The 2000s was adecade filled with technological advancements,fear,and increasingly cinematic television, but it was also a good time for film itself, as a medium. Watching such movies today is interesting, too, given movies from the start of the decade are arguably old enough to be considered classics (you feeling old yet?), and generally, some of the most technically proficient to come out during said decade also hold up eerily well.
There’severy chance many such films will continue holding up as the decades go on, and the 2000s fall back further and further into the past. Some of the best movies from that decade are blockbusters, but others are smaller, personal, and more intimate films that hit hard emotionally, rather than highlighting spectacle. Films from both camps – and those in between – are ranked below, with the following titles all being genuine masterpieces released during the 2000s.
10’Ratatouille' (2007)
Trying to pick thegreatest film of the 2000s released by Pixaris immensely difficult, given the studio didn’t miss between 2001 and 2009 (with the possible exception ofCars, which was still fairly well received). The one that feels most effortlessly great and unique, though, might well beRatatouillewhich, appropriately enough, is a movie all about aspiring to become great and overcoming obstacles in one’s way.
This narrative is told by focusing on a rat who longs to become a chef, and the unlikely bond that forms between him and a bumbling young man who can be quite literally puppeteered by the rat chef.Ratatouillesounds absurd on paper (and it is), but the execution makes it work. Youbuy into the world of the film, find yourself swept up in the humor and moments of genuine tension, and then will surely feel your heart sufficiently warmed by the film’s end. Magnifique stuff.
Ratatouille
9’Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' (2000)
Director: Ang Lee
A potentially perfect place to start foranyone interested in great martial arts movies,Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragonis a film that remains stunning nearly a quarter of a century on from its release. The plot is simple, at least at first, following a collection of individuals whose lives all intertwine because of the search for a valuable sword that’s been stolen.
The story unfolds in aconsistently interesting way, and the structure adds complexity, as do the surprisingly multifaceted characters.Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragonisa movie with undeniably great action, but the emotional heft of the story is what elevates it, as is the fact that it’s more than “just” a martial arts movie, successfully working as a work of romance, low fantasy, and tragedy, too, blending all these things in a seamless manner.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
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8’Grizzly Man' (2005)
Director: Werner Herzog
Grizzly Manis debatably amongthe greatest documentary movies of all time, and is easily one of the best of its decade. It paints a portrait of an unusual, troubled, and ultimately tragic individual named Timothy Treadwell, documenting the way he spent time among grizzly bears in the Alaskan wilderness, and how this dangerous passion of his ultimately led to a violent death.
Werner Herzogdirects and makes himself a part of the film, which in turn ensures the narrative at hand is more interesting, owing to his passionate drive to find out what made Treadwell tick as a person. It’s a film that’s sometimes empathetic, and sometimes critical, but always interesting and balanced,not to mention extremely complex and haunting, owing to the emotions it explores and evokes.Grizzly Manis disturbing and sad, but nonetheless has a certain undeniable power to it that makes it an example of documentary filmmaking at its very best.
Grizzly Man
7’Pan’s Labyrinth' (2006)
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Though it’s far fromGuillermo del Toro’s only great fantasy movie, there’s a very strong argument to be made thatPan’s Labyrinthis his very best. Well, not only his best fantasy movie, but the best film he’s made to date full stop, with it also functioning as a war movie, a downbeat drama, and a film about the difficulties that come with being young and facing one’s life being upturned in more ways than one.
Pan’s Labyrinthexcels regardless of how you want to categorize or interpret it, and it lingers in one’s mind long after it concludes. It dazzles technically, unfolds unpredictably from a narrative perspective, andachieves a great amount of depth through its juxtaposition of real-world horrors with the sights seen in an eerie fantasy realm. The power all this has, when everything’s added together, truly can’t be disputed.
Pan’s Labyrinth
6’Spirited Away' (2001)
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Speaking of great fantasy movies made outside America during the 2000s, here’sSpirited Away, which is sometimes viewed asHayao Miyazaki’s greatest filmmaking accomplishment(which is no small feat, it must be said). It follows a couple and their young daughter getting lost while on the road, eventually getting trapped in a fantasy realm. The couple gets transformed into pigs (just go with it), leading the young girl on a quest to undo such a curse and then get herself and her parents out of the realm in question.
