Top 94 Ranked

The Best Movies of the 2010s Ranked

Modern Classics and Cinematic Masterpieces

Explore the best films of the decade. From gripping dramas to visionary sci-fi, discover the essential movies that defined modern cinema history.

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About Movies in the 2010s

The 2010s was a decade that began with the industry trying to find its footing after a global recession and ended with a complete transformation of how we consume stories. It was a period of massive consolidation, where the blockbuster evolved into something more interconnected and expensive than ever before, but it was also a time when the margins of cinema became more vibrant, diverse, and daring.

If there is one defining image of the 2010s, it is the cinematic universe. Marvel Studios took a gamble on a long-term plan that paid off in ways no one predicted, culminating in Earth shattering events like Avengers: Endgame. This changed the DNA of the industry. Suddenly every studio was chasing a connected world, and the mid budget movie started to disappear from multiplexes, migrating instead to a new frontier: streaming services. This was the decade where Netflix went from being a DVD mailing service to a Best Picture contender with films like Roma and The Irishman.

However, the 2010s would be misunderstood if we only looked at the giants. While the blockbusters got bigger, a new wave of auteurs redefined what a prestigious film could look like. This was the era of A24 and the rise of elevated horror. Directors like Ari Aster and Robert Eggers brought a rigorous, artistic eye to a genre often dismissed as lowbrow. We saw Greta Gerwig and Barry Jenkins craft deeply intimate portraits of identity and growth that resonated globally. Moonlight, with its quiet beauty and historic Oscar win, felt like a turning point for whose stories were allowed at the center of the frame.

The global nature of cinema also shifted significantly. Bong Joon ho made history with Parasite, a film that broke the subtitle barrier for many American moviegoers and proved that class anxiety is a universal language. It was a decade where the world felt smaller, yet the stories felt larger. We witnessed the revitalization of the musical through La La Land and the reinvention of the action flick with the kinetic, practical brilliance of Mad Max: Fury Road. George Miller showed us that even a franchise reboot could be a high art masterpiece if executed with enough vision.

Cultural shifts played a massive role in the decade as well. The Me Too movement and a broader push for representation changed the landscape of the writers room and the director chair. We saw the arrival of icons like Jordan Peele, who turned social commentary into box office gold with Get Out. It was a decade where movies were no longer just passive entertainment but became central to the digital discourse. A movie was not just seen; it was dissected, memed, and debated on a global scale within minutes of its release.

Looking back, the 2010s was a decade of extremes. It gave us the highest grossing spectacles in history while simultaneously fostering a new golden age of independent storytelling. It was a time of transition, where the nostalgia of the past met the technology of the future, leaving us with a cinematic legacy that is as chaotic as it is beautiful. Whether you were watching a superhero save the world or a small family falling apart in a quiet drama, the movies of the 2010s proved that the medium still has the power to surprise us.

The Complete Rankings

Based on the top picks in drafts on SnakeDrafts

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94

King T'Challa returns home to the reclusive, technologically advanced African nation of Wakanda to serve as his country's new leader. However, T'Challa soon finds that he is challenged for the throne by factions within his own country as well as without. Using powers reserved to Wakandan kings, T'Challa assumes the Black Panther mantle to join with ex-girlfriend Nakia, the queen-mother, his princess-kid sister, members of the Dora Milaje (the Wakandan 'special forces') and an American secret agent, to prevent Wakanda from being dragged into a world war.

93
2010s in Midsommar (2019)
Midsommar
2019

Several friends travel to Sweden to study as anthropologists a summer festival that is held every ninety years in the remote hometown of one of them. What begins as a dream vacation in a place where the sun never sets, gradually turns into a dark nightmare as the mysterious inhabitants invite them to participate in their disturbing festive activities.

Horror
Drama
2h 27m
Ari Aster
Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, William Jackson Harper, Will Poulter
92
2010s in The Lighthouse (2019)
The Lighthouse
2019

Two lighthouse keepers try to maintain their sanity while living on a remote and mysterious New England island in the 1890s.

Drama
Fantasy
1h 49m
Robert Eggers
Robert Pattinson, Willem Dafoe, Valeriia Karaman, Logan Hawkes

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91
2010s in Little Women (2019)
Little Women
2019

Four sisters come of age in America in the aftermath of the Civil War.

Drama
Romance
2h 15m
Greta Gerwig
90
2010s in The Red Turtle (2016)
The Red Turtle
2016

The dialogue-less film follows the major life stages of a castaway on a deserted tropical island populated by turtles, crabs and birds.

Animation
Drama
1h 21m
Michael Dudok de Wit
Tom Hudson, Baptiste Goy, Axel Devillers, Barbara Beretta
89
2010s in The Salesman (2016)
The Salesman
2016

Forced out of their apartment due to dangerous works on a neighboring building, Emad and Rana move into a new flat in the center of Tehran. An incident linked to the previous tenant will dramatically change the young couple’s life.

Drama
Thriller
2h 5m
Asghar Farhadi
Shahab Hosseini, Taraneh Alidoosti, Babak Karimi, Mina Sadati
88

Disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist investigates the disappearance of a weary patriarch's niece from 40 years ago. He is aided by the pierced, tattooed, punk computer hacker named Lisbeth Salander. As they work together in the investigation, Blomkvist and Salander uncover immense corruption beyond anything they have ever imagined.

