A list of major films released since the 1950s, many of which (largely in recent times) have been heavily based on bestselling novels by authors like Tom Clancy, Robert Ludlum, Timothy Zahn, Elijah Lane, or Ben Corrin, in order to maintain the integrity of the original novels and attract audiences in greater numbers. The 1980s brought about a revolution in films: full incorporation of 3D technology in the actual filming process and theatrical displays. The iconic 3D glasses introduced with the first 3D films of the 1950s are still used by many today, but are slowly being phased-out in favor autostereoscopic or so-called 'glasses-free' displays.
1950s
The 1950s brought about the first widespread use of 3D technology in the film industry, used in such classic films as The Day the Earth Stood Still, War of the Worlds, When Worlds Collide, and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, also launching the modern science fiction movie genre. The legendary Alfred Hitchcock was also "...at the top of his game..." in the '50s, releasing suspense/mystery classics such as Strangers on a Train, Rear Window, and North by Northwest. The monster flick reached new heights with the release of Gojira in a newly reconstructed Japan in the summer of 1955 (released in the USA in 1956 as Godzilla, King of the Monsters!). A sequel, Godzilla Raids Again, was released worldwide in 1958.
1960s
The '60s involved even more well-known films than the previous decade, including Psycho, The Birds, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Planet of the Apes, Dr. Strangelove, and 101 Dalmatians, many of which set standards for their respective genres, such as the horror/suspense genre with the last great Hitchcock movies Psycho and The Birds. The decade also launched the James Bond spy/action film series in 1962, starring Sean Connery as the titular character, a role in which he remained until 1971's Diamonds Are Forever - his last Bond movie.
1970s
- The Exorcist (1973) – A classic of the horror genre, The Exorcist follows the efforts of American actress Chris MacNeil to deal with her 12 year-old daughter Regan (Linda Blair) when the girl suffers from demon possession and no medical technology or diagnosis can explain her affliction. Chris, an avowed atheist, calls upon a pair of Roman Catholic priests to perform an exorcism on Regan. One of the priests dies of a heart attack, while the other, younger priest successfully challenges the demon to leave the girl and take his body in exchange, upon which the priest hurls himself from Regan's bedroom window, killing himself, but giving Regan her life back.
- Jaws (1975) – A giant great white shark terrorizes Bermuda County, Virginia, at the height of the tourist season, killing as many as six beachgoers before local sheriff Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) and oceanographer Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) seize the initiative and hire Quint (Robert Shaw), a World War II veteran and local fishing boat captain, to hunt and kill the shark. Scheider's line of "You're going to need to bigger boat" is the most memorable quote of the film and one of the top quotes in film history.
- Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977) – The film follows a young hero named Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), a daring smuggler named Han Solo (Harrison Ford), and wise old warrior Obi-Wan 'Ben' Kenobi (Toshiro Mifune) as they seek to free a rebel princess named Leia (Carrie Fisher) from the clutches of the evil Galactic Empire and its watchdog Darth Vader (voiced by James Earl Jones) while also attempting to destroy a new superweapon capable of annihilating entire planets.
- Jaws 2 (1978) – Sheriff Brody and Matt Hooper are again faced by a series of giant shark attacks in Bermuda, and this time, Brody's son Mike is caught up in the fight after he disobeys his father about sailing with his friends off the northern shore.
- Alien (1979) – In the 22nd century, the crew of the commercial towing ship Nostromo encounter a mysterious lifeform en-route back to Earth, a lifeform that attacks one of the crew members, laying its egg inside the crewman, and later killing him as it bursts from his chest. Eventually, the creature fully matures and kills off the remainder of the crew one-by-one (one of whom is revealed to be an android on a mission for the Nostromo's employers) until only the ship's warrant officer, Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) remains. Ripley is forced to activate the ship's self-destruct and escapes in the Nostromo's shuttle just as the ship detonates, but discovers the alien stowed away aboard the shuttle. She finally blows it out into space and soon after enters stasis for the return to Earth.
