20 Baffling IMDb Top 250 Placements You Won't Believe
Deconstructing the Internet's favourite movie recommendation tool.
The IMDb Top 250 is the closest thing the Internet has to a representative film-ranking, given that it's voted for by thousands of people of various different tastes and preferences. And that's a fair enough view. Or it would be until you look at some of the strange placements and some of the films that aren't on it.
That's not to knock the Top 250, completely. For an Internet list, it's actually pretty excellent, and it's got a great mix of classics, blockbusters, drama and genre fare.
Many of the films on the list are credible choices, but there are some seriously baffling inclusions and placements. With many of these, there isn't a particularly logical explanation as to how they achieved such prestigious rankings. It is a democratic ranking, but as anyone who follows the news knows, democracy goes to some very strange places.
Most of these following movies are really good and fully deserve to be on the ranking, but not quite so high up. There are also an awful lot of great movies that have entirely missed out on a spot.
And frankly, it's hard not to argue that the Top 250 needs a bit of a shake-up...
20. The Silence Of The Lambs
The Film:
The legendary adaptation of Thomas Harris' serial killer novel of the same name, which doesn't actually feature any sheep but does feature a terrifying serial killer, some truly horrifying moments and Anthony Hopkins' iconic and mesmerizing work as Dr Hannibal Lecter.
Placement: #23
Why It's Wrong:
This is not an attack on The Silence of the Lambs. It's a very, very fine film; it's unbearably tense, brilliantly acted and full of unforgettable scenes. But the 23rd best film of all time? That ranking doesn't really add up.
It's pretty hard to watch at times and, away from iconic scenes such as all the stuff to do with Hannibal Lecter and the finale, the film resembles a very good police procedural, but not a masterpiece. It's a film which won the big 5 Oscars (The third and most recent film to do this) and has clearly captured the public's imagination a lot, but its high placement still feels surprising. It may be a classic, but it's higher than quite a few other classics which on the whole hold up better.
Given how nasty the film is at times, one would've thought that people might struggle to relate to it as much due to its unpleasantness. Anyhow, The Silence of the Lambs hasn't slipped out of the top 25 on the list for years, and will probably stay in its current place.
Where It Should Be:
#70-#100.