You are sitting on your couch with some friends, popcorn is made, and you still can’t decide what to watch. But, you have one theme in mind: driving. So, here is a comprehensive list of the top 5 best car movies perfect for a night in.
This list is based solely on opinion; ratings and reviews from popular rating platforms, like Rotten Tomatoes, are not necessarily taken into account. This means that enjoyment is a prime factor for this list. There are countless other options that may have not made it onto the list but a good movie is still a good movie, it is all dependent on opinion, so here is ours.
- “The Fast and the Furious”
This comes first on our list because it simply has to. The iconic cars, the iconic actors, and the iconic lines all burned a print into our brains the first time we watched it. A beginning to one of the largest film franchises, the 2001 film is also important to the beginning of car films as we know them today. A spy story, a dramatized racing story, and on top of that, a story of familial bonding brings this to number one on the list.
2. “Transformers”
The 2007 hit, “Transformers,” directed by Micheal Bay, starring Shia Labeouf and Megan Fox is a must on this list. It follows a teenager as he buys his first car with some… quirks… and gets looped into a worldwide mechanical alien takeover. As a kid, I remember watching this with my mom, as it was both her favorite movie and one of the only non-music films we had on DVD. This movie is the perfect combination of camp and action, with cool cars, great acting, and outstanding CGI for the era. If you are in the mood for an action-packed movie including fantasy and some governmental conspiracy, or if you just like cars and robots, this one is for you.
3. “Cars”
A Pixar classic for both adults and kids, this movie is fun for the whole family of car enthusiasts or walkers alike. This movie follows Lightning McQueen on his journey from riches to rags, to riches again as he learns how to balance his racing career and meaningful relationships. In this category, it is very important to say that all of the Cars franchise movies are very good, specifically the sequel, Cars 2, which almost made this list but was passed up for a few other incredible movies.
4. “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift”
As the fourth movie of “The Fast and the Furious” franchise, “Tokyo Drift” makes this list as a stand out. Even though the first movie in the series has already made it on this list, this one still deserves a spot here. Built in a world separate from the Vin Diesel and Paul Walker universe of the first few movies, “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift” explores a different kind of driving: drifting. The vivid scenes of the city as well as a striking soundtrack add to this movie, with a feeling of both cheesiness and seriousness not found in the other movies in the franchise.
5. “Ford v. Ferrari”
This 2019 movie directed by James Mangold is the newest movie on our list, and it is a goodie. Christian Bale and Matt Damon make a duo of iconic names in the car and racing industry. As Top Gear wrote, it won two Oscars at the 2020 ceremony, which is a testament to its quality. If you are in the mood for a longer, more technical and historical film, this is the one on the list for you.
It is important to note, again, that this list is entirely opinion and leaves out many other amazing movies that may give the same feeling as these. Watching the entire “Transformers” franchise may be your cup of tea, and maybe someone else wishes we gave a shout out to “Talladega Nights,” but check these out anyways for a good time, and maybe a chance to watch something new.