25 Best Movies Of The Past 25 Years (Including 2023)

Nov. 13, 2023, 6:09 p.m.

Movies

25 Best Movies Of The Past 25 Years (Including 2023)

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Summary Hollywood has changed so much in the past 25 years, becoming an industry centered on franchise-building and IP, with blockbusters dominating the box office and leading online conversations.

The best movies of the past 25 years have gotten bigger and bigger, with larger-than-life films making a significant impact compared to those from earlier years.

Looking back on the past two plus decades, several films have cemented themselves as the best of all time, such as The Return of the King, Up, and Arrival.

While 1999 may have seemed like just yesterday, taking a look back at the best movies of the past 25 years shows the wild journey within the movie industry. The end of the 20th century may not have been the seismic shift some were predicting, but looking just at the movies that have been made over the intervening years, it is clear that the business has gone through considerable changes. Franchises continued to be the main draw for studios with some sense of it stifling original ideas. However, there was no shortage of great movies in the last 25 years.

In the last two decades and more, have seen some exciting achievements in moviemaking. There have been movies that have defined generations with their storytelling. Some movies that were overlooked upon their release have had time to be reexamined as true classics. There have been breakthroughs in the art of filmmaking while new voices in the industry like Christopher Nolan, Greta Gerwig, and Denis Villeneuve have emerged. This collection of 25 movies over the past 25 years showcases the brilliance of the modern movie industry.

Related The Best Movies of the Decade From superhero to horror, thriller to historical, here are the 25 greatest movies released in the 2010s decade (as voted for by SR editors).

25 1999

The Matrix

The Matrix Director Lilly Wachowski , Lana Wachowski Release Date March 30, 1999 Cast Keanu Reeves , Laurence Fishburne , Carrie-Anne Moss , Hugo Weaving , Gloria Foster , Joe Pantoliano Runtime 136 minutes

The Matrix is a mind-bending sci-fi movie.

It is hard to describe the cultural flip that occurred when The Matrix was released. Arriving at the end of the 20th century, it is a rare movie that felt like it was the beginning of the new future, and given the number of films it influenced afterward, it was in many ways. The Matrix is a mind-bending sci-fi movie that follows Keanu Reeves' mild-mannered Neo who is opened up to the truth that the reality he and everyone else live in is a simulation created by machines to enslave humanity.

It is a wild idea that can make the audience question everything but The Matrix doesn't stop at big ideas as it delivers an incredible action movie with one iconic set piece after another. There are amazing hand-to-hand fight sequences like Neo and Morpheus facing off in a training session. There are visceral shootouts like the extended lobby sequence. The movie also uses camera work in action movies in a unique and mesmerizing way, creating the infamous "bullet time."

The Matrix franchise is sometimes criticized for never living up to the original and it is true that is the case. However, it is likely impossible any of the sequels would have ever been able to beat the freshness and exciting new reality presented by the original movie, from its ideas to its action. It is a touchstone movie that shows the wildness that can still exist in bold genre filmmaking.

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24 2000

Memento

Memento Director Christopher Nolan Release Date May 25, 2001 Cast Joe Pantoliano , Guy Pearce , Carrie-Anne Moss , Stephen Tobolowsky , Mark Boone Junior Runtime 113 minutes

Though not the first of Christopher Nolan's movies, Memento was the one that put him on the map as an exciting new storyteller. The film stars Guy Pearce as a man with short-term memory loss who keeps reminders to himself tattooed all over his body. As he deals with his condition, he sets out on a mission to find the man who killed his wife. It is a gripping noir detective story told in a completely unique way with Nolan playing the entire movie in reverse.

It is a daunting thing to approach a movie that starts with the end and goes all the way back to the beginning, but while Memento is a movie that demands its audience's attention, it is not hard with a genuinely gripping story. It is interesting seeing Nolan operate with such a small budget and still make the movie feel engrossing and bold in his decisions.

There is so much ambition on the screen with a relatively small movie that watching Memento feels like Nolan is announcing himself to the world and showing what he can do. It is a maze of an experience that all leads to a brilliant twist ending.

