Top 77 Ranked

2010's Best Movies Ranked

Modern Classics and Cinematic Masterpieces

Explore the best films of the year including mind-bending thrillers, acclaimed animated hits, and award-winning dramas from top directors.

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About Movies in 2010

The year 2010 arrived at a fascinating crossroads for the film industry, standing firmly between the analog traditions of the past and the digital, hyper-connected future we live in now. It was a year that felt like a bridge, where prestigious historical dramas and high-concept blockbusters lived side by side in a way that felt increasingly rare in the decade that followed. When we look back at the cinematic landscape of 2010, we see a year defined by the exploration of identity, the anxiety of the digital age, and the incredible staying power of original ideas.

One cannot discuss 2010 without centering on David Fincher’s The Social Network. At the time, skeptics dismissed it as the Facebook movie, but it quickly revealed itself as the definitive Greek tragedy of the twenty-first century. Aaron Sorkin’s rapid-fire dialogue combined with Fincher’s clinical direction to capture a specific cultural pivot point. It was the moment we realized that the nerds had inherited the earth, and they brought a lot of baggage with them. It remains one of the most prescient films of the era, forecasting the loneliness and legal complexity of our online existence before those issues became daily headlines.

While Fincher was examining the birth of social media, Christopher Nolan was busy proving that audiences were hungry for intellectual ambition in their summer spectacles. Inception was a rare phenomenon, a massive studio gamble on an original, non-franchise property that required the audience to actually pay attention. Its spinning top ending sparked debates that lasted for years, proving that a movie could be both a technical marvel and a philosophical puzzle. Along with Darren Aronofsky’s visceral Black Swan, 2010 showed that psychological thrillers could still command both the box office and the cultural conversation.

The year also marked a high point for traditional storytelling. The King's Speech took the world by storm, eventually winning Best Picture through a blend of impeccable acting and emotional resonance. Meanwhile, the Coen brothers delivered a masterclass in the Western genre with True Grit, and Pixar reached an emotional zenith with Toy Story 3. That film provided a collective catharsis for an entire generation that had grown up alongside Andy, proving that animation could handle the heavy themes of mortality and letting go with more grace than most live-action dramas.

Furthermore, 2010 gave us a glimpse into the future of the superstar. We saw the rise of Jennifer Lawrence in the gritty indie Winter's Bone and the continued dominance of actors like Leonardo DiCaprio and Natalie Portman. It was a year where the mid-budget drama still had a seat at the table, evidenced by the success of The Fighter and The Kids Are All Right.

Film fans remember 2010 because it felt like a year where everything worked. The blockbusters were smart, the indies were bold, and the major awards contenders were genuinely popular. It was the last breath of a certain kind of movie-going experience before the Marvel Cinematic Universe fully monopolized the multiplex and streaming services changed the distribution model forever. In retrospect, 2010 stands as a monument to what Hollywood looks like when it trusts its audience to be as smart as the people behind the camera.

The Complete Rankings

Based on the top picks in drafts on SnakeDrafts

See Top Ten
77
2010 in TRON: Legacy (2010)
TRON: Legacy
2010

Sam Flynn, the tech-savvy and daring son of Kevin Flynn, investigates his father's disappearance and is pulled into The Grid. With the help of a mysterious program named Quorra, Sam quests to stop evil dictator Clu from crossing into the real world.

Adventure
Action
2h 6m
Joseph Kosinski
Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde, Jeff Bridges, Bruce Boxleitner
76
2010 in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010)
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
2010

This time around Edmund and Lucy Pevensie, along with their pesky cousin Eustace Scrubb find themselves swallowed into a painting and on to a fantastic Narnian ship headed for the very edges of the world.

Adventure
Family
1h 53m
Michael Apted
Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, Ben Barnes, Will Poulter
75
2010 in Hereafter (2010)
Hereafter
2010

Three people — a blue-collar American, a French journalist and a London school boy — are touched by death in different ways.

Drama
Fantasy
Matt Damon, Cécile de France, Bryce Dallas Howard, Thierry Neuvic

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74
2010 in Grown Ups (2010)
Grown Ups
2010

After their high school basketball coach passes away, five good friends and former teammates reunite for a Fourth of July holiday weekend.

Comedy
1h 42m
Dennis Dugan
73
2010 in Secretariat (2010)
Secretariat
2010

Housewife and mother Penny Chenery agrees to take over her ailing father's Virginia-based Meadow Stables, despite her lack of horse-racing knowledge. Against all odds, Chenery - with the help of veteran trainer Lucien Laurin - manages to navigate the male-dominated business, ultimately fostering the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years.

