(Photo by Fox Searchlight/ Courtesy Everett Collection. BLACK SWAN.)
2010 included unforgettable award-winning movies, iconic animation, visual effects delights, gritty action, and unconventional comedy in its motion picture roster. The list of 100 best movies of 2010 are ranked by Tomatometer, including Certified Fresh movies, Fresh movies with at least 20 reviews and a 60%+ Popcornmeter, and audience picks: Rotten movies with 60%+ Popcornmeter score and 20,000+ user reviews! This means that, unfortunately, some popular movies like The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, TRON: Legacy, and Jackass 3D won’t make the cut. (Tyler Lorenz)
#1
Critics Consensus: Poetry is an absorbing, poignant drama because it offers no easy answers to its complex central conflict.
#2
Critics Consensus: Boasting dazzling animation, a script with surprising dramatic depth, and thrilling 3-D sequences, How to Train Your Dragon soars.
#3
Critics Consensus: Deftly blending comedy, adventure, and honest emotion, Toy Story 3 is a rare second sequel that really works.
#4
Critics Consensus: Impeccably scripted, beautifully directed, and filled with fine performances, The Social Network is a riveting, ambitious example of modern filmmaking at its finest.
#5
Critics Consensus: Girded by strong performances from Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and newcomer Hailee Steinfeld, and lifted by some of the Coens’ most finely tuned, unaffected work, True Grit is a worthy companion to the Charles Portis book.
#6
Critics Consensus: Takashi Miike’s electric remake of Eiichi Kudo’s 1963 period action film is a wild spectacle executed with killer, dizzying panache.
#7
Critics Consensus: Colin Firth gives a masterful performance in The King’s Speech, a predictable but stylishly produced and rousing period drama.
#8
Critics Consensus: Bleak, haunting, and yet still somehow hopeful, Winter’s Bone is writer-director Debra Granik’s best work yet — and it boasts an incredible, starmaking performance from Jennifer Lawrence.
#9
Critics Consensus: With confident pacing, a smart script, and a top-notch cast, Animal Kingdom represents the best the Australian film industry has to offer.
#10
Critics Consensus: As gut-wrenching as it is inspirational, 127 Hours unites one of Danny Boyle’s most beautifully exuberant directorial efforts with a terrific performance from James Franco.
#11
Critics Consensus: Worthwhile as both a well-acted ensemble piece and as a smart, warm statement on family values, The Kids Are All Right is remarkable.
#12
Critics Consensus: Characterized by strong performances and the director’s trademark feel for the nuances of everyday life, Another Year marks another solid entry in Mike Leigh’s career of kitchen-sink English drama.
#13
Critics Consensus: Despite its hefty running time, Carlos moves along briskly, thanks to an engaging story, exotic locales, and a breakout performance by Edgar Ramirez.
#14
Critics Consensus: Tense, smartly written, and wonderfully cast, The Town proves that Ben Affleck has rediscovered his muse — and that he’s a director to be reckoned with.
#15
Critics Consensus: Led by a trio of captivating performances from Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, and Amy Adams, The Fighter is a solidly entertaining, albeit predictable, entry in the boxing drama genre.
#16
Critics Consensus: It’s messy, overlong, and a touch melodramatic, but those flaws pale before Incendies‘ impressive acting and devastating emotional impact.
#17
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#18
Critics Consensus: Elite Squad: The Enemy Within is a bleak, violent descent into the Brazilian underbelly, ripping into the favelas with unstoppable and kinetic force.
#19
Critics Consensus: Thanks to a captivating performance from Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart transcends its overly familiar origins and finds new meaning in an old story.
#20
Critics Consensus: An engrossing love letter to fans of adult animation, The Illusionist offers a fine antidote to garish mainstream fare.
#21
Critics Consensus: Languorous and deeply enigmatic, Palme d’Or winner Uncle Boonmee represents an original take on the ghosts that haunt us.
#22
Critics Consensus: While far from Disney’s greatest film, Tangled is a visually stunning, thoroughly entertaining addition to the studio’s classic animated canon.
