It often takes a while before a movie can be considered a classic, but some movies from the 2010s should already be treated as such. The phrase “instant classic” often gets bandied about, but this is merely a prediction. To count as a classic, a movie has to withstand the test of time. Plenty of movies receive critical acclaim upon release. Only a few of these movies are still watched and discussed decades later.
Some movies from the 2010s have influenced cinema already, pushing the boundaries of their genres and pioneering new styles. Directors such as Quentin Tarantino, Christopher Nolan and Wes Anderson all created some of their best work in the 2010s. However, a classic movie is measured by more than just its impact. It also needs to be extremely popular, even years after release. For some movies from the 2010s, it’s too soon to tell how time will treat them, but others have already achieved iconic status.
Related 10 Box Office Flops From The 2010s That Everyone Now Loves
Box office figures can only tell you so much about a movie, but there are plenty of classics from the 2010s which were classed as commercial failures.
10 Get Out (2017)
Jordan Peele’s Debut Feature Achieved Instant Acclaim
Close
Get Out 5
Your Rating
5 stars4.5 stars4 stars3.5 stars3 star2.5 stars2 stars1.5 stars1 stars0.5 star Rate Now Submit Rate Now Edit Leave a Review
Your comment has not been saved
Where to Watch
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Not available
Not available
*Availability in US
Director Jordan Peele Release Date February 24, 2017 Cast Lyle Brocato , LaKeith Stanfield , Caleb Landry Jones , Betty Gabriel , Allison Williams , Marcus Henderson , erika alexander , Bradley Whitford , Jeronimo Spinx , Catherine Keener , Daniel Kaluuya
Before Get Out, Jordan Peele was best known as a sketch comedian and an impressionist. Not many people could have anticipated that he would soon revolutionize the horror genre with one of the most original and confident directorial debuts of the 21st century. Get Out was an instant hit, and it joined the exclusive club of horror movies to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Peele’s clear reverence for the horror genre goes hand-in-hand with his razor-sharp satire of the American sociopolitical landscape.
Get Out heralded a new dawn for the social horror movie, with Peele’s clear reverence for the horror genre going hand-in-hand with his razor-sharp satire of the American sociopolitical landscape. Get Out‘s original concept is fascinating from the very beginning, but Peele’s script has enough momentum to keep delivering twists and turns until the end. Get Out also has enough hidden details and layers to make multiple rewatches worthwhile.
9 Arrival (2016)
Denis Villeneuve Adapts Ted Chiang’s Short Story To Create A Sci-Fi Masterpiece
Close
Arrival 4
Your Rating
5 stars4.5 stars4 stars3.5 stars3 star2.5 stars2 stars1.5 stars1 stars0.5 star Rate Now Submit Rate Now Edit Leave a Review
Your comment has not been saved
Where to Watch
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Not available
Not available
*Availability in US
Director Denis Villeneuve Release Date November 10, 2016 Cast Michael Stuhlbarg , Forest Whitaker , Tzi Ma , Amy Adams , Mark O’Brien , Jeremy Renner , Nathaly Thibault
Ted Chiang’s Story of Your Life is a fascinating meditation on the way that language shapes our experience of the world around us, and Arrival proves to be a worthy film adaptation, released 18 years after the story’s initial publication. Screenwriter Eric Heisserer does an outstanding job of translating the story’s essence onto the screen, with an intriguing non-linear timeline that facilitates a hugely satisfying twist.
It takes a lot to create truly jaw-dropping imagery in an era where CGI has allowed filmmakers to conjure whatever comes into their minds.
Denis Villeneuve is a director with an eye for sci-fi spectacle, as he has also shown in Blade Runner 2049 and the Dune movies. In Arrival, he makes the aliens and their spacecraft look both foreboding and strangely inviting. It takes a lot to create truly jaw-dropping imagery in an era where CGI has allowed filmmakers to conjure whatever comes into their minds, but Villeneuve has a special talent.
