Summer and fall are the best seasons to spend time as a family not only indoors but outdoors too. With prices soaring these days, most families have had to cut back on spending, especially eating out and going to the movies. That doesn’t mean that you should not spend time as a family watching your favorite flicks.
So, instead of watching movies on your laptop alone, why not watch the movies together as a family? One of the best ways families can spend time together besides game night, and BBQ is outdoor movie night.
With just a screen, your smartphone, and a projector, you can host an outdoor movie night in your backyard for family and friends. Besides outdoors, you can watch movies on your projector indoors too.
With that, let’s dive into 13 good movies to watch on a projector.
1. Mad Max: Fury Road
Since its debut in 2015, Mad Max: Fury Road has become a TV calibration and demo standard. As one of the best-mastered movies in cinematic history, the movie shows off iconic HDR moments that you’ll enjoy. Created and directed by author George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road stars Tom Hardy as Max Rockatansky or Mad Max.
Having spent decades on the road in his famous car, Mad Max’s world is a place where water is scarce but ironically oil is plenty. Driven to insanity by violence and loneliness, Mad Max comes into conflict with Immortan Joe (played by Hugh Keays-Bryne). Immortan has an army of crazed boys who capture Mad Max and even use him as a blood bank.
Mad Max Fury Road is an excellent movie to watch on a projector because you can stream it in 4K Ultra HD.
2. Blade Runner 2049
Set in a dystopian future, Blade Runner 2049 stars Harrison Ford as Rick Deckard and Ryan Gosling as K Joe. The 2017 neo-noir science fiction film produced by Alcon Entertainment is set in 2049, 30 years after Blade Runner. K, a Nexus-9 replicant, works for LAPD as a blade runner who hunts rogue replicants.
He discovers that replicants can reproduce biologically as previously thought impossible. His superior fears this could lead to war between replicants and humans. So, she orders K to hunt the replicant’s child to hide the truth. The film has excellent special effects that provide an immersive cinematic experience.
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3. Lord of the Rings Trilogy
If you’re a fan of J.R.R Tolkien’s universe, then you’ll love Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Set in the fictional Middle Earth, the trilogy follows the journey of hobbit Frodo Baggins and friends as they embark on a quest to destroy the One Ring.
Along their quest, the Fellowship splits up and Frodo plus Sam proceed to Mordor in the company of the treacherous Gollum. Eventually, the Free Peoples of Middle Earth battle the forces of Sauron to aid Frodo in destroying the One Ring which he does.
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy is one of the most influential film series made. This is thanks to its direction, groundbreaking special effects, and production values.
4. Interstellar
Released in 2014, Interstellar is about a group of explorers who make use of a wormhole to save humanity. The movie stars Matthew McConaughey as Cooper, Anne Hathaway as Brand, Matt Damon as Mann, and others.
Directed by Christopher Nolan, Interstellar won Best Visual Effects at the 87th Academy Awards. It contains 850 visual effects shots at a resolution of 5600 by 4000. Of those, 620 were in IMAX. So, you and your family should enjoy high-quality video and sound.
5. Arrival
Arrival is about a linguist (played by Amy Adams) who works with the military to translate alien communications. Directed by Denis Villeneuve, the US Army enlists Bank’s help to discover how to communicate with the alien lifeforms who arrived on Earth.
The beauty of Arrival is the dazzling barrage of semiotic elements that parade across your screen. The stunning alien visuals will take the spotlight on your screen. In addition, its purposeful and subtle use of visual effects makes the movie feel real and not so boring.
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6. Dune
Directed by Denis Villeneuve, Dune is a 2021 epic science fiction film that is a story of the boy Paul Atreides. Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Atreides’ noble house is thrust into a war where malevolent forces are fighting for a precious resource.
Dune’s stunning visual effects will surely amaze you. Starting from the blue eyes to the VFX work on the desert’s sand, the film will enhance your experience.
