The 30 Best Movies of the 2020s (So Far), Ranked (2024)

The 2020s so far, as a decade, could be defined in any number of ways, arguably few of them positive. Still, at least the years from 2020 onwards have provided the world with a good many iconic films that will one day be considered classics, even if one of the decade's defining events so far - the COVID-19 pandemic - impacted the film industry considerably. Productions were halted, films were delayed, and it wasn't until 2022 that things started to feel a little more normal in the world of cinema.

And then came two wide-scale strikes in America during 2023, both from the Writers Guild and the Screen Actors Guild, disrupting things further (the ramifications will likely affect releases in 2024 and possibly even longer). But to focus on what's already happened, rather than what's to come, 2022 and 2023 were both ultimately fruitful years, and there were still some gems that got released during 2020 and 2021, while the pandemic was at its most disruptive. What may look like recency bias isn't; it's really just that more great films came out in '22 and '23 because there were more high-profile releases in general. The decade as a whole might not even be half over yet, but it's still worth exploring just what it's had to offer film lovers so far. Some of the most noteworthy titles from the 2020s are ranked below, from great to greatest.

30 'Babylon' (2022)

Directed by Damien Chazelle

Damien Chazelle was on fire throughout the 2010s, with Whiplash and La La Land both being acclaimed and performing pretty well financially, too. Then came First Man, which wasn’t as big a hit, but did still connect with critics, generally speaking. Chazelle then went for broke with 2022’s Babylon, a much more divisive movie that has many of the qualities that made his other films great, but all presented in a way that some people were understandably unsure about.

It's another movie of his about passion, a desire for greatness, and the ups and downs of pursuing one’s dreams, only this time the scope is epic, with such an approach taken to investigating Hollywood in the 1920s and 1930s, instead of just one or two people, like his smaller/more personal movies. Babylon is dazzling from a technical perspective and has some of the best music composed for a movie in recent memory. It challenges, provokes, celebrates, and condemns all at once. It’s overwhelming and messy, but history will likely be kind to it.

Babylon

R

Drama

Comedy

History

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Release Date

December 23, 2022

Director

Damien Chazelle

Cast

Brad Pitt , Margot Robbie , Jean Smart , Olivia Wilde , Diego Calva

Runtime

189 minutes

29 'Robot Dreams' (2023)

Directed by Pablo Berger

A film so effective and emotional it’ll change the way you , Robot Dreams has a simple story that’s told without the need for any dialogue. It centers on a lonely dog living in an alternate version of New York City, and how his life is changed for the better when he purchases a robot companion, their bond is interpretable as friendship or perhaps something deeper; it’s left up to the viewer, really.

It's a film that can be charming, colorful, and funny at times, all before pivoting to something more soul-crushing in its darker moments. Still, Robot Dreams achieves balance throughout, making for a bittersweet movie that doesn’t sugarcoat certain things, but neither is it ever overly upsetting. The story is so straightforward that it’s best to describe as little about the narrative as possible, but anyone considering watching the film can take comfort in knowing that it's sure to make them feel something.

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28 'Challengers' (2024)

Directed by Luca Guadagnino

Challengers is the sports movie to beat, for any other release in the 2020s that wants to tackle such a genre. Of course, it’s much more than “just” a sports movie, as while the tennis scenes are impressive and captured in visually creative ways, the story is generally centered on a strange love triangle that plays out over many years between two best friends and a young woman they both have their sights on.

The film’s structured in an interesting way, going backward and forwards in time repeatedly, all building to an inevitably tense final game of tennis that has to be seen to be believed. Challengers feels like something of a modern classic, and potentially the kind of film that will get better with age and rewatches. There’s a good deal going on in the film, enough so that just one viewing can be a little overwhelming (not in a bad way, though).

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27 'Dune: Part Two' (2024)

Directed by Denis Villeneuve

Between Challengers and Dune: Part Two, it’s safe to say that Zendaya has had a very good 2024, given both films emerged as highlights of the first half of the year in question. She had a role in 2021’s Dune, too, but got a great deal more to work with in Dune: Part Two, as did the film’s star, Timothée Chalamet, who impressed in Dune as Paul Atreides, but gets to show off more by way of acting chops in this second film, given where Paul goes as a character.

