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10 Nearly Perfect Epic Movies, Ranked

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James Averill (Kris Kristofferson) and Ella Watson (Isabelle Huppert) stand side by side by their homestead in 'Heaven's Gate' (1980)

It’s easy to talk about masterful epics, and doing so usually involves going over some of the best movies of all time. You probably don’t need another person telling you to watch (or rewatch) Lawrence of Arabia, you know? It might be more interesting (though arguably less helpful) to go over some epics that fall a little short of perfection; the near-masterpieces, in other words.

That’s what the movies below debatably are. You might love some of them, and sure, some are considered classics, or near-classics… it’s just that each one has at least one or two things that could hold them back from genuine 10/10 territory. Hopefully, what follows doesn’t read as too negative, since something being “nearly perfect” is still very much cause for celebration.

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10

‘Heaven’s Gate’ (1980)

James Averill (Kris Kristofferson) and Ella Watson (Isabelle Huppert) stand side by side by their homestead in 'Heaven's Gate' (1980)
James Averill (Kris Kristofferson) and Ella Watson (Isabelle Huppert) stand side by side by their homestead in ‘Heaven’s Gate’ (1980)
Image via United Artists

After The Deer Hunter, Michael Cimino infamously went bigger and more ambitious with his follow-up, Heaven’s Gate, which had a difficult and lengthy production that generated so much bad press, the movie never really stood a chance. It seemed the frenzy around it generated an idea that it was one of the worst epic movies ever made, but if you actually watch it now, removed from all that noise about its production, it’s pretty great.

Watching this, you feel some messiness, but not the amount you might fear, based on Heaven’s Gate’s reputation.

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Obviously, not perfect, since it’s in this ranking and all. You feel some messiness, but not the amount you might fear, based on Heaven’s Gate’s reputation. It’s underrated overall, as well as impressive, as one of the biggest and longest Westerns ever made (it’s more than just a Western, of course, but that’s the easiest way to describe something that is ultimately pretty hard to describe and/or summarize).

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9

‘Intolerance: Love’s Struggle Throughout the Ages’ (1916)

A woman atop a staircase looking back at a crowd in Intolerance Image via Triangle Distributing Corporation

To get the obvious out of the way, Intolerance: Love’s Struggle Throughout the Ages is incredibly old. It was made at a time when the first feature-length talkie was still more than a decade away, and those are pretty ancient in the overall scheme of things, seeing as 1927 is now almost a century ago. Anyway, Intolerance: Love’s Struggle Throughout the Ages is impressive, once you take its age into account.

It could well even be one of the best epics of all time, if you’re looking at historically significant and properly groundbreaking ones, because this goes all out as a historical epic that takes place across a vast amount of time; throughout the ages, and all that (the title’s not messing around). It also holds up a good deal better than the film D.W. Griffith is probably more well-known for, for better or worse: 1915’s The Birth of a Nation.

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8

‘Gangs of New York’ (2002)

There are a few Martin Scorsese films that could go here, since his longer, newer movies are a bit more contentious than some of his comparatively snappier classics. See the way people talk about The Irishman vs. Goodfellas, for example. But Gangs of New York? That one might well get the most criticism out of all his films that exceed the 2.5-hour mark, and it doesn’t deserve all of that criticism.

It’s a sprawling movie, and almost bursting at the seams, since it wants to tell a personal story of revenge against the backdrop of a much larger gang conflict in the titular city at a tumultuous time in said city’s history. Certain actors here fit into the world of the film, and what it’s going for tonally, more than others, but there’s still so much to be impressed by in Gangs of New York, and it’s also probably worth watching for Daniel Day-Lewis alone.

7

‘A Touch of Zen’ (1970)

A shot of Hsu Feng holding a sword in A Touch of Zen.
A shot of Hsu Feng holding a sword in A Touch of Zen.
Image via Union Film
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There is a good deal of A Touch of Zen that feels pretty much perfect, and it’s the kind of gargantuan and endlessly ambitious film that any downtime, comparatively speaking, feels largely excusable. It’s long and slow-paced at times, but at least the slower parts give you great visuals while serving to conjure up a beyond-unique atmosphere, and then when it starts getting a bit more action-focused, things inevitably get better and more striking.

