The 2000s was a decade of transition and expansion in cinema. As the industry embraced digital technology, filmmaking became more accessible and stylistically diverse. The rise of the internet and globalization reshaped how stories were told—and who got to tell them. Franchises and blockbusters dominated the box office, from superheroes to fantasy epics, marking the ascent of serialized storytelling. At the same time, independent cinema thrived, offering intimate, character-driven narratives that challenged conventional genres. Filmmakers experimented with nonlinear structure, unreliable narrators, and digital aesthetics, blurring the lines between mainstream and art house.

The following list revisits this eclectic and transformative decade, highlighting the films that captured the anxieties, ambitions, and cultural shifts of the new millennium.