#23
Critics Consensus: The main stars are absolutely perfect in this absorbing, existential drama that dissects human relationships.
#24
Critics Consensus: Amiable, funny and sometimes insightful, The Trip works as both a showcase for the enduring chemistry between stars Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon and an unexpected perusal of men entering mid-life crises.
#25
Critics Consensus: Rare Exports is an unexpectedly delightful crossbreed of deadpan comedy and Christmas horror.
(Photo by Universal/ Courtesy Everett Collection. DESPICABLE ME.)
The King’s Speech, a biopic of King George VI, had an outstanding year at the 83rd Academy Awards, garnering 3 wins for Best Picture, Best Directing (Tom Hooper), and Best Lead Actor (Colin Firth). The film was lauded by multiple speech organizations for addressing the social stigma of speech impediments, and the challenges and expectations associated with overcoming them. Natalie Portman’s performance in Darren Aronofsky’s psychological ballet thriller Black Swan earned her a Best Lead Actress award. Portman trained for six months with a New York City Ballet alum to achieve the appropriate physique and technique for her role.
David O. Russell’s MMA drama The Fighter grabbed two Oscars this season: Best Supporting Actor for Christian Bale, and Best Supporting Actress for Melissa Leo. Christian Bale would go on to be nominated for three more Acting Oscars for American Hustle (2014), The Big Short (2016), and Vice (2019). Melissa Leo was nominated one time previously, for Best Lead Actress in Frozen River (2009).
Aaron Sorkin won Best Adapted Screenplay for The Social Network. The dramatized history of the founding of Facebook was based on Ben Mezrich’s book “The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook, a Tale of Sex, Money, Genius, and Betrayal”. The Social Network also won Best Film Editing, and Best Original Score for the composition by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross of Nine Inch Nails fame.
A few more Oscar winners of note: Christopher Nolan’s Inception won Cinematography and Best Visual Effects. Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland won Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design, while Joe Johnston’s The Wolfman took home Best Makeup. And, Pixar’s Toy Story 3 won Best Animated Feature Film, as well as Best Original Song for “We Belong Together” by Randy Newman.
While Toy Story 3 was the awards season darling in 2010, it was flanked by several other beloved animated pictures. DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon introduced us to our human and dragon hero duo, Hiccup and Toothless, and their adventures defending the Isle of Berk. The original movie would receive two sequel movies and several streaming television spinoffs.
Walt Disney Animation Studios through their hat into the ring with a CGI adaption of the Rapunzel fairy tale in Tangled. It was the 8th highest grossing film of the year worldwide and received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song via Alan Menken’s “I See the Light”.
Animation studio Illumination burst onto the scene in a big way with Despicable Me. The movie introduced us to Gru, his three adoptive daughters Margo, Edith, and Agnes, and… The Minions. And pop culture will never be the same. The 2010 picture is followed by three mainline sequels and two Minions spinoff films.
Finally, perhaps more of a cult favorite in comparison to its animation peers, DreamWorks’s Megamind enjoyed its own share of success, landing #17 at the box office this year. It received respectable reviews from critics and found its own fandom in the youth of 2010.
#26
Critics Consensus: Similar to the original in all the right ways — but with enough changes to stand on its own — Let Me In is the rare Hollywood remake that doesn’t add insult to inspiration.
#27
Critics Consensus: Funny, stylish, and ringing with adolescent truth, Submarine marks Richard Ayoade as a talent to watch.
#28
Critics Consensus: Carancho is a fast-paced noirish thriller that cuts deep, cementing filmmaker Pablo Trapero as a household name in Argentina.
#29
Critics Consensus: A Screaming Man deftly uses its personal look at a family dynamic to offer pointed political observations, confirming writer-director Mahamat-Saleh Haroun as a major talent.
#30
Critics Consensus: Smart, innovative, and thrilling, Inception is that rare summer blockbuster that succeeds viscerally as well as intellectually.
#31
Critics Consensus: This emotionally gripping examination of a marriage on the rocks isn’t always easy to watch, but Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling give performances of unusual depth and power.
