The 21st century is still very new, and yet film as an industry and as an art form has seen such highs over the past 26 years that presenting the 100 greatest films is an undeniably daunting task. For a majority of these years, the superhero genre has dominated in terms of popularity, following the one-two punch of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight and the MCU launching with Iron Man in the summer of 2008. This genre's success and influence was pervasive in the years that followed, but there's certainly far more to 21st century cinema. Experimentation and innovation have thrived across massively-budgeted tentpoles and independent filmmaking alike.
In selecting and ranking the 100 greatest films of the 21st century, we've taken several factors into account, including overall artistic merit, cultural impact, critical assessment, popularity with audiences, and how well the films have aged (or, for the very new films, how well we anticipate they'll age). Many of the films here are the widely agreed-upon modern classics you'll expect to see, and other selections are likely to surprise you. We are confident in asserting that all the following 100 films are absolute must-watch entertainment that everyone should experience at least once. These are the 100 greatest movies of the 21st century so far, ranked.
The following will update every day 11 a,m. EST through Friday, Dec. 26th
100. 'The Wolf of Wall Street' (2013)
When Martin Scorsese decided to make movies that are three hours and over is when we got some of the greatest feats of cinema, aka "absolute cinema." Casino comes close to the three-hour mark, but his first 180-minute masterpiece was the biopic The Wolf of Wall Street, about the eponymous "wolf" Jordan Belfort. This movie marks the fifth collaboration between Leonardo DiCaprio and Scorsese, and DiCaprio embodies Belfort with all his being, including exceptional comedic timing and a sleazy charm. The Wolf of Wall Street often serves as a dark comedy, and it's one of the few Scorsese movies to embrace the comical side of awful people and their misadventures.
The Wolf of Wall Street was based on the life and memoir of Jordan Belfort, a former Wall Street broker who got rich off of selling stocks, but also the corruption and fraud he made through his company. The movie chronicles his rise from a sweet-talking hustler to opening a massive brokerage firm and gathering a loyal group of people who believed in his promises, like Donnie Azoff (Jonah Hill), Brad Bonick (Jon Bernthal), and several of his longtime friends. The Wolf of Wall Street uses a ton of profanities and has numerous extravagant and controversial scenes -- all in the service of depicting the lewd and lavish lifestyle of Wall Street brokers who lived rambunctiously throughout the 1990s. For that purpose, the movie functions as a time capsule we haven't believed enough, but now take it as a sort of guide to understanding finance bros. - Anja Djuricic
99. 'Hamnet' (2025)
How do you follow up an Oscar-winning indie darling that charmed Hollywood? Ideally, not with one of the most underwhelming efforts in the MCU's history. But after Eternals (and all the cash it brought into Chloé Zhao's pockets), everyone knew that the director's next outing would be one to look out for. Enter Hamnet, far and away one of the greatest films of the 2020s so far.
Hamnet is absolutely gut-wrenching, anchored by Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal both delivering award-worthy work. Sure, it's a bit Oscar-baity; but its sentimentality is never cheap nor overblown. It's a beautifully sincere yet poignant portrait of motherhood and artistic creation transcending all pain, with an ending that's bound to not leave a single dry eye in the house. -- Diego Pineda Pacheco
98. 'O Brother, Where Art Thou?' (2000)
One of many well-crafted comedy satires from the Coen Brothers, O Brother, Where Art Thou is one of the most striking and distinct renditions of The Odyssey ever released, relaying the epic in the chaos of the American South. The film follows the dynamic trio of George Clooney, John Turturro, and Tim Blake Nelson as runaway convicts on a journey for hidden treasure while the relentless forces of the law are hot on their tail.
O Brother, Where Art Thou brilliantly finds a way to keep the massive scope and scale of Homer's original epic while injecting the signature personality and quirks of the Coens' directing style. Between the upbeat musical numbers, manic chase sequences, and infectiously quippy dialogue, the film is filled with an overwhelming sense of charm and wit. It goes from one memorable setpiece to the next as it builds towards one of the most approachable and entertaining films that the Coens have ever released. -- Robert E. Lee III
97. 'Black Swan' (2010)
Well-known for his dark, genre-defying work, Darren Aronofsky has made both some incredible and some underwhelming movies throughout the 21st century, but is there really any question as to what's his best? It has to be the one that earned him the only Best Directing Oscar nomination he's ever received: Black Swan, one of the best character studies of the 21st century.
It's incredibly intense and strongly melodramatic, but quite effectively so. Supported by the most powerful performance of Natalie Portman's career, which might also be one of the best performances of the 21st century as a whole, it's a terrifying and often mind-twisting descent into madness that perfectly understands the cost of artistic obsession. -- D. P. Pacheco.
96. 'Mission: Impossible -- Fallout' (2018)
It all began with a 1966 TV series that's now one of the most iconic of its era. From there, Brian De Palma started something in 1996 that would quickly grow out of any proportion he could have predicted. Today, many remember the Mission: Impossible franchise as one of the best action film franchises of the 21st century, and Mission: Impossible -- Fallout is undoubtedly the best of the bunch.
