In the era of virtual distraction, the transmission gave us simple access to thousands of films throughout the last century. I don’t want to check a movie! And yet, I am there, queuing the long race for the umpteenth time.
Because you only need a known amount, and some movies seem designed to be watched over and over again. Others just descend so delicious that you can’t help them, but find them comforting. Pop’s complaint Sarah D. Bunting has a call for those movies to constantly rewatspeak: “Poppy Fields Movies. “Like the enchanted flowers that come out of the palace in the Sorcerer of Oz (see below), you still can’t attend them every time they’re on TV. (There’s also a total podcast committed to them, called Rewatchables, naturally. )
The criteria for a rewatchable film varies, but there are some common themes: memorable set pieces, quotable dialogue, particularly colorful characters you love spending time with, and, most critically, a truly satisfying ending. It’s also matter of taste—I’ll rewatch Citizen Kane as readily as I’ll rewatch Charlie’s Angels—and nostalgia never hurts. Wicked has already proven itself to be a popular (get it) rewatch, with audiences having gone back to the theater for multiple screenings. If the second part manages not to blow it, I think one or both of those movies will earn a spot on this list someday.
In the meantime, here are 50 films worth seeing more than once. Or twice.
What makes him see again: one of Star Trek’s most productive films is not a trek movie; Instead, this is a parody in the fictitious distribution of a science fiction television series that has become an interstellar conflict. It is a clumsy premise for a film that is played here with a wonderful affection for its curtains of origin and an impressive amount of heart. Ah, and it is also quite fun. You can hire Video Galaxy Quest.
What makes it rewatchable: The ur-blockbuster changed the way movies are marketed forever, ushering in an era of summer tentpoles that strive for ever-larger box office returns. That’s not really great, but you can hardly blame Steven Spielberg and his plucky little shark-attack film for being such a damn good time at the movies. You can rent Jaws on Prime Video.
What makes it rewatchable: Spike Lee’s masterpiece isn’t always an easy watch—for all the funny and joyful moments and rich characters, there’s a tremendous undercurrent of trauma in the story of a Brooklyn block about to explode. But even for all of that, it’s so brilliantly and cleverly constructed that it’s impossible not to want to watch more than once. You can stream Do the Right Thing on Prime Video.
What makes him see again: perhaps Spirited Away are the most productive Ghibli films through director Hayao Miyazaki, or is simply a representative of what the artist is capable. The first of the almost large movies can say it. The story of a young woman who takes a task in a bathing bath in a non -secular global to save herself and her pahires (who have been remodeled in pigs) is excellently animated and, ultimately, in depth. You can get away from Max or hire it in a Premium video.
What makes him see again: as horror movies (and several of the comedies), Get Out is rooted in a deep, wild and genuine trauma. It is also a very fun satire that takes impressive choreographed curls in a heartbreaking horror. Satisfactory and, unlikely, a bit fun. You can hire departure from the privileged video.
What makes it rewatch: The blockbuster Discovering the Wes Craven era begins with one of the most memorable prosecution sequences in horror film history before building characters and a franchise that becomes strong(-ish) on the Curhire One. For us sick people, who agreed on horror movies, it’s like revisiting an old friend who was murdered. You can stream screams to the fullest or hire it to a premium video.
What makes him see again: it is not my favorite film by Billy Wilder (it is the apartment), but it is a bit of brilliantly orchestrated laugh, one of the comedies that is so suction cup that not even genuinices how meticulously elaborate it is. The cross comedy did not even make it nominated for the best film of the year when Ben-Hur won, a genuine crime that contemplates other people remain awake through it. You can transmit some such as Hot On Video, Gel and Tubi Prims.
What makes it thank: all the comedies of Jacques Tati with M. Hulot are valuable for a moment (or third, fourth, etc. ), but the game time is probably his masterpiece. Here, Hulot at intelligent temperament boils through a fashion global whose tensions and obstacles are completely recognizable, even if the film premiered in 1960. A ruthless satire of capitalism and bureaucracy that is also nonsense It is the complex and detailed maximum film of Tati, and each new watch shows new wonders. You can transmit the game time on the criterion channel or hire it for prime video.