It’s a film about a young woman on the run, and the people she encounters who ultimately help her take a stand against her pursuers. You could technically tell the story in A Touch of Zen within a shorter runtime, though this one does feel like it wants to be more than just a well-told story, and on that front, it succeeds. It might not do it all perfectly for you, but it’s still worth experiencing, even with the enigmatic and perhaps more confusing parts.

6

‘The Ten Commandments’ (1956)

Cast members stand outside a tent and look up into the sky in 'The Ten Commandments.'
Cast members stand outside a tent and look up into the sky in ‘The Ten Commandments.’
Image via Paramount Pictures
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The Ten Commandments is, as the title suggests, a biblical epic, and certainly one of the biggest and best of its time. The story here concerns the Book of Exodus, with the narrative mostly centering on Moses and what he eventually did as a leader and liberator, thanks to being given the titular ten commandments. It’s probably the most significant of the Old Testament stories, you know… or neck-and-neck with Noah’s Ark, in any event.

The whole thing is done justice here, with this film, because The Ten Commandments is genuinely impressive on a technical front (outside some shots with dated effects that don’t look great, even for the standards of the time). Much of it still looks and feels striking, at least, even if you do feel the length here, with the movie being just 20 minutes short of four hours.

5

‘Doctor Zhivago’ (1965)

Omar Sharif in a scene from David Lean's Doctor Zhivago
A scene David Lean’s epic 1965 drama ‘Doctor Zhivago.’
Image via MGM
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You can’t talk about legendary epic movie directors without mentioning David Lean, who’s perhaps best known for helming the previously mentioned Lawrence of Arabia. His follow-up, Doctor Zhivago, might not have felt perfect the same way that one did, but it’s not far off quality-wise, succeeding as an epic romance and a war movie the same way Lawrence of Arabia shone as a simultaneous epic war film and a character study.

The other way to tie these movies together is the fact that World War I plays a role in both narratives, but isn’t exactly the focus of either. Doctor Zhivago is more about a tumultuous time in history, and a love affair that happened throughout it all, with World War I being just one of the events that prove relevant to said time in history.

4

‘Greed’ (1924)

Greed (1924)
Greed (1924)
Image via MGM
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It’s not entirely Greed’s fault it’s imperfect, since it is a partially lost film, but what can be said is that what remains is still pretty great, at the very least. It’s hardly a subtle movie, either, given the title and the fact that it’s about things spiraling out of control for a married couple after they win a fair amount of money, but it handles that premise well for a film of its era.

Also, Greed is quite disturbing for a film of its era, and what it has to say about money and the way it can change someone still feels relevant, in a weird and possibly upsetting manner. It’s got that timeless quality you do sometimes find in silent films, and there is something bleak about a movie from about a century ago still feeling relevant, when it deals with difficult subject matter, but that’s life or whatever (see also Metropolis).

3

‘Ben-Hur’ (1959)

Judah Ben-Hur looking to the distance in Ben-Hur (1959)
Charlton Heston as Judah Ben-Hur in Ben-Hur (1959)
Image via Loews, Inc.
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Of all the movies here, it might be most alarming to suggest that Ben-Hur isn’t perfect, but it is still largely masterful. You can’t really overstate how significant it was as an epic, too, delivering spectacle that might have been matched or exceeded by epics in the 1960s and beyond, yet of those made before the year 1960, Ben-Hur was probably the grandest.

It takes place around the era of Jesus, but it’s not exactly about him, even if he sort of appears throughout, and religion is a relevant topic to the movie at hand, of course. But Ben-Hur is more concerned with telling a story about a betrayal, and the betrayed person’s endeavor to get revenge after being made a slave by someone he once trusted. It’s long, and perhaps a tiny bit slow at times (you do feel the length in the last half-hour), but the spectacle is indeed spectacular, and there aren’t enough good things one can say about that justifiably iconic chariot race sequence.

