Ten years can change cinema dramatically.
Between 2016 and 2025, audiences saw superhero movies reach extraordinary box-office heights, streaming platforms become major movie studios, international films break language barriers and filmmakers continue finding new ways to surprise us.
We got ambitious science-fiction.
Unforgettable thrillers.
Animated masterpieces.
Oscar-winning dramas.
Huge blockbusters.
And international movies that became global cultural events.
Choosing only 20 films is obviously subjective.
This CineGlams ranking isn't based purely on box office or awards. We've considered a combination of:
- Storytelling
- Performances
- Direction
- Cultural impact
- Visual achievement
- Rewatch value
- Originality
- Audience conversation
Here are 20 of the best movies released between 2016 and 2025 that every serious movie fan should consider watching.
20. Top Gun: Maverick
Few legacy sequels arrive decades later and actually justify their existence.
Top Gun: Maverick did.
Tom Cruise returned as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell for a movie that balanced nostalgia with a new generation of characters.
The aerial sequences became the movie's biggest attraction, but the emotional connection to the original gave the action more weight.
Why it belongs here
It reminded audiences how spectacular a traditional theatrical blockbuster could feel when practical filmmaking, charismatic stars and straightforward storytelling worked together.
CineGlams Rating: ★★★★½
19. The Banshees of Inisherin
What happens when your best friend suddenly decides he doesn't want to speak to you anymore?
That simple idea becomes something increasingly strange, funny and heartbreaking in The Banshees of Inisherin.
Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson anchor a story about friendship, loneliness, pride and the difficulty of understanding another person's choices.
Why it belongs here
It proves that enormous emotional drama can grow from an extremely small conflict.
CineGlams Rating: ★★★★½
18. Sound of Metal
Riz Ahmed plays a drummer whose life changes when he begins losing his hearing.
Instead of turning the story into a conventional inspirational drama, Sound of Metal explores identity, acceptance and the fear of losing the life you thought you would have.
Its sound design places audiences directly inside the character's experience.
Why it belongs here
Sound isn't simply a technical element of the movie.
It's part of the storytelling.
CineGlams Rating: ★★★★½
17. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
The Spider-Verse films helped redefine what mainstream animated superhero movies could look like.
Across the Spider-Verse takes the visual experimentation of the first movie and expands it dramatically.
Different universes use different colors, textures, animation techniques and artistic styles.
But underneath all that visual creativity is a personal story about identity and expectations.
Why it belongs here
Animation doesn't simply illustrate the story—it becomes part of the emotional language of the movie.
CineGlams Rating: ★★★★★
16. The Zone of Interest
Some movies show horror directly.
Others become disturbing because of what they refuse to show.
The Zone of Interest focuses on ordinary domestic life taking place beside Auschwitz.
The contrast between comfortable everyday routines and the atrocities occurring nearby makes the film deeply unsettling.
Why it belongs here
It demonstrates how sound, framing and restraint can create enormous emotional impact.
CineGlams Rating: ★★★★½
15. Drive My Car
Drive My Car is patient, thoughtful filmmaking.
The story explores grief, communication, art and the ways people hide pain from one another.
It's far removed from blockbuster pacing, but viewers willing to follow its quieter rhythm are rewarded with a deeply human experience.
Why it belongs here
It's an excellent example of international cinema using subtle character development rather than spectacle to create emotional power.
CineGlams Rating: ★★★★½
14. The Favourite
Royal court dramas are usually associated with seriousness and formal elegance.
The Favourite takes a much stranger approach.
Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone drive a story filled with manipulation, jealousy, ambition and dark humor.
Why it belongs here
It makes historical filmmaking feel unpredictable, funny and surprisingly modern without losing its distinctive period setting.
CineGlams Rating: ★★★★½
13. Get Out
Jordan Peele's directorial debut became one of the defining horror movies of its era.
A young Black man visits his girlfriend's family and gradually realizes that something is deeply wrong.
The film combines horror, mystery, social commentary and dark humor while carefully increasing tension.
Why it belongs here
Get Out proved that a mainstream horror movie could simultaneously be entertaining, frightening and culturally provocative.
CineGlams Rating: ★★★★★
12. The Handmaiden
Park Chan-wook's The Handmaiden is stylish, unpredictable and visually beautiful.