What makes it rewatchable: Director Gina Prince-Bythewood made a stellar debut here with this romantic sports drama following two athletes, played by Omar Epps and Sanaa Lathan. We meet the two as children, next door neighbors, with a shared love of basketball and follow them through high school, college, and beyond as their friendship and searing attraction meet the challenges of life. It’s romantic, but also thoroughly believable, and the leads have all-time great chemistry. You can rent Love & Basketball from Prime Video.
What makes it see again: a piece of absolutely clumsy stupidity and also manages to adjust a strong comment on the general idiocy of our other economic systems? Account with me. This supposedly very lovely even if you are not tall. You can transmit Holy Graal in Prime Video and Britbox.
What makes him see him again: clumsy, but sincere, and with enough confidence (incest with mom?Oh, my!) Just enough to give it a bit of an edge, back to the long run mixes a better script with a ventilated tone and indelible lead functionality Through Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd. Es a convenience watch, however, the obsessive point of detail (Twin Pines Mall turns into a lonely pine tree shopping for groceries) rewards several views. You can hire in the long run in the first rate video.
What makes it look again: The time loop has a bit of a trope, however, it’s never been done with as much charm as in this, one of its oldest and most iconic incarnations. The cantankerous is productive, as he slowly accepts that the long career in his life (both metaphorically and literally) might require turning everything about him onto him. You can hire Groundhog Day in the main video.
What makes it see again: everything I said about the time of time of marmota, but grafted in an endless science action film. See Tom Cruise being killed several times through extraterrestrial hilarious never ages. See also: Emily Blunt in Force Armor. You can transmit the edge of tomorrow in the main video.
What makes it rewatch: A welfare crime story that incorporates elements of murder, corruption, and money laundering, Shawshank is soft (the promised purchase of the name comes more or less on time) but never unpleasant. Happy endings are easy, but it gives something harder and a little more satisfying, which makes this Stephen King adaptation more than comfort food. The film also has the résumé to save its manager: it’s a mainstay of cable TV for decades, creating a sense of familiarity fueled through its ubiquitousness. You can hire the Shawshank redemption from the main video.
What makes it come back to watch: it’s a film in the circle of relatives and the strength of the community, in the great center without being cunning. This is also the kind of thing that is at stake a lot of holiday gatherings. You can hire soul food in the main video.
Which makes you watch it again: There are plenty of re-evaluable movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (I’m not a snob), adding the first, Iron Man. But Black Panther, even with its links to the broader superhero landscape, is one of the few that feels like a standalone film in its own right, and traversable on its own. Chadwick Boseman directs an all-star cast in a film that mixes forged action and drama with deeper themes. And problems for overall quality: They took 18 films before a Marvel Studios film directed through a director and a black director, and the only one to get an Oscar for the most productive film. You can stream Black Panther on Disney or hire it on Prime Video.
What makes him see again: after years of marathons and consecutive vacation goods, a Christmas story has become a victim of his own slow intelligent fortune (he went well at the box office, but not intelligent enough to justify his life after death). Then, in a sense, a Christmas story can be seen again because we have not had another option. This supersaturation, however, did not tarnish the charms of the film, nor attenu look. It is a bit like snuggling with an intelligent memory. You can rent a Christmas video story.
What makes it rewatchable: A great action movie needs a great protagonist, and benefits tremendously from a great setting. This one has both—Bruce Willis is doing all the stuff we like about Bruce Willis, and the Nakatomi Plaza setting is brilliantly utilized—we understand the space and therefore always know where John McClane is in relation to the terrorists. It’s all very carefully constructed. You can stream Die Hard on Hulu and Prime Video.
