Top 10 Best Years for Movies

1. 1994

   

   1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. It was the 1994th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 994th year of the 2nd millennium, the 94th year of the 20th century, and the 5th year of the 1990s decade. A historic moment occurred in... read more

   I was caught choosing between 2019, 1999, and 1994. I think 2019 and 1999 had the advantage of having a quantity of great movies, but I think 1994 takes the cake because of the quality of some of the films of that year.

   Really, all I have to mention is that Pulp Fiction, The Shawshank Redemption, and Forrest Gump, three certified masterpieces (and possible top 50 movies of all time), all came out in 1994.

   Not to mention, movies such as The Lion King, Leon: The Professional, Dumb and Dumber, Ed Wood, Clerks, The Crow, Speed, True Lies, Legend of the Drunken Master, Natural Born Killers, Hoop Dreams, and The Mask were also released in 1994. Need I say more?

   Pulp Fiction, Forrest Gump, and The Shawshank Redemption. No more needs to be said.

   But in addition to those, there were more amazing films released that year such as Natural Born Killers, The Mask, Léon: The Professional, Speed, True Lies, and of course, The Lion King. This was an amazing year for movies.

2. 1999

   

   Fight Club, The Matrix, American Beauty, and The Green Mile are some of the movies made this year.

   Fight Club, The Matrix, American Beauty, The Green Mile, and The Sixth Sense. A good year for movies.

   Why is everything from the 90s so good?

3. 1982

   

   1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. It was the 1982nd year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 982nd year of the 2nd millennium, the 82nd year of the 20th century, and the 3rd year of the 1980s decade.... read more

   Barbarosa (Excellent, Excellent), Blade Runner, My Favorite Year, Fanny & Alexander, and Moonlighting all have 100% approval ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, which is very rare for most older movies. Current movies are popular at the time but often lose that rating over time.

   Not very important, but interesting. I have seen all five of these 1982 masterpieces and I approve. You must view all five of them sometime in your life, along with Diner, The Verdict, and Victor/Victoria, all of which just missed the 100% score.

   Oh yes, I forgot Richard Pryor: Live On The Sunset Strip, which also scored 100% and is still the best stand-up comedy film of all time, and for good reason. Now that's quality!

4. 1939

   

   Considering the quality of acting alone, no other decade comes within cooee of this era. Great special effects make modern movies, but the original stars were actors, not support staff like in the modern era!

   The movies had a real story or plot. They relied on the quality of their actors and not the quality of their digital add-ons. The music was the way the mood was set, not to mask the inadequacy of modern props (actors).

   After the war interrupted this era, movies were lost and looking for a new birth. This has happened twice: in the 1960s and the 1980s.

   Oh well, we have a great catalogue to sustain us.

   The height of the Golden Age: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Goodbye, Mr. Chips, Stagecoach, Ninotchka, Gone with the Wind, Destry Rides Again, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Midnight, The Women, Wuthering Heights, etc.

   Unfortunately, too many people don't want to watch these because most of them are black and white. I used to have this prejudice, but after a few films, I got over it.

5. 2012

   

   2012 (MMXII) was a leap year that began on a Sunday in the Gregorian calendar. It marked the 2012th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD), the 12th year of the 3rd millennium, the 21st century, and the 3rd year of the 2010s decade. Major global events in 2012 included the London Summer Olympics... read more

   We had in 2012 Earth's mightiest heroes under one roof, the return of 007, the farewell of Batman, and the welcome arrival of the star-crossed lovers from District 12.

   The odds were definitely in the favor of Jennifer Lawrence in 2012.

   Django Unchained - need I say more?

6. 2008

   

   2008 was a leap year that began on a Tuesday in the Gregorian calendar. It was the 2008th year of the Common Era and the Anno Domini designations. It was also the 8th year of the 3rd millennium, the 21st century, and the 9th year of the 2000s decade.

