With Filmsplosion 2019 almost upon us, and a new decade beginning, I though it’d be fun to take a look back over the movies that the 2010s gave us. There were many that were fun and adventurous; there were some that were thought-provoking and awe-inspiring; and there were several that tried too hard and others that didn’t try enough. It happens.
So, in putting this list together, I chose the entries based on a combination of cultural significance, overall quality and personal preference. I weighted cultural significance about 10 percent; overall quality about 30 percent; and personal preference the remaining 60-ish percent. Basically, I went to my shelf of DVDs and BluRays and looked at what movies from the last 10 years were so good that I decided to buy them (which is a high honor from me).
Then, in determining my order for the list, it was basically just reflecting on how much each one impacted me whether physically through the effects, animation, and cinematography or emotionally through the performances, character and story.
Again, keep in mind that this is *my* list. It’s not a definitive THE BEST MOVIES OF THE DECADE post. It’s just the movies from the 2010s that I enjoyed the most.
So, let’s get started…
10. Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
I’ve always loved sci-fi movies, especially ones that deal with the concept of time. And while I’m not a huge fan of Groundhog Day, I loved this concept of “Groundhog Day meets War of the Worlds” or what-have-you. The action is great; I love all the performances and little comedic bits; but most of all the story is compelling. You have a man who keeps repeating not only a tragic defeat over and over again, but who also continually watches the woman he’s grown to love die over and over again. It’s such an interesting and emotional concept that, in that final scene, he’s a stranger to her but he’s lived thousands of days at her side. It’s like the real-world situation of “losing” a loved one to Alzheimer’s or dementia. For an action/sci-fi movie, it has a lot of heart and humor, and I enjoy it tremendously.
9. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
While it’s been a while since I’ve seen it, I remember appreciating how stunning this movie looked and how powerful its action scenes were. You felt like you were in the midst of the chases, the explosions and the fights. I think by keeping the characters relatively quiet, especially Max, it allowed us to get to know them through their actions. Also, I appreciate how its narrative subverts a lot of the ‘action hero’ cliches, by having Furiosa be the ‘main character’ and Max be her side-kick (sort of). And, honestly, it’s a very feminist movie without feeling on-the-nose about it, or at least overly preachy. Amazing action, a well-crafted story, and characters you invest in. What more could you want?
8. The King’s Speech (2010)
You guys know I’m a huge Colin Firth fan, right? So, of course this was going to be on here. It’s basically a movie that was made for me. British period drama? Check. Colin Firth in the lead role? Check. Other talented British actors supporting him? Check. Discusses the importance of speech and the power of an individual voice? Check. FUCK, this movie is so good! (Did you see what I did there?) On top of this being a story that I feel needed to be told, I love the way Firth and Geoffrey Rush play off each other and the friendship that their characters form over the course of the movie. Does it seem a bit Oscar-bait-y? Sure, but I still love enough that I own it. And, as I said, that’s a high honor because I don’t really buy movies all that often, surprisingly enough.
7. Your Name / Kimi No Na Wa (2016)
Holy shit is this movie amazing. I honestly don’t want to talk about it too much for fear of spoiling it for anyone, but just every aspect of it is so well-done. The animation is beyond stunning; and the characters, the music, the humor and the story are all perfectly crafted. If you haven’t seen it yet, you need to check it out right now!!!
6. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse (2018)
Much like Your Name, there really isn’t a weak link in this whole movie. Everything works, and it all comes together so beautifully. The music, the animation(!!!), the voice performances, and the character arcs are all amazing. I’m pretty sure I’ve cried every time I’ve seen it. I love all of these characters so much, and I cannot wait for the sequel.