What makes it rewatchable: The boozy chemistry between all-time greats Myrna Loy and William Powell gives The Thin Man the kind of loose energy that makes it not only easy to rewatch, but a joy, whether or not you’re paying any attention to the central murder mystery. The other Thin Man movies are good, but none is quite as good (nor nearly as endlessly rewatchable) as the original. You can rent The Thin Man from Prime Video.
This makes you see it again: consistently quotable, the Princess Bridle is a masterpiece of tone, blending into disparate elements in the right measurements. It’s a parody and a farce, a fairy tale, a tale of fantasy and passable love that adds pirates to make a clever measure. It’s weird, but not so weird to be out of place, and it returns to the central character’s relationships whenever things get too silly. He makes memorable scene movies for an effortlessly memorable scene, which promises to be almost as delightful in pieces as from starting to finish. You can stream Princess Bride on Disney or sign up for Prime Video.
What makes him watch it again: Unlike many beloved classics, it didn’t take long for the Wizard of Oz to build his reputation, he suggests: The film did very well in theaters, and only built its popularity through theatrical rereads and then endless TV streaming. Array has almost lost any steam in the 8 decades beyond the 8 decades. And why? It is a fun fantasy for all ages and a singable musical with a significant professional performance, with themes around the formative years of anxiety that still remain. You can stream the Wizard of Oz on Max or hire it for Prime Video.
What makes it see again: written through Tina Fey (shortly before adjusting a family name), the script balances super acute comedy with a secondary policy incisor and a valid message about the motivation calendar to be the most productive and the most beautiful. You can transmit average women in Paramount + or Premium video.
What makes it come back to watch it: some other constantly playable teen comedy, bringing it in is also a secret sports movie and a stealth musical (if you craft dance sequences that take position on the same day as the characters exploding in the song), two genres with comforting formulas that stand up to repeated viewings. As a laugh to attend the exposed gymnastics, it’s also a kick to see a young Kirsten Dunst and Gabrielle Union withdraw from the other. You can hire the premium video.
Which makes it come back to see it: Everything isn’t perfectly maintained (the women here are basically object jokes), but there’s an explanation why Friday has become a vintage cult. At a time when White America was elaborated on rap and hood culture, he dared to have a little fun. And when it’s fun, it’s actually fun. You can book on Friday on Prime Video.
What makes it see again: it is a triumph of the eye of the mind in a sea of many superheroes of the same and and (many of them connected to the spider). The animation is gloriously full of life and innovative, and at the service of a sinuous and multicapa history that is exciting, edifying and moving, in the most productive culture of the spider. You can hire in the Spider-Vessel video in Prime Video.
What makes it rewatch: In many ways, this romantic comedy feels like a comeback in the most productive way imaginable: Economics professor Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) has no concept that her New York boyfriend Nick (Henry Golding) is heir to an empire Genuine property as a component of an extravagantly wealthy Singapore family. The comedic elements of the fish out of water never get as silly as we are not directed at the main relationship, and Michelle Yeoh, while Nick’s mother creates a brilliant, but also very human foil. All this, in addition to an exploration of a position and culture that we occasionally do not stop at in Western films. You can stream snack-rich Asians on Max or hire it for early videos.
What makes it rewatchable: The Ridley Scott original is a brilliantly tense haunted spaceship flick, but the James Cameron-helmed sequel is quite simply one of the most efficient blends of action and horror in the history of either genre. The ’80s produced a lot of action stars, but it’s hard to argue that Sigourney Weaver doesn’t run rings around all of them in her fight to escape the alien queen. You can stream Aliens on Peacock or rent it from Prime Video.
What makes him see again: there is an explanation why James Cameron is one of our top successful financial directors: he knows how to serve a passable film, even when what is proposed is a tragic melodrama. This is the epic narrative at a really giant point, the type of film that they no longer do, and neither in 1997. He was very re -regulating before leaving theaters in his initial career, with other people who return several times to make glasses in the exhibition and cry in his corn popcorn (I am other people, in this scenario). You can transmit Titanic in Paramount + or hire it to the Premium video.
