With the sheer amount of content permeating every facet of media, from streaming to physical media, it’s hard wading through everything to find the best of the best. Thankfully the folks at Rotten Tomatoes have created a handy list of the top-rated features on their site to give audiences a starting point for finding the enduring classics that might connect with them.
But the list is just a starting point. A bird’s eye view. So we wanted to look closer at the list itself and the movies on it. What is it about them that has allowed them to rise to the top and become the highest-rated movies on Rotten Tomatoes?
It’s important to note that the ranking of the list—as crafted by Rotten Tomatoes itself—was created using a movie’s “Adjusted Score.” RT officially explains the score as follows:
Each critic from our discrete list gets one vote, weighted equally. A movie must have 40 or more rated reviews to be considered. The Adjusted Score comes from a weighted formula (Bayesian) that we use that accounts for variation in the number of reviews per movie.
This adjustment is made to account for the volume of reviews a movie receives. So if a movie only has four reviews, but all are positive, it technically has a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. But if a movie has 483 reviews and a 96% score, that average is technically harder to achieve given the sheer number of reviews that exist.
So without further ado, let’s dig into the top 20 highest-rated movies on Rotten Tomatoes.
20. All About Eve (1950)
RT Score:100%
One of the quintessential features about show business,All About Eveis theSingle White Femaleof the 1950s. Legendary actressBette Davisplays legendary actress Margo Channing who takes a shine to a sycophantic fan named Eve (Anne Baxter). But as Margo and her friends soon realize, Eve has more than just friendship on her mind; she actually wants to steal Margo’s career from her, and everything that comes with it.
Directed and written byJoseph Mankiewicz,All About Evewas a critical darling upon release in 1950. Critics praised the acid-tongued dialogue and the acting of all involved. It would eventually win six Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Since its release it’s often called one of the smartest films to exist with its insider-view of the theater world that many believe is synonymous with filmmaking. It holds a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, andRoger Ebertcited it as Bette Davis’ finest work. It’s a crackling story that reminds everyone to watch out because your friends and enemies might just be one and the same.
19. Dunkirk (2017)
RT Score:92%
It might surprise many to realize this is the only feature directed byChristopher Nolanto enter this list. Nolan’s tenth feature film follows the various men from Belgium, Great Britain, and France who fought and died during the battle of Dunkirk in WWII. The film was a long-time passion project for Nolan who initially conceived of it in the early 1990s. The film’s visceral imagery was often compared toSteven Spielberg’sSaving Private Ryan, and Nolan crafted the entire narrative as something of a time puzzle. The all-star cast often takes a backseat to the sheer power of the cinematography and technical prowess.
Dunkirkwent on to win three Academy Awards for sound and editing and made over $500 million worldwide. Though it holds a 92% on RT, critics at the time cited its script, direction, cinematography, and score as worthy of praise, with many considering it Nolan’s best as well as one of the foremost features on WWII.
18. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
RT Score:98%
One of the most iconic images of cinema is little Elliott (Henry Thomas) and his friends traveling across the moon to help their alien buddy E.T. “phone home.” TheSteven Spielberg-directed feature is a heartfelt, funny, and compassionate story of friendship wrapped up in a coping with divorce narrative (heavy stuff for a kid’s film). On a scant budget of just $10 million,E..T the Extra-Terrestrialhas netted nearly $800 million since its release in 1982 (it was re-released in 1985 and 2002) and surpassedStar Warsas the highest-grossing film of all time. It also won four Oscars, mainly in effects and sound as well as theJohn Williams-created score that’s endured alongside the movie.
It’s a film that connected with audiences so much it was screened at the White House for then-President Ronald Reagan, made Princess Diana cry, and was showcased at the United Nations. Interestingly,E.T. the Extra-Terrestrialwon universal acclaim upon release but boasts a 98% on RT with one negative review.
17. Coco (2017)
RT Score:97%
The first of three Disney films on this list (excluding the Fox merger),Cocotells the story of a little boy named Miguel who wants to be a musician. Unfortunately his family, for reasons unknown to him, has placed a ban on music. So when Miguel steals the guitar of a long-dead and famous Mexican musician he is accidentally sent to the Land of the Dead where he must reunite with his ancestors and learn about his family’s past.
Cocomarked the first motion picture to boast an all-Latino cast and have a nine-figure budget. It was also Pixar’s first film with a Latino lead character. Like all Pixar featuresCocois a blend of humor and heart, with a final scene that is an emotional gutpunch. The songs, penned byFrozenlyricistsKristen Anderson-LopezandRobert Lopez, are spunky and infectious with the track “Remember Me” going on to win Best Original Song at the 2018 Academy Awards; the film also won Best Animated Feature.
Cocoboasts a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes receiving praise for its rich characters and colorful animation.
16. Modern Times (1936)
Whether you’ve seen one of his films or not, nearly everyone can identifyCharlie Chaplin’s“the Tramp” character. The kind-hearted vagrant with a mustache and bowler hat had been Chaplin’s bread and butter since the mid-1900s. Interested in the nature of machinery, especially in the midst of the Great Depression’s unemployment, Chaplin assembled a movie wherein his Tramp character plays a factory worker struggling to deal with modern technology and the aftermath of losing his job. Chaplin hopedModern Timeswould be his first “talkie,” but decided to abandon the idea and keep the Tramp silent for as long as he could. (The character’s first sound film would be four years later inThe Great Dictator.)