7. 2019

   

   2019 (MMXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. It was the 2019th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 19th year of the 3rd millennium and the 21st century, and the 10th and last year of the 2010s decade.... read more

   While 1994 is by far the best year for films, 2019 is the only other year that I feel can compete with 1994.

   2019 had The Farewell, Avengers: Endgame, Marriage Story, Jojo Rabbit, Uncut Gems, Booksmart, Knives Out, The Lighthouse, I Lost My Body, Klaus, Toy Story 4, Pain and Glory, Little Women, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, John Wick 3, The Irishman, 1917, Midsommar, Ford v Ferrari, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Parasite, and many other top-tier films.

   All the films I've mentioned, I totally recommend, especially Parasite.

   Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Captain Marvel, Toy Story 4, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, The Lego Movie 2, Shazam!, and some movies that will probably be good, like Frozen 2, The Rise of Skywalker, and maybe Spies in Disguise. I don't know.

8. 1984

   

   1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. It was the 1984th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 984th year of the 2nd millennium, the 84th year of the 20th century, and the 5th year of the 1980s decade.... read more

   Beverly Hills Cop, Ghostbusters, Police Academy, Gremlins, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, The Karate Kid, Revenge of the Nerds, The Terminator, and A Nightmare on Elm Street. All of those movies went on to have numerous sequels.

   Plus Sixteen Candles, The NeverEnding Story, 2010, Splash, Purple Rain, Romancing the Stone, Footloose, and The Natural. All classics in their own right.

   Plus Children of the Corn, Top Secret!, Amadeus, The Last Starfighter, to name a few others that stick out. 1984 was hands down the most memorable year of movies in my lifetime and I was born in 1978.

   The top movies of this year all hold up pretty well 30-something years later.

9. 2014

   

   2014 (MMXIV) was a common year that began on a Wednesday according to the Gregorian calendar. It was the 2014th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations. It was also the 14th year of the 3rd millennium, the 21st century, and the 5th year of the 2010s decade.

   Birdman, Whiplash, Boyhood, Ex Machina, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Gone Girl, The Imitation Game, The Theory of Everything, Nightcrawler, Foxcatcher, Selma, Fury, and Interstellar for the cinema fans.

   But action fans weren't left wanting either, with Edge of Tomorrow, Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, X-Men: Days of Future Past, and The Equalizer.

   And on top of that, it even delivered great animated films: Big Hero 6, The Lego Movie, and How To Train Your Dragon 2. It even had good romance and comedy movies.

   This was a year that delivered near perfection in all aspects. Unquestionably the best year in film.

10. 1975

    

    1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. It was the 1975th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 975th year of the 2nd millennium, the 75th year of the 20th century, and the 6th year of the 1970s decade. Microsoft was founded in April... read more

    Also, I better not forget Barry Lyndon, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and Dog Day Afternoon.

The Newcomers
11. ?

    2023

    

    The year 2023 (MMXXIII) was a common year that began on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. It was the 2023rd year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations. It also marked the 23rd year of the 3rd millennium, the 21st century, and the 2020s decade.

    Trolls Band Together is the best movie of all time. In addition we have The Eras Tour (Taylor's Version), Guardians of the Galaxy 3, Super Mario Bros Movie, and Barbie.

12. ?

    1940

    
The Contenders

13. 2011

    

    2011 (MMXI) was a common year that began on a Saturday in the Gregorian calendar. It was the 2011th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations. This year marked the 11th year of the 21st century and the second year of the 2010s decade.

    On Stranger Tides, A Game of Shadows, The Hangover Part II, and The Inbetweeners Movie.

14. 1976

    

    1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. It was the 1976th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 976th year of the 2nd millennium, the 76th year of the 20th century, and the 7th year of the 1970s decade.... read more

    Taxi Driver, Rocky, Carrie, A Star Is Born, the list goes on.

15. 2010

    

    The year 2010 was a common year that began on a Friday according to the Gregorian calendar. It marked the 10th year of the 3rd millennium and the 21st century. It was also the first year of the 2010s decade.

