20 extremely long movies that are extremely good

This gangster flick is one of the prime examples of long-form cinema. Clocking in at two and a half hours, Martin Scorsese fleshes out his group of Italian mobsters and builds an atmosphere as rich as grandma's red spaghetti sauce. The director has made countless gangster flicks since, but this is by far his greatest, richest and funniest contribution to the genre. Just don't tell Joe Pesci about the funniest part, he'll tear you to shreds.

It took 197 minutes to tell the story of a slave rebellion, the Roman Empire and the man who rose against it. It's not like Stanley Kubrick could have told this story in 90 minutes. Besides, it's a pleasure to ease into this world of Roman soldiers, battles and speeches, the latter of which caused Kubrick to start his own rebellion on set. He famously didn't like the dialogue of Dalton Trumbo's script, but the actor won the battle with a final speech that remains a staple of movie trivia.

Can you imagine Lawrence of Arabia at two hours? It would be like gazing at the Sistine Chapel with half the painting missing. David Lean's film deserves every second of its runtime, turning the desert into a giant canvas for his storyline to play out. Against the shifting sands of fate, Lawrence goes from a soldier to a warlord to one of the most iconic characters in film history, all within a single sitting.

This art film from Ingmar Bergman follows the complicated childhood of two siblings in Europe. It's haunting and a little bit stressful, but then again, who didn't have moments in their childhood that felt a little stressful. There may not be anything relatable about Alexander's family, but there is something relatable about the way he sees the world from a child's perspective — the way everything seems larger than life.

The horror, the horror. The horror of a 196-minute runtime (at least for the director's cut). The idea of sitting in front of a television for 196 minutes might sound extreme, but this war flick drifts by like an opium daydream. Thanks to Francis Ford Coppola's direction, the journey to find a rogue soldier feels more like a drug trip than a trip through the dangerous jungle.

Francis Ford Coppola is one of the few directors who benefits from a long runtime. While most long movies makes us question, "when's this thing gonna be over?", his movies make us wish they were even longer. We could spend an entire day in the operatic world of The Godfather, where a family of mobsters tries to overcome the loss of their patriarch. Fortunately for audiences, there are two more films in the Corleone family saga.

Not gonna lie, this is way too long for a family movie night. Trying to keep the kids awake for three hours for each movie is like trying to keep yourself awake for their elementary school play. It's just not going to happen. That being said, Peter Jackson's fantasy trilogy remains one of the ultimate examples of world building on screen.

It's not the best film about space, nor is it the longest. But The Right Stuff makes perfect space of its runtime, allowing for room to explore different characters, plots and genres. Even the wives of the astronauts get screentime. And there's something to be said for a movie that mixes drama, history and comedy into one spaceship.

A snoozefest? Occasionally. A spellbinding journey through aristocratic mansions, gardens and dresses? Perpetually. Stanley Kubrick's longest film dares you to stay awake, the rhythms of classical music lulling you to sleep. But it's so beautiful to look at, you can't help but be invested in Lyndon's climb to the top of high society.

War movies tend to be long, so we tend to give them a pass on runtime. It's not like you could tell the story of soldiers returning from war, lost and broken, over the course of a single episode. William Wyler makes the most of his extended runtime by drawing out his characters, men who no longer feel they have a purpose in life. It's the impetus for movies like The Deer Hunter and Apocalypse Now, and it may even give viewers their own case of shell shock.

The word "epic" gets thrown around a lot these days. Someone might say "that was epic" over something as simple as a good cheeseburger. But if you want something truly epic, with a scope as vast as the horizon, check out Sergio Leone's 1968 spaghetti Western. Once Upon a Time in the West, about a harmonica-toting cowboy who saves people from a ruthless gang, is truly one of the most ravishing movie experiences you could possibly have.

Two-and-a-half hours with Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Margot Robbie and Al Pacino? Who's going to complain about that? Plus, a gorgeous recreation of 1960s showiz? Who cares about runtime when a movie's got this much going for it.

You can't make a movie about childhood in under an hour. Well, I guess you could, but there's something special about the way Richard Linklater dedicates his runtime to little moments that shape a larger life. His film takes place over 13 years, paying special attention to the dinner table conversations, car rides and daydreams that make up his protagonist's childhood. The result is a tapestry of one boy's experience; a portrait made up of gorgeous grace notes.

Was there more room on that door? Probably. Does that makes James Cameron's romance any less iconic? Nope. A doorway to the lives of those on the Titanic, the movie remains one of the most talked about movies around, even if the dialogue itself is kind of a mess.

I don't know if there's a harder movie to recommend than Shoah? I mean, who wants to sign up for 10 hours of the holocaust? I could probably get someone to watch My Little Pony before I got them to watch this documentary, which interviews people who actually experienced the atrocities firsthand. It's an incredibly grueling experience, but a remarkably beautiful one as well.

Directed by Akira Kurosawa. That's it, that's all you need to know. If for whatever reason that doesn't sell you on three hours of samurai entertainment, then the fact that movies like Star Wars and Once Upon a Time in the West were inspired by it might.

Arguably the least-seen title on this list, Children of Paradise remains one of the greatest examples of long-form cinema. The script is one of the finest ever written, with lyrical asides about endless subjects, and the story of four men vying for the same girl remains impossibly joyous. Just because people haven't seen it doesn't mean the film isn't worth watching.

Andrei Rublev is a perfect movie. No, we will not take any questions on the matter. You might be asking, "What is Andrei Rublev?" "Why is it so long?" Why would I watch a movie about a religious painter?" To which I say, just watch the movie!

Watching Leonardo DiCaprio con his way through Wall Street is one of the more unique pleasures in cinema. The same can be said for his character's girlfriend, Margot Robbie, who has been on the mind of every guy since they first watched it. Let's just say that showers became a lot longer in households with teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17.

Terrence Mallick could make a movie any length and I'd probably watch it. One of his longest titles, The Thin Red Line, doesn't feel like it's anywhere near three hours. The poetic images, profound ideas and war scenes help the movie fly right by. It's a wonderful piece of cinema.