8 Parasite (2019)
Parasite Was One Foreign-Language Hit That Cut Through In English-Speaking Countries
Close
Parasite 3
Your Rating
5 stars4.5 stars4 stars3.5 stars3 star2.5 stars2 stars1.5 stars1 stars0.5 star Rate Now Submit Rate Now Edit Leave a Review
Your comment has not been saved
Where to Watch
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Not available
Not available
*Availability in US
Director Bong Joon Ho Release Date November 8, 2019 Cast Yeo-Jeong Jo , Myeong-hoon Park , Jeong-eun Lee , Sun-kyun Lee , Ji-so Jung , So-dam Park , Keun-rok Park , Kang-ho Song , Ji-hye Lee , Woo-sik Choi , Seo-joon Park , Hye-jin Jang
It took far longer than it should have for a non-English language movie to win Best Picture, but Parasite was an undoubtedly worthy winner. Bong Joon-ho’s masterpiece is a dark comedy and a psychological thriller rolled into one, with a gripping story and some heavy subject matter that somehow makes its jokes even funnier. Although Parasite is about social inequality in Korea, it’s relevant to audiences all over the world.
Parasite
‘s social commentary is keyed into the most important socioeconomic debates of the 21st century, and yet it feels vital and entertaining in a way that art films about social issues often fail to achieve.
Parasite has earned its place in film history with its Oscar win, but it should be remembered for much more than this record. The movie’s social commentary is keyed into the most important socioeconomic debates of the 21st century, and yet it feels vital and entertaining in a way that art films about social issues often fail to achieve. Thanks to Parasite‘s outstanding cast, led by frequent Bong collaborator Song Kang-ho, the story can balance humor with deeply unsettling horror.
7 Black Swan (2010)
Natalie Portman Delivers A Career-Best Performance In Darren Aronofsky’s Gripping Psychological Drama
Close
Black Swan 2
Your Rating
5 stars4.5 stars4 stars3.5 stars3 star2.5 stars2 stars1.5 stars1 stars0.5 star Rate Now Submit Rate Now Edit Leave a Review
Your comment has not been saved
Where to Watch
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Not available
Not available
*Availability in US
Director Darren Aronofsky Release Date December 3, 2010 Cast Natalie Portman , Mila Kunis , Vincent Cassel , Barbara Hershey , Winona Ryder , Benjamin Millepied
Darren Aronofsky’s movies have been rather polarizing since the remarkable success of Black Swan. Noah, Mother and The Whale have each earned just as much criticism as praise, but Black Swan managed to combine commercial success with critical acclaim. The psychological drama has a superb script, but it is buoyed by Natalie Portman’s career-defining performance as a ballerina who sacrifices her health and her sanity for greatness.
Just as Nina leaps and pirouettes herself into a state of intense anxiety,
Black Swan
seeks to carry its audience into a state of perplexing psychological unrest.
It’s hard not to get swept away in the breathless haze of Black Swan. Just as Nina leaps and pirouettes herself into a state of intense anxiety, Black Swan seeks to carry its audience into a state of perplexing psychological unrest. The result is an intoxicating atmosphere that perfectly conveys Nina’s troubled psyche, and the audience becomes an active participant in questioning her reality.
6 The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
Wes Anderson’s Finest Achievement Is A Dazzling Comedy
Close
The Grand Budapest Hotel 4
Your Rating
5 stars4.5 stars4 stars3.5 stars3 star2.5 stars2 stars1.5 stars1 stars0.5 star Rate Now Submit Rate Now Edit Leave a Review
Your comment has not been saved
Where to Watch
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Not available
Not available
*Availability in US
Director Wes Anderson Release Date March 28, 2014 Cast Willem Dafoe , Jude Law , Edward Norton , Jeff Goldblum , Saoirse Ronan , Adrien Brody , Tilda Swinton , Ralph Fiennes , Tony Revolori
As his career has developed, Wes Anderson has become known for his huge ensemble casts, his complex comedic plots, and his idiosyncratic visual style. All three of these elements reached their artistic peak in The Grand Budapest Hotel, Wes Anderson’s best movie both commercially and critically. The story follows the tussle over a priceless painting just as the storm clouds of war start to gather in a fictional European nation.