    Mia Wasikowska and Johnny Depp's Alice in Wonderland was unleashed and gave way for a whole load of big-budget fairytale movies since.

16. 2018

    

    2018 (MMXVIII) was a common year that began on a Monday in the Gregorian calendar. It was the 2018th year of the Common Era, the 9th year of the 2010s decade, the 18th year of the 21st century, and the 18th year of the 3rd millennium. Notable global events included the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang... read more

    Incredibles 2, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

17. 2007

    

    2007 (MMVII) was a common year that started on a Monday in the Gregorian calendar. It was the 2007th year of the Common Era and Anno Domini designations. It was also the 7th year of the 3rd millennium, the 21st century, and the 8th year of the 2000s decade.

    At least 40 good to great movies that year, with a lot of variety in genres. Funny movies, action movies, incredible dramas. In Bruges is an excellent movie and is barely in the top 10 films of the year.

    No Country for Old Men, There Will Be Blood, Juno, Atonement, La Vie en Rose, Zodiac, Superbad. I mean, how can you go wrong with this list?

    So many good movies with Adam Sandler and one of my favorite all-time animated films, Ratatouille.

18. 1980

    

19. 1993

    

    1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. It was the 1993rd year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 993rd year of the 2nd millennium, the 93rd year of the 20th century, and the 4th year of the 1990s decade. This year saw the formal establishment... read more

    Jurassic Park and Schindler's List. This really was Spielberg's year.

    Schindler's List, Jurassic Park, True Romance, A Bronx Tale, Falling Down, Groundhog Day, The Fugitive, Carlito's Way...

20. 2004

    

    2004 was a leap year that began on a Thursday in the Gregorian calendar. It was the 2004th year of the Common Era and of the Anno Domini designations. Major events in 2004 included the Athens Summer Olympics and the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami in December.

    The absolute best year cinema has ever had to offer. Why isn't this number one?

    Prisoner of Azkaban, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Shrek 2, The Polar Express, The Incredibles.

    Mean Girls, 13 Going on 30, Spider-Man 2, The Incredibles, The Day After Tomorrow, Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Troy, The Notebook, Ocean's Twelve, Catwoman, Dawn of the Dead, Saw, The Butterfly Effect, Mindhunters, King Arthur, The Girl Next Door, The Aviator, Finding Neverland, Million Dollar Baby.

21. 2009

    

    The year 2009 was a common year that started on a Thursday in the Gregorian calendar. It was the 2009th year of the Common Era and Anno Domini designations. This year also marked the final year of the 2000s decade.

22. 1962

    

    Lawrence of Arabia, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Longest Day, The Miracle Worker, Birdman of Alcatraz, Cape Fear, Dr. No, Gypsy, How the West Was Won, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and of course King Kong vs. Godzilla. I mean, come on!

23. 1979

    

24. 1977

    

    1977 (MCMLXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. It was the 1977th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 977th year of the 2nd millennium, the 77th year of the 20th century, and the 8th year of the 1970s decade.... read more

25. 1997

    

    Nil By Mouth. End of discussion here really. But to bulk the claim...

    Titanic

    Liar Liar

    Could go on!

    Titanic is the best film of all time.

26. 2001

    

    2001 (MMI) was a common year that began on a Monday in the Gregorian calendar. It was the 2001st year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations. It marked the first year of the third millennium, the 21st century, and the second year of the 2000s decade.

    Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Legally Blonde, Shrek. The only good thing about 2001 was the movies!

    Almost too many great movies to count. Just to name a few: Mulholland Drive, Donnie Darko, LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring, Ocean's Eleven, Amélie, The Royal Tenenbaums, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Spirited Away, Monsters, Inc., and Shrek.

    2002 is one of the worst years ever. 2001 had Donnie Darko. I think that pretty much sums it up.

27. 1986

    

    Platoon, Big Trouble in Little China, Stand By Me, Aliens, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Lucas, The Fly, The Hitcher, etc. Brilliant year, followed closely by 1962.