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23 2001

Black Hawk Down

Though Ridley Scott had directed the Best Picture-winning Gladiator only the year before, in 2001, he made what many consider a superior movie with Black Hawk Down. Black Hawk Down is based on the true story of the disastrous mission in Somalia during the early 1990s when United States soldiers entered the city of Mogadishu to apprehend associates of a local warlord and found themselves pinned down by local rebels. What followed was a long and brutal fight for survival.

Scott builds up the central operation over the course of the movie's first act before throwing the audience into the chaos. Most of the movie feels like one extended battle sequence which makes Black Hawk Down one of the most visceral war movies of the 21st century. It is an indictment of the leadership of the military as well as the bravery of the fighting men who refused to leave anyone behind.

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22 2022

Adaptation.

Adaptation. Director Spike Jonze Release Date February 14, 2003 Cast Nicolas Cage , Meryl Streep , Chris Cooper , Tilda Swinton , Jay Tavare , Litefoot , Roger Willie , Jim Beaver Runtime 115 Minutes

While meta-commentary in movies is not uncommon, it has never been used as brilliantly as in Charlie Kaufman's script for Adaptation. The story behind the movie is that Kaufman was hired to write an adaptation of the movie The Orchid Thief but struggled with writer's block. Adaptation is the story of a screenwriter named Charlie Kaufman attempting to adapt the book The Orchid Thief only to write a story about himself adapting it.

While it is a funny Hollywood satire, Adaptation is also mind-bending to consider where the movie ends and the true story begins. Nicolas Cage gives a terrific performance as both Charlie and his fictitious twin brother Donald who is the more easy-going and successful brother. Director Spike Jonze creates a funny, touching, and mesmerizing story of the writing process and the kinds of minds it takes to be a screenwriter.

21 2003

The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King

Every movie in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy is packed with emotion and action, but The Return of the King is the best installment by far. The high-stakes finale to Frodo Baggins’ story, The Return of the King follows the Hobbit into the depths of Mount Doom, where he nearly fails to finish his quest. The Return of the King features some of the bleakest moments of the entire trilogy, but its ending delivers a poignant message about the power of hope and friendship in the face of adversity.

It's not easy to wrap up an epic story like The Lord of the Rings, but J.R.R. Tolkien does an impressive job of it in his books. By remaining true to the source material, The Return of the King manages the same feat, bringing every member of the Fellowship’s story to a heartfelt and satisfying conclusion.

From Aragorn’s epic speech outside the gates of Mordor to Sam and Frodo’s difficult climb up Mount Doom, many scenes from The Return of the King have left a lasting impact. The fantasy film is a masterclass in storytelling, and its visuals, performances, and action sequences are equally impressive.

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20 2004

Before Sunset

Before Sunset Director Richard Linklater Release Date February 10, 2004 Cast Ethan Hawke , Julie Delpy , Vernon Dobtcheff , Louise Lemoine Torres , Rodolphe Pauly , Mariane Plasteig Runtime 80 minutes

Romance movies rarely return with a sequel that not only matches the original’s charm and sentiment but exceeds it, and Richard Linklater’s Before Sunset is perhaps the greatest example of this achievement. While Before Sunrise (1995) was about hope, youth, and what could be, Before Sunset (2004) brings back Jesse and Céline nine years after their first encounter to explore what could have been.

Will Jesse and Céline actually make it work this time?

Revealing that the pair never met up as intended those nine years ago, Jesse and Céline meet again in Europe and reveal what became of their lives over the near-decade since seeing one another, with the spark still remaining all these years later. Will Jesse and Céline actually make it work this time? Will the people that they have become over the past nine years change their love for one another? Or, will love slip away again just as it did nine years ago?

Richard Linklater, Ethan Hawke, and Julie Delpy’s screenplay, Hawke and Delpy’s chemistry, and Lee Daniel’s cinematography combine to form a flawless romantic drama with even higher stakes than the original. More than the other two in Linklater’s trilogy, Before Sunset offers one of the most enticing, perhaps tormenting endings in romance movie history.

