Entry-Level Cinema (Accessible, Entertaining/Engaging "Gateway" Movies to Dive Into the World of Great Movies With)

Perhaps the most engaging motion picture ever made, this riveting action-adventure was given an Oscar nomination for Best Picture and features Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford), who was once named the greatest movie character of all time in a fan poll conducted by Empire. In 2011, as part of the Best in Film: The Greatest Movies of Our Time special, it was voted the best action movie of all time. It's a ridiculously entertaining treat from the minds of director Steven Spielberg, story creator George Lucas, and screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan that has influenced many works in the genre since its release. It's the first entry into the Indiana Jones series, so, if you enjoy this movie, watch the entire franchise.

Plot Synopsis: In 1936, American archaeologist Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) finds himself in a race against time to obtain the long-lost Ark of the Covenant before Nazi Germany can.

Genre(s): Action, Adventure

This World War II drama won the Oscar for Best Picture, and is a near-perfect place to jump into black-and-white movies with (I say "near-perfect," because it may be too dialogue-heavy for some younger audiences). It's more than just a romance flick, though, being a hard-core war film (albeit one with no battle scenes) about awakening one's inner hero. Casablanca is all about the triumph of idealism, courage, and heroism over isolationism, cynicism, and despair. Keep in mind that it was released in the middle of the Second World War, when that conflict's Allied victory was not certain.

Plot Synopsis: During World War II, an American nightclub owner (Humphrey Bogart) in Vichy French-occupied Morocco faces a moral dilemma when he has to choose between escaping from the region with the love of his life (Ingrid Bergman) or helping smuggle a Czechoslovakian freedom fighter (Paul Henreid) back into the fight against the Nazis.

Genre(s): Drama, Romance, War

It may seem odd for a three-plus-hour, mostly black-and-white Holocaust drama to make it near the top of a list of the most "accessible, entertaining/engaging" motion pictures, but this historical epic is a masterpiece that will appeal to almost all viewers. "Entertaining" isn't the right word for it, but it is endlessly engaging and emotionally exhausting. It won the Oscar for Best Picture and made the horrors of the most infamous genocide in history known for people who previously couldn't comprehend it. The 2011 Best in Film: The Greatest Movies of Our Time poll voted this the best political/historical film of all time. It's certainly heavy viewing with lots of disturbing violence, but director Steven Spielberg keeps the proceedings tasteful and respectful, avoiding gratuitous and exploitative elements.

Plot Synopsis: During World War II, German industrialist Oskar Schindler (Liam Nesson) decides to save Jews from the worst of the Holocaust by having them work in his factory.

Genre(s): Biography, Drama, War

How does this film still hold up so well? This must-watch family adventure-fantasy movie is still a magical experience. It starts off in sepia tone, before transitioning to color when the characters reach the land of Oz. Given an Oscar nomination for Best Picture, this immortal classic reminds us that there's no place like home and that the power to overcome great obstacles comes from within us and our friends. It still resonates, and was once named the most influential film of all time by the journal Applied Network Science.

Plot Synopsis: Bored Kansan farmgirl Dorothy (Judy Garland) and her dog Toto (Terry) are whisked away to the magical land of Oz by a tornado.

Genre(s): Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Kids & Family, Musical

This silent science-fiction epic is a perfect gateway picture to the world of silent cinema. It may be silent, but it's loud as all get-out, thanks to its bombastic visuals and powerhouse musical score from Gottfried Huppertz. It influenced a lot of sci-fi media made since its release and its special effects still hold up. This masterpiece even becomes an action-adventure flick in the last third of its runtime. It was the first motion picture to be named to UNESCO's Memory of the World Register. Watch the "Complete" two-and-a-half-hour version if you can, although the cut with the rock and pop score crafted by Giorgio Moroder is still a mesmerizing treat (this edition was first released in 1984).

Plot Synopsis: In the city of the future, tensions between the working and upper classes reach their breaking point.

Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Drama, Science-Fiction

This action-packed science-fiction film started what just might be the most popular movie franchise in history. For all of its eye-popping action and mind-blowing special effects, it's actually the timeless story and lovable characters that keep viewers coming back for more. At the Oscars it was nominated for Best Picture and it helped rewrite the rules on how to make a blockbuster movie. Even though it's currently subtitled "Episode IV - A New Hope," this is actually the first Star Wars flick (please watch the entire series in release order) and the original theatrical cut (as opposed to recent Special Editions) is the best way to view it.

Plot Synopsis: Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), a bored farmboy from the desert planet of Tatooine, is recruited by a mystical Jedi Knight named Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) to help him save the heroic Rebel Alliance from the tyrannical Galactic Empire.

Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Science-Fiction

The second Star Wars movie is often considered to be even better than the first, thanks to things like tighter pacing, a more palpable sense of danger, a darker tone, and a knockout plot twist. This is usually rated as one of the best film sequels ever made and it cemented Star Wars as a franchise to be reckoned with. It deepens the mythology of the series (without subverting the original) and adds a few more iconic characters to the mix. Watch the original theatrical cut (as opposed to the recent Special Editions) if you can.

Plot Synopsis: The heroic Rebel Alliance is thrown into disarray after the evil Galactic Empire assaults its secret base on the snow planet of Hoth, with Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) being separated from his friends on his quest to become a Jedi Knight.

Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Science-Fiction

The third film in the Man with No Name trilogy (the two previous movies are A Fistful of Dollars [1964] and For a Few Dollars More [1965]) is a rare case where the third entry into a series is generally considered the best. This "spaghetti western" (Italian-made western) has a bigger budget to show off than the preceding two pictures and helped take the western genre to new, operatic heights. The composition "The Ecstasy of Gold" by Ennio Morricone from its musical score has been used by heavy metal band Metallica as their introductory music in their concerts since 1983. How many times has its three-way "Mexican standoff" finale been referenced in pop culture?

Plot Synopsis: Three gunslingers - the Man with No Name/Blondie (Clint Eastwood), Angel Eyes (Lee Van Cleef), and Tuco (Eli Wallach) - race against each other across the American Civil War-torn Wild West to find a treasure of lost gold.

Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Western

This gangster biopic played a critical role in tearing down the Hollywood Production Code, which dictated what content could and couldn't be in American movies. In the Code's place came the new MPAA ratings system. This zesty drama is still full of life and helped bring French New Wave sensibilities to Hollywood and also helped bring about the New Hollywood era. Nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, this picture made quite the impact.

Plot Synopsis: Bandit duo and lovers Bonnie Parker (Faye Dunaway) and Clyde Barrow (Warren Beatty) tear through the Central-Southern United States on a crime spree in the 1930s during the Great Depression.

Genre(s): Action, Biography, Crime, Drama, Romance

Yes, this film is artier than most of the rest, but it's only sixteen minutes long, so I feel that it must be included. This highly influential surrealist short was not the first surreal film, but it still might be the gold standard for those types of pictures. Watching it feels like stepping into somebody's dream...or nightmare. It's still perplexing, provocative, and shocking, and rock star David Bowie showed it to the audience before coming on stage during his 1976 tour. Low-budget independent movies owe this one a debt of gratitude.

Plot Synopsis: A series of random, surreal events take place in a dream-like state.

Genre(s): Fantasy

When The Night of the Hunter was first released, few knew what to make of it. After its mixed reception, director Charles Laughton never helmed another movie. Since then, its reputation has increased greatly, to the point that the French film magazine Cahiers du Cinéma named it the second best picture of all time (after Citizen Kane [1941]) in 2008. This eerie horror-thriller was definitely inspired by German Expressionism, and the villain's knuckle tattoos haven't gone unnoticed by pop culture.

Plot Synopsis: A serial-killing preacher (Robert Mitchum) stalks two children (Billy Chapin and Sally Jane Bruce) who're hiding a small fortune that their late father (Peter Graves) stole for them.

Genre(s): Crime, Drama, Horror, Thriller

Want to explore silent horror? Check out Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror. It's not the first horror movie ever made, but it helped set a new standard for them. The film's villain, vampire Count Orlok (Max Schreck), looks like nothing from this world. This German Expressionist classic contains one of the most iconic images in cinema history: that of Orlok's shadow ascending the wall near a staircase. Horror has never been quite the same. A remake - Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979) - would follow.