87
2010s in A Ghost Story (2017)
A Ghost Story
2017

Recently deceased, a white-sheeted ghost returns to his suburban home to console his bereft wife, only to find that in his spectral state he has become unstuck in time, forced to watch passively as the life he knew and the woman he loves slowly slip away.

Drama
Fantasy
1h 33m
David Lowery
Casey Affleck, Rooney Mara, McColm Cephas Jr., Kenneisha Thompson
86

In a future where a failed global-warming experiment kills off most life on the planet, a class system evolves aboard the Snowpiercer; a train that travels around the globe via a perpetual-motion engine.

Action
Science Fiction
2h 7m
Bong Joon Ho
85
2010s in First Reformed (2018)
First Reformed
2018

A pastor of a small church in upstate New York starts to spiral out of control after a soul-shaking encounter with an unstable environmental activist and his pregnant wife.

Drama
1h 53m
Paul Schrader
Ethan Hawke, Amanda Seyfried, Cedric the Entertainer, Victoria Hill
84
2010s in The Turin Horse (2011)
The Turin Horse
2011

A monumental windstorm and an abused horse's refusal to work or eat signal the beginning of the end for a poor farmer and his daughter.

Drama
2h 35m
Béla Tarr
János Derzsi, Erika Bók, Mihály Kormos, Lajos Kovács
83
2010s in Captain Phillips (2013)
Captain Phillips
2013

The true story of Captain Richard Phillips and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama, the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years.

Action
Drama
Tom Hanks, Barkhad Abdi, Barkhad Abdirahman, Faysal Ahmed
82

Susan Morrow receives a book manuscript from her ex-husband – a man she left 20 years earlier – asking for her opinion of his writing. As she reads, she is drawn into the fictional life of Tony Hastings, a mathematics professor whose family vacation turns violent.

Drama
Thriller
1h 56m
Tom Ford
Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Shannon, Aaron Taylor-Johnson
81
2010s in Under the Silver Lake (2018)
Under the Silver Lake
2018

Young and disenchanted Sam meets a mysterious and beautiful woman who's swimming in his building's pool one night. When she suddenly vanishes the next morning, Sam embarks on a surreal quest across Los Angeles to decode the secret behind her disappearance, leading him into the murkiest depths of mystery, scandal and conspiracy.

Crime
Drama
2h 19m
David Robert Mitchell
Andrew Garfield, Riley Keough, Topher Grace, Callie Hernandez
80
2010s in Manchester by the Sea (2016)
Manchester by the Sea
2016

After his older brother passes away, Lee Chandler is forced to return home to care for his 16-year-old nephew. There he is compelled to deal with a tragic past that separated him from his family and the community where he was born and raised.

Drama
2h 18m
Kenneth Lonergan
79
2010s in Anomalisa (2015)
Anomalisa
2015

An inspirational speaker becomes reinvigorated after meeting a lively woman who shakes up his mundane existence.

Animation
Drama
1h 31m
Duke Johnson
78
2010s in The Beguiled (2017)
The Beguiled
2017

During the Civil War, at a Southern girls’ boarding school, young women take in an injured enemy soldier. As they provide refuge and tend to his wounds, the house is taken over with sexual tension and dangerous rivalries, and taboos are broken in an unexpected turn of events.

77
2010s in American Honey (2016)
American Honey
2016

A restless teenager escapes her troubled home and joins a traveling crew of young drifters selling magazines across the American Midwest. Immersed in a world of reckless partying, risky hustles, and fleeting romances, she searches for freedom and belonging on the open road.

Drama
2h 43m
Andrea Arnold
Sasha Lane, Shia LaBeouf, Riley Keough, Arielle Holmes
76
2010s in Paterson (2016)
Paterson
2016

A week in the life of Paterson, a poet bus driver, and his wife Laura, a very creative artist, who live in Paterson, New Jersey, hometown of many famous poets and artists.

Drama
Comedy
Adam Driver, Golshifteh Farahani, Rizwan Manji, Barry Shabaka Henley
75
2010s in Before We Vanish (2017)
Before We Vanish
2017

Narumi is on bad terms with her husband, Shinji, when, one day, Shinji goes missing. He comes back a couple of days later, but he seems like a totally different person, and he is now gentle and tender. He goes for a walk every day. Meanwhile, journalist Sakurai covers the story of a family that was brutally murdered, when an unexplained phenomenon takes place.

Science Fiction
Drama
2h 9m
Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Masami Nagasawa, Ryuhei Matsuda, Mahiro Takasugi, Yuri Tsunematsu
74
2010s in Rust and Bone (2012)
Rust and Bone
2012

Put in charge of his young son, Ali leaves Belgium for Antibes to live with his sister and her husband as a family. Ali's bond with Stephanie, a killer whale trainer, grows deeper after Stephanie suffers a horrible accident.

Drama
Romance
2h 3m
Jacques Audiard
Marion Cotillard, Matthias Schoenaerts, Armand Verdure, Céline Sallette
73
2010s in The Babadook (2014)
The Babadook
2014

A grieving single mother and her child fall into a deep well of paranoia when an eerie children's book manifests in their home.

