154 Of The Best PG-13 Action Movies

Okay, so Marvel Cinematic Universe is a huge franchise incorporating stuff like television series, literature, digital series, and both full-length and short films. For now, though, let's limit ourselves to talking only about MCU's films. Of which there are twenty-seven to date! As you might imagine, all of the movies follow heroes from the Marvel universe - some of them get their stint as a lead, while others are awesome secondary acts. All of these movies are pretty much family-friendly, being rated PG-13, and there's never a shortage of action, witty jokes, and plot twists in any of them.

1993 saw the resurrection of the dinosaur topic (which was never dead to us) by showing us only the coolest movie with the awesomest cloned dinosaurs inhabiting the most thrilling theme park. The initial Jurassic Park movie by Stephen Spielberg enjoyed enormous success, spawning a whole franchise that has kept us wishing the dinosaur resurrection calamity will never befall us in our real lives. Well, at least not until we have the right facilities to keep them contained. In all seriousness, though, the franchise gave us five high-action science fiction movies that found a comfortable place in the evolution of our pop culture as a whole. Oh, and by the way, there's the sixth installment coming this year called Jurassic World Dominion!

Star Wars - the epic space opera, the pop culture phenomenon, and probably one of the biggest franchises ever. With eleven films to date, television series, animated series, video games, comics, books, theme parks, and loads of merchandise, there's no chance in hell that you've no idea what Star Wars is. Since 1977, it continues to show us an immersive future that's full of action, wonderful characters, and planets that we could only dream of. And, probably the best part is that all of the movies are perfectly suitable for the whole family's fun, and perhaps that's one of the factors that made Star Wars so popular - its accessibility and universal appeal.

What happens when a legendary director (George Lucas) and an amazingly talented actor (Harrison Ford) meet and talk about making an adventure movie? Well, an epic franchise, that's for sure! It all started in 1981 with the first installment, Raiders of the Lost Ark, in what would soon become a phenomenally successful series. That's when we were introduced to Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., a professor of archaeology and a bona fide daredevil with enviable adventures in search of lost treasures. And although there are only four movies where you can catch on up with Indiana's adventures, we have good news for you - the newest installment is scheduled to be released in 2023!

Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy gave us a glimpse into the duality of a hero, showed us pretty much the greatest villains ever, and plots worthy of bestsellers. No wonder it has generated over 2 billion dollars in box office worldwide and got ranked as the best trilogy ever made. In fact, the trilogy, or any of the movies plucked out separately, will be endearing even to those who are not interested in the whole hero/villain shebang, as they are more about humanity and the duality of the human condition than anything else. All of the films are dark, grim, and irredeemable depictions of the somber side of society. And, besides all that, the action sequences will thrill you to the bones.

The Lord Of The Rings is an epic high-fantasy novel by the English author and scholar J.R.R.Tolkien. There's probably no need to introduce this trilogy any further, as Tolkien's work has made such a huge impact in the literary world and our culture. The Lord Of The Rings has also inspired numerous derivative works and adaptations for cinema, theater, and radio. The story itself is a very complex one, but it's so very well written that you'll be immersed in it from the very beginning. Besides being a thoroughly entertaining read, it also talks about the struggle between good and evil, death and immortality, fate and freedom, and so much more. And same with the movies - not only are they highly entertaining but there's also a message to take home after the viewings!

Pirates Of The Caribbean is a swashbuckler movie series like no other before them, and it's probably all thanks to the kooky Captain Jack Sparrow played here by Johnny Depp. After the initial success of the first installment in the series, 2003’s Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, four more movies were made further following the adventures of our beloved underdog pirate. And if five movies in total seems lacking to you, there's a sixth installment in the talks!

Who doesn't love a well-rounded superhero team, especially one that has had such a huge impact on our popular culture as the X-Men? One that has been on our TV screens since the '60s? If that's not proof of longevity and relevancy, we don't know what is! Although you can find X-Men and their adventures in comics, animated series, and books, let's limit ourselves to talking only about their movies, of which there are thirteen. There are classic superhero movies in the franchise, and then there are movies dedicated to Deadpool, which will cater to fans of black comedy and overall atypical hero movies. So, basically, a movie to cater to anyone's taste, and maybe that's why this franchise is one of the highest-grossing ever.

Jason Bourne, a character created by novelist Robert Ludlum, first saw an onscreen personification in 1988; yup, earlier than you think! However, it was a television movie, and the true fame for Jason began with the 2002 movie The Bourne Identity, starring Matt Damon. Here he is, Jason, a special forces agent with no memory of his identity, yet somehow entangled in a thrilling mission. Oh yes, it's full of mysteries to solve, awesome action, and uber-cool car chases. And, with each movie of the foursome, the Bourne franchise has nicely settled in the hall of fame of the best action movie franchises.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle gave us the most amazing eccentric detective in 1887; so amazing, in fact, that we haven’t been able to get enough of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson for the last 135 years! And while there are plenty of ecranizations where you can meet Sherlock and Watson, let's limit ourselves with the 2009 version with Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law. Here their adventures aren't just thrilling; they're almost supernaturally so! In the movie, it's 1890, and the duo is hired by a secret society to foil a mysticist's plot to rule Britain. Oh yes, there are conspiracies, and you can be sure that there are adventures, too. And it's also completely safe to watch it with your teenage kids!

