David is a Senior Editor at Collider focused primarily on Lists. His professional journey began in the mid-2010s as a Marketing specialist before embarking on his writing career in the 2020s. At Collider, David started as a Senior Writer in late 2022 and has been a Senior Editor since mid-2023. He is in charge of ideating compelling and engaging List articles by working closely with writers, both Senior and Junior, as well as other editors. Occasionally, David also reviews movies and TV shows and writes episode recaps. Currently, David is also writing his second novel, a psychological horror satire that will, hopefully, be picked up for publication sometime next year.
The 2000s were a transitional time for cinema. Stuck somewhere between the creative boom of the ’90s and the franchise-driven approach of the 2010s, the 2000s can be best understood as a bridge between both decades. Thus, you see everything from fantasy juggernauts like The Lord of the Rings to wildly imaginative indies like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Indeed, the 2000s produced many cinematic triumphs, many of which have earned places in the medium’s history as some of the all-time best.
Many of the decade’s movies have aged quite well, and a few are now recognized as near-perfect movies that are maybe weighed down by one or two details that can’t exactly live up to how great everything else is. The movies on this list come very close to being masterpieces, and while they might not be able to stand alongside actual classics of the decade, they should still be recognized as landmark achievements of the medium.
‘Almost Famous’ (2000)
Cameron Crowe’s coming-of-age drama Almost Famous is one of the most 2000s movies ever. A love letter to music and ’70s flower-child culture, the semi-autobiographical movie follows fifteen-year-old aspiring journalist William (Patrick Fugit), who embarks on a wild journey touring with up-and-coming rock band Stillwater. On the road, he forms close relationships with the band’s lead guitarist, Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup), and its main groupie, Penny Lane (Kate Hudson).
The defining coming-of-age movie of the 2000s, Almost Famous rises on the strength of Crowe’s screenplay, which works as both an ode to a bygone era and a more critical observation of ’70s culture. The performances are excellent overall, particularly a then-21-year-old Hudson in what would be her breakthrough role as the free-spirited and instantly enchanting Penny Lane. Whenever it isn’t on the road, Almost Famous loses some of its drive, but the movie remains an outstanding and intimate time capsule of a decade that’s constantly romanticized, but seldom as good as here. Surprisingly, Almost Famous wasn’t nominated for Best Picture at that year’s Oscars, which is wild, considering Chocolat was. Still, time has been kind to this nearly perfect movie, with many now considering it a quintessential triumph of the decade.
‘Gladiator’ (2000)
Ridley Scott’s Gladiator is currently considered among the greatest movies of the 2000s, and its reputation isn’t undeserved. In an Oscar-winning role, Russell Crowe stars as Maximus Decimus Meridius, a Roman general betrayed by the new emperor, Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). Sold into slavery after his wife and son are murdered, Maximus rises through the ranks and becomes a successful gladiator known as The Spaniard, fighting his way through every opponent on his way to challenge Commodus and get his revenge.
Twenty-five years later, Gladiator is better than ever. The film is perfectly paced, driven by a stellar performance from Crowe and a deliciously evil, scenery-chewing turn from Phoenix. The production values are flawless, capturing both the opulence and the decadence of the Roman Empire with a striking eye for impact, if not necessarily accuracy. Some of the criticisms aimed at the film upon release still hold up, particularly the screenplay and some of the dialogue, which can get a bit heavy-handed at times. However, that doesn’t stop Gladiator from being a near-masterpiece of the noughties, and a triumph of epic cinema that single-handedly revived the sword-and-sandal genre.
‘The Ring’ (2002)
The Hollywood J-horror craze of the 2000s began with the release of Gore Verbinski’s The Ring, a remake of the seminal Japanese horror film Ringu. A post-Mulholland Drive Naomi Watts leads this remake as Rachel Keller, a journalist investigating the death of four teenagers a week after watching a mysterious video. Her curiosity gets the best of her, and soon, Rachel watches the tape, finding herself the new target of a vengeful spirit.
Ask any millennial, and they’ll likely tell you The Ring is the horror movie that defined their adolescence. Atmospheric and with an inescapable air of dread pervading throughout, the film is a masterclass in suspense that keeps the momentum going from the opening scene. The Ring is far more interested in psychological terror than in overt scares, and Watts’ controlled descent into desperation is the perfect vehicle for this journey. The scene where Samara comes out of the television remains arguably the defining moment in 2000s horror. Comparisons to the original will always exist, and depending on how you like your scares, one movie will prevail over the other. That said, The Ring is as great a remake as can be.
