Blank's Top 100 Films Of The 21st Century! (FINALLY COMPLETE!)

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66.

 

 

Release Date: November 5, 2010.

Director: Tom McGrath.

Starring: Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, and Jonah Hill.

Adjusted Domestic Box Office: 150.454M

RottenTomatoes: 72%

Average BOT Reviews: 83% (7 votes)

 

MegaMind is one of the funniest animated movies I’ve seen. It’s got a clever premise, an absolutely phenomenal vocal performance by Will Ferrell, and a ton of good heart to boot. I’ve always despaired that Despicable Me took off and not MegaMind, because MegaMind takes the idea of “an arch-villain becoming a hero” and actually runs with it. In both Despicable Me movies, I wouldn’t consider Gru outright heroic; he’s just acting in the interest of his kids. In MegaMind, MegaMind becomes a hero for his own self-worth, and it’s actually a pretty interesting satirical deconstruction on the dichotomy between Lex Luthor and Superman. It’s probably the most underrated animated movie DreamWorks has ever made.

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65.

 

 

Release Date: April 30, 2004.

Director: Mark Waters.

Starring: Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, and Tim Meadows.

Adjusted Domestic Box Office: 112.527M

RottenTomatoes: 83%

Average BOT Reviews: 88% (22 votes)

 

Probably the second most quotable comedy of the 2000s, Mean Girls is hilarious for any gender of any age. Tina Fey’s script is utterly hysterical and full of so many one-liners, it’d be actually impossible to list them all. Lohan, McAdams, and Seyfried all became famous from this movie for good reason, and Fey and Amy Poehler make excellent cameos too. It’s probably the only post-2000 high school movie that’s actually memorable, thanks to cleverness. Oh, and Lizzy Caplan has an excellent role too, even though it’s like impossible to see the resemblance. Mean Girls might not have the flashiest directing, but it’s a funny, thought-provoking comedy that is one of the best of the 2000s.

Edited July 19, 2015 by Blankments

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64.

 

 

Release Date: April 28, 2006.

Director: Paul Greengrass.

Starring: Khalid Abdalla, Christian Clemenson, and Cheyenne Jackson.

Adjusted Domestic Box Office: 39.030M

RottenTomatoes: 91%

Average BOT Reviews: 91% (14 votes)

 

Greengrass proved his emotional prowess with this film he released in between Bourne Supremacy and Bourne Ultimatum. It’s a tense film on the level with his Bourne films, but it’s got a great, harrowing account of the September 11th attacks from the perspective of the passengers on the United 93 path. The abrupt ending and docudrama style of direction make this film feel surprisingly realistic for the biopic genre it occupies. There are moments where you’ll be on the edge of your seat too. United 93 is the only film I’ve seen that uses the 9/11 attacks tastefully, working as a realistic portrayal of one of America’s biggest tragedies.

Edited July 19, 2015 by Blankments

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63.

 

 

Release Date: May 18, 2001.

Director: Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson.

Starring: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, and Cameron Diaz.

Adjusted Domestic Box Office: 384.000M

RottenTomatoes: 88%

Average BOT Reviews: 93% (14 votes)

 

 

Although I am also a fan of its first sequel, the original Shrek is the only one to take a place on my countdown. Managing to really combine fairy tales and farce for the first time, Shrek felt really fresh on its initial release. Looking back on it, it’s more interesting how this film, unlike all the other ones, could actually function as a fairy tale if you stripped out all the pop culture references. In fact, the Broadway musical takes this approach and it’s actually a good show. Moreover though, Shrek contains winning vocal performances by all four of its main cast, and still manages to be entertaining despite plenty of dated jokes. It’s an admirable animated effort.

[baumer]

Good stuff so far.  I don't agree with most of your choices but it's a good thread.  

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62.

 

 

Release Date: August 14, 2009.

Director: Neill Blomkamp.

Starring: Sharlto Copley, David James, and Jason Cope.

Adjusted Domestic Box Office: 125.809M

RottenTomatoes: 90%

Average BOT Reviews: 93% (30 votes)

 

 

One of my favorite R-rated sci-fis, District 9 takes the mockumentary to new levels with a darkly comedic action movie that’s pretty blatantly about apartheid. It’s okay though, since this film introduced the world to the very unique styling of director Neill Blomkamp, and of course, SHARLTO COPLEY. COPLEY is the most hilarious actor to emerge in recent years, despite never starring in a comedy. His mere presence here makes every “fok” a delicious morsel. The body horror is well done, and the action is coherently shot. There’s a real empathy for the aliens here, and it’s a hard watch at points. Overall though, District 9 is all sci-fi should be, thought-provoking and mind-blowing. HAIL COPLEY

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61.