Which makes him rewatch: Pound For Bitchy Pound, I’m not sure he’ll find a bigger script than writer/director Joseph L. Mankiewicz for all of Eva, subsidized through the ultimate memorable functionality of Bette Davis’s hugely memorable career. Stop it from starting to finish. You can book everything about Eve from Prime Video.
What makes it rewatchable: Deeply goofy in all the right ways, the action-comedy take on the venerable franchise soars in its campy sense of style, while also delivering some truly impressive, larger-than-life action sequences. Leads Lucy Liu, Cameron Diaz, and Drew Barrymore look like they’re having a ton of fun, and the vibe is infectious. You can rent Charlie’s Angels from Prime Video.
What makes you watch it again: Contrary to popular belief, you don’t want to be gay to see magnolias in metal dozens of times (though it wouldn’t hurt). He throws Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis, and Julia Roberts into a film that mixes melodrama with Whinge returns, and we’re laughing, along with a few clever screams. You can stream metal magnolias on Max or hire it to the premium video.
What makes it come back to view: The jury is still on the bench as to whether the Indian-made RRR will remain a popular favorite over time, but I’m here to make the case. It’s long, for sure, but its runoff, we get musical numbers. , a romantic drama, a buddy comedy (from “Buddy,” I mean they deserve to kiss), and the action action that puts hits to shame White Colonial Directors The British Raj era is a domain in cinema moments that can be recast on its own. You can stream RRR on Netflix.
What makes it come back to see it: We love a robbery, and it’s cleverly built in the way it goes right, then wrong, and the setup and execution are slippery enough for you to how everything goes between the views. Star casting adds plume. You can sign up for Ocean’s Eleven Prime Video.
What makes it see again: is Ocean’s 11 in a galaxy very, very distant, but with many superior stakes and many laser battles in Pew-Pew. Challenge to anyone to turn it off once the battle of Scarif begins. Transmit Rogue One in Disney or hired Prime Video.
What makes it rewatchable: Aside from the innumerable charms of early ’90s Harrison Ford and a breakout performance from Tommy Lee Jones, this cat-and-mouse thriller excels at “the process-y bits,” showing you every step in dueling investigations: unjustly accused murderer Richard Kimble’s (Ford) efforts to find out who killed his wife and framed him for the crime, and a U.S. Marshall’s (Jones) attempts to track him down and put him back in the slammer. And who could forget that waterfall scene? You can rent The Fugitive from Prime Video.
What makes it rewatchable: Though this is a Black story told by a largely white team behind the camera, it’s Steven Spielberg at his most humane. The multigenerational story includes some of the best actors of their generations playing some of their most memorable characters. While not everyone gets a happy ending, the conclusion is about as satisfying as they come. You can rent The Color Purple from Prime Video.
What makes it rewatchable: It’s just tremendous fun, with jokes that remain funny and gravity-defying dance numbers that all look effortless, even when it’s clear that the incredibly talented cast must’ve been working their asses off in order to make things look so easy. You can stream Singin’ in the Rain on Max or rent it from Prime Video.
What makes him see again: one that works, whether you are paying attention or not, Hitchcock knew that the unique charms of his heroes and villains were more than enough to bring an image, provided that the action pieces presented adequate emotions . Know what the bad people look for here, however, I have never turned off. You can transmit to the north through the northwest on the criterion channel or hire it from prime video.
What makes it see again: Raiders of the Lost Ark remains the one in the series, but you can make an intelligent case that this last crusade is the maximum claimable access (I am sure that I am not the only one that I have noticed the twice) . The crusade is a bit lighter than its predecessor, a little more loose and more fun, with a wonderful chemistry between Harrison Ford and Sean Connery. You can transmit the last crusade in Disney + and Paramount + or hire it to the main video.
