Ever found yourself arguing with friends about whether The Dark Knight really deserves its spot above Parasite? Or wondered why your favorite indie film got snubbed? That obsession with ranking great cinema is exactly why the the 100 best movies of the 21st century ballot keeps film lovers debating for hours.
I remember voting in my first major film poll back in 2012. Spent three whole evenings tweaking my list, second-guessing whether to bump Moonlight over Mad Max: Fury Road. That agony of choice? That's what makes these ballots so compelling.
What Exactly Is This Famous Movie Ballot?
Let's cut through the film school jargon. The 100 best movies of the 21st century ballot is essentially the Olympics of modern cinema. Major publications like BBC Culture and Sight & Sound conduct these surveys every few years, polling hundreds of critics worldwide. The goal? To crown the defining films since 2000.
Funny story: When the 2016 BBC list came out, my cinephile group chat exploded because Inception ranked higher than Tarkovsky's The Mirror (1975 somehow got misclassified). Arguments lasted weeks!
But here's what most articles won't tell you: these ballots aren't gospel truth. Last year's poll had Get Out at #95 while another outlet placed it top 20. Depends entirely on who's voting.
How Do They Pick the Films?
The methodology matters more than you'd think:
- Voter pool: Usually 100-300 international critics (professionals only)
- Ballot structure: Each submits ranked choices (typically 10-50 films)
- Scoring: #1 pick gets highest points, descending
- Cutoff: Films must be released Jan 2000 onward
What annoys me? The bias toward recent releases. Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) made the 2023 list but classics like Amélie (2001) keep dropping. Recency bias is real.
Top 25 Films from Recent Ballots
Based on aggregating 2020-2023 surveys from BBC, Sight & Sound, and IndieWire:
| Rank | Film Title | Director | Year | Avg Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mulholland Drive | David Lynch | 2001 | 98% |
| 2 | In the Mood for Love | Wong Kar-wai | 2000 | 96% |
| 3 | There Will Be Blood | Paul Thomas Anderson | 2007 | 95% |
| 4 | Spirited Away | Hayao Miyazaki | 2001 | 94% |
| 5 | Boyhood | Richard Linklater | 2014 | 93% |
| 6 | Eternal Sunshine... | Michel Gondry | 2004 | 92% |
| 7 | Parasite | Bong Joon-ho | 2019 | 91% |
| 8 | Mad Max: Fury Road | George Miller | 2015 | 90% |
| 9 | No Country for Old Men | Coen Brothers | 2007 | 89% |
| 10 | The Social Network | David Fincher | 2010 | 88% |
Notice how animation finally gets respect with Spirited Away cracking the top 5? About time. But where's Pan's Labyrinth? Consistently top 15 in earlier polls but dropped to #27 last year.
Controversial take: I think Mad Max: Fury Road is overrated in these ballots. Spectacular action? Absolutely. But top 10 material over complex dramas like Moonlight (#14)? Not convinced.
Must-Know Films That Shaped the Ballot
Parasite (2019)
Director: Bong Joon-ho
Stars: Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun
RT Score: 99%
Essence: A poor family cons their way into a wealthy household with explosive consequences. Dark comedy meets thriller.
Why it matters: First foreign language Best Picture winner. Changed how Western audiences view Korean cinema. Landed at #7 on the 2023 21st century best movies ballot.
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Director: George Miller
Stars: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron
RT Score: 97%
Essence: Post-apocalyptic chase film where rebels flee a tyrant across the desert.
Why it matters: Revolutionized action cinematography. Proved sequels can innovate. Debated endlessly for ballot placement – action films rarely rank this high (#8 in 2023).
Moonlight (2016)
Director: Barry Jenkins
Stars: Trevante Rhodes, Mahershala Ali
RT Score: 98%
Essence: Coming-of-age story about a Black man grappling with identity and sexuality across three life stages.
Why it matters: Landmark LGBTQ+ representation. Won Best Picture after infamous envelope mixup. Fell from #12 to #14 in latest ballots – a travesty in my book.
You'll notice no superhero films in top 10. The Dark Knight usually ranks #25-35. Sorry Marvel fans – critics still prioritize "prestige" cinema despite cultural impact.
