Every year, some famous movie turns 50 years old or 25 years old, reminding you that you’re getting older. 1999 was one of the best years in movie history, and a lot of great films celebrated their 25th anniversary last year. But I couldn’t help but feel old when The Mummy, one of the most perfect non-animated action movies to watch as kids, turned 25. Mean Girls celebrating two decades since its release with the release of the musical movie was another instance that made me realize just how fast time flies.
Nothing makes me feel older than realizing that the first ever Star Wars movie will turn 50 a couple of years from now. It’s surreal to think that the Force, Luke Skywalker, the Millennium Falcon, Han Solo, lightsabers, Princess Leia, stormtroopers, Darth Vader, and Obi-Wan have been a part of pop culture for nearly half a century. 2025 is no exception to this phenomenon either, with Andrei Tarkovsky’s Mirror turning 50, The Breakfast Club — one of the best feel-good movies of the 1980s — turning 40, and Toy Story turning 30.
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100 Years – The Gold Rush
Released On June 26, 1925
Charlie Chaplin rose to fame during the silent era of Hollywood with his unique brand of slapstick humor that he used to satirically address social evils. Chaplin is famous for playing The Tramp, who recurs in many of his long-form comedy sketches.
Written, directed, produced, and edited by Chaplin, The Gold Rush sounds like a tragedy of misfortunes from its plot. However, Chaplin uses comedy to undercut the tension and hilariously poke fun at the system that makes The Tramp miserable. I know he’s a legend of old, but it’s mind-blowing to realize The Gold Rush is a century old.
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75 Years – Rashomon
Released On August 26, 1950
The unreliability of eyewitness accounts is known as the Rashomon Effect, and the name for this phenomenon has become rather common in today’s lingo. Yet, though the term has been around for long enough to become a natural part of the language, it feels wild to think that 75 years have pᴀssed since Akira Kurosawa’s film was released. One of the most essentially perfect legal dramas in movie history, Rashomon presents various eyewitness accounts of the murder of a samurai to explore how unreliable such reports can often be.
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70 Years – Lady And The Tramp
Released On June 22, 1955
A mind-boggling fact is that Lady and the Tramp came out seven decades ago. References to the classic animated movie are peppered all over pop culture today, and it’ll be impossible not to feel old when revisiting the movie on June 22, 2025 to celebrate its 70th anniversary. The graceful and beautiful animation of the dogs has aged much better than one might expect, and the тιтular characters are still rightfully treated as cultural icons.
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65 Years – Breathless
Released On March 16, 1960
One of the most influential film movements in history was the French New Wave, and few movies from that era are as iconic as Breathless. It’s unreal that it’s been 65 years since Jean-Luc Godard’s directorial debut feature premiered — that’s an anniversary for film buffs all over the world to celebrate. Featuring prominent French actor Jean-Paul Belmondo’s breakout role, Breathless reflects the themes of rebellion and reinvention that motivated the birth of the French New Wave movement and influences cinematic grammar even today.
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60 Years – The Sound Of Music
Released On March 2, 1965
I don’t remember a time when I didn’t know the lyrics to “Do Re Mi” by heart. As one of the best musicals of all time, The Sound of Music has captured people’s imaginations across generations. The catchy, heartfelt, and evocative songs, from “My Favorite Things” to “Edelweiss”, are timeless classics. Julie Andrews became a household name for her performance, which earned the actor her second Best Actress Oscar nomination. The magical tale came out six decades ago today, but it makes me feel like I am six years old again when I rewatch it.
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55 Years – The Aristocats
Released On December 24, 1970
One of the most recently announced Disney live-action remake confirmations was for The Aristocats, and it’s hard to see how the movie magic could translate well into live-action. While the racist stereotypes in the character designs and the songs do require updates, there’s a certain charm to the simplicity of The Aristocats‘ world.
The beautiful 2D hand-drawn animation gives the characters a specialized flair and their sᴀssy ways have become iconic among Disney fans. It’s almost impossible to believe that the film came out as long as 55 years ago.
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50 Years – Jaws
Released On June 20, 1975
50th anniversaries of movies are always special, and that of the first blockbuster made by one of the most influential and beloved directors in Hollywood is that much more so. Jaws, which made Steven Spielberg a household name, came out half a century ago. The most iconic moments in Spielberg’s Jaws live on in the collective memory of movie buffs all over the world. Spielberg is known to have practically invented the modern idea of a summer blockbuster with Jaws, and few other movies have such a cultural footprint.
