A Decade Later, These 20 Films From 2010 Still Rank Among Our Favorites

Natalie Portman earned an Oscar for her performance as a competitive, unstable ballerina in this psychological horror film. Fun fact: Portman also met her husband on this film – Benjamin Millepied danced in the film and choreographed it.

It’s baffling to think of a time when the goofy, weird Minions weren’t part of our pop culture. Back in 2010, we were introduced to them for the first time as Gru’s hench-beings in Despicable Me, which also launched a long-running animated franchise about a cartoonish baddie who can’t help being good sometimes.

The 2010s were absolutely the decade of Emma Stone, and it really kicked off thanks to this sharp, witty comedy that riffs on The Scarlet Letter. Stone’s Olive navigates the high school rumor mill and gender stereotypes with tons of quips, a supportive family, and a handful of John Hughes references.

In the years since Julia Roberts led the adaptation of Elizabeth Gilbert’s memoir, it’s been analyzed, criticized, and turned into an occasional cultural punchline. But the story of a woman who starts her life over from scratch and travels the world is a sort of inspiration that reminds us all it’s never too late to take risks.

The animated fantasy film wasn’t on anyone’s radar as a franchise starter, but by the end of the decade, this sweet fantasy about a young man and his dragon had become a beloved and high-grossing series.

Before Christopher Nolan turned his attention to war films and dramatic epics, he was the maestro of mind-screw sci-fi, and none more screw-y than Inception. The mesmerizing dreamscapes of this multi-layered mind heist film are unforgettable – plus, ten years later, we’re still debating that final shot!

The year’s best picture Oscar winner had less of a cultural impact than other films that year, but it was a clear precursor to the decade’s renewed fascination with the British royal family and its history. At the brink of World War II, Prince Albert is forced to become king when his brother abdicates, and he works to get a handle on his stammer so that he can speak clearly to his people.

DiCaprio pulled double duty in 2010, ending the year with one of his creepiest movies to date: a twisty thriller about a US Marshal investigating an insane asylum, while realizing that his biggest enemies may be inside his own mind.

Possibly the most prescient movie of the decade, The Social Network is a mildly-fictionalized version of the events leading to the founding of Facebook, which, of course, turned out to be one of the dominant cultural forces of the modern age. With its critical eye turned on founder Mark Zuckerberg and on the notion of social media as a whole, it’s certainly one of the movies that’s defined the 2010s.

This twist on the “Rapunzel” fairytale was the 50th feature from Walt Disney Animation and the first of its “princess” films to step away from traditional 2D animation. The adventure comedy of a lost princess and a charming, handsome thief is definitely a modern classic – it’s even spawned an animated sequel TV series!

It’s hard to think of a time when “catfish” wasn’t in the pop culture lexicon, but this documentary (and the following reality series) is where it all began. As social media exploded, so too did fake profiles and identities, which the makers of this documentary sussed out – especially when they were using real people’s photos without the original owners’ knowledge.

This artsy documentary, set in the world of street art and graffiti, comes from the mind of Banksy, the famous (and famously anonymous) street artist. It follows a French wannabe-filmmaker in Los Angeles who crosses paths with Banksy and adopts his own street art persona while also leaning heavily into the idea of getting famous.

It’s the goofy comedy that launched a thousand jokes (and even got a name-drop in Avengers: Endgame!), and it’s one of those movies where the title tells you everything you need to know. A trio of middle-aged buddies (plus one of their nephews) accidentally time-travels to the ’80s and has to relive their embarrassing past experiences to minimize the ripples into the future.

In some ways, this action comedy is a parody of a parody: it’s based on a popular SNL sketch, which itself was a riff on the MacGyver franchise. It’s definitely on the ridiculous side, as it tells the story of a brooding action hero in the midst of a violent battle over a missile, but that satirical tone has turned it into a cult classic.

This action comedy pokes fun at video game tropes, superheroes, and more as our geeky hero combats his dream girl’s series of “evil exes” in order to date her and free her from the mind control of one ex in particular.

Dwayne Johnson and Julie Andrews as unconventional tooth fairies? Sure, it’s cheesy, but it’s the goofy kind of cheesy that puts a smile on your face no matter what.

Decidedly less organized than The Avengers, the teenage hero of Kick-Ass also lacks one crucial thing: actual superpowers. That doesn’t stop him from teaming up with an ex-cop and his assassin daughter to bring down a crime boss in this dark comedy.

Did anyone expect a violent Spy Kids spinoff in 2010? And yet, here we are, with an ’80s-inspired action flick based on a minor character from the kid action franchise, in which Machete and his allies go up against a violent band of border vigilantes.

Based on a harrowing true story, 127 Hours tells the story of a hiker trapped in a canyon whose only hope of survival is to attempt to amputate his own arm. The image of James Franco methodically cutting off his arm is seared into our brains forever.

Ben Affleck‘s career as a director really took off with this crime thriller set in his native Boston. The story of a bank robbery’s fallout also earned future Avengers star Jeremy Renner an Oscar nomination.