Hollywood Reporter Critics Pick the 50 Best Films of the 21st Century (So Far)
This essay introduces a curated list of the 50 best films of the 21st century so far, compiled by a team of six critics using a voting system that required unanimous enthusiasm for each selection. The authors explain their methodology, acknowledge significant omissions (notably works by Scorsese, Spielberg, and Tarantino), and attribute gaps in mainstream genre representation to a perceived creative impoverishment in commercial filmmaking over recent decades rather than deliberate gatekeeping. They position the list as a reflection of both their genuine love for cinema and the systemic inequities within the film industry itself, inviting readers to challenge both their choices and the broader landscape of voices getting major platform support.