While the 2020s got off to a rough start—due to, well… reasons—and many movies were delayed, rescheduled, or even scrapped, the decade has still delivered plenty of fantastic cinematic experiences. From thought-provoking dramas to groundbreaking blockbusters and innovative indie gems, the 2020s have already given us unforgettable films. And with it being the halfway point of this decade we at SAW decided to present an addition to our usual “Best of” series we do each year. Several writers here at SAW turned in a list of what they thought were the best films since the beginning of the decade, the entries on the list were tallied, and then ranked to give you SAW’s 50 Best Movies of the 2020s So Far!
*Every entry was mentioned on someone’s list at least once and the more times an entry was listed, the higher that movie was ranked. However, some 2024 movies may not appear because they have not been seen by our writers yet, or it could just be they weren’t good enough to make this list. Anywho, please let us know what you think of the rankings and which films you believe should be on the list that didn’t make the cut. Enjoy the list, check out more of our Best of 2024 series, and comment down below!*
50. The Power of the Dog (2021)
This is a very hard film to discuss because the only true way to talk about it is to talk about its ending because that’s the film. Every scene is building up to the last ten minutes and once they happen, the film will transform into something completely different right before your eyes. It’s not a twist, so don’t go in worried that you’ll figure it out and ruin the experience for yourself nor is it a surprise gut punch where a character suddenly dies and you’re left reeling from the shock of it. It’s a brilliantly constructed payoff to a setup you didn’t realize you were watching. I wouldn’t be surprised if many viewers immediately started it from the beginning to see the plot masterly unfold. It’s a film that demands repeat viewings and will it’ll reward each and every one. It’s one of the best endings I’ve ever seen and everything around it is just as good.
The direction is top-notch, the score is magnificent and the cast is white hot. Plemmons and Dunst give exceptional performances but this is the Cumberbatch and Smit-McPhee show and they came hungry to prove something. Even though they’re both veterans of the screen, it feels like performances by two new up-and-comers who want to show everyone in Hollywood who the new kids are. They’ve both been great for a very long time but this is the next step in both their careers. In order for this film to work, these two need to be on the same level and they both bring their A-game. Smit-McPhee arguably has the harder role but Cumberbatch has the best character. He owns this film and if he doesn’t win the Oscar, there will be riots in the streets. It’s one of the most compelling characters I’ve seen in a long time and it’s the reason I will be rewatching this sometime in the future, not the ending. This probably needs to go higher, I’m just waiting to rewatch it before I put it in the top five where it probably really belongs.
–Sailor Monsoon
49. The Zone of Interest (2023)
Evil can be banal and its perpetrators can be painfully mediocre. In Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest, Auschwitz commander Rudolf Höss is a mildly spoken, diligent man who rises up the ranks of the Nazi Party. He’s also an unrepentant monster, but that is largely explored through omission. One particularly harrowing moment focuses only on his blank and unassuming face as he passes through the concentration camp, with the sounds of screams and gunfire, and the sight of smoke billowing far above Höss, filling in all the necessary details. As for this film, omission is its greatest tool, where we see nothing of the violence being committed at this murder site, allowing viewers to imagine the worst. Auschwitz becomes a ghost, a spectral entity of pure terror and the sunken depths of the human spirit. Just as effective is the maddening degree of outrage that gradually rises as viewers must confront a family that refuses to acknowledge the horrors taking place just beside them.
None of this would be achieved if this family weren’t portrayed as human beings. In most films, it would be a hindrance to show antagonists displaying tenderness towards those they treasure most. The Zone of Interest wears that aspect of these characters proudly on its sleeve, forcing viewers to contend with individuals who think nothing of the suffering of others while holding on tightly and tenderly to those they love. It’s a painful, uncomfortable truth that’s effortlessly articulated without preachiness or excess. This is an unforgettable experience that combines technical mastery with extraordinary depth of feeling that, just like its subject matter, lingers just beyond the surface.
–Cian McGrath
48. The Suicide Squad (2021)
Leave it to James Gunn to remind moviegoers that the DC Extended Universe could have been so much better. A standalone sequel to 2016’s Suicide Squad, Gunn elevates the action, violence, and comedy, leaving one to wonder why exactly people want to see a director’s cut of David Ayer’s movie. Unlike the 2016 movie, which killed like maybe two team members, The Suicide Squad is merciless in disposing of Task Force X, with fan favorites quickly dispatched. Joel Kinnaman is actually given some real material here as Rick Flag Jr., and his fight scene with Peacemaker is easily one of my favorite moments from a comic book movie. Also, we got freakin’ Starro on the big screen and it wasn’t cheesy. The DCEU was a mixed bag, but The Suicide Squad was definitely the crème de la crème.
–Marmaduke Karlston
47. Soul (2020)
Soul follows a jazz musician, voiced by Jamie Foxx, who navigates the mysteries of existence alongside the delightful 22, voiced by Tina Fey. The film’s breathtaking animation, particularly its imaginative depiction of the Great Before, is complemented by an enchanting dual score—Jon Batiste’s lively jazz compositions and the ethereal sounds of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. Soul is a heartwarming reminder to savor life’s small moments and appreciate the journey as much as the destination.
