Last updated March 2024
Want to dive into highly celebrated Best Adventure Movies 2003 right away? We put together an expert list of 30 marvelous Best Adventure Movies 2003 locked and loaded for your viewing experience. With through-the-roof ratings from IMDB critics and our own discerning users, these titles are as good as entertainment gets. Lend a hand by voting for the Best Adventure Movies 2003 you think deserve even more acclaim. We value your help in highlighting the cream of the crop!
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Plot Summary:
Aragorn is revealed as the heir to the ancient kings as he, Gandalf and the other members of the broken fellowship struggle to save Gondor from Sauron's forces. Meanwhile, Frodo and Sam bring the ring closer to the heart of Mordor, the dark lord's realm
Duration: 201 min
IMDB Rating: 9.0/10
IMDB Votes: 19000000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Country: New Zealand, USA
Plot tags: sword fight, wizard, magic, magical, battles, creature, courage, monster, friendship, sword and sorcery, good versus evil, medieval, sorcerer, ancient, middle earth, heroic mission, race against time, hobbit, imaginary kingdom, imaginary, journey, army, warrior, elf, save the world
Anbe Sivam (2003)
Plot Summary:
Nalla Sivam and Anbarasu meet under different circumstances and their lives are changed as they take the journey of their life
Duration: 160 min
IMDB Rating: 8.6/10
IMDB Votes: 25000
Genere: Adventure, Comedy, Drama
Country: India
Plot tags: life changing experience, communism, atheism, odd couple, accident, self discovery, social differences, introspection, tragic love, terrorism, destiny, fall in love, social relations, capitalist, secret, disability, compassion, recovery, motivation, discovery, adventurer, slice of life, self awareness, innovation, airport
Finding Nemo (2003)
Plot Summary:
Nemo, an adventurous young clownfish, is unexpectedly taken from his Great Barrier Reef home to a dentist's office aquarium. It's up to his worrisome father Marlin and a friendly but forgetful fish Dory to bring Nemo home -- meeting vegetarian sharks, surfer dude turtles, hypnotic jellyfish, hungry seagulls, and more along the way
Duration: 100 min
IMDB Rating: 8.2/10
IMDB Votes: 11000000
Genere: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Family
Country: USA, Japan
Plot tags: friendship, underwater, shark, memory loss, father son relationship, animal, freedom, courage, single father, rescue, odd couple, talking animal, fish, amnesia, escape attempt, parent child relationship, father son reunion, ocean, anthropomorphism, pelican, protective father, friends, sea, overprotective father, obstacle
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
Plot Summary:
Jack Sparrow, a freewheeling 17th-century pirate, quarrels with a rival pirate bent on pillaging Port Royal. When the governor's daughter is kidnapped, Sparrow decides to help the girl's love save her
Duration: 143 min
IMDB Rating: 8.1/10
IMDB Votes: 12000000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Country: USA
Plot tags: pirate, treasure hunt, ship, fantasy world, treasure, captain, sword fight, pirate ship, pirate captain, swashbuckler, curses spells and rituals, boat, escapades, supernatural, tombs and skeletons, sailing, love, alcoholic, young woman, british empire, caribbean sea, theft, immortality, sea battle, weirdo
Big Fish (2003)
Plot Summary:
Throughout his life Edward Bloom has always been a man of big appetites, enormous passions and tall tales. In his later years, he remains a huge mystery to his son, William. Now, to get to know the real man, Will begins piecing together a true picture of his father from flashbacks of his amazing adventures
Duration: 125 min
IMDB Rating: 8.0/10
IMDB Votes: 454000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Country: USA
Plot tags: fish, journey, surrealism, father son relationship, fantasy world, storytelling, loneliness, mermaid, magic realism, death, magic, childhood, parents and children, hopes, small town, self discovery, witch, true love, cancer, imagination, on the road, relationships, death of father, heartwarming, human spirit
Tokyo Godfathers (2003)
Plot Summary:
One Christmas Eve three people, a middle-aged alcoholic named Gin, a former drag queen Hana and a dependent runaway girl Miyuki, discover an abandoned newborn while looking through the garbage
Duration: 92 min
IMDB Rating: 7.8/10
IMDB Votes: 45000
Genere: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Drama
Country: Japan
Plot tags: holiday, christmas, homeless, transgender, baby, friends, parents and children, life is a bitch, friendship, gay, loneliness, lgbt, runaway, melancholy, lgbtq, snow, homelessness, society, new year, lgbtqi, humour, group of friends, help, uncover truth, mafia
Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem (2003)
Plot Summary:
A sci-fi anime House-musical movie collaboration between Daft Punk--and their music--and designer Leiji Matsumoto. During the recording of their DISCOVERY album and using the themes of sci-fi celebrity, decadence and space travel, Daft Punk--with help from Cedric Hervet--wrote the story and inspired seasoned Japanese animators to symbiotically create this stunning space musical
Duration: 68 min
IMDB Rating: 7.8/10
IMDB Votes: 15000
Genere: Animation, Adventure, Music, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan, France
Plot tags: music, space and aliens, self discovery, music business, space travel, musician's life, rising to stardom, rescue, space, music band, escapades, ambition, lifestyle, dishonesty, benign alien, heroic mission, dancing, trippy, space opera, clubbing, stoner, migration, worship, nemesis, generation y
The Triplets of Belleville (2003)
Plot Summary:
When her grandson is kidnapped during the Tour de France, Madame Souza and her beloved pooch Bruno team up with the Belleville Sisters--an aged song-and-dance team from the days of Fred Astaire--to rescue him
Duration: 80 min
IMDB Rating: 7.7/10
IMDB Votes: 56000
Genere: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Music, Sport
Country: France, Belgium, Canada, UK, Latvia, USA
Plot tags: dog, cycling, tour de france, very little dialogue, bicycle, dream, chase, mafia, boy, friendship, rescue, escapades, danger, old woman, friends, championship, melancholy, eccentricity, boat, sister sister relationship, grandmother grandson relationship, journey, darkness, rivalry, european
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)
Plot Summary:
After an abrupt and violent encounter with a French warship inflicts severe damage upon his ship, a captain of the British Royal Navy begins a chase over two oceans to capture or destroy the enemy, though he must weigh his commitment to duty and ferocious pursuit of glory against the safety of his devoted crew, including the ship's thoughtful surgeon, his best friend
Duration: 138 min
IMDB Rating: 7.5/10
IMDB Votes: 234000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, War
Country: USA
Plot tags: ship, napoleonic wars, navy, battles, sea battle, leadership, heroic mission, friendship, naval battle, sea, royal navy, ocean, military, expedition, battleship, uninhibited rivalry, british navy, sailing, spy, obsessive quest, ship captain, escapades, rivalry, seafaring, war hero
Cold Mountain (2003)
Plot Summary:
In this classic story of love and devotion set against the backdrop of the American Civil War, a wounded Confederate soldier named W.P. Inman deserts his unit and travels across the South, aiming to return to his young wife, Ada, who he left behind to tend their farm. As Inman makes his perilous journey home, Ada struggles to keep their home intact with the assistance of Ruby, a mysterious drifter sent to help her by a kindly neighbor
Duration: 154 min
IMDB Rating: 7.2/10
IMDB Votes: 154000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Romance, War
Country: USA, Italy, Romania, UK
Plot tags: american civil war, love story, survival, civil war, tragic love, war, loss of family member, wartime, getting home, slavery, loss of loved one, military, star crossed lovers, tragic romance, redemption, lovers reunited, friendship, soldier, danger, tragic event, couple relations, snow, attempted rape, lovers apart, destiny
Elf (2003)
Plot Summary:
When young Buddy falls into Santa's gift sack on Christmas Eve, he's transported back to the North Pole and raised as a toy-making elf by Santa's helpers. But as he grows into adulthood, he can't shake the nagging feeling that he doesn't belong. Buddy vows to visit Manhattan and find his real dad, a workaholic publisher
Duration: 97 min
IMDB Rating: 7.1/10
IMDB Votes: 298000
Genere: Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Romance
Country: USA
Plot tags: christmas, holiday, christmas spirit, father son relationship, santa claus, north pole, christmas season, corporate world, adoption, goofy hero, snow, winter, elf, christmas eve, man child, toys, parenthood, orphan, tickling, xmas, fantasy world, creativity, fish out of water, new year, baby
Holes (2003)
Plot Summary:
Stanley's family is cursed with bad luck. Unfairly sentenced to months of detention at Camp Green Lake, he and his campmates are forced by the warden to dig holes in order to build character. What they don't know is that they are digging holes in order to search for a lost treasure hidden somewhere in the camp
Duration: 117 min
IMDB Rating: 7.0/10
IMDB Votes: 98000
Genere: Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Family, Mystery
Country: USA
