Every decade of cinema’s history has had plenty of excellent movies to offer, and the 2000s were no exception. This decade saw the meteoric rise of superhero cinema and other major blockbuster franchises, big technological advancements, and a bigger focus than ever before on genre filmmaking. From more realistic dramas to all-out fantasy epics, the 2000s birthed some of the greatest films of the 21st century, coming from all over the world and belonging to several different genres.
Of course, there are too many genres and subgenres out there to count, but this list will gather the ten biggest ones and explore the best outing that each one had throughout the 2000s. But whether it’s a romantic horror movie from Sweden, a genre-bending Western that won Best Picture, or what might be the greatest anime film of all time, all of these movies have something in common: time has been nothing but kind to them, and their legacy has only gotten stronger with age. For fairness and variety’s sake, entries can only be counted for one genre.
Action: ‘The Dark Knight’ (2008)
To this day, there’s still one film that reigns supreme when people talk about the best comic book movies and superhero movies of all time: Christopher Nolan‘s The Dark Knight. But not only is this a masterclass in transporting the comic book page to the big screen, it also happens to be one of the greatest action thrillers of the 21st century. The Dark Knight utterly revolutionized the superhero genre, proving that these characters deserved to be taken more seriously than ever before and setting the gold standard for these kinds of movies. Indeed, it hasn’t been matched since.
There’s pretty much nothing to complain about with The Dark Knight. The expansion of the Batman mythos and its uniquely gritty and realistic take on Gotham’s Caped Crusader? Delightful. Nolan’s huge set pieces and flawless production qualities? Lovely. The character of the Joker and Heath Ledger‘s transcendental performance as him? Absolutely legendary. The Dark Knight is far more than just a superhero flick: It’s a high-quality drama through and through, and that’s precisely what ranks it among the greatest action thrillers ever.
Animation: ‘Spirited Away’ (2001)
Any true cinephile and animation fan will agree that animation is not a genre, but rather a medium in itself, capable of telling its own stories in its own unique way. However, no list of the best films of the 2000s would be complete without Spirited Away. Hayao Miyazaki‘s magnum opus, this magical coming-of-age adventure became the second-ever film to win the Best Animated Feature Oscar, and that has aged as one of the Academy’s best decisions of the 21st century.
Spirited Away may be family-friendly, but a childish movie it most definitely is not. Instead, it’s one of the most powerful fantasy films ever, a hugely creative and atmospheric tale about identity and growing up. Miyazaki was already a fully-realized veteran artist by the time he made this gem, and you can tell. He’s in full control of his craft here, delivering some of the most gorgeous visuals and most memorable scenes of 2000s animation with tenderness and emotion.
Comedy: ‘Tropic Thunder’ (2008)
All in all, the 2000s were arguably not at all the best decade for the comedy genre—but that doesn’t mean that there weren’t some that remain, for lack of a better word, peak. For the best of the best, one needn’t look any further than Tropic Thunder, one of the funniest movies of the 21st century. Directed by Ben Stiller, this brilliant satire pokes fun at Hollywood and the war genre mercilessly, employing some of the most delightful dark humor of any comedy of the decade.
Whether it’s the hilarious cast (including an Oscar-nominated Robert Downey Jr.), the endless subversive humor, or the admirable commitment to the bit, it’s simply impossible to watch Tropic Thunder and not have a blast. A far cry from the kind of lazy gross-out parody humor that plagued much of the 2000s’ comedy movie landscape, this cult classic isn’t just hysterical but also surprisingly clever throughout.
Drama: ‘City of God’ (2002)
If there’s any country with a filmography that has always been criminally underrated throughout the world, that’s definitely Brazil. However, every now and then, a Brazilian movie achieves international recognition, and no better film has ever done that than City of God. It isn’t just Brazil’s biggest masterpiece; it’s one of the greatest movies of all time, directed with sizzling energy and non-stop dynamism by Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund.
This gangster movie is so riveting and biting that it’s almost as good as The Godfather, and that’s not an exaggeration. It’s not just its emotionally devastating coming-of-age story, nor just its hugely thought-provoking social critiques. It’s also the way the camera bubbles and dances, the way the performances tug at the heartstrings, the way Meirelles and Lund present violence as something absolutely horrifying. City of God is hard to stomach, and it definitely often goes for shock value, but that feels fully warranted for this story—and what a story it is.
Epic: ‘There Will Be Blood’ (2007)
Paul Thomas Anderson was on top of the world rolling into the 21st century, and in his second film of the 2000s, he made what many still consider his best: There Will Be Blood. Its commentary on unchecked greed and ambition is unfortunately timeless, but masterful thematic work isn’t the only thing this massively acclaimed dramatic epic has going for it. As packed with subtext as it is with operatic aplomb, this harrowing character study is one of the decade’s biggest masterpieces.
