Action movies are an almost guaranteed success at the box office, because they're among the best kinds of movies to experience in a theatre, even if they're kind of crummy. By definition, the genre revolves around stunts, explosions, and huge fights, with spectacle taking front-and-centre before anything else. They can dabble in sci-fi, fantasy, or even in the realm of superheroes, but the one constant is that they are intended to get hearts racing and pump people up.
What's important to note is that there is a pretty big distinction between action and adventure, so films like The Lord of the Rings, while brilliant, technically don't fit into the action genre due to it being more about the actual journey rather than explosive action. With this in mind, these are the finest action movies to come out in the last 25 years, ones that stood out in the endless sea of other films in the genre.
10 'The Matrix' (1999)
Directed by The Wachowskis
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures
You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who hasn't seen The Matrix, or at the very least, heard of it. This movie marked a breakout for The Wachowskis as they wove a story of a dystopian future in which humanity's consciousness is locked into a simulation as they war with machines in the real world. For its time, heck, even for today, this was really something revolutionary. It's kind of mind-bending, but also sure to get the heart racing with its signature slo-mo shots and larger-than-life gunfights.
There are so many iconic moments and quotes in this movie, from the legendary bullet-dodging sequence to Morpheus' (Laurence Fishburne) numerous quotes, The Matrix is a sci-fi classic and a superb entry into the action genre that continues to be endlessly referenced and enjoyed in many corners of the internet and social circles to this day.
The MCU is generally accepted to be pretty good, but 2019's Avengers: Endgameis by far the finest work the license has ever produced. This movie became the second-highest grossing movie of all time, with many of its viewers walking away far from disappointed. Every single entry in the MCU, every show and movie prior to this film finally felt like there was some payoff, culminating in what is undoubtedly the most ambitious crossover film in the history of cinema.
Every superhero featured in the MCU thus far made their return in this dark and thrilling conclusion to the series' fourth phase, allowing fans to revisit their favourites following the devastating conclusion of the previous Avengersmovie. This movie is peak Marvel comics, and is even enjoyable for people who don't particularly enjoy the MCU. A satisfying conclusion that also ushered in a new beginning,Avengers: Endgame is by far the biggest superhero film ever made, and it is made all the better for it.
Writers Keith Giffen , Stan Lee , Larry Lieber , Don Heck , Jim Starlin , Joe Simon , Steve Englehart , Jack Kirby , Steve Gan , Bill Mantlo , Stephen McFeely , Christopher Markus
Character(s) Tony Stark / Iron Man , Steve Rogers / Captain America , Bruce Banner / Hulk , Thor , Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow , Clint Barton / Hawkeye , Thanos , James Rhodes / War Machine , Scott Lang / Ant-Man , Doctor Strange , T'Challa / Black Panther , Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel , Peter Parker / Spider-Man , Nebula , Gamora , Hope Van Dyne / Wasp , Valkyrie , Frigga , Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch , Sam Wilson / Falcon , Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier , Loki , Okoye , Wong , Mantis , Drax , Shuri , Howard Stark , The Ancient One , Happy Hogan , Peggy Carter , Jane Foster , Aunt May , Korg (voice)
8 'District 9' (2009)
Directed by Neill Blomkamp
Image via Sony Pictures Releasing
Distict 9came as the feature film debut of Neill Blomkamp, and what a heck of a debut it was. The movie starts out as a pseudo-documentary, set in 1980s Johannesburg, where a massive alien mothership touches down. The aliens inside have become lost, and are quarantined into the eponymous District 9 where humans can study them. However, this District 9 becomes sort of a slum, where police presence is high and the aliens are heavily oppressed by the government.
It later turns into an action movie as the aliens prepare to rise up and leave the planet, and when this happens, it is truly something special. Perhaps this movie was so good because it gave a more realistic human reaction to an alien invasion aside from immediately blowing up everything on screen, or perhaps it was its cynical criticisms of human society. Either way, it's not just action-packed, but engaging and thought-provoking, too.
Release Date August 5, 2009
CastSharlto Copley , Jason Cope , Nathalie Boltt , Sylvaine Strike , Elizabeth Mkandawie , John Sumner
Runtime 112 minutes
Budget $30 million
Studio(s) Sony
Distributor(s) Sony
7 'Mad Max: Fury Road' (2015)
Directed by George Miller
Image via Warner Bros.
Mad Max: Fury Road marked a long-awaited return to the franchise after a 30-year hiatus. Normally, a revival like this can be a real hit or miss, but make no mistake, this was definitely a hit, to put it mildly. Fury Road stars Tom Hardy as the titular Max, a man of few words, but a lot of grit. He exists in a dystopic version of Australia, which has been turned into an arid desert following the disappearance of all sources of fresh water. In this new world, bandits roam the wastes, riding on custom-made vehicle with some pretty sick weapons and upgrades.
To understand how much this movie rules, all you need to know is that there is a background character who rides a giant flipping truck made of speakers and amps, playing an electric guitar that shoots fire out of the end. That's the kind of movie this is, and it's awesome. With stunning vehicular action and a bleak, yet interesting world,Mad Max: Fury Road showed exactly how a revival should be handled, and set a new standard for post-apocalyptic sci-fi cinema.
Release Date May 13, 2015
Director George Miller
Runtime 120
Writers George Miller , Brendan McCarthy , Nick Lathouris , Byron Kennedy
Studio Warner Bros. Pictures
Tagline What a Lovely Day.