Though it won no awards in 1936,Modern Timesis considered Chaplin’s best feature and is his most popular, boasting a perfect 100% on RT. Reviews at the time were positive, though not overly effusive and it was not commercially successful in the United States with its political views on labor being cited as controversial.Modern Timesis often championed for prophesying our increased dependence on machinery and automation, all seen through the eyes of one little Tramp.
15. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
Another 100% feature on the list,The Cabinet of Dr. Caligariis a silent German Expressionist film about a somnambulist (or sleepwalker) played byConrad Veidt, who commits murders at the behest of the evil Dr. Caligari (Werner Krauss).
A landmark in horror history,The Cabinet of Dr. Caligariis usually taught in film schools as the best example of German expressionism. The movement is commonly identified for its reliance on dark and twisted imagery, sharp and oblique angles, and shadows painted directly on the sets themselves. The film is perceived to be a war allegory, with Veidt’s Cesare the German soldiers fighting in WWI and Dr. Caligari the government sending them off to their deaths. Today the feature is a creepy tale of control with a dreamlike atmosphere and stark cinematography. It’s a highly memorable silent film.
Surprisingly, the film was marketed as a standard horror film, free of artistic pretensions and captured an audience upon release in 1920. It was distributed in the U.S. the next year but was pulled from theaters after protests regarding the presentation of German features during wartime. It’s unclear how the movie was received in 1920. Some film theorists have said it was a commercial and critical success while others maintain it was a critical failure that was “too high-brow to become popular in Germany,” this per Siegfried Kracauer. Regardless,The Cabinet of Dr. Caligarihas become a foundational film and a must-see for any fans of horror.
14. Casablanca (1942)
When asked to say the first classic era film you’ve seen, the usual answer is this 1942 war drama directed byMichael Curtiz.Humphrey Bogartplays Rick Blaine, an apathetic bar owner in the Vichy-controlled city of Casablanca. When he’s reunited with Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman), the woman who got away, Rick is forced to reconcile with his past and his own response to the events going on in the city.
Casablancaremains a perfect example of why studio-era cinema has endured. Its stars are A-list and utterly flawless, the directing isn’t technologically focused but geared towards the performances, and it has serious stakes. However, while filming it was assumed thatCasablancawould just be another war drama in a decade dominated by them. You might say the studio didn’t think it’d amount to a hill of beans.
Reviews in 1942 were pleasant with resident criticBosley Crowtherapplauding its sentiment. Other papers, likeThe New Yorker, simply called the film “pretty tolerable.” With a budget of a little over $1 million the grosses were good but not spectacular. It wasn’t until the late-’50s that audiences started to appreciate the movie for the classic it is. Here’s looking at you, kid!
13. It Happened One Night (1934)
One of the funniest screwball comedies out there, there’s nothing better thanIt Happened One Night.Claudette Colbertplays heiress Ellen Andrews who runs away from home because she can’t marry who she wants. She meets up with reporter Peter Warne (Clark Gable) and the two strike a deal: if she gives him an exclusive he won’t rat her out to her dad. Thus the two end up on a cross-country adventure with Ellen realizing her privilege and the two falling in love.
Screwball comedy was popular during the Depression as it positioned the wealthy in positions of goofiness (how times have changed). Colbert’s Ellen is relatable, a princess running away from the strictures of her rigid life. Gable’s Peter is scrappy, a man’s man. The two’s chemistry is fantastic and makes for some unforgettable comedy.
Interestingly, Colbert thought the movie was “the worst picture in the world and home studio Columbia didn’t think much of it either. Reviews were pleasant, with Variety saying there wasn’t a “particularly strong plot.” Word-of-mouth and the Depression creating a need for heartwarming stories helped the film do brisk business, eventually turning it into a hit. It won five Oscars, including both Best Actor and Actress for its leads, as well as Best Picture and is labeled as one of the best comedies ever made.
12. Eighth Grade (2018)
RT Score:99%
DirectorBo Burnhamblew audiences away in 2018 with his feature directorial debut,Eighth Grade. The film follows Kayla (Elsie Fisher), who is about to finish her last week of middle school. As the tween prepares to transition to a new school, she’s forced to confront all her social awkwardness and the problems she doesn’t want to follow her to high school.
Burnham was inspired to makeEighth Gradeby his own adolescent anxieties. He translated that into a feature examining the generation of children who came of age with social media. Newcomer Elsie Fisher, who’d previously been known for voicing one of the little girls inDespicable Me, became an instant star after the film’s release for her performance as Kayla, garnering a Golden Globe nomination in the process (the film would receive no Oscar nominations).Eighth Gradeholds a 99% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes with reviews praising its “supreme awkwardness” and “achingly honest” script.
11. Inside Out (2015)
In 2015, Disney and Pixar got psychological withInside Out, the colorful tale about the anthropomorphic feelings that control the minds of every being on this planet. In this case, the audience meets the emotions of a girl named Riley. Joy (voiced byAmy Poehler) wants Riley, who is moving from her hometown of Minnesota to San Francisco, to have the perfect transition. But when Sadness (voiced byPhyllis Smith) messes things up it’s up to Joy to get the little girl’s mind back in order.
With the success of the 2009 filmUpdirectorPete Doctorwas able to pitch this movie, inspired by his daughter Elie personality change as she became a teenager. The film was a bit of a game-changer for the studio, the first to not be intensely overseen by Pixar’s former chief creative officerJohn Lasseterand the first to have half the story crew be comprised of women.
Inside Outpremiered out of competition at the Cannes Film Festival in 2015 and grossed over $850 million worldwide with the biggest opening gross for a Pixar movie at the time. It holds a 98% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes with the critical consensus being that it’s “another outstanding addition to the Pixar library of modern animated classics.”