Drama
Horror
1h 34m
Jennifer Kent
Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman, Hayley McElhinney, Daniel Henshall
72
2010s in The Wind Rises (2013)
The Wind Rises
2013

A lifelong love of flight inspires Japanese aviation engineer Jiro Horikoshi, whose storied career includes the creation of the A-6M World War II fighter plane.

Drama
Animation
Hideaki Anno, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Miori Takimoto, Masahiko Nishimura
71

Freddie, a volatile, heavy-drinking veteran who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, finds some semblance of a family when he stumbles onto the ship of Lancaster Dodd, the charismatic leader of a new "religion" he forms after World War II.

70

Two sisters find their already strained relationship challenged as a mysterious new planet threatens to collide with Earth.

Drama
Science Fiction
Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kiefer Sutherland, Alexander Skarsgård
69

A chronicle of the decade-long hunt for al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden after the September 2001 attacks, and his death at the hands of the Navy S.E.A.L. Team 6 in May, 2011.

Thriller
Drama
Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler, Jennifer Ehle
68
2010s in Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)
Inside Llewyn Davis
2013

In Greenwich Village in the early 1960s, gifted but volatile folk musician Llewyn Davis struggles with money, relationships, and his uncertain future.

Drama
Music
1h 45m
Joel Coen
Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake, Ethan Phillips
67
2010s in The Look of Silence (2014)
The Look of Silence
2014

An optician grapples with the Indonesian mass killings of 1965-1966, during which his older brother was exterminated.

History
Documentary
1h 40m
Joshua Oppenheimer
Adi Rukun, M.Y. Basrun, Amir Hasan, Inong
66
2010s in Mommy (2014)
Mommy
2014

A peculiar neighbor offers hope to a recent widow who is struggling to raise a teenager who is unpredictable and, sometimes, violent.

Drama
2h 18m
Xavier Dolan
Anne Dorval, Suzanne Clément, Antoine Olivier Pilon, Patrick Huard
65
2010s in Warrior (2011)
Warrior
2011

The youngest son of an alcoholic former boxer returns home, where he's trained by his father for competition in a mixed martial arts tournament – a path that puts the fighter on a collision course with his estranged, older brother.

Drama
Action
2h 20m
Gavin O'Connor
Joel Edgerton, Tom Hardy, Nick Nolte, Jennifer Morrison
64
2010s in Selma (2014)
Selma
2014

"Selma," as in Alabama, the place where segregation in the South was at its worst, leading to a march that ended in violence, forcing a famous statement by President Lyndon B. Johnson that ultimately led to the signing of the Voting Rights Act.

History
Drama
2h 8m
Ava DuVernay
David Oyelowo, Carmen Ejogo, Tom Wilkinson, Giovanni Ribisi
63

Bounty hunters seek shelter from a raging blizzard and get caught up in a plot of betrayal and deception.

62

When Bond's latest assignment goes gravely wrong, agents around the world are exposed and MI6 headquarters is attacked. While M faces challenges to her authority and position from Gareth Mallory, the new Chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee, it's up to Bond, aided only by field agent Eve, to locate the mastermind behind the attack.

61
2010s in The Florida Project (2017)
The Florida Project
2017

The story of a precocious six year-old and her ragtag group of friends whose summer break is filled with childhood wonder, possibility and a sense of adventure while the adults around them struggle with hard times.

Drama
1h 52m
Sean Baker
Brooklynn Prince, Bria Vinaite, Willem Dafoe, Christopher Rivera
60
2010s in The Great Beauty (2013)
The Great Beauty
2013

Jep Gambardella has seduced his way through the lavish nightlife of Rome for decades, but after his 65th birthday and a shock from the past, Jep looks past the nightclubs and parties to find a timeless landscape of absurd, exquisite beauty.

Drama
2h 22m
Paolo Sorrentino
Toni Servillo, Carlo Verdone, Sabrina Ferilli, Carlo Buccirosso
59
2010s in Hugo (2011)
Hugo
2011

Orphaned and alone except for an uncle, Hugo Cabret lives in the walls of a train station in 1930s Paris. Hugo's job is to oil and maintain the station's clocks, but to him, his more important task is to protect a broken automaton and notebook left to him by his late father. Accompanied by the goddaughter of an embittered toy merchant, Hugo embarks on a quest to solve the mystery of the automaton and find a place he can call home.

Adventure
Drama
Asa Butterfield, Ben Kingsley, Chloë Grace Moretz, Sacha Baron Cohen
58

The revealing story of the 16th US President's tumultuous final months in office. In a nation divided by war and the strong winds of change, Lincoln pursues a course of action designed to end the war, unite the country and abolish slavery. With the moral courage and fierce determination to succeed, his choices during this critical moment will change the fate of generations to come.

57
2010s in Social Animals (2018)
Social Animals
2018

Determined not to turn into her parents, or be drawn into any relationship longer than a one night stand, Zoe constantly struggles with her failing business and love life. Then she falls in love for the first time with Paul. But there's one problem: Paul is married.

