (2009)
PG-13 | 107 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Henry DeTamble, a librarian, possesses a unique gene that lets him involuntarily travel through time. His wife, Claire Abshire, finds it difficult to cope with it.
Director: Robert Schwentke | Stars: Eric Bana, Rachel McAdams, Ron Livingston, Michelle Nolden
Votes: 157,905 | Gross: $63.41M
46. Sherlock (2010–2017)
TV-14 | 90 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The quirky spin on Conan Doyle's iconic sleuth pitches him as a "high-functioning sociopath" in modern-day London. Assisting him in his investigations: Afghanistan War vet John Watson, who's introduced to Holmes by a mutual acquaintance.
Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Una Stubbs, Rupert Graves
Votes: 998,026
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s most famous creation gets a 21st century update, but some things remain.
The familiar names apart from the famous fictional detective himself, the ability to solve cases and constantly getting into adventures, and the various nods and references and homages to the various original stories from Doyle...while also giving it a 21st century twist too.
Call me a belated fan of the BBC's modern adaptation, but not since 'The Adventure of the Priory School' was actually my introduction to the world's only consulting detective as a 10-year-old in the form of a reading text in English class, who will have thought what was originally formed as part of the many fragments of my childhood in the 90s is still as relevant more than two decades later? I was actually first introduced to the world of solving crimes, albeit fictional ones, as a child.
(Spoiler alert for those who had watched the series. It felt like a throwback of sorts in the fourth season in the scene in 'The Lying Detective' at the hospital when Sherlock had to explain to the children on what he does after Culverton Smith urging him on, of what I was taught from the English textbook back in primary school of how crimes tend to be solved. I swore I saw my 10-year-old self in the classroom again. And that was before I was introduced to 'The Adventure of the Priory School'. It felt like coming one full circle watching that scene when Sherlock explained what he did, of how I was to be introduced to the world's only consulting detective.)
47. Outlander (2014– )
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Claire Beauchamp Randall, a nurse in World War II, mysteriously goes back in time to Scotland in 1743. There, she meets a dashing Highland warrior and gets drawn into an epic rebellion.
Stars: Caitríona Balfe, Sam Heughan, Sophie Skelton, Richard Rankin
Votes: 179,031
48. Cathedral of the Sea (2018)
TV-MA | 55 min | Drama, History
In 14th-century Barcelona, a serf's determined climb to wealth and freedom incurs the disdain of the noble class and the suspicion of the Inquisition.
Stars: Susana G. Esteban, Jordi Aguilar, Aitor Luna, Susana Ballesteros
Votes: 5,275
49. Joint Security Area (2000)
Not Rated | 110 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
After a shooting incident at the North-South Korean border DMZ leaves two North Korean soldiers dead, a neutral Swiss and Swedish team investigates what actually happened.
Director: Park Chan-wook | Stars: Lee Yeong-ae, Lee Byung-hun, Song Kang-ho, Kim Tae-woo
Votes: 34,200
50. The Color Purple (1985)
PG-13 | 154 min | Drama
A tale spanning forty years in the life of Celie, an African-American woman living in the South who survives incredible abuse and bigotry.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Danny Glover, Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, Margaret Avery
Votes: 97,329 | Gross: $98.47M
51. Mulan (2020)
PG-13 | 115 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
To keep her ailing father from serving in the Imperial Army, a fearless young woman disguises herself as a man and battles northern invaders in China.
Director: Niki Caro | Stars: Liu Yifei, Donnie Yen, Gong Li, Jet Li
Votes: 159,068
Yes, it is a remake of the 1998 Disney animation film but in live-action form this time, but for those who know the origins, it actually started out as a ballad, ‘Ballad of Mulan’, or how she has come to be known as 花木兰 to people like me.
I know, because that was what I taught in primary school in Chinese language class. That was the version I was taught back in the classroom (and a lot of what took place in the film is similar to what I was taught then), when it comes to the folk stories known in Chinese culture. I never watched the 1998 film (even if Christina Aguilera’s ‘Reflection’ is well known itself), and so this helps to make up for that.
52. The Awakening of Motti Wolkenbruch (2018)
94 min | Comedy, Drama
Young Jewish man bucks orthodox traditions (and mother's meddling) by shaving, shopping outside the faithful, and considering a shiksa for a wife.
