Leading members of the global film industry, including acclaimed directors, renowned actors, and other significant personalities, recently cast their votes to select the finest cinematic creations since the beginning of the millennium. Their collective decision presents an intriguing picture of today’s cinematic landscape. As we navigate through the wave of digital streaming platforms and the revolution of superhero sagas, our perceptions and methods of experiencing cinema have been profoundly reshaped in the last quarter-century. Still, some films have managed to maintain their excellence and relevance. We undertook a large-scale project, inviting over 500 industry insiders and influential cinephiles to select their top 10 films since the start of 2000. Their collective choices enabled us to formulate a list, featuring the 100 most exceptional films of the 21st century.
Each generation generates a unique teen comedy that captures its specific ethos. For the current century, ‘Superbad’, with its blend of raucous humor and heartfelt camaraderie, holds that distinction. Penned by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, the comic odyssey hinges on friends Seth (portrayed by Jonah Hill) and Evan (Michael Cera) embarking on a raucous mission to experience love before graduating high school. This audaciously funny and subtly poignant film represents the pinnacle of teen comedy in our time.
It could be a simple assumption to categorize Werner Herzog’s documentation of Timothy Treadwell’s Alaskan sojourns with brown bears as just educational. But Treadwell was a non-conventional expert, and the account is more a story of a man’s struggle to find meaning in his existence. Extensive footage captured by Treadwell himself serves as the foundation for the film, which ends tragically with Treadwell and his partner being lethally mauled in 2003, their brutal demise captured by a microphone accidentally left switched on.
Alfonso Cuarón’s suspense-filled action masterpiece stands tall as one of the most exhilarating cinematic journeys of the 21st century. The spine-chilling narrative belongs to an isolated astronaut (played by Sandra Bullock) set adrift, who embarks on a daunting journey back to Earth while simultaneously confronting her buried emotional traumas. This film touches hearts and stimulates minds with a profound message about identity, history, and the spectrum of responsibility.
This exhilarating superhero escape not only dazzles the senses but also leaves a profound impact with its potent commentaries. Wakanda, the planet on which the narrative unfolds, is a visual spectacle of Afrofuturism. Fully realized and complex female characters (portrayed exceptionally by Angela Bassett, Danai Gurira, Lupita Nyong’o, and Letitia Wright) are not confined to being mere companions or romantic interests. Among the performers, Michael B. Jordan’s portrayal of the doomed villain Killmonger is captivating, and Chadwick Boseman, in one of his final roles, shines as the titular hero battling cancer.
Celine Song takes the viewer on an emotional ride in her maiden feature. The narrative begins enigmatically in a nocturnal New York bar, where a woman (Greta Lee) flanked by two men (Teo Yoo and John Magaro) leaves their relationship to each other open to interpretation. Eventually, the narrative unfolds in New York City and Seoul and offers a poignant exploration of time, love, destiny, and reinvention. The final scene, featuring the same three individuals on a sidewalk, filmed in a single take, promises to strike a powerful emotional chord.