Best Adventure Movies of the 1950s

1. 1
   North by Northwest 1959

   Directed by Alfred Hitchcock · Streaming on Philo, YouTube TV, Plex Channel
   7.9

   8.0 · 4.7K votes
2. 2
   The Wages of Fear 1953

   Directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot · Streaming on HBO Max, Kanopy, Tubi TV
   7.9

   8.0 · 1.1K votes
3. 3
   Ben-Hur 1959

   Directed by William Wyler · Streaming on Plex Channel, Tubi TV
   7.8

   7.9 · 3.3K votes
4. 4
   The Hidden Fortress 1958

   Directed by Akira Kurosawa · Streaming on HBO Max, Shout! Factory TV, YouTube Free
   7.8

   8.0 · 750 votes
5. 5
   The African Queen 1952

   Directed by John Huston · Streaming on Mometu
   7.2

   7.3 · 1.1K votes
6. 6
   Forbidden Planet 1956

   Directed by Fred M. Wilcox · Streaming on Plex, Plex Channel, Fawesome
   7.2

   7.3 · 1.1K votes
7. 7
   Alice in Wonderland 1951

   Directed by Clyde Geronimi · Streaming on Disney Plus, FlixFling
   7.2

   7.2 · 6.4K votes
8. 8
   Peter Pan 1953

   Directed by Clyde Geronimi · Streaming on Disney Plus
   7.2

   7.2 · 5.9K votes
9. 9
   Lady and the Tramp 1955

   Directed by Clyde Geronimi · Streaming on Disney Plus, Plex, Plex Channel
   7.1

   7.1 · 5.8K votes
10. 10
    20,000 Leagues Under the Sea 1954

    Directed by Richard Fleischer · Streaming on Disney Plus
    7.0

    7.1 · 1K votes
11. 11
    The Defiant Ones 1958

    Directed by Stanley Kramer · Streaming on fuboTV, MGM+, Philo
    6.9

    7.2 · 344 votes
12. 12
    The Court Jester 1955

    Directed by Melvin Frank · Streaming on Hoopla, YouTube Free
    6.9

    7.3 · 224 votes
13. 13
    Moby Dick 1956

    Directed by John Huston · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Hoopla, Tubi TV
    6.9

    7.1 · 495 votes
14. 14
    Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto 1954

    Directed by Hiroshi Inagaki · Streaming on HBO Max, Criterion Channel
    6.9

    7.2 · 218 votes
15. 15
    The Vikings 1958

    Directed by Richard Fleischer · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, YouTube Free, Tubi TV
    6.8

    7.0 · 392 votes
16. 16
    Duck! Rabbit, Duck! 1953

    Directed by Chuck Jones
    6.8

    7.4 · 116 votes
17. 17
    Journey to the Center of the Earth 1959

    Directed by Henry Levin · Streaming on History Vault
    6.8

    6.9 · 533 votes
18. 18
    Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple 1955

    Directed by Hiroshi Inagaki · Streaming on HBO Max, Criterion Channel
    6.8

    7.2 · 148 votes
19. 19
    Bend of the River 1952

    Directed by Anthony Mann · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video
    6.8

    7.0 · 227 votes
20. 20
    Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island 1956

    Directed by Hiroshi Inagaki · Streaming on HBO Max, Criterion Channel, IndieFlix
    6.8

    7.2 · 144 votes
21. 21
    Ice Cold in Alex 1958

    Directed by J. Lee Thompson · Streaming on Kanopy, Hoopla, BFI Player
    6.8

    7.3 · 110 votes
22. 22
    Creature from the Black Lagoon 1954

    Directed by Jack Arnold · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Peacock Premium, FlixHouse
    6.7

    6.8 · 900 votes
23. 23
    The 7th Voyage of Sinbad 1958

    Directed by Nathan Juran · Streaming on The Roku Channel, YouTube Free, Cultpix
    6.7

    6.9 · 334 votes
24. 24
    Old Yeller 1957

    Directed by Robert Stevenson · Streaming on Disney Plus
    6.7

    6.9 · 316 votes
25. 25
    The Crimson Pirate 1952

    Directed by Robert Siodmak
    6.7

    7.0 · 167 votes
26. 26
    The Fabulous World of Jules Verne 1958

    Directed by Karel Zeman · Streaming on Criterion Channel
    6.7

    7.2 · 97 votes
27. 27
    Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N. 1951

    Directed by Raoul Walsh · Streaming on HBO Max
    6.6

    7.0 · 150 votes
28. 28
    Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison 1957

    Directed by John Huston
    6.6

    6.9 · 150 votes
29. 29
    Around the World in 80 Days 1956

    Directed by Michael Anderson · Streaming on Kanopy, Plex Channel, Tubi TV
    6.6