6 'Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One' (2023)
Directed by Christopher McQuarrie
Image via Paramount Pictures
The Mission: Impossiblemovies are sort of known for their incredible stunts, made even better by the principal actor, Tom Cruise, who is notorious for doing all of his stunts himself rather than using any doubles. Each film in the franchise has seen Cruise's Ethan Hunt tackle bigger and better obstacles, and the franchise has never shied away from upping the ante or the stakes, constantly trying to outdo itself. With Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One, the franchise may have finally peaked, because this one is definitely the best out of all of them.
Mission: Impossible has had nearly 30 years to perfect its formula of sweet gadgets, high stakes, hair-raising tension, and larger-than-life action, and it all culminates into one of the greatest spy flicks of all time. The globe-trotting action film has possibly the highest stakes of any of the films yet, which makes each and every action sequence feel more impactful and thrilling, which adds to the overall experience and makes it super easy to enjoy.
Pacific Rim works so well due to its simplcity. Do you want to see a movie about giant robots fighting giant monsters? Here, have a movie about exactly that. There is an actual plot of course, but it's not at all complex, because it doesn't need to be. This movie is primarily about spectacle and excitement, and it knows it. Pacific Rim is a near-perfect entry into the kaiju genre, borrowing from classic tropes and completely reinventing them for an experience that is as unforgettable as it is thrilling.
The production value is marvellous enough, but the scale of the monsters and robots is absolutely awe-inspiring as well. Their movements are heavy and slow, making them feel as huge as they are, and while the slower pacing of the fights might detract from the action genre in some cases, here, it fits perfectly. Pacific Rim is a movie that knows what it is and knows what it's doing, and delivered a new story combined with impressive visuals for a gripping foray into science-fiction that will likely never be forgotten.
Release Date July 12, 2013
Writers Travis Beacham
Budget 180 million
Studio(s) Warner Bros. Pictures
Distributor(s) Warner Bros. Pictures
Franchise(s) Pacific Rim
4 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' (2022)
Directed by Daniel Kwan
Image via A24
Everything Everywhere All at Onceis the A24 action-comedy film that really made waves at the 2023 Oscars. This movie received both the most nominations and the most wins, totalling at 11 and seven, respectively. Why? Because it is so unashamedly itself. There's so many ridiculous and hilarious concepts in this movie that make it feel like a bad acid trip, but this ensures that it is different and consistently entertaining.
There are no boundaries in this multiverse movie, no matter how absurd it seems. Hot dog fingers? Sure. Googly eyes everywhere? You bet. An aging immigrant played by Michelle Yeoh that is suddenly bestowed the gift of kung fu and supernatural powers? Why the heck not? This movie is outrageous and it knows it, and features not only some groundbreaking and reality-bending action, but some genuinely funny bits of comedy, too.
Release Date March 25, 2022
Runtime 132 minutes
Studio
Budget 14.3–25 million
3 'The Dark Knight' (2008)
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures
Movies about Batman are nothing new. They've been coming out since the 60s, each telling their own unique stories about the Caped Crusader and his battle with numerous adversaries. The Dark Knight, though, brought a whole new level of grit to the superhero, and was the darkest DC Comics film released at the time. The movie is actually a sequel to Christopher Nolan's previous superhero flick, Batman Begins, but this sequel improved upon its predecessor in nearly every way imaginable.
By far one of the best parts of the movie is the late Heath Ledger's iconic role as the Batman's (Christian Bale) arch-nemesis, the Joker. He brought a whole new kind of scary to the villain, and was easily one of the best portrayals of the villain ever conceived. But he's not the only good thing about the film, because pretty much everything else about it is dark, brutal, yet wonderfully enthralling. This was the film adaptation that Batman always deserved, and outdid any and all previous live-action movies on the topic.
Casino Royaleis the 20th film in the long-running 007franchise, which has been going on since 1962. This film marks Daniel Craig's debut as James Bond, and also marked a new era for the series, a soft reboot of sorts. Prior to this, the series had been suffering from a string of bad movies, with the last good one coming out in 1995, so Casino Royale was a much-needed win that brought the spy franchise back from the dead.
It proved to be exactly the change the series needed, coming in as grittier, more grounded in reality, and less goofy, properly bringing the films into the new millennium after the previous two failed to do so. It may not be the best Bond movie, but it's definitely the best one of the 21st Century, and is certainly up there among the best in the franchise, and perhaps even among the best action films ever made, period. Its jaw-dropping action and death-defying stunts never get old, and it set a very high bar for subsequent films that so far, has yet to be cleared.
Release Date November 14, 2006
Runtime 144 minutes
Writers Neal Purvis , Robert Wade , Paul Haggis , Ian Fleming
Budget $150 million
Studio(s) Sony
Distributor(s) Sony
1 'The Incredibles' (2004)
Directed by Brad Bird
Image via Pixar Animation Studios
What makes The Incrediblesthe best action movie of the last 25 years? Probably its accessibility. It's a Pixar movie, which means all of its content is family-friendly, appealing to a wide variety of audiences. There's really no limitations to who can enjoy the film, whether it be adults or kids, which is great because it brought a fresh spin on the superhero formula. Instead of being based on Marvel or DC Comics, The Incredibles is a brand-new idea about a superhero family in an age where superheroes have been largely forgotten and exiled.
It's action-packed, naturally, but even though this is kept to minimal amounts of brutality and is primarily cartoony in the violence it shows, it is still wildly thrilling. Every second of the movie is crafted with such care and passion, and it brings an interesting new story both to Pixar and to superhero cinema, to boot. Pair that up with a charismatic villain with a compelling motive and you've got the recipe for one of the greatest films ever made. That's why The Incredibles is such a timeless treasure, and why it is easily the best action movie of the last 25 years.
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