Movies Update: Readers choose the best movies of the 21st century.

Plus, reviews of "Jurassic World Rebirth," "The Old Guard 2" and more.

View in browser|nytimes.com July 3, 2025 By Kyle Buchanan When we asked over 500 Hollywood insiders to help us rank "The 100 Best Films of the 21st Century," I expected some lively debate. What I didn't anticipate is just how eager readers would be to vote, too. Alongside our list, which rolled out last week, we invited readers to submit their own top 10 films since 2000. That interactive feature went incredibly viral on social media, with more than 200,000 people submitting and sharing their own ballots. We've now tabulated those results for a new list of the readers' top 100 movies of the 21st century. I was surprised to find the same two films topped both the industry and reader lists, "Parasite" and "Mulholland Drive." In fact, the overlap in the top ten was striking, as both lists included "No Country for Old Men," "There Will Be Blood," "Spirited Away," "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and "The Social Network." Still, the readers had a few notable substitutions. Two films directed by Christopher Nolan vaulted into their top ten — "Interstellar" and "The Dark Knight" — while "Mad Max: Fury Road," which placed just outside the top ten on Hollywood's list, was bumped up to #7 by the readers. At #15, "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" was the highest-ranked film on the readers' list that didn't appear on the industry version at all, followed by "La La Land" at #16. And though Hollywood voters mostly steered clear of sequels, remakes and franchise fare, readers weren't so shy: Both "Dune" installments made the list, as well as "Blade Runner 2049," "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse," "Top Gun: Maverick," and "Avengers: Endgame." Still, this wasn't simply a swap of prestige films for populist fare. Readers also recognized acclaimed films that the Hollywood insiders didn't, including "The Handmaiden," "Drive My Car," "Killers of the Flower Moon" and "The Lighthouse." Hit comedies like "Borat" and "Anchorman" that made the Hollywood list failed to pass muster with the readers, who preferred the female-driven "Barbie" and "Mean Girls." And while only nine films on the readers' list had female filmmakers, three of those came from the writer-director Greta Gerwig alone: "Lady Bird," "Little Women" and "Barbie." Coupled with the readers' enthusiasm for Nolan, one thing is clear: Even two years later, it's still Barbenheimer's world — we're just living in it. Check out the full list below. Warner Bros. The Best Movies of the 21st Century: Readers Choose Their Top Movies The people have spoken. Here are the movies they voted for. By The New York Times THE BEST MOVIES OF THE 21ST CENTURY Fox Searchlight Pictures Critic's Notebook The Story of Movies in the 21st Century Is One of Context Collapse As the 100 best films list shows, long-held categories in Hollywood are fading, just as they are in the broader culture. By Alissa Wilkinson DreamWorks The Best Movies of the 21st Century: What to Watch For your next movie night, our list of the 100 best films of this century makes a terrific resource. But how do you narrow it down? By The New York Times The Best Movies of the 21st Century: How Actors, Directors and Other Film Lovers Voted To determine the best movies of the 21st century, we polled hundreds of celebrities. See how your favorite stars and directors voted. By The New York Times 20th Century Fox; Warner Bros. The Best of the Rest: A Game to Rank Your Favorite 21st-Century Genre Movies A collaborative, live-updating reader exercise. By Aliza Aufrichtig and Josh Katz CRITICS' PICKS Netflix Critic's Pick 'The Old Guard 2' Review: Thurman vs. Theron Uma Thurman joins the expanded cast in this sure-footed sequel to the action blockbuster about a team of immortal heroes. By Brandon Yu Magnolia Pictures Critic's Pick '40 Acres' Review: This Land Is Their Land Danielle Deadwyler tussles with cannibals in a disturbing postapocalyptic thriller. By Robert Daniels MOVIE REVIEWS Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment 'Jurassic World Rebirth' Review: Wonder, Gone Extinct With its seventh entry, the popular dinosaur franchise is starting to show signs of wear. By Alissa Wilkinson ABC News Studios/White