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- WITH Christopher NolanX Oppenheimer surpassing box office expectations, it’s the perfect time to revisit how the director’s best masterpieces dominated the 2000s (along with other greats from that decade).
In a decade when the battle for GOAT’s position is extremely cutthroat, the 2000s have produced films that audiences, if they haven’t actually seen, have undoubtedly heard. The prestigious IMDb rating is the indisputable authority for cinephiles and movie lovers when the debate about the best films of the time begins. For the casual viewer, rank and rating can determine whether or not to watch a movie on a Saturday night when the options are literally endless.
The IMDb Top 250 covers the entire history of cinema and is ranked by IMDb voters. These films include classics, blockbusters and indies from all decades, but getting into the top 10 in their respective decade is no easy task. Even nearly two decades after theaters and home theaters, these 2000s films are truly the best of the best.
WITH Christopher NolanX Oppenheimer surpassing box office expectations, it’s the perfect time to revisit how the director’s best masterpieces dominated the 2000s (along with other greats from that decade).
12 ‘WALL-E’ (2008)
IMDb rating: 8.4/10
Elevator for waste distribution: Earth-Class, WALL-E tells the gripping and touching story of the protagonist (voiced by Ben Burtt), which is the last robot on the land littered with debris. Only his routine and friendly cockroach keep his days moving and he is understandably lonely. One day everything changes when EVE’s dainty robot (Elissa Knight) arrives, and the duo soon embark on an adventure in space.
Beautifully animated and wonderfully written with the environment in mind, WALL-E easily ranks among the best Pixar games. It’s impossible not to root for the adorable robot, especially since his mission turns out to be more difficult than anyone expected.
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eleven ‘For memory’ (2000)
IMDb rating: 8.4/10
Among Christopher NolanThe most obscure films are also one of his greatest masterpieces. Souvenirs follows Leonard’s story (Guy Pearce), a man living with anterograde amnesia tries to track down the man who killed his wife. However, he has to be creative, remembering the facts and continuing his own investigation, which leads him to shocking conclusions.
Souvenirs presented in a mind blowing way as Nolan uses non-linear storytelling to really give viewers Leonard’s unique point of view. This effectively makes the entire film tense as the audience piece together what actually happened along with the main character.
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10 ‘Prestige’ (2006)
IMDb rating: 8.5/10
Audiences love good historical plays with an impeccable cast. Prestige hit on all fronts, making it one of the top ten in the 2000s. In a battle to create the best illusion, two stage magicians (Christian Bale And Hugh Jackman) push each other to the limit, trying to outsmart each other in 1890s London.
Truly a thriller about obsession, director Christopher Nolan keeps viewers guessing by revealing their own delusions that viewers have been falling in love with all along. It’s hard to argue with the brilliance of Nolan’s films and his attention to detail, which keeps his films alive regardless of the year they were released.
9 ‘The Departed’ (2006)
IMDb rating: 8.5/10
The perfect combination of acting and directing power of a star, Renegades top notch crime drama. As South Boston Cop Billy (Leonardo DiCaprio) infiltrates the gang of the famous mobster Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson), seasoned criminal Colin (Matt Damon) teams up with a police organization, causing both operations to take action to weed out the moles before the other is caught.
Icon director Martin Scorsese, Renegades it’s a perfect cat-and-mouse tale that continues to thrill viewers. This Best Picture winner is referenced over and over again when it comes to analyzing contemporary crime and mafia films despite being an adaptation/remake (depending on who you ask). 2015s Black mass based on the same true stories that inspired this Top 10 movie.
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8 ‘Gladiator’ (2000)
IMDb rating: 8.5/10
One of the most iconic movie quotes of all time was taken from this Ridley Scott production - “You are not entertained?” Having fallen out of favor with the Roman Empire and having lost his family, the former commander Maximus (Russell Crowe) fights his way back to the Colosseum, killing and challenging opponents until he can exact revenge on Emperor Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix).
Five-time Oscar winner Gladiator secured Crowe Best Picture and Best Actor among his Golden Statues. This brutal tale of revenge has allowed Old Hollywood audiences to experience a sense of nostalgia for the sword fights from iconic genre films before it. Will the long-awaited sequel ever join this list?