Comedy
Romance
1h 30m
Theresa Bennett
Noël Wells, Josh Radnor, Aya Cash, Carly Chaikin
56
2010s in Before Midnight (2013)
Before Midnight
2013

It has been nine years since we last met Jesse and Celine, the French-American couple who once met on a train in Vienna. They now live in Paris with twin daughters but have spent a summer in Greece at the invitation of an author colleague of Jesse's. When the vacation is over and Jesse must send his teenage son off to the States, he begins to question his life decisions, and his relationship with Celine is at risk.

Romance
Drama
Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick, Jennifer Prior
55
2010s in Carol (2015)
Carol
2015

In 1950s New York, a department-store clerk who dreams of a better life falls for an older, married woman.

Romance
Drama
1h 58m
Todd Haynes
54
2010s in Incendies (2010)
Incendies
2010

A mother's last wishes send twins Jeanne and Simon on a journey to Middle East in search of their tangled roots. Adapted from Wajdi Mouawad's acclaimed play, Incendies tells the powerful and moving tale of two young adults' voyage to the core of deep-rooted hatred, never-ending wars and enduring love.

Drama
War
Lubna Azabal, Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin, Maxim Gaudette, Rémy Girard
53
2010s in Silence (2016)
Silence
2016

In the 17th century, two Portuguese Jesuit priests travel to Japan in an attempt to locate their mentor, who is rumored to have committed apostasy, and to propagate Catholicism.

Drama
History
52
2010s in Enemy (2014)
Enemy
2014

A mild-mannered college professor discovers a look-alike actor and delves into the other man's private affairs.

Thriller
Mystery
Jake Gyllenhaal, Mélanie Laurent, Sarah Gadon, Isabella Rossellini
51
2010s in Blue Is the Warmest Color (2013)
Blue Is the Warmest Color
2013

Adèle's life is changed when she meets Emma, a young woman with blue hair, who will allow her to discover desire, to assert herself as a woman and as an adult. In front of others, Adele grows, seeks herself, loses herself, finds herself.

Romance
Drama
3h 0m
Abdellatif Kechiche
Léa Seydoux, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Salim Kéchiouche, Aurélien Recoing
50
2010s in The Hunt (2011)
The Hunt
2011

An undercover reporter is commissioned to write a story about a series of gruesome murders. His investigation leads him to a secret society of wealthy businessman who hunt humans for money. Caught in a spiral of violence, he is forced to participate in the game until he discovers that he has become the hunted.

Action
Horror
1h 50m
Thomas Szczepanski
Clara Vallet, Jellali Mouina, Sarah Lucide, Mari-Christine Jeanney
49
2010s in Spotlight (2015)
Spotlight
2015

The true story of how the Boston Globe uncovered the massive scandal of child molestation and cover-up within the local Catholic Archdiocese, shaking the entire Catholic Church to its core.

Drama
History
2h 9m
Tom McCarthy
48
2010s in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
2017

After seven months have passed without a culprit in her daughter's murder case, Mildred Hayes makes a bold move, painting three signs leading into her town with a controversial message directed at Bill Willoughby, the town's revered chief of police. When his second-in-command Officer Jason Dixon, an immature mother's boy with a penchant for violence, gets involved, the battle between Mildred and Ebbing's law enforcement is only exacerbated.

Crime
Drama
1h 55m
Martin McDonagh
47
2010s in Brooklyn (2015)
Brooklyn
2015

In 1950s Ireland and New York, young Eilis Lacey has to choose between two men and two countries.

Romance
Drama
1h 51m
John Crowley
Saoirse Ronan, Domhnall Gleeson, Emory Cohen, Jim Broadbent
46
2010s in The Lobster (2015)
The Lobster
2015

In a dystopian near future, single people, according to the laws of The City, are taken to The Hotel, where they are obliged to find a romantic partner in forty-five days or are transformed into animals and sent off into The Woods.

Comedy
Drama
1h 59m
Yorgos Lanthimos
45
2010s in Frances Ha (2013)
Frances Ha
2013

An aspiring dancer moves to New York City and becomes caught up in a whirlwind of flighty fair-weather friends, diminishing fortunes and career setbacks.

Comedy
Drama
1h 26m
Noah Baumbach
Greta Gerwig, Mickey Sumner, Michael Zegen, Adam Driver
44
2010s in From Iran, a Separation (2011)
From Iran, a Separation
2011

In March 2012, Iranian movie "A Separation" by Asghar Farhadi, won the Oscar Award for the Best Foreign Language Film. For the Iranian people this was more than a cinematic award. When sanctions and threats of war with Iran covered the world headlines, Farhadi talked about Iran's love for peace and the rich culture of the Iranians on the stage when receiving his award. This time the Iranians voice was heard through someone other than the government officials. This documentary shows the reaction of the Iranians to this Oscar award and has a general view on Iran's society of today.

Documentary
52m
Kourosh Ataee
Payman Maadi, Shahab Hosseini, Leila Hatami, Asghar Farhadi
43
2010s in Shoplifters (2018)
Shoplifters
2018

In the outskirts of Tokyo, a poor but close-knit group living on the fringes of society survives through shoplifting and odd jobs. When Osamu and his son take in a neglected young girl, their already fragile existence begins to unravel. As the family grows attached to her, buried secrets surface, forcing them to confront the true meaning of love, belonging, and what makes a family.