19 2005

Brokeback Mountain

Ang Lee, fresh off his divisive but ambitious Hulk adaptation, returned with another soulful take on a beloved piece of literature. Brokeback Mountain is based on a short story by Annie Proulx and though it is underscored by tragedy, the film is much more than a tale of two ill-fated cowboys who fall in love against the backdrop of the American West. Sporting a stellar cast, including Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger at the height of their powers, Brokeback Mountain is, in part, responsible for bringing queer American cinema to the mainstream.

Remarkably, the film made $178 million against its $14 million budget. It also sparked a wave of LGBTQ+-centric movies and television shows in the years to follow. Even without this lasting impact, though, Brokeback Mountain is a stirring film, punctuated by Lee’s tenderly observant lens and aching performances from Gyllenhaal and Ledger. The film cuts deep, incisive in its depiction of repression and longing, and, eventually, heartbreaking in its depiction of the forbidden desire being realized.

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18 2006

Little Miss Sunshine

Little Miss Sunshine Director Jonathan Dayton , Valerie Faris Release Date July 26, 2006 Cast Abigail Breslin , Greg Kinnear , Paul Dano , Alan Arkin , Toni Collette , Steve Carell Runtime 101 minutes

Critics and movie audiences don’t tend to agree very often, but they did just that when it came to the stellar reception surrounding 2006’s Little Miss Sunshine. Following a dysfunctional family road-tripping from New Mexico to California in a VW van, Little Miss Sunshine certainly brought the laughs. The film also hit on some very tragic elements. The Hoover family, of course, came together after young Olive qualified for a beauty pageant. During their journey to get her to the competition, they were all forced to face personal issues they had all been bottling up.

After a limited release, Little Miss Sunshine became a box office hit, making over $100 million off of the $8 million budget. More impressive was the fact that the movie was the directorial debut of Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Paris. Granted, the quirky comedy worked well due to the notable ensemble cast highlighted by veterans and actors gaining momentum in their careers. Aside from the late great Alan Arkin, the cast included Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette, and Steve Carell in key roles.

The performances from Abigail Breslin as Olive and Paul Dano as Olive’s older brother Dwayne were emotionally brilliant. Though they were very different, they each learned the importance of family support as they overcame life's challenges. With family being the central theme of Little Miss Sunshine, it was extremely fitting that the ending brought the Hoovers together for a wacky performance of Rick James' “Super Freak.” Not only did it serve as Little Miss Sunshine’s most hilarious sequence, but it also embraced the notion that even the most dysfunctional of families can come together during hard times.

17 2007

There Will Be Blood

In the last 20 years, Paul Thomas Anderson has made at least two films worthy of the “masterpiece” label. One of them, 2007’s There Will Be Blood, marked a significant departure for the writer-director, and it’s one of his boldest works to date. A dark anti-Western loosely based on the novel Oil!, by Upton Sinclair, Daniel Day-Lewis stars as Daniel Plainview opposite Paul Dano’s Eli Sunday.

Like the black gold that erupts from the California desert, Daniel Plainview is a man on the edge of rage, and when it bubbles to the surface, his outbursts are as captivating as they are terrifying. Dano’s Eli Sunday is often on the receiving end and, though his character serves as a passive foil to Plainview, Dano is just as powerful here. With an all-timer of a final scene that brings together the film’s meditations on greed, faith, and family, there is nothing else like There Will Be Blood in Anderson’s filmography.

Related There Will Be Blood Ending Explained: What Daniel Plainview's Milkshake Speech Means "I drink your milkshake!" is a famous quote from There Will Be Blood for its absurdity, but the line disturbingly reveals the cruelty of capitalism.

16 2008

The Dark Knight

Building on the success of Batman Begins, Christopher Nolan’s highly-anticipated sequel was everything comic fans could have hoped for and then some. The Dark Knight flies so high thanks in large part to the performance of Heath Ledger as Joker. It is a true tour-de-force performance that rightfully secured him a posthumous Oscar and set a new bar for what a comic book movie villain could be. Of course, The Dark Knight would not work nearly as well if Ledger’s Joker was not the perfect counterpart to Christian Bale’s Batman and how the movie props up Harvey Dent’s Two-Face turn in the process.