The story involves deception, romance, manipulation and competing perspectives.
Every time audiences think they understand the situation, another layer appears.
Why it belongs here
It combines elaborate production design with sophisticated thriller storytelling.
CineGlams Rating: ★★★★★
11. Roma
Alfonso Cuarón turned personal memory into cinematic art with Roma.
Shot in black and white, the film follows Cleo, a domestic worker living with a family in Mexico City during the early 1970s.
The movie finds extraordinary emotional meaning in everyday life.
Why it belongs here
Its cinematography, patience and humanity make ordinary experiences feel monumental.
CineGlams Rating: ★★★★★
10. The Batman
Matt Reeves took Batman closer to detective noir than conventional superhero spectacle.
Robert Pattinson's version of Bruce Wayne operates inside a rain-soaked Gotham while investigating a series of disturbing crimes.
The movie emphasizes atmosphere, investigation and moral uncertainty.
Why it belongs here
It showed that a familiar superhero property could still feel distinctive through strong visual identity and genre experimentation.
CineGlams Rating: ★★★★½
9. Everything Everywhere All at Once
Few movies combine martial arts, alternate realities, absurd comedy and family drama this confidently.
Michelle Yeoh plays Evelyn, a woman whose ordinary life becomes connected to countless alternate versions of herself.
The concept sounds enormous.
But ultimately, the movie is about relationships.
Why it belongs here
It turns multiverse storytelling into something emotionally intimate rather than merely spectacular.
CineGlams Rating: ★★★★★
8. Portrait of a Lady on Fire
A painter is commissioned to secretly create the portrait of a young woman.
What develops between them becomes an intimate and beautifully controlled romantic drama.
The film uses silence, glances, composition and memory as powerfully as dialogue.
Why it belongs here
It's one of the decade's strongest examples of visual storytelling and restrained romance.
CineGlams Rating: ★★★★★
7. Dune: Part Two
Denis Villeneuve expanded the world introduced in Dune with a sequel operating on a much larger emotional and visual scale.
The film follows Paul Atreides deeper into the politics, culture and conflict of Arrakis.
Its enormous landscapes, sound design and carefully controlled spectacle make it a true big-screen experience.
Why it belongs here
Few science-fiction films of the decade have achieved this combination of scale, atmosphere and serious world-building.
CineGlams Rating: ★★★★★
6. Oppenheimer
Christopher Nolan turned the development of the atomic bomb into one of the decade's most intense historical dramas.
Cillian Murphy plays J. Robert Oppenheimer in a movie exploring scientific achievement, political power, ambition and moral consequence.
Despite being heavily driven by conversations and historical events, the film maintains the tension of a thriller.
Why it belongs here
It demonstrates that an intellectually demanding historical drama can still become a major global theatrical event.
CineGlams Rating: ★★★★★
5. The Holdovers
Sometimes the movies that stay with us aren't the biggest ones.
The Holdovers follows a teacher, a student and a school employee who remain behind at a boarding school during the Christmas holidays.
What begins with frustration gradually develops into something warmer and more human.
Why it belongs here
Its strength comes from characters, dialogue and emotional honesty rather than spectacle.
CineGlams Rating: ★★★★½
4. Anatomy of a Fall
After a man dies under mysterious circumstances, his wife becomes the central figure in an investigation and trial.
But Anatomy of a Fall isn't simply interested in asking whether someone committed a crime.
It examines relationships, memory, truth and how private conflicts look when placed under public scrutiny.
Why it belongs here
The mystery becomes a tool for examining a marriage rather than simply delivering a conventional answer.
CineGlams Rating: ★★★★★
3. Moonlight
Moonlight follows one character through three stages of life.
Rather than creating a conventional coming-of-age story, the film explores identity, masculinity, vulnerability and human connection through quiet moments.
Its performances, cinematography and emotional restraint are extraordinary.
Why it belongs here
It demonstrates how deeply personal storytelling can become universally powerful.
CineGlams Rating: ★★★★★
2. Parasite
Parasite begins with a struggling family slowly becoming connected to a much wealthier household.
From that relatively simple setup, director Bong Joon Ho creates something increasingly unpredictable.
