Meta movies have defied traditional means of storytelling. Whether through on-the-nose imagery or a throw away one liner or two, these films are grounded in self-awareness. This filmmaking style allows the film itself to almost have a conversation with the audience directly. The meta process shatters the fourth wall and immerses the viewer into the world of the movie. It is a clever process of filmmaking that a few motion pictures have set high standards for.

One of the most important and key components of establishing a meta world is having the world be compelling enough for the audience to care. This can be done by having characters that are interesting, relatable and somehow are reaching out to the audience consciously or subconsciously. That relatability will allow for a seamless transition that will bring the audience into the world of the film and the mind of its characters. Here are some of the most prominent.

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9 This is the End

     Sony Pictures Releasing

Who doesn’t want to see a hilarious Seth Rogen and his friends brace for the end of the world? While This is the End isn’t a fourth wall breaking kind of meta, every actor in this film plays themselves as they would in the real world. That is until things really get wild and people get picked off one by one from catastrophes and the devil through parodies of Rosemary’s Baby and The Exorcist.

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There are character conflicts that the actors have with each other that could possibly occur between them in real life; that enjoyable realism makes the rest of the action-packed comedy a thrill to watch, and arguably the funniest apocalyptic movie of all time. Especially seeing the gang in heaven partying with the Backstreet Boys.

8 The Cabin in the Woods

     Lionsgate

Horror tropes have been seen time and time again in films spanning decades. So why not put them all into one film? The Cabin in the Woods is an original story which goes far beyond the cabin walls. There is an eye in the sky who controls everything and anything that happens to the unlucky inhabitants of this desolate hideaway in the middle of nowhere. However, what makes this film so unique is its attention to detail in bringing in a variety of familiar elements and characters from horror films of the past.

7 SpaceBalls

     MGM

While Spaceballs is a brilliant parody of a variety of science fiction films and genre tropes, Mel Brooks incorporates self-aware fourth wall breaking humor. From on-screen battles that leave crew members sliced injured to hilarious bits about film marketing, there are many instances of self-aware humor. One scene in particular exemplifies a movie-within-the-movie style of writing and directing. Rick Moranis’ Dark Helmet watches the video cassette of SpaceBalls to track down Lone Starr, then finds where they are in the middle of making it. He discusses the concept of real time with his right-hand Colonel Sandurz:

6 Blazing Saddles

     Warner Bros.

Mel Brooks is perhaps the king of on the nose and self-aware humor. Blazing Saddles is one of his more meta films due to its movie within a movie story structure. While this may not be revealed until the final swashbuckling moments of the western spoof, it just further makes the audience scratch their heads. However, there is a clash of the western inhabitants versus the famous French Mistake performers, who represent the newer age of Hollywood at the time. It seemed that Brooks was making a commentary about the fight for media relevance between the old dying western genre and the new-age theatrical musical productions. But it goes without mention that this is possibly one of the greatest comedies of the past few decades.

5 Being John Malkovich

     USA Films

The filmmaking duo of Spike Jonze and Charlie Kaufman are notorious for their self-awareness and originality. Being John Malkovich is a rather odd film, but brilliant in its execution of bending reality. The film communicates to the audience this sense of a cartoonish version of our own world, which can be manipulated. As the puppeteer Craig Schwartz (played by John Cusack) discovers the world through the eyes of acclaimed movie star John Malkovich, through a tunnel behind a file cabinet, it only gets purposefully stranger.

4 Deadpool

     20th Century Fox

Ryan Reyonolds gives plenty of winks to the camera, either literally or figuratively, in this critically acclaimed comic book film. Deadpool became instantly popular because it acknowledges the audience through fourth wall breaks by the titular character. The comic book accuracy of this character instantly draws eyes to the screen. Once the audience is hooked after that first intense and hilarously action packed sequence, they get to sit back and allow Wade Wilson to take us all on a ride. It is like the camera is the silent sidekick following Deadpool who is enamored by the attention. A great concept and a fantastic blockbuster which will hold up for decades.

3 Monty Python and the Holy Grail

     20th Century Studios

The Monty Python franchise is quite famous for its unconventional humor that has become a cult success. However, Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a classic amongst most comedies of recent decades. Retelling the story of King Arthur in a way that placates to the audience with trick after trick. From the hilarious opening credit sequence to the wild ending where the characters are faced with the modern reality they were living in. However, a lot of the elements of the film that are unconventional and meta, were actually executed out of budget necessity.

John Cleese told Seth Meyers that the famous half clanking coconuts were used in the place of horse sounds because they could not afford the horses themselves. It unknowingly would become one of the more iconic elements of the film, but done simply out of monetary deficit. Cleese most cleverly states in the interview:

2 Annie Hall

     Rollins-Joffe Production

Woody Allen’s Annie Hall constantly breaks the fourth wall and even brings the audience in on certain instances of wars waged on words and wit. Woody Allen’s dialogue is so unique, as the conversations play almost like action sequences. They take such unpredictable twists and turns… and those turns get quite meta. The movie theater sequence in particular breaks the fourth wall and utilizes the freedom of the movie structure itself to allow its protagonist to win an argument and get his point across. It is followed by one of the more iconic and fitting lines of dialogue in the film:

1 Adaptation

     Columbia Pictures

A film about a writer named Charlie Kaufman adapting the book The Orchid Thief to the big screen, written by a man named Charlie Kaufman who was hired to adapt The Orchid Thief for the big screen, Adaptation is another Spike Jonze and Kaufman collaboration that truly dives deep into the psyche. The character Charlie (played brilliantly by Nicolas Cage), communicates directly to the audience through voice overs. There is also the character of Donald, a twin to Charlie and also played by Cage. This character’s real life (and fictional) counterpart had a share in the Oscar spotlight, as ‘Donald Kaufman’ was nominated for best screenplay along with Charlie. The way in which this film was executed proves that the Kaufman is unbeatable when it comes to writing meta dramas.