The first decade of the still-young 21st century certainly had its fair share of classic movies released throughout it. Though the 2000s might have been atumultuous time for the world at large, it was at least a decade where cinema thrived, and the film-related social media app that is Letterboxd is a good tool to use for those who want to uncover the best of what was released during those 10 years.
Letterboxd makes it possible to see films from any year considered the best by its various users, with the following being the highest-rated for every individual year of the 2000s. Those wanting to explore the best of what the decade had to offer should get a solid overview from these titles, beginning below with 2000 and ending with 2009.
10’Yi Yi' (2000)
Letterboxd Rating: 4.5/5
A film great enough to be considered one of thebest in the entire (broad) genre of drama,Yi Yiis a slow-paced film that runs for nearly three hours, yet proves to be absorbing for its entire runtime. Narratively, it sounds pretty straightforward, too, following a collection of family members living in Taiwan who are all dealing with personal struggles and conflicts.
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It might sound like a challenging watch, given the relaxed pace, long runtime, and somewhat ordinary-sounding premise, but it’s the execution that makesYi Yiutterly absorbing. It’s hard for words to do justice to the film’s visuals, emotional content, and remarkable performances, but everything adds up to make the film one of the decade’s very best.
9’Spirited Away' (2001)
Japanese animated films don’t get a great deal more famous thanSpirited Away, which is arguablythe greatest filmHayao Miyazakiever made(and it’s got some serious competition). It’s about a young girl finding herself in a strange fantasy land where her parents have been turned into pigs, and she needs to set off on her own to get them to become human once more and subsequently return to the real world.
As a fantasy movie, it has near-universal appeal thanks to its simple and compelling premise, with the film’s originality shining through because of the beautiful animation that brings Miyazaki’s imaginative world to life. It’s one animated movie that’s unlikely to ever age, making it a deserving title for 2001’s best release on Letterboxd.
8’City of God' (2002)
City of Godis both a coming-of-age drama and something of a gangster film with a relatively unique setting for a movie of this kind: the favelas of Rio de Janeiro. It has a large cast, but predominantly focuses on two main characters: one who desperately wants to escape the crime-ridden area he lives in, and another who finds himself thriving within it.
It shows its characters both as young children and then approximately a decade later as teenagers/young adults. It covers a great deal narratively and has a large scope without ever feeling unwieldy or overstuffed, making for a continually gripping and oftentimes extremely emotional viewing experience.
7’The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' (2003)
The third part of the excellentLord of the Ringstrilogy,The Return of the Kingisthe longest of the three, and some would say the best, too. WhileThe Fellowship of the Ringbegan the battle for Middle Earth, and got Frodo on his quest to destroy the One Ring,The Return of the Kingis obviously where everything comes to a head, and in spectacular fashion to boot.
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For as grand as some of the battle sequences got in the other two movies, things are on a whole other level here, with it featuring some of the most spectacular fantasy action in any movie, ever. That it also manages to be incredibly emotional and able to wrap up every character arc and plot thread in a satisfying way also ensuresThe Return of the Kinglives up to the hype after all these years.
6’Before Sunset' (2004)
Letterboxd Rating: 4.4/5
Continuing the story begun in 1995 withBefore Sunrise, and preceding the story’s conclusion in 2013’sBefore Midnight,Before Sunsetis a very compelling middle chapter ofRichard Linklater’sBeforetrilogy. After meeting by chance in 1995, Jesse and Celine are unexpectedly reunited almost a decade later, and spend just over an hour together talking about where their lives have ended up.
The whole movie really is just two people talking, but their long conversation - which effectively unfolds in real-time - is surprisingly riveting, and starsEthan HawkeandJulie Delpyare both fantastic. It’s a movie that shows how sometimes, less is more, and that in addition, the simplest movies can end up being the most emotionally resonant ones.
5’Grizzly Man' (2005)
Letterboxd Rating: 4.1/5
Werner Herzogis known for being one of the best documentarians in cinema history, andGrizzly Mancould well be his best documentary film. It tells the disturbing and sad story ofTimothy Treadwell, who was killed along with his partner in a bear attack, leaving behind many questions about who he was and what drove him to spend so much time around dangerous creatures: Alaska’s grizzly bears, the animal Treadwell was obsessed with.
The film’s made up of footage Treadwell shot while spending time around bears, as well as interviews Herzog conducted with people who either knew Treadwell, or knew of him. It’s a fascinating and somber movie about human nature and the quest to understand a truly unique individual, with the results being something singularly haunting and hard to forget.
4’Children of Men' (2006)
Letterboxd Rating: 4.3/5
A science-fiction movie that’s as uncompromisingly grim as it is genuinely exciting,Children of Menpaints a desolate future world where widespread infertility is potentially going to make the human race go extinct. Society is falling apart, and the only hope is one young woman who’s mysteriously become pregnant, causing various organizations to want to get their hands on her.
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Clive Owenplays the protagonist, and he’s given the dangerous task of escorting her to safety, no matter the cost. It’s a film with animpressive cast that also includesMichael Caine,Julianne Moore, andChiwetel Ejiofor, and it’s overall spectacularly shot and truly visceral as a unique viewing experience that’s sure to get the heart racing.
3’There Will Be Blood' (2007)
Powered by one of the most bombastic performances ever given by one of cinema’s greatest actors,Daniel Day-Lewis,There Will Be Bloodis a bold, unconventional, and fascinating film. It’s about one oil prospector’s immense greed, and the way his ceaseless appetite for money and power causes destruction to himself and those around him.
It’s an intensely psychological movie that serves as a character study of one particularly twisted and terrifying man. Day-Lewis deservedly won an Oscar for the role, but other elements of the film prove just as impressive, including the writing and direction fromPaul Thomas Anderson, and the unsettling score composed byRadiohead’sJonny Greenwood.
2’The Dark Knight' (2008)
Ask someone what the greatest superhero movie of all time is, and there’s a good chance they’ll reply by sayingThe Dark Knight. It stands as arguably the greatest filmdirected by the singularChristopher Nolan, and proves to be the best chapter in hisDark Knighttrilogy, largely thanks to the strength of its central villain: The Joker, played memorably byHeath Ledger.
But on top of the villain, it’s also a movie packed to the brim with fantastic action, genuine spectacle, shocking plot twists, and a non-stop pace that keeps things exciting and unpredictable for more than 2.5 hours. Some may call it over-hyped or too frequently praised, but in all honesty, much of it still holds up shockingly well 15 years on from release, and it’s safe to declare it a comic book movie for the ages.
1’Inglourious Basterds' (2009)
Darkly funny in a waythat manyQuentin Tarantinomovies tend to be,Inglourious Basterdsrepresents the beloved filmmaker taking a stab at making a World War II movie. It’s set in Nazi-occupied France, and revolves around numerous characters who are all fighting against Nazi Germany in their own unique (and often brutally violent) ways.
It’s a movie that truly knows how to build up tension, with everything progressing towards a truly fiery and explosive ending that’s perhaps one of the most memorable in recent memory. It’s unapologetic in a way that won’t convert people who weren’t already fans of Tarantino, but those who like his unique brand of ultra-violence, dark humor, snappy dialogue, and historical revisionism will likely findInglourious Basterdsto be a blast.