One of the most heart-pounding movies of the 21st century, Fallout is as suspenseful as it is fun, a culmination of everything that the Mission: Impossible franchise had come to represent up to that point. The performances are amazing, the villains are menacing, and the third act is an adrenaline-pumping wild ride. With this many unforgettable set pieces, from the bathroom fight to the final helicopter chase, this is bound to go down in history as one of the greatest action flicks of all time. -- D.P. Pacheco.
95. 'Argo' (2012)
Whoever's seen Argo can't help but think of, "Argo f**k yourself," which becomes the catchphrase of numerous characters throughout the film. Directed and starred in by Ben Affleck, Argo shows that Affleck's strengths lie behind the scenes, sometimes more often than on-screen (in a good way). His directing in Argo especially embodies the espionage drama with documentary-style filming, but the frames and certain ensemble moments feel very old Hollywood-like. Argo won Best Picture at the 2013 Oscars, and many other accolades during the award season run; it's one of the most underrated Best Picture winners, since it's basically a thrilling crime caper based on history.
Argo was based on the memoir of CIA agent Tony Mendez, who extracted six American diplomats trapped in the Canadian Embassy in Teheran during the 1979-81 Teheran hostage crisis. Mendez assembled a team of filmmakers and operatives to pretend to be a Canadian film crew scouting locations for a sci-fi movie in Teheran, so they could get closer to the Canadian Embassy. Mendez is played by Affleck, and he's joined by some of the greats, including Alan Arkin, Bryan Cranston, and John Goodman. The movie didn't go without criticism of historical accuracy, but at the same time, films based on historical events will always take creative liberties; Affleck knows as much as anyone how that works, and in the case of Argo, maybe even better than most. - A. Djuricic
94. 'Drive' (2011)
With its ultra-violent intensity, gorgeous visual style, and its gripping crime story that runs as a twisted fairy tale, Drive is a modern masterpiece of hyper-stylized and surrealist suspense and arthouse action. Ryan Gosling stars as a reclusive stuntman moonlighting as a getaway driver for L.A. criminals. As he starts to grow close to his neighbor, he agrees to participate in a heist to help her husband, who has recently been released from prison, but a violent turn in the job embroils the driver in a web of gangland violence and stolen money.
A medley of neo-noir visuals, electro 80s tracks, moments of quiet emotion, and outbursts of excessive brutality, Drive is an effortlessly slick descent into the Los Angeles underworld. Almost dreamlike at its vivacious best, it ensnares viewers in its mesmerizing story world of ruthless morality anchored by the air of suave coolness Gosling brings to the role and the agonizing impossibility of his character's love story. - Ryan Heffernan
93. 'Call Me By Your Name' (2017)
Intricately complicated yet touching, tender, and profoundly honest, Call Me By Your Name is a gem of modern romantic drama, a melancholic journey of first love and self-discovery that thrives with the quiet power of its deft writing and performances. Set in the summer of 1983, it follows 17-year-old Elio (Timothée Chalamet) as he begins a romance with his father's temporary assistant, a relationship that awakens Elio to his own sexuality and desires while forever altering the trajectory of both men's lives.
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Heralded by many as being the best film of 2017, it struck a chord with the piercing authenticity of James Ivory's Oscar-winning screenplay -- an adaptation of André Aciman's coming-of-age novel of the same name -- as well as the courage and depth of its stars, particularly Chalamet and Michael Stuhlbarg. Also enlivened by its immersive period setting and gorgeous cinematography, Call Me By Your Name is widely regarded as being a timely triumph of homosexual representation in cinema. -- R. Heffernan
92. 'Michael Clayton' (2007)
A directorial debut of incredible confidence, poise, integrity, and nuance from accomplished screenwriter Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton is a grounded though engrossing legal thriller that soars off the back of its razor-sharp narrative and faultless performances. George Clooney stars as the titular Clayton, a former prosecutor now stranded in debt and using his connections, experience, and resources to benefit high-end clients as a "fixer." He faces his greatest challenge when one of his firm's litigators jeopardizes a multi-billion-dollar case by suffering a revelatory nervous breakdown in the middle of a disposition.
Given the often-callous world of legal corruption that is often displayed in film, Gilroy takes a fascinating interest in the souls of his characters, exploring their foibles and philosophies with compassion and purpose while still delivering a story of striking plausibility. There is an air of 70s suspense to elements of the movie, but it imposes itself on viewers with its resonant modernity and timely thematic might, making Michael Clayton one of the best and most essential legal thrillers in recent decades. -- R. Heffernan
91. 'Shrek' (2001)
It's difficult to understate exactly how much of a cultural phenomenon Shrek was throughout the early 21st century, having a dominating presence in pop culture and a legacy that is still felt in animated movies to this day. However, none of its many imitators came close to the ingenious and self-aware satire that Shrek had, utilizing its takedown of fairy tale tropes and storytelling as a tool for comedic greatness.
While its style of celebrity and pop-culture-focused comedy is entirely the standard of many animated films nowadays, this brash change in formula is what helped make Shrek a fantasy movie icon. Even decades after its initial release, the film has proven to have a palpable staying power in its comedy and charm that persists even as its references and message aren't nearly as relevant to modern audiences. Despite releasing at the very beginning of the century, it's difficult to imagine where 21st-century animation would be without Shrek. - R. Lee III