‘V for Vendetta’ (2006)
The 2000s saw an increase in adaptations of popular comic books and graphic novels. 2006’s V for Vendetta adapts the eponymous 1988-1989 graphic novel by Alan Moore and David Lloyd and stars an ensemble cast led by Natalie Portman. The Oscar-winning actress stars as Evey Hammond, a young woman caught up in the plot of the masked anarchist vigilante V (Hugo Weaving), who plots to ignite a revolution in a fascist and totalitarian United Kingdom in the near future.
This dystopian political thriller benefits from The Wachowskis’ screenplay, but not their panache and distinct style behind the camera. First-time director James McTeigue does a valiant effort, but the sheer scope of the story slips through his fingers, especially in the third act. That said, V for Vendetta remains a riveting and thought-provoking tale of anarchy and idealism in the face of fascism, a topic that remains as uncomfortably relevant today as it was in 2006 and in 1988. The world of V for Vendetta is distressingly bleak and, most scary, not too far removed from what could conceivably happen, largely because it showcases how easy it is for fascism to rise when people remain silent and indifferent.
‘The Prestige’ (2006)
Christopher Nolan might just be the most influential director of the 21st century. He single-handedly shaped the blockbuster landscape in the late 2000s and early 2010s, his name becoming synonymous with cinema itself. Today, he is as big a star as any of the Oscar winners in his movies, if not bigger. However, in 2006, he was just starting to build his reputation as cinema’s most reliable auteur, and The Prestige was key to that success. The film follows the rivalry between two magicians in Victorian London.
Here, Nolan relies on his usual bag of tricks to construct a labyrinthine plot full of twists and turns. A bit too many twists and turns, some might say, especially because they aren’t perfectly executed once the more overt sci-fi elements arrive alongside Nikola Tesla (David Bowie). Indeed, The Prestige is at its strongest in the first half, when it’s a character-driven and riveting revenge thriller anchored by two stellar performances from Hugh Jackman and Nolan regular Christian Bale. Complemented by incredible cinematography from the great Wally Pfister (another Nolan usual) and production values that bring Victorian London to gloomy but absorbing life, The Prestige is an underrated triumph from cinema’s greatest modern auteur.
‘Sunshine’ (2007)
Sandwiched between the landmark zombie horror 28 Days Later and the Best Picture-winning Slumdog Millionaire, Danny Boyle directed Sunshine, quite possibly the most underrated sci-fi of the 2000s. The plot features a truly spectacular ensemble cast that includes Cillian Murphy, Chris Evans, Rose Byrne, Michelle Yeoh, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Benedict Wong, and follows a crew of astronauts sent on a mission to reignite the dying sun as Earth slowly succumbs to a global freeze.
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It’s well-known that Sunshine descends into a confused mess once it does a full 180 plot-wise in the third act, going from a cerebral disaster sci-fi to a space slasher with Mark Strong as the villain. Indeed, it’s a case of a movie that tries to be too many things at once and can only realistically pull a few off. And yet, what works — mainly, everything in the first two acts — works perfectly well. Sunshine isn’t afraid to go all-in on its scientific premise, throwing the audience directly into open sea, where they’ll either learn to swim or sink. The science behind the plot might not be strictly accurate, but dammit, it’s exhilarating, and the cast is perhaps the best ensemble in the 2000s, anchored by Cillian Murphy giving one of his best brooding performances.
‘(500) Days of Summer’ (2009)
Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel became icons of the hipster generation thanks to Marc Webb’s (500) Days of Summer. Introduced as decidedly not a love story, and far more a coming-of-age tale than a traditional rom-com, the film chronicles the relationship between architect Tom Hansen (Gordon-Levitt) and assistant Summer Finn (Deschanel) from its initial stage to its eventual disintegration.
(500) Days of Summer perhaps holds the title for the most misinterpreted movie of the 2000s. The film is the story of a confused man who misinterprets his partner’s desires and builds a fantasy around her, projecting his romantic notions onto her rather than accepting her for who she is. When looked at with a more clinical eye, (500) Days of Summer could very easily be a psychological drama about obsession and the inability to accept love for what it is. It’s in this dichotomy that the film’s genius lies, but ironically, it’s also what prevents it from being a true masterpiece of the genre. No matter; it’s still a landmark film of the 2000s, closing a decade defined by its quirk through a subversion of romantic notions — mainly the manic pixie dream girl trope — through a healthy dose of reality.
(500) Days of Summer PG-13 Comedy Drama Romance Release Date July 17, 2009
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