Dune: Part Two gets to hit the ground running, thanks to everything being well-introduced and established in the first film, and now, watching both movies back to back, they make for an amazing (and epic) duology. Dune: Part Two is ultimately the stronger film, with bolder visuals, a more thematically engaging story, and even greater action, but you do need that first movie to appreciate Part Two properly (so consider Dune worthy of an honorable mention of sorts).

Dune: Part Two

PG-13

Sci-Fi

Drama

Action

Adventure

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Release Date

March 1, 2024

Director

Denis Villeneuve

Cast

Timothee Chalamet , Stellan Skarsgård , Florence Pugh , Zendaya , Rebecca Ferguson , Javier Bardem

See Also

The Fabelmans: Das Kino sieht mehr als der MenschThe Steven Spielberg Homages and Easter Eggs in The FabelmansKinoprogramm Kalenderwoche 10: Diese Filme sind ab dieser Woche neu im Kino'Freaky Friday 2' Casts This 'The Fablemans' Star

Runtime

166 minutes

26 'The Boy and the Heron' (2023)

Directed by Hayao Miyazaki

A new Hayao Miyazaki movie is always something worthy of celebration, especially when it comes out a decade after his most recent feature. This was the case for 2023's The Boy and the Heron, his first since 2013's The Wind Rises. The latter was once thought of as Miyazaki's final film, but The Boy and the Heron showed he still had a drive in him to continue his filmmaking career. Whether this ends up being his final artistic statement remains to be seen.

Still, if The Boy and the Heron is the last film the world gets from Miyazaki, it'll represent him going out on a high. It's a breathtaking, strange, beautiful, and thematically rich viewing experience, containing tons of imaginative fantastical elements and a great deal of subtext, given that parts of it can be read as Miyazaki looking back on his legacy. It's an odd and ambitious movie that rewards repeat viewings and analysis, and stands as another classic from the great Japanese filmmaker.

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25 'Top Gun: Maverick' (2022)

Directed by Joseph Kosinski

An action movie has to be very good to be considered a classic of its genre just a year or so after its initial release, but Top Gun: Maverick is undeniably a very good action movie, to say the least. Released 36 years after the original Top Gun, it brings back Tom Cruise as the titular Maverick, older and a little wiser, but still a rebel at heart. The premise is simple: he's given a group of young recruits to train, and the movie follows them preparing for a daring and action-packed climactic mission.

For as iconic and charming as the original could be, it is a flawed movie in some areas, and it feels like Top Gun: Maverick fixes many of its shortcomings, most notably when it comes to having a well-paced, concrete story alongside more meaningful character development. That it can exceed the original in terms of quality while also treating its legacy with respect is admirable. Plus, the action in Top Gun: Maverick is out of this world, and has to be seen to be believed.

Top Gun: Maverick

PG-13

Action

Drama

War

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Release Date

May 27, 2022

Director

Joseph Kosinski

Cast

Jennifer Connelly , Tom Cruise , Monica Barbaro , Jon Hamm , Ed Harris , Val Kilmer

Runtime

146

24 'Barbie' (2023)

Directed by Greta Gerwig

One half of an iconic 2023 double feature (more on the second half later), Barbie was always going to be a big movie, but it was surprising how huge it actually ended up being. It was the biggest earner at the box office for 2023, and while box office earnings don't always line up perfectly with quality, in the case of Barbie, it does just so happen to be a great movie that also earned a great deal of money worldwide (well over $1 billion).

It took a well-recognized property and did something fresh and subversive with it, managing to celebrate, modernize, and occasionally satirize the titular doll, all at once. From the perfect casting to the creative production design to the hilarious and heartfelt screenplay by Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, Barbie lived up to the hype created by its outstanding marketing campaign and deservedly became a true cinematic juggernaut for 2023.

Barbie

PG-13

Comedy

Adventure

Fantasy

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Release Date

July 21, 2023

Director

Greta Gerwig

Cast

Margot Robbie , Simu Liu , Ryan Gosling , Helen Mirren , Ariana Greenblatt , America Ferrera

Runtime

114 minutes

23 'Godzilla Minus One' (2023)

Directed by Takashi Yamazaki

There are close to 40 Godzilla movies in total, released over the past seven decades. Even if you just look at Godzilla movies released in the 21st century alone, there are still almost a dozen of them. Naturally, this gives any high-profile Godzilla movie big shoes to fill, and thankfully, Godzilla Minus One was up to the task (even if this iteration of Godzilla is smaller than many before him, and so probably would wear smaller shoes... if Godzilla wore shoes).

