100 Greatest Films of the 2010s

An entire decade of cinema has come and gone, and during the 2010s the industry has evolved exponentially with criticism transforming in line with this evolution and the development of internet trends particularly. We’ve seen filmmakers rise to prominence and others fade from the public eye, we’ve welcomed new stars and sadly lost many more. What follows are the 100 Greatest Films of the 2010s; a list collated, ordered and written by Jason Lithgo and Joseph Wade of The Film Magazine to commemorate a decade of cinema that has come to shape many of us, the writers of this list included. We’ve ordered the films based on a number of factors with the most important being artistry and value to the art form, but the others being critical reception and audience reaction.

Lists like these are created with the utmost passion and love, but they’re also created to engage your own thoughts on the subject. If you have any thoughts you’d like to voice, please make sure to leave them in the comments at the end of this article or tweet us!

List set by UK release dates.

100. The Avengers (2012)

Dir: Joss Whedon

The 2010s may not have spawned the era of superhero films, but it was certainly the decade they were risen to their current record-crushing heights, and arguably none of that would have been possible without the exciting first-ever team-up of Marvel’s mightiest heroes in the Joss Whedon directed The Avengers (also known as Avengers Assemble) in 2012.

Starring would-be A-Listers personifying iconic characters, fantastical elements and all-out action, The Avengers was an important moment in time both from an industry standpoint and an audience standpoint, the formula it worked to coming to define the entire decade.

99. Short Term 12 (2013)
Dir: Destin Daniel Cretton

98. Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
Dir: Kathryn Bigelow

97. Blue Valentine (2010)
Dir: Derek Cianfrance

96. Black Panther (2018)
Dir: Ryan Coogler

“Marvel’s boldest move yet in many ways. It’s one of the darkest and most violent of the studio’s offerings so far, but it’s also one of the most fun and full of life.” – Sam Sewell-Peterson’s review.

95. The Kids Are Alright (2010)
Dir: Lisa Cholodenko

94. Good Time (2017)
Dir: Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie

93. Under the Shadow (2016)
Dir: Babak Anvari

92. The House That Jack Built (2018)
Dir: Lars von Trier

91. Bridesmaids (2011)
Dir: Paul Feig

90. Amy (2015)
Dir: Asif Kapadia

89. Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
Dir: David O. Russell

88. Booksmart (2019)
Dir: Olivia Wilde

“this picture’s strong and tasteful mix of characters [work] to compliment the progressive themes of this genuinely funny, hearty and at times downright emotional movie headlined by two superlative performances. Not since Superbad has the genre delivered such a bonafide classic.” – Joseph Wade’s review.

87. Snowpiercer (2013)
Dir: Bong Joon Ho

86. Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Dir: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

“This is more than a superhero movie, it’s a defining moment in modern cinema.” – Joseph Wade’s review.

85. Gone Girl (2014)
Dir: David Fincher

84. Only God Forgives (2013)
Dir: Nicolas Winding Refn

83. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Dir: George Miller

Mad Max: Fury Road was so much of a surprise smash hit with audiences and critics that it became a meme. “From the director of Babe: Pig in the City” became the running joke, George Miller’s exhile into mediocre studio-driven fare well and truly ended by his return to the Mad Max franchise he’d built from the 70s onwards, Fury Road earning 10 Oscar nominations (including 6 wins), a moment that marked an important evolution for the Academy that had for over a decade refused to acknowledge most action films in any way, shape or form at their popular and prestigious awards.

82. Dogtooth (2010)
Dir: Yorgos Lanthimos

81. The Skin I Live In (2011)
Dir: Pedro Almodóvar

80. Toy Story 3 (2010)
Dir: Lee Unkrich

79. I Saw the Devil (2010)
Dir: Jee-woon Kim

78. Amour (2012)
Dir: Michael Haneke

77. Inception (2010)
Dir: Christopher Nolan

76. The Babadook (2014)
Dir: Jennifer Kent

75. A Separation (2011)
Dir: Asghar Farhadi

“the picture doesn’t hide behind technical trickery to ever distract from the story unfolding in front of us – it is impeccably told and perfectly balances each character in a way that ensures everybody is understandable and complex.” – Bradley Weir’s review.

