16. Wonder Woman (2017)


Her debut in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice may have divided audiences, but Diana Prince came out swinging in her solo outing. Wonder Woman was the first female-fronted superhero movie in over a decade, but defined itself by not resting on such gender limitations. Mythology meets wartime period action meets Superman: The Movie-style wistfullness, Patty Jenkins' film shows how superhero movies can distill a myriad of sources to tell a story that is fundamentally about the now. An overly CGI-d finale may wear off some sheen, but with Gal Gadot emerging fully-formed, it's no surprise that Wonder Woman is leading the DCEU forward into the 2020s.

15. Lady Bird (2017)


Lady Bird, the astonishingly assured directorial debut from Greta Gerwig, stands as one of the best entries into the coming-of-age genre in recent memory - and just one of the best movies, period. Led by a stunning performance from Saoirse Ronan (complemented by great supporting turns from Laurie Metcalf, Beanie Feldstein, and Timothée Chalamet, among others), Gerwig’s script is wholly relatable and authentic, perfectly capturing the triumphs and traumas of teenage years. Lady Bird herself is a wonder too, a fresh protagonist for the modern era, who never falls into cliches. It’s hella tight.

14. Get Out (2017)


From one half of Key & Peele comes the decade's most invigorating horror movie, a tense, slightly madcap thriller with an unflinching message at its heart. Get Out begins as a pretty expected look at (what appears to be) repressed white middle-class racism, playing on all the expected fears and Obama voting clichés. But the truth is something more developed, more sickening, as Daniel Kaluuya's Chris uncovers a warped plot built on physical adoration and mental superiority. What really brings it all together is Jordan Peele's careful use of humor, including eschewing the expected grim ending for something with a lick of positivity.

13. Joker (2019)


A Scorsese-inspired dive into the Joker's origin starring Joaquin Phoenix from the director of The Hangover is a suitably gonzo idea that, if it worked, could change superhero cinema. Whether it did or not remains to be seen, but Joker proved to be a lightning rod for discussion, its release drowned out in a flurry of controversy about fears of violence, suitability of message in 2019, and a dozen other unnecessary talking points. What it is, purely, is a twisted character exploration that dispensed with the source material to tell a story filled with dread, homages, twists and, yes, a few jokes, all grounded by a highlight performance from Phoenix.

12. John Wick (2014)


When action is far too often defined by quick edits and what CG artists can cook up after production has wrapped, giving a pair of stuntmen their own movie - Chad Stahelski got the credit, but David Leitch was on-hand - was always going to be exciting. And with Keanu Reeves brimming with rage over the death of his dog, a new icon was born. The John Wick series is up to three movies now, with a fourth coming in 2021, and while each entry has upped the ante and visual style, there's something uniquely delirious about the original, which boasts the cleanest gun-fu and most exhilarating teases of the underworld centering on the Continental.