2

‘Kagemusha’ (1980)

Kagemusha Akira Kurosawa Battle
Kagemusha Akira Kurosawa Battle
Image via Toho
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When talking about Akira Kurosawa’s epics, you’ve got two that are genuinely perfect: 1954’s Seven Samurai and 1985’s Ran. Between them (albeit much closer to Ran) was Kagemusha, which has some similarities to that 1985 epic, particularly on a visual front. Oh, and both star Tatsuya Nakadai, who was technically in Seven Samurai, but only for a second or two in an uncredited (pretty much background) role.

Kagemusha has him playing two roles: one a warlord, and the other a thief who just so happens to look identical to the warlord, so when the warlord dies, the thief takes his place and has to pretend to be this much more powerful and influential figure. Things don’t exactly go well from there, but things do look beautiful from there. Kagemusha isn’t perfect as far as things like pacing and the narrative are concerned, but it is a perfect-looking movie, and it’s easy to admire it as a feature-length warm-up for Ran, on Kurosawa’s part.

1

‘Spartacus’ (1960)

Kirk Douglas holding up a sword and preparing to go into battle in Spartacus (1960)
Kirk Douglas holding up a sword and preparing to go into battle in Spartacus (1960)
Image via Universal International
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An epic about revenge and rebellion, Spartacus is hard to fault as a film from this time, but maybe flawed if you want to judge it as a Stanley Kubrick movie, or compare it to some of his other ones. Kubrick’s influence was not felt as strongly here, since Spartacus had a troubled production early on and Kubrick was brought in as a replacement director, after the original one, Anthony Mann, was removed from the project after a few weeks of shooting.

There are other Stanley Kubrick war movies that feel more distinctly like Stanley Kubrick movies, but none that scratch the same itch epic-wise (even Barry Lyndon is a bit more restrained/grounded, albeit about as long). But as a rousing and exciting film made on a grand scale, Spartacus does have quite a bit to offer, to the point where you might not even mind too much that it doesn’t feel particularly Kubrick-esque.


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Spartacus

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Release Date

November 17, 1960

Runtime
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197 Minutes

Director

Stanley Kubrick, Anthony Mann

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The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer met future collaborator George Clinton as a teenager.

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Dr. Peter Attia Apologizes After Epstein Files, Family ICU Scandal

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Dr. Peter Attia issued a lengthy apology after newly-released files connected to the case against convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein claimed he chose to stay in New York City for a meeting with the sex trafficker while his wife and child were in the ICU.

“I apologize and regret putting myself in a position where emails, some of them embarrassing, tasteless, and indefensible, are now public, and that is on me,” Attia, 52, wrote in a Monday, February 2, statement shared via X after allegedly sending the same message to his team and patients. “I accept that reality and the humiliation that comes with it.”

Attia, a so-called longevity researcher, came under fire on Friday, January 30, after new emails allegedly sent between the late Epstein and influencers, including Attia, were released by the Department of Justice. (Epstein died by suicide in 2019 at the age of 66 while in jail awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.)

In one email dated July 12, 2017, Attia and Epstein allegedly engaged in a back and forth exchange to solidify plans to meet up the following morning.

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“Can you do before 10am? Tomorrow,” the email allegedly sent from Epstein read. Attia allegedly responded, “Sure. I can come earlier, also, if you have a hard stop at 10. Let me know.”

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While the exchange might not seem significant to most, Attia previously confessed to leaving his wife, Jill, and infant son to handle a health scare without him during that same timeframe.

“Tuesday, July 11, 2017, at 5:45 p.m., to be exact — I had received a call from Jill, my wife,” Attia wrote in his book, Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity, published in 2022.

The physician recalled in his book that his wife called him from the back of an ambulance because their son had “suddenly stopped breathing” and had no heartbeat. The child was resuscitated through CPR by a nurse, but wasn’t out of the woods.

Dr Peter Attia Apologizes After Epstein Files Claim He Meet With Sex Offender While Wife Son Were in ICU Inline

Dr. Peter Attia.
Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

“When Jill called me from the ambulance, I was in New York, in a taxi on Fifty-Fourth Street, on my way to dinner,” Peter wrote. “After she finished telling me the story, I just said, without a shred of emotion, ‘OK, call me when you get to the hospital, so I can talk to the doctors in the ICU.’”

