Best of the century

Top 25 films of 2000-2025

Joe Wright’s Atonement, starring James McAvoy, is my pick for best film of the century. Interestingly, the film’s central scene, the evacuation at Dunkirk, is also the topic of my #3 film, Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk.

Exclusive to MeierMovies, September 1, 2025

As we celebrate the quarter-century mark, film critics and historians are launching their lists of top feature films. Not one to eschew bandwagons, I too am offering my inventory of the finest cinematic achievements of the 21st century.

Though I didn’t attempt to construct a diverse list, it ended up rather varied, with four suspense/horror/thriller films, two animated movies, two documentaries and one musical. There are five war films and even a (mostly) silent flick. Foreign-language films are disappointingly underrepresented, with just three. Christopher Nolan alone has that many. Other great directors are represented, including Joe Wright, Martin Scorsese, David Fincher, Sam Mendes, Roman Polanski, Michael Moore, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Clint Eastwood, Ang Lee and the Coen Brothers. In fact, the list reads almost like a “greatest directors list.” (Sadly, only one woman made the list.)

David Fincher’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button comes in at #2.

Most surprisingly, perhaps, is the absence of arguably the greatest director of the last 50 years, Steven Spielberg, though he would have several on the list if it were expanded to 50 (mostly notable Bridge of Spies and A.I.). Foreign-language movies would also be more prevalent if the list grew to 50. (Roma, La Grande Bellezza (The Great Beauty) and Spirited Away just missed this list.)

Even more shocking than the underrepresentation of Spielberg, female directors and non-English-language movies is the fact that only four of these 25 films won the Oscar for best picture. It makes you doubt the purpose of the Academy Awards.

For more movie rankings, see my lists page.

  1. Atonement (2007), directed by Joe Wright
  2. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), by David Fincher
  3. Dunkirk (2017), by Christopher Nolan
  4. Hugo (2011), by Martin Scorsese
  5. The Prestige (2006), by Christopher Nolan
  6. Chicago * (2002), by Rob Marshall
  7. Unbreakable (2000), by M. Night Shyamalan
  8. Anna Karenina (2012), by Joe Wright
  9. The Others (2001), by Alejandro Amenabar
  10. Loving Vincent (2017), by Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman
  11. 1917 (2019), by Sam Mendes
  12. The Pianist (2002), by Roman Polanski
  13. Toy Story 3 (2010), by Lee Unkrich
  14. Bowling for Columbine (2002), by Michael Moore
  15. The Artist SlWS * (2011), by Michel Hazanavicius
  16. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) * (2014), by Alejandro González Iñárritu
  17. The Act of Killing FL (2013), by Joshua Oppenheimer
  18. Holy Motors FL (2012), by Leos Carax
  19. Finding Neverland (2004), by Marc Forster
  20. Letters from Iwo Jima FL (2006), by Clint Eastwood
  21. The Banshees of Inisherin (2022), by Martin McDonagh
  22. Gladiator * (2000), by Ridley Scott
  23. Inception (2010), by Christopher Nolan
  24. Life of Pi (2012), by Ang Lee
  25. Inside Llewyn Davis (2013), by Joel and Ethan Coen

For the best short film of the century, let me commend Dissonance, by Till Nowak, from 2015.

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