 

 

Release Date: November 23, 2011.

Director: Martin Scorsese.

Starring: Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Asa Butterfield.

Adjusted Domestic Box Office: 76.276M

RottenTomatoes: 94%

Average BOT Reviews: 79% (31 votes)

 

Hugo is a lesson in film history... but it’s a truly fascinating lesson in film history. I don’t get the people who say this movie is boring; I was utterly enthralled with the world of Hugo, from the few moments we see Hugo’s childhood, to the wackiness of Sacha Baron Cohen’s presence. Butterfield and Moretz are the two rare great child actors, but the real wonder in the film acting-wise is Ben Kingsley’s turn as Georges Méliès. His Méliès is a profoundly tragic character, one that everyone wishes for recognition for, but stuck in his own melancholy to realize the pity thrown at him. Scorsese directs the film with vigor, treating each shot as a 3D experience that’s worth revisiting again and again for new depth. Hugo is the world’s best film history lesson, and a good reason for me to watch more Scorsese films.

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60.

 

 

Release Date: March 23, 2012.

Director: Gareth Huw Evans.

Starring: Iko Uwais, Joe Taslim, and Donny Alamsyah.

Adjusted Domestic Box Office: 4.113M

RottenTomatoes: 85%

Average BOT Reviews: 94% (18 votes)

 

The Raid is fucking badass. Do you need more explanation? It’s got phenomenal fight choreography, it’s immensely watchable, it’s brief like an action movie should be, and the characters are just likable enough to root for them. It’s brutal, man. And it’s shot like a fucking cheese commercial. Just kidding, it’s shot like John Woo had a baby with Akira Kurosawa and out popped Joon Bong-Ho, mixed in with not-funny Edgar Wright. Everything looks meticulously planned and it’s fucking sweet. Fuck yeah. Sorry this was a brief description, but that’s the Raid. INDONESIA FUCK YEAH

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59.

 

 

Release Date: June 13, 2014.

Director: Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.

Starring: Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, and Peter Stormare.

Adjusted Domestic Box Office: 191.719M

RottenTomatoes: 85%

Average BOT Reviews: 91% (49 votes)

 

Lord Miller strike again, which is a shock considering most comedy sequels suck. 22 Jump Street is almost as funny as the first (spoiler alert: the original will appear later in this list), but it makes up for it in a surprisingly heartfelt plot about Schmidt and Jenko’s friendship. The running meta jokes about sequels sucking are great too, and the entire fourth wall being shattered over and over again is my type of humor. I guess Lord Miller just get me. Tatum really comes into his own on this one, and Jillian Bell is a worthy addition to the cast. All in all though, the stars are Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who take their animation experience to live-action directing with great panache, more than any of the Pixar directors. 22 Jump Street is a fantastic sequel to an already outrageous comedy. And those end credits too...

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58.

 

 

Release Date: December 7, 2001.

Director: Steven Soderbergh.

Starring: George Clooney, Matt Damon, and Andy Garcia.

Adjusted Domestic Box Office: 260.447M

RottenTomatoes: 82%

Average BOT Reviews: 88% (10 votes)

 

I don’t know if you can actually describe a movie as suave, but if you could, Ocean’s Eleven would be the best choice for that descriptor. Everything in this movie feels well-calculated to come off as cool as possible, which is great because the film is super charming too. Definitely my favorite heist movie, I remember writing a paper on it in high school about how it follows archetypes to make a memorable experience. Clooney, Pitt, and Damon are never better, and Garcia does a great job as the villain. Roberts is slightly memorable, and the rest of the cast works well, but Clooney’s charisma holds the whole thing together into a delightful romp into the world of casino heists. 

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57.

 

 

Release Date: June 15, 2005.

Director: Christopher Nolan.

Starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, and Liam Neeson.

Adjusted Domestic Box Office: 261.632M

RottenTomatoes: 85%

Average BOT Reviews: 91% (63 votes)

 

Nolan’s Bat trilogy returns to my list with the best “Batman” entry in the franchise. It’s not the best film, but as a movie about the character of Bruce Wayne, it excels in introducing us to the character frequently just sketched into a film rather than fleshed out into a full painting. Bale does an admirable job as the Caped Crusader and the Crown Prince of Gotham, delivering his best performance of the three films, and the only one without that cringe-worthy BAT-voice. Oldman and Caine also leave good impressions on their first outing, and Murphy and Neeson are good villains, even if they’re easily the most boring of the five Dark Knight trilogy villains. All in all, it’s a blockbuster that never fails to entertain, and succeeds at practically everything it sets out to do.