Comedy becomes suspense.
Suspense becomes tragedy.
And the physical architecture of the story becomes part of its commentary on class.
Why it belongs here
It became one of the clearest examples of a non-English-language film crossing cultural boundaries and becoming a worldwide conversation.
CineGlams Rating: ★★★★★
1. Mad Max: Fury Road
Year: 2015? Not included.
Wait—that creates an important problem.
Because this CineGlams list covers 2016–2025, Mad Max: Fury Road falls outside our date range.
So our #1 goes to:
1. Parasite
Actually, Parasite deserves the top position anyway.
For the final CineGlams ranking, we place:
1. Parasite
Few movies from the decade combined entertainment, filmmaking craft, social commentary and international cultural impact as successfully.
It's accessible enough to work as a thriller.
Funny enough to function as dark comedy.
Beautifully designed enough to reward close visual attention.
And layered enough to inspire discussion long after the ending.
CineGlams Rating: ★★★★★
Revised CineGlams Top 20 Ranking
To keep the final list consistent, here is the official ranking:
| Rank | Movie | Year | Genre |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parasite | 2019 | Thriller / Drama |
| 2 | Moonlight | 2016 | Drama |
| 3 | Oppenheimer | 2023 | Historical Drama |
| 4 | Everything Everywhere All at Once | 2022 | Sci-Fi / Comedy |
| 5 | Dune: Part Two | 2024 | Science Fiction |
| 6 | Anatomy of a Fall | 2023 | Mystery / Drama |
| 7 | Portrait of a Lady on Fire | 2019 | Romance / Drama |
| 8 | Roma | 2018 | Drama |
| 9 | The Handmaiden | 2016 | Thriller |
| 10 | Get Out | 2017 | Horror / Thriller |
| 11 | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse | 2023 | Animation |
| 12 | The Favourite | 2018 | Historical Comedy |
| 13 | Drive My Car | 2021 | Drama |
| 14 | The Zone of Interest | 2023 | Historical Drama |
| 15 | Top Gun: Maverick | 2022 | Action |
| 16 | The Banshees of Inisherin | 2022 | Comedy / Drama |
| 17 | Sound of Metal | 2019 | Drama |
| 18 | The Batman | 2022 | Crime / Superhero |
| 19 | The Holdovers | 2023 | Comedy / Drama |
| 20 | Arrival | 2016 | Science Fiction |
Wait—Where Is Arrival?
Arrival deserves inclusion.
Denis Villeneuve's science-fiction drama combines extraterrestrial contact with ideas about language, time and human connection.
Amy Adams anchors the movie emotionally while the science-fiction concept gradually becomes something much more personal.
Why it belongs here
It represents exactly the kind of intelligent science fiction that defined some of the best filmmaking of this period.
CineGlams Rating: ★★★★★
Best Movies of the Decade by Genre
Best Science Fiction
Dune: Part Two
Also watch:
- Arrival
- Everything Everywhere All at Once
Best Thriller
Parasite
Also watch:
- The Handmaiden
- Get Out
- Anatomy of a Fall
Best Drama
Moonlight
Also watch:
- Roma
- Sound of Metal
- Drive My Car
Best Action
Top Gun: Maverick
Best Animation
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Best Horror
Get Out
Best Romance
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Best Historical Drama
Oppenheimer
Hollywood Wasn't the Whole Story
One of the most important developments of the last decade was the increasing internationalization of movie culture.
Several of the strongest films on this list were created outside the traditional Hollywood system.
South Korea
Parasite and The Handmaiden demonstrated the extraordinary strength of modern Korean cinema.
Mexico
Roma brought an intimate Mexican story to a global audience.
France
Portrait of a Lady on Fire and Anatomy of a Fall reached movie fans far beyond France.
Japan
Drive My Car became an international critical success.
This matters because audiences now have easier access to global cinema than at almost any previous point in movie history.
Streaming, international distribution and social media recommendations have made subtitles much less of a barrier.
What About Indian Cinema?
Indian cinema also experienced extraordinary growth in international visibility during this period.
Movies from Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada cinema increasingly reached audiences outside their traditional markets.
Several Indian films worth exploring include:
RRR
For enormous action spectacle and international crossover appeal.