Eagle-eyed fans noticed that Jill called her husband one day before he allegedly emailed Epstein while in New York to cement their meeting.

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According to Attia’s book, he remained in New York “busy with my ‘important’ work” for 10 days after his son suffered cardiac arrest — and for the four days his wife and child were in the ICU in California.

While Attia didn’t directly address the alleged connection between his 2017 trip to New York and leaving his wife and son alone, he did deny that he is an individual who “participated in criminal activity, enabled it, or witnessed it,” which Peter said is the “purpose” of the DOJ releasing the Epstein documents.

GettyImages-2212488026 Giants Co-Owner Steve Tisch Breaks Silence After Appearing in Epstein Files.jpg


Related: Giants Co-Owner Steve Tisch Breaks Silence After Appearing in Epstein Files

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New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch broke his silence after he was connected to the late disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. “We had a brief association where we exchanged emails about adult women, and in addition, we discussed movies, philanthropy, and investments,” Tisch said of his relationship with Epstein in a Friday, […]

“I am not in any of those categories, and there is no evidence to the contrary,” he claimed in his Monday statement. “To be clear: 1. I was not involved in any criminal activity. 2. My interactions with Epstein had nothing to do with his sexual abuse or exploitation of anyone. 3. I was never on his plane, never on his island, and never present at any sex parties.”

In addition to seemingly abandoning his family to buddy up to Epstein in 2017, Attia’s name was mentioned more than 1,700 times in the latest set of released files.

Attia attempted to explain his connection to Epstein in his statement, noting that they met in 2014 through a “prominent female healthcare leader while I was raising funds for scientific research.”

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Attia explained that between summer 2014 and spring 2019 he met with Epstein “on approximately seven or eight occasions at his New York City home, regarding research studies and to meet others he introduced me to.”

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He claimed he “never visited” Epstein’s ranch or island and “never” flew on any of his planes.

“I was not his doctor, though several times I answered general medical questions and recommended other providers to him,” Attia alleged.

He then cleared up one email exchange between him and Epstein that was reportedly sent in 2015 — and didn’t paint Attia in the best light.

“In June 2015, I sent Epstein an email with the subject line ‘Got a fresh shipment,’” Attia recalled. “The email contained a photograph of bottles of metformin, a medication I had just received from the pharmacy for my own use. The subject line referred to the picture of the bottles of medication.”

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Dr Peter Attia Apologizes After Epstein Files Claim He Meet With Sex Offender While Wife Son Were in ICU Jail

Jeffrey Epstein.
Florida Department of Law Enforcement via Getty Images

Epstein allegedly responded with the words “me too” and sent back a “photograph of an adult woman.”

Attia confessed, “I responded with crude, tasteless banter,” admitting that it is now “very embarrassing,” to see how he engaged with Epstein. “I will not defend it. I’m ashamed of myself for everything about this. At the time, I understood this exchange as juvenile, not a reference to anything dark or harmful,” he added.

Attia claimed that in 2018 he learned that Epstein’s 2008 conviction, which he allegedly characterized as “prostitution-related charges,” was “grossly minimized,” which is when he started to distance himself from the man. (Epstein was convicted in Florida in 2008 on a charge of soliciting prostitution from someone under 18.)

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Related: Prince Andrew ‘Kneels On All Fours’ Over Woman in New Epstein Photos

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Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor — formerly known as Prince Andrew — appears to kneel on all fours over an unknown woman in new photos obtained from late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s estate. On Friday, January 30, the Justice Department released more evidence from Epstein’s estate, including 100 new photographs. Mountbatten-Windsor seemingly appears in three new images […]

“I was incredibly naïve to believe him. I mistook his social acceptance in the eyes of the credible people I saw him with for acceptability, and that was a serious error in my judgment,” Attia wrote. “To be clear, I never witnessed illegal behavior and never saw anyone who appeared underage in his presence.”

He continued, “Nothing in this letter is meant to minimize the harm suffered by the young women Epstein abused. Their trauma is permanent.”