1980s
- Jaws 3 (1981) – As Brody nears the beginning of his planned retirement as sheriff of West Buell, Matt Hooper again returns with disturbing news: yet another great white has been spotted, this one bigger than all the rest. It's already taken down a tourist yacht off Nashville Island and seems to be making its way up the islands, one by one, searching for its parents' killer. In order to lure the shark away from West Buell, Brody and Hooper hijack a recently decommissioned Navy minesweeper and what remains of its meager arsenal.
- Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) -
- Alien 2: Aliens (1983) -
- A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) – Teenager Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp) suffers from a series of terrifyingly realistic nightmares even as the 'boogeyman' of these nightmares, Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund), starts killing off her closest friends one-by-one. Eventually, Nancy is forced to enter Freddy's dream world and lure him out into the real world to kill him and stop the terror plaguing her life...
- The Terminator (1984) -
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) -
- Back to the Future (1985) -
- A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Dream Warriors (1986) – The last of the 'Elm Street Children' - those whose parents killed Freddy Krueger in the real world - join forces with Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp) after they are placed in the psychiatric hospital where Nancy works. Slowly, the teens learn to control their dreams and prepare for their battle with Freddy, after which Nancy is killed and Freddy defeated (if only temporarily), and the last survivors of the group are subsequently released from the hospital to resume normal lives.
- Alien 3 (1987) -
- Lethal Weapon (1987) -
- Predator (1987) -
- Die Hard (1988) -
- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1988) -
- The Hunt for Red October (1988) -
- Lethal Weapon 2 (1989) -
- Baja (1989) – Set in the fictional South California town of Upperton on the state's Pacific coast in 1907, the film follows an out-of-work journalist from San Diego who moves into town with his wife and three children. That man, Charles Bardmann (Crispin Glover) soon learns that the grief of tragedy can have dire consequences...
- Back to the Future Part II (1989) -
- The Abyss (1989) -
- Earthian Expedition (1989) – Based on the book of the same name, the film follows the race to colonize space between people, and the crazy, yet funny and classic events that happen in betweeen. The film was directed by Steven Spielberg and distributed by 20th Century Fox.
1990s
- Predator 2 (1990) –
- Kindergarten Cop (1990) -
- Home Alone (1990) – The first film of the series sees a 9 year-old Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) forgotten and left at home all by himself when his family goes on Christmas vacation to Paris. For a time, Kevin is elated, believing he made them disappear. But he soon finds that being the man of the house isn't all it's cracked up to be when a pair of bumbling burglars named Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daniel Stern) that call themselves the 'Wet Bandits' set their eyes on the McCallister home and make plans to rob it. Kevin, however, has plans of his own and sets a series of elaborate traps to catch them.
- Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1990) -
- Back to the Future Part III (1990) -
- Hogan's Heroes (1990) – Set in 1942, the film follows the efforts of the enigmatic Col. Robert Hogan, a US Army Air Corps officer, and his motley crew of saboteurs, all POWs in the Nazi Austrian prison camp Stalag 13. When a prototype Austrian jet bomber crashes only miles from the camp, Col. Hogan and his men make every effort they can to infiltrate the salvage crew, obtain photographs and blueprints, and send them off to Britain (via Germany and France), risking their lives to do so. The film was based on the CBS television series of the same name.
- Die Hard 2: Die Harder (1990) -
- Lingering Landings (1990) – Steven Spielberg's movie based on the book of the same name and sequel to the film Earthian Expedition.
- Alien 4 (1991) -
- Patriot Games (1991) -
- L’Anse Amour (1991) -
- Race for Rights (1991) – Sequel to Spielberg's Lingering Landings and Earthian Expedition, all based on the books of the same name. Third film in Earthian Expedition film saga.
- The Awakening (1992) – When former schoolteacher Jack Connell (Liam Neeson) is selected as the winter caretaker of the old High Bluff Hotel, deep in the Jefferson Rockies, his wife Emily (Wendy Crewson) and six year-old son Danny (Miko Hughes) are both somewhat apprehensive, and for good reasons. The hotel has a dark past, the darkest parts of which only young Danny can see, through a process called ‘Awakening’. More than a month goes by largely without incident, but in late December, shortly after Christmas, Jack begins to suffer a mental breakdown and recurrence of his alcoholism. And, as the hotel itself begins to slowly fall apart from malfunctions one after another, over the next two weeks, Jack begins to go insane and becomes violent, threatening not only his family's safety, but their very minds and souls as well...
