Greetings all and welcome to DEEP/DIVE: Film Bunker’s newest (and greatest) editorial series! Join us for a somewhat regular column, where we will skewer, dissect and gleefully over-analyse a wide selection of fine films without any real need for doing so, because ‘The Internet’. Said films may be approaching, or have surpassed, a particular retrospective milestone. They may have penetrated the cultural zeitgeist in a way that demands increased attention from neurotic and/or caffeine-riddled critics. Or they might just have, like, really dank memes. Whatever the reason, Film Bunker is ready to wade through a sea of hot takes and pop-up browser tabs in order to take the plunge.

FilmBunker‘s Best Films of the 2010s

It’s the end of the decade, and how better to cap off our film-laden chronicle of the time period with a good, ol’ fashioned listicle? In that spirit, we put the call out to our friends, enemies and humble contributors to give us their top ten films of the 2010s. Some came back ranked, others were not. Some tried to loop in entire franchises (*cough* thanks boss *cough*). Using a super-duper, top-secret and very scientific process, we tallied up the votes and here are the results.

To begin, the Honourable Mentions:

Essentially a whos-who of deep-cut films, director auteurs and Hollywood stars in no particular order: Scorsese, Tarantino and the Coen Brothers; Di Caprio, Pitt, Jones, Hill, Lawrence, Cooper, De Niro, Robbie, Isaac and Pitt.

• The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
• Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)
• Once Upon a Time In Hollywood (2019)
• Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
• Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

And now, the countdown beings…

#10 – Get Out (2017)

• Directed by: Jordan Peele
• Runtime: 104 Minutes

In his directorial debut, Jordan Peele took the traditional horror film format and successfully skewered it with class consciousness and racial politics. Get Out was lavished with praise for Peele’s screenplay and direction, along with a host of exceptional performances and deft handling of satirical themes. Not to mention that the film’s setting—meeting your partner’s in-laws for the first time—is low-key terrifying and infinitely relatable for us all.

#9 – Mission Impossible: Fallout (2018)

• Directed by: Christopher McQuarrie
• Runtime: 147 Minutes

Car chases? Motorcycle stunts? Jumping out of windows? Duelling helicopters? Death-defying skydives? Henry Cavill cocking his arms like actual guns? A wise-cracking Simon Pegg? Tom Cruise running? And then running some more? Look, it’s the Mission Impossible franchise. After twenty years, you know what to expect by now. Fallout is the best one yet and we can’t wait for them to top it. “This message will self-destruct…”

#8 – Arrival (2016)

• Directed by: Denis Villeneuve
• Runtime: 116 Minutes

Having been recently declared ‘Filmmaker of the Decade’ by The Hollywood Critics Association, it’s not surprising that French-Canadian director Denis Villeneuve was at the forefront of the 2010s sci-fi resurgence. Adapted from a short story by author Ted Chiang, Arrival is a masterclass in emotive and resonant storytelling, including a powerhouse performance from lead Amy Adams. Following on from the film’s success, Villeneuve continued to impress audiences with Blade Runner 2049, his cerebral sequel to one of the most iconic films of all time, and he’s now tasked with the forthcoming (and much-maligned) novel adaptation of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi epic, Dune, in 2020. And as far as we’re concerned, legacy science-fiction couldn’t be in better hands right now.

#7 – John Wick (2014)

• Directed by: Chad Stahelski and David Leitch
• Runtime: 101 Minutes

They killed his dog, stole his car and now he wants to get even. Need we say anymore? The man, the myth, the legend—Keanu Reeves—has gone on to truly embody the character of John Wick and will forever be the Baba Yaga of our hearts. Also, side note: a few sneaky contributors tried to vote in the entire John Wick franchise (2017’s Chapter 2 and this year’s kinetic Chapter 3 – Parabellum) into this Top 10 list. And while we’re certainly open to viewing the entire franchise as one giant mega-narrative, we opted to err on the side of fairness this time around.

#6 – Your Name (2016)

• Directed by: Makoto Shinkai
• Runtime: 107 Minutes

While film buffs clearly love Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki projects, we think that Makoto Shinkai’s anime dark-horse Your Name is right up there with the best of them. It’s a fun riff on body-swaps, time travel narratives and adventure comedies, but it’s also so super sweet and endearing and lovely that we couldn’t possibly leave it out of this list. We’re not crying, you’re crying!

#5 – Inception (2010)

• Directed by: Christopher Nolan
• Runtime: 148 Minutes

Off the back of 2008’s incredible The Dark Night, Christopher Nolan followed it up with one hell of an extended heist film-meets-dream-sequences mindfuck. The ensemble cast here is at the top of their game, and Nolan’s writing and directing propels the film through glorious set-pieces and tense, philosophical dialogue. Ultimately a film about loss and overcoming trauma, Inception was a complete win for cinema in the 2010s and remains a stand-out in Nolan’s impressive filmography ten years on. Oh, and that ending? Yep, we’re still spinning over it.

