The top movies of the decade by genre

Now that we have reviewed the top overall movies of the decade, let's look at the best films in individual categories. Click on a category name to jump to that list, or simply scroll down the page to see them all.

Comedies (#1 = Sideways)
Dramas (The Hurt Locker)
Action (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon)
Animated (Ratatouille)
Blockbusters (Ratatouille)
Comic Book Adaptations (American Splendor)
Documentaries (My Voyage to Italy)
Family/Kids (Lassie)
Horror (The Host)
Musicals (Once)
Sci-Fi/Fantasy (Pan's Labyrinth)
Sports (Million Dollar Baby)
Thrillers (No Country for Old Men)
Video Game Adaptations (Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within)
Westerns (Brokeback Mountain)

The Best-Reviewed Comedies of the Decade, 2000-09
(Excluding Animation, Musicals and Foreign-Language Films)

	Title	Year	Metascore	Users
1	Sideways	2004	94	6.1
2	American Splendor	2003	90	8.0
3	Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan	2006	89	6.9
4	Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind	2004	89	8.6
5	Knocked Up	2007	85	6.4
6	About Schmidt	2002	85	5.4
7	Adaptation.	2002	83	7.4
8	In the Loop	2009	83	8.0
9	Up in the Air	2009	83	7.9
10	School of Rock	2003	82	9.3
11	Mighty Wind, A	2003	81	7.5
12	Juno	2007	81	8.5
13	Hot Fuzz	2007	81	8.5
14	Little Miss Sunshine	2006	80	7.4
15	High Fidelity	2000	79	8.5
16	Shanghai Noon	2000	77	7.5
17	Adventureland	2009	76	6.5
18	Shaun of the Dead	2004	76	8.7
19	Superbad	2007	76	7.4
20	Royal Tenenbaums, The	2001	75	6.9
21	Prairie Home Companion, A	2006	75	6.1
22	Waitress	2007	75	7.3
23	Ocean's Eleven	2001	74	7.8
24	Meet The Parents	2000	73	6.7
25	Zombieland	2009	73	8.1
26	Hangover, The	2009	73	7.4
27	40-Year-Old Virgin, The	2005	73	7.4
28	Ghost Town	2008	72	7.6
29	Thank You for Smoking	2006	71	7.5
30	Intolerable Cruelty	2003	71	4.7

Movies released between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2009 and having 7 or more reviews in Metacritic's database were eligible for all lists on this page. Re-releases and alternate versions (e.g., director's cuts) are excluded. All Metascore data is from December 16, 2009, and all data on this page will be updated at the end of the year (if necessary) to reflect any late 2009 releases. The Metascore is a weighted average of scores from top professional critics, on a scale from 0 (bad) to 100 (good). User scores represent an average of scores assigned by Metacritic.com site visitors.

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The Best-Reviewed Dramas of the Decade, 2000-09
(Excluding Foreign-Language Films)

	Title	Year	Metascore	Users
1	Hurt Locker, The	2009	94	7.6
2	There Will Be Blood	2007	92	7.1
3	Queen, The	2006	91	6.0
4	No Country for Old Men	2007	91	6.9
5	Bloody Sunday	2002	90	8.4
6	Before Sunset	2004	90	8.2
7	Almost Famous	2000	90	8.3
8	Gosford Park	2001	90	6.1
9	United 93	2006	90	7.5
10	Lost in Translation	2003	89	6.3
11	Goodbye Solo	2009	89	7.5
12	Letters from Iwo Jima	2006	89	8.1
13	Ghost World	2001	88	8.4
14	Capote	2005	88	7.9
15	Away from Her	2007	88	8.0
16	Brokeback Mountain	2005	87	8.2
17	Million Dollar Baby	2004	86	7.8
18	In the Bedroom	2001	86	7.4
19	Traffic	2000	86	8.0
20	This Is England	2007	86	7.4
21	Sweet Sixteen	2003	86	8.5
22	Departed, The	2006	86	7.7
23	Before Night Falls	2000	85	9.0
24	Pianist, The	2002	85	8.6
25	You Can Count On Me	2000	85	8.5
26	Savages, The	2007	85	7.4
27	Education, An	2009	85	8.3
28	Half Nelson	2006	85	7.6
29	Atonement	2007	85	7.2
30	24 Hour Party People	2002	85	7.8