Drama
2h 3m
Randall Wallace
Diane Lane, John Malkovich, Scott Glenn, Dylan Walsh
72
2010 in Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (2010)
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole
2010

When a young owl is abducted by an evil Owl army, he must escape with new-found friends and seek the legendary Guardians to stop the menace.

Animation
Adventure
Jim Sturgess, Ryan Kwanten, Hugo Weaving, Helen Mirren
71
2010 in Clash of the Titans (2010)
Clash of the Titans
2010

Born of a god but raised as a man, Perseus is helpless to save his family from Hades, vengeful god of the underworld. With nothing to lose, Perseus volunteers to lead a dangerous mission to defeat Hades before he can seize power from Zeus and unleash hell on earth. Battling unholy demons and fearsome beasts, Perseus and his warriors will only survive if Perseus accepts his power as a god, defies fate and creates his own destiny.

Adventure
Fantasy
1h 46m
Louis Leterrier
Sam Worthington, Gemma Arterton, Mads Mikkelsen, Alexa Davalos
70
2010 in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010)
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
2010

As the global economy teeters on the brink of disaster, a young Wall Street trader partners with disgraced former Wall Street corporate raider Gordon Gekko on a two tiered mission: To alert the financial community to the coming doom, and to find out who was responsible for the death of the young trader's mentor.

69
2010 in Hot Tub Time Machine (2010)
Hot Tub Time Machine
2010

Four pals are stuck in a rut in adulthood: Adam has just been dumped, Lou is a hopeless party animal, Nick is a henpecked husband, and Jacob does nothing but play video games in his basement. But they get a chance to brighten their future by changing their past after a night of heavy drinking in a ski-resort hot tub results in their waking up in 1986.

Science Fiction
Comedy
1h 41m
Steve Pink
John Cusack, Craig Robinson, Rob Corddry, Clark Duke
68
2010 in Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010)
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
2010

Accident prone teenager, Percy discovers he's actually a demi-God, the son of Poseidon, and he is needed when Zeus' lightning is stolen. Percy must master his new found skills in order to prevent a war between the Gods that could devastate the entire world.

Adventure
Fantasy
1h 58m
Chris Columbus
Logan Lerman, Brandon T. Jackson, Alexandra Daddario, Jake Abel
67
2010 in Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang (2010)
Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang
2010

Nanny McPhee appears at the door of a harried young mother who is trying to run the family farm while her husband is away at war. But once she’s arrived, Nanny discovers that the children are fighting a war of their own against two spoiled city cousins who have just moved in. Relying on everything from a flying motorcycle and a statue that comes to life to a tree-climbing piglet and a baby elephant, Nanny uses her magic to teach her mischievous charges five new lessons.

Comedy
Fantasy
1h 49m
Susanna White
Emma Thompson, Asa Butterfield, Lil Woods, Oscar Steer
66
2010 in Megamind (2010)
Megamind
2010

After Megamind, a highly intelligent alien supervillain, defeats his long-time nemesis Metro Man, Megamind creates a new hero to fight, but must act to save the city when his "creation" becomes an even worse villain than he was.

Animation
Action
1h 36m
Tom McGrath
65
2010 in The A-Team (2010)
The A-Team
2010

A man who loves when a plan comes together, Col. Hannibal Smith leads a close-knit team of elite operatives and Iraq War veterans. Framed for a crime they didn't commit, Smith and his men, Capt. H.M. ‘Howling Mad’ Murdock , Sgt. Bosco ‘B.A.’ Baracus, and Lt. Templeton ‘Faceman’ Peck, break out and go rogue, using their special talents to clear their names and find the perpetrator. Hot on their trail is Capt. Charissa Sosa, who was once involved with a member of Smith's team and has sworn to capture them, no matter what it takes.

Action
Comedy
1h 57m
Joe Carnahan
Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Jessica Biel, Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson
64
2010 in Alice in Wonderland (2010)
Alice in Wonderland
2010

Alice, now 19 years old, returns to the whimsical world she first entered as a child and embarks on a journey to discover her true destiny.

Family
Fantasy
63
2010 in Dear John (2010)
Dear John
2010

While Sergeant John Tyree is home on two weeks leave from Germany, he meets Savannah after he dives into the ocean to retrieve Savannah's purse that had fallen off a pier. John eventually falls in love with Savannah, who promises to write to him until he returns from overseas.

Drama
Romance
1h 48m
Lasse Hallström
62
2010 in How Do You Know (2010)
How Do You Know
2010

After being cut from the USA softball team and feeling a bit past her prime, Lisa finds herself evaluating her life and in the middle of a love triangle, as a corporate guy in crisis competes with her current, baseball-playing beau.

