Now the 2010s have come to end, here are Screen Rant's best movies of the decade. It's been a roller coaster ten years for cinema of all descriptions. The blockbuster landscape has seen the rise to dominance of Disney, indie cinema has an increasingly diverse outlook promoted by upstarts such as A24, the Oscars have had an overhaul that rewards a more interesting set (mostly), and streaming giants have taken an increasing share of top directors and audience attention
But it is, ultimately, all about the films themselves. And across the 2010s, audiences have been spoilt for choice no matter what they're looking for at the theater: from superhero to horror, thriller to historical, there's been a perfect mix of the boundary-pushing, the masterfully-executed the sheer exhilarating. And that is what wants celebrating.
Screen Rant editors and writers voted with their ranked top 20 films of the past ten years, which were then attributed points based on preference and the cumulative winner calculated. Ties were broken based on how high the movies placed in individual rankings.
25. Interstellar (2014)
Christopher Nolan's galaxy-traversing sci-fi epic about mortality and love has had a peculiar life, lauded for its meticulous (and scientifically accurate) space travel effects but divisive for its conclusion that "love is the one thing we're capable of perceiving that transcends dimensions of time and space." But while some of the entry points may be blunt (the closest thing to a villain is "best of us" Dr. Mann), Interstellar is an incredibly purposeful and measured movie that has aged impeccably since its 2014 box office smash. Come for the 2001-evoking special effects, stay to tear up when Matthew McConaughey uses a black hole to reconnect with his daughter.
24. Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
In lesser hands, Silver Linings Playbook could have been manipulative, messy, or worse, offensive. But director David O. Russell found the right approach, telling an engaging and relatable human story that was equal parts heartfelt and entertaining. Walking that fine line required a great amount of skill from Russell, but he was also helped immensely by his talented cast. Bradley Cooper surprised in a dynamic role that showcased his acting range, Jennifer Lawrence announced herself as Hollywood's newest megastar with a commanding turn that demanded audiences' attention, and Robert De Niro was back in vintage, Oscar-worthy form. One doesn't have to be an Eagles fan to find something to love in this film.
[Written by Chris Agar]
23. Logan (2017)
The Fox-era of X-Men movies officially ends with Logan. A sci-fi western where Hugh Jackman Shanes his way through protecting an aging Professor X and his young clone, it was more internalized and meditative than superhero audiences were accustomed to - and excelled as a result. There's a purposefulness and reflection that few other franchise movies can match, and a weight to character that even in-depth studies rarely reach.
22. Ex Machina (2015)
A Turing test of a movie, Ex Machina pits Domnhall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac and Alicia Vikander in a three-way game to define what makes us human. It's a tight, economical thriller - set in a single location and keeping the cast small - yet Alex Garland's ideas (and some Oscar-winning visual effects) take Ex Machina so much further. While it's got multiple breakouts (Gemma Chan also stars), Vikander is particularly beguiling as Ava, a calculating creation or product of a flawed genius, a question that you'll be debating long after the movie has finished.
21. Whiplash (2014)
There's a very good argument to be made that best movie ending of the decade. An energized showdown between Miles Teller's angsty drumming student and J.K. Simmons' manipulatively bullish teacher, it's a tightly edited battle of wits driven by off-the-cuff drumming. But it only works so breathlessly thanks to the care Damien Chazelle puts into everything leading up to Carnegie Hall. Simmons' turn as Fletcher is rightly lauded for intensity that would shake J. Jonah Jameson, but the ruthlessness of Teller's Andrew is what makes the rough victory so earned.
20. Boyhood (2014)
It took 12 years to make, but Boyhood is far more than just a gimmick movie. Telling the Texan childhood of Mason from 6 to 18, taking in divorce, first loves and Pottermania, Richard Linklater's real-time encapsulation tells a sprawling-yet-intimate that's incredibly personable yet immediately relatable. While the writer-director's deft eye for emotional truth gets the project off the ground, it's the performances he evolves that complete the vision - Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke as the split parents make Boyhood so much more than a nostalgic throwback to youth.
19. Paddington 2 (2017)
David Heyman may have made billions for Warner Bros. with Paddington 2, that truly steps into greatness, with an overbearing niceness the default, a prison interlude challenging Wes Anderson's work in The Grand Budapest Hotel, and a defining villain turn from Hugh Grant.
18. Call Me By Your Name (2017)
Luca Guadagnino's Call Me By Your Name is a simmering romance and coming-of-age story, set against the serene backdrop of a rural Italian town and villa. Leads Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer have magnetic chemistry as Elio, the 17-year-old son of a college professor, and Oliver, a graduate student who comes to stay with the family. With a dreamy soundtrack from Sufjan Stevens, Call Me By Your Name perfectly captures the excitement and heartbreak of young love.
[Written by Hannah Shaw-Williams]
17. Avengers: Endgame (2019)
The biggest film of all time, the conclusion to a narrative threaded through 21 previous movies, and yet it ends with a couple in the 1950s dancing in their front room. Avengers: Endgame is the Marvel Cinematic Universe in microcosm, which means big action, plenty of Easter eggs, but above all: character. At the core of Endgame are the final stages of Iron Man and Captain America's arcs, with Robert Downey, Jr. and Chris Evans get ample time to tell their respective stories without detracting from the other.
16. Wonder Woman (2017)
Her debut in Wonder Woman was the first female-fronted superhero movie in over a decade, but defined itself by not resting on such gender limitations. Mythology meets wartime period action meets Superman: The Movie-style wistfullness, Patty Jenkins' film shows how superhero movies can distill a myriad of sources to tell a story that is fundamentally about the now. An overly CGI-d finale may wear off some sheen, but with Gal Gadot emerging fully-formed, it's no surprise that Wonder Woman is leading the DCEU forward into the 2020s.
