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NeoGAF Greatest Action Movies of All Time (September 2015) - Results
- Thread starter inm8num2
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cloud_sleep
Member
List is on point. I could happily marathon the top 10 over several days. Would be glorious.
Messypandas
Member
Bummer, I didn't know there was a voting thread. Fury Road would've gotten another #1 vote from me, though it looks like it wouldn't have mattered.
The top 5 are all the same movies in my top 5, though they'd be in a different order.
1. Mad Max: Fury Road
2. Die Hard
3. Terminator 2
4. Aliens
5. The Matrix
The top 5 are all the same movies in my top 5, though they'd be in a different order.
1. Mad Max: Fury Road
2. Die Hard
3. Terminator 2
4. Aliens
5. The Matrix
Discotheque
Banned
He punches like 100 nazis in that movie and jumps on cars and shit
You guys are being way too constraining. A good majority of blockbusters or summer movies can be called action movies
Edit; the good bad and weird rocks man. It's such a fun and energetic action/western
Discotheque
Banned
Scust at this post, notice how inception ain't in top 50 here
Bobby Roberts
Banned
There's tons of fucking violence in the Indy Jones movies.
Raiders features a guy getting chopped up by a plane at the end of a fistfight, to point at one of the less-memorable examples.
Again: I really do think, having lived through the weird splitting of the genre, and the relative (gleeful, willful) devaluing of the "action" term when it comes to film, that the idea there's a solid difference between what an "action" and an "action/adventure" movie is? Is not much more than the kind of hair-splitting that causes people to argue that there's a difference between "Rap" and "Hip-Hop."
There isn't. But people have their reasons for wanting there to be, and they choose to push that even if they don't really catch what they're doing and why they're doing it.
What makes this post hilarious is that (going off of the voting list) Inception didn't even place
A critically acclaimed action movie got a huge amount of votes? You should riot, dude.
onepiecefan
Member
Solid list, the order could be changed up a bit but still solid.
No need to respond to this in particular ((.but I always thought rap was pop Hip hop. While HIP hop is some story, most of the time without a chorus. )) Action (crazy) adventure (somber) hm....lotr .fantasy adventure. Aliens sci Fi action?
True Savior
Member
I love Carpenter as much as possible but i would never classify those as action. I imagine that might be what more people think. On the other hand there's a lot of movies in this list that i don't consider an action movie so perhaps i'm wrong.
An action movie , to me , is a film centered in its action spectacle. In its action sets , events , etc. It's not one where the narrative interweaves with some action set-pieces. It might seem a fine line , but it's very easy to discern. A great example is The Matrix vs Matrix Reloaded.
SliceSabre
Banned
I honestly didn't know my opinion on Terminator 3 was considered odd. Wasn't trying to be edgy I really enjoyed the movie, but that may be in part that I remembered it more than Terminator 2 due to seeing it more recently.
Inception is among my favorite movies of the decade but I didn't vote for it. Didn't really seem like it was in the same vein as the full-on action movies being voted in. Same with Star Wars and basically every western.
I mean, James Cameron and Arnie in his prime vs. no Cameron and an aged Arnie.
John Dunbar
correct about everything
can you explain why something like star wars would not qualify as an action movie? i am only asking because i assume you would vote for one of the star wars movies if you considered them action movies.
Yeah, I really don't get the love for Mad Max. It was enjoyable, but I didn't walk out of the theater saying, "OH MY GOD THAT WAS ONE OF THE BEST MOVIES EVER!!!" like many of you guys apparently did.
Other than that, a pretty predictable top 10.
Also, I find it weird that Indiana Jones made the list but nobody voted for Star Wars or Lord of the Rings. Was there a clause that I missed sci-fi and fantasy didn't count? Wait, that couldn't be, because then you wouldn't have Aliens up there. So why didn't anybody vote for these?
Other than that, a pretty predictable top 10.
Also, I find it weird that Indiana Jones made the list but nobody voted for Star Wars or Lord of the Rings. Was there a clause that I missed sci-fi and fantasy didn't count? Wait, that couldn't be, because then you wouldn't have Aliens up there. So why didn't anybody vote for these?
Bobby Roberts
Banned
But almost the entirety of that top ten are films where the narrative absolutely is forwarded and weaved into the action set pieces. They're not just boss-fights - characters are developed through the action itself in all those movies. It's likely part of the reason they're considered to be top 10.
Hell, look at Robocop. It's not like the set-pieces in that film are particularly good, or even memorable. The most memorable action sequences in that film include a stationary robot shooting a stationary man for 30 seconds, and a stationary gang shooting a stationary cop for another 15. But it's the way the story is told through Murphy's action that I think elevates it for a lot of people.
(That and the satire, of course)
Bobby Roberts
Banned
I think it qualifies, absolutely. I wouldn't put any of the Star Wars movies in my top 20, though (just like I didn't place any superhero movies, either). Not based on their action. Although if there was a "Top 20 Action Set-Pieces of All Time" poll, I'd probably stick the dogfight outside of Death Star II in there somewhere. Maybe the podrace, too.