Godzilla Minus One goes back to the late 1940s, being set even earlier than the first film in the series, which came out in 1954. Japan and its citizens are still recovering from the aftermath of World War II, and so the emergence of a new threat in the form of Godzilla proves especially devastating. Minus One re-energizes the series while also paying homage to many of the Godzilla films that came before it, in the process being an exciting, tense, emotional, and hugely entertaining ride.

Watch on Netflix

22 'Marcel the Shell with Shoes On' (2021)

Directed by Dean Fleischer Camp

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is adorable, heartwarming, and very funny, being one of the best and most moving animated movies in recent years. The titular Marcel is brought to life using stop-motion animation, and he interacts with a mostly live-action world that appears gigantic to him, considering he stands at only one inch tall.

His large world feels tragically empty, as he's been separated from most of his fellow shell friends and family members, with much of the film revolving around his attempts to find them once more. Along the way, he becomes friends with a documentary filmmaker who himself is dealing with a recent break-up, leading to the pair striking up an undeniably sweet bond. It's a simple yet great film, with Marcel providing a unique and sometimes eye-opening look at things in life that may seem mundane to folks of a more ordinary height.

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On

PG

Where to Watch

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Release Date

September 1, 2021

Director

Dean Fleischer-Camp

Cast

Jenny Slate , Isabella Rossellini , Dean Fleischer-Camp , Thomas Mann , Rosa Salazar , Lesley Stahl

Runtime

90

Main Genre

Animation

See Also

David Lynch announces album with “Twin Peaks” actress: a look back on some of his wildest non-directing projects

21 'The Worst Person in the World' (2021)

Directed by Joachim Trier

Coming-of-age movies often deal with children or teenagers navigating the world, while dramas about adults trying to get by will often look at the struggles of going through a midlife crisis. The Worst Person in the World feels like it sits directly between these two realms, as it follows a young woman named Julie who starts the film in her late 20s and ends it in her early 30s. Neither a "young" adult nor a middle-aged one, she feels stuck in life, both professionally and romantically, and the film's a direct exploration of how she tries to get by.

The Worst Person in the World came out at a perfect time because, in 2021, people were still reeling from various aspects of life being put on hold, owing to that aforementioned pesky pandemic. It's a movie about being stuck and finding oneself unable to move in any meaningful way, with The Worst Person in the World finding both humor and heartbreak in such a premise. For anyone feeling the same things Julie does, this film could well hit dangerously close to home.

Watch on Hulu

20 'The Fabelmans' (2022)

Directed by Steven Spielberg

Steven Spielberg seems unwilling to slow down with age, as in the renowned director's 70s, he's shown himself to still be capable of making great films. For evidence of this, one need not look any further than 2022's The Fabelmans, a film that was heavily inspired by Spielberg's own life as a young boy and teenager. It begins in the early 1950s and ends in the 1960s, showing how a young man named Sammy finds himself developing a passion for filmmaking.

The Fabelmans works as a coming-of-age story, a love letter to cinema, and an emotionally intense family drama, as a good deal of time is spent on Sammy's parents (played by Michelle Williams and Paul Dano) and their separation, as well as the impact this has on Sammy. It's heartbreaking at times, but also life-affirming at other points, being emotionally complex as well as incredibly well-made and well-acted throughout, as one would expect from a drama film with Spielberg's name attached to it.

The Fabelmans

Where to Watch

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Director

Steven Spielberg

Cast

Michelle Williams , Seth Rogen , Paul Dano , Julia Butters , Judd Hirsch , Chloe East

Main Genre

Biography

Writers

Tony Kushner , Steven Spielberg

19 'Never Rarely Sometimes Always' (2020)

Directed by Eliza Hittman

At the very start of the 2020s, numerous films got delayed, with the aforementioned Top Gun: Maverick, for example, being largely filmed in 2018, but ultimately delayed numerous times until eventually coming out in 2022. This meant that many of the earliest great movies of the 2020s were smaller films that weren't delayed, either because they were planned for release on streaming or because they were unlikely to ever be blockbusters. As such, 2020 in particular was a year when very small-scale and challenging films like Never Rarely Sometimes Always got a genuine opportunity to shine.