Plot tags: treasure hunt, treasure, curse, desert, camp, friendship, interracial romance, youth, coming of age, children, warden, boy, judge, misfit, prison, rebelliousness, hopes, curses spells and rituals, wrongful conviction, underdog, kids and family, heartwarming, excavation, jail, prison escape
Brother Bear (2003)
Plot Summary:
When an impulsive boy named Kenai is magically transformed into a bear, he must literally walk in another's footsteps until he learns some valuable life lessons. His courageous and often zany journey introduces him to a forest full of wildlife, including the lovable bear cub Koda, hilarious moose Rutt and Tuke, woolly mammoths and rambunctious rams
Duration: 85 min
IMDB Rating: 6.8/10
IMDB Votes: 121000
Genere: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Musical
Country: USA, Japan
Plot tags: friendship, unlikely friendships, brother brother relationship, brotherhood, bear, talking animal, turned into an animal, survival, self sacrifice, wilderness, native american, transformation, revenge, redemption, vengeance, animal life, self discovery, human becomes animal, animal, sibling relationship, sibling rivalry, life philosophy, tribe, bear attack, heroes
Peter Pan (2003)
Plot Summary:
In stifling Edwardian London, Wendy Darling mesmerizes her brothers every night with bedtime tales of swordplay, swashbuckling and the fearsome Captain Hook. But the children become the heroes of an even greater story, when Peter Pan flies into their nursery one night and leads them over moonlit rooftops through a galaxy of stars and to the lush jungles of Neverland
Duration: 113 min
IMDB Rating: 6.8/10
IMDB Votes: 79000
Genere: Adventure, Family, Fantasy, Romance
Country: UK, USA, Australia
Plot tags: childhood, pirate, fantasy world, fairy, children, boy, magic, teenager, imaginary kingdom, young heroes, friendship, youth, mermaid, first love, imagination, imaginary, island, pirate ship, peter pan, pirate captain, child, captain, heroes, father daughter relationship, boy hero
Azumi (2003)
Plot Summary:
In war-torn Japan, the Tokugawa Shogun, desperate to restore peace to his people, orders the assassination of the hostile warlords. A beautiful young woman is raised from birth with nine other orphans, to become an assassin. Her name is Azumi, the ultimate assassin
Duration: 128 min
IMDB Rating: 6.8/10
IMDB Votes: 15000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Thriller
Country: Japan
Plot tags: martial arts, ninja, samurai, vengeance, gory, brutality, good versus evil, kung fu, storytelling, medieval, danger, introspection, elimination, sword, heroes, fight, asian history, honest, revenge, violence, death, sword fight, blood, gore, female assassin
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003)
Plot Summary:
The sailor of legend is framed by the goddess Eris for the theft of the Book of Peace, and must travel to her realm at the end of the world to retrieve it and save the life of his childhood friend Prince Proteus
Duration: 88 min
IMDB Rating: 6.7/10
IMDB Votes: 58000
Genere: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy
Country: USA, Canada
Plot tags: pirate, mythology, treasure hunt, sinbad, arabian nights, chase, treasure, swashbuckler, heroes, danger, good versus evil, friendship, sea monster, giant bird, sea adventure, adventurer, sailor, daring rescue, rivalry, sword fight, talking animal, destiny, greed, wizard, heroic mission
The Rundown (2003)
Plot Summary:
When Travis, the mouthy son of a criminal, disappears in the Amazon in search of a treasured artifact, his father sends in Beck, who becomes Travis's rival for the affections of Mariana, a mysterious Brazilian woman. With his steely disposition, Beck is a man of few words -- but it takes him all the discipline he can muster to work with Travis to nab a tyrant who's after the same treasure
Duration: 104 min
IMDB Rating: 6.6/10
IMDB Votes: 114000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Thriller
Country: USA
Plot tags: treasure hunt, jungle, treasure, buddy, lone hero, chase, bounty hunter, fight, gold, tough guy, respect, amazon rainforest, heroes, hunter, slavery, beautiful scenery, escapades, hunting, career, master warrior, chases and races, tough heroes, treasure hunter, wrestling, archaeology
The Missing (2003)
Plot Summary:
When rancher and single mother of two Maggie Gilkeson sees her teenage daughter, Lily, kidnapped by Apache rebels, she reluctantly accepts the help of her estranged father, Samuel, in tracking down the kidnappers. Along the way, the two must learn to reconcile the past and work together if they are going to have any hope of getting Lily back before she is taken over the border and forced to become a prostitute
Duration: 137 min
IMDB Rating: 6.5/10
IMDB Votes: 38000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Thriller, Western
