Adventure movies have always been some of the most exciting films to watch. They often feature the hero and his struggles as he ventures into an unknown world and fights evil villains along the way. 

There are a lot of elements that come within the adventure genre. Some provide the most stellar acting while others rely on special effects to keep us on the edge of our seats. Others pull us in together with the adventure through their characters and storyline.

Nevertheless, adventure movies will always be an enticing genre due to their relatable characters, amazing action sequences, and jaw-dropping set-pieces. Read on to learn about the top must watch adventure movies. 

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

The Lord of the Rings is a medieval fantasy action-adventure movie that follows Frodo Baggins and his friends in an epic adventure as they travel through the land of Middle Earth to destroy a ring that could bring an end to all life. 

The land of Middle Earth is rich with fantastical creatures, characters are well fleshed out and there is always danger lurking in every corner. 

Not only does the movie follow the adventures of Frodo, but it is also a gripping tale of a king who must come to terms with his destiny and protect his land from the evil that is about to erupt.

The Fellowship of the Ring offers just a good amount of action and adventure as you are reeled into the world of magic and fantasy. Make sure to binge-watch all three movies at once and experience an epic adventure movie like never before.

Star Wars: A New Hope

If Lord of the Rings was the fantastical adventure movie, Star Wars is its sci-fi counterpart. Star Wars: A New Hope is a classic tale of an unknown boy who is chosen by destiny to become one of the rebels against the evil Galactic Empire.

The story follows Luke Skywalker and his friends as they travel across many planets in the galaxy while avoiding Empire soldiers and bounty hunters along the way. 

The film is an adventure of a lifetime as the audience is immediately captivated by the vast world and infinite characters that make the world of Star Wars so unique. Overall, A New Hope introduces us to these timeless characters that we have come to know and love over the years.

The Goonies

The Goonies is a 1985 kids adventure film that adults today are likely going to recognize as one of their favorite films from childhood. The film follows a group of kids who discover a map to a golden treasure and begins an adventure of a lifetime while being chased by a family of crooks. 

The movie has all the makings of a great adventure film. A young likable cast, an adventure waiting in the wings, a set of villains, and a story that will forever stay with you. This is the reason why The Goonies remains one of the most nostalgic adventure movies of all time.

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Raiders of the Lost Ark follows the adventures of Indiana Jones during the 1930s as he races against time and the Nazis in finding the lost Ark of the Covenant. Jones teams up with his former flame as they try to stop a rival archaeologist who is working with the Nazis to get the Ark.

This movie became the highest-grossing film of 1981 and has won several awards. Raiders of the Lost Ark was highly praised for its non-stop action-adventure with large set pieces that detail all the action and adventure of Jones and his team. 

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Mad Max franchise made an explosive comeback with Fury Road. The film stars Tom Hardy as the titular character and introduces Charlize Theron as Furiosa as they flee from the cult leader that wanted the unborn child of his mistresses. 

This leads to a seemingly unending stretch of road battle filled with high-octane exhilarating action and adventure. The film is a relentless piece of adventure for fans of the franchise. 

The action does not stop from start to finish, which makes it one of the best adventure films of all time. When it does take a breath for a while, it lends the acting prowess of its two leads to carry the weight of the movie.

Jurassic Park

Jurassic Park will always have a place in everyone’s heart as one of the most beloved adventure films of all time. The movie follows a group of paleontologists who are invited to a secluded island where the park was able to clone dinosaurs. 

Soon, the dinosaurs begin to evolve and gain intelligence and create chaos all over the park. The movie holds well against many special effects-heavy movies today. 

The use of animatronics and practical effects made the movie very special and realistic especially when the actors are playing on-screen with the dinosaurs. No one will ever forget the rumbling of the incoming T-Rex or the heart-stopping kitchen sequence with the raptors in this movie.

Hook

Hook is a 1991 swashbuckling adventure film that follows an adult Peter Pan as he slowly begins to recall all the adventures and the family he has left behind in Neverland. 

When his children are kidnapped by none other than his nemesis, Captain Hook, he begins a journey of self-awareness that teaches him to never let his inner child be forgotten.

The film offers an inspiring tale to adults to never be afraid to look back in the past and never lose your youth even at an older age. The movie starred the late Robin Williams in one of his most outstanding roles. 

Hook offers a great story filled with characters that you have come to know and loved, and you get to see what has happened to them throughout the years.

King Kong

King Kong has always been a massive draw in theaters worldwide. The story follows a group of explorers who come across an island where the great gigantic gorilla named King Kong resides. 

The 2005 version directed by Peter Jackson delivers all the action-adventure that you will ever need in a film. The movie takes you to the jungles of Skull Island as they come across dinosaurs and gigantic insects and lizards that try to eat them into the streets of New York City. 

The 2005 version is a masterful remake of the original, and it has been lauded as one of the best remakes of King Kong since 1933.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is another swashbuckling adventure movie on this list that takes you on a rollercoaster ride from start to finish. 

The movie is anchored by the performance of Johnny Depp as the rogue pirate Jack Sparrow in his attempts to rescue a maiden from the cursed crew of the Black Pearl.

Directed by the renowned Gore Verbinski, this action-adventure film truly embodies the thrilling adventures of pirates as based o
n the Walt Disney theme park attraction of the same name. 

Viewers will be bewildered by the spectacle of pirate ships battling in the high seas as our heroes swing into action.

The Avengers

The Avengers is an action-adventure comic book adaptation of the Marvel team-up group of the same name. After spending several movies that detail each main character of the team, Marvel finally grouped them in 2012 and featured the team in full action with The Avengers. 

This time, they must stop Loki and his Chitauri forces under the banner of the all-powerful Thanos from invading Earth. The movie is one of the biggest spectacles at the time as it featured all the comic book heroes that fans and audiences have been watching for almost a decade. 

The adventure takes the team from their floating base to the streets of New York City where they make their last stand against a swarm of invading aliens. The film also featured the heroes bickering as they try to settle their differences to help save the Earth from the invasion.

Truly one of the most iconic adventure films of all time, The Avengers set the standard for many comic book movies including the follow-up Avengers: Age of Ultron, Infinity War, and the climactic Endgame. However, the first movie will always have a special place in our hearts.

Conclusion

While some of these movies might not be in your wheelhouse, there is no denying that these adventure films offer great entertainment for you and the whole family. 

These movies let you experience the exhilarating adventures of the heroes and roar in victory when the villains are defeated. The adventure elements of these movies are worth watching time and time again.