5. Toy Story 3 (2010)
I really wanted to put other Disney and Pixar movies on this list, including Coco, Zootopia, Frozen and Moana. But, the reason why I picked this one over any others is because of how it resonated with me. I remember seeing this in the theater the summer between my first and second year of college, and man, did I really feel it! Like Andy, I too had recently moved away from home, leaving the toys of my childhood behind. And the fact that I had grown up with these movies and had Woody and Buzz Lightyear toys of my own (from HappyMeals or whatever) made me connect with their journey and Andy’s. And that final scene where Andy and Bonnie play with the toys and Woody says “So long, partner” as Andy finally drives away… that was the ending to the trilogy that I needed. For me, there is no Toy Story 4. That scene stays with me so much emotionally because it was the perfect note to go out on.
4. Juliet, Naked (2018)
I’ve already raved about this movie in my “What Makes a Romcom Good?” post, so I’d recommend giving that a read. But, TL;DR — This is a fucking good romcom, and we need more like it. The minute I walked out of the theater after seeing it the first time, I thought, “I’m definitely getting that on BluRay,” and I did, and I’ve watched it like three or four times already.
3. Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
I was very tempted to put Avengers (2012) on the list, because I remember going to see that in the theater my final month of college, but I truly feel that Infinity War is a better movie. The stakes feel more real; we get nice little beats with the 20+ characters from all around the galaxy; and it serves as a great ‘origin story’ for Thanos, the Big Bad of this entire universe. Endgame is fun, Avengers started the whole thing, and I even like Age of Ultron, but this takes the cake for me as the best of the MCU movies.
2. Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)
Star Wars is back, baby! And without a doubt, the best of the Disney Star Wars movies in my mind is The Last Jedi. While it definitely has flaws and The Force Awakens was a good start to the sequel trilogy, I appreciate the amount of character work that went into this movie. I’d argue that five characters in TLJ have noticeable development and growth, which is a lot when compared to The Rise of Skywalker, which developed one character (maybe two) and even then not very well. TLJ also gave us several images that are now iconic in Star Wars history, including the Throne Room scene and Holdo’s lightspeed maneuver. I also appreciate that it had definite themes, beyond something rudimentary like “family” or “identity.” I wish it received more love from certain sections of the Star Wars fanbase, but I appreciate and love it and wished TROS had taken up where it left off, instead of retconning and taking us “back to formula”. (Can you tell that I’m still bitter about TROS?)
1. Arrival (2016)
I cannot begin to tell you how much and how profoundly this movie moved me after seeing it for the first time. I remember I got back home from the theater, went for a walk, came back, found out I’d absentmindedly locked the door behind me and had forgotten to take a key, and — because my roommate was out of town and my landlord was unavailable until the next day — I ended up having a friend pick me up so I could stay at her place overnight. That’s how much this movie impacted me emotionally when I first saw it. Everything about it is something that’s special or important to me. As I said, I love sci-fi movies, especially ones that deal with the concept of time; I love language and studying how it shapes us and how we see our world; I love the idea of aliens actually being a mechanism for challenging how we think of ourselves; and I love the idea of free will and choosing a life of love even if it ends tragically. The amazing visuals, the music, the character work, and the questions and themes it poses all land in such a way that, when I asked myself, “What’s my #1 movie of the decade?”, Arrival was my first and only answer. Of all the movies on my list, this is the one that was on there first and never changed positions when I was assembling my entries. Because, in my opinion, this IS the best movie of the 2010s — not just my favorite — and nothing else comes close for me. I know that’s not what this list is about, but that’s what I objectively think.
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So those are my Top 10 films of the 2010s. Thanks for reading all the way to the end! I’m curious to hear what your favorite movies of the decade are. Do you have a clear #1 as I did? Do you have a list of 3 or 5 or 10 that you love but can’t rank one over the other? If so, feel free to email your movie or list of movies to the Nerds at reelnerds@gmail.com, and they’ll read it on the air during an upcoming episode. Or, post them as a comment on the Facebook page. Even if we’re not doing a 2010s Filmsplosion episode (because that would be a lot right after 2019 Filmsplosion), we still want to hear from you!
Cheers!