If You Loved Wonder Woman, These 25 Movies Are a Must-See
Gal Gadot by Gage Skidmore licesnsed by CC BY-SA 2.0
1. Moana
“In Ancient Polynesia, when a terrible curse incurred by the Demigod Maui reaches an impetuous Chieftain’s daughter’s island, she answers the Ocean’s call to seek out the Demigod to set things right.”
Beautiful animation and songs. Great cinematogrfaphy, and it’s got humor. I love this movie so much.
2. Black Swan
“A committed dancer wins the lead role in a production of Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake” only to find herself struggling to maintain her sanity.”
A psychological thriller that’s extremely dark for a movie revolving around ballet.
3. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
“Five sisters in 19th century England must cope with the pressures to marry while protecting themselves from a growing population of zombies.”
Try not to take this one too seriously. The premise alone is a bit ridiculous, but still enjoyable.
4. Amelie
“Amelie is an innocent and naïve girl in Paris with her own sense of justice. She decides to help those around her and, along the way, discovers love.”
A very wholesome movie, and super original film.
5. The Exorcist
“When a teenage girl is possessed by a mysterious entity, her mother seeks the help of two priests to save her daughter.”
This movie is the odd-ball out here, but it’s a horror classic.
6. Easy A
“A clean-cut high school student relies on the school’s rumor mill to advance her social and financial standing.”
It’s high school. This movie is what happens when you give in to the rumors.
7. Three Colors: Blue
“A woman struggles to find a way to live her life after the death of her husband and child.”
A sad movie, but a good one nonetheless.
8. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
“A journalist is aided by a young female hacker in his search for the killer of a woman who has [been] dead for forty years.”
The books are always better, but that doesn’t make this movie any less interesting. It’s also pretty intense, so be forewarned!
9. Mean Girls
“Cady Heron is hit with The Plastics, the A-list girl clique at her new school, until she makes the mistake of falling for Aaron Samuels, the ex-boyfriend of alpha Plastic Regina George.”
A total classic. If you haven’t seen it, I might have to add you to my burn book.
Related: 12 Movies That Defined Your Childhood |
10. Princess Mononoke (and every other Studio Ghibli movie)
“On a journey to find the cure for a Tatarigami’s curse, Ashitaka finds himself in the middle of a war between the forest gods and Tatara, a mining colony. In this quest he also meets San, the Princess Mononoke.”
All Studio Ghibli movies are incredible. (It’s like the Disney of Japan.) Many have strong, independent, and intelligent female leads. All are visually pleasing with interesting plots. They’re all must-sees!
11. Brave
“Determined to make her own path in life, Princess Merida defies a custom that brings chaos to her kingdom. Granted one wish, Merida must rely on her bravery and her archery skills to undo a beastly curse.”
I consider this one of the most underrated animated films. Merida truly earns the movie title of “Brave.”
12. Frozen
“When the newly crowned Queen Elsa accidentally uses her power to turn things into ice to curse her home in infinite winter, her sister, Anna, teams up with a mountain man, his playful reindeer, and a snowman to change the weather condition.”
Elsa isn’t a Disney princess, she’s a Disney queen. Strong, independent, and powerful, yet still anxious and insecure. Personally, I find her extremely relatable.
13. Three Colors: Red
“A model discovers her neighbor is keen on invading people’s privacy.”
People are not always what they seem, as this movie proves.
14. The Color Purple
“A black Southern woman struggles to find her identity after suffering abuse from her father and others over four decades.”
Celie endures a lot through this movie (and book), but she becomes stronger because of it.
15. Bend It Like Beckham
“The daughter of orthodox Sikh rebels against her parents’ traditionalism and joins a football team.”
This movie is surprisingly interesting. Jess is strong-willed, and the happy conclusion makes it a very feel-good movie. (Although, it made me feel extremely lazy to be sitting on a couch while the whole movie is about soccer.)
16. Blue is the Warmest Color (also known as La Vie d’Adele)
“Adele’s life is changed when she meets Emma, a young woman with blue hair, who will allow her to discover desire and to assert herself as a woman and as an adult. In front of others, Adele grows, seeks herself, loses herself, and ultimately finds herself through love and loss.”
A French film about young love, and a girl discovering her sexuality. Highly recommend if you love LGBTQ+ movies.
17. Soul Surfer
“Teenage surfer Bethany Hamilton overcomes the odds and her own fears of returning to the water after losing her left arm in a shark attack.”
This movie revolves around a surfer attacked by a shark, resulting in the loss of one arm, yet she stays strong and works to get back to what she loves to do: surf. She doesn’t let her disability stand in her way. If you need a dose of motivation, watch this one!
18. The Blind Side
“The story of Michael Oher, a homeless and traumatized boy who became an All American football player and first round NFL draft pick with the help of a caring woman and her family.”
Family doesn’t always mean blood. Sometimes, family is built from the bonds you make with people. This movie is proof that you don’t have to be related to someone to consider them family.
19. Kill Bill: Vol. 1
“The Bride wakens from a four-year coma. The child she carried in her womb is gone. Now she must wreak vengeance on the team of assassins who betrayed her—a team she was once a part of.”
Never mess with the Bride, because if you do she’ll go on a rampage. Uma Thurman’s character is so bad-ass in this film, and the other women don’t disappoint either!
20. Pitch Perfect
“Beca, a freshman at Barden University, is cajoled into joining The Bellas, her school’s all-girls singing group. Injecting some much-needed energy into their repertoire, The Bellas take on their male rivals in a campus competition.
Catchy songs, diversity, and cool girls kicking butt. I dare you not to get goosebumps (the good kind) when watching this movie.
21. The Hunger Games
“Katniss Everdeen voluntarily takes her younger sister’s place in the Hunger Games: a televised competition in which two teenagers from each of the twelve Districts of Panem are chosen at random to fight to the death.”
I stand by my belief that the books are usually better, but this movie does the book justice. I volunteer as tribute to watch this on a rainy day!
22. Bring It On
“A champion high school cheerleading squad discovers its previous captain stole all their best routines from an inner-city school and must scramble to compete at this year’s championships.”
This movie has you cheering for the underdogs, which just so happen to be a group of cheerleaders that must rebuild their team after learning they weren’t as awesome as they thought they were.
23. Atomic Blonde
“An undercover MI6 agent is sent to Berlin during the Cold War to investigate the murder of a fellow agent and recover a missing list of double agents.”
The lead is a martial arts expert and openly (and explicitly) bisexual. Another win for the LGBTQ+ community!
24. Million Dollar Baby
“A determined woman works with a hardened boxer trainer to become a professional.”
Hard work is the only thing that’s necessary to become anything in life, regardless of gender.
25. Silence of the Lambs
“A young F.B.I cadet must confide in an incarcerated and manipulative killer to receive his help on catching another serial killer who skins his victims.”
The first movie of the series based on Hannibal Lector. Although the cannibal Hannibal is the most recognized part of this movie, the lead is Clarice Starling, a female F.B.I. agent.
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.