50 Greatest Movie Scenes Ever

Here's looking at you, cinema.

by WhatCulture
Indiana Jones Raiders Of The Lost Ark Harrison Ford
Lucasfilm

What makes a great movie scene?

Is it the sheer technical brilliance on display? Is it the performances? The writing? Is it in the visuals you're seeing, or their ability to really make you feel something, whether that's joy or sadness, shock or awe? Is it the big moments you remember, or the quiet ones?

There's no right answer there, which is precisely why cinema remains one of the most enduring and beloved mediums of art in existence. Of course, there can be a great movie that doesn't necessarily have that one standout moment, but rather just a general consistent brilliant. Likewise, a movie might not necessarily be considered up there with the all-time best, but it could have a sequence that absolutely is.

When a movie scene hits you, for whatever the reason, it tends to live long in the memory. It might be something that you grew up with, something that resonated with you personally on a deeper level, or, quite simply, something that is freakin' awesome to watch.

With over 100 years of motion pictures gone by, there are countless great moments. But in one way or another, these 50 all managed to leave their own special mark.

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Articles published under the WhatCulture name denote collective efforts of a number of our writers, both past and present.

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WhatCulture's former COO, veteran writer and editor.

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WhatCulture's Head of Gaming.

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Josh has over 11 years of experience as a published writer, having worked nine of those years as a full-time content producer at WhatCulture. In that period he has created hundreds of articles, videos and podcast episodes for multiple WhatCulture channels, specialising in gaming, horror and film & TV. He now primarily works as a senior content producer and presenter on WhatCulture Gaming where he co-hosts the WhatCulture Gaming Podcast, a top 3 UK most listened to gaming podcast that he co-created in 2018. Over the years he has reviewed several high-profile gaming releases, covered industry events with on-site reporting, opined on breaking news, and even kicked off his interviewing career by chatting to childhood hero, Tommy Wiseau.

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WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.

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NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.

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Michael Sidgwick (Creative Writing BA Hons) is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over a decade of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential UK institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!

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Horror film junkie, burrito connoisseur, and serial cat stroker. WhatCulture's least favourite ginger.