Movies
James Earl Jones’ top 10 movies from best to worst according to IMDb and where to watch them online
The recently deceased actor was one of the most recognizable voices in Hollywood.
![James Earl Jones](https://img.asmedia.epimg.net/resizer/v2/75FE7YEBS5G3VHVC54OOHKJNCE.jpg?auth=b67f056c9ee00c16c2dbb84e0b4f0d777d3ccd8856200753a17302e696a1b72b&width=360&height=203&smart=true)
James Earl Jones, the actor who voiced some of the most beloved characters in film history, has died at the age of 93. Throughout his career, he was recognized as a great performer and had roles in some of the greatest films of all time. Above all, James Earl Jones distinguished himself as a great voice actor, even though he stuttered as a child. He has received an honorary Oscar, a Tony, an Emmy and a Grammy. Here are the 10 best movies starring James Earl Jones, according to IMDb, and where you can watch them online.
- ‘Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back’
- ‘Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope’
- ‘The Lion King’
- ‘Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi’
- ‘Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb’
- ‘Matewan’
- ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’
- ‘The Sandlot’
- ‘The Hunt for Red October’
- ‘Field of Dreams’
‘Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back’
- Platform: Disney+
- Length: 2h 1m
- Director: Irvin Kershner
- Year: 1980
- IMDB Score: 8.7
The Empire Strikes Back is considered by fans and critics alike to be the best film in the Star Wars saga and one of the most important films in the history of cinema. In it, James Earl Jones once again voices Darth Vader and delivers the most famous line in science fiction and one of the most iconic in cinema (we all know what it is) when he reveals to Luke Skywalker who he really is.
‘Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope’
- Platform: Disney+
- Length: 2h 1m
- Director: George Lucas
- Year: 1977
- IMDB Score: 8.6
The movie that started (and changed) absolutely everything. Along with Steven Spielberg’s Jaws and William Friedkin’s The Exorcist, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope is one of the films that changed the movie industry. It changed the way movies were sold and ushered in the blockbuster era. In this movie we are introduced to the characters that will be important in the following Star Wars universe. James Earl Jones gave his first voice acting performance as Darth Vader.
‘The Lion King’
- Platform: Disney+
- Length: 1h 28m
- Directors: Roger Allers & Rob Minkoff
- Year: 1994
- IMDB Score: 8.5
The classic of all classics. One of the best-animated movies of all time (if not the best) and a story that will break your heart and sew it back together in equal measure. James Earl Jones gives one of his best voice performances next to Darth Vader, bringing Mufasa to life.
‘Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi’
- Platform: Disney+
- Length: 2h 11m
- Director: Richard Marquand
- Year: 1983
- IMDB Score: 8.3
‘Return of the Jedi’ is the third movie of the original ‘Star Wars’ trilogy and the sixth in the chronology, consisting of this one and the two we will see next. With Richard Marquand in the director’s chair, the script is still in the hands of the franchise’s creator, George Lucas. This was the confirmation of the “Star Wars” saga, grossing almost $500 million at the box office and closing the first trilogy. James Earl Jones, as in the rest of the films, voices Darth Vader.
‘Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb’
- Platform: For rental and purchase on Amazon and Apple TV only.
- Length: 1h 35m
- Director: Stanley Kubrick
- Year: 1964
- IMDB Score: 8.3
‘Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb’ was James Earl Jones’ first career performance as a lieutenant. Stanley Kubrick’s black comedy is one of an infinite number of movies made about the Cold War, but this one has a very different tone. Peter Sellers plays not one, but three different characters. One of the most beloved films of the director’s fans.
‘Matewan’
- Platform: The film is not available online at all.
- Length: 2h 15m
- Director: John Sayles
- Year: 1987
- IMDB Score: 7.9
Depicting the 1920s coal miners’ strike in Matewan, West Virginia. It highlights the struggles and solidarity of miners fighting against oppressive conditions. James Earl Jones plays a central role as Few Clothes Johnson, a seasoned labor organizer who advocates for the miners’ rights, bringing depth and gravitas to the struggle depicted in the film.
‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’
- Platform: Disney+
- Length: 1h 35m
- Director: Gareth Edwards
- Year: 2016
- IMDB Score: 7.8
Rogue One is one of the most critically acclaimed of the recent Star Wars films, well ahead of the final trilogy. In this film, James Earl Jones returned to bring to life a Darth Vader who, while appearing for less than four minutes in total, maintains his menacing presence as one of the Empire’s greatest forces.
‘The Sandlot’
- Platform: Disney+, Hulu
- Length: 1h 41m
- Director: David Mickey Evans
- Year: 1993
- IMDB Score: 7.8
‘The Sandlot’ is a children’s adventure about a boy who has a magical summer playing baseball when they move to this town in 1962. James Earl Jones plays a “villain” who owns an animal that lives near the field where they usually play.
‘The Hunt for Red October’
- Platform: Max
- Length: 2h 15m
- Director: John McTiernan
- Year: 1990
- IMDB Score: 7.5
Based on the novel by Tom Clancy. It follows the defection of a Soviet submarine captain, Marko Ramius, and his crew to the United States. James Earl Jones plays Admiral James Greer, who supports the mission and provides crucial insight to the CIA’s Jack Ryan. Jones reprised his role in the sequels: Patriot Games (1992) and Clear and Present Danger (1994).
‘Field of Dreams’
- Platform: Netflix, TNT, TBS
- Length: 1h 47m
- Director: Phil Alden Robinson
- Year: 1989
- IMDB Score: 7.5
Nominated for three Oscars, “Field of Dreams” tells the story of an Iowa farmer (Kevin Costner) who builds a baseball field in his cornfield, attracting retired legends of sports history such as Shoeless Joe Jackson. The latter is played by actor Ray Liotta, a year before he played Henry Hill in Martin Scorsese’s ‘Goodfellas’. In addition, Burt Lancaster gave his final performance in ‘Field of Dreams’.