#32
Critics Consensus: As fast, loud, and relentless as the train at the center of the story, Unstoppable is perfect popcorn entertainment — and director Tony Scott’s best movie in years.
#33
Critics Consensus: Wringing a seemingly impossible amount of gripping drama out of its claustrophobic premise, Buried is a nerve-wracking showcase for Ryan Reynolds’ talent.
#34
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#35
Critics Consensus: Vibrant and violent, Viva Riva is a stylish, fast-paced crime drama.
#36
Critics Consensus: It’s often painful to watch, but Rabbit Hole‘s finely written script and convincing performances make it worth the effort.
#37
Critics Consensus: Wearing its twee heart on its sleeve, Beginners explores the depths of modern, multi-generational romance with wit and depth.
#38
Critics Consensus: Moving at a contemplative speed unseen in most westerns, Meek’s Cutoff is an effective, intense journey of terror and survival in the untamed frontier.
#39
Critics Consensus: Like the best horror/comedies, Tucker & Dale vs. Evil mines its central crazy joke for some incredible scares, laughs, and — believe it or not — heart.
#40
Critics Consensus: Mysteries of Lisbon achieves an epic heft through an unhurried pace and lush photography, its beguiling episodes culminating in an impressive whole that justifies a lengthy runtime.
#41
Critics Consensus: Bracingly intense, passionate, and wildly melodramatic, Black Swan glides on Darren Aronofsky’s bold direction — and a bravura performance from Natalie Portman.
#42
Critics Consensus: It owes a huge debt to older (and better) teen comedies, but Easy A proves a smart, witty showcase for its irresistibly charming star, Emma Stone.
#43
Critics Consensus: Nicole Holofcener’s newest might seem slight in places, but its rendering of complex characters in a conflicted economic landscape is varied, natural, and touching all the same.
#44
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#45
Critics Consensus: It’s sentimental and treacly, but that’s not enough to prevent My Afternoons with Margueritte from being truly affecting.
#46
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#47
Critics Consensus: While it may lack the revelatory punch of Polanski’s finest films, Ghost Writer benefits from stylish direction, a tense screenplay, and a strong central performance from Ewan McGregor.
#48
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#49
Critics Consensus: Its script may not be as dazzling as its eye-popping visuals, but Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is fast, funny, and inventive.
#50
Critics Consensus: Trollhunter is a mockumentary with an appropriate level of creeping dread, but one that also benefits from generous helpings of dry wit.
(Photo by Paramount/ Courtesy Everett Collection. TRUE GRIT.)
With so many high-rated animated films and Oscar winners securing space on the list, let’s talk about the blockbuster films of the year: heavy-hitters in both the box office and reviews. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 kicked off the grand finale for the iconic wizarding saga. It landed #3 at the worldwide box office this year, while Part 2 would go on to take #1 at the box office a year later. Iron Man 2 premiered in 2010 with much anticipation from fans following the success of the first Iron Man film two years earlier. It introduced Don Cheadle’s James Rhodes as Tony Stark’s super-suited partner War Machine, and its post-credits scene heralded the arrival of the mighty Thor in 2011, with a tease of his hammer Mjolnir buried in a crater in New Mexico.
Taking the action to slightly more realistic proportions is 2010’s The Karate Kid. A tangential sequel to the original 1984 film starring Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita, in this film teenager Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) moves from Detroit to Beijing, where he learns self-defense kung fu from Mr. Han (Jackie Chan). Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan returned in Karate Kid: Legends, a sequel in which the two masters converge to mentor a new disciple.
The action gets grittier in 2010. Perhaps most appropriately in the Coen brothers’ True Grit. In this grim Western, at 14-year-old girl seeks the help of a U.S. Marshal to track and kill the outlaw who murdered her father. The film received glowing reviews and 10 Oscar nominations, but unfortunately took home no gold. In the gruesome samurai action drama 13 Assassins directed by Takashi Miike, a team of assassins plot to overthrow a lord who seeks to consolidate power within the Shogunate. It received the Best Film award at the Yokohama Film Festival. While beloved by genre film fans, the film and its director are known for their extreme portrayals of violence and sex. Viewer discretion advised!
