10 Most Influential Movies of the 21st Century, Ranked

The 21st century has seen the release of several of the greatest films of all time, and there's no denying that the art form has evolved over the last 26 years in ways nobody could have predicted. Sometimes, one can trace these evolutions all the way back to a hugely influential project, a single effort that made such an impact on the industry that one can call it one of the most influential movies ever made.

They can range from animated classics like Shrek to gargantuan blockbusters like Avatar. These films disprove the common claim that modernity and cinema don't get along particularly well. They are some of cinema's biggest achievements, and the fact that they've single-handedly altered the film industry in some way is a testament to the power that one perfectly executed picture can have.

10 'Spirited Away' (2001)

Hayao Miyazaki isn't only the master of anime cinema: he's one of the greatest Japanese filmmakers in history, a legend of the medium of animation with more masterpieces in his filmography than the majority of his peers. The title of Miyazaki's magnum opus, however, is typically uncontested: that would have to be Spirited Away, winner of the second-ever Best Animated Feature Oscar (and the first foreign recipient of the award).

It's one of the biggest animation filmmaking masterclasses, and its impact on animated cinema cannot be overstated. Studio Ghibli films have popularized the Japanese concept of ma, which essentially refers to intentional pauses in action or dialogue that allow scenes to breathe. Spirited Away proved the scale that ma could be brought to, and the impact of its thematic breadth and beautiful world-building can be spotted in fantasy animation across the world even today.

9 'John Wick' (2014)

John Wick was Keanu Reeves' comeback into the action mainstream, but it was also far more than that. This explosive action flick brought about the resurgence of American action cinema, and it did that with a modest budget of about $20 million. The hugely successful franchise that it spawned isn't the only effect that it had on the action genre.

Aside from being one of the most rewatchable action masterpieces of the 21st century, John Wick is also one of the most impactful. It brought energy, violence, rapid-fire gun fu action back into the Hollywood mainstream, and suddenly, every new American action flick coming out was clearly trying to be the next John Wick. The first entry may not be the best installment in the series, but it sure is the one that had the most noticeable effect on the industry.

8 'Spider-Man' (2002)

The 21st century may very well be called the century of superhero cinema, and that's not giving any signs of changing anytime soon. But every cinematic revolution has to start somewhere, and in the case of these stories about people in tight suits fighting crime and saving the world, that revolution started in 2002 with Sam Raimi's Spider-Man.

Sure, superhero cinema had been mainstream since 1978's Superman: The Movie, and 2000's X-Men had already shown that putting a modern twist on Marvel heroes could work. However, Raimi set the pace for the superhero genre boom that would come soon after. His Spider-Man is a blast of fun, and it instantly made its titular hero one of those hyper-iconic action heroes that everyone knows.

7 'The Lord of the Rings' Trilogy

Back in the early 2000s, it was hard to believe that Peter Jackson and his creative team were able to turn J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy, one of the most foundational works of fantasy of the 20th century, into the greatest fantasy movie trilogy in history. A quarter of a century after The Fellowship of the Ring's release, it's still every bit as baffling.

These truly are perfect films—as close as fantasy cinema can come to perfection, at least. The franchise set new standards for fantasy cinema going forward, proving the emotional resonance that a well-done fantasy epic could have. On top of that, it also revolutionized the industry with its technical achievements, such as its game-changing use of motion capture. With The Two Towers, one of the greatest middle installments in any trilogy, and Return of the King, one of the best sequels ever nominated for the Best Picture Oscar, it's no wonder this trilogy is as acclaimed as it is.

6 'The Bourne Identity' (2002)

Before Paul Greengrass took over the franchise, Doug Liman directed The Bourne Identity, based on Robert Ludlum's 1980 novel of the same name. Before The Bourne Legacy and Jason Bourne came onto the scene, Bourne was one of those movie trilogies where every film was a classic. Identity is arguably not even the best installment in the series, but the influence that the franchise instantly had on the action genre is undeniable.

Before John Wick came along and changed the genre again, Bourne Identity popularized action flicks being gritty, realistic, shaky-cam spectacles with practical on-location stunts. The movie had a clear effect even on franchises as huge as the Mission: Impossible series and Daniel Craig's Bond, and though this kind of frenetic action has been out of style for a while, Bourne Identity doesn't feel the slightest bit dated.

