The 21st century begins with a bang since there are numerous iconic and landmark films were released in the very first year of 2000, and even 20 years later, moviegoers still cannot stop talking about them. A handful of the most well-liked 2000 movies include Unbreakable, X-Men, American Psycho, and Miss Congeniality, laying the groundwork for 2001's fierce strike.
Despite the fact that several candidates failed to make the cut, these selections are nevertheless capable of capturing the impactful year of 2001 in cinema. Moreover, Spirited Away may not appear on the list, but fans need not worry because it’s on the 2002 list due to the disparity in publication dates between the US and the rest of the globe.
10 ‘Monsters Inc.’
Monsters, Inc. is a computer-animated comedy film that centers on a city of monsters who must frighten children into screaming in order to power the city. However, after one of the kids makes it through, two monsters begin to question their beliefs.
Another in a long line of Pixar movies, Monsters, Inc. demonstrates how an animated movie can be not only a lot of fun to watch but also so much more. The film includes a good script, funny jokes, top-notch animation, flawless casting, exuberant energy, and cuteness throughout. Moreover, its timeless message of how love triumphs over the fear of the unknown and physical disparities is still relevant today.
9 ‘The Piano Teacher’
The Piano Teacher follows Erika (Isabelle Huppert), a piano instructor at the Vienna Conservatory, who shares a tightly walled world of love-hate and dependence with her oppressive mother. Her sexual behavior is characterized by voyeurism and masochistic self-harm. The walls around Erika, however, come crashing down when one of her students seeks to seduce her.
The Piano Teacher is a harrowing, challenging movie that should only be seen by the most daring art-house cinema enthusiasts. Since it examines desire and loneliness, desperation and self-denial, in a perceptive, very unsettling way. Additionally, Erika is portrayed by Huppert in such an alluring way that viewers can't help but stare seductively at her while attempting to comprehend her and wondering if she'll eventually break.
8 ‘A Beautiful Mind’
A Beautiful Mind centers on John Nash (Russell Crowe), a mathematical prodigy, who makes an amazing discovery early in his career that makes him famous all around the world. The attractive but conceited Nash quickly finds himself on a terrifying voyage of self-discovery, from the pinnacles of fame to the depths of depravity.
A Beautiful Mind is captivating as a unique character study and a journey to the enigmatic nexus between rarified genius and insanity. Also, the film does something that no other film has ever accomplished—it gives viewers a profound, compassionate understanding of what it's like to experience a serious breakdown.
7 ‘Shrek’
Partially based on the 1990 children's picture book of the same name by William Steig, Shrek follows the titular resentful ogre (Mike Myers) who discovers his home in the swamp invaded by mythical beings exiled by the obsessional king Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow). Shrek then strikes a deal with Farquaad to save Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) in exchange for recovering control of his swamp.
Shrek is still regarded as a timeless animated classic because of its outstanding, very humorous plot, which is filled with several amusing situations, and its wonderful, fully-developed characters, who keep you interested throughout the entire film.
6 ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’
After being abandoned by their eccentric father throughout their adolescent years, three talented siblings gradually lose their brilliance. The Royal Tenenbaums begins when the family reunites one winter twenty years later, bringing all the betrayal, failure, and calamity to the forefront.
The Royal Tenenbaums' ability to maintain a lighthearted tone while incorporating profoundly moving scenes about pain and loss and still having the guts to be an openly comical movie elevates it to something extraordinary. Furthermore, Wes Anderson really comes into his own as a creative storyteller with a goal with this movie.
5 ‘Donnie Darko’
Donnie Darko follows the titular character (Jake Gyllenhaal), a problematic high school kid who attends therapy, has a history of sleepwalking, and has a six-foot rabbit named Frank for an imaginary friend who foretells the end of the world. Prior to that, Donnie has to navigate suburban teenage life following Frank's dysfunctional directives.
As it’s popular as it is arthouse, as comical as it is sorrowful, Donnie Darko remains a classic cult movie 20 years on. It's also a film that is bursting with love and care for youngsters, showing them in all their frustrating, fragile complexity. Donnie Darko might seem like a horror movie, but it's actually a science fiction movie with enough sci-fi elements to appeal to genre lovers.
4 ‘Amélie’
Amélie follows the titular character (Audrey Tautou), who is unlike any other girl since she is brimming with imagination and has witnessed her fair share of tragedy and fantasy. She works as a waitress in a pub in Montmartre as she gets older. She realizes one day that her purpose in life is to change other people's futures in order to solve their problems.
Amélie is a vivacious, fantastical charmer film with Audrey Tautou as its endearing lead. The picture's total oddity is transformed into an unexpectedly heartfelt celebration of life through a surrealistic escape from reality.
3 ‘Moulin Rouge!’
Moulin Rouge! Is set at the end of the 19th century, and follows a young depressed British poet (Ewan McGregor), who enters into a passionate love affair with Satine (Nicole Kidman), a stunning, sad courtesan who was the club's main attraction.
Moulin Rouge is a bombastic, passionate, and innovative film that attracts the audience not only with its fantastic soundtrack but also with the whole production quality and execution. Additionally, in this movie, Kidman and McGregor sparkle like diamonds, demonstrating once more that romantic themes in any movie would undoubtedly succeed.
2 ‘Mulholland Dr.’
After recently moving to Hollywood to pursue a career in film, Mulholland Dr. follows Betty Elms (Naomi Watts) who meets a mysterious brunette with amnesia. As the two set out to find the brunette’s identity, filmmaker Adam Kesher (Justin Theroux) encounters worrisome difficulties in casting his most recent project.
Mulholland Dr. is an uncommon kind of masterpiece that is equally about Hollywood and about the viewer believing in their abilities as a movie dream detective. Additionally, it is a "black mirror" episode that viewers can interpret as a noir thriller, a Hollywood history, or an LGBT drama.
1 ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’
Serves as the first installment and is based on the first volume in the same-name novel series by J. R. R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring follows eight companions and a timid Hobbit (Elijah Wood) from the Shire set out on a quest to destroy the potent One Ring and free Middle-earth from the evil Sauron (Sala Baker).
The first epic adaptation of Peter Jackson is a fearsome movie that will consistently win book fans over. Its sense of urgency, vastness, and hope will captivate the viewers as the story goes on. With a finale more comparable to an arthouse movie than a family-friendly flick, The Fellowship of the Ring is also a milestone in cinematic history and raised the bar for all fantasy period films that followed.