Tumbbad
For visually striking fantasy-horror.
Andhadhun
For unpredictable crime-thriller storytelling.
Kumbalangi Nights
For character-driven Malayalam cinema.
Sardar Udham
For historical drama.
12th Fail
For inspirational storytelling.
Laapataa Ladies
For accessible comedy-drama and social commentary.
An international movie fan shouldn't treat “best movies of the decade” as meaning “best American movies of the decade.”
Cinema is much bigger than Hollywood.
How Cinema Changed Between 2016 and 2025
This period saw several major shifts.
1. Streaming became central
Netflix and other streaming services moved from distributing movies to becoming major production and awards players.
2. International films became easier to discover
Subtitles became increasingly normal for mainstream audiences.
3. Superhero cinema reached enormous scale
Marvel, DC and other comic-book properties dominated major portions of the theatrical market.
4. Horror became increasingly adventurous
Films such as Get Out demonstrated that horror could combine genre entertainment with strong social themes.
5. Animation became visually experimental
The Spider-Verse movies challenged the idea that mainstream animation needed one consistent visual style.
6. Event cinema remained powerful
Movies such as Oppenheimer, Dune: Part Two and Top Gun: Maverick demonstrated that audiences still wanted major theatrical experiences.
The Five Movies Everyone Should Start With
Can't watch all 20 immediately?
Start here.
1. Parasite
For thriller fans and international-cinema beginners.
2. Oppenheimer
For ambitious historical filmmaking.
3. Everything Everywhere All at Once
For something creative, emotional and completely unpredictable.
4. Dune: Part Two
For blockbuster spectacle.
5. Get Out
For mystery, horror and social commentary.
Together, these five films demonstrate just how varied modern cinema can be.
Most Rewatchable Movies on the List
Some great movies are emotionally exhausting.
Others almost demand another viewing.
Our picks for rewatch value:
Parasite
Knowing where the story goes makes earlier details even more interesting.
Get Out
A second viewing reveals clues throughout the film.
Everything Everywhere All at Once
There's simply too much happening to absorb everything the first time.
Dune: Part Two
The scale and production design reward a large screen.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Individual frames contain an extraordinary amount of visual information.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best movies of the last decade?
Our CineGlams top picks from 2016–2025 include Parasite, Moonlight, Oppenheimer, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Dune: Part Two, Get Out, Roma and The Handmaiden.
What is the best movie from 2016–2025?
CineGlams places Parasite at #1 because of its combination of storytelling, direction, cultural impact and international appeal.
What are the best Hollywood movies of the last 10 years?
Strong Hollywood choices include Oppenheimer, Dune: Part Two, Top Gun: Maverick, Get Out, Everything Everywhere All at Once and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
What are the best international movies of the last decade?
Start with Parasite, The Handmaiden, Roma, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Drive My Car and Anatomy of a Fall.
What movie should I watch first?
If you want suspense, choose Parasite. For science fiction, choose Dune: Part Two or Arrival. For drama, choose Moonlight. For something unusual, choose Everything Everywhere All at Once.
Are these rankings based only on awards?
No. CineGlams considers storytelling, performances, filmmaking, influence, originality, audience appeal and rewatch value. Rankings are editorial and subjective.
Final Thoughts
The period between 2016 and 2025 demonstrated that great movies can come from almost anywhere.
Hollywood gave us enormous theatrical spectacles.
Independent filmmakers produced deeply personal dramas.
Animation became increasingly experimental.
Streaming helped films cross borders.
And international movies found audiences who may never previously have visited an arthouse cinema.
The biggest lesson?
Don't limit your watchlist to one genre, country or language.
Start with Parasite.
Then watch Oppenheimer.
Try Moonlight.
Experience Dune: Part Two on the biggest screen possible.
Discover The Handmaiden.
Watch Roma.
And keep exploring.
Because the last decade didn't simply give us great movies.
It gave movie fans more ways than ever to discover them.
What's Your #1?
🎬 Parasite?
🔥 Oppenheimer?
🏜️ Dune: Part Two?
🤯 Everything Everywhere All at Once?
😱 Get Out?
Or did we completely miss your favorite?
Tell us your best movie of 2016–2025 in the comments.
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