Anderson’s dialogue is just the tip of the iceberg. He can also get a laugh from a camera movement, a needle drop, or an astutely timed silence.
Anderson’s movies are usually classified by a sense of whimsy, but they inevitably hide a much more serious and impactful story just below the surface. The Grand Budapest Hotel offers more than just its picture book charms. The story focuses on the ways that optimism and grace can be ripped away from a person, but it does so in a way that is consistently hilarious. Anderson’s dialogue is just the tip of the iceberg. He can also get a laugh from a camera movement, a needle drop, or an astutely timed silence.
5 Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
George Miller Revived His Seminal Action Franchise In Style
Close
Mad Max: Fury Road 5
Your Rating
5 stars4.5 stars4 stars3.5 stars3 star2.5 stars2 stars1.5 stars1 stars0.5 star Rate Now Submit Rate Now Edit Leave a Review
Your comment has not been saved
Where to Watch
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Not available
Not available
*Availability in US
Director George Miller Release Date May 14, 2015 Cast Tom Hardy , Charlize Theron , Nicholas Hoult , Zoe Kravitz , Hugh Keays-Byrne , Riley Keough , Courtney Eaton , Abbey Lee , Rosie Huntington-Whiteley
In the 30 years between Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome and Fury Road, George Miller produced two Happy Feet movies and two Babe movies. He quickly showed that he hadn’t missed a step in the action genre, delivering an instant classic that arguably surpassed his original Mad Max trilogy. Tom Hardy takes on the role of Max Rockatansky, and he delivers an intense performance without much dialogue.
Mad Max: Fury Road
is one of the most exciting action movies of the 2010s, thanks to a masterful blend of practical effects and flawless CGI.
Mad Max: Fury Road is one of the most exciting action movies of the 2010s, thanks to a masterful blend of practical effects and flawless CGI. The stunts carry a shocking, gut-punch impact, but they’re also incredibly inventive. Some of the details in Fury Road are never explained, like the stilted figures stalking the wasteland, but they all flesh out the world of the Mad Max franchise.
4 La La Land (2016)
Ryan Gosling And Emma Stone Sizzle In A Throwback Musical With Modern Charms
Close
La La Land 7
Your Rating
5 stars4.5 stars4 stars3.5 stars3 star2.5 stars2 stars1.5 stars1 stars0.5 star Rate Now Submit Rate Now Edit Leave a Review
Your comment has not been saved
Where to Watch
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Not available
Not available
*Availability in US
Director Damien Chazelle Release Date December 9, 2016 Cast Hemky Madera , meagen fay , J. K. Simmons , Sonoya Mizuno , Rosemarie DeWitt , John Legend , Ryan Gosling , Finn Wittrock , Ashley Caple , Josh Pence , Emma Stone , Jason Fuchs
La La Land is a throwback to the classic musicals of Old Hollywood, but its story is firmly rooted in the modern age, as two lovers find themselves pulled in opposite directions by their conflicting career goals. Damien Chazelle’s script examines the sacrifices that people make for love, and it questions whether romance still holds the same weight in a world where people are taught to focus on themselves.
Although
La La Land
has some great musical numbers, it is just as captivating in its quiet moments.
Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone have worked together a few times, and their delightful chemistry makes La La Land sing. Although the movie has some great musical numbers, aided by the exquisite choreography, it is just as captivating in its quiet moments. La La Land‘s emotional ending is only as heartbreaking as it is thanks to the believable relationship between Gosling and Stone.
