Top Fifty Films of the Decade (Part 2 of 5) (1/14/2020)
- Heather German
- Jun 26, 2020
- 5 min read
40. Kubo and the Two Strings (2016)
Studio Laika, despite its incredible talent for stop-motion animation, has always struggled to live up to the success of its debut feature Coraline. While ParaNorman had its moments, Coraline’s only true successor from the studio in terms of quality was 2016’s Kubo and the Two Strings. An epic, emotional journey inspired by Japanese folklore, Kubo and the Two Strings is a moving and beautifully animated achievement that meditates on death and the power of storytelling, while still managing to keep this potentially heavy subject matter palatable for all ages.
39. Jojo Rabbit (2019)
After the massive success of Thor: Ragnarok, Taika Waititi went on to direct his most ambitious and controversial picture yet. Jojo Rabbit is a movie that’s going to rub plenty of people the wrong way, and that’s fully understandable. But, get past that, and you have one of the most emotionally powerful comedies of the past decade, a movie that’s simultaneously fun and frightening, entertaining and profound. It’s a kind of movie that’s seemingly been lost to a time less cynical but nonetheless aware than this one. Taika Waititi seems bent on making pop culture feel empathy again, and so far, he’s succeeding.
38. Gravity (2013)
Yes, this movie ages terribly on a small screen, and yes, it’s rather lacking in plot. But if there was ever a movie that was made to be viewed on the big screen, it’s Gravity. Seeing this in IMAX was one of the most intense experiences of my life. It was like going on a roller coaster for a full hour and a half. People will use that metaphor a lot, but this is the closest to literal I may ever use it. It’s an intense, brilliant thrill ride of a movie, and the fact that it was meant to be seen in theaters and not at home doesn’t detract from its quality. Gravity isn’t a story, it’s a thrill ride - and a great one at that.
37. Logan (2017)
Dropping “X-Men” and “Wolverine” from the title of Logan was a great move, because even though this is a direct successor to the X-Men and Wolverine franchise starring Hugh Jackman, Logan is nothing like its predecessor. It’s easily the darkest and most mature and contemplative film ever to be graced with the label of “superhero movie.” Though it has its moments of grit and violence, the action plays backseat to the story here, which is a moving tale of mortality, faith and redemption. Logan the character is incredibly flawed, and never has that been more obvious than here - but Logan the movie does a better job than any other X-Men movie about showing us why we should care about him regardless.
36. Zootopia (2016)
As a furry, it is my solemn duty to include Zootopia on my best of the decade list.
Joking aside, this is easily the best output from Disney’s classic studio this decade. It’s a brilliantly well-rounded noir-esque thriller with a surprising level of depth beneath its kind-friendly exterior. While its analysis of social injustice may be simplistic and reductive to adults, it’s a good start for kids to start thinking about multiculturalism and diversity, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Zootopia is a tightly plotted mystery, a roaring adventurous romp, and a surprisingly gritty crime thriller (you know, for a kid’s movie). It’s a brilliantly well-rounded adventure in a vibrant and unique world, with something in it for everyone to enjoy.
35. Interstellar (2014)
Interstellar is a mess. It’s an overlong, somewhat pretentious mess. The dialogue and acting is often stiff and wooden and the message it sends about leaving Earth instead of saving it is irresponsible. But my god it is a fascinating, often brilliant mess. The sci-fi elements of this film work wonders, and it’s a mesmerizing journey into the unknown, where space-time anomalies we only know in theory are visualized brilliantly. Despite everything, a powerful undercurrent of emotion resounds throughout the experience. It’s clear that Christopher Nolan was trying to create his 2001: A Space Odyssey, and while he definitely fell short, it was a damn good effort that I’m still thinking about five years later.
34. Inside Out (2015)
Inside Out was Pixar’s big return to glory in 2015. Between 2011 and 2014, things were looking much darker for the studio than they are now. 2010’s Toy Story 3 was a massive success, and only just barely missed the bottom of this list, but after that, the studio delivered a series of films that were decent at best. Inside Out was the movie that showed us that they still had creativity left in them, and was a rousing creative accomplishment that created an interesting premise and used it to illuminate issues regarding child depression and our cultural repression of emotions. It’s easily one of the most emotionally moving films of the decade, and great fun to boot. Since 2015, Pixar’s been no less inconsistent (though noticeably lacking in a complete flop like 2011’s Cars 2), but every now and then they’ve still been able to impress, and with Inside Out, confidence in the studio was renewed.
33. The LEGO Movie (2014)
This movie had no right being this good. A movie that exists solely to market a brand is all but guaranteed to fail, and yet, not only does The LEGO Movie ACTUALLY have substance other than just “buy LEGO” (it actually doesn’t feel like an advertisement at all, though it certainly works like one), but it’s one of the best movies of the decade full stop. Easily one of the funniest comedies of the past ten years, one of the best adventure movies, and conveying one of the most intelligent and surprisingly complex messages of any Western children’s film, The LEGO Movie is a rousing, unprecedented success.
32. Dunkirk (2017)
It’s difficult to truly innovate when it comes to historical war fiction films, but Christopher Nolan managed to pull it off with 2017’s Dunkirk. What may seem at first to be an incoherent jumble of a plot is actually a finely crafted experimental blockbuster, focusing less on a chronological retelling of the story and more on the experience of the event itself. You can know what happened in a historical battle, but that doesn’t mean you truly understand what it was like to be in it. Dunkirk comes as close as I’ve seen to pulling off the latter. You may not be able to fully articulate the specifics of what happened and who it happened to, but you’ll remember the utter chaos and sheer terror of the moment long after the credits roll.
31. Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016)
Perhaps Taika Waititi’s most well rounded film, Hunt for the Wilderpeople is one of the most charming and heartwarming films of the past decade. It’s sweet and sentimental without falling into the realm Hallmark Movie saccharine, maintaining a uniquely dry sense of humor throughout. The core relationship between man and adopted son develops over an incredible journey through the woods, fleeing from authorities. Watching these two people, who once hated each other, grow close by the film’s conclusion, is made perfect by Waititi’s empathetic direction. For all the deadpan humor, Waititi never lets us forget about our genuine emotions.
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