74. Blue Is the Warmest Colour (2013)
Dir: Abdellatif Kechiche

73. What We Do In the Shadows (2014)
Dir: Taika Waititi

72. Moneyball (2011)
Dir: Bennett Miller

71. Coco (2017)

Dir: Lee Unkrich, Adrian Molina

The highest rated of all of Pixar’s contributions to the decade, this Lee Unkrich and Adrian Molina directed visual spectacle merged the spectacular and unique themes of Mexico’s Day of the Dead with a heart-warming and at times heart-wrenching narrative that simultaneously celebrated a culture and became a force for empathy. It is now the highest grossing movie in Mexican box office history.

70. Raw (2016)
Dir: Julia Ducournau

69. 20th Century Women (2016)
Dir: Mike Mills

68. Kill List (2011)
Dir: Ben Wheatley

67. A Ghost Story (2017)
Dir: David Lowery

66. Sorry We Missed You (2019)
Dir: Ken Loach

“a voice for those without one from a filmmaker who now seems to be the last bastian of such filmmaking, an 83 year old 50+ year veteran of the screen we must all cherish.” – Joseph Wade’s review.

65. The Big Short (2015)
Dir: Adam McKay

64. Prisoners (2013)
Dir: Denis Villeneuve

63. First Reformed (2017)
Dir: Paul Schrader

62. Skyfall (2012)

Dir: Sam Mendes

Arguably the greatest 007 movie ever, Sam Mendes’ collaboration with famed cinematographer Roger Deakins was at the very least the most visually spectacular in the franchise’s history and a high mark for action films in the 2010s. Daniel Craig excelled as a more moody Bond growing into the expectations of the character as being a quip-laden, sarcastic secret agent, to create the ultimate modern Bond movie and a memorable (and incredibly lucrative) moment in the decade – it’s still the highest grossing movie ever released in the UK.

Recommended for you: Every James Bond 007 Movie Ranked

61. Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
Dir: Denis Villeneuve

“a simply marvellous blend of technical skill and emotional resonance.” – Harrison Thorne’s review.

60. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
Dir: Wes Anderson

59. Mommy (2014)
Dir: Xavier Dolan

58. Burning (2018)
Dir: Chang-dong Lee

57. The Revenant (2015)
Dir: Alejandro G. Iñárritu

56. Nocturnal Animals (2016)
Dir: Tom Ford

“this is a film perhaps devoid of the ability to completely engross and encourage the suspension of disbelief, but is without a doubt a work of art unlike many others in North American cinema at the moment.” – Joseph Wade’s review.

55. Midsommar (2019)
Dir: Ari Aster

54. Dunkirk (2017)
Dir: Christopher Nolan

53. Hereditary (2018)
Dir: Ari Aster

52. Ida (2013)
Dir: Pawel Pawlikowski

51. Roma (2018)

Dir: Alfonso Cuarón

Alfonso Cuarón’s incredibly personal authorial journey Roma was not only a 10-time Oscar nominee, including a win for Cuarón himself in the Best Director category, but arguably the most important movie in the history of Netflix; this release about a Mexican family’s maid establishing the streaming platform as a new studio to be reckoned with and increasing the pressure on the Academy and film festivals across the world to accept straight-to-streaming releases as fully fledged films, igniting arguments over what constitutes as cinema.

50. High Life (2019)
Dir: Claire Denis

49. Manchester By the Sea (2016)
Dir: Kenneth Lonergan

48. The Florida Project (2017)
Dir: Sean Baker

47. Little Women (2019)
Dir: Greta Gerwig

“Little Women will be the Greta Gerwig movie that will establish her as one of the most important filmmakers of the 21st century.” – Katie Doyle’s review.