To clarify - I'm not saying genres need to be rigidly separated, and there can't be crossovers. You can absolutely have fantasy/action, sci-fi/action, action/comedy, so on and so forth. I'm just arguing against the idea that "Action/Adventure" is somehow a blending of two separate genres after-the-fact, when it's actually the origin genre here.
Huh? What does age have to do with quality?
Splatterpunk
Member
I mean, I get it, and don't necessarily disagree, but you're skipping over a bit the legacy and influence of HK movies from the 60s and 70s which for the most part had nothing to do with western action/adventure and have more in common with the later "action" movies, whatwith sparking the martial arts craze. Before that, fighting was mainly just trading punches/throwing heavy things at each other (which is largely what Indy is) vs. just detailed choreography (with or without actual martial arts). There may not have been a wall before, but there definitely is now. A good portion of the same audience would have likely seen Raiders and Commando. I don't think you can say the same for Pirates of the Caribbean and John Wick.
I would just say more people have seen Big Trouble over the other two. And I love Escape from New York, but overall it's far too slow and plainly there's just not enough death, especially when compared to its contemporaries.
Need some time to back off the hype, see how it holds up, and where it fits with the rest of movies you're not still excited about.
John Dunbar
correct about everything
that's probably why so many people left raiders off their lists. while i love raiders more than any movie in the top 10 and i don't consider its action lacking, i would still watch something else if i am in the mood for an action movie. something that emphasizes the action rather than the adventure, like die hard.
Bobby Roberts
Banned
No doubt.
I mean, as a Lore Expert, I'm familiar with the ways definitions of things can slide around and be made malleable. Even though I might not necessarily agree with the means by which those definitions are getting stretched and reshaped. I can point that shit out all I want, but that's not going to change the way things are now conventionally percieved. At least not on any notable scale.
I mean, as a Lore Expert, I'm familiar with the ways definitions of things can slide around and be made malleable. Even though I might not necessarily agree with the means by which those definitions are getting stretched and reshaped. I can point that shit out all I want, but that's not going to change the way things are now conventionally percieved. At least not on any notable scale.
The movie came out in May, I think we're past the initial excitement phase.
sixteen-bit
Member
die hard is so based
it holds up well to this day
well, except for the car phone lol
it holds up well to this day
well, except for the car phone lol
Nocturnowl
Member
My favourite film won so all is right with the world.
Violence Jack
Member
Die Hard, Robocop, and Predator are in my top 10 films of all time, regardless of genre. I guess I should get around to watching The Raid films at some point. I think Lethal Weapon is far too low, as it's probably the best action buddy cop movie ever made, not to mention a hell of a good Christmas flick as well.
True Savior
Member
Robocop is a great example because i thought a little bit how and why should i insert it. And after thinking it through , i didn't. The action in the film is naturally relevant (and somewhat organic) , but its execution is not particularly great. It's a fabulous film. A great action movie ? I can't say that. It's a sci fi with action elements in it.
For instance Police Story. When Jackie was able to conceive Police Story (a film which by the way doesn't have as much action as one would suppose) he thought about a movie within a certain context (cops , criminals , hk , etc) and he created and composed action set pieces. Not the script , not the characters , the action. The foundation was action events. He then glued some half-baked story , with random characters that would populate the cenario he built. You watch those absolutely brilliant action set pieces and that is the film. Everything is centered around it.It also has lots of comedy. But it isn't a comedy. To me , its just an action movie with comedy. A brilliant one.
That's a great catch.
Secret Fawful
Member
Eh, Jackie Chan movies getting relegated to the 11-20 spot is awful as far as I'm concerned, and I've never been a huge fan of James Cameron's movies, but I know that's just me and I can't say it's a bad list in spite of that.
JeTmAn81
Member
Tons. The best movies continue to hold up after years of repeated viewings. Mad Max has only been out for a few months.
Yeah, I think Cameron is a bit overrated myself. He does great work of course, but he also usually has a lot of budget to work with. Just compare Die Hard to Terminator 2: 28 million vs. 100 million. McTiernan is THE Hollywood action director in my opinion. I also prefer Alien over Aliens, but that's another story.
As for Jackie Chan, I watched them when I was little, but unfortunately I don't remember much about them anymore except that his choreography was always out of the box. He also does all the stuntwork himself which is amazing. I should really find a copy of Drunken Master 1/2 and watch it again.
Net_Wrecker
Member
Seriously. Hyperbole culture has made people so reluctant to admit when something is actually an instant classic.
You should fix this asap. There are very few shootouts in all of film that can compare to the ones in Hard Boiled.
Seductivpancakes
Member
I would say any genre of movie that has a good amount of action, eligible for this list.
So sci fi actions like predator and Aliens, and adventure movies like raiders in the lost ark are all good to me as action movies.
With that said, excellent list.
So sci fi actions like predator and Aliens, and adventure movies like raiders in the lost ark are all good to me as action movies.
With that said, excellent list.
Oh, right. I loved Taken. Liam Neeson is a goddamn badass for someone who's 56. Shame they've driven the franchise into the ground. Although I guess the same happened with most of the franchises in the top ten.
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