Spartacus tops Collider’s list of 10 nearly perfect epic films

Collider published a ranking on Jan. 31, 2026 by Jeremy Urquhart listing 10 “nearly perfect” epic movies, a roundup of large-scale films the writer says fall just short of true perfection. At No. 1 is Spartacus, described as a rousing epic about revenge and rebellion; the piece notes the film’s troubled early production and that Stanley Kubrick was brought in after Anthony Mann was removed.

The article also lists Spartacus’s release date (November 17, 1960), runtime (197 minutes) and credits including directors Stanley Kubrick and Anthony Mann and writers Dalton Trumbo, Howard Fast and Peter Ustinov. No. 2 is Akira Kurosawa’s Kagemusha, praised as a “perfect-looking” movie whose pacing and narrative aren’t flawless.

No. 3 is Ben-Hur, called largely masterful for its spectacle (including the iconic chariot sequence) while acknowledging its length and that it isn’t strictly about Jesus despite taking place around his era. No. 4 is Greed, a partially lost 1924 film whose surviving elements still impress and whose themes about money remain disturbingly relevant.

No. 5 is David Lean’s Doctor Zhivago, presented as an epic romance and war movie in the Lean tradition, with World War I a relevant but not central element. No. 6 is The Ten Commandments, a biblical Exodus epic noted for its technical ambition and nearly four-hour length (about 20 minutes short of four hours), though some effects look dated.

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