Director: Michael Steiner | Stars: Joel Basman, Noémie Schmidt, Udo Samel, Sunnyi Melles
Votes: 4,976
53. Unauthorized Living (2018–2020)
TV-MA | 75 min | Drama
Nemo Bandeira, a dealer with a clean businessman facade, is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and tries to keep it from his family while he starts to think about who might be his successor.
Stars: Jose Coronado, Álex González, Claudia Traisac, Luis Zahera
Votes: 6,029
54. The Baby-Sitters Club (2020–2021)
TV-G | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
Based on the book series of the same name focusing on a group of young girls who start their own babysitting service.
Stars: Sophie Grace, Momona Tamada, Shay Rudolph, Malia Baker
Votes: 4,846
Ann M. Martin’s beloved series of books getting a modern update on Netflix, and still retaining what makes it a hit in the 90s when they were released.
The revolving narrative format amongst the members of the BSC, like in the books for example. And even if (spoiler!) Dawn Schafer has become a Mexican-American in the Netflix adaptation as she is a blonde Californian in the books, the rest of the BSC more or less remains the same.
It is the books that actually first introduced me to the world of American culture in my early teens in the early 2000s, and the joy in recognising what the original BSC covers had in this adaptation is definitely a plus.
55. Andre (1994)
PG | 94 min | Adventure, Drama, Family
The true story of how a seal named Andre befriended a little girl named Toni and her family in 1962.
Director: George Miller | Stars: Tina Majorino, Keith Carradine, Chelsea Field, Shane Meier
Votes: 7,261 | Gross: $16.82M
56. Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017)
R | 141 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
After the Kingsman's headquarters is destroyed and the world is held hostage, an allied spy organization in the United States is discovered. These two elite secret agencies must band together to defeat a common enemy.
Director: Matthew Vaughn | Stars: Taron Egerton, Colin Firth, Mark Strong, Channing Tatum
Votes: 363,048 | Gross: $100.23M
57. Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)
G | 103 min | Animation, Family, Fantasy
A young witch, on her mandatory year of independent life, finds fitting into a new community difficult while she supports herself by running an air courier service.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Kirsten Dunst, Minami Takayama, Rei Sakuma, Kappei Yamaguchi
Votes: 165,474
58. Girl, Interrupted (1999)
R | 127 min | Biography, Drama
A directionless teenager, Susanna, is rushed to Claymoore, a mental institution, after a supposed suicide attempt. There, she befriends a group of troubled women who deeply influence her life.
Director: James Mangold | Stars: Winona Ryder, Angelina Jolie, Clea DuVall, Brittany Murphy
Votes: 211,286 | Gross: $28.87M
59. 3 Idiots (2009)
PG-13 | 170 min | Comedy, Drama
Two friends are searching for their long lost companion. They revisit their college days and recall the memories of their friend who inspired them to think differently, even as the rest of the world called them "idiots".
Director: Rajkumar Hirani | Stars: Aamir Khan, Madhavan, Mona Singh, Sharman Joshi
Votes: 434,450 | Gross: $6.53M
60. Emma. (2020)
PG | 124 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
In 1800s England, a well meaning but selfish young woman meddles in the love lives of her friends.
Director: Autumn de Wilde | Stars: Anya Taylor-Joy, Johnny Flynn, Mia Goth, Josh O'Connor
Votes: 62,700
61. Jessica Jones (2015–2019)
TV-MA | 56 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Following the tragic end of her brief superhero career, Jessica Jones tries to rebuild her life as a private investigator, dealing with cases involving people with remarkable abilities in New York City.
Stars: Krysten Ritter, Rachael Taylor, Eka Darville, Carrie-Anne Moss
Votes: 226,734
62. The Personal History of David Copperfield (2019)
PG | 119 min | Comedy, Drama
A modern take on Charles Dickens's classic tale of a young orphan who is able to triumph over many obstacles.
Director: Armando Iannucci | Stars: Dev Patel, Hugh Laurie, Tilda Swinton, Peter Capaldi
Votes: 22,403
63. Sherlock Holmes (2009)
PG-13 | 128 min | Action, Adventure, Mystery
Detective Sherlock Holmes and his stalwart partner Watson engage in a battle of wits and brawn with a nemesis whose plot is a threat to all of England.