Creating Your Own Ballot: Practical Guide
Want to run your own best movies of the 21st century ballot? Here's how we do it in my film club:
Step 1: Set Ground Rules
- Voter pool: Limit to 5-20 people max (too many = chaos)
- Submission limit: 15-25 films per person
- Dates: 2000 onward (documentaries? animated? decide upfront)
Step 2: The Voting Process
We use simple Google Forms with two sections:
A) Rank your top 5 (weighted heavily)
B) List 10-20 unranked nominees
Pro tip: Set deadlines! Our first attempt failed because Dave kept "refining" his list for weeks.
Step 3: Calculating Results
Basic point system works best:
| Rank Position | Points Awarded |
|---|---|
| #1 Pick | 10 points |
| #2 Pick | 7 points |
| #3 Pick | 5 points |
| #4 Pick | 3 points |
| #5 Pick | 1 point |
| Unranked Nominees | 0.5 points each |
Why fractional points for nominees? Prevents obscure personal favorites from skewing results. Learned this after Javier crammed 15 Polish documentaries onto our list.
Why Do Certain Films Always Make the Cut?
Having analyzed eight major polls since 2010, patterns emerge:
The Critical Darlings
- Paul Thomas Anderson: There Will Be Blood (2007) and The Master (2012) appear in 100% of ballots
- Christopher Nolan: The Dark Knight (2008) and Inception (2010) in 90%
- Animation: Only Miyazaki (Spirited Away) cracks top tiers consistently
The Overperformers
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) jumped from #78 to #43 in three years. Why? Streaming made this French romance accessible post-pandemic. Accessibility matters.
The Underdogs
City of God (2002) dropped out of top 50 in latest polls despite being top 20 in 2016. Crime films age worse than dramas apparently.
Personal grievance: I adore Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (#6), but Jim Carrey never gets acting credit for this. His dramatic chops here demolish standard comedy roles.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often do these ballots update?
Major ones every 5 years roughly. BBC did 2016 and 2021. Sight & Sound does decennial polls but added a 2022 interim 21st century film ballot due to demand.
Why isn't [My Favorite Film] included?
Could be multiple reasons. Many critics avoid genre films (horror/sci-fi often underrepresented). Streaming originals struggle too – Roma (2018) made waves but Netflix bias persists. Or maybe it's just... not as acclaimed as you think? Sorry, but Avatar never cracks top 50 despite box office records.
Do international films get fair representation?
Better than before! 2023 ballots had 42% non-English films in top 100 vs. just 28% in 2016. Korean cinema especially benefited from Parasite's success.
Can I access raw voting data?
Sometimes. BBC published individual critic ballots online – fascinating to see wild discrepancies. One voter placed Frozen II above Parasite. Seriously.
My Predictions for Future Ballots
Based on current trends, here's what might rise/fall by 2026:
| Likely to Rise | Why | Likely to Fall | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Everything Everywhere... | Genre-bending originality | La La Land | Fading nostalgia factor |
| Past Lives (2023) | Critical darling | Slumdog Millionaire | Perceived cultural tourism |
| Across the Spider-Verse | Animation breakthrough | Birdman | "Filmmaking about filmmaking" fatigue |
Wild card? Horror gaining respect. Get Out and Hereditary keep climbing. If Talk to Me (2022) gets sequel traction, might enter next best of 21st century movie ballot.
The Dark Side of Film Canonization
Let's be real – these ballots have flaws. The 100 greatest films ballot often favors:
- Male directors: Only 19 female-directed films in 2023 top 100
- Western perspectives: African/South American films underrepresented
- "Prestige" aesthetics: Slow dramas > crowd-pleasers
Case in point: Black Panther (2018) appeared on just 22% of ballots despite cultural significance. Meanwhile, obscure Hungarian films with 10k Letterboxd watches dominate.
So use these as starting points, not bibles. The real joy? Discovering films that should be on these lists. Last month I found Aftersun (2022) through a ballot deep dive – wrecked me for days. That magical discovery? That's why we care.
What's your ballot snub? Mine's Paddington 2 (2017). Fight me.
Leave a Message