Best Movies of the 2000s: 20 Epic Classics Worth Rewatching

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

Peter Jackson hit the right climactic notes to end the fantasy epic The Lord of the Rings trilogy in 2003. The film series adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s eponymous novel features high-packed with giant battles and life-changing moments for the characters.

The fitting conclusion to the fantasy saga runs for more than 3 hours of riveting storyline and breath-taking heroic stunts. Critically acclaimed by both critics and audiences, the franchise became the landmark in creating films that have a massive connected universe.

The Return of the King set records by winning 11 Academy Awards, achieving the same success as Titanic and Ben-Hur. The most visually stunning TLOR movie also saw tremendous commercial success by raking in over $1 billion in gross sales.

The Peter Jackson film features a stellar ensemble cast including Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, and Cate Blanchett. Other huge stars include Sean Astin, John Rhys-Davies, Bernard Hill, Orlando Bloom, Hugo Weaving, Miranda Otto, and the like.

Run Time: 2 hours 58 minutes
IMDb rating: 8.9/10

The Dark Knight (2008)

The 2000s was a decade of remarkable Hollywood talents such as the multi-awarded director Christopher Nolan. The second installment in his Batman trilogy is arguably one of the decade’s greatest cinematic masterpieces.

The dark-themed rendition starring Christian Bale reinvented the iconic superhero character as a simple, emotionally pained millionaire recluse. This tour de force showcased Nolan’s genius for creating a rich and epic film lauded by movie critics.

He also perfected his rendition by bringing in the brilliant late actor Heath Ledger to portray a ruthless, deranged Joker. Fans eternally remember Ledger for his astonishing iconic performance as a supervillain in this superhero flick for grown-ups.

The Dark Knight is dubbed the best film released in 2008. It became the 4th highest-grossing film of all time with over $1 billion revenue worldwide at the time.

The film’s supporting cast includes Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Morgan Freeman.

Run Time: 2 hours 32 minutes
IMDb rating: 9/10

Gladiator (2000)

Acclaimed director Ridley Scott welcomed the arrival of the new millennium with the cinematic epic Gladiator. The 2000 blockbuster took inspiration from the sword-and-sandal theatrical pieces such as Spartacus in the 1960s.

Scott set the trend once again in the 2000s with his epic historical drama which has sultry R-rated action sequences. Russell Crowe delivered a compelling performance in the titular role of the wronged Gladiator, Maximus Decimus Meridius.

The film also won 5 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Actor for Crowe who beat versatile actor Tom Hanks in Castaway. Box-office-wise, it was a megahit with $500 million in gross sales. Its tremendous commercial success inspired big Greco-Roman movie releases like Troy and 300 in 2004 and 2006 respectively.

Gladiator stars Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Ralf Möller, Djimon Hounsou, Derek Jacobi, John Shrapnel, Richard Harris, and Tommy Flanagan.

Run Time: 2 hours 35 minutes
IMDb rating: 8.5/10

No Country for Old Men (2007)

Renowned Coen Brothers Joel and Ethan hit it big in the 90s with critically acclaimed movies Fargo and The Big Lebowski. The 2000s decade was a hit and miss for the tandem, however. Intolerable Cruelty and The Ladykillers flopped, but the two redeemed glory with the release of No Country for Old Men.

This impressive adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s crime thriller novel appealed to film critics that it bagged an Oscars for Best Picture. The Coen Brothers redefined the Western for a new millennium with the film’s black humor and intense suspense.

The movie’s melancholic and rough story revolves around three men who cross paths with each other when a drug deal went south. It features Javier Bardem in his breakthrough role as the murderous criminal Anton Chigurh. His performance as the iconic villain in this movie is just so incredible that it won him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

No Country for Old Men also stars Josh Brolin and Tommy Lee Jones alongside Kelly Macdonald, and Woody Harrelson.

Run Time: 2 hours 2 minutes
IMDb rating: 8.1/10

The Departed (2006)

The revered Martin Scorsese also graced the 2000s decade with The Departed, his third gangster title released in 2006. The twisty crime drama is the richer, more character-driven adaptation of the Hong Kong thriller Infernal Affairs.

This classic tale of organized crime centers on two men, each with a secret ploy. A mobster is working as a mole in the police department while a cop is working undercover in the Irish mafia.

The Departed is a gripping film packed with unexpected twists and turns, you’d be on the edge of your seats for its whole 2-hour run. The critically acclaimed Scorsese movie won four Academy Awards including Best Director for the quintessential auteur from New York.

The film features celebrated actors Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio in leading roles. The stellar cast also includes Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Vera Farmiga, Alec Baldwin, and Ray Winstone.

