FireShot Capture 3423 - Best Movies of the _ - https___screenrant.com_best-movies-decade-2010s-l.jpg
Now the 2010s have come to end, here are the best movies of the decade. It's been a roller coaster ten years for cinema of all descriptions. The blockbuster landscape has seen the rise to dominance of Disney, indie cinema has an increasingly diverse outlook promoted by upstarts such as A24, the Oscars have had an overhaul that rewards a more interesting set (mostly), and streaming giants have taken an increasing share of top directors and audience attention
But it is, ultimately, all about the films themselves. And across the 2010s, audiences have been spoilt for choice no matter what they're looking for at the theater: from superhero to horror, thriller to historical, there's been a perfect mix of the boundary-pushing, the masterfully-executed the sheer exhilarating. And that is what wants celebrating.
*** editors and writers voted with their ranked top 20 films of the past ten years, which were then attributed points based on preference and the cumulative winner calculated. Ties were broken based on how high the movies placed in individual rankings.
25. Interstellar (2014)
FireShot Capture 3424 - Best Movies of the _ - https___screenrant.com_best-movies-decade-2010s-l.jpg
Christopher Nolan's galaxy-traversing sci-fi epic about mortality and love has had a peculiar life, lauded for its meticulous (and scientifically accurate) space travel effects but divisive for its conclusion that "love is the one thing we're capable of perceiving that transcends dimensions of time and space." But while some of the entry points may be blunt (the closest thing to a villain is "best of us" Dr. Mann), Interstellar is an incredibly purposeful and measured movie that has aged impeccably since its 2014 box office smash. Come for the 2001-evoking special effects, stay to tear up when Matthew McConaughey uses a black hole to reconnect with his daughter.
24. Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
FireShot Capture 3425 - Best Movies of the _ - https___screenrant.com_best-movies-decade-2010s-l.jpg
In lesser hands, Silver Linings Playbook could have been manipulative, messy, or worse, offensive. But director David O. Russell found the right approach, telling an engaging and relatable human story that was equal parts heartfelt and entertaining. Walking that fine line required a great amount of skill from Russell, but he was also helped immensely by his talented cast. Bradley Cooper surprised in a dynamic role that showcased his acting range, Jennifer Lawrence announced herself as Hollywood's newest megastar with a commanding turn that demanded audiences' attention, and Robert De Niro was back in vintage, Oscar-worthy form. One doesn't have to be an Eagles fan to find something to love in this film.
23. Logan (2017)
FireShot Capture 3426 - Best Movies of the _ - https___screenrant.com_best-movies-decade-2010s-l.jpg
The Fox-era of X-Men movies officially ends with The New Mutants, but the perfect finale released three years earlier in the form of Logan. A sci-fi western where Hugh Jackman Shanes his way through protecting an aging Professor X and his young clone, it was more internalized and meditative than superhero audiences were accustomed to - and excelled as a result. There's a purposefulness and reflection that few other franchise movies can match, and a weight to character that even in-depth studies rarely reach.
22. Ex Machina (2015)
FireShot Capture 3427 - Best Movies of the _ - https___screenrant.com_best-movies-decade-2010s-l.jpg
A Turing test of a movie, Ex Machina pits Domnhall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac and Alicia Vikander in a three-way game to define what makes us human. It's a tight, economical thriller - set in a single location and keeping the cast small - yet Alex Garland's ideas (and some Oscar-winning visual effects) take Ex Machina so much further. While it's got multiple breakouts (Gemma Chan also stars), Vikander is particularly beguiling as Ava, a calculating creation or product of a flawed genius, a question that you'll be debating long after the movie has finished.