- Loch (1992) -
- Red Storm Rising (1992) – In the waning years of the Cold War - in the late-1980s - a terrorist attack on an oil depot deep in Soviet territory drains the USSR of oil and forces them to launch an all-out war against NATO and its allies to avoid economic concessions to the West, initiating the third world war.
- The Cardinal of the Kremlin (1992) -
- The Good Son (1992) – Twelve year-old Mark Evans (Elijah Wood) loses his mother to cerebral cancer, and is sent by his dad to stay with his cousins in Maine for a time while he travels overseas on business. Mark's cousin Henry (Macaulay Culkin) makes fast friends, but Mark soon discovers that he is a sociopath with a love of deadly games, hiding under a mask of innocence, and sets out to stop him from committing murder. The film spawned a trilogy of literary sequels, the first in 1994, entitled The Good Son: No Fair. The second novel, The Good Son: Imperfect One was released in 1996, and the final novel, The Good Son: Time to Live is set to be released next spring. Concurrent with the publication of the first novel, a television series following its exact plotline began airing on FOX; the series is currently preparing to enter its fourth season.
- Voyager (1992) – Sequel to Race for Rights and part of the Earthian Expedition film series.
- Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993) – A remake of the 1963 film The Incredible Journey based on the novel by Sheila Burnford, Homeward Bound follows the exploits of three house pets - Shadow the Golden Retriever (voiced by Don Ameche), Sassy the Himalayan cat (voiced by Sally Field), and Chance the American Bulldog (voiced by Michael J. Fox) - as they make their way across the wilderness of the state of Columbia to return home to their family in a semi-rural suburb of Lewis.
- Predator 3 (1993) –
- Home Alone II: Lost in New York (1993) – Set three years after the original movie, Lost in New York follows Kevin as he accidentally boards a plane to New York City (while his family flies down to Miami). At first, he has fun in exploring the city and visiting the sights, but after running into escapees Harry and Marv, he suffers a horrible accident and is hospitalized with severe injuries. As Kevin fights for his life in a hospital bed, Harry and Marv struggle to come to terms with what has happened and are reminded of a personal tragedy that made them what they are.
- February 30th (1993) -
- Clear and Present Danger (1993) -
- Voyager II (1993) – Part II of Voyager of the previous year. Due to the length of the book, Voyager was made into two films. Coincided with the release of Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, and as a result, fans' loyalties for both sci-fi series were split.
- Jurassic Park (1993) -
- Last on Mars (1994) – In the year 2076, a group of colonists funded by a massive international cooperative are the first humans to permanently settle Mars, but even as the colony grows, so do the dangers inherent with the largely unexplored Red Planet.
- Trying Tides (1994) – Sequel to the Voyager films and part of the Earthian Expedition series. Combines the plots of books Trying Times and High Tide due to the splitting of Voyager.
- Marine (1994) -
- Forewarned (1994) – FBI Special Agent Peter Oury and fellow, rookie agent Mark Jefferson are thrown headlong into the investigation of a series of shocking and bizarre murders in Chicago and its environs, eventually coming to the conclusion that they are being committed by one of Oury's old high school friends, by name of Ben Caeris, someone who was, at the time, a budding writer, but has now turned his old horror writings into gruesome reality. Forewarned is based on the bestselling 1992 novel of the same name.
- The Local (1994) – A fourteen year-old Manhattan-born boy named Fuller O’Callaghan (Macaulay Culkin) lives in Bayonne, New Jersey and delivers papers on a daily basis to help support his family. But that all changes early on a Monday morning in November, when, while making his usual rounds, he witnesses the aftermath of a mob hit, and soon becomes the target of a powerful Jersey crime boss known as Cutter (Ted Danson). Now on the run and with his family in danger, but with no way to warn them, Fuller stows away on a ferry boat and crosses the Hudson River back into Manhattan, where he inadvertently crosses paths with a rookie police detective (Karl Urban). With the reluctant cop in tow, and despite repeated threats, Fuller determinedly sets out to reveal Cutter and his organization for what they really are, unwittingly drawing the attention of powerful individuals who would rather everything remain buried forever.