Drama
Crime
2h 0m
Hirokazu Kore-eda
Lily Franky, Sakura Ando, Mayu Matsuoka, Kairi Jo
42
2010s in The Revenant (2015)
The Revenant
2015

In the 1820s, a frontiersman, Hugh Glass, sets out on a path of vengeance against those who left him for dead after a bear mauling.

Western
Drama
Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson, Will Poulter
41
2010s in The Act of Killing (2012)
The Act of Killing
2012

In this chilling and groundbreaking documentary, former Indonesian death squad leaders reenact their real-life mass killings in the style of various film genres. As they recreate their past atrocities, the line between reality and performance blurs, exposing the lingering impact of Indonesia's 1965-66 anti-communist purge and the unsettling psychology of its perpetrators.

Documentary
History
2h 39m
Joshua Oppenheimer
Anwar Congo, Herman Koto, Syamsul Arifin, Ibrahim Sinik
40
2010s in The Birdman (2014)
The Birdman
2014

An old aviator fights to stay in the air. Whether he wins or not, his participation will mark a new record for aviation and will allow one more armistice in his battle with time.

Documentary
1h 16m
Alexandru Mavrodineanu
Nicolae "Mami" Mihăiță
39
2010s in Toni Erdmann (2016)
Toni Erdmann
2016

Convinced that his daughter has forgotten how to laugh, a father shows up unannounced while she's living abroad and bombards her with outrageous jokes.

Comedy
Drama
2h 42m
Maren Ade
Sandra Hüller, Peter Simonischek, Michael Wittenborn, Thomas Loibl
38
2010s in Burning (2018)
Burning
2018

'Burning' is a conversation between two young mothers brought together by strange and cruel social realities, at a funeral ghat in Varanasi

18m
VS Sanoj
Ketaki Narayan Kulkarni, Rukshana Tabassum, Abhinav Shukla
37
2010s in The Handmaiden (2016)
The Handmaiden
2016

1930s Korea, in the period of Japanese occupation, a new girl, Sookee, is hired as a handmaiden to a Japanese heiress, Hideko, who lives a secluded life on a large countryside estate with her domineering Uncle Kouzuki. But the maid has a secret. She is a pickpocket recruited by a swindler posing as a Japanese Count to help him seduce the Lady to steal her fortune.

Thriller
Drama
2h 25m
Park Chan-wook
Kim Min-hee, Kim Tae-ri, Ha Jung-woo, Cho Jin-woong
36
2010s in Room (2015)
Room
2015

Held captive for 7 years in an enclosed space, a woman and her young son finally gain their freedom, allowing the boy to experience the outside world for the first time.

Drama
Thriller
1h 58m
Lenny Abrahamson
Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, Joan Allen, Sean Bridgers
35
2010s in Amour (2012)
Amour
2012

Georges and Anne are in their eighties. They are cultivated, retired music teachers. Their daughter, who is also a musician, lives abroad with her family. One day, Anne has a stroke, and the couple's bond of love is severely tested.

Drama
Romance
2h 7m
Michael Haneke
Jean-Louis Trintignant, Emmanuelle Riva, Isabelle Huppert, Alexandre Tharaud
34
2010s in Marriage Story (2019)
Marriage Story
2019

A stage director and an actress struggle through a grueling, coast-to-coast divorce that pushes them to their personal extremes.

33
2010s in The Favourite (2018)
The Favourite
2018

England, early 18th century. The close relationship between Queen Anne and Sarah Churchill is threatened by the arrival of Sarah's cousin, Abigail Hill, resulting in a bitter rivalry between the two cousins to be the Queen's favourite.

History
Comedy
2h 0m
Yorgos Lanthimos
32
2010s in Under the Skin (2014)
Under the Skin
2014

A seductive stranger prowls the streets of Glasgow in search of prey: unsuspecting men who fall under her spell.

Thriller
Science Fiction
1h 48m
Jonathan Glazer
Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy McWilliams, Lynsey Taylor Mackay, Dougie McConnell
31
2010s in The Shape of Water (2017)
The Shape of Water
2017

An other-worldly story, set against the backdrop of Cold War era America circa 1962, where a mute janitor working at a lab falls in love with an amphibious man being held captive there and devises a plan to help him escape.

30
2010s in Coco (2017)
Coco
2017

Despite his family’s baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz. Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Hector, and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel's family history.

Family
Animation
1h 45m
Lee Unkrich
Anthony Gonzalez, Gael García Bernal, Benjamin Bratt, Alanna Ubach
29

Pennsylvania, 1956. Frank Sheeran, a war veteran of Irish origin who works as a truck driver, accidentally meets mobster Russell Bufalino. Once Frank becomes his trusted man, Bufalino sends him to Chicago with the task of helping Jimmy Hoffa, a powerful union leader related to organized crime, with whom Frank will maintain a close friendship for nearly twenty years.

28
2010s in 1917 (2019)
1917
2019

At the height of the First World War, two young British soldiers must cross enemy territory and deliver a message that will stop a deadly attack on hundreds of soldiers.