3 Toy Story 3 (2010)
Pixar Kicked The 2010s Off With One Of Their Best Movies
Close
Toy Story 3 7
Your Rating
5 stars4.5 stars4 stars3.5 stars3 star2.5 stars2 stars1.5 stars1 stars0.5 star Rate Now Submit Rate Now Edit Leave a Review
Your comment has not been saved
Where to Watch
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Not available
Not available
*Availability in US
Director Lee Unkrich Release Date June 18, 2010 Cast Jodi Benson , Ned Beatty , Tim Allen , Tom Hanks , Joan Cusack
After a string of hits in the 2000s including Finding Nemo, The Incredibles and Ratatouille, Pixar started the next decade in equally impressive form. By returning to the franchise which started it all for the studio, Pixar generated a lot of hype for Toy Story 3. Somehow, Buzz and Woody’s third adventure lived up to these high expectations. It has since been recognized as one of Pixar’s best movies, and one of the best animated movies of the decade.
Toy Story 3
immediately benefited from its iconic characters, but it also gave them a story which was worthwhile.
Toy Story 3 immediately benefited from its iconic characters, but it also gave them a story which was worthwhile. At the time, it seemed as though the Toy Story franchise would end as a trilogy, and Toy Story 3 sent the characters off in the best way possible. It provides a bittersweet finale after one last grand adventure, packed with laughs and some memorable new characters.
2 Dunkirk (2017)
Christopher Nolan’s War Movie Is A Cinematic Spectacle
Close
Dunkirk 3
Your Rating
5 stars4.5 stars4 stars3.5 stars3 star2.5 stars2 stars1.5 stars1 stars0.5 star Rate Now Submit Rate Now Edit Leave a Review
Your comment has not been saved
Where to Watch
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Not available
Not available
*Availability in US
Director Christopher Nolan Release Date July 21, 2017 Cast Kenneth Branagh , Aneurin Barnard , Mark Rylance , Tom Hardy , James D’Arcy , Jack Lowden , Cillian Murphy , Harry Styles , Fionn Whitehead , Barry Keoghan
Six years before the Oscar-winning success of Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan directed another Second World War story. The retreat from Dunkirk holds a special place in the British cultural memory, and it is held up as an example of the nation’s pluck and unity. Nolan’s movie presents the story with the full weight of his prowess for cinematic spectacle, combining a tense score with some stunning imagery.
Nolan’s movies are known for their experimental story structures, but
Dunkirk
keeps things more simple.
Nolan’s movies are known for their experimental story structures, but Dunkirk keeps things more simple. It tells the story of Operation Dynamo from land, sea and sky, providing a few glimpses into some of the incredible personal stories which add up to the historic event. Dunkirk is breathlessly tense and choreographed with expert precision, making it feel like a new and exciting take on the war genre.
1 Django Unchained (2012)
Quentin Tarantino’s Western Mixes Fact With Fantasy
Close
Django Unchained 3
Your Rating
5 stars4.5 stars4 stars3.5 stars3 star2.5 stars2 stars1.5 stars1 stars0.5 star Rate Now Submit Rate Now Edit Leave a Review
Your comment has not been saved
Where to Watch
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Not available
Not available
*Availability in US
Director Quentin Tarantino Release Date December 25, 2012 Cast Leonardo DiCaprio , Jonah Hill , Samuel L. Jackson , Jamie Foxx , Kerry Washington , Christoph Waltz
The Western genre has always had its eyes on the past, but Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained tells a period story through a modern lens. While other Western directors may have been inspired by tales of the Old West, Tarantino makes no secret of his passion for the genre. He is inspired by Western movies, rather than the real stories or the history that inspired them. Django Unchained is a remix of classic Westerns, in the same way that Inglourious Basterds presents a fantasy war movie with barely any real-life context.
Tarantino revels in the gruff style and gunslinging action of the setting, but the story is an anti-racist revenge fantasy.
Django Unchained is historically inaccurate, and proudly so. It’s a classic Western seen through the lens of 21st century sensibilities. Tarantino revels in the gruff style and gunslinging action of the setting, but the story is an anti-racist revenge fantasy. Django’s odyssey is a violent rebuttal of the way that Westerns often brush over the absence of Black characters, ignoring the gruesome history that brought them to America. Within Django Unchained‘s racial allegory, there are plenty of fine performances, including an Oscar-winning turn from Christoph Waltz.