The 10 Best Movies Of 2001, According To IMDb

The year 2001 brought us many great additions to the cinema. With the beginning of giant Oscar-winning franchises and childhood DreamWorks classics, this year brought us many timeless films that can be watched with the same enjoyment again and again. IMDB is a great source for movie facts, quotes, and ratings.

If you’re sitting at home, nothing to do, and looking for movies to watch, how about breaking down the top movies of each year and adding one or two to the list? If this sounds like your thing, look no further as we break down the top 10 movies of 2001, according to IMDB.

10 Training Day – 7.7

Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke star in this film about an LAPD cop, Alonzo Haris (Washington), who uses questionable methods to clean up the streets while training his new partner Jake Hoyt (Hawke). On a budget of around $45 million, the movie only earned a little over $100 million but has received a respectable 72% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Denzel is arguably one of the greatest actors around right now and even in a bad movie he turns out a great performance, so if you want a bit of LAPD cop action with Denzel then give Training Day a chance.

9 Shrek – 7.8

This lovable classic starring Mike Meyers, Eddie Murphy, and Cameron Diaz tells the story of an Ogre who, in an effort to have peace at his swamp, finds himself on a quest to save a princess from a castle guarded by a fire-breathing dragon. The plot aimed to capture the classic fairy-tale elements we all know and love.

Grossing over $484 million at the box office, the original Shrek is arguably the best of all of its 3 sequels. Many fairy-tale creatures appear as cameos such as the three little pigs, Pinocchio, the wolf from Little Red Riding Hood, and even the Three Blind Mice. Put on this movie and sing along to Smash Mouth for a great throwback evening.

8  No Man’s Land – 7.9

In 2020, when you think of a movie about two soldiers during the war, your brain immediately goes to 1917, but 19 years ago many people would have mentioned No Man’s Land. Set in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1993, two soldiers from opposing armies find themselves in no man’s land with another soldier who manages to step on a land mine.

The three soldiers must find a way to handle each other’s company. Managing to explore aspects of war and humanity, if you want a story that is easy to watch and follow, No Man’s Land is a good choice.

7 Monster’s Inc. – 8.0

Another childhood classic coming from Disney and Pixar is Monsters Inc. starring John Goodman as Sully and Billy Crystal as Mike Wazowski who both work for the factory where they harness the energy from children’s screams to power their home city of Monstropolis. When one of the children, Boo, manages to sneak into the monster world, Mike and Sully are tasked with getting her home before anyone else finds out.

The film made over $632 million on a budget of $115 million and lead to a sequel in 2013 titled Monsters University which was also received relatively well by fans of the original.

6 Donnie Darko – 8.0

Before Jake Gyllenhaal was casting illusions as the villain Mysterio in Spider-Man: Far From Home, he was the victim of them in Donnie Darko where he is haunted by illusions of a man in a giant rabbit suit that makes him commit crimes. The film was made on a $6 million budget but only made $6.9 million worldwide. A sequel S. Darko was released in 2009 but only made just over $1 million.

Everyone should know that the numbers don’t always speak for the quality of the movie, plus all movies are subjective, even if millions of people around the world didn’t like a movie, you just might.

5 Mullholland Drive – 8.0

Naomi Watts and Jeanne bates star in this movie about a tragic car accident leaving only one survivor with complete amnesia. Meanwhile, a young actress traveling to Hollywood decides to put her dreams on hold to uncover this mystery, and both she and the survivor search for clues but end up finding a lot more.

The movie only made $20 million worldwide but received an 87% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

4 A Beautiful Mind –  8.2

Inspired by real-life events, Ron Howard and Russel Crowe present A Beautiful Mind which tells the story of John Nash (Crowe), one of the greatest mathematic minds of his time, who, while dealing with schizophrenia, makes a fascinating discovery. Once the government asks for his help to crack Soviet codes, it leads him through a powerful journey of self-discovery.

Making $316 million at the box office and a 93% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, A Beautiful Mind is a strong contender for the top 10 movies of 2001.

3 Amelie – 8.3

Amelie stars Audrey Tautou as the titular character who had a very suppressed childhood. After living in almost isolation for a large part of her life she devotes her life to helping other people, however, once she discovers her selfless efforts are hindering her chances of having a life and love of her own, she must decide what path she will go down.

2 Spirited Away – 8.6

Coming in at number 9 is Spirited Away, an animated movie about a young girl, Chihiro, voiced by Rumi Hiiragi who moves to a new town but the journey takes a turn, literally, and her family ends up in a place where humans are turned into monsters. In order to save her parents from captivity, Chihiro must put her trust in a new ally.

1 The Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring – 8.8

Coming in as the highest-rated 2001 movie on IMDB and the first release in the Middle Earth saga The Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring, follows the story of Frodo Baggins and his quest to destroy the one ring to rule them all. This movie stars Elijah Wood, Ian Mckellan as the wizard Gandalf, Orlando Bloom as the elf archer Legolas and Viggo Mortensen in his fan-favorite role as Aragorn.

On a budget of $93 million, the film managed to gross over $887 million at the box office. The film also won four Oscars for best cinematography, best original score, best make-up, and best visual effects. It was also nominated for nine others including best director, best actor, best costume design, and best editing.

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