The CS! AFI Top 100 Movies of the 21st Century - So Far

In a post-apocalyptic wasteland, a woman rebels against a tyrannical ruler in search for her homeland with the aid of a group of female prisoners, a psychotic worshiper, and a drifter named Max.

CS! Voice: Holy Mother of God, this movie was awesome! Compared to the first two Mad Max films, George Miller has really stepped it up in the directing department, and it feels like he's finally managed to tap into the true potential in this universe. He makes this thing feel more grand and of course, he stages some really kick-ass and amazing action sequences, all of which deliver and then some…. Mad Max: Fury Road is an old-school action flick in such a refreshing way. - PhantomKnight

A meek Hobbit from the Shire and eight companions set out on a journey to destroy the powerful One Ring and save Middle-earth from the Dark Lord Sauron.

CS! Voices: What a feat of movie-making. This is likely to be the best fantasy film for a long time coming. - IanTheCool

With the Fellowship of the Ring, most of what we get is fleshing out some of the characters and relationships that we already had. The best additions probably are the ones involving Boromir, which do add more to his struggles with the Ring and his eventual attack on Frodo. The first act also benefits from having a bit more breathing room, especially in the Shire. All told though, I don't think the Extended Edition really enhanced The Fellowship of the Ring. Maybe that's just because this has always been my favourite Lord of the Rings movie, but I think the theatrical version already did an amazing job developing all the characters and story-lines while still telling an exciting adventure. Some of the additions here do add some nuance, but I ultimately don't think they were necessary. - PG Cooper

When their relationship turns sour, a couple undergoes a medical procedure to have each other erased from their memories.

CS! Voice: One of the best films of the 00's. The film emulates a real life relationship very well - lots of little fighting and bickering, occasional distance, etc. I've been in relationships before that ended poorly and I would have loved to have just forgotten the whole thing and been able to move on. Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet are both perfect here, each acting outside of the typecasts they're typically known for; Carrey reels in his performance and Winslet is able to let loose a little more. I'd like to think they were able to get past their differences at the end of the film and stick together. If you let the film in, you might find yourself analyzing the people and relationships around you. I know I did the last time I watched this film, it made me realize what I was missing out on, and that I was going to have to fight harder for the people I want in my life. This film kind of had a profound impact on my life, and I recommend it to anybody out there who hasn't seen it yet. 'Eternal Sunshine' is worth the time. - John

When the menace known as the Joker wreaks havoc and chaos on the people of Gotham, Batman must accept one of the greatest psychological and physical tests of his ability to fight injustice.

CS! Voice: The Dark Knight is one of the two greatest superhero movies ever made, along with Spider-Man 2. The Dark Knight is more serious in tone than Spider-Man and more contemplative in its themes, but they both work as great examples of their genre in different ways.

The Dark Knight's story construction is so meticulously crafted in a way where they don't feel they have to hand-hold the audience which is nice to see. All the plot threads are there, but not always spelled out. Also, everything that drives the story is there for reasons of theme and character.

Everything relates back to the idea of heroism and the different forms it can take, leading to the amazing ending which isn't some spectacular action climax but is instead a simple showdown between three men who struggle with this idea of heroism and the choices they have to make. - IanTheCool

In 2027, in a chaotic world in which women have become somehow infertile, a former activist agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea.

CS! Voice: This is hard science fiction and one of the more convincing looks at a dystopian near future. The hook of course is that this takes place in a future where no children are being born, but when I look back and remember the film that’s usually the last thing I think about.

The first thing I think about is the film’s bleak tone. This is set in a world that is about fifty years away from going out with a whimper, and yet life is sort of going on. That veneer of continued peace is really sort of a ruse, just step out of the urban areas and its utter anarchy.

I wouldn’t exactly call this an action movie, but it has two of the most technically proficient set-pieces I’ve ever seen. This is a science fiction film made for and by adults and it has some really clear political messages as well. - Dracula

As Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg creates the social networking site that would become known as Facebook, he is sued by the twins who claimed he stole their idea, and by the co-founder who was later squeezed out of the business.

CS! Voice: David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin's portrait of the creation of Facebook is both an exhilarating ride and a cold meditation on the cost of success, and it excels at both. The film is perfectly casted, the writing incredibly sharp, the score hypnotic, and the direction from scene to scene just excellent. Each piece is laid perfectly and the film gets better every time I see it. - PG Cooper

Violence and mayhem ensue after a hunter stumbles upon a drug deal gone wrong and more than two million dollars in cash near the Rio Grande.

CS! Voice: With No Country For Old Men, the Coen Brothers have crafted an uncompromising and unsettling meditation on society’s nefarious capacity for greed and our insatiable thirst for violence. What a surprise to see such resonant messages being delivered in a blue collar setting. Tommy Lee Jones’ Ed Tom Bell provides most of the film’s profound reflections, and Jones delivers these lines so perfectly, you’d think Ed Tom Bell was a real person. No Country For Old Men also provides commentary on basic human nature and fate, making conjectures on why certain people do what they do. The film questions the very idea of evil itself and while it portrays that idea impeccably, the basic reality that’s also shown is jolting. The film clearly says that the simple truths are also the terrifying ones. - PhantomKnight

A story of family, religion, hatred, oil and madness, focusing on a turn-of-the-century prospector in the early days of the business.