Comedy
Drama
2h 1m
James L. Brooks
61
2010 in Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
2010

Greg Heffley is headed for big things, but first he has to survive the scariest, most humiliating experience of any kid’s life – middle school! That won’t be easy, considering he’s surrounded by hairy-freckled morons, wedgie-loving bullies and a moldy slice of cheese with nuclear cooties!

Comedy
Family
1h 32m
Thor Freudenthal
Zachary Gordon, Robert Capron, Steve Zahn, Devon Bostick
60
2010 in Due Date (2010)
Due Date
2010

Peter Highman must scramble across the US in five days to be present for the birth of his first child. He gets off to a bad start when his wallet and luggage are stolen, and put on the 'no-fly' list. Peter embarks on a terrifying journey when he accepts a ride from an actor.

59
2010 in Burlesque (2010)
Burlesque
2010

Ali leaves behind a troubled life and follows her dreams to Los Angeles, where she lands a job as a cocktail waitress at the Burlesque Lounge, a once-majestic theater that houses an inspired musical revue. Vowing to perform there, she makes the leap from bar to stage, helping restore the club's former glory.

Drama
Romance
1h 59m
Steve Antin
Cher, Christina Aguilera, Cam Gigandet, Kristen Bell
58
2010 in The Book of Eli (2010)
The Book of Eli
2010

A post-apocalyptic tale, in which a lone man fights his way across America in order to protect a sacred book that holds the secrets to saving humankind.

Action
Thriller
1h 58m
Allen Hughes
57
2010 in The Last Exorcism (2010)
The Last Exorcism
2010

After years of performing “exorcisms” and taking believers’ money, Reverend Marcus travels to rural Louisiana with a film crew so he can dispel what he believes is the myth of demonic possession. The dynamic reverend is certain that this will be another routine “exorcism” on a disturbed religious fanatic but instead comes upon the blood-soaked farm of the Sweetzer family and a true evil he would have never thought imaginable.

Horror
Thriller
1h 27m
Daniel Stamm
Patrick Fabian, Ashley Bell, Iris Bahr, Louis Herthum
56
2010 in Cyrus (2010)
Cyrus
2010

With John's social life at a standstill and his ex-wife about to get remarried, a down on his luck divorcée finally meets the woman of his dreams, only to discover she has another man in her life - her son. Before long, the two are locked in a battle of wits for the woman they both love-and it appears only one man can be left standing when it's over.

Comedy
Drama
1h 31m
Jay Duplass
55

Gru is a supervillain determined to prove he’s the greatest by stealing the Moon. To pull off his plan, he adopts three orphaned girls—Margo, Edith, and Agnes—intending to use them as part of his scheme. However, as Gru bonds with the girls, his cold, villainous exterior begins to melt.

Family
Comedy
1h 35m
Chris Renaud
Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier
54
2010 in Chloe (2010)
Chloe
2010

A doctor hires an escort to seduce her husband, whom she suspects of cheating, though unforeseen events put the family in danger.

Drama
Thriller
1h 36m
Atom Egoyan
53
2010 in Eat Pray Love (2010)
Eat Pray Love
2010

A married woman realizes how unhappy her marriage really is, and that her life needs to go in a different direction. After a painful divorce, she takes off on a round-the-world journey to "find herself".

Drama
Romance
2h 13m
Ryan Murphy
52
2010 in Salt (2010)
Salt
2010

As a CIA officer, Evelyn Salt swore an oath to duty, honor, and country. Her loyalty will be tested when a Russian defector accuses her of being a Russian sleeper spy. She goes on the run, using all her skills and years of experience as a covert operative to elude capture, protect her husband, and stay one step ahead of her colleagues at the CIA. Her efforts to prove her innocence only serve to cast doubt on her motives, as the hunt to uncover the truth behind her identity continues and the question remains: "Who is Salt?"

Action
Mystery
1h 40m
Phillip Noyce
Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Daniel Olbrychski
51
2010 in Robin Hood (2010)
Robin Hood
2010

When soldier Robin happens upon the dying Robert of Loxley, he promises to return the man's sword to his family in Nottingham. There, he assumes Robert's identity; romances his widow, Marion; and draws the ire of the town's sheriff and King John's henchman, Godfrey.

50
2010 in Troll Hunter (2010)
Troll Hunter
2010

A group of students investigates a series of mysterious bear killings, but learns that there are much more dangerous things going on. They start to follow a mysterious hunter, learning that he is actually a troll hunter.

