The history of comedy spans over two thousand years of human civilization, but the action genre is a relatively new introduction. While comedy has undeniably multicultural roots, action stories can be considered an offshoot of adventure fiction. Hollywood eventually stitched these two genres together, creating Swashbuckler movies like The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934) and The Son of Monte Cristo (1940).
Action-comedy was heavily influenced by the Buddy Cop and Martial Arts subgenres, evolving a unique narrative framework in the process. That said, Rush Hour, a widely recognized example of '90s action-comedy, has a woefully low IMDb ranking. Fortunately, there are other equally entertaining movies with better scores.
10 Kung Fu Hustle Is A Mindblowing Medley Of Martial Artistry And Slapstick Humor
IMDb Score: 7.7
Kung Fu Hustle begins on a mildly pleasant note, but the movie soon spirals into a mindblowing medley of martial artistry and slapstick humor. Stephen Chow's masterpiece is generally regarded as one of the best action-comedy narratives ever written, arguably impacting Western cinema on a fundamental level.
That said, Kung Fu Hustle cannot be distilled into its individual components, as every aspect of this film merges into a robust cocktail that packs back-to-back punches. Critic Roger Ebert summarized this movie as "Jackie Chan and Buster Keaton meet[ing] Quentin Tarantino and Bugs Bunny," but even this vivid description fails to capture the incomprehensible essence of Kung Fu Hustle.
9 Ghostbusters Altered The Comedy Landscape In Ways That Are Evident To This Day
IMDb Score: 7.8
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Ghostbusters altered the comedy landscape in ways that are evident to this day. The cinematic aftershocks generated by this magnificent production still ripple across the genre. Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd are naturally brilliant, while Sigourney Weaver demonstrates that her comedic flair in Ghostbusters is just as potent as her badass heroism in Alien.
This era-defining film spawned a massive franchise, including TV programs, comics, board games, sequels, and reboots. Ghostbusters is filled with extensive action sequences, exhilarating VFX, and a string of iconic punchlines that are as relevant as ever. Ghostbusters eventually changed the course of both pop culture and sociopolitical discourse.
8 Hot Fuzz Simultaneously Parodies And Pays Tribute To The Buddy Cop Genre
IMDb Score: 7.8
Edgar Wright's Three Flavors Cornetto trilogy starts with Shaun of the Dead, among the greatest zombie spoofs of the 21st century. Shaun of the Dead technically has a higher score than its "sequel" Hot Fuzz, but it's more horror than action. Hot Fuzz, on the other hand, revolves around a pair of policemen and their hilariously macabre adventure in England's West Country.
Empire magazine lauded the remarkable dynamic between actors Nick Frost and Simon Pegg, claiming that "they feel no need to fight for the punchline." Hot Fuzz is a deliciously sculpted parody of the Buddy Cop subgenre, but still manages to pay tribute to the movies it satirizes.
7 Thor: Ragnarok Manifests A Level Of Comedic Brilliance That Is Yet To Be Surpassed
IMDb Score: 7.9
MCU films began incorporating humorous elements with Iron Man, but it took Taika Waiti's peerless vision to make something as brutally funny as Thor: Ragnarok. Chris Hemsworth manifests a level of comedic expertise that makes his previous Thor roles seem feeble in comparison.
Thor: Ragnarok works because it relies on every single member of its stellar ensemble, including Tom Hiddleston, Karl Urban, Tessa Thomson, Mark Ruffalo, and Jeff Goldblum. Even Cate Blanchett's murderous Hela exhibits a unique style of deadpan humor. Ragnarok blew its competition out of the water — MCU is yet to make another movie that matches Ragnarok's patented blend of jaw-dropping action and gut-busting comedy.
6 The Blues Brothers Take Viewers On A Musical Roller-Coaster Ride
IMDb Score: 7.9
The Blues Brothers owes its origins to the eponymous musical sketch on Saturday Night Live, starring protagonists Jake and Elwood Blues. Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi are a blast, but their comedic vision is bolstered by equally entertaining performances from Carrie Fisher, Kathleen Freeman, and Henry Gibson.
