The 30 or So Best Movies of the Decade (Plus Some Others)

This was a big decade for movies, but aren’t they all? In the last ten years, we’ve seen streaming services like Netflix become household names; we’ve seen Disney crush its competition and helm the most successful film franchise of all time; we’ve seen cutting-edge technologies on the big screen that can seemingly bring actors back from the dead. Movies have never felt so big and at once so personalized.

We’ve also seen the loss of some major Hollywood figures—Paul Walker, Robin Williams, Alan Rickman, among the most popular. Though perhaps none were as influential to the craft of film as the celebrated movie critic, Roger Ebert. The New York Times said of him, “The force and grace of his opinions propelled film criticism into the mainstream of American culture. Not only did he advise moviegoers about what to see, but also how to think about what they saw.” His reviews and essays alone have shaped my appreciation for film more than anything else.

Though we don’t have Ebert’s take on most of the movies released this past decade, we can still apply his conception of beauty and entertainment to the different features released in theaters. With his legacy in mind, I want to offer a list of what I think are the best movies from the past ten years. Now, it should be noted that I’ve seen a lot of movies, but I haven’t seen them all. I’m sure there are some terrific movies that slipped through the cracks. Also, the criteria for this list is fairly mixed—it’s a combination of what I believe to be objectively great, the influence these films have had or will have on the medium, and the indescribable qualities that make something a favorite. If you have any disagreements, you’re sorely mistaken.