Director: Guy Ritchie | Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong
Votes: 670,945 | Gross: $209.03M
64. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)
PG-13 | 129 min | Action, Adventure, Mystery
Detective Sherlock Holmes is on the trail of criminal mastermind Professor Moriarty, who is carrying out a string of random crimes across Europe.
Director: Guy Ritchie | Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Jared Harris, Rachel McAdams
Votes: 480,402 | Gross: $186.85M
65. Porco Rosso (1992)
PG | 94 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
In 1930s Italy, a veteran World War I pilot is cursed to look like an anthropomorphic pig.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Shûichirô Moriyama, Tokiko Katô, Bunshi Katsura VI, Tsunehiko Kamijô
Votes: 102,081
66. The Book Thief (2013)
PG-13 | 131 min | Drama, War
While subjected to the horrors of World War II Germany, young Liesel finds solace by stealing books and sharing them with others. In the basement of her home, a Jewish refugee is being protected by her adoptive parents.
Director: Brian Percival | Stars: Sophie Nélisse, Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson, Ben Schnetzer
Votes: 142,295 | Gross: $21.49M
67. The Secret Garden (2020)
PG | 99 min | Drama, Family, Fantasy
An orphaned girl discovers a magical garden hidden at her strict uncle's estate.
Director: Marc Munden | Stars: Dixie Egerickx, Richard Hansell, David Verrey, Tommy Gene Surridge
Votes: 10,054
68. Legally Blonde (2001)
PG-13 | 96 min | Comedy, Romance
Elle Woods, a fashionable sorority queen, is dumped by her boyfriend. She decides to follow him to law school. While she is there, she figures out that there is more to her than just looks.
Director: Robert Luketic | Stars: Reese Witherspoon, Luke Wilson, Selma Blair, Matthew Davis
Votes: 248,090 | Gross: $96.52M
69. Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde (2003)
PG-13 | 95 min | Comedy
Elle Woods heads to Washington, D.C. to join the staff of a Representative in order to pass a bill to ban animal testing.
Director: Charles Herman-Wurmfeld | Stars: Reese Witherspoon, Sally Field, Bob Newhart, Regina King
Votes: 72,708 | Gross: $90.19M
70. Fiddler on the Roof (1971)
G | 181 min | Drama, Family, Musical
In pre-revolutionary Russia, a Jewish peasant with traditional values contends with marrying off three of his daughters with modern romantic ideals while growing anti-Semitic sentiment threatens his village.
Director: Norman Jewison | Stars: Topol, Norma Crane, Leonard Frey, Molly Picon
Votes: 47,865 | Gross: $80.50M
71. Pinocchio (2019)
PG-13 | 125 min | Drama, Family, Fantasy
Old woodcarver Geppetto's puppet creation, Pinocchio, magically comes to life with dreams of becoming a real boy. Easily led astray, Pinocchio tumbles from one misadventure to another as he is tricked, kidnapped and chased by bandits.
Director: Matteo Garrone | Stars: Federico Ielapi, Roberto Benigni, Rocco Papaleo, Massimo Ceccherini
Votes: 14,749
72. Howl's Moving Castle (2004)
PG | 119 min | Animation, Adventure, Family
When an unconfident young woman is cursed with an old body by a spiteful witch, her only chance of breaking the spell lies with a self-indulgent yet insecure young wizard and his companions in his legged, walking castle.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Chieko Baishô, Takuya Kimura, Tatsuya Gashûin, Akihiro Miwa
Votes: 449,273 | Gross: $4.71M
73. Killing Eve (2018–2022)
TV-14 | 42 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
After a series of events, the lives of a security operative and an assassin become inextricably linked.
Stars: Jodie Comer, Sandra Oh, Fiona Shaw, Kim Bodnia
Votes: 134,872
74. The Fault in Our Stars (2014)
PG-13 | 126 min | Drama, Romance
Hazel and Gus are teenagers who meet at a cancer support group and fall in love. They both share the same acerbic wit and a love of books, especially "An Imperial Affliction", so they embark on a journey to visit an author in Amsterdam.
Director: Josh Boone | Stars: Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Nat Wolff, Laura Dern
Votes: 401,094 | Gross: $124.87M
75. Murder on the Orient Express (2017)
PG-13 | 114 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
When a murder occurs on the train on which he's travelling, celebrated detective Hercule Poirot is recruited to solve the case.
