Good movies are pretty easy to come by. You’d hope the end result was halfway decent given that they cost millions to make, right? The step above that is the great movies, which really cause quite the social stir/don’t come around too often. But then there are the game changers. The films that change the way movies are made, aggressively challenge the status quo and make us feel all the feels.

These cinematic juggernauts are, of course, showered with more awards than one could comfortably house in an LA mansion – and with good bloody reason. It takes one hell of a person to write a script that’ll cause worldwide introspection, or act in a way that completely suspends reality, or oversee all of the above.

Given that we’re deep into awards season, we thought we’d have a lil’ look at just a few of the films that really did change the game (and were recognised for doing just that). By no means is this a definitive list, but there’s no arguing that they’re inherently iconic – and if you haven’t seen any of the below then do yourself a solid and binge ASAP, folks.

1. The Shape Of Water

If you’re yet to see a Guillermo del Toro film, then you should probably get onto that real quick/wot doin’ with your life? But if you’re already familiar, you’ll be glad to hear that critics reckon this is his best film to date – having picked up the Gold Lion for best film at the Venice International Film Festival and two Golden Globes. Oh, and it’ll probably clean up at the Academy Awards too.

The Shape of Water is an other-worldly fairy tale, set against the backdrop of Cold War-era America circa 1962. In the hidden high-security government laboratory where she works, lonely Elisa (Sally Hawkins) is trapped in a life of isolation. Elisa’s life is changed forever when she and co-worker Zelda (Octavia Spencer) discover a secret classified experiment.

We were lucky enough to see it before its Australia-wide release on January 18, and let us tell you, it’s honestly beautiful. The performances by Hawkins and Spencer are profound, and they’re equally supported by Richard Jenkins and Michael Shannon. It’s the ultimate cinematic experience that will shift you on your axis – quite literally transporting you to another place so drastically that, by the time it finishes, you’ll have a hard time snapping back to reality.

2. The Life of Pi

Ooft. If it isn’t already, The Life of Pi is sure to top your good movies list. The way in which the prolific Ang Li used 3D was a game changer in terms of how it created such an immersive experience for the audience. It goes without saying, obviously, that it cleaned up during awards season.

3. Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope

All of us were a tad cynical with more movies being released in the Star Wars franchise because living up to the cinematic genius of its first instalment is a bloody huge undertaking. For the first time ever, a sci-fi movie leveraged speed to really have you on the edge of your seat. Prior to this, space-themed flicks were comprised of slow moving vehicles because, realistically, that’s how they’d move in the vacuum of space. Combined with new breakthroughs in cinematic tech spearheaded by George Lucas, Star Wars changed the landscape of movies for good.

4. Titanic

Admittedly, there’s a high chance you’ve seen Titanic in your time – it’s a staple of free to air movie re-runs, after all. But if you haven’t, then buckle in for one hell of a heart-wrenching, visually-breathtaking journey. It picked up 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Original Dramatic Score – so yeah, it’s pretty damn phenomenal. And given its success, it’s somewhat of a cultural phenomenon. To avoid looking like a pleb at your next dinner party, give it a watch this weekend.

5. Avatar

Seriously, suspending an audience’s disbelief in an almost entirely animated film is practically impossible – but hey, here we are, talking about Avatar. This movie can bank its success on that very element. It utilised a whole new suite of 3D tech to be created, and the blueprint it laid out because of that will linger around for years to come. Avatar couldn’t help but find itself on anyone’s good movies list, regardless of whether they actually like it or not – which is likely why it picked up 73 of the 158 awards it was nominated for after its release.

6. The Revenant

If you’re yet to see the film that FINALLY scored Leo and Oscar, then do so ASAP. The Revenant at its core is a revenge drama, a theme that can grow tired really quick. But its the film’s direction and setting that avoids it falling into a tired stereotype. And in terms of how it shook things up in the industry, The Revenant was all shot in natural light – adding to its overall realism. 100% get around this as soon as you can.

Depending on how many of the above you have/haven’t seen, you could have quite the movie marathon on your hands here. If you’re tossing up which one to start with, then do yourself a favour and catch The Shape Of Water while it’s still in cinemas. The way it’s been shot, cut and edited means that it’s just begging to be seen on the big screen. Combined with truly moving performances (Hawkin’s character can’t even speak, which makes her execution even more remarkable), and a brilliantly conceived plot make it one of the best movies you’ll see all year.

Anyway, we’ll let the trailer do the convincing:

Yep, this ain’t gonna be a movie you’ll want to miss. Catch it in cinemas January 18.