The Best Movies Of The Last Decade

We're about to enter a brand new decade of pop culture, and while 2020 has some seriously great movies on the horizon, there's no denying that there were plenty of incredible movies that came out between 2010 and the end of 2019. From outstanding animated outings and over-the-top action set pieces to quiet dramas and Marvel movies, this decade boasts some extraordinary films — so much so that narrowing the list down at all was a fairly difficult feat.

Ultimately, we had to whittle down the huge list of films released in the past ten years, and while that was no easy feat, this list is a pretty definitive selection of the films that, well, defined the entire decade, made artistic strides, and cemented themselves in cinematic history. From superhero flicks that redefined the genre to arthouse films and psychological thrillers, these are the absolute best movies that came out in this action-packed decade. Some spoilers for these films to follow!

The first Toy Story set a standard in 1995 — not just for Pixar films, but for all animated movies — and though a sequel probably seemed unnecessary at the time, Toy Story 2 was released to universal acclaim in 1999. Though it took over ten years for Toy Story 3 to hit theaters, it was well worth the wait.

Toy Story 3 took an entirely different approach to the now-familiar narrative about beloved toys Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), Jessie (Joan Cusack), and more, envisioning a time when their loving owner Andy (John Morris) doesn't need them anymore. As Andy sets off for college, his toys end up accidentally donated to a local daycare, where they're tormented by manic children all day. When they try to escape, it proves more difficult than they thought — including a harrowing and emotional sequence that sees everyone's favorite gang of toys heading for an incinerator at the end of a trash chute — but luckily, the story ends happily. Ultimately, the toys find their way back to Andy, allowing him to introduce each toy to his neighbor's young daughter, finding a new home for his lifelong friends and providing emotional, satisfying closure for both the film's characters and for the audience. Toy Story 3 might have felt unnecessary, but in the end, it felt like a perfect closing chapter for the original trilogy (though Toy Story 4 would follow years later in 2019).

Ever since Daniel Craig took over the role of James Bond in 2006's Casino Royale, the 007 films have gotten sleeker and harder-hitting, and 2012's Skyfall (directed by Sam Mendes) remains a serious highlight in the Bond oeuvre. With Javier Bardem as the film's villain, Raoul Silva, Skyfall finds Bond fighting against an attack on MI6 by the dastardly Silva, who once worked for the British spy agency. As Silva tries to kill M (Judi Dench), the leader of MI6 and Bond's intrepid boss whom Silva believes betrayed him, Bond must work alongside fellow agents Eve Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) and Q (Ben Whishaw) to save her. Luckily, they're also joined by Gareth Mallory (Ralph Fiennes), a new addition to the franchise, who takes over the job of M from Dench, whose appearance in Skyfall is her last in the Bond series.

Beyond plenty of positive reception from critics upon its release, Skyfall also struck gold during awards season and at the box office. At the 2012 Academy Awards, British songstress Adele took home a statue for the film's original song, also titled "Skyfall," and when all was said and done, it became the first Bond movie to pass one billion dollars at the box office. Casting a classically trained actor like Craig as 007 was definitely a smart choice, and it paid off, giving audiences the highest-brow Bond in decades and elevating the entire franchise to prestige status. 

Throughout his career, Spike Jonze has made a name for himself with risky, boundary-pushing projects like Being John Malkovich, Adaptation., and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and his 2013 outing Her fits in perfectly with the rest of his films. Starring acclaimed actor Joaquin Phoenix in a performance that requires an astonishing amount of solo work, the film tells the futuristic story of Theodore Twombly (Phoenix), a lonely Los Angeles man who buys an operating system that houses a virtual assistant that adapts to its user. Theodore chooses a female voice and the name Samantha, and the AI, voiced by Scarlett Johannson, ends up becoming his closest confidante and unlikely lover, all while Samantha continues to grow and evolve. Eventually, she leaves him for another AI, revealing that she has multiple human and AI "partners," leaving Theodore bereft but changed.

A film that explores human intimacy, deep emotion, and the difficult concept of connection, Her remains a career highlight for Jonze, and at the 2014 Academy Awards, the auteur won the award for Best Original Screenplay (though the film only took home one statue, it was also nominated for Best Picture). As technology continues to advance rapidly, Her feels more and more real, and remains wholly relevant, particularly as new developments in social media and AI complicate human connection every single day.

This decade was jam-packed full of historical biopics, but few left quite as strong of an impression as Selma, the 2014 film that put director Ava DuVernay on the map. The true story of the 1995 marches from Selma, Alabama to the state's capital, Montgomery, Selma dramatized one of the United States' most important and fraught historical moments, giving one of the most important moments of the civil rights movement the respect and due it always deserved.

