What are the top blockbuster movies you need to see before you die? While there are similarities across many lists, you’d be hard-pressed to find two people who agree on the must-see bucket list movies. The Herald’s Jenni Mortimer and Mitchell Hageman pitch their picks.
The Herald’s entertainment team, with drastically different cinematic tastes, put their heads together to pick their 10 must-see blockbuster movies.
These movies don’t need to be the biggest cinematic masterpieces, nor the greatest movies ever made. But they needed to be considered a blockbuster and have had a significant impact on cinema. The rest is entirely subjective.
Here are the films that the Herald’s chief lifestyle and entertainment reporter Jenni Mortimer and entertainment writer Mitch Hageman think everyone needs to see.
1994, Director: Robert Zemeckis
The six-time Academy Award-winning film has some of the most beautiful character arcs in cinema history. Its lovable (and hateable) characters, alongside one of Tom Hanks’ greatest performances, add to a beautiful script that will have you laughing and crying simultaneously. Despite the fact it came out 31 years ago, it’s still constantly quoted, referenced and widely revered as one of the best.
– JM
2008, Director: Christopher Nolan
Suffering from Marvel fatigue? How about watching or rewatching a blockbuster that changed the whole fabric of what a comic book movie could be? Not only does The Dark Knight feature one of the best on-film performances of all time from Heath Ledger as Joker, but it also has some of the most intense action scenes and dialogue exchanges ever seen in a modern thriller. The film truly set the bar for bringing page to screen, combining expert cinematography, an impeccable Hans Zimmer score, and an almost Shakespearean script that throws the concept of morality into utter chaos. It’s bleak, bold, yet beautiful film-making from the master of mind-bending movies.
– MH
2000, Director: Robert Zemeckis
The second Robert Zemeckis and Tom Hanks film on the list, Castaway brought to the mainstream what a “one man show” could be. Hanks’ acting chops are on full display as he is alone on screen, with nothing but an island and some rogue sporting equipment, for a whopping 75 minutes. Any film that can make its audience have an emotive reaction to a volleyball deserves a spot on this list.
– JM
1990, Director: Chris Columbus
If you only have to pick one Christmas movie to watch for the rest of your life, this would be it. Humour and heart reign supreme in this classic, as well as some incredible slapstick comedy thanks to Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern. There’s a good Christmas message about not judging a book by its cover, as well as always looking out for your family, making it a perfect option for kids and adults alike. Bonus points for a great soundtrack, and one that’s wholly unique and stays away from some of the major Christmas movie soundtrack trappings (I’m looking at you Mariah Carey...)
– MH
1993, Director: Steven Spielberg
Jurassic Park was truly revolutionary for its time, creating cinematic techniques using computer-generated imagery (CGI) that had never been seen on screen before. The film significantly boosted Kiwi Sam Neill’s stardom as he and a stacked cast of Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Richard Attenborough negotiated a world where humans and dinosaurs collide. It still stands up as some of Steven Spielberg’s best work and defined a new generation of cinema.
– JM
1981, Director: Steven Spielberg
I might be biased, but this is the film that fuelled my love for cinema when I first rented it from the DVD store at 12 years old. It’s pure escapist fare at its finest, and a film that made people realise action-adventure movies didn’t just have to consist of cheap stunts with rushed camera work. From the moment John Williams’ iconic score starts, you’re engrossed in a dark, high-octane world of danger and discovery, hanging on to every last action and word Harrison Ford’s professor and globetrotting archaeologist does. The infamous “boulder escape” will go down as one of the iconic scenes in cinema history.
– MH
1999, Director: Frank Darabont
When it comes to powerful storytelling, compelling characters and thought-provoking cinema, The Green Mile is a true standout. Adapted from Stephen King’s novel of the same name, the film is a masterclass in prison drama that warms and breaks your heart. It’s immaculately cast and the late Michael Clarke Duncan was rightly met with widespread critical acclaim for his portrayal of John Coffey.
– JM
1994, Director: Quentin Tarantino
Yes, there may be too many F-bombs to count, and the violence is not for the squeamish, but this Quentin Tarantino masterpiece took the word arthouse and ramped it up to 11. An indie-turned-blockbuster cult phenomenon, Pulp Fiction gathers some of the world’s best actors and sets them loose in a seedy, dark humour-filled romp bursting with memorably quotable lines and some truly awful dancing. Taking inspiration from, you guessed it, pulp novels of the 40s and 50s, this film taught audiences that it was okay to be bold, even if you risk isolating an audience entirely. Make no mistake though, this one is strictly adults only and the big red R18 label on the front is more than justified.
– MH
1993, Director: Jon Turteltaub
Sure, it’s not a cinematic masterpiece, but 32 years after it came out, Cool Runnings still stands the test of time as a beautiful film to watch, enjoy and quote for years to come. It went where no sports film had gone before – incredibly niche. Following the journey of a Jamaican bobsled team, Cool Runnings sees the late great John Candy coach a team of nearly made it Olympic Sprinters to find their own version of gold.
– JM
1985, Director: Robert Zemeckis
In a similar vein to Raiders, Robert Zemeckis (who has probably featured far too heavily on this list) took us into a world we never thought we could imagine: one where time travel was possible. No wonder this film got made into a stage show and a theme park ride, because the pure theatricality of its sweeping score and impressive sets never fails to amaze. Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd will go down in cinema history as one of the best duos of all time, and people never really did look at a Delorean car in the same way. Just make sure you don’t go 88 miles per hour on the motorway trying to get to the year 2055...
– MH
Mitchell Hageman joined the Herald’s entertainment and lifestyle team in 2024. He previously worked as a multimedia journalist for Hawke’s Bay Today.
Jenni Mortimer is the NZ Herald’s chief lifestyle and entertainment reporter. Jenni started at the Herald in 2017 and has previously worked as lifestyle, entertainment and travel editor.