In the tense crime thriller The Town, Ben Affleck plays a bank robber who falls in love with a victim after a heist. Their mission to rob Fenway Park in Boston is compromised when his partners begin to doubt his allegiance to them. Ben Affleck received positive reviews for both his acting and directing in this tense, well-written drama. It was named one of the Top Ten Films of 2010 by the National Board of Review.
In Point Blank, a hospital worker is caught in a desperate situation when gangsters kidnap his wife and command him to kill one of his patients. Things become even more difficult when he becomes caught between his blackmailers and the police pursuing him. The film’s popularity lead to it being remade in South Korea, Bangladesh, the United States, and India.
In Red, Bruce Willis puts his action hero persona back on as a retired CIA black ops agent who gets his team back together to stop an assassin coming after him. It received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, and a sequel, Red 2, in 2013.
Danny Trejo shines in the cartoonishly violent and sexy action extravaganza Machete. Directed by Robert Rodriguez of Spy Kids, Sin City, and El Mariachi fame, Machete was developed off a fake trailer featured in Grindhouse (2007). Machete’s popularity would earn it a sequel called Machete Kills in 2013.
#51
Critics Consensus: It may be a little too deliberately paced for more impatient viewers, but The Way is a worthy effort from writer/director Emilio Estevez, balancing heartfelt emotion with clear-eyed drama that resists cheap sentiment.
#52
Critics Consensus: Never flinching during its descent into depravity, I Saw the Devil is a pulverizing thriller that will give bloody satisfaction to audiences who like their revenge served with fiery rage.
#53
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#54
Critics Consensus: Outrage packs enough violent impact to satisfy – even if fans of writer-director Takeshi Kitano will find themselves familiar with many of its ingredients.
#55
Critics Consensus: Borrowing heavily (and intelligently) from Pixar and Looney Tunes, Despicable Me is a surprisingly thoughtful, family-friendly treat with a few surprises of its own.
#56
Critics Consensus: While it may strike some viewers as slight, Cyrus is a successful hybrid of mainstream production values and the mumblecore ideals of directors Jay and Mark Duplass.
#57
Critics Consensus: Organized around a terrific performance by Sally Hawkins, Made in Dagenham is a stirring call for pay equity replete with heart and wit.
#58
Critics Consensus: Agonizingly funny, Tiny Furniture marks an observant study of a failure to launch and an auspicious debut for writer-director Lena Dunham.
#59
Critics Consensus: A bold, original debut, Night Catches Us personalizes a tumultuous period in American history thanks to strong performances from Anthony Mackie and Kerry Washington.
#60
Critics Consensus: Somber and sweet, The Myth of the American Sleepover authentically evokes adolescence — and all of the awkwardness and heartbreak that comes with it.
#61
Critics Consensus: A clever parody of cop-buddy action-comedies, The Other Guys delivers several impressive action set pieces and lots of big laughs, thanks to the assured comic chemistry between Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg.
#62
Critics Consensus: Director David Schwimmer gets some gut-wrenching performances out of his actors but he still lacks the chops to fully ratchet up story tension.
#63
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#64
Critics Consensus: Not for the faint of heart, Kick-Ass takes the comic adaptation genre to new levels of visual style, bloody violence, and gleeful profanity.
#65
Critics Consensus: It struggles with the balance between fact-based biopic and taut political thriller, but Fair Game brims with righteous anger — and benefits from superb performances by Naomi Watts and Sean Penn.
#66
Critics Consensus: For viewers who manage to stay invested in its occasionally aimless story, Cold Weather proves a surprisingly sophisticated blend of mumblecore and indie noir.
#67
Critics Consensus: It can’t help but feel like the prelude it is, but Deathly Hallows: Part I is a beautifully filmed, emotionally satisfying penultimate installment for the Harry Potter series.
#68
Critics Consensus: Its time-shifting narrative creates distracting casting problems, but ultimately, The Debt is a smart, well-acted entry in a genre that could use more like it.