There are also several standout action sequences done on the size and scale viewers have come to expect from Nolan, which helps the movie deliver on its superhero spectacle. The difference here is that The Dark Knight manages to remain grounded in its story and characters through it all. Nolan’s second Batman movie revolutionized Hollywood in terms of shepherding in the superhero boom and forcing the Oscars to make rule and category changes, giving it an impact that is still felt today. It’s no wonder DC has been chasing this level of success ever since.

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15 2009

Up Release Date June 11, 2009 Director Pete Docter Cast Ed Asner , Bob Peterson

Up is unique, in that it is best known not for the lovable characters, dramatic plot, or engaging villain (although it has all of those things), but for a near-silent opening sequence that does a full film’s worth of emotional damage in ten minutes. This sequence could be a standalone short, telling the story of Carl and Ellie as they fall in love, get married, and grow old together. The piece has become a cultural milestone, proving Pixar is still a master of emotional manipulation.

Dug is one of many dogs in the movie who are equipped with special collars, allowing them to talk.

Beyond the opening, Up remains a sweet Pixar movie about a grumpy old man going on a big adventure - and learning how to become part of the world again thanks to the irrepressible Russell (Wilderness Explorer in Tribe 54, Sweat Lodge 12), the presumed-fictitious Snipe, Kevin, and Dug, the golden retriever. Making sure that no Pixar film is released without a non-human character that has feelings, Dug is one of many dogs in the movie who are equipped with special collars, allowing them to talk - leading to some of the most quotable moments in the movie.

Up is charming and whimsical, and speaks to everyone who wishes they could simply pull up their home and run away to a slightly more magical place.

14 2010

The Social Network

The Social Network isn’t just the best film of 2010, but it remains a defining mirror of the early 21st century. Directed by David Fincher at the height of his powers, the brash and perceptive screenplay by Aaron Sorkin reveals that the birth of social media, which has come to dominate modern lives, was because Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) was dumped by his girlfriend (Rooney Mara).

The rapid rise of Facebook and the narcissism and greed of Zuckerberg dramatizes society’s fundamental shift in ways more powerful today than it was when the film was released. The cast is filled with great performances from the key players of Facebook’s beginnings, from Andrew Garfield as the hapless Eduardo Saverin tp Justin Timberlake as Napster co-founder Sean Parker to Armie Hammer playing the Winklevoss twins. The ominous, tech-y score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross gives The Social Network a propulsive dread, and Fincher’s film remains a master class of acting, writing, and directing.

Related The Social Network True Story: 5 Biggest Things The Facebook Movie Got Wrong David Fincher's The Social Network chronicles the founding of Facebook, and while it got many things right, it changed a couple of details.

13 2011

Moneyball

Moneyball Release Date September 23, 2011 Director Bennett Miller Cast Brad Pitt , Jonah Hill , Robin Wright , Philip Seymour Hoffman , Chris Pratt2

It took 10 years for the true story of the Oakland A’s and Billy Beane’s magical turnaround of the Major League Baseball franchise to become a movie, and it proved to be worth the wait. This is not the prototypical sports movie with the story is focused on the man behind the team instead of the players actually competing. Bennett Miller’s direction and the screenplay from Aaron Sorkin and Steven Zaillian work magically together to create an inspirational story and intriguing look at the analytical side of managing a baseball team.

With analytics becoming an even greater part of the sports world in the years since Moneyball’s release, the movie has become even more relevant. The charming performance from Brad Pitt as Billy Beane, a fist-pumping turn from Jonah Hill as Peter Brand, and a wonderfully angry Philip Seymour Hoffman are among the highlights of the cast.

It’s no surprise the movie became an awards contender and earned six Oscar nominations, although it still stings that it did not secure a win in any category. Moneyball is the type of movie Hollywood doesn’t make much anymore, but its crowd-pleasing nature has helped it continue to stand the test of time.

