Determining which movies are the best is at the very least a subjective — if not impossible — task. Making movies is such a vast artistic endeavor, and there are so many categories and criteria for what makes a film great. Still, there are undeniably certain productions that critics connect with more than others.

24/7 Tempo has compiled a list of the 76 movies that have a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes, using information generated by the site. Only productions with a Tomatometer score of 100% were considered.

Movies that score well with reviewers tend to have a few basic characteristics in common: a coherent storyline; strong and well-acted characters; exceptional cinematography; and a satisfying ending. The productions on this list all share those virtues to a greater or lesser extent.

They span entertainment history from nearly a century ago to present day and range significantly in genre. The list includes silent films, dramas that underperformed at the box office, animated films, standup comic turns, and a number of documentaries. For a different listing of great movies, including some of the same titles, these are the 55 best movies ever made.

Some of the movies on this list will be familiar to almost anyone, while others are more obscure but well worth discovering. For those seeking lesser-known movies of quality, here are the 40 best movies you’ve probably never seen.

Click here for the 76 movies with a perfect score from critics

Methodology

To identify the 76 movies with a perfect score from critics, 24/7 Tempo reviewed all the films rated 100% on the Tomatometer, a measure of critical consensus on Rotten Tomatoes, an online movie and TV review aggregator. All were also Certified Fresh, meaning that the consensus was based on at least 80 reviews for wide-release features or 40 reviews for limited release.