The film stars David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King Jr., Common as James Bevel, Stephan James as John Lewis, and Wendell Pierce as Hosea Williams, the four public figures responsible for the march itself. The rest of the cast is fleshed out by talented performers like Carmen Ejogo as Coretta Scott King, Tim Roth as George Wallace, and Tom Wilkinson as President Lyndon B. Johnson, among others, boasting an impressive amount of starpower. Ultimately, Selma builds to the moment King delivered his famous speech known as "How Long, Not Long" after President Johnson sided with the activists at the Alabama State Capitol. Nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards in 2014, the film made history for DuVernay as the first black female director nominated for Best Director, and it ended up winning Best Original Song in an award shared by star Common and singer-songwriter John Legend, who put the "O" in his eventual EGOT thanks to "Glory."

Plenty of films boast grueling and long-spanning filming schedules, but few movies have a behind-the-scenes process quite like Richard Linklater's Boyhood. This 2014 film took a whopping twelve years to make, with production and filming beginning in 2001 and wrapping in 2013 between Linklater and his stars Ethan Hawke, Patricia Arquette, Ellar Coltrane, and Linklater's daughter Lorelei. As Mason Evans, Coltrane filmed pieces of the movie every single year for those 12 years, chronicling his growth from a child to an adult as his parents divorce and he faces the typical teenage stumbling blocks. 

Considered one of the frontrunners for Best Picture at the 2015 Oscars, Boyhood ended up losing to Birdman — though Arquette walked away with a well-deserved award for Best Supporting Actress — but its legacy is undeniable. After all, how many directors need a contingency plan for their film in case they die during a 12-year filming period? Boyhood might not have won Best Picture, but Linklater's ambitious project certainly paid off, placing him firmly on Hollywood's directorial A-list and remaining one of the most exceptional and unique films of the entire decade. 

An action movie spinoff of Mel Gibson's classic Mad Max franchise probably seems like an unlikely inclusion on this list — as well as a very unexpected Oscar contender — but George Miller's fourth movie in the Mad Max series, Fury Road, ended up breaking an astonishing amount of barriers in the aftermath of its 2015 release.

Starring Tom Hardy, who took over Mel Gibson's titular role, alongside Charlize Theron as Furiosa (one of the best action heroines in recent memory), this blazing, blindingly-paced action movie delighted critics and fans alike, with many calling it one of the best action films of all time. To the surprise of many, it even made its way into the crowded and prestigious pack of nominees at the 2016 Academy Awards, with an incredible ten nominations and six wins in technical categories (including an Editing win for Miller's wife, Marget Sixel), making it the biggest winner of the night. Though it seems like a true awards underdog on the surface, the truth is that Mad Max: Fury Road is both an outstanding dystopian action set piece and a perfect allegory for the modern world, bolstered by excellent performances, jaw-dropping visuals, and sharp direction that absolutely belongs on a list of the best films of the decade.

Moonlight had already earned plenty of fame and acclaim by the time the Academy Awards aired in early 2017, but this Best Picture contender is likely best known for the now infamous mix-up over the night's biggest winner. At the very end of the ceremony, Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway presented Best Picture to La La Land, Moonlight's biggest competitor, only to cause an uproar when one of La La Land's producers turned the envelope towards the camera to reveal the actual winner: Moonlight, the 2016 coming of age film directed by Barry Jenkins.

However, if that's the only reason you remember Moonlight, you may want to rewatch this incredible, moving film and let it stand on its own apart from the famous Oscars snafu. Many have ranked this three-part film as one of the best films of the decade, and it's not surprising why; the story of Chiron, nicknamed "Little," as he grows up and comes to terms with his identity and sexuality, is all-encompassing, highly emotional, and relatable to everyone who watches the movie. Mahershala Ali earned his first Oscar (for Best Supporting Actor) for the film, and ultimately, there's no question at all that the Academy really did make the right call by anointing Moonlight as the best movie of the year.

Jordan Peele's directorial debut came as somewhat of a surprise, considering that the comedian turned director cut his teeth on the sketch comedy series Key & Peele, but by the time Get Out hit theaters in 2017, there were no doubts left about Peele's talent as a filmmaker. Written and directed by Peele, Get Out offers up a searing indictment of race relations and fetishism in modern America. The film seems simple at first: Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) goes with his girlfriend Rose (Alison Williams) to visit her family for the weekend, and while he's nervous about Rose introducing her black boyfriend to her white parents Dean (Bradley Whitford) and Missy (Catherine Keener), everything goes pretty smoothly. However, it quickly takes a turn once he realizes that Dean and Missy have sinister motives — and beyond that, he isn't the first of Rose's boyfriends or partners to meet the same horrible fate they have planned for him.

Peele's social satire was an immediate hit thanks to its brilliant story, powerful performances, and sharp direction, and the Academy took notice. Though Get Out didn't win Best Picture at the 2018 ceremony, it was one of the nominees — Kaluuya also snagged a well-deserved nomination for Best Leading Actor — and ultimately, Peele walked away with Best Original Screenplay, making him the first African-American artist to win the award and confirming his status as a major talent to watch for years to come.

