Theaters may have closed down but movies found new life on streaming. With indie darlings, streaming platform originals, and a blockbuster or two, we’ve put together our list of the Top Movies of 2020. The only requirement for the list is that the movie had to have released to wide audiences this year either through theatrical release or through VOD/streaming platform. This means that we didn’t include the number of festival films we covered this year but instead wanted to celebrate the stories that had to the chance to bring wide audiences joy this year.
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We made this list by pulling together ranked lists from our writers for the films they saw in 2020 and then brought them all together to highlight these 10 movies. Spanning different genres and time periods, check out our Top Movies of 2020:
10. The Personal History of David Copperfield
Director: Armando Iannucci
Writer: Simon Blackwell and Armando Iannucci (screenplay)
Stars: Dev Patel, Hugh Laurie, Tilda Swinton
“A modern take on Charles Dickens’s classic tale of a young orphan who is able to triumph over many obstacles.”
9. Love and Monsters
Director: Michael Matthews
Writer: Brian Duffield and Matthew Robinson (screenplay), Brian Duffield (story)
Stars: Dylan O’Brien, Jessica Henwick, Michael Rooker
“In a monster-infested world, Joel learns his girlfriend is just 85 miles away. To make the dangerous journey, Joel discovers his inner hero to be with the girl of his dreams.”
8. The Old Guard
Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood
Writer: Greg Rucka (screenplay and original graphic novel)
Stars: Charlize Theron, KiKi Layne, Matthias Schoenaerts, Marwan Kenzari
“A covert team of immortal mercenaries is suddenly exposed and must now fight to keep their identity a secret just as an unexpected new member is discovered.”
Watch the movie on Netflix.
7. The Platform
Director: Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia
Writer: David Desola (screenplay & story), Pedro Rivero (screenplay)
Stars: Ivan Massagué, Zorion Eguileor, Antonia San Juan
“A vertical prison with one cell per level. Two people per cell. Only one food platform and two minutes per day to feed. An endless nightmare trapped in The Hole.“
Watch the movie on Netflix.
6. Sonic the Hedgehog
Director: Jeff Fowler
Writer: Pat Casey, Josh Miller
Stars: Ben Schwartz, James Marsden, Jim Carrey
“After discovering a small, blue, fast hedgehog, a small-town police officer must help him defeat an evil genius who wants to do experiments on him.”
5. The Vast of Night
Director: Andrew Patterson
Writer: Andrew Patterson (teleplay), Craig W. Sanger (teleplay)
Stars: Sierra McCormick, Jake Horowitz, Gail Cronauer
Watch the movie on Amazon Prime.
4. The Invisible Man
Director: Leigh Whannell
Writer: Leigh Whannell
Stars: Elisabeth Moss, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Harriet Dyer
Watch the movie on HBO Max.
3. Minari
Director: Lee Isaac Chung
Writer: Lee Isaac Chung
Stars: Steven Yeun, Yeri Han, Yuh-jung Youn
“A tender and sweeping story about what roots us, Minari follows a Korean-American family that moves to a tiny Arkansas farm in search of their own American Dream. The family home changes completely with the arrival of their sly, foul-mouthed, but incredibly loving grandmother. Amidst the instability and challenges of this new life in the rugged Ozarks, Minari shows the undeniable resilience of family and what really makes a home.”
2. Palm Springs
Director: Max Barbakow
Writer: Andy Siara
Stars: Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti, J.K. Simmons
“When carefree Nyles and reluctant maid of honor Sarah have a chance encounter at a Palm Springs wedding, things get complicated as they are unable to escape the venue, themselves, or each other.”
1. Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn – Movie of the Year
Director: Cathy Yan
Writer: Christina Hodson
Stars: Margot Robbie, Rosie Perez, Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Watch the movie on HBO Max.
My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising , Shirley, Lupin III: The First, Over the Moon, and Sound of Metal are just a few of the titles that narrowly missed our Top Movies of 2020 list. Did your favorites show up on the But Why Tho? Top Movies of 2020? Let u sknow on social media.
Synopses for films featured on the Top Movies of 2020 list come directly from IMDb to avoid spoilers.
