15 Movies So Popular We Forget How Strange They Are

Certain movies have become such an integral part of our culture that, without a second thought, we accept them for what they are. Even more than that, we often take them for granted, as works of fiction that have always been around us like the wind and the rain.

And yet, they were once new products when they were released, and all everyone could talk about is how strange their settings and stories were. So now we’ve gathered some of the most popular (and at the same time, unhinged) stories from cinema, so we remember how strange they truly are.

Star Wars A New Hope

When it hit theaters in 1977, audiences had never experienced world-building on this scale. The premise of space wizards and laser swords seems totally normal to us now, but at the time, it was completely unprecedented.

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

This smash hit surpassed Star Wars to become the highest-grossing film of all time. The beloved story of a boy hiding a stranded alien in his closet was actually based on Steven Spielberg’s childhood imaginary friend.

Back to the Future

This beloved classic contains some baffling plot holes and paradoxes. The premise is also completely wild when you think about it, as Marty McFly travels back to the 1950s and has to fend off his own mother.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

Based on Roald Dahl’s 1964 novel, this 1971 musical fantasy stars Gene Wilder as an eccentric chocolatier. He essentially invites children into a factory filled with surreal dangers, making for a wildly strange and terrifying tour.

The Truman Show

Grossing roughly $264 million worldwide, this film tells an improbable story about a man living in a manufactured town. He has no idea his entire life is filmed by 5,000 cameras and broadcast to 1.5 billion viewers.

Planet of the Apes

The arresting sci-fi concept presents a world where talking simians are in charge and humans are second-class citizens. The franchise features people in rubber ape masks riding horses, locking up humans, and holding machine guns.

Guardians of the Galaxy

Movies based on comic books will always be weird on some level, and even then, Guardians of the Galaxy takes it a bit further. We just totally accept a universe where a talking raccoon and a walking tree are major action heroes saving the galaxy from destruction.

Pirates of the Caribbean

The first film grossed $654 million worldwide by turning a theme park ride into a massive supernatural pirate epic. It spawned huge sequels like Dead Man’s Chest, convincing everyone that cursed skeleton pirates make total sense.

The Nightmare Before Christmas

This stop-motion classic follows Jack Skellington as he leaves Halloween Town to obsess over celebrating Christmas. Disney originally released it under Touchstone Pictures because they believed its Gothic tone was much too dark and scary for kids.

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Set in 1936, this 1981 action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg stars Harrison Ford as a globetrotting archaeologist. He battles forces trying to recover the Ark of the Covenant, which supposedly makes an army completely invincible. It didn’t.

Everything Everywhere All at Once

An immigrant discovers she must connect with parallel universe versions of herself in this absurdist comedy-drama. The bizarre film incorporates science fiction, martial arts, and surrealism into an incredibly strange story that dominated the awards season.

The Silence of the Lambs

It won the top five Academy Awards and is cited as one of the greatest movies ever. The plot depicts an FBI trainee who seeks advice from an imprisoned cannibalistic serial murderer to catch another killer.

Night at the Museum

This hit became the fifth highest-grossing film of 2006. The plot depicts a night watchman who discovers that all the museum exhibits come to life at night thanks to the power of a magical Egyptian artifact.

Honey I Shrunk the Kids

This wildly strange comedy about a father accidentally minimizing his children and throwing them out with the trash was an unexpected box office hit. The tiny kids have to battle giant insects just to get back inside.

The Fifth Element

In this 1997 science fiction movie, a 23rd-century taxi driver must defend Earth from a malevolent cosmic entity. He has to recover mystical stones after a mysterious young woman literally falls right into his flying cab.