#69
Critics Consensus: With a magnificent performance by Paul Giamatti, Barney’s Version offers much comedy and insight to the complexities of modern romance.
#70
Critics Consensus: In a Better World is a sumptuous melodrama that tackles some rather difficult existential and human themes.
#71
Critics Consensus: Greenberg‘s title character is harder to like than most, but Ben Stiller’s nuanced performance and a darkly funny script help take the misanthropic edge off.
#72
Critics Consensus: Playing exactly to expectations for a movie about killer fish run amok, Piranha 3-D dishes out gore, guffaws and gratuitous nudity with equal glee.
#73
Critics Consensus: Emma Thompson’s second labor of love with the Nanny McPhee character actually improves on the first, delivering charming family fare with an excellent cast.
#74
Critics Consensus: Rachel Weisz puts on a compelling smoldering act though the film suffers from a literal-minded approach to the material.
#75
Critics Consensus: Though the genre is well worn at this point, director Jim Mickle focuses on strong characterization and eerie atmosphere to craft an effective apocalyptic vampire chiller that also manages to pack a mean punch.
(Photo by Pixar/ Courtesy Everett Collection. TOY STORY 3.)
If some of the action movies in 2010 were quirky, the comedies were quirkier. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a favorite of comic book nerds everywhere. Based on the graphic novel by Bryan Lee O’Malley and directed by Edgar Wright, this zany action-VFX-romantic comedy cyclone sees Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) face down his dream girl Ramona Flowers’s seven evil exes to win the right to date her. The film features an all-star ensemble cast including Kieran Culkin, Brie Larson, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Evans, and many more. Most of that cast would reunite in 2023 to reprise their roles in a popular animated series, Scott Pilgrim takes off.
In the same comic vein, Kick-Ass hit theaters this year. Based on the 2008 graphic novel of the same name, Kick-Ass stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Chloë Grace Moretz as ordinary young people who take justice into their own hands as vigilantes dressed as superheroes. It’s blend of action and humor secured it a sequel, Kick-Ass 2, in 2013.
Tucker and Dave vs. Evil turned the horror comedy genre on its ear by making its alleged “killers” the protagonists. Tucker and Dale (played by Tyler Labine and Alan Tudyk) are two kindhearted hillbillies who find themselves in quandary when a group of vacationing college students mistake them for murderers, leading to their own reckless behavior and undoing. Much more than just a silly premise, this movie won the Audience Award at SXSW Film Festival and Best Screenplay at the Fangoria Chainsaw Awards.
The Trip, starring Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon is a refreshingly unique movie about friendship, peppered with witty observational humor that only Coogan and Brydon are capable of. The two comedians’ charms drew three sequels: The Trip to Italy (2014), The Trip to Spain (2017, and The Trip to Greece (2020).
#76
Critics Consensus: An art film to the max, Heartbeats intriguing and appealing premise is sometimes buried by director Xavier Dolan’s filmmaking flourishes.
#77
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#78
Critics Consensus: It isn’t as emotionally involving as it should be, but this Peter Weir epic offers sweeping ambition and strong performances to go with its grand visual spectacle.
#79
Critics Consensus: It may not improve on the Raymond Carver short story that inspired it, but Everything Must Go resists cliche and boasts a pair of magnetic performances from the perfectly cast Ferrell and Wallace.
#80
Critics Consensus: It isn’t quite the breath of fresh air that Iron Man was, but this sequel comes close with solid performances and an action-packed plot.
#81
Red
(2010)
72%
72%
Critics Consensus: It may not be the killer thrill ride you’d expect from an action movie with a cast of this caliber, but Red still thoroughly outshines most of its big-budget counterparts with its wit and style.
#82
Critics Consensus: Thanks to a suitably raunchy script and a pair of winning performances from Jonah Hill and Russell Brand, Get Him to the Greek is one of the year’s funniest comedies.
#83
Critics Consensus: Sarah’s Key is an absorbing, impeccably-acted Holocaust drama with minor plot issues.
#84
Critics Consensus: Though it leans rather heavily on its central metaphor, The Tree is a moving and ultimately hopeful meditation on grief with shades of magical realism.