Plot Synopsis: Vampire Count Orlok (Max Schreck) decides to buy a house next to real estate agent Hutter (Gustav von Wangenheim) and his wife Ellen (Greta Schröder).

Genre(s): Fantasy, Horror

The aquatic horror film Jaws is often credited with starting the summer blockbuster. It became the highest grossing motion picture of all time (not adjusted for inflation) upon its release, although it was soon eclipsed by Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977). Nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, this thriller reminds one of why they fell in love with cinema in the first place. Some people attribute the reduced beach visits in 1975 to the success of this shark attack classic (along with more reported shark sightings). Three movie sequels were released.

Plot Synopsis: Three men (Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, and Richard Dreyfuss) set out on a boat to kill a shark that's been terrorizing a coastal town.

Genre(s): Adventure, Drama, Horror, Thriller

Widely considered one of the very first slasher films, this horror-thriller pushed boundaries for what could be shown in an American movie while the Production Code was still technically in place. The famous shower scene is sometimes referenced in popular culture. In 2001, as part of the American Film Institute's AFI's 100 Years... 100 Thrills retrospective, it was named the most thrilling American motion picture of all time. Psycho is frequently considered the best flick of director Alfred Hitchcock's career. It was followed by three sequels, a 1998 remake of the same title, and a spin-off prequel television series (Bates Motel). This is a film that you should avoid reading anything about before watching, since something's bound to be spoiled.

Plot Synopsis: A woman on the run (Janet Leigh) stops at a remote motel for the night.

Genre(s): Horror, Thriller

This iconic family film was the first feature-length animated movie produced by Walt Disney Productions. Its impact can be seen everywhere Disney-related. It is currently the highest-grossing animated movie of all-time when adjusted for inflation. Producer Walt Disney was given an honorary Oscar for making this timeless classic.

Plot Synopsis: A wicked queen (Lucille La Verne) decides to have her stepdaughter, Snow White (Adriana Caselotti), murdered, but the latter escapes into the forest, where she meets seven dwarfs.

Genre(s): Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Kids & Family, Musical

An absolutely massive box office smash (it was the highest grossing movie of all time for a while, not adjusted for inflation), this family musical won the Oscar for Best Picture. According to Wikipedia, The Sound of Music was drawing 300,000 tourists to Salzburg, Austria, annually in 2007. Many of the songs here are still iconic, and the motion picture features some of the most breathtaking scenery ever captured on film.

Plot Synopsis: In 1938 Austria, on the eve of the Nazi German invasion, a free-spirited woman studying to become a nun (Julie Andrews) is assigned to look after seven children (Charmian Carr, Heather Menzies-Urich, Nicolas Hammond, Duane Chase, Angela Cartwright, Debbie Turner, and Kym Karath) belonging to a strict retired naval captain (Christopher Plummer).

Genre(s): Biography, Drama, Kids & Family, Musical, Romance

Reception for this science-fiction-drama heartbreaker was mixed-to-positive upon its release, but time has been kinder to it. Esteemed film critic Roger Ebert put it on his list of "The Great Movies," making it one of the newer pictures to hold that honor. This profoundly dark and moody masterpiece is all about the human condition (despite a title that may make it sound like it's only about robots), and it raises all sorts of philosophical questions without feeling scattershot. While no film is a guaranteed tearjerker, this one perhaps comes closest.

Plot Synopsis: In the future, a couple (Frances O'Connor and Sam Robards) adopts a life-like "child" robot (Haley Joel Osment) to fill the void left by their biological son (Jake Thomas), who's in a state of cryostasis due to an incurable disease.

Genre(s): Adventure, Drama, Science-Fiction

This silent film, set during the Russian Revolution of 1905, may be naked communist propaganda, but it still left one heck of a mark on cinema history. The modern style of editing for movie action and suspense sequences arguably originated here, and, after all these decades, it can still excite a viewer, even if the ideology it preaches is vile. The iconic Odessa steps scene is still powerful (it would be referenced in The Untouchables [1987] and Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult [1994]). At the Brussels World's Fair of 1958, it was named the greatest film of all time.