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7 ‘Pianist’ (2002)
IMDb rating: 8.5/10
Based on autobiography The Pianist: An Extraordinarily True Story of One Man’s Survival in Warsaw, 1939-1945., Pianist functions Adrien Brody like a real musician Vladislav Shpilman, a Polish Jew who survived World War II. A radio station pianist, Szpilman witnesses his city fall apart with the onset of World War II and is herded into the Warsaw Ghetto, where he later hides among the city’s deserted crevices to avoid concentration camps.
A film nominated seven times for an Oscar. Pianist demonstrates the value of art in one of the darkest times of mankind. Far from the heroism of the war movie genre, this adaptation captures the loneliness that comes with forced fortitude, showcasing the haunting performance of the Best Actor Award-winning Brody.
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6 “Spirited Away” (2001)
IMDb rating: 8.6/10
Spirited Away is not only a cult product in the Studio Ghibli archive, but also in the history of cinema in the 2000s. Director Hayao Miyazaki, this animated fairy tale is the story of a young girl who finds herself in a mysterious world ruled by witches, gods and spirits. After her parents are turned into beasts, she must do whatever it takes to bring them back in one of the best films of the early 2000s.
This classic received an English version after Disney acquired the distribution rights and dubbed the feature. Spirited Away won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature in 2003. Viewers, whether anime regulars or just viewers, appreciate this title for its ability to take viewers on a dreamlike adventure they never expected.
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5 ‘City of God’ (2002)
IMDb rating: 8.6/10
A film designed to make viewers feel uncomfortable God’s city put Brazilian cinema on the map. He proposed and posed moral questions about vitality and youth violence that today’s moviegoers still cannot answer. Directors Fernando Meirelles And Katya Lund imagine a story from the slums of Rio de Janeiro in the 1970s, where two young men take different paths that eventually converge in a violent neighborhood.
The Oscar-nominated film is not for the faint of heart, as the violence depicted on screen was filmed in Rio’s poorest neighborhoods. Since modern audiences are looking for non-English language films, this Brazilian film is well worth a visit for those who may have overlooked it.
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4 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
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IMDb rating: 8.8/10
Breaking the curse that the sequel is usually worse than the first, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers still remains a master class in watching movies. The three-hour epic tells about the beloved mythical characters of the genre Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) as Gollum (Andy Serkis) aids them in their march to Mordor, while the divided brotherhood takes action against Saruman (Christopher Lee) and his horde.
With fewer nominations than its predecessor, the fantasy sequel received six Oscar nominations - two wins in the technical categories for Best Visual Effects and Best Sound Editing. Adaptations J. R. R. Tolkien The novels, decades later, maintain their status as one of the best films of all time.
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3 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
IMDb rating: 8.8/10
First in a trio of films Lord of the rings, Brotherhood of the ring introduced audiences to beloved characters who will remain fundamental cinematic inspirations for future fantasy films. In Frodo’s (Elijah Wood) preface, he and his fellow Shire set out to destroy the Ring of Power and save their world from the Dark Lord Sauron.
With a staggering 13 Oscar nominations, this piece Lotr won four technical category victories that year. With stunning visuals for its time that are still relevant today, the franchise has been successful thanks to Peter Jackson at the helm.
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2 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
IMDb rating: - 9.0/10
Save the best for last, and the number two film of the decade according to IMDb voters. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King provided an epic conclusion lasting over three hours. Like Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) to lead the charge against Sauron (Christopher Lee), Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) as they fight the last leg of their journey to Mount Doom.
In a historic Oscar run, the third installment won all 11 nominations, including Best Picture. The legacy left behind by this fantasy franchise goes far beyond statues, but rather propels actors and directors into cinematic history as the team that brought these epic characters to life to become beloved by moviegoers of all genres.
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1 The Dark Knight (2008)
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IMDb rating: 9.0/10
The best version of the caped crusader and his legendary enemy. The Dark Knight this is one of the best films of all time. In the second part of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, the Joker threatens to reveal the identity of Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) as Batman (Heath Ledger) as the Clown Prince wreaks psychological havoc in Gotham City.
Deserving the third place among the greatest films of all time and the first place among all films of the 2000s, The Dark Knight brought only two Oscar wins out of eight nominations - only one really mattered to the audience. Heath Ledger was posthumously awarded the Best Supporting Actor statue. There will never be such a cinematic match as presented in this film, ensuring its unrivaled legacy.
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Source: Collider
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