46. The Witch (2015)
Dir: Robert Eggers

45. Toni Erdmann (2016)
Dir: Maren Ade

44. The Lobster (2015)
Dir: Yorgos Lanthimos

43. Drive (2011)

Dir: Nicolas Winding Refn

Arguably the most visceral and aesthetically compelling of all of Nicolas Winding Refn’s individualistic catalogue, Drive was praised for embracing video game culture with the blocking of shots and choices in the edit, Ryan Gosling’s brooding anti-hero being one of the actor’s strongest performances to date and being one of a number of films to establish the actor where he is currently. This is a tight and concise movie from a director at the height of his confidence, and the score/soundtrack is one of the best of the decade.

42. Phantom Thread (2017)
Dir: Paul Thomas Anderson

41. Birdman (or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)
Dir: Alejandro G. Iñárritu

40. Arrival (2016)
Dir: Denis Villeneuve

39. If Beale Street Could Talk (2019)
Dir: Barry Jenkins

38. Black Swan (2010)
Dir: Darren Aronofsky

37. Frances Ha (2012)

Dir: Noah Baumbach

Featuring a performance from co-writer Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird) that is considered the most established on-screen portrayal of her career to date, Noah Baumbach’s gorgeous black and white love letter to New York City featured all of the dialogue intricacies of his other written and directed works only with more individual focus and a change to his ordinarily male-led narratives. Co-starring a host of up-and-coming names including Adam Driver, Frances Ha will be best remembered for how relatable it was to so many people.

Recommended for you: Greta Gerwig – The Essential Collection

36. Get Out (2017)
Dir: Jordan Peele

35. The Favourite (2019)
Dir: Yorgos Lanthimos

34. Melancholia (2011)
Dir: Lars von Trier

33. The Irishman (2019)
Dir: Martin Scorsese

32. Marriage Story (2019)
Dir: Noah Baumbach

31. Her (2013)

Dir: Spike Jonze

Being John Malkovich director Spike Jonze created an almost too real “near future” space for his romantic drama starring Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlett Johansson. His mix of recognisable American landmarks and less recognisable Chinese cityscapes made for a beautiful, meaningful and importantly believable setting for a deep exploration of humanity’s relationship to technology; one that aimed not to cast a negative eye towards our growing dependence on it in the same way as has become a cinematic trope. Phoenix provided a quite sensational performance as the film’s fragile lead, while Scarlett Johansson’s deeper tones lended themselves to the comfort his romance-simulating computer program brought him, contributing massively to a film with deep and explorative themes.

30. Before Midnight (2013)
Dir: Richard Linklater

29. The Souvenir (2019)
Dir: Joanna Hogg

28. Shoplifters (2018)
Dir: Hirokazu Koreeda

27. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

Dir: Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman

Sony Animation’s surprisingly refreshing take on Spider-Man benefitted from the strong fandom and proven comedy credentials of its writer Phil Lord (The Lego Movie; 21 Jump Street), the film moving to avoid patronising its viewers while offering creativity in every aspect; from character design to narrative complexities, its comic book inspired animation style to its spectacular and modern soundtrack. Even with so many great animations and a number of high quality Spider-Man films released in the 2010s, Into the Spider-Verse remains arguably the very best, proving its value not only within its form and genre, but also within film as a whole this decade.

Recommended for you: Spider-Man Movies Ranked

26. Lady Bird (2017)
Dir: Greta Gerwig

25. Ex Machina (2014)
Dir: Alex Garland

24. Whiplash (2014)
Dir: Damien Chazelle

“this modern day Rocky will more than likely be appreciated as time goes on for its timeless look, feel and approach with regard to the ever-so-typical Hollywood underdog story.” – Joseph Wade’s review.