It’s in good company within its decade of release, as the2000s had its fair share of great anime films, butSpirited Awayis a cut above most of the rest. It had true international success and could well be the most famous animated movie to come out of Japan, or is, at the very least, a strong contender. It’s beautiful, mesmerizing, and unique, undoubtedly being a must-watch for anyone into film, regardless of how much they’re usually drawn to anime movies.
Spirited Away
5’City of God' (2002)
Director: Fernando Meirelles
A film thatredefines the crime/gangster genres, in many ways,City of Godtakes place in the slums of Rio de Janeiro and follows a collection of youngsters, not all of whom survive their childhoods. Those that do are later shown as teenagers/young adults, some of them wanting to break free of their crime-infested surroundings, and others finding themselves thriving in such a dangerous environment.
City of Godbalances a rather large number of characters well, and ends up feeling intensely cinematic and brutally real at the same time.It’s a relatively grim crime filmthroughout, buthas a hint of hope and speaks to what can be achieved through perseverance and determination to break free(with a little by way of luck helping, too). It’s a film that feels both epic and intimate, and is one of the most striking and impactful of the 2000s.
City of God
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4’The Dark Knight' (2008)
Director: Christopher Nolan
Could a ranking of perfect 2000s movies be complete without a mention ofThe Dark Knight? This is a film with one ofthe greatest villains of all timeat its center, and tells a story that’s relentless while always being exciting,serving as a great superhero moviewhile also being just a great crime/action/thriller/drama film. Defining it outside the category of “superhero/comic book movie” feels appropriate, really.
Movies about Batman have proven popular both before and since the release ofThe Dark Knight, butit remains the film with said character that might well never be topped.It’s a pretty much perfect sequeland perhaps the most popular filmChristopher Nolanhas ever directed… though later efforts of his were also decade-defining, it has to be conceded (likeInceptionfor the 2010s andOppenheimerfor the 2020s).
The Dark Knight
3’Inglourious Basterds' (2009)
Director: Quentin Tarantino
For as phenomenal asKill Billis, as a duology, the best-constructed and overall greatest movieQuentin Tarantinomade in the 2000s is likelyInglourious Basterds. It’s a film with an epic scope that moves at a breathless pace, except during its slower moments that expertly build tension… well, in hindsight, those pass by pretty fast, too, in the overall scheme of things.
It’s such an intricately written and expertly made movie, satisfying as a drama,a war film, a thriller, and something of a darkly comedic adventure movie all at once.Inglourious Basterdshas a bit of everything genre-wise, and excels when it comes to things like visuals, writing, suspense, and acting.It ends with a character referring to something as his masterpiece, and it’s not hard to picture Tarantino thinking the same thing aboutInglourious Basterdsupon concluding it.
Inglourious Basterds
2’Yi Yi' (2000)
Director: Edward Yang
Yi Yikicked the 2000s off with a bang, being one ofthe earliest masterpieces released during the decadeand holding up to date as one of the very best films of the 21st century so far. It’s a Taiwanese movie about the members of a family, each one shown with their own struggles over the course of a three-hour runtime, with everyone being brought together at the film’s start with a wedding (The Godfather-style), and once more coming together near the film’s end with a funeral.
Much ofYi Yifeels like a slice-of-life movie, and one that might not sound particularly interesting on the surface. It proves to be engrossing, though, and has the kind of emotional impact that’s bound to sneak up on you as you’re watching. It’s a deeply human film, and excels/stands out by providing one of the mostmoving viewing experiences in the history of cinema.
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1’The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring' (2001)
Director: Peter Jackson
Live-action fantasy was changed foreverbyThe Lord of the Ringstrilogy; three movies that redefined what was capable of being realized and depicted within the genre in question. The trilogy does need to be taken as a whole for it to be properly recognized, but there’s an argument to be made that the greatest and most perfectly complete film of the trilogy is the first,The Fellowship of the Ring.
Sure,The Return of the Kingwas even more epic andwon big at the Oscars, butThe Fellowship of the Ringis such a perfect start to the trilogy, functioning as an instantly immersive dive into Middle Earth andan ideal film for introducing characters and conflicts that develop throughout the trilogy. It might well also be the most moving of the three films, and seeing the titular Fellowship together is wholly satisfying.The Two TowersandThe Return of the Kingare also perfect (or close to it), butThe Fellowship of the Ringwas the most mind-blowing, genre-redefining, and most emotionally fulfilling entry in the (overall excellent) trilogy.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
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