What makes it come back to view: the making of eccentric comedies that were also a kind of art a specific competition that ’80s movements seem to have, and there’s a meticulity to the film’s structure that negates the more sensible cynical yet sensible setting Simple than Bill Murray is personalized. It’s clumsy, but all of this holds together. (The 2016 remake doesn’t have the forged structure that made it a classic, but it’s also absolutely rebuilt by its similar layout, a hill I’ll die on. )You can hire ghostbusters from the premium video.
What makes it rewatch: The first sister act is a bigger movie, an attention from the time when we were moving away from R-rated sex comedies at a more family-friendly rate (for more and more). But the moment when the Sister Law is most genuine with the movement of its characters to the city center, but also more campier and stranger in its efforts to combine Me Swew-style school drama in Me with a song from Make a Song/Farce of Mistaken Identity. Children in the 1990s recognize jams, mother jeans, and spontaneous breakdancing as signifiers of the era. It also adds up to a genuinely lighthearted ending, even if you’re a little embarrassed by the white kid who rapped in the monkey. You can stream the Sister Act 2 on Disney or sign up for Prime Video.
What makes it rewatchable: In these days of manufactured camp, there’s more value than ever in something that’s simply the product of queer weirdos putting their heads together. Most frequently experienced as a communal event, and demanding little beyond a willingness to sing along and maybe pull on some fishnets, it’s the kind of movie that, I suspect, very few people have seen just once. You can rent Rocky Horror from Prime Video.
What makes him see again: there is a correct cast here, but it is Eddie Murphy in her 80 years, very fun and quite profane. It’s just a scene after a memorable scene. You can hire to come to America from the video premium.
What makes it rewatchable: It is, by far, the most standalone of the many Star Trek movies, working on its own as a sci-fi cat-and-mouse movie with a wildly memorable protagonist. [Editor’s note: Star Trek VI though?] You can stream The Wrath of Khan on Paramount+ or rent it from Prime Video.
What makes him see again: those are several things at the same time and he does them well. New Jack City is a serious and thoughtful serious drama; It’s a stunning, breathtaking action movie, and it’s a cool time capsule from the ’90s, as embodied through Wesley Snipes. You can hire a new Jack town with a main video.
What makes it rewatchable: The iconic movie of Hollywood’s golden age, you know the lines (and the ending) even if you’ve never seen it. If you have seen it, it’s unlikely you’ve seen it only once. You can stream Casablanca on Max or rent it from Prime Video.
What makes it rewatchable: Slasher fans are loyal (putting my hand up), so a list of rewatchable movies could easily be overrun with Freddys, Jasons, Michaels, and Ghostfaces. Though this choice is slightly arbitrary, Dream Warriors is Freddy at his height, still scary in the era just prior to his wise-cracking huckster phase. Every scene/kill here is memorable on its own, and there’s an almost Avengers-like quality to the anti-Freddy team that assembles to bring him down. You can rent Dream Warriors from Prime Video.
What makes him see again: Ferris is the best child in school, handling this without being insufferable (mainly). There are elements in your attitude to taste and your fear for our friends, the maximum of us to endure. Is that it goes from the memorable scene to a memorable scene. You can hire the Prime Ferris Bueller video.
What makes it rewatchable: A band of outsiders teams up to stop an alien invasion on a council estate. It’s energetic and action-packed, with memorable characters and even more memorable aliens. Plus, it’s the movie that teamed up a future Star Wars lead (John Boyega) with a future Doctor Who (Jodie Whitaker). You can stream Attack the Block on Peacock or rent it from Prime Video.
What makes it rewatchable: Ripped from the pages of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s heavily manga-influenced graphic novel series, this 2010 Edgar Wright underperformer seemed designed to play better on a second (or fifth) viewing. The humor is incredibly dense, every shot peppered with background gags and onscreen graphics, and the episodic plot—with goofy loser “hero” Scott going up against his girlfriend’s ex-boyfriends in cartoonish one-on-one showdowns—recreate the experiences of moving from level to level in a video game you just can’t put down. You can stream Scott Pilgrim on Max or rent it from Prime Video.
Ross Johnson writes on television, cinema and literature for Lifehacker.