23. We Need To Talk About Kevin (2011)
Dir: Lynne Ramsay

22. O.J. Made in America (2016)
Dir: Ezra Edelman

21. Sicario (2015)

Dir: Denis Villeneuve

20. La La Land (2016/17)

Dir: Damien Chazelle

Described in The Film Magazine’s review as “outlandishly enjoyable and quietly devastating”, Damien Chazelle’s follow-up hit to his debut feature Whiplash was a critical and audience hit that paid fitting tribute to Hollywood’s Golden Age musicals with a mature and distinctive modern take; one that was filled with beautiful imagery and anchored by a heart-wrenching narrative twist. Featuring the ever-popular Ryan Gosling and an Oscar-winning performance from Emma Stone, La La Land was not only a decade-defining piece but was also all the proof Hollywood needed to once again embrace musicals.

19. The Tree of Life (2011)

Dir: Terrence Malick

A Palme d’Or winner from one of the industry’s most respected albeit enigmatic figures, The Tree of Life was a celebrated merging of mainstream and avante-garde storytelling techniques that all-but confirmed Malick as one of the only certifiable American auteurs of the modern age. Mixing real-life experience with existential philosophy made for an intriguing insight into the famously reclusive filmmaker and marked what many argue was a high point of the visual form under his guidance. A must-watch piece of cinematic art, The Tree of Life’s influence only grows as the years pass; this deeply beautiful and layered piece being one of the decade’s true reference points to many.

18. Interstellar (2014)

Dir: Christopher Nolan

An exploration of outer space with a more moving and distinctly memorable exploration of inner space at the heart of the film’s narrative, Christopher Nolan reached his empathetic peak with Interstellar in 2014, his deep dive into timeless connectivity and inter-dimensional love being the sort of philosophical undertaking only Nolan’s creative and distinct visuals could do justice to.

This is a modern classic of the sci-fi genre, a must-watch and wholly important entry into the career of its world famous director and one of the most rewarding visual experiences of the decade.

17. Spotlight (2015/16)

Dir: Tom McCarthy

Starring a cast of incredible actors including Mark Ruffalo, a resurgent Michael Keaton and Rachel McAdams to name but a few, Tom McCarthy’s Best Picture winner Spotlight very much found its strength in its phenomenal script, characterisations and performances; the true story at its heart being handled delicately and passionately to devastating, world-view-shattering effect. If there was such a thing as a category for “needed” movies, this would certainly be one.

16. 120BPM (2017)

Dir: Robin Campillo

An enthralling exploration of what it means to be alive, 120BPM was a powerful portrayal of love and politics that wrapped around you to envelope its important historical moment within the context of happiness and passion.

This film was powerful because it confronted serious issues while not backing away from the people who make up the heart of those targeted by prejudice, and Campillo’s movie is stunningly beautiful for it.

15. The Shape of Water (2018)

Dir: Guillermo Del Toro

A film that marked a pivotal moment in the career of its creative, innovative and legendary director for how it finally earned him the Best Director Oscar, The Shape of Water was a fairytale for the modern age that was quite unlike anything that had come before it despite how much it was inspired by films of decades that have since passed. For fans of Del Toro, this film was far from a surprise as a touching, visually stunning, timeless yet timely political analogy, but for some it was a final confirmation of the director’s almost incomparable talents. Despite having a cost of less than $20million, The Shape of Water looked and felt costly, a testament to the phenomenal work in every aspect of the production.

Recommended for you: Guillermo Del Toro Movies Ranked

14. Moonlight (2016)

Dir: Barry Jenkins

Moonlight is more than just the film that won the Oscar that was wrongly handed to La La Land, it was the debut of a distinct and poetic voice in American cinema, Barry Jenkins; that voice being one that was seemingly undeniable in how much love, empathy and romance it could tie into genuine societal issues.

Every inch of the screen in this low budget film radiated feeling, the score lifting it out of the screen and into the brain; Moonlight being undeniable even to the most hardened and old fashioned of Academy members and one of the most deserving Best Picture winners of the decade.

