Throughout his career, Stanley Kubrick earned 13 Oscar nominations and six Golden Globe nominations for his work as a writer, director, and producer. Kubrick is certainly an auteur who pushed the envelope of filmmaking, censorship, and cinematography. Both loved and loathed, it’s impossible to deny Kubrick’s lasting Hollywood legacy. Check out our guide below to discover Stanley Kubrick’s best movies and where to watch them using popular streaming services like Max, Netflix and more!
Stanley Kubrick’s best film by far is 1968’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. Written, produced, and directed by Kubrick, the movie follows two astronauts on a mission to Jupiter. But soon the onboard AI, named HAL 9000, becomes murderous and a new mission objective is revealed. On top of the overarching plot, the movie touches upon tons of abstract issues and themes like religion, birth and rebirth, humanity’s place in the cosmos, hubris, and more.
2001 can be considered “arthouse” and definitely leaves itself open to interpretation, so everyone will leave with their own conclusions. But its stunning visual style and lofty premise make the film an undeniable masterpiece.
Taking the #2 spot on the list is Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 interpretation of Stephen King’s The Shining. Viewers might be surprised to know that the movie is actually quite different from King’s novel, and upon its release critics were heavily divided on the film, with some flat-out panning it as awful. King himself even had issues with the movie, previously telling Deadline, “It’s like a big, beautiful Cadillac with no engine inside it.”
The reason why is because, just like many of Kubrick’s films, The Shining doesn’t always reveal its meaning so easily, and instead is filled with haunting, sometimes bizarre imagery that continues to stick with viewers to this day. From the twin girls, to the elevator full of blood, and Roger the Dog Man, even if you don’t fully understand what Stanley Kubrick’s film is trying to say, you can’t help but be creeped out by its visceral imagery and setting. There’s a good reason why The Shining has since become a horror classic.
Also ranking high on the list is Stanley Kubrick’s anti-war epic Dr. Strangelove (fully titled Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb). Released in 1964, the movie depicts a fictionalized nuclear war between the USA and the Soviet Union. But what makes it different from other war films is that Dr. Strangelove doesn’t showcase war as some glorious, noble pursuit by heroes, and instead depicts the military and government as inept fools who are so delusionally obsessed with power and winning that they don’t even care they’re eradicating all life on Earth in the process.
In the modern age, a film like this would be controversial, but in 1964 when Dr. Strangelove premiered (during the height of the Cold War), it was downright shocking and seen by some as anti-American. But Kubrick stood strong with his vision of what unchecked warfare would look like and Dr. Strangelove ultimately became a massive success, earning four Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director.
Here’s the full ranking of Stanley Kubrick’s best movies
Where to watch the best Stanley Kubrick movies online
Stanley Kubrick sadly died in 1999 at the age of 70, just a few months before Eyes Wide Shut hit theaters. Though the filmmaker is gone, his legacy continues to live on thanks to his great filmography that pushed boundaries and told unique stories. Use our guide below to find out where you can watch all of Stanley Kubrick’s best movies online!