1. Arrival – Though this list is in alphabetical order, I can’t think of a more worthy title to start with. Arrival works precisely as a Sci-Fi flick should. Through earned emotion and subtle writing, it lifts its “What If…” premise to the realm of high art. This Denis Villeneuve project is suspenseful and genuinely touching.
2. Avengers: Infinity War – This best of the decade list could have easily included the original Avengers or the more recent Endgame, but I think cultural touchstone Infinity War has most earned the position. With all the spectacle and humor of any previous MCU entry, this summer tentpole broke box-office records as it delivered a thrilling dark-turn in the massively popular superhero franchise.
3. Before Midnight – 2014’s Boyhood received a lot of notice for its extended production and the unique ability to watch its actors grow-up on screen, but I’ve contended since that time that it is an inferior attempt at what the “Up” series and “Before…” series had already done. Though more pessimistic than its predecessors, Before Midnight thrives on the lead performances of Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy and the paced dialogue of its script.
4. Blackfish – Blackfish was pivotal for the popularity and critical nature of documentaries. Though a little heavy-handed at times, it is a sincere and emotional exploration of the destructive ways we seek entertainment.
5. Eighth Grade – It’s cringey and depressing at times—but always to the movie’s advantage. In his first outing as a director, Burnham excels most in his creative use of diegetic sound and light. He has not created a perfect movie, but one that most fully captures the life of contemporary youth.
6. Ex Machina – Ex Machina is a slow and eerie think piece—dealing with a range of topics including god-complexes, the meaning of life, information ethics, and feminism—that will leave you pondering the film’s meaning long after it’s over. Its strength as a film is reinforced by polished visuals and a suspense-building score.
7. Frozen – Though a host of films from Disney Animation like Tangled, Zootopia, and Moana could have made this list, Frozen is unique in its cultural impact, dynamic soundtrack, and reflectiveness of the studio’s epic fairytale roots to warrant this position.
8. Get Out – Jordan Peele’s first effort as a director may not be the scariest movie of the decade, but its social commentary on cultural appropriation as well as its sense of humor throughout quickly made it a touchstone for these last ten years.
9. Gone Girl – Gone Girl finds David Fincher at the height of his craft. He has meticulously crafted a moody thriller, straddling the line between genre-film and high-art, a master class in suspense and character-driven mystery.
10. The Grand Budapest Hotel – Some may prefer the more innocent Isle of Dogs, but I think The Grand Budapest Hotel is Wes Anderson’s magnum opus for the decade, paralleled across his entire filmography only by The Royal Tenenbaums. Anderson’s style is not my favorite, but the charm and attention to detail embedded in this film cannot be denied.
11. Gravity – This movie reminds me of 2001: A Space Odyssey, but not just because it’s about Space. The movie, as has been pointed out already, is great not for its plot but for its visuals—because Cuaron knows where to place a camera. It reminds me of 2001 because it purposefully and masterfully directs my mind and my gut. Gravity is in complete control of how I feel, thrilling me over its entire runtime.
12. Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 – Two MCU movies on one list? Surely this is a mistake. And the sequel at that? This is no mistake. While the Avengers movies have played to the zeitgeist, the Guardians movies have stood out as a special breed within that franchise. More than any other film, James Gunn’s labors of love have shaped what the superhero genre and current blockbuster are. Deadpool, for instance, is simply a repackaging of the first Guardians movie with a little more blood and swearing thrown in. Now, I did debate for a while which Guardians movie to include, but against the grain, I’ll have to insist that the second movie is the better installment. Its themes of parenthood and family are more rigorously constructed and its visual inventiveness more noteworthy.
13. Hell or High Water – Hell or High Water is a remarkably simple film with grand intent. The movie is set in expansive West Texas—a character of the film in its own right. Near the beginning the idea is presented that the dry, dusty land before us once belonged to the Comanche until the white people took it from them; then it belonged to the white people until the banks took it away from them. This idea of property and justice follows our main characters the entire length of the film as they travel all over the forsaken landscape. Hell or High Water, through each of its four main characters, provides a human portrait, skinned down until the truth of desperation, loyalty, purpose, pride, and especially justice are all laid bare. It is another installment for Neo-Westerns and deals with the common anti-Wall Street themes in many recent movies, yet it transcends as an intimate glance at the lives of those pushed to the edge. In all, the movie is humorous, thrilling, and elegiac.
14. Her – Spike Jonze, a master of visuals, can sometimes be guilty of pretense, of swaddling elementary themes in artistic blankets. Yet in Her, the beauty of his production, the quirkiness of his characters, and the depth of his script converge to tell a wry-yet-soulful story of modern relationships and future technologies.
15. If Beale Street Could Talk – The story is not important here. Yes, what it’s saying needs to be heard, but how it gets there is less important than the mood it strikes along the way. It is only by losing yourself in the warm elegance of this film, as one would with James Baldwin’s original poetic prose, that this film takes on its real importance.
16. Inception – Inception demonstrates Christopher Nolan’s ability to take a genre, the heist film, and completely re-skin and re-imagine it. He does this by building an intriguing world, mastering the ticking-clock element, and utilizing practical effects. It has become a modern blockbuster classic, paralleled only by his earlier Dark Knight, for its craft, scale, and visceral thrills. 
17. Inside Out – Taking on the universal dilemma—and gift—of growing up, Inside Out does what only the animated medium can. Through the parallel stories of adolescent girl Riley and the anthropomorphized emotions inside her head, we get a visual perspective on what it’s like and how it feels to grow up. A large share of the success of this movie is due to, as I said, its medium as well as the writing and performances for the Emotions (namely Joy and Sadness) who are almost more human than their real-world counterpart. The fact that this is the Pixar representative for the decade—competing with other well-crafted, hilarious, and poignant films from the studio like Coco and Toy Story 3—should be a testament to this movie’s merit.
18. Interstellar – Sitting on the edge of my seat, I could not help but wonder how Nolan had stolen all of my childhood dreams. In Interstellar he has finally brought to the big-screen everything I had hoped for and imagined about space in my younger years—and this with added creativity. Through tasteful commentary on ethical systems and giving us McConaughey’s best performance to date, Nolan demonstrates his skill in drama alongside suspense. Furthermore, I cannot help but respect the film’s tributes to 2001 as Nolan works within that legacy. While the film is admittedly flawed, Nolan has done something fantastic here.
19. Lady Bird – Surprisingly humorous, Lady Bird is one of the most poignant and relatable coming-of-age stories in film history. As a solidly crafted movie invested in its own story, it offers a new bar for feminist filmmaking that all should strive to meet.
20. Mad Max: Fury Road – This film is a strong addition to an already strong series. Technically flawless with a breakneck pace, Mad Max: Fury Road is one of those rare movies that is simply a treat to watch. Beyond its practical effects, however, Miller offers in this new entry a blockbuster interested in the human situation.
21. Mission: Impossible – Fallout – Fallout is about as perfect an action movie as they come, quickly outdoing a franchise that is difficult to trump. Mission: Impossible is thrilling and suspenseful throughout, the set-pieces are daring, the cinematography graceful, and the themes cogent. It doubles-down on the ludicrous plotting in order to keep its viewers always at the edge of their seats.
22. Moonlight – Moonlight delivers a slow, saddening portrayal of the marginalized and those left confused in their search for identity. Its meditative pacing and melancholy score work to perfectly highlight its themes and make it one of the most elegant movies of the decade.
23. Nightcrawler – A sleek look at the depravity of human fascination through the lens of a sociopathic cameraman, Nightcrawler’s dark comedy rests on the strength of its lead performance and its engaging soundtrack.
24. Paddington – This movie and its sequel thrive on heart and the basic elements of storytelling. Almost every element of the script is part of a setup and payoff combo, and the movie’s message about being “kind and polite” is worth celebrating. It is the best representative of the New Sincerity in cinema.
25. The Shape of Water – Beautiful, whimsical, and classic—with a strong push of progressivism—for many this was an odd choice for the Academy’s Best Picture prize, but for others it was the obvious choice. Finding Guillermo del Toro in full command of his craft, this science-fiction romance both captures many of the modern world’s sentiments with an exciting movie to back it up.
26. The Social Network – For many, this is the best film of the decade. The Oscar-worthy performances are the tip of the iceberg for a film directed by David Fincher and written by Aaron Sorkin, two creators at the top of their craft. It takes a topic arguably more relevant to its audience than anything else and inserts it into an ambitious and suspenseful script, even if most of it takes place in legal meetings.
27. Sorry to Bother You – Sorry To Bother You is humorous, topical, and stylish, but its place among the best movies of the decade comes mostly from its final act in which the realities of a capitalist-consumerist society are made plain.
28. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse – With the possible exception of Sam Raimi’s second installment, this is the best Spider-Man film to-date—and being the best Spider-Man film counts for a lot given the dramatic weight of the property. This film boasts powerful backstories for several characters and two wonderfully architected arcs for its leads. And, of course, its style is breathtaking in its beauty and originality.
29. The Tree of Life – From the cosmic to the microscopic—through a family that conjures up my own memories—Terrence Malick forces his audience to acknowledge those mighty words God spoke to Job. Many of Malick’s efforts can trip into self-seriousness and pretension, but in this almost-arthouse film, he strikes the perfect balance. Supported by talented actors, The Tree of Life tackles better than any other film the problem of pain.
30. War for the Planet of the Apes – Riveting and beautiful, the second and third “Planet of the Apes” films reinvigorate the known property with intelligence and intimacy. Beyond this, they are both technological achievements of realism. The third movie in particular is gorgeous in every frame, smart, human, and narratively complex (and not just for a summer flick). Though most of its cast are masked by CGI animals, it includes some of the most potent character interactions put to film.
31. Whiplash – Whiplash is intense and well-acted, adding J. K. Simmons to the list of Hollywood beloved. The taut script and filmmaking stretch the viewer as you heart-poundingly follow the artistic arc of the main character. Whiplash established Damien Chazelle as a force to be recognized in the emergent indie director scene.
32. The Witch – Thought-provoking as well as stylistic, eerie, and even beautiful, Robert Eggers’s freshman film manages a feeling of claustrophobia even in the open pre-revolutionary wilderness. The dialogue and moody cinematography add to the distance between the audience and the trapped protagonist of this slow-building horror film.

