5. Star Wars
Let the force be with you! These movies are so colossal, even those wierdos who haven’t seen them know what a light sabre is. The story tells us that being courageous and knowing ourselves are our best defenses from becoming a raspy-voiced dude living in an oversized helmet.
4. Spiderman
Peter Parker is the nerdy high school kid turned sensitive superhero who gets the only girl he’s ever loved. We like him because his character is more believeable than the super-muscular, overly good-looking traditional superheroes. He doesn’t always do the right thing, and that makes him endearing.
3. Pirates of the Caribbean
Swordfighting, treasure-hunting, swindling pirates are cool all by themselves. Add Johnny Depp as eccentric Jack Sparrow, and the movie takes us on a non-stop adventure thrill ride. Let’s not forget the film was created from a Disneyland amusement attraction. For cursed pirates who can’t eat or drink but are eternally hungry and thirsty, the least of their worries are chasing women.
2. Back to the Future
Who hasn’t wanted to go back in time to fix life’s woes-of-the-moment? This movie taught us that DeLoreans are the only way to time travel. Whether it’s dodging missle-carrying Libyians, playing the electric guitar in the school auditorium, or towing behind cars on his skateboard, Marty McFly is the coolest teenager ever. His unlikely friendship with the genius yet unsavvy scientist Doc Brown makes for some excellent cross-generational humor.
1. Lord of the Rings
Epic books lend themselves to epic movies. The look of this film is amazing. That creepy gollum character makes everyone nervous all the way to the end, as does that monstrous eye in Mordor. Leave it to Tolken to make us take elves, orcs, and small hairy hobbits seriously.
