Some inflection points in the history of cinema are ever relevant because their influence can still be felt after decades. The best directors of all time have left indelible marks on the art of filmmaking, and their works are still inspiring creatives in the industry today. The greatest directors are known for their legacy of permanently changing cinema and filmmaking.
The most important movies of all time are identified by their timeless relevance, that makes them impactful for years after their release. Films like 2001: A Space Odyssey, Psycho, Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles, The Godfather, 12 Angry Men, and Rashomon will never lose their relevance because the way they changed filmmaking will always inspire future generations.
The best movies of the 21st century have permanently transformed cinema and will undoubtedly continue to influence the industry in the later years of the century. These modern movies have reshaped the industry with their unprecedented influence on filmmaking, through introducing new technology, challenging the kind of narratives being addressed in films, and even changing the very nature of a genre.
The Dark Knight (2008)
Right from the opening scene, which sets a great pace for the rest of the film, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight made an impression with its gorgeous and immersive visual scope. Anyone who has had the fortune of watching it in a movie theater will never forget the experience of seeing the aspect ratio grow to fill up the screen.
What started with The Dark Knight has now become a regular phenomenon and has led up to the exciting new announcement about Nolan’s next movie, 2026’s Odyssey. The former was the first mainstream movie to feature scenes sH๏τ in IMAX, which has become the norm today, and the latter will be the first movie to be filmed entirely in IMAX.
Iron Man (2008)
The same year that Nolan’s eponymous Batman movie came out, another major milestone superhero film was released, whose impact has permanently changed the way storytelling is approached in the genre. 2008’s Iron Man, which revamped Robert Downey Jr.’s career, also launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which is 37 movies long today, and has many new exciting тιтles slated for release.
The way the MCU transformed the nature of franchise-building cannot be underestimated, as it’s not even restricted to superhero cinema anymore, and the crossover style of franchise storytelling is now the norm. Without Iron Man and the MCU, cinema would look very different today. Blockbuster filmmaking in the future will likely continue adopting the MCU model for decades to come.
Avatar (2009)
Regardless of the harsh realities of rewatching James Cameron’s Avatar movies, one can’t deny the scale and visual grandeur of the first Avatar movie. The special effects of the film, which were at the highest level in the sequel too, are among the finest examples of VFX in cinematic history. The VFX team has permanently changed the action filmmaking landscape.
Avatar became the highest-grossing film in the world in 2009, and hasn’t been dethroned since.
The realistic visuals of the 2009 movie took the world by storm, and it’s still the biggest selling point today, for the third film, set to be released later this year. The ficтιтious planet of Pandora has been rendered with such attention to detail that it’s inevitable you’ll get immersed in it and want to explore it with the characters.
John Wick (2014)
John Wick is action movie shockingly far exceeded our expectations with its innovative cinematography and choreography that distanced itself from the cheesy cinematic style of the ’80s and ’90s, and the shaky cam footage ᴀssociated with the 2000s. Grittiness had already become a common trait of the genre, but John Wick‘s polished direction has changed how action cinema is made today.
Keanu Reeves’ image is inextricably linked to action today because of John Wick. The тιтular character’s arc has changed action movie writing, as action films have become character-driven ever since the emotionally rich journey of John Wick won audiences over. Its stylized cinematography and neon-drenched lighting, realistic gun fights and stuntwork, and the silent, brooding mood have already been immortalized.
Get Out (2017)
Elevated horror as an art form has been alive since the days of German expressionism, and in the past hundred years, the genre has never really disappeared, but has gone through periods of going unnoticed. Despite noteworthy films like Mulholland Drive, Donnie Darko, Pan’s Labyrinth, Black Swan, and The Babadook, elevated horror wasn’t as popular in the early 21st Century.
Get Out is the second and one of three horror films nominated for the Best Picture Oscar, alongside Black Swan and The Substance.
The best horror movie released in the past 10 years permanently changed the perception of the genre and made it mainstream. Today, elevated horror is one of the most popular subgenres of horror, and this upsurge in elevated horror films can be linked to Jordan Peele’s Get Out, which proved that art cinema can also find such genuine mainstream appeal.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Animation as a genre has always led the drive for innovation in storytelling. The use of visual cues to reflect the mood of the characters in the backdrop and the invention of new technology to design the gorgeous costumes and create the fluid, stylized, and vibrant color palette and visual design is what makes Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse so impactful.
This aesthetically pleasing and unique animated movie shocked everyone, and the film’s commitment to the whimsy afforded by the medium has been impacting animation filmmaking over the past few years. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse‘s use of scenery and colors to move the emotional aspect of the narrative forward can be found in most animated films made since its release.
Parasite (2019)
Before Parasite, the burst in popularity of K-pop and K-dramas hadn’t impacted the sphere of movies as much, even though Korean cinema has always been popular among cinephiles. Korean movies have still not found as much mainstream appeal today, but the success of a few noteworthy тιтles every year clearly demonstrates a trend of rising fame for international cinema today.
Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite permanently changed cinema as one of the best thriller movies of the 2010s by becoming the first-ever foreign-language film to win the Best Picture Academy Award. The director’s acceptance speech is one of the biggest pop culture moments of the 21st Century, in which he brings to light how much foreign-language movies are often unfairly overlooked.
Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
Joseph Kosinski’s Top Gun: Maverick is an action movie sequel that’s better than the original, which shocked audiences when it came out in 2022, after the COVID-19 pandemic. This legacy sequel is surprisingly compelling, considering the long gap between the movies, and it has some of the best action cinematography ever committed to screen, especially during the rapid flight sequences.
Top Gun: Maverick revitalized a dying industry after the pandemic with its worldwide theatrical release that brought movie buffs back to theaters in swarms. The financial strain that the industry suffered during the pandemic threatened to bankrupt most movie theaters, but Tom Cruise and the movie crew saved Hollywood after the inevitable closure of theaters for a couple of years.
Emilia Pérez (2024)
One of the biggest movies of 2024, which won multiple awards and earned close to the highest number of Oscar nominations in 2025, is Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Pérez, which was praised for its energetic musical numbers, gorgeous visuals, and compelling performances, especially Zoe Saldaña’s, who won, and Karla Sofía Gascón’s, who was nominated, for Academy Awards in 2025.
While the movie’s legacy is laden with controversy, a less-known controversial aspect of the film’s production is its use of artificial intelligence. Emilia Pérez might become a precedent for the use of AI, as the film used the technology to increase Karla Sofía Gascón’s vocal range in post-production, which is a disappointing and possibly damaging development for the industry.
KPop Demon Hunters (2025)
KPop Demon Hunters‘ growing domination of Netflix streaming charts has proven that animated movies can compete with live-action cinema, despite being a medium of storytelling often considered only appropriate for children. It has become the most-watched content on Netflix in the history of the streaming platform. This unprecedented milestone for an animated movie could permanently change the medium’s perception.
KPop Demon Hunters is a musical film steeped in Korean culture that addresses the nature of fandom and conventionalism in the industry. Its soundtrack has been winning over new fans every day since the film’s release. This ever-growing cultural footprint will reshape the industry by popularizing both international cultures in cinema, and animation as a medium of storytelling.