It's an incredibly moving and character-focused drama, following the struggles two teenage girls go through when one of them decides she wants to terminate an unplanned pregnancy. Never Rarely Sometimes Always, therefore, is a movie about abortion, and such an emotionally intense (and still divisive) premise might well turn people off. But it's the execution that makes this remarkable, because it's undoubtedly empathetic, extremely authentic-feeling, and immensely well-acted. Small-scale dramas don't get a whole lot more powerful than this, in all honesty.

Watch on Amazon Prime

18 'TÁR' (2022)

Directed by Todd Field

TÁR might feel like a biographical film about a divisive figure within the world of music known as Lydia Tár, especially given how real Cate Blanchett, in the lead role, makes the titular character feel. Yet this film about the rise and fall of a provocative and outspoken conductor is entirely fictional, though it does unpack real-world issues and topics of discourse that have been pervasive in culture over the past few years, including things like cancel culture and professional misconduct allegations.

The film takes an unusual and challenging approach to these topics, and for better or worse, TÁR is a movie that can be - and has been - interpreted in many different ways. It's a movie about, in part, passionate online discourse and debate that has itself inspired plenty of passionate discourse and debate, especially online. That feels more like a feature of the film, rather than a bug, and given that's likely what filmmaker Todd Field was going for, it's easy to call the execution of this ambitious psychological drama a job well done.

Watch on Peaco*ck

17 'Minari' (2020)

Directed by Lee Isaac Chung

Like Never Rarely Sometimes Always, Minari was a small-scale drama released in 2020 that ended up being a highlight from the decade's first year. It's a quiet and moving film about a South Korean immigrant family trying to make it in America during the 1980s, with the plot seeing them move from California to Arkansas, hoping to start a farm that will grow and sell Korean produce.

Minari does have a relatively slow pace throughout, but patient viewers will find the experience engrossing, and it's one of the best "slice-of-life" types of movies in recent years. It unpacks the cultural differences between South Korea and the U.S. in an honest and emotional way, managing to be simultaneously heartwarming and bittersweet throughout in equal measure. It might not sound like anything remarkable on paper, but the way it's all pulled off makes Minari something of a modern classic.

Minari

PG-13

Where to Watch

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Not available

Not available

Release Date

January 26, 2020

Director

Lee Isaac Chung

Cast

Steven Yeun , Alan Kim , Noel Kate Cho , Will Patton

Runtime

115

Main Genre

Drama

16 'RRR' (2022)

Directed by S. S. Rajamouli

Modern-day action movies don't get much more epic and explosive than RRR, an Indian film that managed to achieve worldwide success and recognition in 2022, including a historic Oscar win for Best Original Song. It's a film with a historical setting, though it takes some knowing liberties with historical fact, given the main premise revolves around two Indian revolutionaries who didn't meet each other in real life - Alluri Sitarama Raju and Komaram Bheem - meeting, becoming friends, and battling British colonial forces together.

It does still take the issues tied to this premise seriously, and when it's not focused on action or music numbers, it can also work as a hard-hitting drama about a grim period in India's history. The fact RRR can take a heavy story and make it explosive and inspiring through fictionalizing and reinterpreting history (perhaps similar to what Quentin Tarantino did in Inglourious Basterds and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) is impressive, with the film being an overall blast to watch.

Watch on Netflix

15 'The Banshees of Inisherin' (2022)

Directed by Martin McDonagh

An unpredictable emotional rollercoaster of a film, The Banshees of Inisherin is equal parts funny and soul-crushing. It takes place on a small island where the population is minuscule enough that everyone knows everyone, and there seems to be little else to do other than drink and gossip. The conflict of the film kicks off when one friend decides he no longer wants anything to do with another, which sets off a series of dramatic and tragic events.

Essentially, The Banshees of Inisherin is a break-up movie, but focused on a friendship rather than a relationship. It's another winner from filmmaker Martin McDonagh (who also made In Bruges and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), and features fantastic work from a talented cast, most notably the likes of Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon, and Barry Keoghan.

