You could debate for hours on end when trying to decide your favourite films of all time. However, some really do just stand out as classics. Despite a lot of the classics being created in the 20th century, this list showcases the best films that were released after 2000, with the three coming from the same franchise – any guesses?

From action thrillers to fantasy adventures and World War II tear-jerkers, this list has it all. Here are the top ten best films of the 21st century as ranked by IMDb.

10. Elephant

This 2003 American psychological drama film was written, directed and edited by Gus Van Sant. It takes inspiration from the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, and depicts the events surrounding a school shooting in Portland, Oregon. John Robinson, Alex Frost, and Eric Deulen star in the film. Elephant’s synopsis reads: “A variety of adolescents at a suburban high school drift through a seemingly uneventful day, until two students arrive with violent intentions. Alex (Frost) and Eric (Deulen) have developed elaborate plans to enter their school and gun down as many of their peers as possible. Although Alex and Eric are seen as the victims of bullying, and the pair have carefully plotted their attack, most of the violence is committed with a detached sense of randomness.”

9. Memento

Christopher Nolan’s 2000 film Memento is an American psychological thriller, based on the short story Memento Mori, written by his brother Jonathan Nolan. The film stars Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Joe Pantoliano. It’s synopsis reads: “Leonard (Pearce) is tracking down the man who raped and murdered his wife. The difficulty, however, of locating his wife’s killer is compounded by the fact that he suffers from a rare, untreatable form of memory loss. Although he can recall details of life before his accident, Leonard cannot remember what happened fifteen minutes ago, where he’s going, or why.”

8. Oldboy

Oldboy is a South Korean action-thriller film, released in 2003. It was directed and co-written by Park Chan-wook and is loosely based on the Japanese manga of the same name. Oldboy stars Choi Min-sik, Yoo Ji-tae and Kang Hye-jung. The film’s synopsis reads: “Dae-Su is an obnoxious drunk bailed from the police station yet again by a friend. However, he’s abducted from the street and wakes up in a cell, where he remains for the next 15 years, drugged unconscious when human contact is unavoidable, otherwise with only the television as company. And then, suddenly released, he is invited to track down his jailor with a denouement that is simply stunning.”

7. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

2002’s The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is the second film of the Lord of the Rings trilogy based on J.R. Tolkien’s books. The film’s synopsis reads: “The sequel to the Golden Globe-nominated and AFI Award-winning The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers follows the continuing quest of Frodo (Elijah Wood) and the Fellowship to destroy the One Ring. Frodo and Sam (Sean Astin) discover they are being followed by the mysterious Gollum. Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), the Elf archer Legolas and Gimli the Dwarf encounter the besieged Rohan kingdom, whose once great King Theoden has fallen under Saruman’s deadly spell.”

6. Lincoln

The 2012 American biographical historical drama film was directed and produced by Steven Spielberg, and starred Daniel Day-Lewis as United States President Abraham Lincoln. Sally Field, David Strathairn and Joseph Gordon-Levitt also feature in the film. The film focuses on Lincoln’s efforts to abolish slavery and involuntary servitude by having the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution passed by the United States House of Representatives in January 1865. The film’s synopsis reads: “With the nation embroiled in still another year with the high death count of Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln brings the full measure of his passion, humanity and political skill to what would become his defining legacy: to end the war and permanently abolish slavery through the 13th Amendment. Having great courage, acumen and moral fortitude, Lincoln pushes forward to compel the nation, and those in government who oppose him, to aim toward a greater good for all mankind.”

5. Capote

Capote is a biographical drama film about American novelist Truman Capote. Released in 2005, it was directed by Bennett Miller, written by Dan Futterman and starred Philip Seymour Hoffman in the title role. The film primarily follows the events during the writing of Capote’s non-fiction book In Cold Blood, published in 1965. The film’s synopsis reads: “Reading of the murder of a Kansas family, New York City novelist Truman Capote (Hoffman) decides to cover the story himself, and travels to the small town with his childhood friend, aspiring novelist Harper Lee (Catherine Keener). When Perry Smith (Clifton Collins Jr.) and Dick Hickock (Mark Pellegrino) are arrested and charged, Capote forms an emotional bond with Smith during his jailhouse interviews despite the young criminal’s apparent guilt.”

4. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

The Lord of the Rings story revolves around The One Ring, a powerful artefact forged by the Dark Lord Sauron, and so it becomes hobbit Frodo Baggins’ mission to destroy it. This journey, with the help of the Fellowship, is the journey the films follow and is crucial in attempting to defeat Sauron and saving Middle-earth. The film was a huge critical and commercial success, and it is still widely considered as one of the most influential movies ever made.

3. 12 Years a Slave

Released in 2013, 12 Years a Slave is biographical historical drama film directed by Steve McQueen from a screenplay by John Ridley. It was based on the 1853 slave memoir Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup, an American of mixed race, who was kidnapped from Washington, D.C. in 1841 and then sold into slavery. The film’s synopsis reads: “In the years before the Civil War, Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free black man from upstate New York, is kidnapped and sold into slavery in the South. Subjected to the cruelty of one malevolent owner (Michael Fassbender), he also finds unexpected kindness from another, as he struggles continually to survive and maintain some of his dignity. Then in the 12th year of the disheartening ordeal, a chance meeting with an abolitionist from Canada changes Solomon’s life forever.”

2. The Pianist

The biographical film from 2002 was adapted from a memoir by the Polish-Jewish pianist, composer and Holocaust survivor Władysław Szpilman. The Pianist was directed by Roman Polanski, with a script by Ronald Harwood. The film starred Adrien Brody who went on to receive critical acclaim for his performance. The film’s synopsis reads: “In this adaptation of the autobiography The Pianist: The Extraordinary True Story of One Man’s Survival in Warsaw, 1939-1945, Wladyslaw Szpilman (Brody), a Polish Jewish radio station pianist, sees Warsaw change gradually as World War II begins. Szpilman is forced into the Warsaw Ghetto, but is later separated from his family during Operation Reinhard. From this time until the concentration camp prisoners are released, Szpilman hides in various locations among the ruins of Warsaw.

1. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is the last film in the trilogy. Released in 2003, the film stars Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler and Viggo Mortensen among many others. It has received a long list of accolades and is loved by many. It’s synopsis reads: “The culmination of nearly 10 years’ work and conclusion to Peter Jackson’s epic trilogy based on the timeless J.R.R. Tolkien classic, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King presents the final confrontation between the forces of good and evil fighting for control of the future of Middle-earth. Hobbits Frodo and Sam reach Mordor in their quest to destroy the `one ring’, while Aragorn leads the forces of good against Sauron’s evil army at the stone city of Minas Tirith.”