The adventure genre, when applied to cinema, is wonderfully broad and can be combined with just about any other genre under the sun. They can be action-packed, fantastical, tragic, scary, or funny; all they really need is to have an emphasis on exciting stories or some kind of journey undertaken by one or more characters, usually to lands unfamiliar to them. What might be considered an adventure in real life, if depicted on screen, then becomes something that belongs to the adventure genre.
When being relatively broad in one's definition of an adventure movie, it turns out that a total of 10 have won Best Picture at the Academy Awards, showing that even Oscar voters can't resist a good adventurous story every now and then. These winners are ranked below, starting with the adventure films that are decent, albeit a little flawed, and ending with the classics that are also up there with the best of the Best Picture winners in history, regardless of genre.
'Tom Jones' (1963)
Director: Tony Richardson
Tom Jones isn’t a particularly amazing movie by any stretch of the imagination, but it does stand out among other Best Picture winners, particularly those released in the 1950s and ‘60s. It’s a good deal breezier and more small-scale than some of the other, more serious-minded winners from around this time in history, seeing its titular character engage in various adventures/misadventures, all the while things are tonally quite comedic, and even somewhat romantic.
It may ultimately be about class division, following two people who love each other yet feel torn apart due to being from different backgrounds, but it takes a relatively light-hearted approach to the subject at hand. Tom Jones isn’t bad for its time by any means, and some aspects of it hold up alright, even if it might struggle a little to feel particularly memorable as far as Best Picture winners go.
Tom Jones (1963)
Release Date 1963-08-24
Director Tony Richardson
Cast Diane Cilento, Joan Greenwood, Edith Evans, Susannah York, Hugh Griffith, Albert Finney
Rating NR
Runtime 129 minutes
Genres Romance, Comedy, History, Adventure
'Around the World in Eighty Days' (1956)
Director: Michael Anderson
Arguing that Around the World in Eighty Days feels a little too long wouldn’t be an unreasonable thing, by any means. At 182 minutes, this adventure/fantasy/comedy movie can claim to be one of the longest Best Picture winners in Oscar history, and indeed, one of those epics that makes smaller scale winners from around this era (like the aforementioned Tom Jones and the very brisk Marty from 1955) stand out.
It's based on the Jules Verne story of the same name, and sees a scientist undertake a mission that seemed impossible back in the 1870s: traveling around the entire world in 80 days or less (it’s in the title, really). The scope of the film can still be appreciated, but the adventure shown was probably more thrilling and eye-opening for audiences back in 1956, making the film feel a little drawn-out and less special when watched today.
Around the World in Eighty Days
Release Date 1956-10-17
Director John Farrow, Michael Anderson
Cast Finlay Currie, Robert Morley, Noel Coward, John Gielgud, Cantinflas, Trevor Howard, David Niven
Rating G
Runtime 175 minutes
Genres Family, Comedy, Adventure
'Mutiny on the Bounty' (1935)
Director: Frank Lloyd
While it received an adaptation in the 1960s that starred Marlon Brando, plus another adaptation in the 1980s that had an all-star cast including Daniel Day-Lewis and Anthony Hopkins, the most successful movie based on Mutiny on the Bounty - at least according to the Oscars - came out in 1935. This one managed to win Best Picture, and, befitting the title, as far as adventure movies go, it is perhaps one of the darker and more drama-focused ones.
It sees a crew turn on their captain, at which point he vows revenge no matter what, leading to a great deal of turmoil and conflict. The 1935 version of Mutiny on the Bounty does inevitably hold up surprisingly well, and is perhaps one of the better Best Picture winners of the 1930s. Though there are ultimately numerous adventure movies that won the same top prize and are better, this one still shouldn’t be entirely overlooked.
Mutiny on the Bounty
Release Date 1935-11-22
Director Frank Lloyd
Cast Dudley Digges, Eddie Quillan, Herbert Mundin, Franchot Tone, Charles Laughton, Clark Gable
Rating NR
Runtime 132
Main Genre Adventure
'Dances with Wolves' (1990)
Director: Kevin Costner
Kevin Costner movies don’t get much more well-known than Dances with Wolves, which he starred in at the height of his popularity as an actor… and it marked his debut as a director, too. It follows a soldier from the U.S. Civil War who feels completely directionless in life until he comes across a Native American Sioux tribe, appreciating their lifestyles and finding meaning in his own life once more.
It's a movie that might not see its protagonist venture as far as heroes from other adventure movies do, but it’s not always about the distance traveled; sometimes, it’s about the quality of that travel, and the changes it brings about. Dances with Wolves is sentimental, arguably overlong, and perhaps a little heavy on that whole white savior thing, but it still largely works and holds up as a compelling viewing experience.
Dances With Wolves
Release Date 1990-03-30
Director Kevin Costner
Cast Floyd Westerman, Kevin Costner, Rodney A. Grant, Tantoo Cardinal, Graham Greene, Mary McDonnell
Rating PG-13
Runtime 180 minutes
Main Genre Adventure
'Ben-Hur' (1959)
Director: William Wyler
Perhaps the ultimate epic of its decade, Ben-Hur has a lofty reputation for being one of the biggest American movies of all time. Decades on from its release, it does indeed still feel huge, clocking in with a runtime of close to four hours while telling a huge story set in biblical times, largely revolving around one man’s quest for revenge after he and his family are sold into slavery.
Even if some other movies from 1959 might hold up a little better, it’s hard to get too angry at voters from the time getting swept up in the action/adventure spectacle on offer in Ben-Hur. The extras are countless, the sets are huge, and the entire climax is legendary. It’s a big movie that also earns its extensive length, and is still impressive to witness even to this day.
