There’s no doubt about it - the most popular genre in the global moviemaking industry is the action and adventure genre. If you take a moment to look at the list of the highest-grossing films of all time, you will find that 8 out 10 are action and adventure movies with big budgets. 

So, what makes action and adventure movies click with movie fans and buffs? We can name many reasons but it all boils down to one thing – action movies blow your mind away. It may be the frenetic fight scenes, the fast car chases, and the fabulous explosions but whatever your reasons may be, you will agree that action and adventure movies make us want to be spies, pirates and warriors, too. 

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Johnny Depp is Captain Jack Sparrow. No other role in the modern history of films has been closely associated with an actor in the same way as Sparrow is with Depp. His quirky portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow is so unexpected and, thus, so endearing and so entertaining that we cannot imagine the character being anything other than rococo and loco. 

Of course, the Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl is not all about Jack Sparrow. It is also about coveted ship, The Black Pearl. The ship affects the destinies of the other characters in the movie, particularly Barbossa, Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann. The movie is a rollercoaster ride on the high seas, indeed. 

Raiders of the Lost Ark 

Indiana Jones is a pop culture figure that has not aged in a day since his first adventure, the Raiders of the Lost Ark, was released. The movie may have been released 30 years ago but its theme of incredible adventures, lost treasures and charming heroes are timeless. We all love Indiana Jones with his dry wit, endearing smirk and swaggering walk. 

The story revolves around the dizzying array of adventures that the hero, professor and archaeologist Indian Jones, goes through to retrieve the mythical Lost Ark of the Covenant. The unseen villain is Adolf Hitler, although his Nazis do make an appearance. 

With each adventure, Indiana Jones must use his wits, his charms and his whip to save his skin and that of his friends. Think of adventures to places as diverse as the jungles of South America, the deserts of Egypt and the hinterlands of Tibet. Add in hidden tombs, isolated islands and exotic foods and you have an adventure that every generation will enjoy. 

Transformers

If the Pirates and the Raiders dealt with subjects on earth, the Transformers went into outer space although the battle field was still earth. Where humans were caught in battle between themselves, the movie depicted humans as caught between two warring races of robots in an intergalactic battle that can spell the doom for puny mankind. 

Transformers, which was released in 2007, was the first in the trilogy of the battle between the evil Decepticons and the heroic Autobots. Sam Witwicky holds the ultimate clue that will swing the balance of power, thus, adding the human element to a movie about robots. 

Robots coming up against robots, metal clanging against metal, and guns firing against guns with the use of advanced computer technology were absolutely mind-blowing. The sheer beauty of the robots especially Optimus Prime was breathtaking. 

There are, of course, a lot of great action movies out there that also deserve our recognition, such as The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, Bourne Identity, Kill Bill, Die Hard, The Matrix, The Dark Knight, Aliens, Inception, and Terminator 2: The Judgment Day, among many others. Be sure to pick up DVD copies now and enjoy the movies over and over again.