War
History
George MacKay, Dean-Charles Chapman, Mark Strong, Andrew Scott
27
2010s in The Tree of Life (2011)
The Tree of Life
2011

The impressionistic story of a Texas family in the 1950s. The film follows the life journey of the eldest son, Jack, through the innocence of childhood to his disillusioned adult years as he tries to reconcile a complicated relationship with his father. Jack finds himself a lost soul in the modern world, seeking answers to the origins and meaning of life while questioning the existence of faith.

Drama
Fantasy
2h 19m
Terrence Malick
Why it ranks

Terrence Malick’s cosmic meditation merged the domestic with the divine, pushing the boundaries of the narrative feature into the realm of pure poetry. Its impressionistic editing and philosophical ambition set a high-water mark for experimental filmmaking within the studio system.

26
2010s in Phantom Thread (2017)
Phantom Thread
2017

In 1950s London, a renowned dressmaker's meticulous lifestyle begins drastically changing as his relationship with his young muse intensifies.

Drama
Romance
Daniel Day-Lewis, Vicky Krieps, Lesley Manville, Camilla Rutherford
25
2010s in BlacKkKlansman (2018)
BlacKkKlansman
2018

Colorado Springs, late 1970s. Ron Stallworth, an African American police officer, and Flip Zimmerman, his Jewish colleague, run an undercover operation to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan.

Crime
Comedy
2h 16m
24
2010s in Her (2013)
2013

In the not so distant future, Theodore, a lonely writer, purchases a newly developed operating system designed to meet the user's every need. To Theodore's surprise, a romantic relationship develops between him and his operating system. This unconventional love story blends science fiction and romance in a sweet tale that explores the nature of love and the ways that technology isolates and connects us all.

Romance
Science Fiction
2h 6m
Spike Jonze
Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson, Lynn Adrianna, Lisa Renee Pitts
23
2010s in Drive (2011)
2011

Driver is a skilled Hollywood stuntman who moonlights as a getaway driver for criminals. Though he projects an icy exterior, lately he's been warming up to a pretty neighbor named Irene and her young son, Benicio. When Irene's husband gets out of jail, he enlists Driver's help in a million-dollar heist. The job goes horribly wrong, and Driver must risk his life to protect Irene and Benicio from the vengeful masterminds behind the robbery.

Drama
Thriller
1h 40m
Nicolas Winding Refn
22

Struggling to find his place in the world while juggling school and family, Brooklyn teenager Miles Morales is unexpectedly bitten by a radioactive spider and develops unfathomable powers just like the one and only Spider-Man. While wrestling with the implications of his new abilities, Miles discovers a super collider created by the madman Wilson "Kingpin" Fisk, causing others from across the Spider-Verse to be inadvertently transported to his dimension.

Animation
Action
1h 57m
Bob Persichetti
Shameik Moore, Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld, Mahershala Ali
21
2010s in Gravity (2013)
Gravity
2013

Dr. Ryan Stone, a brilliant medical engineer, is on her first Shuttle mission, with veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski in command of his last flight before retiring. But on a seemingly routine spacewalk, disaster strikes. The Shuttle is destroyed, leaving Stone and Kowalski completely alone-tethered to nothing but each other and spiraling out into the blackness of space. The deafening silence tells them they have lost any link to Earth and any chance for rescue. As fear turns to panic, every gulp of air eats away at what little oxygen is left. But the only way home may be to go further out into the terrifying expanse of space.

Science Fiction
Thriller
1h 31m
Alfonso Cuarón
20
2010s in Inside Out (2015)
Inside Out
2015

When 11-year-old Riley moves to a new city, her Emotions team up to help her through the transition. Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness work together, but when Joy and Sadness get lost, they must journey through unfamiliar places to get back home.

Animation
Family
1h 35m
Pete Docter
Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Richard Kind, Bill Hader
19
2010s in Roma (2018)
Roma
2018

In 1970s Mexico City, two domestic workers help a mother of four while her husband is away for an extended period of time.

Drama
2h 15m
Alfonso Cuarón
Yalitza Aparicio, Marina de Tavira, Diego Cortina Autrey, Carlos Peralta
18
2010s in Boyhood (2014)
Boyhood
2014

The film tells a story of a divorced couple trying to raise their young son. The story follows the boy for twelve years, from first grade at age 6 through 12th grade at age 17-18, and examines his relationship with his parents as he grows.

Drama
Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, Lorelei Linklater
17
2010s in Call Me by Your Name (2017)
Call Me by Your Name
2017

In the summer of 1983, a 17-year-old Elio spends his days in his family's villa in Italy. One day Oliver, a graduate student, arrives to assist Elio's father, a professor of Greco-Roman culture. Soon, Elio and Oliver discover a summer that will alter their lives forever.

Romance
Drama
2h 12m
Luca Guadagnino
Armie Hammer, Timothée Chalamet, Michael Stuhlbarg, Amira Casar
16
2010s in Lady Bird (2017)
Lady Bird
2017

Lady Bird McPherson, a strong willed, deeply opinionated, artistic 17 year old comes of age in Sacramento. Her relationship with her mother and her upbringing are questioned and tested as she plans to head off to college.