Run Time: 2 hours 31 minutes
IMDb rating: 8.5/10

Up (2009)

Pixar released a slew of impeccable animated movie classics such as Monster, Inc., Cars, and The Incredibles in the 2000s. However, the most exceptional of them all is Up, the studio’s original comedy-drama adventure to cap off the decade.

The deeply touching, hilarious, and exciting animated movie focuses on a grumpy 78-year-old widower who finally realizes his lifelong dream. With thousands of helium balloons tied to his house, Carl flies away to the wilderness of South America. But soon, he finds the young Wilderness Explorer is accidentally aboard to join the adventure.

Up is best known for its poignant 10-minute opening which critics praised as the best sequence of the decade. It also became the second animated title to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture.

This moving tale of two generations is written and directed by Peter Docter. Ed Esner voiced the curmudgeonly Carl Fredricksen while Jordan Nagai Russell. Supporting actors include Christopher Plummer, Bob Peterson, Delroy Lindo, John Ratzenberger, and others.

Run Time: 1 hour 36 minutes
IMDb rating: 8.2/10

Inglorious Basterds (2009)

Inglorious Basterds is Quentin Tarantino’s entry to our list of 20 best movies of the 2000s. After Kill Bill Vol. 1, the renowned director sealed the decade with one of his best movies in history.

This hybrid spy revisionist history fantasy flick is set in 1944 Paris. It sees the victory of Brad Pitt’s Lt. Aldo Raine and the Jewish-American army against the Nazis.

It offers a rich story and an excellent mix of violence and short witty jokes. The World War II drama is unforgettable as well for its clever dramatic sequences, especially the brilliant bar scene.

Inglorious Basterds is a commercial hit with over $300 million in gross sales worldwide. It became Tarantino’s highest-grossing film until Django Unchained beat its box office record in 2012.

During the awards season, this war-action title secured eight prestigious Oscar nominations. Christoph Waltz won Best Support Actor for his standout multi-lingual performance as the villainous “Jew Hunter.”

The 2009 war epic film’s ensemble cast also includes Lea Seydoux, Melanie Laurent, Diane Kruger, Michael Fassbender, Eli Roth, and Daniel Bruhl.

Run Time: 2 hours 33 minutes
IMDb rating: 8.3/10

Memento (2000)

Christopher Nolan started off the 2000s decade on the right foot with his breakout indie title Memento. The small but smart film is arguably one of the best movies that hit the silver screen at the time.

It’s also one of Nolan’s finest works in his filmmaking career. Memento is primarily a Nolan thing because the young Jonathan pitched the film’s script while Christopher wrote and directed the movie.

Furthermore, film critics lauded this mystery thriller for its originality and praised its nonlinear structure and motifs. The story is narrated simultaneously in reverse order and chronological order.

It stars Guy Pierce in his critically-acclaimed performance. Pierce plays the role of Leonard who seeks out the man who raped and killed his wife. His quest becomes twice as hard, however, mainly because of his condition. He suffers from an uncommon incurable case of short-term memory loss that resets his brain every 15 minutes.

Memento is a commercial success, grossing $40 million against a small budget. The ground-breaking film also received Academy Awards nominations for Best Original Screenplay and Best Film Editing.

The cast includes Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, Jorja Fox, Mark Boone, and Stephen Tobolowsky.

Run Time: 1 hour 53 minutes
IMDb rating: 8.4/10

Casino Royale (2006)

The 2000s also saw the recalibration of the James Bond film franchise, with its first film in 1963. After 40 years, producers started anew with an origin story in 2006.

Casino Royale, the first film of the latest Bond era, introduced fans to a brand-new Agent 007. In his first outing as Ian Fleming’s famous spy, Daniel Craig instantaneously epitomized a grittier, tougher version of the character.

The first Craig-led Bond movie is packed with thrilling action scenes. The casting of Mads Mikkelsen and Eva Green as the complex Bond girl adds more flair to the best Bond movie of the 2000s.

Casino Royale was well-received that it spawned four more sequels released during its 15-year run. It was a massive box office hit, grossing more than $600 million worldwide. The series recently concluded with No Time to Die with Craig in his final act as 007.

The film’s cast also includes Judi Dench as M, Jeffrey Wright, Caterina Murino, Giancarlo Giannini, Ivana Melicevic, and Simon Abkarian.

Run Time: 2 hours 24 minutes
IMDb rating: 8.4/10

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Filmmaker Michel Gondry made something marvelous when she created Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. It’s an utterly unique flick that deserves to belong to the list of best movies of the decade.

The sci-fi fantasy is surreal and heartbreaking at the same time. It sees comedian Jim Carrey as incredibly restrained and demure Kate Winslet as wild and blue-haired in their leading roles.

The story centers on the heartbroken Joel (Carrey) who undergoes a procedure to erase memories of his ex-girlfriend Clementine (Winslet) from his brain. Soon, he realizes the value of those memories and he leads Clementine on a desperate course to get them back.

