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Immortality is one of the topics that have the advantage of being versatile. It can appear in movies of many genres, such as fantasy, science fiction, drama, romance, or even comedy. A lot of the time, the filmmakers approach it seriously, but that isn't always a given.
Some of the best movies that work with this topic portray immortality as something that makes a person's life more difficult and torments them because they can no longer build meaningful relationships with other people. Anybody interested in imagining what an immortal life could be like has multiple great movies to choose from.
5 Interview With The Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994)
Movies about vampires often revolve around the topic of immortality. Unlike immortal humans, vampires have the misfortune of having to satiate their thirst for blood, which causes even more trouble for them than immortality itself. Technically, vampires in this movie can be killed, but considering their longevity and strength, they're as close to immortal as they come.
The movie gives the biggest space to Louis, played by Brad Pitt, who becomes a vampire after encountering the charming but dangerous Lestat (Tom Cruise) - and he doesn't stop regretting it even centuries later. The movie delves deep into the mind of the main narrator - Louis as he's being interviewed - and shows all the losses connected to his immortal life, most notably the death of his young warden/daughter Claudia (Kirsten Dunst in one of her first major movie roles).
4 Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl (2003)
Unlike other movies that focus on the topic of immortality, The Curse of the Black Pearl gives space to a lot of other themes, but immortality is still highly important in it. Some immortal beings might say that living forever is a curse. In this case, it's indeed a curse as a group of pirates, led by Geoffrey Rush's Captain Barbossa, have been cursed to live forever.
However, with the disadvantage of the fact that they can't taste anything, they don't enjoy food, or another's touch. And they're more dead than alive, as the moonlight reveals their true form. The first of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, fortunately, isn't cruel to its characters, so the curse is broken in the end and the previously immortal characters return to life.
3 The Man From Earth (2007)
The Man From Earth is a good example of how it is not only possible to make a science fiction movie that doesn't take place in space, but also one set in a single location. The movie centers on John Oldman, a professor who's leaving his job and his friends unexpectedly arrive to say goodbyes to him. While they're visiting him, John confides in them and says he's ten thousand years old, but his friends don't believe him.
The movie has an intelligent script that will keep the audience guessing whether John's telling the truth, is just making fun of his friends or whether it's all a fictional story he's working on. In the end, the truth comes out, and it becomes even more obvious that immortality isn't such a gift. Not only does it force John to move every few years before other people notice that he doesn't seem to age, but in the movie's finale, he's forced to watch his son die. So, even though The Man From Earth ends on a slightly optimistic note, it still comes across as bittersweet at best. Last but not least, the movie is a must-watch for all Star Trek fans, since two prominent actors from the franchise appear in it: John Billingsley and Tony Todd.
2 Dorian Gray (2009)
Another unusual form of immortality appears in this movie based on Oscar Wilde's most famous novel. Dorian Gray is a young and handsome man who stops aging when he makes the wish that his portrait should age instead of him. Unlike other characters who don't wish to become immortal, Dorian desires it. However, as time progresses, he becomes more and more ruthless and cold, hurting and manipulating those around him, proving that even when immortal, characters are seldom satisfied and can still torment other people.
Things turn against Dorian in the end, though. Ben Barnes is fascinating in the leading role, despite the fact that his character is less than sympathetic. The movie stars other well-known names as well, such as Colin Firth, and Fiona Shaw, to name just two. It's not the first adaptation of the story either. A celebrated movie version The Picture of Dorian Gray from 1945 is also a must-watch for all fans of Dorian Gray, and the character also played a significant role in the horror series Penny Dreadful, which is currently streaming on HBO Max.
1 The Age Of Adaline (2015)
Even though Age of Adaline brings the romance genre into the mix, there's still no reason to envy the main heroine. Adaline, portrayed by Blake Lively, stopped aging at 29 after a fateful accident. Since then, she did her best not to let herself get close to anyone because she would have to leave them sooner or later anyway. The movie does a good job of capturing the loneliness an immortal person must face, at least if they don't want to risk seeing their loved ones wither and die.
The good news is that since The Age of Adaline is still primarily a romance movie, it ends up on a more positive note than many other movies working with the theme of immortality. Blake Lively gives a believable performance in the titular role, and the movie has a solid cast overall, most notably, Harrison Ford. It also manages to build a strong retro atmosphere and the mood of times gone is reflected in Adaline's behavior even when she lives in the present days.