Plot Synopsis: During the Russian Revolution of 1905, the crew of a Russian battleship mutinies against its cruel overlords.

Genre(s): War

The original version of King Kong was one of the first action-adventure movies to take a throw-everything-at-the-audience-including-the-kitchen-sink approach. The landmark special effects here may not look particularly realistic, but they are still a marvel to behold. It was one of the first sound films to feature an original musical score that played frequently throughout the runtime (it was composed by Max Steiner). The scene of Kong on top of the Empire State Building in New York City is rightfully famous. A sequel - Son of Kong (1933) - was released the same year, and the Kong character has appeared in various remakes and spin-offs over the years.

Plot Synopsis: A film crew discovers a massive ape on an uncharted island.

Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Rear Window is perhaps just about as good a place to jump into the world of director Alfred Hitchcock as any. Don't think that a 1954 film almost entirely set inside one room can be an enjoyable watch? Well, watch this thriller and you may be surprised. It's so dynamic that you may not notice its limited use of locations.

Plot Synopsis: A wheelchair-bound photographer (James Stewart) suspects one of his neighbors (Raymond Burr) of murdering the latter's wife (Irene Winston).

Genre(s): Mystery, Thriller

This courtroom drama may not sound particularly thrilling at first, but its superb execution has led to it being considered one of the best films of all time (it was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars). The 2008 retrospective AFI's 10 Top 10, conducted by the American Film Institute, named it the second best American-made courtroom drama of all time (after To Kill a Mockingbird [1962]). It was eventually remade (12 Angry Men [1997]), and makes the viewer want to be a better citizen. According to Wikipedia, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor said this movie inspired her to pursue a career in law.

Plot Synopsis: A jury finds itself divided over a murder case.

Genre(s): Crime, Drama, Thriller

This gangster drama features James Cagney giving one of the most exciting performances in cinema history as criminal Cody Jarrett. It's a disgrace that he wasn't even nominated for an Oscar for it. The screenplay for this crime-thriller is remarkably taut. Remove just about any scene and the whole movie would collapse. Dialogue from this pulpy, tough-talking masterpiece is sampled in the songs "White Heat" by Madonna and "Crazy" by 50 Cent. This could be considered the Joker (2019) of its time.

Plot Synopsis: A gangster (James Cagney) who's obsessed with his mother (Margaret Wycherly) and losing his grip on reality confronts threats against his life from both inside and outside his gang.

Genre(s): Crime, Drama, Thriller

This is one of the first serial killer thrillers ever made, and it still chills the viewer. It could be considered the The Silence of the Lambs (1991) of its time, even if it contains almost no onscreen violence. This was director Fritz Lang's first sound movie and was the breakout film of actor Peter Lorre. It was a huge influence on the forthcoming film noir movement. It's a dark look at the seedy underbelly of urban interwar Germany that won't be forgotten.

Plot Synopsis: A child-murdering serial killer (Peter Lorre) is on the loose in a German city, prompting both law enforcement and the criminal underworld to try to hunt him down.

Genre(s): Crime, Thriller

This moody, philosophical science-fiction neo-noir is one of the most visually dazzling motion pictures ever released (just look at those special effects and that set design!). It was named the greatest sci-fi film of all time by The Guardian in 2004, New Scientist in 2008, and IGN in 2010. According to Wikipedia, its dialogue and music (composed by Vangelis) have been sampled in music more than any other movie of the twentieth century. A franchise, including a film sequel - Blade Runner 2049 (2017) - would follow. Don't expect a full-bore action flick, although there are a couple of action sequences. It is available in a few different versions, with The Final Cut (which was released in 2007) being the only edition that director Ridley Scott had artistic control over.

Plot Synopsis: In a dystopian, urban future, a specialized police officer known as a "blade runner" (Harrison Ford) must hunt down a group of killer synthetic humans who are almost impossible to differentiate from normal humans.

Genre(s): Drama, Science-Fiction, Thriller

Several years in the making, this ultra-gory surrealist horror picture was director David Lynch's first feature film. It's a disturbing, nightmarish experience that is surely one of the greatest independent movies of all time. The droning sound design here is a highlight, as are the special effects. This dreamlike picture demands a strong response. A strong stomach may be required to finish it.