5 'Shrek' (2001)

It's far more than just the memes: Shrek took a simple character from a 1990 picture book by William Steig and turned him into a pop culture symbol, one of those iconic fantasy characters that everyone knows. As funny as the online meme culture that has formed entirely around this franchise is, it's worth remembering that Shrek is a properly great work of art in its own right, one of the best animated satires ever made.

The film was entirely deserving of the first-ever Best Animated Feature Oscar, as it set the tone and pace for 21st-century Hollywood animation altogether. By poking fun at traditional fairy tale movies and the usual type of Disney fare that audiences had grown accustomed to, and proving that a subversive sense of humor could resonate with audiences worldwide, Shrek entirely changed the game. Suddenly, not only did Pixar and the House of Mouse have in DreamWorks a new competitor to look out for, but they also had to change the way they made movies to appeal to audiences that clearly wanted something fresh.

David Fincher is the closest thing the world has to a modern master of the thriller genre. As Alfred Hitchcock's spiritual successor, Fincher himself has unsurprisingly been one of the 21st century's most influential filmmakers. But as it turns out, the director's most influential movie of this era isn't a thriller at all, but a scathing Mark Zuckerberg biopic written by Aaron Sorkin: The Social Network.

It's one of the most exciting drama movies of all time, with an incredible cast and an electric Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross score. Sorkin's distinct dialogue and sense of pacing made a hell of a splash, and Fincher's chaotic, rapid-fire direction proved that biopics could be far more than just a Wikipedia article brought to life. The Social Network was a product of the dawn of the digital age, and Hollywood had no choice but to follow suit.

3 'The Dark Knight' (2008)

For years, Christopher Nolan has been one of the biggest filmmakers in Hollywood and many cinephiles' favorite movie director of all time. From the moment the 21st century kicked in, Nolan had already established himself as a major talent, but it was his take on Batman—The Dark Knight in particular—that really catapulted him to the top tier of Hollywood directors.

There are myriad reasons why it is one of the greatest movies of the 21st century. Heath Ledger's Oscar-winning performance as the Joker, Nolan's incredibly effective way of turning the Batman mythos into a gritty, grounded action thriller, and the many enthralling action sequences are but a few. The Dark Knight proved that superheroes could be prestige cinema, and it also set the bar sky-high for the rest of the genre. For a long time, superhero films became darker and grittier, including those that arguably shouldn't have been.

2 'Avatar' (2009)

Anyone who's been a cinephile for long enough knows that you never bet against James Cameron, and no more proof of that is needed than the fact that, in the midst of the dawn of the age of IP-driven blockbusters, Cameron made an entirely original sci-fi, and it became the highest-grossing film of all time. Avatar isn't perfect, and it certainly hasn't aged like fine wine, but to say that it didn't revolutionize the film industry would be silly.

It's one of the most influential movies of all time, for a wide variety of reasons. Firstly, it broke new ground in the field of CGI technology and proved that CGI-driven movies and world-building could work when done well. Secondly, it breathed new life into 3D at a time when it was starting to become little more than a gimmick. Thirdly, it set an entirely new standard for immersive genre filmmaking. Many movies over the years have tried to be the new Avatar, but if its dominance at the top of the historic box office charts proves anything, it's that none have entirely succeeded.

1 'The Avengers' (2012)

There has been talk of "superhero fatigue" for years, yet Hollywood keeps making superhero films—and though they're starting to underperform at the box office more often than they used to, people are still going to the theater to see them. But this revolution of the superhero genre, and studios' obsession with big IP-driven franchises that connect several movies over the span of many years, would never have come to pass without The Avengers.

The idea of a crossover blockbuster being the culmination of five films sounds like child's play nowadays, but back in 2012, it had never been done before—at least not at this scale. And yet, despite the lack of a track record to fall back on as a safety cushion, The Avengers was a bigger success than anyone could have predicted. It became one of the most important superhero movies of all time, and it kick-started Hollywood studios' obsession with interconnected movie universes. Many have come and gone, but The Avengers is forever.