CS! Voice: The film has the trappings of a period drama, but the movie never falls into an easy groove. There’s a gothic undertone to the whole affair, and Jonny Greenwood’s completely unconventional score gives the film an aura of unease throughout. Then there’s Daniel Day-Lewis’ performance, which is up there with the greats.

Also, The film’s clash of oil-based capitalism and religious exploitation also resonates strongly with the tenor of our times.

Many are comparing the movie to the works of Kubrick, some compare it to Chinatown, but the movie I most find myself comparing There Will Be Blood to is Apocalypse Now. Like that Coppola masterpiece, this film seems to exist on a subconscious, almost primal level as we explore the darker side of humanity. - Dracula

In the slums of Rio, two kids' paths diverge as one struggles to become a photographer and the other a kingpin.

CS! Voice: On a narrative level the movie succeeded like few others. The complex script manages to weave multiple stories spanning dozens of years and brings them all together at one moment in an incredibly satisfying way. That all of this are fit into a lean 130 minutes is a testament to the film’s dense but fast moving script. Ignoring that, the stories behind the people who inhabit the movie are fascinating all on their own.

On a technical level, the film also succeeds on an almost unparalleled level. Meirelles shoots the film aggressively, bringing just the right technique to almost every shot of the film. Many movies throughout the decade worked hard to strike just the right balance between documentary style grit and Hollywood watchability, and I think this was the movie to crack the code. The influence of the film’s visual style is clear in subsequent films like Man on Fire and especially Slumdog Millionaire.

On a political level the film is relevant to the decade as it exemplifies an interest in the third world that emerged over the last ten years. The film fits well a trend from the decade of muscular Latin American films, but at the same time it feels like it’s above that and above many of its peers. The film ultimately implicates the cycle of violence as the result of crushing poverty and a lack of options on the part of the participates. That’s not a wildly original message, but there’s something very original about seeing a cycle like this play out right in front of the audience. - Dracula

A thief who steals corporate secrets through the use of dream-sharing technology is given the inverse task of planting an idea into the mind of a C.E.O.

CS! Voices:

Inception is a masterpiece. Two years ago, The Dark Knight reminded audiences summer films can be more then just explosions and gun fire. They reminded audiences they can be thoughtful, engaging, and powerful. Christopher Nolan does that again with Inception. Whether you want to see a compelling and original story with interesting characters, or you just want to see people shoot at each other and for shit to blow up, Inception is the movie to see. - PG Cooper

Jesus H. Christ. Best Picture, Editing, Director, Screenplay. It's all here. Best science-fiction movie ever? Just maybe. - Jibbs

I enjoy Inception a lot. - IanTheCool

Is this as entertaining as the Dark Knight? Probably not, but it's certainly more interesting. This one right now is hard to rate since I just watched it. While it's not the best movie I've ever seen, it's certainly in my top 3 this year. - Doomsday

Inception is the best movie Nolan has ever made. Memento is pretty close. - FShuttari

In case it isn’t already clear, I loved this movie. I loved it visually, I loved it narratively, I loved it as entertainment, I loved it as art and the notion of someone not loving it sort of baffles me. People are entitled to their opinions but I implore people not to listen to these naysayers. This is a movie that delivers more thrills in five random minutes than most movies have in their entire running time. - Dracula

This is a film that Nolan had been apparently working on for years, and he has the Batman franchise to thank for this. Much has been said about this film since its release, some good, some not so good, but there's a lot to love. Big in scope, technically proficient, this is Nolan being able to flex his muscles a little bit after being tied to comic books. The editing helps distinguish the multiple story lines, the score is loud and memorable, and his obsession with time hits its peak. Whether Leo actually gets home or not doesn't matter, though he probably does. - donny

How awesome is Nolan?/Let me compare him to a summer's day.../He had the Inception script written in a drawer for years before he made it, before he had had any success./We were staring at a van falling off a bridge for 45 minutes guys./There is literally no other filmmaker on earth that is given carte blanche to make this kind of un-noted feature. /He is nitpickable, but where's the fun in a perfect movie? We need to soak it up because he may be the last of the blockbuster auteurs. - Deexan

The film is a masterpiece, not just in terms of genre, but as a film in general and it never loses a step every time I watch it. The detail Christopher Nolan brings to this world is intricate and gives the film a strong mythology but also a sense that this world is very lived-in. The film also does a tremendous job of balancing its mythology, sense of spectacle/action and its more intimate/human component where the character of Dom is concerned. For all the grandiose aspects and ideas on display, Inception always remains driven by Dom's personal mission: getting back home to his family. - PhantomKnight