Ben-Hur
Release Date 1959-11-18
Director William Wyler
Cast Martha Scott, Charlton Heston, Haya Harareet, Hugh Griffith, Jack Hawkins, Stephen Boyd
Rating G
Runtime 212 minutes
Main Genre Action
'Gladiator' (2000)
Director: Ridley Scott
Gladiator didn’t redefine what action/adventure/epic movies were capable of, but it did take what worked about certain movies belonging to those genres in decades past and updated it all for the (very start of the) 21st century. It’s a highlight of Ridley Scott’s impressive filmography and, like Ben-Hur 40+ years before it, tells an emotional and riveting story about one honorable man’s quest for revenge, after another does unspeakable harm to both his family and him.
With excellent lead performances from Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix, as well as an accomplished supporting cast, Gladiator delivers excellent spectacle and rousing action throughout. Many of the effects used to bring ancient Rome to life still hold up incredibly well, and the film travels to plenty of locations throughout its lengthy (but not overlong) runtime of 155 minutes, featuring a good deal of exciting action along the way.
Gladiator
Release Date 2000-05-05
Director Ridley Scott
Cast Connie Nielsen, Joaquin Phoenix, Richard Harris, Russell Crowe, Oliver Reed, Derek Jacobi
Rating R
Runtime 155 minutes
Main Genre Action
'The Bridge on the River Kwai' (1957)
Director: David Lean
David Lean’s name is synonymous with big-screen spectacle, though it should be noted that he directed a fair few great small-scale movies in his time, too. One of his biggest movies also happened to win Best Picture at the Oscars: 1957’s The Bridge on the River Kwai. It is, first and foremost, definable as a war/drama movie, but its main characters are largely out of their element, and the prison camp setting does give it the feel of a survival movie, to some extent.
The plot revolves around British soldiers being told to build a bridge by their Japanese captors while, simultaneously, Allied forces plot to destroy the bridge, even though one British commander among the POWs has gotten dangerously attached to the idea of completing the bridge. It’s an effectively tragic anti-war movie while also being spectacular and hugely entertaining, managing to be, somehow, the best of both worlds; a difficult range of tones to balance, for sure, but it’s pulled off well here.
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Release Date 1957-10-11
Director David Lean
Cast Geoffrey Horne, James Donald, Sessue Hayakawa, Jack Hawkins, William Holden, Alec Guinness
Rating PG
Runtime 161
Main Genre Adventure
'Everything Everywhere All at Once' (2022)
Directors: Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan
With the conveniences of modern-day travel, people can navigate the world more easily than ever before, and this has perhaps taken away the excitement of traditional adventure movies for some, to some extent. That’s one of the reasons why Everything Everywhere All at Once works and feels so thrilling; it’s an action/adventure/comedy movie with a science fiction premise, as it takes its characters – and the audience – into the multiverse.
And sure, the idea of going to differing universes has become a little commonplace in recent years, but the approach Everything Everywhere All at Once takes to the concept of a multiverse is fresh, emotional, funny, and thoroughly engrossing. It’s not a high-budget movie, but it revolves around the fate of the universe, and the small number of people (plus their alternate selves) who may be able to save all life, everywhere. It’s wild, silly, and extremely moving, and something of a modern classic Best Picture winner.
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Release Date 2022-03-25
Director Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert
Cast Ke Huy Quan, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michelle Yeoh, Jenny Slate
Rating R
Runtime 139 minutes
Genres Comedy, Adventure
'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' (2003)
Director: Peter Jackson
The Lord of the Rings trilogy marks what could well be the peak of what live-action fantasy movies are capable of. Picking a favorite of the three feels impossible at times, because The Fellowship of the Ring starts things off so well. The Two Towers continues the story while building the scope of the world and having an amazing climax, while The Return of the King dials the action and emotion up to 11, and somehow manages to serve as a perfect ending to the trilogy’s whole epic story.
Only one of the three won Best Picture, though, but perhaps the Oscar win for The Return of the King (plus all the other Academy Awards it received) stood as recognition for the entire trilogy’s accomplishments. The Return of the King is a huge fantasy/adventure movie packed with great character moments, battle sequences, and emotional pay-offs; it’s all pretty much perfect stuff, really.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Release Date 2003-12-17
Director Peter Jackson
Cast Alexandra Astin, Noel Appleby, David Aston, John Bach, Sean Astin, Sean Bean
Rating PG-13
Runtime 201 minutes
Genres Action, Adventure, Fantasy
'Lawrence of Arabia' (1962)
Director: David Lean
It takes a lot to top a movie like The Return of the King, but Lawrence of Arabia is no ordinary movie. Not only is it the best epic movie to win Best Picture, but it’s also arguably the gold standard of the epic genre as a whole. As such, it more than delivers a huge amount of adventure-filled spectacle in depicting the life of T.E. Lawrence, and it’s just as successful an adventure movie as it is an epic movie.
Running for almost four hours, and being set largely around World War I, it moves swiftly from one larger-than-life sequence to the next, depicting things on such a scale that even more than 60 years later, it’s staggering to behold. Lawrence of Arabia is a beautiful-looking movie that’s also impeccably acted and scored, and stands as David Lean’s greatest directorial achievement, topping even (the still excellent) The Bridge on the River Kwai.
Lawrence of Arabia
Release Date 1962-12-11
Director David Lean
Cast Omar Sharif, Jack Hawkins, Peter O'Toole, Jose Ferrer, Anthony Quinn, Alec Guinness
Rating PG
Runtime 227 minutes
Main Genre Adventure
NEXT: Every Epic Movie that Won Best Picture at The Oscars, Ranked