There Will Be Blood is fresh, unique, and seething in its social critique, yet absolutely universal in both story and theme.
Of course, with Daniel Day-Lewis and Paul Dano both delivering performances worthy of being counted among the best of any epic film, it would be easy for any movie to be touted as a masterpiece, but PTA’s masterwork goes beyond that. Fresh, unique, and seething in its social critique, yet absolutely universal in both story and theme, There Will Be Blood is the kind of 2000s film that makes people go “damn, they really don’t make them like they used to.”
Fantasy: ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’ (2003)
Throughout history, the 2000s being no exception, there have been many Best Picture Oscar winners that have admittedly been very Oscar-bait-y. There are exceptions, though, and among them, none shine brighter than The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Peter Jackson was feeling ambitious going into the 2000s, so he took the legendary world created by J.R.R. Tolkien and decided to try his luck at transporting it to the silver screen. With the help of one of the most skilled and talented creative teams of any movie franchise in history, he made a trilogy that has come to be celebrated as the greatest in the history of fantasy cinema.
But as great as The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers are, there’s really no beating the conclusion of the Fellowship’s adventure. Return of the King might also be a great drama, epic, and action movie of the 2000s, but fantasy is undeniably its primary domain, and that’s undeniably the genre that it’s had the largest influence on since 2003. Emotionally stirring, exquisitely long, irresistibly exciting, and full of payoffs that still feel satisfying on the nth rewatch, it’s nothing short of one of the best movies ever made.
Horror: ‘Let the Right One In’ (2008)
The vampire subgenre tends to be one of horror’s most tired nowadays, but every now and then, a gem as special and unique as Let the Right One In comes along and proves that there’s still plenty of space to experiment in these kinds of stories. Based on John Ajvide Lindqvist‘s 2004 novel of the same name, with a screenplay written by him, this coming-of-age romance directed by Tomas Alfredson followsa bullied 12-year-old boy who forms a unique friendship with his peculiar new neighbor.Deeply intelligent and emotionally riveting, boosted by a healthy dose of gore and plenty of gloom, Let the Right One In is one of the best international horror films of the 21st century. There’s a raw sense of tragedy and pathos at the heart of the narrative, but also surprising amounts of beauty and gentle tenderness, which are all things that are usually in sadly short supply in modern vampire movies. There are definitely scares here, but it’s the deep subtext and the emotional heart of the story that make this top-tier horror.
Sci-Fi: ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’ (2004)
Romance tales are as old as time, yet new ones keep coming out every decade that somehow find ways to feel delightfully unique. Leave it to a screenwriter as talented as Charlie Kaufman and a director as stylish as Michel Gondry to create one of the most original and profound romance films ever made: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, an exploration of themes related to memories, connection, and love that is as deeply poignant as it is irresistibly beautiful.
Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet have never been better, and Kaufman’s signature highly existential writing is also at its best here. Eternal Sunshine is by no means your typical, saccharine, romantic crowd-pleaser. Quite the opposite: It’s heartache in movie form, but that pain is balanced with such realistic yet hopeful optimism and so much visual inventiveness that it’s hard to resist. It’s a painfully honest study of love, but in its honesty, it manages to be one of the richest and most memorable outings the genre has ever seen.
Thriller: ‘Memento’ (2000)
Before he could revolutionize the superhero movie genre and come to dominate the modern blockbuster landscape, Christopher Nolan had to start somewhere, and, as it just turns out, his sophomore film may even be the best he’s ever made. Memento may not have the huge scale or tremendous budget of Nolan’s later work, but it’s proof that less is more. Purely through an airtight narrative told in reverse chronological order, it becomes one of the most brilliant mind-benders in film history.
Memento‘s framing device is far more than just a gimmick, and it’s enough to turn it into one of the most original thrillers of all time. Bolstered by a powerhouse lead performance by Guy Pearce, and anchored by a script that would still shine through its thoughtful thematic work and masterful character arcs even if it weren’t told in reverse, Memento is pure cinematic genius of the kind that only an artist like Nolan could create.
Western: ‘No Country for Old Men’ (2007)
The modern masters of Westerns and neo-Westerns, the Coen Brothers have explored the genre on a few precious occasions, but there’s really no question of what their best Western is. That would have to be, of course, the only film of theirs that’s won them a Best Picture and Best Directing Academy Award, No Country for Old Men. By mixing elements and iconography from the Western and noir genres, this masterpiece offers an exploration of the concept of progress that’s nothing if not provocative.
Perfectly written, perfectly directed, and perfectly performed by a star-studded cast, No Country for Old Men is the Coens’ magnum opus. Darkly humorous in all the right moments, yet perfectly capable of being so suspenseful it’s almost scary, the film says things about the world and human nature that are bound to keep it timeless. Building up to one of the most genius deliberately unsatisfying endings in movie history, No Country for Old Men is everything that 21st-century Westerns should aspire to be.