Fantasy
Horror
1h 44m
André Øvredal
Otto Jespersen, Glenn Erland Tosterud, Johanna Mørck, Tomas Alf Larsen
49
2010 in Heartbreaker (2010)
Heartbreaker
2010

Alex and his sister run a business designed to break up relationships. They are hired by a rich man to break up the wedding of his daughter. The only problem is that they only have one week to do so.

Romance
Comedy
1h 45m
Pascal Chaumeil
Romain Duris, Vanessa Paradis, Julie Ferrier, François Damiens
48
2010 in Knight and Day (2010)
Knight and Day
2010

A fugitive couple goes on a glamorous and sometimes deadly adventure where nothing and no one – even themselves – are what they seem. Amid shifting alliances and unexpected betrayals, they race across the globe, with their survival ultimately hinging on the battle of truth vs. trust.

Action
Comedy
1h 49m
James Mangold
47
2010 in Waiting for "Superman" (2010)
Waiting for "Superman"
2010

Gripping, heartbreaking, and ultimately hopeful, Waiting for Superman is an impassioned indictment of the American school system from An Inconvenient Truth director Davis Guggenheim.

Documentary
1h 51m
Davis Guggenheim
Charles Adams, Jonathan Alter, Geoffrey Canada, Celeste Bell
46
2010 in Love & Other Drugs (2010)
Love & Other Drugs
2010

Maggie is an alluring free spirit who won't let anyone – or anything – tie her down. But she meets her match in Jamie, whose relentless and nearly infallible charm serves him well with the ladies and the cutthroat world of pharmaceutical sales. Maggie and Jamie's evolving relationship takes them both by surprise, as they find themselves under the influence of the ultimate drug: love.

45
2010 in Conviction (2010)
Conviction
2010

When Betty Anne Waters' older brother Kenny is arrested for murder and sentenced to life in 1983, Betty Anne, a Massachusetts wife and mother of two, dedicates her life to overturning the murder conviction. Convinced that her brother is innocent, Betty Anne puts herself through high school, college and, finally, law school in an 18 year quest to free Kenny. With the help of best friend Abra Rice, Betty Anne pores through suspicious evidence mounted by small town cop Nancy Taylor, meticulously retracing the steps that led to Kenny's arrest. Belief in her brother - and her quest for the truth - pushes Betty Anne and her team to uncover the facts and utilize DNA evidence with the hope of exonerating Kenny.

Drama
1h 47m
Tony Goldwyn
Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell, Minnie Driver, Melissa Leo
44
2010 in The Killer Inside Me (2010)
The Killer Inside Me
2010

Deputy Sheriff Lou Ford is a pillar of the community in his small west Texas town, patient and apparently thoughtful. Some people think he is a little slow and maybe boring, but that is the worst they say about him. But then nobody knows about what Lou calls his "sickness": He is a brilliant, but disturbed sociopathic sadist.

Crime
Drama
1h 49m
Michael Winterbottom
43
2010 in The Man from Nowhere (2010)
The Man from Nowhere
2010

A reclusive pawnshop owner goes on a brutal rampage to rescue a young girl kidnapped by a criminal organization.

Action
Thriller
1h 59m
Lee Jeong-beom
Won Bin, Kim Sae-ron, Kim Tae-hun, Kim Hie-won
42
2010 in Get Low (2010)
Get Low
2010

A movie spun out of equal parts folk tale, fable and real-life legend about the mysterious, 1930s Tennessee hermit who famously threw his own rollicking funeral party... while he was still alive.

Drama
Mystery
1h 43m
Aaron Schneider
41
2010 in You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (2010)
You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger
2010

Two married couples find only trouble and heartache as their complicated lives unfold. After 40 years of marriage, Alfie leaves his wife to pursue what he thinks is happiness with a call girl. His wife, Helena, reeling from abandonment, decides to follow the advice of a psychic. Sally, the daughter of Alfie and Helena, is unhappy in her marriage and develops a crush on her boss, while her husband, Roy, falls for a woman engaged to be married.

40
2010 in Splice (2010)
Splice
2010

Elsa and Clive, two young rebellious scientists, defy legal and ethical boundaries and forge ahead with a dangerous experiment: splicing together human and animal DNA to create a new organism. Named "Dren", the creature rapidly develops from a deformed female infant into a beautiful but dangerous winged human-chimera, who forges a bond with both of her creators - only to have that bond turn deadly.

Horror
Science Fiction
1h 44m
Vincenzo Natali
Adrien Brody, Sarah Polley, Delphine Chanéac, David Hewlett
39
2010 in Cold Weather (2010)
Cold Weather
2010

A guy who moves back to Portland, Oregon becomes involved in the mystery of his ex-girlfriend's disappearance.