Also, here’s a brief list of directors, each of which could easily make a list of the greatest directors of all time. A few of them released some of their best work over the decade, some maybe not. But, we should not take any of them for granted—and so here are some of their best movies from the last ten years.

• Paul Thomas Anderson
  1. The Master
  2. Phantom Thread 
  3. Inherent Vice
• The Coen Brothers
  1. Inside Llewyn Davis
  2. True Grit
  3. Hail, Caesar!
  4. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
• Martin Scorsese
  1. Silence
  2. Hugo
  3. Shutter Island
  4. The Wolf of Wall Street
  5. The Irishman (I haven’t actually seen this one)
• Steven Soderbergh
  1. Contagion
  2. Logan Lucky
  3. Unsane
• Steven Spielberg
  1. Lincoln 
  2. Bridge of Spies
• Quentin Tarantino
  1. Django Unchained
  2. Once Upon a Time In Hollywood

And because there are so many good ones, here’s a few more honorable mentions: 12 Years a Slave, The Act of Killing, Baby Driver, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), Black Panther, Black Swan, Blade Runner 2049, Blindspotting, Bridesmaids, Creed, Deadpool, Drive, Edge of Tomorrow, First Reformed, Free Solo, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, It Follows, John Wick 3 – Parabellum (and the rest of the series), Kingsman: The Secret Service, Life Itself, The LEGO Movie, Logan, Looper, Mother!, The Nice Guys, Okja, Pacific Rim, The Raid, The Revenant, Roma, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Snowpiercer, Spotlight, Swiss Army Man, The Wind Rises, Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, What We Do in the Shadows, Zero Dark Thirty.

I think that about covers them all.