House Photo Office Collection Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum Documentary Lens Barbara Walters Film Emphasizes the Highlights in a Mixed Legacy "Tell Me Everything" is more of a puff piece than its subject might have liked, but the film is at its best examining TV journalism's evolution. By Alissa Wilkinson Bruno Calvo/Amazon 'Heads of State' Review: John Cena and Idris Elba Are Assassins' Targets This action movie about U.S. and British leaders, also featuring Priyanka Chopra Jonas, plays like a silly version of a BBC political satire series. By Glenn Kenny Cinema Conservancy 'Videoheaven' Review: Rewinding the Tape A documentary by Alex Ross Perry examines how movies and TV have portrayed video store culture. By Ben Kenigsberg Film Forum 'Kill the Jockey' Review: Backing the Wrong Horse An equestrian suffers a brain injury that alters his identity in Luis Ortega's stylized gangster movie. By Natalia Winkelman ANATOMY OF A SCENE Apple Original Films Anatomy of a Scene Watch Brad Pitt Burn Rubber in 'F1' The director Joseph Kosinski narrates a sequence in which Pitt's character hatches a plan different from his team during a race. By Mekado Murphy NEWS & FEATURES Jennelle Fong for The New York Times From No Home to a Perch in Hollywood, a Filmmaker Finally Breaks Through Victoria Mahoney, director of "The Old Guard 2," experienced homelessness early in her career. Thanks to sheer grit and a few mentors, she made a big-budget leap. By Nicole Sperling Disney How 'Colors of the Wind' Became a Generational Rallying Cry Thirty years after Disney released "Pocahontas," the film's Oscar-winning song has taken on a life of its own with millennial and Gen-Z fans. By Ashley Spencer Q&A Charlize Theron's Injuries, Uma Thurman's Boundaries In her return to action, Thurman is pitted against Theron in "The Old Guard 2." The two discuss the pains and pleasures of the genre. By Robert Ito and Thea Traff Audience Report: Celebrating 50 Years of 'Jaws' on Martha's Vineyard The anniversary festivities included V.I.P. meet-and-greets, book signings, film screenings and lectures about sharks. But for many, the real draw was the island itself. By Jenna Russell and Brian Karlsson Jamie Mccarthy/Getty Images My Ten Priyanka Chopra Jonas Is OK Sitting With Idris Elba and John Cena A scene in their new movie "Heads of State" involved a car chase and close quarters. "It was the smallest space for the two biggest guys I've ever worked with," she said. By Kathryn Shattuck AGC International When Nobu Matsuhisa Changed Sushi in America Forever "I am so glad I didn't give up on my life and kept going," says the chef, who's the subject of a new documentary about his remarkable career. By Adam Nagourney Universal Pictures 'The Odyssey' Teaser Is in Theaters. We Took a Look. The teaser for Christopher Nolan's next film, based on Homer's epic, is playing ahead of screenings of "Jurassic World Rebirth." Here's how much of the film's story is revealed. By Esther Zuckerman STREAMING RECOMMENDATIONS Adam Rose/Prime Video The Best Movies and TV Shows Coming to Disney+, Amazon, Max, AMC+ and More in July A "Jaws" documentary, "Sinners," "Washington Black" and the low-budget "Monster Island" arrive, and "Foundation" and "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" return. By Noel Murray Apple Original Films After Seeing 'F1,' Here's What to Stream Next Once you've spent some time on the track with Brad Pitt, steer your way toward these other suspenseful racing movies and shows. By Steven Devadanam Milestone Film Three Great Documentaries to Stream In this month's picks, a look back at a city in France during the Nazi occupation, an assessment of a renowned gay politician and an exploration of press freedoms in sovereign tribal nations. By Ben Kenigsberg Warner Bros. Pictures, via Associated Press Stream These 7 Movies and TV Shows Before They Leave in July A ton of great titles are leaving next month for U.S. subscribers, many of them very soon. Catch them while you can. By Jason Bailey Film Movement Five International Movies to Stream Now This month's picks include a Spanish drama about a transgender girl, a nail-biting Indian thriller, a Chinese docufiction and more. By Devika Girish How are we doing? We'd love your feedback on this newsletter. 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