Plot Synopsis: A factory worker (Jack Nance) is abandoned to live in a tiny apartment with his mutant, alien-looking baby after his girlfriend (Charlotte Stewart) dumps him.

Genre(s): Horror, Science-Fiction

This anti-war classic, set during World War I, won the Oscar for Outstanding Production (what "Best Picture" was called at the time). Its pacifism may be naive and its acting questionable, but it's just so passionate and harrowing that it needs to be watched. Variety's initial review of the film said that "The League of Nations could make no better investment than to buy up the master-print, reproduce it in every language, to be shown in all the nations until the word 'war' is taken out of the dictionaries." Its incendiary nature caused it to be banned in several places. Watching this raw and uncompromising movie, released only twelve years after the end of the conflict it covers, feels like staring at an open, untreated wound. It was remade with the same title twice, with these versions being released in 1979 and 2022.

Plot Synopsis: German youths enthusiastically sign up to fight in World War I, only to face the horrors of trench warfare.

Genre(s): Drama, War

The 1978 version of Halloween wasn't the first slasher movie, but it's often given credit for starting that craze. Made on a low budget, this is one of the most financially successful independent films of all time (Wikipedia currently says it grossed between $60 million and $70 million on a budget of between $300,000 and $325,000). It spawned a popular franchise, with some of the better sequels, in my opinion, being Halloween II (1981), Halloween: Resurrection (2002) (for its unintentionally hilarious, so-bad-it's-good value), and Halloween (2018). Its violence is quite tame for a slasher movie, so the squeamish are invited to watch this one, too.

Plot Synopsis: Fifteen years after murdering his sister (Sandy Johnson), Michael Myers (Tony Moran, Will Sandin, and Tommy Lee Wallace) breaks out of his mental institution to return to his hometown to kill again.

Genre(s): Horror, Thriller

Nominated for the Oscar for Best Picture, this family science-fiction film was, according to Wikipedia, the earliest known movie to earn a score of "A+" from CinemaScore. Its director, Steven Spielberg, was given a UN Peace Medal after the motion picture was screened at the United Nations. The production company Amblin Entertainment uses an image from the flick on its logo.

Plot Synopsis: A suburban child (Henry Thomas) befriends an alien accidentally left behind by his own kind on Earth.

Genre(s): Drama, Kids & Family, Science-Fiction

This western epic was director Sergio Leone's followup to his famous Man with No Name trilogy. The pacing here is slow, but steady, and the movie rewards multiple viewings (just about every event in every scene happens for a reason explained later in the runtime). This beautifully shot picture is often considered one of the best westerns ever made. Its deliberate pacing may not make it the best choice for somebody's very first western, but I'd recommend giving it a shot after viewing the Man with No Name series.

Plot Synopsis: Bloodshed becomes inevitable after several strangers arrive in a growing Wild West town.

Genre(s): Drama, Western

The Shawshank Redemption is an extremely popular prison drama that was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. As of the writing of this blurb, it is ranked number one on IMDb's list of the 250 greatest movies of all time as voted on by users. It's a very moving watch, and is beloved by a huge number of fans.

Plot Synopsis: A man (Tim Robbins) is thrown into prison after being convicted of murdering his wife (Renee Blaine).

Genre(s): Crime, Drama

One of actor Gary Cooper's best-known movies (he won the Oscar for Best Actor for his performance here), this classic western was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. The plot unfolds basically in real time (the runtime is eighty-five minutes, and it covers about eighty-five minutes worth of time). In 1989, in communist Poland, the image of Will Kane (Gary Cooper) heading off to the final gunfight was used on campaign posters encouraging Poles to vote for the Solidarity party. It's not exactly an action-packed experience (although there are a couple of quality action scenes), instead being a riveting analysis of what makes some people so heroic and others so cowardly.

Plot Synopsis: A marshal (Gary Cooper) in a Wild West town must form a posse when he learns of a gang coming into town to kill him at noon on his retirement day.

Genre(s): Drama, Western