13. The Social Network (2010)

Dir: David Fincher

Perhaps one of its director’s most concise and surgical releases, The Social Network from the turn of the decade was considered at the time to be one of the most overlooked films in Oscars history, and time has only solidified that view, the film’s telling of the creation of Facebook via the story of its founder Mark Zuckerberg becoming one of the most significant releases in recent memory on the screen and off it.

12. Carol (2015)

Dir: Todd Haynes

Intoxicating romantic cinema that will haunt and devour you, Todd Haynes’ Carol casts a spell that it’s hard to get away from; the film enticing you then moving you around until you’re no longer the same person after seeing it as you were beforehand.

Rooney Mara and particularly Cate Blanchett offer phenomenal nuanced performances, the cinematography from Edward Lachman is simply timeless and Carol is altogether unmissable.

11. Son of Saul (2015)

Dir: Nemes László

One of, if not the, directorial debuts of the decade, László Nemes’ (credited as Nemes László in the film itself) Son of Saul presents unspeakable hell with phenomenal complexity and visual otherness to produce one of the most unique movies about prisoners of war ever made. Winner of the Cannes Palme d’Or as well as the Best Foreign Language awards at the Oscars and the BAFTAs, Son of Saul was one of the most memorable films from outside of the English language we’ve seen this century.

10. You Were Never Really Here (2017)

Dir: Lynne Ramsay

Waiting 6 years for Scottish auteur Lynne Ramsay to return to the big screen following her very special 2010 release We Need to Talk About Kevin felt like such a long time, but when You Were Never Really Here finally hit cinemas, it offered all that fans of the filmmaker could dream of and more; the trim, meaningful work, telling the tale of a hitman paid to rescue a kidnapped girl, at times featuring ultra realism and at others operating on a metaphorical level, but the two contradictory elements blending only to elevate its artistry. Joaquin Phoenix was phenomenal despite having little to say, the story was timely and moving, and this is a film that should have been honoured with more at festivals and awards than it ultimately was. A special entry into the decade from a filmmaker too infrequently presenting her work, You Were Never Really Here is the first entry into our top 10 of the 2010s.

9. Boyhood (2014)

Dir: Richard Linklater

Richard Linklater has never been your typical filmmaker, but when he set forth to make Boyhood in 2001 with the idea of filming a child for a few weeks per year for a 12 year period, nobody could have expected him to have pulled it off, yet in 2014 the director released Boyhood to universal critical acclaim, the director not only somehow managing to forge a linear and cinematic story, but one filled with heart, timely references and all the pain of growing up. Linklater captured time in a bottle and presented it piece by piece in Boyhood, one of the most special movies we’ve ever seen.

8. The Master (2012)

Dir: Paul Thomas Anderson

A visual masterpiece with two of the best leading performances of the decade, Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master was perhaps the perfect way to follow up his 2007 critical hit There Will Be Blood, the same vicious mood as presented in his previous release explored in a different aspect of the human condition here, and the taking to task of a Scientology-like religious cult being nothing short of necessary. Joaquin Phoenix was great, but it’s the performance of Philip Seymour Hoffman that is perhaps more fondly remembered, the late actor offering a stellar turn as the unrelenting Lancaster Dodd in what was the last great performance of his stellar career.

7. The Handmaiden (2016)

Dir: Chan-wook Park

Park Chan-wook’s erotically charged psychological thriller, adapted from Sarah Waters’ “Fingersmith”, was effortlessly presented in context with the South Korean relationship to Japan, and was uniquely played out as three separate acts. The film’s form, which played to great dramatic effect, aided an already fascinating story in such a manner that the picture’s almost obscene levels of visual beauty were exclusively reaffirming of the already existing written material. As has become the norm for director Chan-wook, The Handmaiden was astoundingly beautiful but also thought provoking, and was another entry into the director’s sensational ouevre; one of the international films of its year and an unmissable cinematic experience.

