Movies are often seen as a gateway into the past. A lot of times, filmmakers use this craft to explore different points in history to promote a distinct emotional reaction from the audience. Thus, a lot of film buffs believe that historical movies should stick to the facts in order to be successful in the industry.

Yet, that isn't always the case. It's no secret that screenwriters twist the truth in order to fit their narrative, but some creatives tell bold-faced lies to their audience in order to keep the plot moving. However, some films perform so much better when the writers tell a few white lies.

Ridley Scott's Gladiator follows a former General named Maximus Decimus Meridius who is forced into slavery when Emperor Commodus murders his family. With an all-star cast, a thrilling plot, and exceptional effects, it comes as no surprise that the film swiftly became a cult classic. Although Gladiator features a ton of real-life figures, including Marcus Aurelius and Lucilla, the protagonist is completely fictionalized.

Not to mention, a lot of the customs they used throughout this film were not seen throughout Ancient Rome. Despite all of this, the film managed to stand at the forefront of popular culture for many years. Audiences don't really care that some of the timelines don't match up because Gladiator manages to keep them on the edge of their seats in a way that other films just can't.

Brendan Fraser is always praised for his quick wit and unique acting style, both of which can be seen throughout the 1999 hit The Mummy. Based on the Universal Monsters movie of the same name, Fraser leads a group of explorers who accidentally awaken a dangerous mummy who plans to end the world. A fun look at action-horror, it works so well beicnase it's set in the early 1900s.

While a lot of this film takes place in Cairo, it doesn't offer a lot of factual information about the area. Aside from the fact that Humunaptra is completely made up, The Mummy struggles to pin down the truth about mummification and the Egyptians' beliefs about the afterlife. That being said, The Mummy wowed fans at the box office and managed to produce a series of amazing sequels. So, while the film shouldn't be used in history lessons, it does a great job of using these concepts to build the foundations of a great action movie.

Starring Ben Affleck and John Goodman, Argo is set at the height of the US hostage crisis in Iran back in 1979. The CIA is well aware that the clock is ticking, and they need to save the US embassy workers before they are executed. So they recruit Tony Mendez to help them out. Mendez and his accomplices pretend to be Canadian filmmakers so that they can enter Iran without drawing attention to themselves.

Argo is slick, stylish, and off-beat. However, the film tends to focus a lot more on the CIA's influence and doesn't touch on Canada's role in the plan. In fact, Jimmy Carter later revealed that Ben Affleck's character was only in Iran for just over a day, and the Canadians did the rest of the hard work. Yet, Argo tells a very unusual story and showcases that even the most obscure cases deserve a Hollywood overlay occasionally.

Remember the Titans is a deeply emotive film that centers around Herman Boone, the head coach of T.C. Williams High School. In the story, all of the other schools in the area are segregated, but Boone and his team showcase that race doesn't mean anything when it comes to the playing field. Overall, the story is extremely touching, but there's no denying that the writer, Gregory Allen Howard, toyed with the truth.

Remember the Titans is set in 1971, but desegregation occurred in 1963. So, while racial tensions were obviously very high during this time, they weren't as divisive as they were a few years earlier. Although this disappointed a lot of fans at first, this film relies on heart rather than facts. Denzel Washington is an absolute powerhouse who manages to depict Herman Boone in an inspirational light without making it too sycophantic.

In the grand scheme of things, James Cameron's epic Titanic is actually quite accurate. The film details a lot about the ship and its later wreck, but one of the film's major drawing points was completely fictionalized. It may crush hopeless romantics to discover that Jack Dawson and Rose Calvert were just products of Cameron's imagination.

But, even with its inaccuracies, Cameron's falsehoods certainly didn't impact the film's popularity. In contrast, audiences and critics believe that these characters act as useful vehicles for pushing the plot forward. So, it seems that all the positive parts of this film are completely false, but unfortunately, the tragedies are painfully real.

The Favourite is a remarkably funny and scandalous drama that depicts the rivalry between Sarah Churchill and her cousin Abigail Hill. Thus, the women continue to fight over who will be in the court's favor as Anne drifts further into her golden years. While the feud between Churchill and Hill is very much true, The Favourite takes liberties with Abigail's sexual relationship with Anne.

A lot of scholars believe that it was highly unlikely that Anne was sleeping with Sarah, mostly because the language used throughout their letters wasn't in line with the sexual innuendos used during the time. However, their intimacy is a huge part of the film and certainly helps to make things a lot more exciting. Plus, the film also uses a ton of historical inaccuracies to entertain the audiences, such as Anne's obsession with hoarding rabbits.

The Imitation Game is a gripping story about how codebreaker, Alan Turing, reduced the duration of World War II by two years. The film is set in Bletchley Park and stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley, making it a true British spy thriller. However, the film fails to speak truthfully about Turing and his wondrous machine.

The film presents the idea that there was only one Enigma-breaking machine and that it was constructed by Turing himself. In reality, these machines were called Bombes, and there were over 200 of them in Bletchley Park alone, and many of them were built in collaboration with the Polish. However, The Imitation Game should be praised for its cultural impact. Once audiences learned about Turing and his work, they were sickened by how he was treated, particularly for being gay. In 2013, Queen Elizabeth II granted him a posthumous Royal Pardon alongside 49,000 wrongly convicted gay men.

After Edward I of England conquered Scotland in 1280, William Wallace witnessed the killing of many of his family members. In response, he launches a rebellion like none other and will stop at nothing until he can reclaim his home. Teeming with passion and vitality, Braveheart is arguably one of the best films of the late 20th century. Sadly, it's also one of the most inaccurate.

While it's understandable that the writers wouldn't be able to gain much concrete information about William Wallace, many believe that the film's cultural faux pas are just as bad. For example, the Scots wear belted plaids throughout the film. Not only were these not even introduced until the 16th century, but the characters dressed them in a very bizarre style that would not have been used during that time. Aside from all of its apparent lies, Braveheart embodies the inherent nature of independence and ambition, making it a must-watch for action lovers.

It's evident that Shakespeare in Love is a glorified parody, but the film is still tarnished by a glaring inaccuracy. The story focuses on William Shakespeare as he tries to pen Romeo & Juliet but gets distracted by his brooding love affair with Viola de Lesseps. Although the film doesn't claim to be a documentary of any sort, the plot relies on a pretty big lie.

Shakespeare would not have struggled to write Romeo & Juliet because the Bard simply adapted the plot from another story named The Tragical History of Romeous and Juliet. Back in the 16th century, playwrights were encouraged to replicate key plot points and characters from others, making it very unlikely that Shakespeare ever had an original idea. However, this film is a soppy love story that manages to charm audiences with its wit and sensuality.

While 300 does a great job of bringing its source material to the big screen, a lot of audiences argue that it skimps out on the history. The epic follows King Leonidas as he prepares an army of 300 Spartans to defeat the Persian king Xerxes. While the film is very visually compelling and offers a riveting narrative, it tends to show the Persians in an inaccurate light.

Many scholars believe that 300 romanticizes the Spartans and presents them as the ultimate warriors, while the Persians are presented as typical antagonists. Thus, many see this as a battle between the East and the West, rather than a conflict of civilizations. Not to mention the comical enemies that the Spartans fought who never appeared outside of Frank Miller's comic adaptation. That being said, 300 uses a wealth of choreography to make the fight scenes look as intriguing as possible. Thus, 300 has a habit of reducing this battle down to good or bad but still manages to captivate the audience with its cinematic techniques.