#85
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#86
Critics Consensus: It covers familiar territory for Sofia Coppola, but Somewhere remains a hypnotic, seductively pensive meditation on the nature of celebrity, anchored by charming performances from Stephen Dorff and Elle Fanning.
#87
Critics Consensus: If Ramona and Beezus fails to capture the essence of its classic source material, it’s sunny, sweet, and wholesome.
#88
Critics Consensus: Machete is messy, violent, shallow, and tasteless — and that’s precisely the point of one of the summer’s most cartoonishly enjoyable films.
#89
Critics Consensus: It regurgitates plot points from earlier animated efforts, and isn’t quite as funny as it should be, but a top-shelf voice cast and strong visuals help make Megamind a pleasant, if unspectacular, diversion.
#90
Critics Consensus: With Never Let Me Go, Mark Romanek has delivered a graceful adaptation that captures the spirit of the Ishiguro novel — which will be precisely the problem for some viewers.
#91
Critics Consensus: Flawed but charming, Ondine reaffirms writer-director Neil Jordan’s gift for myth, magic, and wonder.
#92
Critics Consensus: It may not rank with Scorsese’s best work, but Shutter Island‘s gleefully unapologetic genre thrills represent the director at his most unrestrained.
#93
Critics Consensus: Noomi Rapace and Michael Nyqvist remain extraordinarily well-suited to their roles, but the second installment in Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy doesn’t pack quite as much punch as the first.
#94
Critics Consensus: It may not be as powerful as the 1984 edition, but the 2010 Karate Kid delivers a surprisingly satisfying update on the original.
#95
Critics Consensus: Less compelling — and more manipulative — than it should be, Conviction benefits from its compelling true story and a pair of solid performances from Swank and Rockwell.
#96
Critics Consensus: Rousing, heartwarming, and squarely traditional, Secretariat offers exactly what you’d expect from an inspirational Disney drama — no more, and no less.
#97
Critics Consensus: Terry Gilliam remains as indulgent as ever, but The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus represents a return to the intoxicatingly imaginative, darkly beautiful power of his earlier work, with fine performances to match all the visual spectacle.
#98
Critics Consensus: Its lurid violence may put off some viewers, but Harry Brown is a vigilante thriller that carries an emotional as well as a physical punch, thanks to a gripping performance from Michael Caine in the title role.
#99
Critics Consensus: It’s amiable, and it does a surprisingly good job of sidestepping psych ward comedy cliches, but given its talented cast and directors, It’s Kind of a Funny Story should be more than just mildly entertaining.
#100
Critics Consensus: Slow and mostly devoid of the stellar chemistry between its two leads, The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest is a disappointingly uneven conclusion to the Millennium trilogy.
(Photo by wb/ Courtesy Everett Collection. INCEPTION.)
Let’s talk coming-of-age movies: Easy A, starring Emma Stone, Penn Badgley, and Amanda Bynes, is a modern teen rom-com take on the classic novel “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne. When Olive Penderghast (Stone) lies to her friend about losing her virginity, she becomes stigmatized by her high school classmates. Upon learning she can use this false rumor for her own gain, she allows boys in her class to claim they slept with her, in exchange for gift cards, leading to plenty of comedy and social enlightenment. Emma Stone won Best Comedic Performance at the MTV Movie Awards and Choice Movie Actress: Romantic Comedy at the Teen Choice Awards, perhaps heralding the Oscar accolades she would earn later in her career.
Winter’s Bone is a less conventional coming-of-age film. Ree Dolly (played by Jennifer Lawrence) is an teen girl who must track down her father in the Ozarks to save her family from poverty. Jennifer Lawrence was nominated for the Best Actress Oscar for this role. The film also won the Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic Film at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.
A lesser known gem of a coming-of-age movie is The Myth of the American Sleepover. Four teens seek out love and adventure on the last week of summer vacation. Its director, David Robert Mitchell, would go on to direct the horror cult favorite It Follows and the mystery thriller Under the Silver Lake.