- Die Hard With a Vengeance (1994) -
- Terminator 3 (1995) -
- Flooded Banks (1995) – Based on the book of the same name. Part of the Earthian Expedition series.
- Tommy Boy (1995) – The first major film to star SNL comedian Chris Farley in a primary role, Tommy Boy follows recent college graduate (after seven years) and fun-loving Thomas 'Tommy' R. Callahan, III (Farley), also known as Tommy Boy, and his 'friend' of sorts and co-worker Richard (David Spade). After returning home to Sandusky, OH, Tommy takes up a position at his father's company, Callahan Auto, and doesn't seem to take it seriously. But after Tommy's father dies of a sudden heart attack, he and Richard are forced travel the Midwest, trying to sell the company's new brake pads to keep it from going under. Despite receiving mixed reviews at the time of its release, Tommy Boy has since become a cult classic.
- Home Alone III (1995) – A now fourteen year-old and even more rebellious Kevin is once again left to fend for himself at Christmas when he is grounded for cheating on a test at school, but fails to remember his family's latest vacation to Hawaii (and they, too fail to remember him), leaving the teenager to the wiles of a small, local militia group, whom he is forced to outwit in his most daring and dangerous adventure yet. But has Kevin finally gotten himself in over his head?
- The Mariner (1995) -
- Avatar (1995) - (also referred to as James Cameron’s Avatar)
- Alien vs. Predator (1995) –
- The Sum of All Fears (1995) -
- Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco (1996) – Shadow, Sassy, and Chance are again separated from their family, but this time, they're lost in the city of San Francisco when Chance escapes at the city airport right before a family camping trip to Cascadia. In the big city, the trio encounter new challenges - equally as dangerous as any wilderness - and Chance falls head-over-heels for a stray named Delilah, but he is soon to learn a hard lesson about love.
- Black Sheep (1996) – The second major Chris Farley film, Black Sheep takes place in Washington state, during a fictional gubernatorial election. Mike Donnelly (Farley) eagerly campaigns for his older brother Al (Tim Matheson), but his good-intentioned nature only gets him into trouble, so Al's campaign manager sends an aide, Steve Dodds (David Spade) to look after Mike and take him into the backwoods of rural Washington until the campaign is over. But after Mike and Steve discover that the incumbent governor is planning to fix the election in her favor, the only thing that ensues is even more chaos. (It was shortly after the film's release in theaters that Farley entered rehab to successfully – and permanently – break his drug and alcohol addiction, and lose a significant amount of weight in the process).
- Alien 5 (1996) -
- Freddy vs. Jason (1996) -
- Independence Day (1996) -
- Without Remorse (1996) -
- Receding Rage (1996) – Based on the book of the same name and part of the Earthian Expedition series.
- Culkin (1996) – Based on the novel of the same name from the previous year, it follows teenage actor Macaulay Culkin as the darkest of his on-screen characters (namely Mark Bardmann and an alternate Henry Evans) start coming to life, tormenting him, and eventually threatening his life.
- Baja II (1997) – In February 1942, teenage Louis Bardmann and his family are living surprisingly normal lives, even under the threat of the new world war. Louis' father, Simon Bardmann II and Louis' older brother Casey are shocked when the skeletal remains of Simon's younger brother Mark wash ashore one day, heralding a new series of disturbing events similar to the ones of 1907, events that could very well tear Lucaston apart...
- February 30th II (1997) -
- Far Out (1997) – Based on the book of the same name and part of the Earthian Expedition series.