Men In Black, a 1997 adaptation of a comic book of the same name by Lowell Cunningham and Sandy Carruthers, was a bonafide blockbuster hit. Thanks to its original story, charismatic performances, and tasteful jokes, Men In Black secured itself three sequels, an animated series adaptation, and spawned six video games, thus becoming a full-fledged franchise. And how could it not with the kooky Men In Black agents dealing with various even kookier aliens trying to take over the world, ruin all the plans of humankind, or just infiltrate to live among people? And if you've somehow missed these awesome movies, be sure to catch up on them right about now!

While you might've thought the Mission: Impossible franchise started off with the 1996 movie starring Tom Cruise, its roots actually go as far back as 1966 with the TV series sparking this spy franchise. To put it in short, it's as old as your parents! If you need to refresh your memory a bit, the movies, starting with the original Mission: Impossible, follow Ethan Hunt, an agent in the Impossible Missions Force. And, as the name suggests, the action here is never-ending, and the missions are as impossible as you might think. However, they are always successful, somehow. So, if you're into this whole spy action kind of thing, there are six movies in this franchise, with two new ones scheduled for 2023 and 2024!

Inception, a 2010 science fiction movie by Christopher Nolan, has been bending our minds ever since its release. Now, we aren't here to explain it all to you since that would be taking away half of the fun of watching this movie, but we'll try to tell you what to expect from it in general terms. Here, Leonardo DiCaprio is a professional mind thief whose expertise is infiltrating the subject's subconscious. Being a thief, he, of course, has a criminal record, and when an offer is given to him to eradicate it by completing a mammoth task, our protagonist accepts. From this point on, there are dreams, inside of dreams, inside of dreams, and the deeper you go into a person's mind, the scarier it all gets. However, if watching this movie is a baffling experience to you, then a stellar cast and amazing cinematography will still leave you feeling entertained.

Over the sixty-odd years that agent double-O-seven has existed in films, the franchise has seen more than twenty movies coming out, six different actors embodying the iconic agent, beautiful ladies playing alongside him, and never-ending secret missions to be fulfilled. With the last installment in the series, though, 2021's No Time to Die, by Cary Joji Fukunaga, it is said that James Bond is turning a new page, and it is probably the last time that we’ll see 007 in the way that we are so used to. What the future will show us is still unknown, but a female lead is in whispers. Now that would be a positively exciting change!

The Harry Potter franchise, also known as the Wizarding World, consists of books, their movie adaptations, spin-off Fantastic Beasts flicks, theater adaptations, video games, various merchandise, you name it - they have it! And honestly, we wouldn't be too upset if there'd be even more Harry Potter-related stuff for us to glean, to watch, and to experience. If you've been hiding somewhere in a deep dark forest for the last couple of decades, though, here's what our excitement is about - Harry Potter is The Chosen One, a boy wizard who's supposed to beat the dark force of the series, Lord Voldemort. Together with his friends, Ron and Hermione, he goes on various (mis)adventures, dodges trouble, and just has fun in the world of wizards. Which, of course, had us all waiting for an owl carrying an admission letter to the wizarding school of Hogwarts!

The Hunger Games franchise, besides the books, of course, is composed of four science fiction dystopian adventure films, with a prequel in the talks. It's a dark imagining of our very near future, so ingeniously depicted that you can not only believe it but also feel a bit of unease thinking that it might just come true. While the story is a bit more complex, the main premise is this - Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) is the girl who sparks a revolt against the Capital that has oppressed its people for a very long time. The story is very dark at times, reaching straight for your heart, but it is also very immersive and ultimately highly entertaining.

Independence Day, a 1996 science fiction action film directed by Roland Emmerich, was the blockbuster movie that awakened the dormant popularity of sci-fi movies in the mid-’90s. An absolutely stellar cast here are people of disparate groups who converge in the Nevada desert in the aftermath of a worldwide attack by extraterrestrials. On July 4th, it's payback time, and the same people launch a counter-attack on these mobster aliens. It's a grimy doomsday flick that saw amazing popularity among its release and throughout the decades. Sadly, though, there's only one other movie in the franchise, so try and savor the entertainment!

2009's Avatar directed by James Cameron took fifteen years to develop, film, and release, and once you see it, you wouldn't be surprised by this fact. Avatar created a whole new universe with an actual language, beautiful humanoid alien creatures, amazing planets, and their stunning sceneries. The movie also used state-of-the-art visual effects that no movies had ever employed before. Which, of course, helped tremendously to create such believability of its world. And if you've missed the thrill of Avatar and find yourself wishing for more of its glory, James Cameron is set to release four (yes, four!!) sequels to the original, the first of which should come this year!

By now, you might have an inkling that Spider-Man is by far our most beloved superhero, and there's no way that we would miss a chance to also include the two Amazing Spider-Man movies in our list. After Sam Raimi's trilogy, it was five long years of silence on Spider-Man, but thankfully, 2012 saw an awesome reboot of this franchise with The Amazing Spider-Man movie directed by Marc Webb. The story is the same: Peter Parker gets bitten by a spider and turns into this mutant with arachnid powers. However, the adventures here are modernized with the use of visual effects and are more thrilling than ever! So, if you're done with Raimi's movies, check out the two Amazing Spider-Man ones next!