Recommended for you: 5 Sexiest Movies of All Time

6. Cold War (2018)

Dir: Paweł Pawlikowski

Polish auteur Paweł Pawlikowski followed his phenomenal 2013 hit Ida with the equally as beautiful but arguably more accessible Cold War, a continent and decade-spanning tale of romance and melancholia the director penned as a tribute to his parents. Shot on film in crisp and sumptuous black and white, Cold War was an epic romance unlike most since Hollywood’s golden era, complete with addictive musical leitmotif and phenomenal performances.

5. Call Me By Your Name (2017)

Dir: Luca Guadagnino

Starring a year-stealing performance from Timothee Chalamet on the cusp of his rise to A-List prominence and Armie Hammer (who also starred in list entry The Social Network), this Luca Guadagnino directed and James Ivory written adaptation is one of the greatest love stories ever told, a peer into the parts of you that are unpurchaseable, irreplaceable; a timeless classic of youth, romance and our meaning in this world.

4. Under the Skin (2013)

Dir: Jonathan Glazer

This small and independent yet spectacular individual vision from English director Jonathan Glazer, set largely in the Scottish city of Glasgow and starring Scarlett Johansson in the year after her appearance as Black Widow in The Avengers, is an arthouse masterpiece; a masterfully off-beat, tense and beautifully realised project.

Acting as a reminder of Johansson’s strong acting background at the point of her transition from dramas to popular movies, Under the Skin is mostly acted by non-actors picked up by the film’s lead in the van her character peruses the streets of Glasgow with, yet this fact is never distracting from the intense and mysterious pulse of the film which is driven forward by the debut feature score of artist Micachu – one of the greatest pieces of music presented in this way this decade.

3. I, Daniel Blake (2016)

Dir: Ken Loach

The 2016 Palme d’Or winner, I, Daniel Blake was described in The Film Magazine’s review as “our quiet rage”, the Ken Loach directed feature offering a voice to the underclass northern Briton and managing to become a European independent success in the process. More than kitchen-sink and down-trodden drama however, I, Daniel Blake featured moments of quiet poetry and assured artistry that made it an unmissable political statement; one that was even adopted into the campaigns of the British government’s opposing party at the time.

2. 12 Years A Slave (2013)

Dir: Steve McQueen

When Scottish auteur Steve McQueen offered a cinematic exploration of the United States’ historical relationship with slavery in 2013, courtesy of the story of Solomon Northup (a free man from the north enslaved in the south), it felt like much of the country’s institutionalised racism was a thing of the past – Obama was president and police officers had yet to be confronted for abusive, racist behaviour – and as such 12 Years A Slave was celebrated by the Oscars in what some commentators believed to be the Academy’s final wave goodbye to racist and otherwise problematic behaviours.

This was, of course, all entirely wrong. The 7 years following the release of 12 Years A Slave only compounded the above issues both within the academy and American society at large, but rather than reduce the impact of McQueen’s release, this fact only made it all the more poignant, timely and powerful. The film is, of course, a historical account of a real man’s struggle against injustice in a corrupt system of exploitative, racist men, but also a strong reminder of how far there is yet to go.

Chiwetel Ejiofor was a revelation in the lead and Fassbender unrelenting as the antagonist. Every shot was carefully constructed like a masterpiece you could hang on a wall, every choice of camera placement had meaning and the blocking of action was comparable to the very best to ever direct cinema. This was a special and important movie in every aspect, from the presentation on the screen to its meaning beyond it.

1. Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)

Dir: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

The unequivocal mood piece of the decade and comparable to any of the visual masterpieces on this list, Inside Llewyn Davis from the iconic, all-time great directors The Coen Brothers was a snug 1 hour 44 minutes of melancholia that could be unwrapped as a metaphor for capitalism and the American dream; a layered piece with fantastic performances, sensational music and a vision for a movie that was simply on a different level. This 2013 release, which can be looked back on as the rocket ship to Oscar Isaac’s career, feels like a special moment in time when a number of otherworldly creative minds came together to make something extraordinary. Inside Llewyn Davis is, simply, the film of the decade.

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Monday, February 10, 2020