Mystery
Drama
1h 36m
Aaron Katz
Cris Lankenau, Trieste Kelly Dunn, Raúl Castillo, Robyn Rikoon
38
2010 in Somewhere (2010)
Somewhere
2010

After withdrawing to the Chateau Marmont, a passionless Hollywood actor reexamines his life when his eleven-year-old daughter surprises him with a visit.

Drama
1h 37m
Sofia Coppola
Stephen Dorff, Elle Fanning, Chris Pontius, Laura Chiatti
37
2010 in Buried (2010)
Buried
2010

Paul is a U.S. truck driver working in Iraq. After an attack by a group of Iraqis he wakes to find he is buried alive inside a coffin. With only a lighter and a cell phone it's a race against time to escape this claustrophobic death trap.

Drama
Thriller
1h 35m
Rodrigo Cortés
Ryan Reynolds, José Luis García Pérez, Robert Paterson, Stephen Tobolowsky
36
2010 in Of Gods and Men (2010)
Of Gods and Men
2010

A group of Trappist monks reside in the monastery of Tibhirine in Algeria, where they live in harmony with the largely muslim population. When a bloody conflict between Algeria's army and Muslim Jihadi insurgents disrupts the peace, they are forced to consider fleeing the monastery and deserting the villagers they have ministered to. In the face of deadly violence the monks wrestle with their faith and their convictions, eventually deciding to stay and help their neighbours keep the army and the insurgents at bay.

Drama
History
2h 0m
Xavier Beauvois
Lambert Wilson, Michael Lonsdale, Olivier Rabourdin, Philippe Laudenbach
35

After being set-up and betrayed by the man who hired him to assassinate a Texas Senator, an ex-Federale launches a brutal rampage of revenge against his former boss.

34
2010 in 4.3.2.1 (2010)
4.3.2.1
2010

Jo is chained down in a dead end supermarket job while all her friends are all out on their own separate adventures. But a chance encounter with some diamond thieves sends their separate worlds on a collision course with not only each other, but fate itself.

Action
Thriller
1h 57m
Noel Clarke
Emma Roberts, Noel Clarke, Ophelia Lovibond, Tamsin Egerton
33
2010 in Greenberg (2010)
Greenberg
2010

Roger Greenberg, a failed musician now making a living as a carpenter in New York, returns to Los Angeles to house-sit for his brother. He's stranded there—since he doesn't drive—until his brother's assistant, Florence, comes to his rescue. She's as much a lost soul as he is, and the pair form a significant connection—giving Roger a much-needed reason to be happy.

Comedy
Drama
1h 47m
Noah Baumbach
Ben Stiller, Greta Gerwig, Rhys Ifans, Jennifer Jason Leigh
32
2010 in Never Let Me Go (2010)
Never Let Me Go
2010

As children, Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy spend their childhood at an idyllic and secluded English boarding school. As they grow into adults, they must come to terms with the complexity and strength of their love for one another while also preparing for the haunting reality awaiting them.

Drama
Romance
1h 44m
Mark Romanek
31
2010 in Another Year (2010)
Another Year
2010

During a year, a very content couple approaching retirement are visited by friends and family less happy with their lives.

Drama
Comedy
2h 9m
Mike Leigh
Jim Broadbent, Lesley Manville, Ruth Sheen, Peter Wight
30
2010 in Monsters (2010)
Monsters
2010

Six years ago NASA discovered the possibility of alien life within our solar system. A probe was launched to collect samples, but crashed upon re-entry over Central America. Soon after, new life forms began to appear and half of Mexico was quarantined as an infected zone. Today, the American and Mexican military still struggle to contain "the creatures," while a journalist agrees to escort a shaken tourist through the infected zone in Mexico to the safety of the U.S. border.

Drama
Thriller
1h 34m
Gareth Edwards
Scoot McNairy, Whitney Able, Mario Zuniga Benavides, Annalee Jefferies
29
2010 in A Film Unfinished (2010)
A Film Unfinished
2010

Yael Hersonski's powerful documentary achieves a remarkable feat through its penetrating look at another film-the now-infamous Nazi-produced film about the Warsaw Ghetto. Discovered after the war, the unfinished work, with no soundtrack, quickly became a resource for historians seeking an authentic record, despite its elaborate propagandistic construction. The later discovery of a long-missing reel complicated earlier readings, showing the manipulations of camera crews in these "everyday" scenes. Well-heeled Jews attending elegant dinners and theatricals (while callously stepping over the dead bodies of compatriots) now appeared as unwilling, but complicit, actors, alternately fearful and in denial of their looming fate.