12 2012

Zero Dark Thirty

Zero Dark Thirty Release Date December 19, 2012 Director Kathryn Bigelow Cast Joel Edgerton , Jessica Chastain , Jason Clarke , Kyle Chandler , Chris Pratt2 , Jennifer Ehle

Zero Dark Thirty was one of many movies "based on a true story" to be released in 2012, yet despite the greatness seen in Argo, Lincoln, and others, the story of the tracking and assassination of Osama bin Laden ended up being the best of the bunch. This could've easily been a film that lost its way to unnecessary action, become too much of a political message by propping up President Obama, or have fallen into one of several, typical pitfalls found in four-quadrant blockbusters. Instead, a story so captivating and harrowing as this required no embellishments.

Simply showing things as they happened, with an expert like Katheryn Bigelow at the helm, turned a complex tale into an astounding one. Espionage films can rely too much on thrills and heart-pumping action to keep people interested in the mystery; it's a core part of the genre. Zero Dark Thirty didn't need to do any of that. Rather, it slowed everything down, took the investigation step by step and showcased how mundane and dangerous spycraft can be, particularly when hunting down the most notorious terrorist in history.

Zero Dark Thirty didn't pull its punches, nor did it overextend, and because of its raw nature, the film became so unnerving, it was difficult to believe it was real -- but it was, and it was a true triumph in filmmaking.

11 2013

Inside Llewyn Davis

Oscar Isaac is one of the biggest names in Hollywood now with several franchise projects, but he didn't have his breakthrough until 2013's Inside Llewyn Davis -- a spectacular period film by Joel and Ethan Coen that examines the life of a struggling musician in the early 1960s. It's a simplistic tale of an artist, Llewyn Davis, who experiences the joy of creating beautiful music and the subsequent disappointment of failing to share that music with as many people as possible.

Sometimes things just don't work out, but it goes against our nature to not root for the underdog -- fictional or not. There's something comforting about a movie that begins and ends with the same scene, being able to revisit a key moment with added context that opens it up to deeper interpretation.

It's what Inside Llewyn Davis does so well, but there's more to it: The movie forces viewers to care for an unpleasant person, to mourn with him when he fails, and to accept his fate as someone who won't one day compare to Bob Dylan, whom he sees perform live in the same room he gave his soul singing the song that would define him, "Fare Thee Well."

Inside Llewyn Davis is a warming, yet harrowing story of someone who pursued a romance with the arts, an entanglement that would seal his fate because, on some level, he feels consumed by the music -- and the music is soothing to the ears. Ultimately, this might be the best movie the Coen brothers ever made; it rightfully earns its place alongside their other classics.

Related Inside Llewyn Davis Ending & Bob Dylan Cameo Explained The Coen Brothers' Inside Llewyn Davis ends with a mysterious musician taking the stage, in what turns out to be a cameo by the great Bob Dylan.

10 2014

Boyhood

Richard Linklater’s experimental coming-of-age drama is a monumental moment in the power of cinema and filmmaking, with an ingenious story that is as close to a documentary as a fictional drama can be. Following the childhood and adolescence of Mason Evans Jr. (Ellar Coltrane), Boyhood follows his life from ages six to 18 in Texas with his divorced parents and older sister.

Revolutionarily, Linklater filmed the movie from 2002 to 2013 with the same actors, adjusting the story and screenplay as the actors’ lives themselves changed over the years. Linklater’s vision allows for a genuine, intimate portrayal of the experience of growing up, with Boyhood’s epic nature being one of cinema’s greatest spotlights on the human condition.

9 2015

Mad Max: Fury Road

By the time Mad Max: Fury Road was released, 30 years had passed since George Miller’s original post-apocalyptic trilogy ended. Not only were expectations exceedingly high due to the excitement surrounding the franchise’s epic return, but Miller was tasked with reinventing the story after Mad Max Beyond the Thunderdome was widely deemed the weakest in the film series. Oddly, decades of developmental hell worked in Fury Road’s favor since it allowed for a massive budget and a brand-new cast in focus. Mel Gibson certainly made his mark as Max Rockatansky, but Tom Hardy’s interpretation perfectly fit into Miller’s new vision.

The rumors of Hardy not getting along with co-star Charlize Theron were reportedly true. However, that tension was brilliantly masked by the initial distrust between Max and Furiosa as they eventually come together against Immortan Joe and his followers. What ensued was an exhilarating adventure on wheels, acting as part rescue mission and part road battle in typical Mad Max fashion.

