The defining films of the past decade

The most rewarding movies of the past 10 years weren't the popcorn blockbusters, but those that twisted genres, defied conventions and celebrated diversity.

Joaquin Phoenix in "Joker", a superhero movie that held up a mirror to an era in which division and social hatred are becoming parts of everyday American life. AP

John McDonald

Dec 21, 2019 – 1.19am

Email LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

Subscribe to gift this article

Gift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.

Subscribe now

Already a subscriber?

Looking back over the past decade, I was struck by the total disconnect between the highest-grossing films of the year and – for want of a better word – films of quality. Inevitably, the biggest box office hits are superhero movies, kids’ films, or franchises such as Harry Potter, James Bond or Star Wars. It’s a trend that seems only to be escalating, with the highest-grossing film of 2019 being Avengers: Endgame, which raked in $US2.8 billion ($4 billion). I must confess I haven’t seen this movie and have no desire to make good the omission.

Does this make me a film snob? Yes! But I’m in good company with seasoned filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola. The former recently said that superhero movies were more like theme parks than cinema. Coppola opined that his friend Martin was being too kind. He found franchise films “despicable” – devoid of knowledge, enlightenment and inspiration.