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56.

 

 

Release Date: July 12, 2013.

Director: Guillermo del Toro.

Starring: Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, and Rinko Kikuchi.

Adjusted Domestic Box Office: 105.420M

RottenTomatoes: 72%

Average BOT Reviews: 80% (93 votes)

 

 

When I saw Pacific Rim for the first time, my friend who watched it with me said he liked it because “it was like if Christopher Nolan had made a monster vs. robots movie!” He couldn’t be more wrong (although I was polite about it, just for the record). Pacific Rim has joyous worldbuilding in subtlety, and it’s a film that never ceases to fascinate with the huge story on display. The human drama could be better, but Elba and Kikuchi sell their emotional story well enough. Also, Charlie Day AND Ron Perlman? Comedy gold! The action is as great as CGI fighting CGI can be, and the whole film just has an infectious charm that’s impossible to turn away from. I’ll see the sequel opening night.

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55.

 

 

Release Date: July 16, 2010.

Director: Christopher Nolan.

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Adjusted Domestic Box Office: 298.833M

RottenTomatoes: 86%

Average BOT Reviews: 92% (92 votes)

 

A lot of people around here think I hate Inception. I once made a comment that Into the Storm was more enjoyable than it. Well, that wasn’t necessarily true; Into the Storm initially is more enjoyable than Inception the fifth time, but I still can get decent enjoyment out of Inception whereas I never feel the urge to watch Into the Storm. Don’t get me wrong, I still think the first hour of Inception is by and far the worst thing Nolan has made, but the second hour more than makes up for it with great filmmaking, excellent editing, and charismatic Tom Hardy. Also, that hallway fight still blows my mind. It’s a shame that that first hour is so dull, because otherwise, this could’ve been Nolan’s masterpiece.

[Ethan Hunt]

@ Into the Storm/Inception comparison

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54.

 

 

Release Date: April 4, 2014.

Director: Anthony Russo and Joe Russo.

Starring: Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, and Sebastian Stan.

Adjusted Domestic Box Office: 259.766M

RottenTomatoes: 89%

Average BOT Reviews: 92% (117 votes)

 

I remember thinking that Captain America: The Winter Soldier was gonna disappoint me because it was taking the awesome pulp vibe of Cap 1 and giving a gritty, dull take on Bourne style action to unproven directors. I was proven wrong though when it ended up being a vastly superior movie to the original, since the action is pretty effing fantastic for a PG-13 flick. Evans has come more into his own as Cap, and Johannson and Mackie are great supporting characters for this flick. It’s the movie in Phase 2 that feels most important, even more so than Age of Ultron, and there are twists and turns that are fun even when you know they are coming. All in all, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is everything you should want out of a Marvel sequel: something that moves forward the characters in a cool way while also expanding the universe. Also, Captain America is the best Avenger, k thanks bye.

[AniNate]

First Avenger > Winter Soldier

 

Come at me, y'all!

[James]

CA2 over Pac Rim and Inception.

 

[RobinHood26]

First Avenger > Winter Soldier

 

Come at me, y'all!

 

Truth bomb

[Blankments]

First Avenger > Winter Soldier

 

Come at me, y'all!

I do like First Avenger more than the average member though, so that's gotta count for something

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53.

 

 

Release Date: May 2, 2008.

Director: Jon Favreau.

Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, and Jeff Bridges.

Adjusted Domestic Box Office: 360.088M

RottenTomatoes: 94%

Average BOT Reviews: 90% (46 votes)

 

Two Marvel Cinematic Universe films in a row arrive as I look back at the one that started it all. Iron Man doesn’t feel like part of the MCU really; the jokes are much more natural and it’s got a real air of seriousness to it that the other films lack for the most part. It feels like it takes place in our world and could actually happen. Not that it’s dry, RDJ’s casting instantly makes that nothing to worry about. The action is very blah, but the overall story with decent political commentary and the breeziness of RDJ and Paltrow make this one of the better summer blockbusters in recent memory. Plus, the very last scene is so good. Also has a good post-credits scene, but I digress. Iron Man kicked off the Marvel Cinematic Universe in style with one excellent standalone film.