Adventure Epic backdrop

Adventure Epic movies

Grand adventures with sweeping journeys and world-level stakes that can change nations, civilizations, or history.

161. The Lone Ranger

The Lone Ranger
Action Adventure Western Classic Western Epic Action
6.4
20132h 29minUnited States
Director: Gore Verbinski

Overview

The Texas Rangers chase down a gang of outlaws led by Butch Cavendish, but the gang ambushes the Rangers, seemingly killing them all. One survivor is found, however, by an American Indian named Tonto, who nurses him back to health. The Ranger, donning a mask and riding a white stallion named Silver, teams up with Tonto to bring the unscrupulous gang and others of that ilk to justice.

Themes

Memory and guilt, Betrayal and loyalty, Vigilante justice vs law, Frontier mythmaking, Greed behind expansion, Resilience through alliance

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

162. Epic

Epic
Animation Adventure Family Fantasy Animated Fantasy Adventure
6.6
20131h 42minUnited States
Director: Chris Wedge

Overview

A teenager finds herself transported to a deep forest setting where a battle between the forces of good and the forces of evil is taking place. She bands together with a rag-tag group characters in order to save their world—and ours.

Themes

Deception and misdirection, Coming of age, Teamwork under pressure, Parental obsession vs autonomy, Science vs magic, Forest guardianship, Good vs evil conflict

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

163. Superman: Unbound

Superman: Unbound
Animation Action Adventure Superhero Action Adventure Epic
6.6
20131h 15minUnited States
Director: James Tucker

Overview

Superman and Supergirl take on the cybernetic being known as Brainiac, who boasts that he possesses "the knowledge and strength of 10,000 worlds."

Themes

Alliance under pressure, Burden of knowledge, Power without accountability, Public exposure vs safety, Techno tyranny and autonomy, Control of data

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

164. Oz the Great and Powerful

Oz the Great and Powerful
Fantasy Adventure Family Epic Fantasy Adventure Epic
6.3
20132h 10minUnited States
Director: Sam Raimi

Overview

Oscar Diggs, a small-time circus illusionist and con-artist, is whisked from Kansas to the Land of Oz where the inhabitants assume he's the great wizard of prophecy, there to save Oz from the clutches of evil.

Themes

Deception as strategy, Betrayal and alliance, Trust and deception, Illusion versus legitimacy, Social climbing through fame, Power through spectacle

Available on

Disney Plus
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

165. Jack the Giant Slayer

Jack the Giant Slayer
Fantasy Action Adventure Drama Epic Fantasy
6.3
20131h 54minUnited States
Director: Bryan Singer

Overview

The story of an ancient war that is reignited when a young farmhand unwittingly opens a gateway between our world and a fearsome race of giants. Unleashed on the Earth for the first time in centuries, the giants strive to reclaim the land they once lost, forcing the young man, Jack into the battle of his life to stop them. Fighting for a kingdom, its people, and the love of a brave princess, he comes face to face with the unstoppable warriors he thought only existed in legend–and gets the chance to become a legend himself.

Themes

Peasant ascent, Legend creation, Crown power, Monks kingdom, Beans leverage, Giants threat

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

166. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Adventure Fantasy Action Adventure Epic Quest Fantasy
7.8
20122h 49minNew Zealand, United States
Director: Peter Jackson

Overview

Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit enjoying his quiet life, is swept into an epic quest by Gandalf the Grey and thirteen dwarves who seek to reclaim their mountain home from Smaug, the dragon.

Themes

Duty vs desire, Power through treasure lure, Identity via journey, Group cohesion during quest, Wizard guidance, Ring temptation

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
HBO Max
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

167. Ernest & Celestine

Ernest & Celestine
Animation Family Adventure Crime Family Animation
7.8
20121h 20minBelgium, France
Director: Vincent Patar

Overview

Celestine is a little mouse trying to avoid a dental career while Ernest is a big bear craving an artistic outlet. When Celestine meets Ernest, they overcome their natural enmity by forging a life of crime together.

Themes

Class inequality, Underground world, Prejudice across classes, Art as escape, Alliance across enmity, Civil unrest backdrop

Available on

Apple TV
Kanopy
Fandango At Home
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

168. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2
Adventure Fantasy Drama Romance Epic Fantasy
5.6
20121h 55minUnited States
Director: Bill Condon

Overview

After the birth of Renesmee, the Cullens gather other vampire clans in order to protect the child from a false allegation that puts the family in front of the Volturi.

Themes

Misinformation and mistaken identity, Public testimony and proof, Imprinting and kinship bonds, Leadership versus family safety, Protective secrecy, Family obligation under threat

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
HBO Max
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

169. Wreck-It Ralph

Wreck-It Ralph
Family Animation Comedy Adventure Family Animation
7.7
20121h 41minUnited States
Director: Rich Moore

Overview

Wreck-It Ralph is the 9-foot-tall, 643-pound villain of an arcade video game named Fix-It Felix Jr., in which the game's titular hero fixes buildings that Ralph destroys. Wanting to prove he can be a good guy and not just a villain, Ralph escapes his game and lands in Hero's Duty, a first-person shooter where he helps the game's hero battle against alien invaders. He later enters Sugar Rush, a kart racing game set on tracks made of candies, cookies and other sweets. There, Ralph meets Vanellope von Schweetz who has learned that her game is faced with a dire threat that could affect the entire arcade, and one that Ralph may have inadvertently started.

Themes

Loyalty under strain, Belonging vs ostracism, Self-esteem under pressure, Glitch as barrier, Hacking and control, Identity and power, Competition vs fairness

Available on

Disney Plus
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

170. Rurouni Kenshin Part I: Origins

Rurouni Kenshin Part I: Origins
Adventure Action Fantasy War History
7.4
20122h 14minJapan
Director: Keishi Otomo

Overview

In 1868, after the Bakumatsu war ends, the ex-assassin Kenshin Himura traverses Japan with an inverted sword, to defend the needy without killing.

Themes

Trauma from violence, Restraint in violence, Protecting the vulnerable, Duty vs mercy, Oppression by wealth, Loyalty and crime

Available on

Netflix
Netflix Standard with Ads
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.