    6.7 · 610 votes
30. 30
    Journey to the Beginning of Time 1955

    Directed by Karel Zeman · Streaming on Criterion Channel
    6.6

    7.2 · 83 votes
31. 31
    Ivanhoe 1952

    Directed by Richard Thorpe · Streaming on Plex Channel, Tubi TV
    6.6

    6.8 · 211 votes
32. 32
    Kon-Tiki 1950

    Directed by Thor Heyerdahl · Streaming on The Roku Channel, The CW, Kanopy
    6.6

    7.4 · 60 votes
33. 33
    River of No Return 1954

    Directed by Otto Preminger · Streaming on Hoopla
    6.6

    6.7 · 498 votes
34. 34
    Scaramouche 1952

    Directed by George Sidney
    6.6

    7.0 · 108 votes
35. 35
    Darby O'Gill and the Little People 1959

    Directed by Robert Stevenson · Streaming on Disney Plus
    6.5

    6.7 · 177 votes
36. 36
    Wagon Master 1950

    Directed by John Ford
    6.5

    6.7 · 171 votes
37. 37
    The Golden Antelope 1954

    Directed by Lev Atamanov
    6.5

    7.1 · 56 votes
38. 38
    Bloody Spear at Mount Fuji 1955

    Directed by Tomu Uchida · Streaming on Philo, Fandor, Fawesome
    6.5

    7.4 · 38 votes
39. 39
    Little Fugitive 1953

    Directed by Ray Ashley · Streaming on Kanopy, Hoopla, Kino Film Collection
    6.5

    7.0 · 71 votes
40. 40
    The Cow and I 1959

    Directed by Henri Verneuil
    6.5

    6.7 · 144 votes
41. 41
    Ulysses 1954

    Directed by Mario Camerini · Streaming on The Roku Channel, Fawesome, Tubi TV
    6.5

    6.6 · 262 votes
42. 42
    Fan-Fan the Tulip 1952

    Directed by Christian-Jaque · Streaming on Criterion Channel
    6.5

    6.7 · 129 votes
43. 43
    Old Man Khottabych 1957

    Directed by Gennadi Kazansky
    6.4

    7.0 · 62 votes
44. 44
    Cyrano de Bergerac 1950

    Directed by Michael Gordon · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM+
    6.4

    6.9 · 81 votes
45. 45
    The Scarlet Pumpernickel 1950

    Directed by Chuck Jones · Streaming on TCM
    6.4

    6.8 · 92 votes
46. 46
    8 Ball Bunny 1950

    Directed by Chuck Jones
    6.4

    6.9 · 73 votes
47. 47
    The Two Mouseketeers 1952

    Directed by Joseph Barbera
    6.4

    6.8 · 78 votes
48. 48
    Little Red Riding Hood 1959

    Directed by Roberto Rodríguez
    6.4

    7.5 · 30 votes
49. 49
    The Hunchback of Paris 1959

    Directed by André Hunebelle
    6.4

    6.7 · 107 votes
50. 50
    The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail 1952

    Directed by Akira Kurosawa · Streaming on Philo, Criterion Channel, Fandor
    6.4

    6.7 · 104 votes

Smart score = (votes × rating + 82 × 6.03) ÷ (votes + 82): the TMDB rating, pulled toward the catalog average as if every film had 82 extra average votes.

1. 1
   Zorro, the Avenger 1959

   Directed by Charles Barton
   6.3

   8.6 · 11 votes
2. 2
   Seven Waves Away 1957

   Directed by Richard Sale
   6.4

   7.5 · 25 votes
3. 3
   Magic Boy 1959

   Directed by Akira Daikuhara
   6.3

   7.5 · 22 votes
4. 4
   Kekec 1951

   Directed by Jože Gale
   6.3

   7.9 · 12 votes
5. 5
   Emil and the Detectives 1954

   Directed by Robert A. Stemmle
   6.2

   7.4 · 14 votes
6. 6
   The Great Adventure 1953

   Directed by Arne Sucksdorff · Streaming on Plex, Plex Channel, Metrograph
   6.2

   7.0 · 22 votes
7. 7
   Princess of the Nile 1954

   Directed by Harmon Jones
   6.2

   7.3 · 11 votes
8. 8
   The Mississippi Gambler 1953

   Directed by Rudolph Maté
   6.2

   7.2 · 12 votes
9. 9
   If All the Guys in the World... 1956

   Directed by Christian-Jaque
   6.2

   7.2 · 12 votes
10. 10
    The Pickwick Papers 1952

    Directed by Noel Langley · Streaming on Pluto TV
    6.2

    7.0 · 16 votes