History
Documentary
1h 29m
Yael Hersonski
Alexander Beyer, Rüdiger Vogler
28
2010 in The American (2010)
The American
2010

Dispatched to a small Italian town to await further orders, assassin Jack embarks on a double life that may be more relaxing than is good for him.

Crime
Drama
1h 44m
Anton Corbijn
George Clooney, Violante Placido, Thekla Reuten, Paolo Bonacelli
27
2010 in Carlos (2010)
Carlos
2010

The story of Venezuelan revolutionary, Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, who founded a worldwide terrorist organization and raided the OPEC headquarters in 1975 before being caught by the French police.

Crime
Drama
5h 39m
Olivier Assayas
Edgar Ramírez, Alexander Scheer, Nora Waldstätten, Talal Jurdi
26
2010 in Biutiful (2010)
Biutiful
2010

This is a story of a man in free fall. On the road to redemption, darkness lights his way. Connected with the afterlife, Uxbal is a tragic hero and father of two who's sensing the danger of death. He struggles with a tainted reality and a fate that works against him in order to forgive, for love, and forever.

Drama
Javier Bardem, Maricel Álvarez, Hanaa Bouchaib, Guillermo Estrella
25
2010 in Animal Kingdom (2010)
Animal Kingdom
2010

Joshua “J” is taken in by his extended family after his mother dies of an overdose. The clan, ruled by J’s scheming grandmother, is heavily involved in criminal activities, and J is soon indoctrinated into their way of life. But J is given a chance to take another path when a cop seeks to help him.

Crime
Drama
1h 53m
David Michôd
24
2010 in Let Me In (2010)
Let Me In
2010

A bullied young boy befriends a young female vampire who lives in secrecy with her guardian. A remake of the movie “Let The Right One In” which was an adaptation of a book.

Drama
Horror
1h 56m
Matt Reeves
Kodi Smit-McPhee, Chloë Grace Moretz, Richard Jenkins, Elias Koteas
23
2010 in The Illusionist (2010)
The Illusionist
2010

A French illusionist travels to Scotland to work. He meets a young woman in a small village. Their ensuing adventure in Edinburgh changes both their lives forever.

Animation
Drama
1h 20m
Sylvain Chomet
Jean-Claude Donda, Eilidh Rankin, Didier Gustin, Jil Aigrot
22

Harry, Ron and Hermione walk away from their last year at Hogwarts to find and destroy the remaining Horcruxes, putting an end to Voldemort's bid for immortality. But with Harry's beloved Dumbledore dead and Voldemort's unscrupulous Death Eaters on the loose, the world is more dangerous than ever.

Adventure
Fantasy
2h 26m
David Yates
21
2010 in Kick-Ass (2010)
Kick-Ass
2010

Dave Lizewski is an unnoticed high school student and comic book fan who one day decides to become a super-hero, even though he has no powers, training or meaningful reason to do so.

Action
Crime
1h 58m
Matthew Vaughn
Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Chloë Grace Moretz, Nicolas Cage, Lyndsy Fonseca
20
2010 in Tangled (2010)
Tangled
2010

Feisty teenager Rapunzel, who has long and magical hair, wants to go and see sky lanterns on her eighteenth birthday, but she's bound to a tower by her overprotective mother. She strikes a deal with Flynn Rider, a charming wanted thief, and the duo set off on an action-packed escapade.

Animation
Family
1h 40m
Nathan Greno
Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, Donna Murphy, Ron Perlman
19

As bass guitarist for a garage-rock band, Scott Pilgrim has never had trouble getting a girlfriend; usually, the problem is getting rid of them. But when Ramona Flowers skates into his heart, he finds she has the most troublesome baggage of all: an army of ex-boyfriends who will stop at nothing to eliminate him from her list of suitors.

Action
Comedy
1h 53m
Edgar Wright
Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ellen Wong, Kieran Culkin
18
2010 in Blue Valentine (2010)
Blue Valentine
2010

Dean and Cindy live a quiet life in a modest neighborhood. They appear to have the world at their feet at the outset of the relationship. However, his lack of ambition and her retreat into self-absorption cause potentially irreversible cracks in their marriage.

Drama
Romance
1h 52m
Derek Cianfrance
Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams, John Doman, Mike Vogel
17
2010 in Winter's Bone (2010)
Winter's Bone
2010

After discovering her father put their house up for his bail bond and then disappeared, 17-year-old Ree Dolly must confront the local criminal underworld and the harsh Ozark wilderness in order to to track down her father and save her family.

