We have more than covered the Beatles’ vast catalog, including their top hits and their deep cuts. While it’s their music that ultimately made them the legends we know them as today, there were many aspects to their monumental rise to fame that cannot be overlooked–namely, their movies.
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While their music got people grooving, their movies gave fans access to who they were as people. The Fab Four were goofy, buoyant, and jokesters. Each of their feature films helped to highlight that fact.
In the list below, we’re looking at the four main feature films from the Beatles’ career. We’ve ranked them from worst to best, taking into account their status in the fandom and their critical reception. See what movie we placed at No. 1 below.
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4. Magical Mystery Tour
Magical Mystery Tour has very little semblance of a plot. Though it is looked on more favorably now, it was destroyed by the press at the time of its release. While all of their films had outlandish elements to them, none hold a candle to the disorganization of Magical Mystery Tour. Nevertheless, it is perhaps the Beatles at their most unbridled and as such is treasured by die-hard fans.
3. Yellow Submarine
The Beatles let go of the reins for Yellow Submarine in 1968. The animated feature played on the group’s more childlike tendencies and psychedelic aesthetic. The group tapped other actors to portray them in the project, which played to great appeal with audiences. Though we prefer to see the Fab Four take on all the action, Yellow Submarine is the most unique Beatles film.
2. Help!
Their second film, Help!, was heightened in every sense of the word. Though their first feature, A Hard Day’s Night, also saw the band in a series of wacky adventures, the ones in Help! are all the more bonkers. From cults to ritual sacrifices, Help! is a jarring yet laudable offering in the Beatles’ film catalog.
1. A Hard Day’s Night
No other Beatles movie had quite the same charm as A Hard Day’s Night. The band’s humor was firmly on display as they romped around a day in their lives as rockstars. A Hard Day’s Night helped to capture the height of Beatlemania in a way only the band could: with irreverent charm and a devil-may-care approach to fame.
(Photo by David Redfern/Redferns)