7. 1917
Tells the story of two young British privates during the First World War who take on an impossible mission to deliver a message. They race against time to deliver a message to stop more than 1,600 soldiers from walking into a deadly trap. Produced by Sam Mendes, the film takes place after the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line during Operation Alberich.
The director and producer, Sam Mendes, took a unique approach to tell the story of the two World War I soldiers. Recognized for Best Motion Picture, 1917 has stunning visual effects. One notable scene is where two biplanes crash following a mid-air dogfight. This is the movie magic.
8. Ready Player One
Directed by Steven Spielberg, Ready Player One is a 2018 science fiction film based on Ernest Cline’s novel. The movie is about the creator of a virtual reality called Oasis. When he dies, he makes a posthumous challenge to all users of Oasis. Their mission is to find an Easter Egg that will give the finder the Oasis creator’s fortune and control of the world.
The film has more than 1500 digital effects shots crafted through a multi-tiered animation approach. As such, you should have a great cinematic experience when watching the movie as the animations and effects will surely pop out off the screen.
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9. Tron Legacy
Tron Legacy is a fun popcorn film that’s a sequel to the original 1982 film, Tron. Produced by Steven Lisberger, the movie is set 28 years after the events of Tron. It follows Sam (played by Garret Hedlund) who discovers his father, Kevin Flynn (played by Jeff Bridges) is in the Grid, a virtual reality world.
In the film, Sam and his father plus the algorithm Quorra work together to stop the malevolent program Clu from invading the real world. The film premiered in Tokyo in 2010 and theatrically released in North America in the same year. Like its predecessor, Tron Legacy is often described as a cult film.
10. Avatar
Avatar is a 2009 film about a paraplegic Marine (played by Sam Worthington) who gets dispatched to the moon, Pandora. The fictional Earth-like moon is home to the Navi, a sapient and sentient race. Using Avatars, humans interact with the Navi. But later, the indigenous people resist the colonists’ expansion leading to the departure of the humans.
Did you know that James Cameron had to wait 13 years to make Avatar? Well, the issue was not financing but the special effects that went into making the movie which sets it apart from other films of its time. In fact, the game-changing cinematic release smashed a series of records and broke new ground for filmmaking.
11. Ford v Ferrari
Ford v Ferrari is a sports drama film about driver Ken Miles and car designer Carrol Shelby’s journey to build a race car for Ford. The film follows a determined team of British and American designers and engineers to build the Ford GT40 for Henry Ford II. Ford’s mission was to build a race car that would defeat the dominant racing team, Scuderia Ferrari, at the 24 Hours Le Man’s race in France.
Over 1048 visual effects shots brought the film together. So when watching it on your screen, you and your family will surely enjoy the fantastic race scenes.
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12. Citizen Kane
Citizen Kane is a 1941 drama film directed, produced by, and starring Orson Welles. As Welles’ film debut, Citizen Kane examines the life and legacy of Charles Foster Kane played by Welles. Kane is a composite character based on media barons Joseph Pulitzer and William R. Hearst.
The film starts with the death of Kane who utters the word “Rosebud” before passing away. After a newsreel obituary tells the life story of Kane, the producer of the newsreel tasks a reporter to discover the meaning of Rosebud. Citizen Kane has no special effects common in modern films, but the story is captivating and sheds light on spiritual corruption.
13. Everest
Directed by Baltasar Kormakur, Everest is a biographical survival film based on the 1996 Mount Everest disaster. It stars Jason Clarke, Jake Gyllenhall, Josh Brolin, and others. The film documents the deadly journey of two mountain climbing expeditions that claimed eight lives on Earth’s highest peak.
Besides the tragic but beautifully poignant story, the film features breathtaking cinematography. It is mindblowing, and since the events in the film actually happened, it’s more impactful even when watching it on a projector.
Conclusion
With online streaming platforms presenting new movies and TV shows, there is no better way to enjoy them than with your family. Whether indoors or outdoors, you can enhance your cinematic experience with a projector.
Not only is the large screen a sight to behold. But it’s customizable, and you can produce much larger images. Also, projectors deliver a theater-like experience which is a plus for your cinematic experience.