My Top Movies of the Decade

I know that everyone and their dogs wrote about their top 5, 10, 1,000 favorite media of the decade, and, well, I decided to do the same. I am a huge movie buff and I always try and make sure I see the best movies of the year, both big and small. During the winter break, I had a chance to cultivate my own list of my favorite movies that I watched during the 2010s and it ended up being pretty lengthy. What I won’t do is list every film I enjoyed, but I will break down how each movie got the honor of being on my list. In the end, I will post my whole list; make of it what you will.

1. Is it rewatchable? 

I find it hard to watch a movie more than once, even if it is really good! However, some surpass my expectations and every once in a while I find myself rewatching some of these gems. These movies are usually funny enough were the jokes don’t get old after the thousandth time, thought-provoking enough where I’m always looking for different clues and tells that I may have missed the first time, and some of them just have this “it” factor that is a combination of charming, wit, and originality that seems hard to find nowadays. 

Movies that fit this category include: 

Snowpiercer, The Way Way Back, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 1&2, Pitch Perfect, Knives Out, The Martian, Chef, Baby Driver, and Bridesmaids.

2. Is it Funny? 

One of my favorite movie genres is comedy because most days I just need something to make me laugh and forget about the day’s events. That being said, my sense of humor is all over the place, but I like to stick to movies that are both equal parts witty and ridiculous. But in all honesty, if it made me laugh so hard that I shit my pants, then it’s a good movie in my book! 

Movies that fit this category include: 

Always Be My Maybe, Thor: Ragnorok, The Internship, Hello, My Name is Dorris, Date Night, 21 Jump Street, Death at a Funeral, Good Boys, and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.

3. Is there a good storyline? 

I watch movies for a great story and sometimes films strive to be so great that they forget the message underneath the money they dreamed of. Also, there are some films out there that really should have been turned into television series rather than movies because there is too much plot couched into a two-hour runtime. Movies should be able to tell a story that makes the audience walk away with some sense of new-found knowledge or inspiration. 

Movies that fit this category include: 

The Irishman, Moonrise Kingdom, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Life of Pi, The Prisoners, Hacksaw Ridge, Get Out, Detroit, and Love, Simon.

4. Will it make me smile? 

I don’t always want to watch something so heavy where it leaves me drained for the rest of the day. Sometimes I just want to watch some mindless movie that will just make me smile. It doesn’t have to be a blockbuster or a Sundance film, it can just be something fun! 

Movies that fit this category include: 

Think Like a Man, Rise of the Guardians, About Time, The Other Woman, Blockers, Letter to Juliet, Grown Ups, and Easy A.

5. Will it make me feel like a badass? 

I am a huge Marvel fan through and through! In middle school, I just loved how much they made me feel powerful and every time I walked out of the theater, I felt like I could be the next Avenger. There’s something so satisfying about the adrenaline rush I get from watching movies like that because for those few hours, I feel like I can do anything. I love it when I can watch something that empowers me either through action, or just the morality of the situations the characters find themselves in. 

Movies that fit this category include: 

Kingsman: The Secret Circle, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Endgame, Wonder Woman, Hidden Figures, John Wick, Logan, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.

Top Movies of the Decade (in no order): 

1. Snowpiercer 

2. Big Hero 6

3. Kingsman: The Secret Service 

4. The Irishman 

5. Always be my Maybe

6. Crazy Rich Asians

7. Captain America: The Winter Soldier 

8. Thor: Ragnarok

9. Avengers: Endgame

10. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows–Part 2

11. Bridesmaids

12. Knives Out

13. The Help

14. 21 Jump Street

15. Think Like A Man

16. Moonrise Kingdom

17. The Avengers

18. The Odd Life of Timothy Green

19. The Perks of Being a Wallflower

20. Pitch Perfect 

21. Life of Pi

22. Rise of the Guardians 

23. The Big Wedding

24. 42

25. Now You See Me

26. The Internship

27. The Way Way Back

28. The Spectacular Now

29. Logan 

30. Logan Lucky 

31. About Time

32. The Butler 

33. The Prisoners 

34. 12 years a Slave

35. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

36. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty 

37. Whiplash 

38. The Grand Budapest Hotel 

39. Chef

40. The Other Woman 

41. Interstellar 

42. Nightcrawler 

43. John Wick 1, 2, 3

44. Hello, My Name is Doris 

45. Inside Out

46. Room

47. The Martian 

48. Hacksaw Ridge 

49. Deadpool

50. Zootopia

51. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story 

52. The Fundamentials of Caring

53. Lion 

54. Arrival 

55. Moana

56. Hidden Figures

57. Wonder Woman 

58. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle 

59. Split 

60. Get Out

61. Us

62. Baby Driver 

63. Dunkirk

64. Girls Trip

65. Detroit 

66. Ingrid Goes West

67. The Florida Project

68. I, Tonya

69. Coco

70. The Greatest Showman 

71. Love, Simon

72. A Quiet Place

73. Blockers

74. Eighth Grade

75. Blindspotting 

76. Life Itself 

77. Venom

78. Mid90’s

79. Bohemian Rhapsody 

80. Instant Family

81. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

82. If Beale Street Could Talk

83. Shazam!

84. Booksmart

85. Late Night

86. Good Boys 

87. Joker 

88. 3 Idiots 

89. Valentine’s Day

90. The Last Song

91. Date Night

92. Kick-Ass

93. Death at a Funeral 

94. The Back-up Plan

95. Toy Story 3

96. Letters to Juliet 

97. Grown Ups

98. Inception 

99. Flipped

100. Scott Pilgirm vs. The World 

101. Easy A

102. The Social Network 

103. Tangled 

104. Burleque 

105. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows-Part 1