Eternal Sunshine of Spotless Minds is written by the brilliant screenwriter Charlie Kaufman. The film is a rare romantic comedy that bagged a well-deserved Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.

The film also stars Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood, Tom Wilkinson, David Cross, and Jane Adams.

Run Time: 1 hour 48 minutes
IMDb rating: 8.3/10

There Will Be Blood (2007)

Director Paul Thomas Anderson’s grim and intense period drama There Will Be Blood also joins our list of the best movies of the 2000s. This critically-acclaimed cinematic masterpiece is set in an oil-rich 19^th century California but was shot in Texas.

The 2007 drama tells an epic tale of oil, power, greed, and religion. The story centers on Daniel Plainview, a silver miner turned oil prospector who has an insatiable desire for wealth.

There Will Be Blood received praises from critics for its timeless central themes and chilling, absolute brilliance. It also features the multi-awarded Daniel Day-Lewis in his greatest performance, scoring an Oscar for Best Actor in a leading role.

Meanwhile, the film has a superb soundtrack, thanks to Radiohead guitarist Johnny Greenwood. Actors Paul Dano, Martin Stringer, Kevin J. O’Connor, Ciarán Hinds, and Matthew Braden Stringer star alongside Day-Lewis.

Run Time: 2 hours 38 minutes
IMDb rating: 8.2/10

Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

Academy Award-winning director Guillermo Del Toro tastefully fused an inspired fantasy with disturbing wartime drama in Pan’s Labyrinth. It came out more than a decade before Del Toro’s masterpiece Shape of Water won an Oscar for Best Picture.

This 2006 dark war-fantasy film is set in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War. It tells a tale of a young heroine (Ivana Baquero) who is torn between a magical but perilous world and a fascist ’40s Spain.

Pan’s Labyrinth is a moving, heart-wrenching drama that made everyone who watched it shed tears. It propelled Del Toro’s directing career and earned him a place among Hollywood’s A-list filmmakers. This 2000s masterpiece was also lauded as the best-reviewed film of the decade.

Written by Del Toro himself, Pan’s Labyrinth also stars Sergi Lopez, Maribel Verdu, Doug Jones, Ariadna Gil, and Alex Angulo.

Run Time: 1 hour 59 minutes
IMDb rating: 8.2/10

Children of Men (2006)

Respected director Alfonso Cuaron gifted movie lovers of the 2000s with a thrilling yet devastating sci-fi dystopia Children of Men. Contrary to other over-the-top sci-fi movies of the 2000s with special effects, this title is a stand-out in its genre.

This operatic drama offers a biting peek at a world of infertile people. It follows a jaded ex-partisan who must sneak Earth’s last pregnant woman out of a hellish futuristic London.

It’s a gripping dystopian narrative that features one of the most convincing, horrifying death scenes ever captured on film. It is based on an eponymous novel by P.D. James.

Children of Men received Academy Award nominations for Best-adapted Screenplay and Bst Editing. The ensemble cast includes Clive Owen, Julianne More, and Michael Cain.

Run Time: 1 hour 49 minutes
IMDb rating: 7.9/10

28 Days Later (2002)

Acclaimed British director Danny Boyle also made a huge comeback after the iconic release of Trainspotting in the 90s. His equally-praiseworthy zombie film 28 Days Later defined the popular genre in the 2000s era.

Boyle’s zombie title is imbued with pure realistic terror, it became exceptionally one of the decade’s most nail-biting post-apocalyptic horror films. It’s absolutely scary and deeply disturbing that it’s not for the faint of heart.

Despite its low $8-million budget, 28 Days Later fared well in the box office. It also received positive reviews from critics and was praised for Boyle’s direction and powerful acting performances.

Written by Alex Garland, 28 Days Later stars Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Brendan Gleeson, and Megan Burns.

Run Time: 1 hour 53 minutes
IMDb rating: 7.6/10

American Psycho (2000)

Director Mary Harron made a film adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’ brutal eponymous novel when no one would. She made history after all because American Psycho turned out to be incredible.

The horror mystery piece received mixed positive reviews from fans and critics upon its release in 2000. It was also praised for its screenplay and Christian Bale’s unforgettable performance in his breakthrough role.

Bale effectively portrays Patrick Bateman, the ‘80s Wall Street investment banker who aims perfection in almost anything. But by night, he turns into some terrifying serial killer who violently murders innocent women for a hobby.

The satirical horror film’s gore may be too much to take for some viewers. But all in all, it was a commercial success and surely became a real cult classic.

American Psycho’s supporting cast includes Willem Dafoe, Jared Leto, Josh Lucas, Chloe Sevigny, Reese Witherspoon, Justin Theroux, Cara Seymour, and Samantha Mathis.