Country: USA
Plot tags: native american, kidnapping, redemption, cowboy, gunfight, father daughter relationship, indians, rescue, native, reconciliation, family relations, parents and children, rebellion, danger, rebelliousness, hopes, modern western, modern west, hostage, missing person, mother daughter relationship, apache, wild west, snake, torture
Dead End (2003)
Plot Summary:
Christmas Eve. On his way to his in-laws with his family, Frank Harrington decides to try a shortcut, for the first time in 20 years. It turns out to be the biggest mistake of his life
Duration: 85 min
IMDB Rating: 6.5/10
IMDB Votes: 32000
Genere: Adventure, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: France
Plot tags: time loop, forest, ghost, supernatural horror, danger, wrong place wrong time, fear, supernatural, road trip, gory, survival, family relations, time travel, holiday horror, family problems, christmas, cabin in the woods, apocalypse, time, gore, plot twist, terror, redneck, lost in the woods, characters killed one by one
Ned Kelly (2003)
Plot Summary:
After getting threatened by Kelly's friends and family, Constable Fitzpatrick places the blame on Ned Kelly and exaggerates what happened. With the biggest ever award available, Kelly and his gang set into the wild, to remain hidden from everyone who seeks them. Even if it means having his family arrested, the Kelly Gang stay hidden and plan a way to get their names cleared
Duration: 110 min
IMDB Rating: 6.4/10
IMDB Votes: 28000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Biography, Crime, Drama, History, Romance, Western
Country: Australia, UK, USA, France
Plot tags: folk hero, biopic, injustice, gang, bank robbery, wilderness, revenge, resistance, lawlessness, life is a bitch, ambition, false accusation, rise and fall, unfulfillment, capture, heroes, family relations, society, modern western, modern west, gunfight, violence, death, betrayal, aborigine
Beyond Borders (2003)
Plot Summary:
Beyond Borders is an epic tale of the turbulent romance between two star-crossed lovers set against the backdrop of the world's most dangerous hot spots. Academy Award winner Angelina Jolie stars as Sarah Jordan, an American living in London in 1984. She is married to Henry Bauford son of a wealthy British industrialist, when she encounters Nick Callahan a renegade doctor, whose impassioned plea for help to support his relief efforts in war-torn Africa moves her deeply. As a result, Sarah embarks upon a journey of discovery that leads to danger, heartbreak and romance in the far corners of the world
Duration: 127 min
IMDB Rating: 6.4/10
IMDB Votes: 29000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Romance, War
Country: Germany, USA
Plot tags: charity, un, unfaithful wife, war, love, survival, brutality, corruption, abroad, surgery, starvation, life & death, love story, love affair, landmine, border, desert, pianist, obsessive quest, love of one's life, rich and poor, love and romance, fall in love, danger, protest
Shanghai Knights (2003)
Plot Summary:
The dynamic duo of Chon Wang and Roy O'Bannon return for another crazy adventure. This time, they're in London to avenge the murder of Chon's father, but end up on an even bigger case. Chon's sister is there to do the same, but instead unearths a plot to kill the royal family. No one believes her, though, and it's up to Chon and Roy (who has romance on his mind) to prove her right
Duration: 114 min
IMDB Rating: 6.2/10
IMDB Votes: 111000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Comedy
Country: Hong Kong, USA
Plot tags: martial arts, buddy, murder, chase, creativity, good versus evil, fight scenes, friends, partner, female martial artist, two man army, chases and races, odd couple, sword fight, emperor, misfit, conspiracy, rivalry, imperialism, amateur detective, dishonesty, unlikely partners, disorder, buddy cop, heroes
Johnny English (2003)
Plot Summary:
Rowan plays the eponymous lead character in a spoof spy thriller. During the course of the story we follow our hero as he attempts to single-handedly save the country from falling into the hands of a despot
Duration: 89 min
IMDB Rating: 6.2/10
IMDB Votes: 172000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Comedy
Country: UK, France
Plot tags: spy, agent, secret service, goofy hero, comedy of errors, british, secret agent, farce, espionage, heroes, spy spoof, heist, spy hero, danger, save the day, chase, creativity, stupidity, sarcasm, 007, mistaken identity, secret service agent, fistfight, clumsiness, spying
Stitch! The Movie (2003)
Plot Summary:
The continuing adventures of Lilo, a little Hawaiian girl, and Stitch, the galaxy's most wanted extraterrestrial. Stitch, Pleakley, and Dr. Jumba are all part of the household now. But what Lilo and Stitch don't know is that Dr. Jumba brought one of his alien "experiments" to Hawaii