Drama
Comedy
1h 34m
Greta Gerwig
Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Tracy Letts, Lucas Hedges
15

The Grand Budapest Hotel tells of a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars and his friendship with a young employee who becomes his trusted protégé. The story involves the theft and recovery of a priceless Renaissance painting, the battle for an enormous family fortune and the slow and then sudden upheavals that transformed Europe during the first half of the 20th century.

Comedy
Drama
14
2010s in Whiplash (2014)
Whiplash
2014

Under the direction of a ruthless instructor, a talented young drummer begins to pursue perfection at any cost, even his humanity.

Drama
Music
1h 47m
Damien Chazelle
Why it ranks

By framing jazz drumming as a gladiatorial combat sport, Damien Chazelle interrogated the toxic cost of artistic perfection with terrifying velocity. This taut, percussive character study captured the era's obsession with extreme ambition, stripping away any romantic notions of the mentorship bond.

13

Taking place after alien crafts land around the world, an expert linguist is recruited by the military to determine whether they come in peace or are a threat.

Drama
Science Fiction
12

In the pre-Civil War United States, Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery. Facing cruelty as well as unexpected kindnesses Solomon struggles not only to stay alive, but to retain his dignity. In the twelfth year of his unforgettable odyssey, Solomon’s chance meeting with a Canadian abolitionist will forever alter his life.

Why it ranks

Steve McQueen’s unflinching gaze stripped away the sentimentalism typically found in historical epics to deliver a visceral confrontation with American brutality. It remains the decade’s most essential work of historical reclamation, demanding that the viewer bear witness to the physical and spiritual toll of systemic dehumanization.

11
2010s in Parasite (2019)
Parasite
2019

All unemployed, Ki-taek's family takes peculiar interest in the wealthy and glamorous Parks for their livelihood until they get entangled in an unexpected incident.

Comedy
Thriller
2h 13m
Bong Joon Ho
Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-shik
Why it ranks

Bong Joon-ho’s genre-shattering masterpiece dismantled the global myth of meritocracy with surgical precision and Hitchcockian suspense. It stands as the definitive cinematic statement on the decade's widening class chasm, proving that a subtitle-heavy thriller could dominate the cultural zeitgeist.

10

The story of the miraculous evacuation of Allied soldiers from Belgium, Britain, Canada and France, who were cut off and surrounded by the German army from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk between May 26th and June 4th 1940 during World War II.

War
Action
Why it ranks

Tom Hardy commands the frame through a leather flight mask, anchoring the film’s aerial tension with nothing but his eyes and a weary, rhythmic vocal delivery. It is a masterclass in minimalist restraint that proved he could dominate a blockbuster without ever showing his face or moving his body. This role redefined his screen presence, stripping away his usual physical volatility to reveal a soulfully stoic heroism.

9
2010s in La La Land (2016)
La La Land
2016

Mia, an aspiring actress, serves lattes to movie stars in between auditions and Sebastian, a jazz musician, scrapes by playing cocktail party gigs in dingy bars, but as success mounts they are faced with decisions that begin to fray the fragile fabric of their love affair, and the dreams they worked so hard to maintain in each other threaten to rip them apart.

Comedy
Drama
2h 9m
Damien Chazelle
Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, John Legend, Rosemarie DeWitt
Why it ranks

Ryan Gosling anchors the film with a simmer of retro cool, trading his typical stoicism for a soulful, nimble charisma that humanizes the jazz purist trope. It remains a career-defining turn because it weaponized his deadpan comedic timing against a backdrop of earnest vulnerability, proving he could carry a massive musical on charm alone. He treats the piano and the dance floor with a tactile grace that makes the fantasy feel earned and the final heartbreak sting.

8
2010s in Moonlight (2016)
Moonlight
2016

The tender, heartbreaking story of a young man’s struggle to find himself, told across three defining chapters in his life as he experiences the ecstasy, pain, and beauty of falling in love, while grappling with his own sexuality.

Drama
1h 51m
Barry Jenkins
Trevante Rhodes, André Holland, Janelle Monáe, Ashton Sanders
Why it ranks

Barry Jenkins utilized a dreamlike, triptych structure to explore the intersection of queer identity and Black masculinity with unprecedented tenderness. The film’s mastery of light and silence recalibrated the American indie scene, proving that radical vulnerability could be a monumental cinematic force.

7
2010s in Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
2019

On an isolated island in Brittany at the end of the eighteenth century, a female painter is obliged to paint a wedding portrait of a young woman.

Drama
Romance
2h 1m
Céline Sciamma
Noémie Merlant, Adèle Haenel, Luàna Bajrami, Valeria Golino
Why it ranks

Céline Sciamma’s luminous study of the female gaze rejected traditional melodrama in favor of a simmering, intellectual intimacy. By reclaiming the history of the muse, it offered a profound counter-narrative to the male-centric romantic tropes that had dominated the medium for a century.

6
2010s in Get Out (2017)
Get Out
2017

Chris and his girlfriend Rose go upstate to visit her parents for the weekend. At first, Chris reads the family's overly accommodating behavior as nervous attempts to deal with their daughter's interracial relationship, but as the weekend progresses, a series of increasingly disturbing discoveries lead him to a truth that he never could have imagined.