Director: Kenneth Branagh | Stars: Kenneth Branagh, Penélope Cruz, Willem Dafoe, Judi Dench
Votes: 296,533 | Gross: $102.83M
76. The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
R | 139 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
In late 1950s New York, a young underachiever named Tom Ripley is sent to Italy to retrieve Dickie Greenleaf, a rich and spoiled millionaire playboy. But when the errand fails, Ripley takes extreme measures.
Director: Anthony Minghella | Stars: Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Cate Blanchett
Votes: 242,683 | Gross: $81.30M
77. The Queen's Gambit (2020)
TV-MA | 57 min | Drama
Orphaned at the tender age of nine, prodigious introvert Beth Harmon discovers and masters the game of chess in 1960s USA. But child stardom comes at a price.
Stars: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chloe Pirrie, Bill Camp, Marcin Dorocinski
Votes: 552,967
78. The Hours (2002)
PG-13 | 110 min | Drama, Romance
The story of how the novel "Mrs. Dalloway" affects three generations of women, all of whom, in one way or another, have had to deal with suicide in their lives.
Director: Stephen Daldry | Stars: Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore, Stephen Dillane
Votes: 138,501 | Gross: $41.68M
79. The Notebook (2004)
PG-13 | 123 min | Drama, Romance
An elderly man reads to a woman with dementia the story of two young lovers whose romance is threatened by the difference in their respective social classes.
Director: Nick Cassavetes | Stars: Gena Rowlands, James Garner, Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling
Votes: 620,097 | Gross: $81.00M
80. Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries (2012–2015)
TV-PG | 60 min | Crime, Drama, History
A female sleuth sashays through the back lanes and jazz clubs of Melbourne in the late 1920s, fighting injustice with her pearl-handled pistol and her dagger-sharp wit.
Stars: Essie Davis, Nathan Page, Hugo Johnstone-Burt, Ashleigh Cummings
Votes: 17,719
81. A Suitable Boy (2020)
TV-14 | 60 min | Drama, Romance
A vast, panoramic tale charting the fortunes of four large families and exploring India and its rich and varied culture at a crucial point in its history.
Stars: Tanya Maniktala, Ishaan Khattar, Mahira Kakkar, Danesh Razvi
Votes: 5,683
82. Testament of Youth (2014)
PG-13 | 129 min | Biography, Drama, History
A British woman recalls coming of age during World War I - a story of young love, the futility of war, and how to make sense of the darkest times.
Director: James Kent | Stars: Alicia Vikander, Kit Harington, Taron Egerton, Dominic West
Votes: 30,507 | Gross: $1.82M
83. Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
R | 122 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
After a stint in a mental institution, former teacher Pat Solitano moves back in with his parents and tries to reconcile with his ex-wife. Things get more challenging when Pat meets Tiffany, a mysterious girl with problems of her own.
Director: David O. Russell | Stars: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver
Votes: 742,678 | Gross: $132.09M
84. The Life Ahead (2020)
PG-13 | 94 min | Drama
In seaside Italy, a Holocaust survivor with a daycare business takes in a 12-year-old street kid who recently robbed her.
Director: Edoardo Ponti | Stars: Sophia Loren, Ibrahima Gueye, Renato Carpentieri, Iosif Diego Pirvu
Votes: 15,549
85. The Godfather (1972)
R | 175 min | Crime, Drama
The aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.
Director: Francis Ford Coppola | Stars: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Diane Keaton
Votes: 2,012,116 | Gross: $134.97M
86. The Godfather Part II (1974)
R | 202 min | Crime, Drama
The early life and career of Vito Corleone in 1920s New York City is portrayed, while his son, Michael, expands and tightens his grip on the family crime syndicate.
Director: Francis Ford Coppola | Stars: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton
Votes: 1,364,015 | Gross: $57.30M
87. Atonement (2007)
R | 123 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
Thirteen-year-old fledgling writer Briony Tallis irrevocably changes the course of several lives when she accuses her older sister's lover of a crime he did not commit.
Director: Joe Wright | Stars: Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, Brenda Blethyn, Saoirse Ronan
Votes: 299,808 | Gross: $50.93M
88. The Damned United (2009)
R | 98 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
The story of the controversial Brian Clough's 44-day reign as the coach of the English football club Leeds United.