Drama
Mystery
1h 41m
Debra Granik
Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Kevin Breznahan, Dale Dickey
16
2010 in How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
How to Train Your Dragon
2010

As the son of a Viking leader on the cusp of manhood, shy Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III faces a rite of passage: he must kill a dragon to prove his warrior mettle. But after downing a feared dragon, he realizes that he no longer wants to destroy it, and instead befriends the beast – which he names Toothless – much to the chagrin of his warrior father.

Fantasy
Adventure
1h 38m
Dean DeBlois
Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera
15
2010 in The Ghost Writer (2010)
The Ghost Writer
2010

A writer stumbles upon a long-hidden secret when he agrees to help former British Prime Minister Adam Lang complete his memoirs on a remote island after the politician's assistant drowns in a mysterious accident.

14
2010 in Date Night (2010)
Date Night
2010

Phil and Claire Foster fear that their mild-mannered relationship may be falling into a stale rut. During their weekly date night, their dinner reservation leads to their being mistaken for a couple of thieves—and now a number of unsavoury characters want Phil and Claire killed.

Comedy
Action
1h 28m
Shawn Levy
13
2010 in Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010)
Exit Through the Gift Shop
2010

Banksy is a graffiti artist with a global reputation whose work can be seen on walls from post-hurricane New Orleans to the separation barrier on the Palestinian West Bank. Fiercely guarding his anonymity to avoid prosecution, Banksy has so far resisted all attempts to be captured on film. Exit Through the Gift Shop tells the incredible true story of how an eccentric French shop keeper turned documentary maker attempted to locate and befriend Banksy, only to have the artist turn the camera back on its owner.

Documentary
1h 26m
Banksy
Rhys Ifans, Thierry Guetta, Banksy, Shepard Fairey
12

Doug MacRay is a longtime thief, who, smarter than the rest of his crew, is looking for his chance to exit the game. When a bank job leads to the group kidnapping an attractive branch manager, he takes on the role of monitoring her – but their burgeoning relationship threatens to unveil the identities of Doug and his crew to the FBI Agent who is on their case.

11
2010 in The Other Guys (2010)
The Other Guys
2010

Unlike their heroic counterparts on the force, desk-bound NYPD detectives Gamble and Hoitz garner no headlines as they work day to day. When a seemingly minor case turns out to be a big deal, the two cops get the opportunity to finally prove to their comrades that they have the right stuff.

Comedy
Action
1h 47m
Adam McKay
10
2010 in 127 Hours (2010)
127 Hours
2010

The true story of mountain climber Aron Ralston's remarkable adventure to save himself after a fallen boulder crashes on his arm and traps him in an isolated canyon in Utah.

Adventure
Drama
1h 34m
Danny Boyle
James Franco, Kate Mara, Amber Tamblyn, Clémence Poésy
Why it ranks

Danny Boyle utilizes explosive visual energy and a frantic kineticism to narrate a story defined by total physical stasis. It is a daring cinematic experiment that manages to find a celebratory, visceral pulse within a harrowing singular location.

9
2010 in The Kids Are All Right (2010)
The Kids Are All Right
2010

Two women, Nic and Jules, brought a son and daughter into the world through artificial insemination. When one of their children reaches age, both kids go behind their mothers' backs to meet with the donor. Life becomes so much more interesting when the father, two mothers and children start to become attached to each other.

Comedy
Drama
1h 46m
Lisa Cholodenko
Why it ranks

Lisa Cholodenko crafts an exceptionally grounded portrait of domesticity that treats its central relationship with refreshing, lived-in complexity. By avoiding political didacticism, the film succeeds as a witty and profoundly human exploration of midlife ennui.

8

World War II soldier-turned-U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels investigates the disappearance of a patient from a hospital for the criminally insane, but his efforts are compromised by troubling visions and a mysterious doctor.

Why it ranks

Martin Scorsese embraces the stylistic excesses of B-movie pulp and German Expressionism to create a suffocating atmosphere of mid-century paranoia. It is a haunting exercise in tonal dread that showcases a master filmmaker playing expertly with the mechanics of unreliable perspective.

7
2010 in The Fighter (2010)
The Fighter
2010

Boxer "Irish" Micky Ward's unlikely road to the world light welterweight title. His Rocky-like rise was shepherded by half-brother Dicky, a boxer-turned-trainer who rebounded in life after nearly being KO'd by drugs and crime.

Drama
1h 56m
David O. Russell
Why it ranks

David O. Russell breathes gritty, chaotic life into the inspirational sports archetype by focusing on the fractured dynamics of a volatile blue-collar family. The film’s strength lies in its authentic regional texture and a collection of ferocious, uninhibited performances.