- Old Habits Die Hard (1997) -
- Debt of Honor (1997) -
- Journey USA (1997) – A post-apocalyptic film starring Milla Jovovich and Haley Joel Osment, Journey USA deals with a young mother named Mary (Jovovich) and her nine year-old son Kyle (Osment) as they travel across a post-apocalyptic America in the year 2075, all the while trying to avoid infection by the ‘7-E’ virus - and many of those who survived it - the very thing responsible for the Devastation of 2034.
- Mass Effect (1997) -
- The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) -
- The Bourne Identity (1997) -
- Nova Scotia: BB49 (1997) -
- Men in Black (1997) -
- Home Alone: 2015 (1997) – Set in the year 2015, it follows the exploits of now 33 year-old Kevin's son, 8 year-old Kevin Jr., or KJ, in an even more high-tech world, where security systems have become more tamperproof and elaborate, but the thieves aren't far behind. Laser stun guns, hologram traps, invisibility, and R/C-rigged hoverboards are just a few of the devices KJ employs against the bumbling burglars of the 21st century.
- Last on Mars: Red Skies (1997) –
Upcoming/planned films
Upcoming
- Star Wars Episode VII: The New Republic (1998) – post-production phase
- Alien vs. Predator: The Worthy Prey (1998) – entering final production phase
- Knights of Engagement (1998) – The next major Chris Farley/David Spade film.
- Gateway (1998) - entering final production phase. Part of the Earthian Expedition series.
- Saving Private Ryan (1998) – entering final production phase
- Godzilla (American remake) (1998) – entering final production phase
- Code: Enterprise (1998) – entering final production phase
- A.I. - Artificial Intelligence (1998) – Directed, produced and co-written by the legendary Steven Spielberg, A.I. follows the story of an android in the year 2126 - called a Mecha - named David (Haley Joel Osment), made to look and even possess emotions like a young human boy. As his human 'parents' try and adapt to living with him, David seeks to discover what it truly means to be human as repercussions of mankind's abuse of Earth threaten their home, bringing him into contact with a US Army Mecha named Joe (Jude Law). Meanwhile, a rival of Cybertronics - David's creators - attempt to gain access to David by blackmailing his parents and threatening to kill their biological son, who is in stasis. With nowhere to turn, David's parents abandon him, not willing to risk their son's life. David is now forced to discover what he has always sought and sets out on a journey to do so.
- The Mariner II (1999) – in full production
- Executive Orders (1999) – in full production
- Tiburon: SS529 (1999) – in full production
- The Matrix (1999) – in full production
- What's On Second (1999) – the second of two upcoming Chris Farley/David Spade films.
- Homeward Bound III: The Crossing (1999) – in full production
- The Blair Witch Project (1999) – in full production
- Shrek (1999) – entering final production phase.
- Shattered (1999) – in full production. Part of the Earthian Expedition series.
- Independence Day 2 (1999) – in full production
- Avatar 2 (2000) – entering pre-production phase
- P-Twin (2000) – entering pre-production phase
- The Bourne Supremacy (2000) – entering pre-production phase
- Encounter (2000) – entering pre-production phase. Part of the Earthian Expedition series.
Planned
- Die Hard 24/7 (2000) – recently announced, on 6/4/97
- Rainbow Six (2000) – recently announced, on 6/4/97
- A.I. - Artificial Intelligence: Endangered Future (2001) – recently announced, on 6/4/97
- Last on Mars: Canyon Rains (2001) – recently announced, on 6/4/97
- February 30th III (2001) – recently announced, on 6/4/97
- Tilt (2001) – recently announced, on 6/2/97
- The Bear and the Dragon (2001) – recently announced, on 5/31/97
- Jurassic Park III (2001) – recently announced, on 6/4/97
- Star Wars Episode VIII: Dark Force Rising (2002) – recently announced, on 6/4/97
- Strike (2002) – recently announced, on 6/4/97
- The Bourne Ultimatum (2003) – recently announced, on 6/4/97
Rumored
- Baja III (2000?)
- Star Wars Episode IX: Legacy of the Jedi (date unknown)
- Die Hard 6 (date unknown)
- Interaction (date unknown)
- Last on Mars: The Red Ocean (date unknown)