Director: Tom Hooper | Stars: Colm Meaney, Henry Goodman, David Roper, Jimmy Reddington
Votes: 45,916 | Gross: $0.45M
89. To Sir, with Love (1967)
Approved | 105 min | Drama
Idealistic engineer-trainee and his experiences in teaching a group of rambunctious white high school students from the slums of London's East End.
Director: James Clavell | Stars: Sidney Poitier, Judy Geeson, Christian Roberts, Suzy Kendall
Votes: 20,419 | Gross: $42.43M
90. When Calls the Heart (2014– )
TV-G | 43 min | Drama, History, Romance
Elizabeth Thatcher, a young schoolteacher from a wealthy Eastern family, migrates from the big city to teach school in a small coal mining town in the west.
Stars: Erin Krakow, Martin Cummins, Pascale Hutton, Jack Wagner
Votes: 14,926
91. To Catch a Thief (1955)
PG | 106 min | Mystery, Romance, Thriller
A retired jewel thief sets out to prove his innocence after being suspected of returning to his former occupation.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, Jessie Royce Landis, John Williams
Votes: 79,735 | Gross: $8.75M
92. The Little Stranger (2018)
R | 111 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
After a doctor is called to visit a crumbling manor, strange things begin to occur.
Director: Lenny Abrahamson | Stars: Domhnall Gleeson, Will Poulter, Ruth Wilson, Liv Hill
Votes: 10,630 | Gross: $0.71M
93. The Hunt for Red October (1990)
PG | 135 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
In November 1984, the Soviet Union's best submarine captain violates orders and heads for the U.S. in a new undetectable sub. The American CIA and military must quickly determine: Is he trying to defect or to start a war?
Director: John McTiernan | Stars: Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn, Sam Neill
Votes: 214,719 | Gross: $122.01M
94. The New Adventure of Wisely (1998)
45 min | Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
Wisely, the eastern equivalent of Indiana Jones and James Bond, is a hero in every sense. He is multi-talented, believes in paranormal, knowledgeable in many cultures and oozes quiet charm.... See full summary »
Stars: Kenneth Tsang, Zoe Tay, Bernard Tan, Aileen Tan
Votes: 8
95. Alice in Wonderland (1951)
G | 75 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Alice stumbles into the world of Wonderland. Will she get home? Not if the Queen of Hearts has her way.
Directors: Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske, Jack Kinney | Stars: Kathryn Beaumont, Ed Wynn, Richard Haydn, Sterling Holloway
Votes: 154,033 | Gross: $1.07M
96. Pay It Forward (2000)
PG-13 | 123 min | Drama
A young boy attempts to make the world a better place after his teacher gives him that chance.
Director: Mimi Leder | Stars: Kevin Spacey, Haley Joel Osment, Helen Hunt, Jay Mohr
Votes: 123,884 | Gross: $33.52M
97. Any Given Sunday (1999)
R | 162 min | Drama, Sport
A behind-the-scenes look at the life-and-death struggles of modern-day gladiators and those who lead them.
Director: Oliver Stone | Stars: Al Pacino, Dennis Quaid, Cameron Diaz, James Woods
Votes: 125,894 | Gross: $75.53M
98. Scent of a Woman (1992)
R | 156 min | Drama
A prep school student needing money agrees to "babysit" a blind man, but the job is not at all what he anticipated.
Director: Martin Brest | Stars: Al Pacino, Chris O'Donnell, James Rebhorn, Gabrielle Anwar
Votes: 328,754 | Gross: $63.90M
99. Cruella (2021)
PG-13 | 134 min | Adventure, Comedy, Crime
A live-action prequel feature film following a young Cruella de Vil.
Director: Craig Gillespie | Stars: Emma Stone, Emma Thompson, Joel Fry, Paul Walter Hauser
Votes: 265,745 | Gross: $86.10M
100. Beauty and the Beast (I) (2017)
PG | 129 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
A selfish Prince is cursed to become a monster for the rest of his life, unless he learns to fall in love with a beautiful young woman he keeps prisoner.
Director: Bill Condon | Stars: Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Josh Gad
Votes: 334,523 | Gross: $504.01M
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