The Mad Max movies were already classics before Fury Road.

Miller’s visuals throughout the movie were absolutely stunning despite the wasteland in which the movie was set. It also incorporated some genuinely bizarre characters and environmental aspects that would only work in the world of Mad Max. The Mad Max movies were already classics before Fury Road, but the 2015 movie brought the franchise back to life while infusing the franchise with a bigger following than ever before.

While it was considered one of the best movies of 2015, in reality, it’s one of the best movies to be released in the last 20 years, if not longer. Fury Road didn’t win Best Picture, but it did bring home six Academy Awards, solidifying itself in awards history. Aside from the Furiosa prequel, a sequel to Fury Road is still in development. It may be taking longer than expected, but it’s safe to say Mad Max rediscovered its glory thanks to Fury Road.

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8 2016

Arrival

Directed by Denis Villeneuve and starring Amy Adams as a linguist called in to help when alien ships arrive across the Earth, Arrival is easily one of the most powerful science-fiction movies of the last 20 years. At its best, sci-fi offers an opportunity to shine a light on aspects of life and human nature, allowing viewers to explore common human experiences through unfamiliar, fantastical lenses. In this case, Arrival plays with the perception of time and discusses grief in quite a beautiful and profound way.

Arrival is particularly impressive because of its focus on language and communication, as Adams' character learns to communicate with these aliens and finds this conversation transformative. The effects are stunning, effortlessly realizing the kind of high-concept sci-fi that's so often dismissed and yet makes a movie utterly engrossing. This is a movie that leaves viewers with a lot to think about and reflect on, one that's so very rewarding for a rewatch.

7 2017

Blade Runner 2049

Denis Villeneuve may not be the most iconic or defining director of Screen Rant's 25-year history - an honor that could long be debated, but probably falls to Christopher Nolan - but he's increasingly making the case for being the best, and certainly when it comes to sci-fi. Case in point: Blade Runner 2049. Coming off the back of Arrival, this only confirmed he is a true master of the genre, able to blend stunning visuals and heady ideas with real human (or replicant) hearts underneath them.

Much of the praise for Blade Runner 2049 falls on Roger Deakins. His cinematography creates a stunning world that at once feels of a piece with the original movie, yet updates it, making it feel like it has been fully lived in and changing in the 30-year in-universe gap that exists between the movies. However, that's really Blade Runner 2049 as a whole. This is exactly what a sequel should be doing: honoring the original, adding greater depth to it, and telling its own great story at the same time.

Blade Runner 2049 is filled with great performances, including, by far, the best outing from one of Harrison Ford's returns to his most iconic characters. It may be long, but not a minute is wasted as it grapples with questions about what it means to be human, and what it means to love, which builds to that surprising, beautiful ending. Blade Runner 2049 not only improves the original Blade Runner, it outdoes it too.

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6 2018

Mission: Impossible - Fallout

Whereas most long-running franchises run the risk of growing stale with each installment, Mission: Impossible proved that it still had plenty of thrills to offer. What’s more, it managed to outdo all of its predecessors in more ways than one. Like all Mission: Impossible movies, Fallout puts the focus on action and daring stunts performed by Tom Cruise himself. However, for this one, the movie ups the ante considerably. The helicopter chase scene and the HALO jump are among the most ambitious action sequences the franchise has ever attempted.

Amazingly, Mission: Impossible -- Fallout managed to maintain the sense of intensity found in its signature scene throughout its story. Aided by a plot fueled by its emotional stakes, the movie kept the excitement at a high level through surprise twists and perilous situations that took full advantage of the star’s reputation for making the action look as real as possible.

The series exceeded expectations by delivering not only its best entry yet, but also the best movie of 2018.

Fallout kept the action coming, all the while telling a deeply compelling, personal story for Cruise’s Ethan Hunt that exposed fascinating, rarely seen layers of the character. With Mission: Impossible – Fallout, the series exceeded expectations by delivering not only its best entry yet, but also the best movie of 2018.