4 Classic Films Gen Z Viewers Say Are Worth Watching

Old movies have a reputation problem with younger audiences. The assumption is that black and white footage and slower pacing will send anyone under thirty straight back to their phone. The evidence points the other way.

A survey commissioned by LG Electronics asked young Brits about the classics they revisit. Over half of Gen Z and millennial respondents enjoy re-watching classic black and white films, and a clear majority rejected the idea that only older generations like them. The survey dates from 2022 and includes millennials alongside Gen Z, so it’s a snapshot, not a verdict. Still, four titles from its list stand out.

It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

Frank Capra’s holiday staple topped the list. It was named by about one third of respondents (33 percent), and the survey calls it a tearjerker. That’s a strong showing for a film that’s now eighty years old.

The story follows George Bailey, a small town man who feels his life has amounted to nothing until he’s shown what the town would look like without him. It’s sentimental, yes, though it also has a surprisingly dark middle stretch about money worries and despair. Younger viewers dealing with financial pressure may find it hits closer to home than they’d expect.

Psycho (1960)

Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller was close behind. The survey put Psycho at 29 percent, so nearly three in ten respondents said they’d re-watched it. Horror and suspense tend to age better than most genres, and this one is a good example.

The film runs on tension, sharp editing and Bernard Herrmann’s screeching string score, not on gore. Its famous shower scene still gets studied in film classes and copied in parodies. Anyone who has picked up on its twist secondhand can still find plenty to admire in how carefully it’s built.

Casablanca (1942)

Casablanca sits a little lower on the list, but it’s a reliable pick. The survey recorded it at 20 percent, alongside To Kill a Mockingbird, meaning roughly one in five respondents had gone back to it. That’s not bad for a wartime romance made in the early 1940s.

Humphrey Bogart plays Rick, a cynical nightclub owner in Morocco who has to choose between love and doing the right thing when his former partner walks in. The dialogue is quick and quotable, and the film moves faster than its reputation suggests. It also runs under two hours, which suits modern attention spans well.

12 Angry Men (1957)

Here’s the quietest entry, and arguably the most gripping. The survey has 12 Angry Men at 11 percent, or about one in ten respondents. Sidney Lumet’s film takes place almost entirely inside one jury room.

Twelve jurors debate a murder case, and one holds out against a rushed guilty verdict. There are no chases or effects, just people talking, sweating and slowly changing their minds. It’s a useful reminder that a tight script and strong performances can hold attention as well as any spectacle.