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The 2000s were a difficult time to choose what movie to watch next because so many movies that are already considered iconic premiered in this decade. Luckily, the Academy Awards are a good way how to get to the best movies that came out in the 2000s.
The competition was so tough that even high-quality, well-rated movies didn't always get an Oscar, simply because there can be only one winner in each category. But the general rule of a thumb is that if the viewers choose to watch any of the movies that won the Oscar for the best picture they shouldn't be disappointed, because all of them have a lot to offer.
10 Chicago (2002): 7.2
Musicals don't often win an Oscar for the best picture which makes Chicago one of the few movies that accomplished this. Its main heroines are two cabaret singers, Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly, who were imprisoned for killing their partners. Renée Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones excel in the leading roles, and both the music and the costumes are beautiful.
What makes Chicago different from other movies of the same genre is the sense of humor and cynicism it works with as well as the talented actors in other roles (such as Richard Gere or John C. Reilly).
9 The Hurt Locker (2008): 7.6
War movies often do well at the Oscars as the 2009 victory of The Hurt Locker proves. What makes this movie stand out is that it's the first movie directed by a female director that ever won the Oscar for the best picture. The story is set during the war in Iraq and centers on Jeremy Renner's William James who gets into conflict with his fellow soldiers because of the way he handles his work, which is defusing bombs.
The Hurt Locker is full of tension since the danger is seemingly always present. The cast is full of well-known names - other than Renner who won an Oscar for his role, the movie also stars Anthony Mackie, Guy Pearce or Evangeline Lilly, making it even more interesting for all MCU fans who want to see the actors in very different roles.
8 Crash (2004): 7.8
Some people didn't accept this movie's victory since they believed that the 2005 Oscar should have gone to Brokeback Mountain instead. Whatever the case, Crash got a lot of positive reviews from the audience. It chronicles the stories of several people who all have to face racial prejudices in one form or another.
The movie works with a relevant topic that will resonate with the viewers even today. The movie has a star-studded cast, it includes names such as Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Terrence Howard, William Fichtner, and many others. Other than winning an Oscar for the best picture, it also got two others - for the best editing and the best original screenplay.
7 Slumdog Millionaire (2008): 8.0
A majority of the Oscar winners of the best picture from the 2000s is set in the USA. That's not the case of Slumdog Millionaire as the movie takes place in India and captures the difficult life of Jamal, a young man who goes from poverty to winning the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? contest - except that now he has to prove he didn't cheat, and his victory was justified.
The movie served as a breakthrough movie role for Dev Patel, previously best known for appearing in the British drama series Skins. The movie combines both optimism and tragedy, and also includes memorable melodies reminiscent of Bollywood movies. Slumdog Millionaire was nominated for ten Oscars and won eight of them, making it one of the most successful pictures of the late 2000s.
6 Million Dollar Baby (2004): 8.1
Clint Eastwood has built a successful acting career in the 1960s when he starred in multiple westerns. However, he also became an accomplished director, and to this day, Million Dollar Baby remains one of Eastwood's most celebrated movies. Eastwood himself stars in the movie opposite Hilary Swank who plays a talented young boxer Maggie trained by Frank (Eastwood).
While the movie shows that an initial outsider can become successful, it also points out that boxing can be cruel and have unforeseen consequences. Unlike other movies, Million Dollar Baby doesn't offer a happy ending and leaves a stronger impression for it.
5 A Beautiful Mind (2001): 8.2
The early 2000s were an excellent time period for Russell Crowe since he starred in more than one Oscar-winning movie. A Beautiful Mind focuses on the life of John Forbes Nash, Jr., a successful mathematician who's later diagnosed with schizophrenia. The role allowed Crowe to explore many moods, and the movie overall is both intelligent and touching.
It also has a strong supporting cast that includes names such as Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris or Christopher Plummer. A Beautiful Mind won four Oscars in total.
4 No Country For Old Men (2007): 8.2
The directorial cooperation between Joel Coen and Ethan Coen led to the creation of multiple iconic movies, including No Country for Old Men that contains thriller as well as strong western elements. It's also a good example that sometimes the main antagonist can easily steal the movie for himself, as Javier Bardem's Anton Chigurh does exactly that.
His relentless pursuit of his future victims as well as his strange moral code based on pure luck all make him one of the best villains that has ever appeared on the big screen. However, the movie has a talented cast overall and creates a strong atmosphere since nobody knows who will live and who will die.
3 Gladiator (2000): 8.5
Ridley Scott has directed many successful movies but with over a million ratings on IMDb and five Oscars, Gladiator is one of his most celebrated works of art. The story is full of action but also characters the audience grows to like (or despise) and is invested in their fates. Russell Crowe is excellent in the leading part as Maximus who has to confront the emperor himself, Commodus, played by Joaquin Phoenix.
Even though the movie takes some creative liberties and isn't entirely historically accurate, it's still a must-watch for all who want to learn more about gladiators and this historical period in general. Scott and Crowe tried to repeat the success of their previous cooperation with the 2010 movie Robin Hood, but it wasn't such a hit as Gladiator.
2 The Departed (2006): 8.5
Martin Scorsese is one of the most celebrated directors. In his movies, he often focuses on people who stand on the opposite side of the law. In The Departed, Scorsese offers the perspectives of both sides since it tells the story of an undercover cop and a mole who try to find out each other's identity while infiltrating an Irish gang in Boston and the police, respectively.
The stakes are high in the movie, so the viewers are soon hooked in and want to know what will happen, whether Leonardo DiCaprio's Billy and Matt Damon's Colin will manage to keep their real identity hidden from their enemies.
1 The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King (2003): 9.0
The third and final movie from The Lord of the Rings series directed by Peter Jackson is not only the best-rated Oscar winner from the 2000s but also a record-breaking one. It won 11 Oscars in total, making it one of only three movies that achieved this in history.
The movie presents an epic conclusion to the Fellowship's journey and their fight against the evil. Once again, the movie is visually beautiful and the viewers have an easy time cheering on the heroes they grew to like over the course of the previous movies. An interesting fact is that there are three editions of the movie, the longest one with the runtime of 263 minutes.