When talking about action films in recent years, the audiences’ expectations and standards have changed (and been risen). When we used to welcome car explosions and fight scenes with stunt men, we have now come to expect the best of what CGI has to offer.

There have been many great action movies in recent years, but the following are some of my favorites.

The Dark Knight had everything an action movie ought to have. There was suspense, explosions, and several stunts that we have never seen before. Not all action movies are actually great films, but The Dark Knight received a ton of critical acclaim, and with good reason.

Another film that was packed with incredible action was The Matrix: Reloaded. While the film was not as complete as the original in terms of storylines, they upped the ante in this sequel with insane sequences.

When it comes to the best action movie audiences have been exposed to in recent years, however, the award goes to Avatar. Futuristic war scenes on another planet out of the mind of James Cameron with 10-foot tall blue aliens on dinosaur like birds against an American military? Yes please.

While people love the Lord Of The Rings trilogy, my favorite film in this series for action was the second film, The Two Towers. The battle for Middle Earth takes a turn for the worse in this film, up until the famous battle at the fort scene. Also having trees hurling boulders never hurts an action sequence.

Give Michael Bay credit where its due. The guy may not make quality movies, but he knows action. The latest Transformers movie did not disappoint with action scenes and left my jaw open several times.

Hopefully there are some films on this list that you have yet to see. If you are a fan of action films, they are all worth checking out.

This author also often writes about things such as cement paint and the microwave toaster.