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The Best-Reviewed Action Movies of the Decade, 2000-09

	Title	Year	Metascore	Users
1	Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon	2000	93	7.0
2	House of Flying Daggers	2004	89	7.7
3	Bourne Ultimatum, The	2007	85	7.7
4	Hero	2004	84	7.0
5	Avatar	2009	83	n/a
6	Spider-Man 2	2004	83	7.7
7	Kill Bill: Volume 2	2004	83	7.3
8	Dark Knight, The	2008	82	8.8
9	Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World	2003	81	5.6
10	King Kong [2005]	2005	81	7.0

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The Best-Reviewed Animated Movies of the Decade, 2000-09

	Title	Year	Metascore	Users
1	Ratatouille	2007	96	8.6
2	Spirited Away	2002	94	9.3
One of three films on this list by Japanese master Hayao Miyazaki
3	WALL-E	2008	93	8.9
4	Triplets of Belleville, The	2003	91	7.8
5	Waltz with Bashir	2008	91	8.1
It might be animated, but it's definitely not for kids; "Waltz" is an animated war documentary
6	Incredibles, The	2004	90	8.7
7	Persepolis	2007	90	8.1
8	Finding Nemo	2003	89	8.5
9	Chicken Run	2000	88	7.1
10	Up	2009	88	9.0
11	Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit	2005	87	8.2
12	Ponyo	2009	86	7.6
13	Shrek	2001	84	8.7
14	Fantastic Mr. Fox	2009	83	8.2
15	Tim Burton's Corpse Bride	2005	83	7.0
16	Paprika	2007	81	8.0
17	Howl's Moving Castle	2005	80	8.8
18	Simpsons Movie, The	2007	80	7.2
19	Coraline	2009	80	7.8
20	Monsters, Inc.	2001	78	8.7

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The Best-Reviewed Blockbusters of the Decade, 2000-09
(High Scores Among Top 100 Box Office for Decade)

	Title	Year	Metascore	Users	Total Gross (Rank)
1	Ratatouille	2007	96	8.6	$206M (62)
2	Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The	2003	94	8.6	$377M (7)
3	WALL-E	2008	93	8.9	$224M (50)
4	Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The	2001	92	8.4	$313M (18)
5	Incredibles, The	2004	90	8.7	$261M (33)
6	Finding Nemo	2003	89	8.5	$340M (11)
7	Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The	2002	88	8.9	$340M (10)
8	Up	2009	88	9.0	$293M (23)
9	Bourne Ultimatum, The	2007	85	7.7	$227M (48)
10	Shrek	2001	84	8.7	$268M (30)
11	Spider-Man 2	2004	83	7.7	$374M (8)
12	Star Trek	2009	83	7.9	$258M (35)
13	Chicago	2002	82	7.9	$171M (92)
14	Dark Knight, The	2008	82	8.8	$533M (1)
15	Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban	2004	81	6.6	$250M (39)
16	Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire	2005	81	7.8	$290M (26)
17	King Kong [2005]	2005	81	7.0	$218M (52)
18	Casino Royale	2006	81	7.7	$167M (95)
19	Simpsons Movie, The	2007	80	7.2	$183M (78)
20	Iron Man	2008	79	8.3	$318M (15)

For a movie to be eligible for the above list, it had to finish as one of the 100 highest-grossing movies of the decade. Source for box office figures: Box Office Mojo (as of December 14, 2009). Box office figures do not include foreign receipts.