Mystery
Thriller
1h 44m
Jordan Peele
Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Catherine Keener, Bradley Whitford
Why it ranks

Jordan Peele weaponized the horror genre to expose the performative empathy of modern liberalism, creating a new socio-political cinematic vocabulary. Its immediate elevation to the cultural canon signaled a pivotal shift toward the 'elevated genre' movement that defined the latter half of the decade.

5

Los Angeles, 1969. TV star Rick Dalton, a struggling actor specializing in westerns, and stuntman Cliff Booth, his best friend, try to survive in a constantly changing movie industry. Dalton is the neighbor of the young and promising actress and model Sharon Tate, who has just married the prestigious Polish director Roman Polanski…

Why it ranks

Brad Pitt delivers a masterclass in reactionary acting, wielding a lethal, low-boil charisma that makes Cliff Booth the ultimate cinematic cool breeze. It is the definitive distillation of his movie star DNA, trading frantic energy for a weathered stillness that finally earned him his overdue acting Oscar. He dominates every frame through sheer physical presence and a smirk that suggests he is the only person in the room who knows exactly how the scene ends.

4

In 2003, Harvard undergrad and computer programmer Mark Zuckerberg begins work on a new concept that eventually turns into the global social network known as Facebook. Six years later, Mark is one of the youngest billionaires ever, but his unprecedented success leads to both personal and legal complications when he ends up on the receiving end of two lawsuits, one involving his former friend.

Drama
Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Armie Hammer, Josh Pence
Why it ranks

David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin captured the digital revolution at its inception, framing our new interconnected reality as a Shakespearean tragedy of ego and alienation. This icy, rhythmic biopsy of Silicon Valley remains the essential origin story for the decade's corrosive social media culture.

3

Cobb, a skilled thief who commits corporate espionage by infiltrating the subconscious of his targets is offered a chance to regain his old life as payment for a task considered to be impossible: "inception", the implantation of another person's idea into a target's subconscious.

Why it ranks

Christopher Nolan reinvented the cerebral tentpole by marrying high-concept architectural psychology with the visceral punch of a heist movie. Its legacy lies in challenging a blockbuster-fatigued audience to engage with complex, non-linear narratives without sacrificing massive scale or emotional stakes.

2

An apocalyptic story set in the furthest reaches of our planet, in a stark desert landscape where humanity is broken, and most everyone is crazed fighting for the necessities of life. Within this world exist two rebels on the run who just might be able to restore order.

Action
Adventure
Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Hugh Keays-Byrne
Why it ranks

Resurrecting the blockbuster through tactile practical effects and a relentless visual grammar, George Miller transformed a simple chase into a feminist epic of survival. It represents the pinnacle of 2010s action cinema by prioritizing sensory storytelling over the era’s burgeoning reliance on flat digital aesthetics.

1

A New York stockbroker refuses to cooperate in a large securities fraud case involving corruption on Wall Street, corporate banking world and mob infiltration. Based on Jordan Belfort's autobiography.

Why it ranks

Leonardo DiCaprio operates at a fever pitch of comedic depravity, channeling a feral, high-wire energy that finally sheared away his prestige drama constraints. It remains the definitive showcase of his physical commitment, transforming corporate greed into a rhythmic, sweat-soaked spectacle of grotesque charisma. This was the moment DiCaprio proved he could weaponize his leading-man status to become the screen’s most magnetic agent of chaos.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about this list and SnakeDrafts

'The Wolf of Wall Street' tops the list due to its masterful direction by Martin Scorsese, compelling blend of crime, drama, and comedy, and Leonardo DiCaprio's electrifying performance. It captures the excess and moral ambiguity of the decade with sharp wit and cultural resonance.

Directed by George Miller, 'Mad Max: Fury Road' reinvigorated the action and science fiction genres with its relentless pace, innovative practical effects, and strong feminist undertones. Its critical and popular success redefined modern blockbuster cinema.

The list showcases a diverse range, from global blockbusters like 'Inception' and 'The Social Network' to critically acclaimed arthouse films like 'Portrait of a Lady on Fire' and 'Moonlight.' This balance highlights the decade's dynamic cinema landscape blending wide appeal with artistic daring.

'Get Out' broke new ground by combining horror with sharp social commentary on race relations in America, earning praise for its originality and cultural impact. As a mystery-thriller with horror elements, it represents the decade's trend toward genre hybridity and fresh voices.

Christopher Nolan and Damien Chazelle both emerged as defining directors of the 2010s, with Nolan's cerebral blockbusters like 'Inception' and 'Dunkirk,' and Chazelle's intense dramas like 'Whiplash' and 'La La Land.' Their inclusion reflects their influence in shaping contemporary film aesthetics and narratives.

While the list is comprehensive, some may notice omissions like 'Frozen' for animation or 'Boyhood' for its unique filmmaking approach. However, the focus is on films that had significant cultural impact and cinematic innovation across various genres, prioritizing narrative storytelling.

The list reveals recurring themes of identity, social commentary, and innovative storytelling structures, visible in films such as 'Parasite,' 'Moonlight,' and 'Arrival.' The decade embraced complex narratives that challenged audiences while pushing genre boundaries.
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