Attia noted he was “not asking for a pass” from anyone, but claimed roughly 10 years after he sent the emails to Epstein — and being the man that he is today — he “would not write them and would not associate with Epstein at all.”

“I recognize that my actions and words have consequences for the people I care deeply about, including all of you,” he concluded. “I regret the cost this has placed on you, and I take responsibility for it.”

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.

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Taylor Frankie Paul Named On NBA All-Star Celebrity Game Roster

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Taylor Frankie Paul has been checking off tons of exciting boxes! She’s about to bring her energy to the court, officially joining the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game lineup for her first time. The “Mormon Wives” star will join other celebrities on the court during All-Star Weekend, bringing her signature energy and fan following to the popular annual NBA event.

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Taylor Frankie Paul Joins Star-Studded NBA All-Star Celebrity Game

The NBA All-Star Celebrity Game roster was released on Tuesday morning and “Mormon Wives” fans will notice a familiar name – the one and only Taylor Frankie Paul.

Other names on the roster include Mustard, Tacko Fall, Keegan-Michael Key, Glorilla, Shams Charania, and others. Coaches for the celebrity game are Giannis, Alex, and Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Mookie Betts, Anthony Anderson, Lethal Shooter, and Chris Brickley.

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The game is set to tip-off on Friday, Feb. 13 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.

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‘Mormon Wives’ Fans Are Ready To See Taylor Frankie Paul On The Court

Popular viral content creator, who goes by Stephwithdadeets on TikTok, shared Paul’s big basketball news. After sharing that this news could be why other members of MomTok had surprising reactions to something Paul was telling them in recent social media posts, Steph explained why she “loves this for Taylor.”

“And I actually kind of love this for Taylor cause I remember her saying that she likes to play basketball. I’ve seen videos she’s posted playing basketball, and you know, she’s not bad,” Steph said. “And someone that commented on my last video being like, Taylor has no talents outside of ‘Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.’ A. I think that’s kind of rude. B. We’re not gonna know someone’s talents unless they showcase it.”

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Many fans dropped into the comment section to leave their thoughts on Paul being on the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game roster.

“She definitely is talented, she is a strategic queen, rage bait master, are just a few that come to mind,” one viewer wrote. Another added, “Wasn’t she like a legit athlete in high school?”

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This Year’s NBA All-Star Game Format Is Different Than Previous Years

In addition to the Ruffles All-Star Celebrity Game, NBA All-Star Weekend also has other exciting games and challenges happening from Friday, Feb. 13 through Sunday, Feb. 15.

This year, the All-Star game will be a bit different than in previous years. The NBA shared some news about the game on social media a few weeks ago, explaining that this year’s game will feature “new U.S. vs. World competition.” The game will include two U.S. teams and one world team in a round-robin tournament with four 12-minute games on Sunday, Feb. 15 at 5 p.m. PT.

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“In the 2026 NBA All-Star Game, two teams of U.S. players and one team of international players (known as the World team) will compete in a round-robin tournament featuring four 12-minute games. The three teams will each have a minimum of eight players,” the statement reads. “In the round-robin tournament, Team A will play Team B in Game 1. The winning team from Game 1 will take on Team C in Game 2, followed by the losing team of Game 1 meeting Team C in Game 3.”

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After Game 3, the top two teams will advance and face off in the championship game.

Taylor Frankie Paul Recently Said, ‘I Know Ball’ About Another Topic

A few days prior to Paul’s NBA news hitting the internet, she shared a video on Instagram that really hit home for many viewers.

Captioned, “Trust me I know ball, however if I’ve learned anything, it’s that more often than not, people just want to be heard. It’s also important to validate yourself in whatever you may be feeling or it just gets louder. Forever grateful for the knowledge and tools I was taught by these amazing people even if I don’t always utilize it,” Paul shared clips of things that have helped her mental health journey.

A few of those things include – equine therapy, art therapy, movement, trauma yoga, and prayer, red light therapy, among a few others.

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The video quickly grabbed tons of attention with viewers heading for the comment section to share some positivity and thoughts.

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