6
2010 in True Grit (2010)
True Grit
2010

Following the murder of her father by a hired hand, a 14-year-old farm girl sets out to capture the killer. To aid her, she hires the toughest U.S. Marshal she can find—a man with 'true grit'—Reuben J. 'Rooster' Cogburn.

Drama
Adventure
1h 50m
Joel Coen
Why it ranks

The Coen brothers invigorate the Western genre by leaning into the archaic, formalist beauty of Charles Portis’s original prose. It is a rugged and linguistically rich pursuit film that eschews modern revisionism in favor of a stark, uncompromising classicism.

5
2010 in The King's Speech (2010)
The King's Speech
2010

The King's Speech tells the story of the man who became King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II. After his brother abdicates, George ('Bertie') reluctantly assumes the throne. Plagued by a dreaded stutter and considered unfit to be king, Bertie engages the help of an unorthodox speech therapist named Lionel Logue. Through a set of unexpected techniques, and as a result of an unlikely friendship, Bertie is able to find his voice and boldly lead the country into war.

Why it ranks

This impeccably mounted historical drama trades sweeping epic tropes for an intimate, tactile exploration of personal vulnerability and the heavy burden of public duty. The chemistry between Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush elevates a traditional prestige piece into a masterclass of character-driven nuance.

4
2010 in Toy Story 3 (2010)
Toy Story 3
2010

Woody, Buzz, and the rest of Andy's toys haven't been played with in years. With Andy about to go to college, the gang find themselves accidentally left at a nefarious day care center. The toys must band together to escape and return home to Andy.

Animation
Family
1h 42m
Lee Unkrich
Why it ranks

Pixar achieves a sophisticated emotional resonance rarely seen in animation by confronting themes of obsolescence and the bittersweet finality of childhood. It functions as a poignant, masterful coda for a generation that grew up alongside these digital icons.

3

A committed dancer struggles to maintain her sanity after winning the lead role in a production of Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake".

Drama
Thriller
1h 48m
Darren Aronofsky
Why it ranks

Darren Aronofsky transforms the disciplined world of professional ballet into a visceral, hallucinatory descent into psychological disintegration. Natalie Portman delivers a transformative performance that blurs the line between artistic perfection and total madness.

2

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 capture the cold, litigious pulse of the digital age through razor-sharp dialogue and a chillingly detached perspective on modern connectivity. This is the definitive zeitgeist film, dissecting the friction between institutional legacy and the ruthless ego of the Silicon Valley disruptor.

1

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 defies the limitations of the summer blockbuster by weaving a high-concept architecture of dreams that demands total intellectual immersion. It is a rare technical marvel where grand-scale spectacle serves a deeply cerebral, labyrinthine narrative.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about this list and SnakeDrafts

The best movies of 2010 showcased a diverse range of genres, including psychological thrillers like 'Black Swan,' innovative science fiction such as 'Inception,' and acclaimed dramas like 'The Social Network' and 'The King's Speech.' Animation and family films like 'Toy Story 3' also played a significant role, highlighting the year's broad cinematic appeal.

'Black Swan,' directed by Darren Aronofsky, masterfully explores themes of identity and psychological tension through a dark, haunting narrative about a ballerina's descent into obsession. This film stands out for its intense portrayal of mental unraveling and artistic pressure.

Films like 'The Social Network' captured the revolutionary impact of digital technology and social media on society, portraying the birth of Facebook and highlighting the anxieties and opportunities of a digitally connected world. This reflects 2010's position as a bridge between traditional storytelling and modern connectivity.

'Inception,' directed by Christopher Nolan, earned acclaim for its groundbreaking blend of action and science fiction, featuring complex dream manipulation concepts and visually stunning sequences that challenged audience perceptions of reality.

Several films from 2010's best movies earned prestigious awards; for example, 'The King's Speech' won multiple Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor, while 'Toy Story 3' was lauded for its emotional storytelling and won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature.

'Exit Through the Gift Shop,' directed by the enigmatic artist Banksy, is a critically acclaimed documentary from 2010 that delves into street art culture and questions the nature of authenticity in art, earning widespread praise for its clever storytelling and thought-provoking subject.

'True Grit,' directed by the Coen brothers, uniquely blends Western and adventure genres to tell the story of a young girl's quest for justice, praised for its strong performances and faithful adaptation of the classic novel.

'Toy Story 3' is a standout for its heartfelt exploration of themes like friendship, growing up, and nostalgia, successfully appealing to both children and adults. Its emotional depth and technical excellence helped it become a beloved classic and a high point in animation for the year.
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