The Banshees of Inisherin

R

Drama

Comedy

Crime

Where to Watch

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Not available

Release Date

October 21, 2022

Director

Martin McDonagh

Cast

Colin Farrell , Brendan Gleeson , Barry Keoghan , Kerry Condon

Runtime

1h 54m

14 'Anatomy of a Fall' (2023)

Directed by Justine Triet

The winner of 2023's Palme d'Or, Anatomy of a Fall puts a new and interesting spin on the well-worn courtroom drama genre. It begins simple enough, with a case that involves a wife being suspected of murdering her husband, with the only real witness being the couple's blind son. It takes numerous twists and turns from there, all throughout a premise that unfolds over approximately 2.5 hours, and proves continually riveting to watch.

It's a French film that's undeniably found success outside its country of origin, being another great example of an international film finding true global recognition. It's already looking likely that Anatomy of a Fall will be hailed as an all-time great courtroom drama as the years go on, and it becomes old enough to be considered a classic, meaning it's already more than possible to highlight it as a, well, highlight of the decade so far.

Anatomy of a Fall

R

Crime

Drama

Thriller

Where to Watch

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Release Date

May 22, 2023

Director

Justine Triet

Cast

Sandra Hüller , Swann Arlaud , Antoine Reinartz , Samuel Theis

Runtime

151 Minutes

13 'All the Beauty and the Bloodshed' (2022)

Directed by Laura Poitras

Even though the Academy Awards and other awards shows like to separate feature films and documentaries, the latter is just as worthy of praise, and deserving of being considered alongside "traditional" feature films, which tend to get more publicized. Certainly, All the Beauty and the Bloodshedis one of the best documentary films in recent years, and undeniably has the right to be considered one of the best releases of the 2020s so far.

It provides an overview of the incredibly eventful life of Nan Goldin, an activist and artist well-recognized for her distinctive photography and her activism. The latter includes raising awareness of the HIV/AIDS crisis in the 1980s and, more recently, targeting the Sackler family for their role in worsening the U.S.'s devastating opioid epidemic. All the Beauty and the Bloodshed is incredibly well-balanced between being about Goldin's life and looking into such broader societal issues, in turn being a powerful and astoundingly moving piece of documentary filmmaking.

Watch on Max

12 'The Zone of Interest' (2023)

Directed by Jonathan Glazer

The Zone of Interest is one of the most disturbing and impactful films of the decade so far, notably having an immense impact through what it doesn't show, rather than what it does. It's a film that centers on Rudolf Höss, the commandant of Auschwitz, and his attempts to live life with his family while residing beside the infamous World War II concentration camp. The horrors of the camp are persistent, but always just off-screen, which has an undeniably unnerving effect.

The idea of the banality of evil has been explored before in films about the Holocaust, particularly in the powerful and lengthy 1985 documentary Shoah, which was also notable for being about the horrors of Nazi Germany's Final Solution without showing archival footage or featuring dramatizations. The Zone of Interest does some of what that documentary did but in the format of a feature film, and with a shorter runtime. It proves similarly impactful and difficult to watch, but it's a necessary film that explores a kind of evil, stubborn indifference/willful ignorance that isn't often explored through film.

The Zone of Interest

PG-13

Drama

History

War

Where to Watch

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Not available

Not available

Release Date

December 15, 2023

Director

Jonathan Glazer

Cast

Sandra Hüller , Christian Friedel , Freya Kreutzkam , Max Beck

Runtime

105 minutes

11 'The Father' (2020)

Directed by Florian Zeller

Even in his 80s, Anthony Hopkins is still capable of doing some of the very best work of his entire career, as demonstrated by his Oscar-winning turn in The Father. He's a big reason why this cinematic exploration of dementia is so powerful, because he's the only real constant in the film, by design. Other characters seem to change appearance and personality, all the while his living space seems to warp in increasingly unexpected ways.

It's all intentional because The Father works as a film that attempts to simulate the experience of living with a mind that is slowly forgetting more and more. It's not easy to put yourself in the shoes of someone suffering from dementia, but doing so inspires empathy for those who are living with the condition, and find each waking moment comparable to those minutes - 97 grueling ones - that make up the runtime of The Father. It's a moving film that gives viewers a great deal to think about, that's for sure.

The Father

PG-13

Where to Watch

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Release Date

February 26, 2021

Director

Florian Zeller

Cast

Anthony Hopkins , Olivia Colman , Olivia Williams , Rufus Sewell , Evie Wray , Mark Gatiss

Runtime

97 minutes