Run Time: 1 hour 42 minutes
IMDb rating: 7.6/10

Iron-Man (2008)

Marvel films were a hit and miss during the 2000s decade. Daredevil (2003) and Ghost Rider (2007) were disappointments while X-Men (2000) and Spider-Man 2 (2004) turned out great.

But in 2008, the then-small studio finally won the jackpot with the release of Iron-Man. Its colossal success led to the creation of blockbuster Marvel Cinematic Universe films in the years that follow.

The movie which is tightly based on the comics is light-hearted and family-friendly and action-packed with a profound moral lesson.

Robert Downey, Jr. debuts on the big screen as the charismatic billionaire and genius inventor Tony Stark. He reprised his role as the titular superhero in two more Iron-Man films. Director Jon Favreau also directed Iron-Man 2 while Director Shane Black took over to direct Iron-Man 3.

The film’s cast includes Favreau, Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Paul Bettany, Samuel L. Jackson, Leslie Bibb, Jeff Bridges, Shaun Toub, and Terence Howard.

Run Time: 2 hours 6 minutes
IMDb rating: 7.9/10

Almost Famous (2000)

Joining our list of best movies of the 2000s is Almost Famous. It’s an autobiographically-inspired film of writer-director Cameron Crowe’s writing experience for Rolling Stone Magazine in his teenage years.

This comedy-drama chronicles the coming-of-age of high school student William Miller. Aspiring to be a rock journalist, he went on a tour with a promising 70s rock band in the summer of 1973.

Despite that Almost Famous was a commercial failure, it received acclaim from film critics. It also scored four Oscar nominations and won Best Original Screenplay to secure a place among the decade’s finest.

Patrick Fugit stars alongside Kate Hudson, Frances McDormand, Billy Crudup, Zooey Deschanel, Jason Lee, Anna Paquin, and Jimmy Fallon.

Run Time: 2 hours 2 minutes
IMDb rating: 7.9/10

District 9 (2009)

After the tremendous success of the LOTR trilogy, Peter Jackson co-created an unexpected monster hit. Jackson collaborated with Neill Blomkamp in his directorial debut to film District 9.

The tandem used a documentary style to some extent and astounding special effects in the 2009 sci-fi action film. It’s a gripping story of bigotry and fear of strangers which are, in this case, aliens.

District 9 fared well in the box office, with gross sales that is seven times more than its $30-million budget. It’s also critically acclaimed and received four Academy Awards nominations including Best Picture.

The film stars Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, David James, and Vanessa Haywood. It’s a feature-length film adaptation of Blomkamp’s short film Alive in Joburg.

Run Time: 1 hour 52 minutes
IMDb rating: 7.9/10

Avatar (2009)

Renowned director James Cameron topped off the decade with his sci-fi action film Avatar. It’s still the biggest movie of all time, grossing almost $3 billion worldwide to date. It retakes the box office crown from Avengers: Endgame following its rerelease in China in March.

Cameron created this film using breakthrough motion capture, stunning CGI effects, and 3D technology that changed the ball game in filmmaking. Avatar enticed movie fans to go to theaters to see it instead of just watching it at home.

The epic title introduces the audience to Pandora, a lush alien world of the Na’vi. It’s a richly detailed movie that offers a breathtakingly immersive experience to audiences that no other movies have done before.

The film’s story is not something uncommon but hasn’t grown old. It focuses on Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), a paralyzed ex-Marine who falls in love with the beautiful Neytiri (Zoe Saldana). Now, he fights against his own to protect Pandora and the way of life of the Na’vi.

Following its phenomenal release, Disney immediately acquired the rights to build a Pandora theme park. A long-awaited sequel titled Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is set to hit the big screen next year.

The stellar cast includes Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, Joel David Moore, and Giovanni Ribisi.

Run Time: 2 hours 42 minutes
IMDb rating: 7.8/10

Million Dollar Baby (2004)

Multi-award-winning actor Clint Eastwood tasted triumph in his first directorial stint when he created the devastating drama Million Dollar Baby. Just like any film about boxing would do, it’s a powerful knockout masterpiece of the 2000s era.

The sports film turned melodrama tells the story of Maggie (Hilary Swank), a waitress who shifted her career to boxing. She trains hard and never stops to work her way to the top. However, an unexpected turn of events leads to a heart-wrenching ending that made the viewers cry.

Million Dollar Baby won four Academy Awards including Best Picture. Swank delivered an impeccable performance in a leading role to score her second Oscar for Best Actress. She won her first prestigious trophy in Boys Don’t Cry. Morgan Freeman, meanwhile, bagged the Best Supporting Actor award.

The film’s cast also includes Eastwood, Jay Baruchel, Lucia Rijker, Mike Colter, and Paul Haggis.

Run Time: 2 hours 12 minutes
IMDb rating: 8.1/10