Duration: 60 min
IMDB Rating: 6.1/10
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Plot tags: friendship, rescue, escapades, disorder, odd couple, young heroes, save the day, benign alien, love, teenager, child protagonist, family relations, space and aliens, friends, misfit, rivalry, mad scientist, heroic mission, dog, alien, spacecraft, pilot, surrealism, furry, sister sister relationship
S.W.A.T. (2003)
Plot Summary:
Hondo Harrelson recruits Jim Street to join an elite unit of the Los Angeles Police Department. Together they seek out more members, including tough Deke Kay and single mom Chris Sanchez. The team's first big assignment is to escort crime boss Alex Montel to prison. It seems routine, but when Montel offers a huge reward to anyone who can break him free, criminals of various stripes step up for the prize
Duration: 117 min
IMDB Rating: 6.1/10
IMDB Votes: 153000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Crime, Thriller
Country: USA
Plot tags: swat, swat team, police, basic training, police brutality, sniper, tough law enforcer, corrupt cop, hostage, shootout, law enforcement, squad, reluctant partners, violence, chase, police officer, gunfight, police investigation, undercover cop, special forces, drug lord, justice, crime boss, urban setting, car chase
Grind (2003)
Plot Summary:
Four skaters follow their idol on his summer tour in an attempt to get noticed, get sponsored, and become stars themselves
Duration: 105 min
IMDB Rating: 5.9/10
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Adventure, Comedy, Sport
Country: USA
Plot tags: skateboard, road trip, friendship, underdog, high school, lifestyle, rivalry, ambition, partner, contests and competitions, friendship between men, college, teenager, desert, snowboard, punk, skater, snowboarding, extreme sport, stoner, extreme sports, drunk, jackass, kickass, on the road
Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003)
Plot Summary:
Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck are up to their feuding ways again. Tired of playing second fiddle to Bugs, Daffy has decided to leave the Studio for good. He is aided by Warner Bros.' humor impaired Vice President of Comedy, Kate Houghton, who releases him from his contract and instructs WB security guard/aspiring stunt man DJ Drake to capture and "escort" Daffy off the studio lot
Duration: 93 min
IMDB Rating: 5.8/10
IMDB Votes: 40000
Genere: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Family
Country: Germany, USA
Plot tags: looney tunes, chase, rescue, danger, treasure hunt, heroic mission, rabbit, secret agent, movie business, escapades, obsessive quest, 007, destiny, spy, monkey, wilhelm scream, anthropomorphic animal, duck, uncover truth, jungle, transformation, spy spoof, children, devil, alien invasion
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003)
Plot Summary:
To prevent a world war from breaking out, famous characters from Victorian literature band together to do battle against a cunning villain
Duration: 110 min
IMDB Rating: 5.8/10
IMDB Votes: 182000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Country: USA, Germany, Czech Republic, UK
Plot tags: steampunk, vampire, superhero, adventurer, comic book, heroic mission, secret service, immortality, comic hero, ghost ship, alternate reality, alter ego, female vampire, danger, save the world, betrayal, transformation, submarine, alternate history, dracula, superpower, jekyll and hyde, alternate universe, zeppelin, monster
Open Water (2003)
Plot Summary:
Two divers are left out at sea without a boat. There’s nothing but water for miles, unless they look at what’s underneath them
Duration: 79 min
IMDB Rating: 5.8/10
IMDB Votes: 56000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Horror, Thriller
Country: USA
Plot tags: survival, shark, stranded, isolation, shark attack, diving, ocean, panic, lost at sea, animal attack, water, fish, shipwreck, ship, disaster, vacation, loneliness, sea monster, underwater, fear, abandonment, sea, nature, dangerous animal, danger
Timeline (2003)
Plot Summary:
A group of archaeological students become trapped in the past when they go there to retrieve their professor. The group must survive in 14th century France long enough to be rescued
Duration: 116 min
IMDB Rating: 5.6/10
IMDB Votes: 65000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, War
Country: USA
Plot tags: time travel, knight, medieval, archaeology, time machine, changing the past or future, danger, twists and turns, time loop, sorcery, parallel universe, time, father son relationship, back in time, excavation, getting home, disorder, hopes, riddles and clues, kingdom, archery, sword and sorcery, mad scientist, parallel world, hunting