100 Best Movies of the 21st Century

Introduction: A Century in Frames

I’ll say it up front, I don’t believe in ranking art like it’s a sprint race. Art hits differently for all of us. What healed me might wreck you. What you worship, I might just find… fine. And yet, when we talk about the best films of the 21st century, we’re trying to reach something deeper than taste. We’re talking about stories that defined us. Films that altered the cultural conversation. That invented new languages for grief, love, justice, joy.

These 100 movies aren't just "great", they changed the game.

The Criteria (Spoiler: It's Not Just About Oscars)

This list isn't about which film made the most money or racked up the most awards (though some did both). It's about impact. Boldness. Staying power. Did it break ground? Did it move people? Did it challenge norms or stir a silent part of you that maybe even you didn’t know was there?

I pulled from critic lists (yes, BBC and NYT were considered), personal rewatches, emotional aftermaths, cultural footprints, and those magical moments that stayed etched in my memory, long after the credits rolled.

Let’s Begin: The Top 100 Movies of the 21st Century

(Note: These are listed in no particular order, because seriously, how do you compare Spirited Away with 12 Years a Slave?)

🎥 Global Game-Changers

1. Parasite (2019) — The class war never looked so poetic, funny, or devastating.

2. Spirited Away (2001) — Hayao Miyazaki crafted a universe where growing up feels like magic and mourning at the same time.

3. Roma (2018) — Cuarón’s visual poetry of memory and motherhood.

4. Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) — Guillermo del Toro gives us fairytales stitched with trauma.

5. In the Mood for Love (2000) — Longing, restraint, and the unbearable intimacy of missed chances.

6. Amélie (2001) — A quirky Parisian fable that made kindness cinematic.

7. The Lives of Others (2006) — Surveillance, conscience, and quiet rebellion.

🖤 Modern Classics That Hit You in the Gut

8. There Will Be Blood (2007) — Capitalism’s madness personified by Daniel Day-Lewis.

9. Moonlight (2016) — Queerness, black identity, and vulnerability—captured with aching beauty.

10. Manchester by the Sea (2016) — Grief as a slow, unbearable tide.

11. The Social Network (2010) — We watched Zuckerberg become a myth—and a warning.

12. Boyhood (2014) — Life, unfiltered and unscripted.

13. No Country for Old Men (2007) — Existential dread with a cowboy hat.

14. A Separation (2011) — A family unraveling in real time, and it’s all too believable.

🔥 Pop Culture Phenomena with Brains

15. The Dark Knight (2008) — Ledger’s Joker didn’t just haunt us—he redefined villainy.

16. Inception (2010) — Dreams within dreams, but the emotional core is what lands.

17. Get Out (2017) — Horror gets political, and we finally look at racism through a different lens.

18. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) — Chaos, feminism, and relentless forward motion.

19. Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022) — A multiverse opera about laundry, trauma, and love.

20. Black Panther (2018) — A superhero film as a cultural revolution.

21. Her (2013) — A love story between a man and an AI… that might just be one of the most human films of the century.

🎞 Animated Masterpieces (Not Just for Kids)

22. Coco (2017) — Death, family, and song—Pixar at its deepest.

23. WALL·E (2008) — A silent robot teaches us about love and climate collapse.

24. Inside Out (2015) — Mental health, memory, and childhood bottled into brilliance.

25. Persepolis (2007) — A girl’s life during and after the Iranian revolution, told in stark lines and pain.

26. Ratatouille (2007) — A rat, a dream, and the pure joy of making art.

27. The Triplets of Belleville (2003) — Bizarre, bold, and oddly beautiful.

🎬 Indie Darlings & Underdog Masterpieces

28. Lady Bird (2017) — The teenage condition in all its messy glory.

29. The Florida Project (2017) — Childhood joy under the shadow of poverty.

30. The Farewell (2019) — East meets West, and a goodbye cloaked in celebration.

31. Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012) — Magical realism through the eyes of a fearless little girl.

32. Frances Ha (2012) — Wandering, wondering, and growing up in grayscale.

🧠 Cerebral, Challenging, and Deeply Rewarding

33. Synecdoche, New York (2008) — Life becomes theater becomes life… and grief permeates it all.

34. The Tree of Life (2011) — Cosmic and intimate, a prayer on film.

35. Under the Skin (2013) — An alien woman drives a van through Scotland. That’s not the weirdest part.

36. Memories of Murder (2003) — Before Parasite, Bong Joon-ho made this haunting detective drama.

❤️‍🔥 Romance, Real and Raw

37. Before Sunset (2004)

38. Before Midnight (2013)

39. Call Me by Your Name (2017)

40. Blue Valentine (2010)

41. The Handmaiden (2016)

42. Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)

43. Carol (2015)

44. Brokeback Mountain (2005)

45. 500 Days of Summer (2009)

46. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

All of these redefined love—some tenderly, some tragically.

🌍 Docu-Reality That Hit Hard

47. 13th (2016)

48. The Act of Killing (2012)

49. Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (2018)

50. Citizenfour (2014)

51. Free Solo (2018)

52. Flee (2021)

53. My Octopus Teacher (2020)

These aren't just documentaries. They’re reckonings.

⚡ The Other 47 That Still Deserve the Spotlight

54. Arrival (2016)

55. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

56. 12 Years a Slave (2013)

57. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

58. The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)

59. Requiem for a Dream (2000)

60. The Lobster (2015)

61. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)

62. Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)

63. Drive (2011)

64. Zodiac (2007)

65. Babel (2006)

66. The Wrestler (2008)

67. A Ghost Story (2017)

68. Aftersun (2022)

69. Shame (2011)

70. Sound of Metal (2019)

71. Cold War (2018)

72. The Father (2020)

73. Monsters, Inc. (2001)

74. Shrek (2001)

75. Tár (2022)

76. Marriage Story (2019)

77. Dune: Part One (2021)

78. Gravity (2013)

79. The Revenant (2015)

80. Oldboy (2003)

81. Incendies (2010)

82. District 9 (2009)

83. The Hunt (2012)

84. La La Land (2016)

85. The Wind Rises (2013)

86. Titane (2021)

87. The Worst Person in the World (2021)

88. The Power of the Dog (2021)

89. Uncut Gems (2019)

90. Paddington 2 (2017)

91. The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021)

92. 1917 (2019)

93. The Batman (2022)

94. Drive My Car (2021)

95. The Whale (2022)

96. The Zone of Interest (2023)

97. Anatomy of a Fall (2023)

98. Past Lives (2023)

99. Barbie (2023)

100. Oppenheimer (2023)

Final Thoughts: Why We Keep Watching

Films don’t just entertain. They reflect, challenge, and sometimes even save us. The best of the 21st century aren’t merely "well made"—they hit nerves. They stay lodged in your chest. They sneak into your dreams. They help us feel less alone.

In a world that feels increasingly fast, fragmented, and artificial… great cinema reminds us what it means to be human.

And really, what more could we ask of it?