Marvel has made plenty of groundbreaking films ever since the Marvel Cinematic Universe officially launched in 2008 with Iron Man, but one of its most revolutionary ventures was 2018's Black Panther, a film directed by Ryan Coogler that features Marvel's first black superhero and a powerhouse cast of actors of color. Chadwick Boseman had played T'Challa, known as the Black Panther, in Captain America: Civil War, and in Black Panther, he is prepared to take the throne after his father's death, but before long, he ends up thwarted by his cousin Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan), one of the MCU's best villains to date. With a cast rounded out by Lupita Nyong'o and Forest Whitaker alongside legends like Angela Bassett and newcomers like Winston Duke and Letitia Wright, Black Panther made its mark in the MCU, especially thanks to its smart script and direction from Coogler.

Ultimately, Black Panther set a new standard for not just diversity in superhero films, but superhero movies as a whole, thanks to its complex villain, perfect performances, and thoughtful direction. As one of the 2019 nominees for Best Picture (and the first superhero film to achieve that accolade), Black Panther was a huge step for both Marvel and the superhero genre, providing a big highlight for the MCU.

Since the start of the 21st century, some might argue that there have been far too many Spider-Man adaptations, but 2018's animated venture Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was certainly a welcome addition to the canon. The 2019 Academy Award winner for Best Animated Feature, Into the Spider-Verse is based on the modern-day Spider-Man comic book character Miles Morales, an Afro-Latino teenager who discovers his identity as Spider-Man amongst several other Spider-Men who join him from other realms. 

After another Spider-Man, Peter Parker (voiced by Chris Pine) tragically dies, several other figures appear to take up his mantle, including Morales, Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson), Gwen Stacy slash Spider-Woman (Hailee Steinfeld), and superheroes who arrive from other dimensions, including Spider-Man Noir (Nicolas Cage), SP//dr: (Kimiko Glenn), and, of course, Spider-Ham (John Mulaney). Together, they must fight against forces like Olivia Octavius, or Doctor Octopus (Kathryn Hahn), crime boss Wilson Fisk (Liev Schrieber), and Miles' own uncle, Aaron Davis (Mahershala Ali), who masquerades as the Prowler. Between the film's varied and groundbreaking animation techniques and multi-layered storytelling, there's no doubt that it belongs in the top films of the decade, and audiences can only hope that future animators follow in its footsteps to tell their own stories.

After the success of Get Out, it seemed impossible that Jordan Peele could top his debut effort, but luckily for audiences, Peele didn't suffer from a sophomore slump. Two years after his first film, Peele released Us, a mind-bending tale of doppelgängers that also touches on poverty, class differences, and race in an all-encompassing story that provides laughs, scares, and thought-provoking scenes from one moment to the next.

Starring Lupita Nyong'o and Winston Duke — teaming up once again after 2018's Black Panther — as Adelaide and Gabe Wilson, a couple who vacation with their children Zora (Shahadi Wright Joseph) and Jason (Evan Alex) in Santa Monica, Us immediately reveals that Adelaide suffered a childhood trauma at the Santa Monica boardwalk and is hesitant to return. Once there, they meet up with their wealthy friends Kitty (Elisabeth Moss) and Josh (Tim Heidecker) for a day at the beach, but by the time evening falls, both families are confronted by dangerous sets of doppelgängers clad in red jumpsuits, most of whom are mute. Adelaide's double, Red, is the only one who can speak, and eventually reveals Adelaide's dark secret as the Wilson family successfully evades their murderous doubles, even as the world crumbles. Thanks to another great concept by Peele and a truly powerful dual performance by Nyong'o, Us is another success for the brilliant director, whose two films in this decade have both made a huge impression on the cinematic landscape.

Foreign language films rarely stand a chance in the North American box offices, but at the end of 2019, Bong Joon-Ho's Parasite made a huge splash, selling out screenings across the country and marking itself as a must-see movie thanks to its mysterious marketing and twisting, turning narrative. Upon its premiere in May of 2019 at the Cannes Film Festival, Parasite took home the coveted Palme d'Or with a unanimous vote, proving that it was the film to watch out for as the year continued.

The less that's said about Parasite's plot, the better — while some films can benefit from light spoilers, this is not one of them — but all that you need to know is that this exquisitely shot and carefully plotted film focuses on class differences between an impoverished family, the Kims, in South Korea and an extraordinarily wealthy family, the Parks, who end up hiring the entire Kim family as their servants. From there, the film takes several turns that we'd rather not reveal; ultimately, all that you need to know about Parasite is that once you see it, you're unlikely to forget it anytime soon, which is why it's beloved by critics and fans across the world.