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45 Years – The Shining
Released On November 7, 1980
Stanley Kubrick is one of the most versatile directors in Hollywood history, and almost every film he’s made redefined their respective genres. However, few of his movies had a bigger impact on cinema than The Shining, with memorable sH๏τs and cinematic techniques referenced in movies even today, four and a half decades later.
The tricycle scene, for instance, lives rent-free in my head. It is strange to realize that something with such a widespread presence in the cultural zeitgeist, whose impact can be seen everywhere in the films made recently, was released so many years ago.
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40 Years – Back To The Future
Released On July 3, 1985
When it comes to cult classics from the ’80s that reshaped people’s imaginations and influenced their approach to storytelling, a handful of films are as iconic as Back to the Future. Almost every time-travel movie made in the years since its release references it, and it even became a successful Broadway musical. As a memorable 1980s movie ᴀssociated with one song, it is impossible to listen to Huey Lewis and the News’ Power of Love without thinking of Marty McFly on his skateboard. It’s surreal to realize that he and Doc Brown were introduced to the world four decades ago!
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35 Years – Home Alone
Released On November 16, 1990
One of the best Christmas movies without Santa Claus in it, watching Home Alone during the holidays is a formative memory for kids all around the world. While it seems like it’s been around forever because everyone can recollect watching it, Home Alone feels just as recent because of how fresh that memory is. That’s a testament to how charming this story of a naughty kid tricking home invaders in a Die Hard-like movie is. However, it’s jarring to find out that Home Alone will be turning 35 this year.
Alongside Macaulay Culkin, who remains most famous for playing the protagonist in Home Alone, the movie also marks the acting debut of his brother Kieran Culkin, who recently won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 2025 for his role in A Real Pain.
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30 Years – Clueless
Released On July 19, 1995
Alicia Silverstone’s iconic outfit as Cher in Clueless has rightfully become a pop culture artifact that celebs keep recreating for various events. It’s such a quotable and iconic comfort movie today, that it’s hard to imagine a time when Clueless wasn’t around, but it also feels weird to think that it’s been three decades since it came out. From “It doesn’t say RSVP on the Statue of Liberty” to “I’m having a Twin Peaks experience,” Cher is one of the most quotable characters in film history. As a feminist revision of the teen comedy genre, Clueless will stay iconic forever.
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25 Years – X-Men
Released On July 14, 2000
Along with a comic-accurate Gambit played by Channing Tatum in arguably the best movie costume of 2024, ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine paid tribute to the Fox era of X-Men movies with memorable cameos and a nostalgic montage. It was the last Fox Marvel movie because Disney acquired Fox while the movie was still in development there. It is comforting to think that almost exactly a year after ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine came out, Fox’s X-Men franchise will be celebrating its silver jubilee. Some of the best Marvel movies are part of that franchise and will remain in the hearts of fans forever.
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20 Years – Batman Begins
Released On June 15, 2005
Along with introducing a more mature tone to the genre of comic book cinema, Batman Begins features grounded interpretations of comic book elements. While this was perfected in The Dark Knight, often considered the greatest superhero movie of all time, Batman Begins laid the groundwork.
Irrespective of whether the trend it set of using a serious tone for superhero cinema is good or not, none can deny it changed the genre forever, and it’s mind-boggling to think that it’s been 20 years already.
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15 Years – Megamind
Released On November 5, 2010
An animated movie that was much better than expected, Megamind is perhaps the most innovative superhero film ever made. Its interpretation of the genre and experimentation with tropes tells a satisfying story of a villain with a unique problem: no hero to fight once he’s won. The smart writing, infectiously energetic needle drops, fashion statements made by Megamind, and gorgeous animation make it one of the most underrated films in the superhero genre. Megamind also lives rent-free in my head, and though I’ve seen it many times, I find it hard to believe that it came out 15 years ago.
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10 Years – Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Released On December 18, 2015
By the time I was old enough to watch, understand, and enjoy Star Wars movies, they had become a thing of the past – I could always rewatch them, read books, and watch episodes of The Clone Wars, but had no way of experiencing Star Wars in a movie theater. So, the announcement of a new Star Wars film releasing a week before Christmas 2015 left me giddy and grateful. While the sequels are probably the worst thing to happen to Star Wars, it’s still surreal to think that a decade has pᴀssed since The Force Awakens came out.