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The Best-Reviewed Comic Book Adaptations of the Decade, 2000-09

	Title	Year	Metascore	Users
1	American Splendor	2003	90	8.0
2	Ghost World	2001	88	8.4
3	Spider-Man 2	2004	83	7.7
4	Dark Knight, The	2008	82	8.8
5	History of Violence, A	2005	81	6.8
6	Iron Man	2008	79	8.3
7	Hellboy II: The Golden Army	2008	78	7.2
8	Sin City	2005	74	7.5
9	Spider-Man	2002	73	7.9
Currently fourth on the box office chart for the decade, although Avatar may bump it to #5
10	Road to Perdition	2002	72	7.1
11	Superman Returns	2006	72	5.7
12	Batman Begins	2005	70	8.6
13	X2: X-Men United	2003	68	8.2
14	Wanted	2008	64	6.4
15	X-Men	2000	64	7.8

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The Best-Reviewed Documentaries of the Decade, 2000-09

	Title	Year	Metascore	Users
1	My Voyage to Italy	2001	90	7.0
Martin Scorsese's four-hour guided tour of Italian cinema history was a hit with the few critics who reviewed it
2	Capturing the Friedmans	2003	90	8.5
3	Man on Wire	2008	89	8.1
4	No End in Sight	2007	89	8.2
5	Fog of War, The	2003	87	8.7
6	Tarnation	2004	87	7.3
7	Murderball	2005	87	9.0
The documentary for people who don't like documentaries, and a great sports movie too
8	Grizzly Man	2005	87	6.7
9	To Be and to Have	2003	86	10.0
10	Deliver Us from Evil	2006	86	8.5
11	Beaches of Agnes, The	2009	86	8.2
12	Our Daily Bread	2006	86	7.7
13	Andy Warhol: A Documentary Film	2006	86	8.0
14	Children Underground	2001	85	9.8
15	Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition, The	2001	85	8.2
16	Los Angeles Plays Itself	2004	85	7.8
A captivating movie about movies, and about a city seen and not seen
17	Festival Express	2004	85	8.6
18	Street Fight	2006	85	8.8
19	Domestic Violence	2002	85	9.0
20	Love & Diane	2003	85	10.0

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The Best-Reviewed Family/Kids Movies (Live Action) of the Decade, 2000-09

	Title	Year	Metascore	Users
1	Lassie [2006]	2006	84	8.4
2	Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban	2004	81	6.6
3	Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire	2005	81	7.8
4	Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince	2009	78	6.6
5	Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The	2005	75	5.0
6	Enchanted	2007	75	8.0
7	Millions	2005	74	8.5
8	Bridge to Terabithia	2007	74	7.3
9	Charlie and the Chocolate Factory	2005	72	6.6
10	Akeelah and the Bee	2006	72	8.3
11	Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix	2007	71	6.8
12	Water Horse: Legend of the Deep, The	2007	71	7.6
13	Spy Kids	2001	71	8.7
14	Where the Wild Things Are	2009	71	6.7
15	Holes	2003	71	9.0

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The Best-Reviewed Horror Movies of the Decade, 2000-09

	Title	Year	Metascore	Users
1	Host, The	2007	85	6.3
2	Drag Me to Hell	2009	83	6.1
3	28 Weeks Later...	2007	78	7.0
4	Hellboy II: The Golden Army	2008	78	7.2
5	Grindhouse	2007	77	7.4
6	Shaun of the Dead	2004	76	8.7
7	Others, The	2001	74	8.1
8	Orphanage, The	2007	74	8.5
9	28 Days Later...	2003	73	6.9
10	Zombieland	2009	73	8.1
11	Hellboy	2004	72	6.7
12	Land of the Dead	2005	71	6.6
13	Descent, The	2006	71	8.2
14	Pulse	2005	70	5.9
15	Slither	2006	69	6.5

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The Best-Reviewed Musicals (Live Action) of the Decade, 2000-09

