Best sequel of all time, according to IMDb

A quick look at IMDb’s top 250 shows plenty of stories about war, prisons, criminals and wrestlers. If there’s any vague common theme throughout the top 250, it’s the interplay between crime and justice, sometimes realized as blood revenge or catharsis on the battlefield. Shawshank tops the list, but other prison dramas such as One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, The Green Mile, The Pianist and It’s a Wonderful Life also feature. IMDb users love captivity. There are also many stories about criminals living at large. In addition to crime films already listed, you can find Silence of the Lambs, Good Guys, Seven, Psycho, Forsaken and City of God (Brazilian film in Portuguese) on the list.

As far as non-English movies go, IMDb has a few in the top 250. “Seven Samurai” by Akira Kurosawa ranks 22nd, and Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away is 31st. Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite is ranked 33rd and Grave of the Fireflies is ranked 38th. The first real surprise on the list might be Masaki Kobayashi’s 1962 samurai drama Harakiri, which came in at number 44, one spot above Casablanca.

The most recent film in the top half of the list is 2024’s Dune: Part Two at #49, although several other films from the past two years, including Wild Robot, are far down in the top 250. The oldest film on the list is Charlie Chaplin’s sentimental comedy The Kid from 1921. The top 250 included six silent films.

Some movies that are generally considered to be among the best are rated quite low. Citizen Kane is 105th and The Wizard of Oz is 230th. “Bicycle Thieves” is in 124th place and “All About Eve” is in 139th place.

The highest-rated film directed by a woman is 2018’s Capernaum, directed by Nadine Labaki. This is in #89. The only other one was the anime A Quiet Voice: The Movie, co-directed by Naoko Yamada. This is in #250.