Musical bigwigs like Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Ray Charles, and Cab Calloway also lend their talents to this stunning movie, crafting an experience that remains unparalleled in the history of filmmaking. The Blues Brothers' story doesn't really make logical sense. However, the titular characters embark on a whimsical adventure that takes viewers on an electric roller-coaster ride through the most iconic rock, pop, jazz, blues, and funk songs of the 20th century.
5 Guardians Of The Galaxy Banks On The Chemistry Between Its Fine Cast Members
IMDb Score: 8.0
Guardians of the Galaxy contains some of the finest acting performances ever seen in the MCU. The chemistry between Zoe Saldaña, Chris Pratt, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, and Dave Bautista is almost tangible. The Rotten Tomatoes critics consensus praises the movie's irreverent sense of humor, describing it as "funny, thrilling, full of heart, and packed with visual splendor."
As blockbuster action-comedies go, Guardians of the Galaxy was a significant box-office triumph, earning over $773 million worldwide. The sequel was even more successful in financial terms, but has a slightly lower IMDb score: 7.6/10. Fans of the franchise can't wait for the third installment to be released on May 5, 2023.
4 Deadpool Remains Consistently Invigorating Throughout Its 108-Minute Runtime
IMDb Score: 8.0
The first Deadpool comic came out in 1991, portraying the character as a nefarious villain. Thankfully, Deadpool soon transformed into his current form, a sassy antihero with a potty mouth and wildly sexual fantasies. Ryan Reynolds plays Wade Wilson to pitch-perfection, cementing himself in the annals of superhero cinema.
Although Deadpool's R-rated status allows it to delve into dangerously taboo territory, the film remains consistently invigorating throughout its 108-minute runtime. The "merc with a mouth" is a master of scatological humor, but Wade is far too endearing and charismatic to be anything but adorable. Deadpool 2 received similar praise, with the Chicago Tribune calling it "just like Deadpool only more so."
3 Lock, Stock, And Two Smoking Barrels Relies Heavily On British Humor And Visual Aesthetic
IMDb Score: 8.2
Guy Ritchie's Snatch is widely considered to be an upgrade over Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, but the latter isn't any less memorable. There's no better vehicle for Jason Statham's cinematic debut than this dark comedy, involving hilarious heists, high-stakes gambling, and hostile crime lords.
Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels made over twenty times its production budget at the box office, and catapulted Ritchie into the global limelight. Critics have compared the movie to Quentin Tarantino, but Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels runs on a completely different engine than movies like, say, Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs. For one thing, Ritchie's comedy aesthetic is almost untranslatably British.
2 Gangs Of Wasseypur Has Been Called The Love Child Of Bollywood And Hollywood
IMDb Score: 8.2
Anurag Kashyap's Gangs of Wasseypur is a genre hybrid, incorporating aspects of action, comedy, drama, and crime. This densely woven narrative delves into the political undercurrents of the coal mafia in Jharkhand, a relatively small state in North India.
Gangs of Wasseypur derives the bulk of its narrative charm through its spectacular cast, with career-defining performances from Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Pankaj Tripathi, Manoj Bajpayee, and Huma Qureshi. The movie went on to win numerous awards at both national and international film festivals. Variety extolled Gangs of Wasseypur as "the love child of Bollywood and Hollywood," a surprisingly fitting description.
1 Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse Takes The Beloved Marvel Superhero To New Cinematic Heights
IMDb Score: 8.4
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Spider-Man was first adapted to film in 2002, with Tobey Maguire playing the beloved Marvel superhero. The franchise has since expanded beyond recognition, accumulating dozens of spin-offs, extensions, TV shows, and several other media products. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse takes the concept to radically new heights, ushering in a new age of cinematic grandeur for the titular character.
The Rotten Tomatoes critics consensus calls it "a purely enjoyable adventure with heart, humor, and plenty of superhero action," but there's so much more to this deeply poignant animated feature. Miles Morales' version of Spider-Man isn't better or worse than his predecessors — he's just different, and in a good way.