#4 – Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

• Directed by: George Miller
• Runtime: 120 Minutes

While the return of Star Wars with the J.J. Abrams-helmed, Episode VII: The Force Awakens, was undeniably the cinematic event of 2015, George Miller’s visceral and visually striking Max Max: Fury Road runs a very close second. Acting as a soft reboot or “revisiting” to the existing franchise films of the 80s, Fury Road took the dystopian, high-octane desert action of the older films to explosive new levels. Tom Hardy’s turn as the titular Max was a suitable counterpoint to Mel Gibson’s portrayal of the character, perfectly balanced by Charlize Theron’s gritty Furiosa and Hugh Keays-Byrne’s deliciously imposing villain, Immortan Joe. Also, at one point, a dude plays a double-necked, flamethrowing guitar in front of a wall of mobile amplifiers. So yeah… there’s that too.

#3 – Whiplash (2014)

• Directed by: Damien Chazelle
• Runtime: 107 Minutes

Filling out the character drama quota of this list is a simple story about an obsessive, overly ambitious jazz-drummer and his abusive, controlling instructor. Filmed on a meagre budget of $3 million, Whiplash went on to gross over $50 million at the box office, off the back of strong word-of-mouth and electric performances from Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons. After scooping up a whole host of awards, Whiplash was the critical darling that launched Chazelle’s lofty career, pushing him on to direct works like First Man (2018) and La La Land (2016)—a film which also landed him the Academy Award for Best Director at the age of 32. Bravo.

#2 – Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)

• Directed by: Edgar Wright
• Runtime: 112 Minutes

It’s the comic-book film that’s often left behind, but Edgar Wright’s adaptation of the graphic novel of the same name still has a soft spot in our hearts. Sure, in retrospect, Michael Cera’s Scott comes off as kind of a dick. Sure, the film was a box-office bomb, earning just $47.7 million against its production budget of $85–90 million. Sure, the vegan police jokes are more relevant now than ever before. But it’s a cult-classic for a reason folks, and, this just in: we’re the cult.

#1 – Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

• Directed by: Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey and Rodney Rothman
• Runtime: 117 Minutes

Well, here it is folks: our top film of the decade—and it’s animated to boot. Suck on that, Martin. In our review of the film, Ciaran had this to say: “Far from a corporate cash-grab, Sony’s new venture into Spider-Man’s terrain is a ballsy passion project of epic proportions. Seeming to achieve the impossible, a Spider-Man cinematic universe is now palatable in the animated form. Sure, we have seen Spider-Man on screen many, many times… but not quite like this. Finally, we have a Spider-Man film that lives up to its titular hero’s namesake—Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is both amazing and spectacular, and I recommend that all fans of the comics go and see it, if only to see the panels on your pages spring to life.”

And lastly, if you wanted insight into what makes FilmBunker tick, you can now peep our individual lists and sample our varied and eclectic tastes:

Ben Yaxley – Contributor

1. Boyhood (2014)
2. Birdman (2014)
3. The Big Short (2015)
4. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
5. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)
6. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010)
7. Your Name (2016)
8. Whiplash (2014)
9. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
10. Weathering With You (2019)

Nic Musumeci – Co-owner and Content Manager

1. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010)
2. Dredd (2012)
3. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
4. Brooklyn (2015)
5. Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)
6. Mission Impossible: Fallout (2018)
7. Once Upon a Time In Hollywood (2019)
8. Your Name (2016)
9. John Wick (entire franchise)
10. What We Do in the Shadows (2014)

Zaity Salman – Contributor

1. Call Me By Your Name (2017)
2. The Favourite (2018)
3. Moonlight (2016)
4. Whiplash (2014)
5. Mudbound (2017)
6. Midsommar (2019)
7. Get Out (2017)
8. Arrival (2016)
9. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
10. Inception (2010)

Richard Houlihan – Contributor

1. The Social Network (2010)
2. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
3. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
4. The Master (2012)
5. Inception (2010)
6. Whiplash (2014)
7. Dunkirk (2017)
8. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
9. The Irishman (2019)
10. Animal Kingdom (2010)

Simon Hall – FilmBunker Co-founder

1. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
2. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
3. The Act of Killing (2012)
4. John Wick (2014)
5. Get Out (2017)
6. Whiplash (2014)
7. Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016)
8. The Witch (2015)
9. Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010)
10. Moana (2016)

Ciaran Kerr – FilmBunker Co-founder

1. Inherent Vice (2015)
2. Your Name (2016)
3. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010)
4. Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016)
5. Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
6. John Wick (entire franchise)
7. Death of Stalin (2017)
8. Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)
9. Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
10. What We Do in the Shadows (2014)

Kelsey Clark – Contributor

1. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
2. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
3. Mission Impossible: Fallout (2018)
4. Lady Bird (2017)
5. Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
6. The Cabin in the Woods (2012)
7. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
8. Baby Driver (2017)
9. A Quiet Place (2018)
10. Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)

Owen Morawitz – Contributor

1. Arrival (2016)
2. Inception (2010)
3. Brawl in Cell Block 99 (2017)
4. Ex Machina (2015)
5. The Raid 2: Berangal (2014)
6. Looper (2012)
7. Once Upon a Time In Hollywood (2019)
8. Driver (2011)
9. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
10. Blade Runner 2049 (2017)