These are the best films of the 21st century so far, according to Hollywood's best filmmakers and stars

It's hard to disagree with many of the picks frankly.
Text: Ben Lyons
Published 2025-06-27

What are the best movies that have been made in the 21st century so far? This is a very objective topic that many will have differing opinions about, but The New York Times has come up with a solution that's hard to disagree with. It has brought together over 500 of the "best" filmmakers and stars in Hollywood to have them pick their favourite films and has then collated the information to see which projects rise to the top. Recently, the top 20 films were released, and it paints a picture of a very impressive run of movies that to this day define modern cinema.

As for which movies made the cut as the best of the best, the top 20 picks came out as follows:

20. The Wolf of Wall Street
19. Zodiac
18. Y Tu Mama Tambien
17. Brokeback Mountain
16. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
15. City of God
14. Inglourious Basterds
13. Children of Men
12. The Zone of Interest
11. Mad Max: Fury Road
10. The Social Network
9. Spirited Away
8. Get Out
7. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
6. No Country For Old Men
5. Moonlight
4. In the Mood for Love
3. There Will be Blood
2. Mulholland Drive
1. Parasite

Do you agree with this list and are there any movies that you think were snubbed?

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