–Vincent Kane
46. Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021)
We won! One of the greatest internet movements of all time led to the release of Snyder’s vision of the Justice League. The vision we deserved. Every character is better than the theatrical cut in every way, especially Cyborg. No more CGI Superman mouth scaring young children. Give me all the dark, give me all the slow-mo, give me the damn post-apocalyptic movie this movie teased damn you! Most believed all the bad in the original cut was all Zack Snyder’s doing but we found out pretty quickly…well after four hours…that wasn’t the case. Joss Whedon was brought to MCUify the film by adding color and jokes because everything has to look the same and people can’t enjoy superhero movies without laughter anymore.
Love it or hate it, The Snyder Cut will go down as a moment in superhero movie history like no other outside of the copy and paste we have got over the past 15 years. After viewing The Snyder Cut, Martin Scorsese took out his journal and wrote down one word about it: “Cinema.” Long live #releasethesnydercut!
–Vincent Kane
45. Civil War (2024)
It’s fitting that a movie about the U.S. being ripped apart by a second civil war is also one of the most divisive films of the decade so far. Our own Raf Stitt gave his own scathing review of the film earlier this year. But for every critic, there’s someone else who thinks this is a masterpiece. The dueling arcs of veteran photojournalist Lee Smith (Kirsten Dunst) and the fresh-faced hopeful Jessie (Cailee Spaeny) are masterfully told. Lee wrestles with decades of numbing herself to capture important images from wars overseas in hopes of changing the minds of folks back home and finds herself in despair that the sacrifice of her own humanity appears to be for nothing. Meanwhile, Jessie views Lee as a hero and learns how to become just like the version of Lee that Lee herself is beginning to struggle with. Plus Jesse Plemons’ amazing supporting turn steals the show as one of the most chaotic and tense (although brief) antagonists of the decade.
–Jacob Holmes
44. The Menu (2022)
It’s not every day that a film holds my undivided attention from the moment I first saw the teaser trailer for it, but that’s exactly what happened with The Menu. The fact that it was a movie set in the world of haute cuisine was enough to reel me in, but when you add Ralph Fiennes and Anya Taylor-Joy into the mix too? Plus a strong indication of horror? Pardon the pun, but that was a recipe I couldn’t ignore. Indeed, The Menu remains one of the best films I saw in 2022 because it is literally a perfect film. From the moment the movie opens, there’s not one element out of place in the entire story. I am enthralled with how The Menu deftly balances horror and comedy, creating a spectacle you can’t look away from even when it becomes clear how it’s all going to end. But the part I enjoy the most is how Anya Taylor-Joy faces off with Ralph Fiennes’ mad chef throughout the story and creates a conflict that is not to be missed.
–Becky O’Brien
43. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)
While I have some story issues with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, none of it has to do with Rocket’s story or Chukwudi Iwuji’s performance as the High Evolutionary. Marvel Studios has done a better job since Thanos to make its one-and-done villains more interesting (ex, the real Mandarin, Namor, Gorr), but the High Evolutionary is the cream of the crop. He’s just a cold-blooded villain with no redeeming qualities. Those Baby Rocket flashbacks are tough to watch.
However, the Rocket/High Evolutionary storyline is not what makes Volume 3 great. In my opinion, it’s how the film leaves Star-Lord and Gamora departing as friends, not lovers. The closing moment between them where Gamora (who, to remind readers, is the alternate 2014 version from Avengers: Endgame and not the one from the first two Guardians films) says, “I bet we were fun,” and Star-Lord responds, “You wouldn’t believe it,” I mean… is someone cutting onions in here? If James Gunn’s MCU legacy is that he gave us the best trilogy then I am perfectly fine with that.
–Marmaduke Karlston
42. His House (2020)
A refugee couple moves into a flat in London, having just escaped from South Sudan fleeing violence. However, they quickly find that things in their new home are not as they seem and the ghosts from Sudan may have followed them here. This movie is really something special: an accurate depiction of the desperation of an immigrant family in a true horror setting. I know that “the horror is trauma” is becoming overused and a bit cliche, but this set-up has a lot of care and nuance that doesn’t paint the characters as perfect victims or the surrounding London residents as villainous or racist. Like real life, things are much more complex but it leaves you with an ending that sticks with you. I cannot recommend it more.
–Valerie Morreale
41. A Real Pain (2024)
The “odd couple” of Jesse Eisenberg’s quirky and neurotic self paired with Roman Roy had me eager to see this film from the moment I heard about it. We get Eisenberg’s classic OCD, nervous character with Kieran’s charming and magnetic personality that constantly teeters on likable and annoying as two cousins who take a Holocaust Tour of Poland to honor their late grandmother. We see each one struggle with their past, present, and future in different ways dealing with heavy themes while also delivering moments of levity.
Eisenberg directed a visually stunning film, with its use of Polish landscapes providing a poignant contrast to the emotional intimacy of the story. His direction and cinematography work hand in hand to create an atmosphere that is both haunting and beautiful. Most notably a very sobering tour through a concentration camp. Perhaps one of my favorite things about this movie is that it doesn’t use a lot of typical tropes you get with this type of film. There’s no melodrama or “travel as a cure” or using trauma as a spectacle. We simply get a deeply human story about confronting the past to better understand the present.
–Vincent Kane
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What do you think of the entries so far? What movies are you hoping to see on the list going forward?