	Title	Year	Metascore	Users
1	Once	2007	88	8.0
This Irish musical charmed audiences and spawned a successful music act, The Swell Season
2	Hedwig and the Angry Inch	2001	85	9.3
3	Passing Strange	2009	85	n/a
4	Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street	2007	83	7.4
5	Chicago	2002	82	7.9
6	Hairspray [2007]	2007	81	7.7
The rare movie > stage musical > movie musical transition that actually works
7	Dreamgirls	2006	76	7.2
8	Enchanted	2007	75	8.0
9	Moulin Rouge	2001	66	8.9
10	Dancer In The Dark	2000	61	9.0

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The Best-Reviewed Sci-Fi/Fantasy Movies of the Decade, 2000-09
(Excludes Superhero and Comic Book Movies)

	Title	Year	Metascore	Users
1	Pan's Labyrinth	2006	98	8.3
2	Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The	2003	94	8.6
3	Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The	2001	92	8.4
4	Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The	2002	88	8.9
5	Children of Men	2006	84	7.6
6	Avatar	2009	83	n/a
7	Star Trek	2009	83	7.9
8	Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban	2004	81	6.6
9	Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire	2005	81	7.8
10	District 9	2009	81	7.9
11	Paprika	2007	81	8.0
12	Minority Report	2002	80	7.5
13	Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince	2009	78	6.6
14	Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The	2005	75	5.0
15	Serenity	2005	74	9.1
16	Scanner Darkly, A	2006	73	7.2
17	War of the Worlds	2005	73	6.3
18	Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix	2007	71	6.8
19	Sunshine	2000	71	6.7
20	Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith	2005	68	6.9

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The Best-Reviewed Sports Movies (Non-Documentary) of the Decade, 2000-09

	Title	Year	Metascore	Users
1	Million Dollar Baby	2004	86	7.8
2	Sugar	2009	82	9.1
3	Damned United, The	2009	81	9.5
A period piece about an English football manager (that's "soccer coach" to you), it's like few sports movies that have come before it
4	Wrestler, The	2008	81	8.2
5	Seabiscuit	2003	72	7.2
6	Rookie, The	2002	72	7.6
7	Friday Night Lights	2004	70	6.7
8	Love and Basketball	2000	70	9.5
9	Girlfight	2000	70	9.3
10	Cinderella Man	2005	69	7.8

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The Best-Reviewed Suspense/Thrillers of the Decade, 2000-09

	Title	Year	Metascore	Users
1	No Country for Old Men	2007	91	6.9
2	Bourne Ultimatum, The	2007	85	7.7
3	Lantana	2001	84	8.5
This intricately-plotted Australian drama was a big award-winner in its home country
4	Before the Devil Knows You're Dead	2007	84	6.8
5	Spider	2002	83	7.0
6	Tell No One	2008	82	7.7
A U.S. remake of this nifty French thriller (based on Harlan Coben's bestseller) is in the works
7	Constant Gardener, The	2005	82	6.9
8	Michael Clayton	2007	82	7.0
9	Eastern Promises	2007	82	7.2
10	History of Violence, A	2005	81	6.8

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The Best-Reviewed Video Game Adaptations of the Decade, 2000-09

	Title	Year	Metascore	Users
1	Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within	2001	49	7.1
2	Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life	2003	43	8.3
3	Resident Evil: Extinction	2007	41	6.4
4	DOA: Dead or Alive	2007	38	6.3
5	Resident Evil: Apocalypse	2004	35	5.7

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The Best-Reviewed Westerns of the Decade, 2000-09

	Title	Year	Metascore	Users
1	Brokeback Mountain	2005	87	8.2
2	Shanghai Noon	2000	77	7.5
3	Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, The	2005	77	7.8
4	3:10 to Yuma	2007	76	6.5
5	Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, The	2007	68	7.4

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Coming soon ...

We'll continue our best movies of the decade coverage with a roundup of lists from top film critics and publications. In a few weeks, we will also present Metacritic's top directors and actors of the decade.