The early 00s were chock-full of great movies from all sorts of genres, from horror to comedy, sci-fi, and even fantasy. Each year of the decade produced some really good entries into cinema, and they don’t always have to be considered high art either. While the greatest movies of the decade, and of the year 2003 in particular, are generally considered to be movies that are more artful and serious, sometimes that’s not all enjoyment is about.
Many movies from 2003 weren’t always shining examples of auteurship, but they are very enjoyable and stand as being hallmarks of the year, whether due to nostalgia or to various other factors. If you’re looking for a trip down memory lane or a revisit to all of your favourite classics, look no further than the most essential movies of 2003, which should absolutely be seen by anyone who call themselves a cinephile.
10
‘Freaky Friday’
Directed by Mark Waters
Freaky Friday isn’t just a 2000s teen comedy–it is the 2000s teen comedy. Well, that and Mean Girls, anyway. In this supernatural comedy, Lindsay Lohan stars as Anna, an angsty and rebellious teenage girl in the midst of a turbulent relationship with her uptight mother, Tess, played by Jamie Lee Curtis. When they publicly begin to argue in a Chinese restaurant, an old woman gives them both fortune cookies, which when simultaneously opened, causes them to switch bodies.
Tess wakes up in Anna’s body, and vice-versa, with the two having to live through each other’s daily lives. Everything from the fashion to the lingo to the visuals reeks of the early 2000s, but that’s why people love it so much. In spite of its age, it holds up every bit now as much as it did then, and serves as a popular source of nostalgia for what many perceive as a simpler time. This has resulted in a sequel being produced, the release of which is rapidly approaching. The chemistry between Lohan and Curtis is electrifying, and seeing them pretend to act like each other bring a very interesting dynamic that anyone will love.
9
‘Holes’
Directed by Andrew Davis
Based on the Louis Sachar novel of the same name, Holes is a neo-Western that happens to be the theatrical debut of a young Shia LaBoeuf. In the story, LaBoeuf plays Stanley, a teen who is wrongfully convicted of theft and is sent to a juvenile detention facility out in the middle of the desert. In this large prison, inmates are forced to dig a mysterious set of holes in the sand, for reasons which aren’t disclosed to them. Stanley, along with his friends, take it upon themselves to get to the bottom of the mystery at the movie’s heart.
This family film has some great morals about the power of unity and the ability for even kids to make a difference in their community–all it takes is one. Adventurous, comedic, and inspiring, Holes was both a critical and commercial success, and is a movie that many a 00s child grew up with, and that many still return to, even to this day. It’s not a perfect movie by any means, but it’s one that really needs to be seen.
8
‘Elf’
Directed by Jon Favreau
Elf is the Christmas-themed comedy classic that instantly became famous and evolved into one of those movies that people watch every single year during the holiday season. Elf stars Will Ferrell as Buddy, a human who was raised by Christmas elves, and is now assimilating back into human culture while on a quest to find his biological father. With Buddy being totally out of his element and not understanding societal norms, holiday hijinks ensue.
This movie is naturally full of hilarious moments and eccentric characters, mixing the feel-good, magical feel of classic Christmas films with family-friendly moments of pure absurdity. But behind all the moments of laughter, there is a genuinely heartfelt story in there about the need for belonging and Buddy’s search for his true identity, as well as the importance of people believing in the Christmas spirit. Even though it’s a holiday movie that’s well over 20 years old, it hasn’t aged a day.
7
‘School of Rock’
Directed by Richard Linklater
School of Rock is about Dewey Finn (Jack Black), a lazy, unmotivated singer who is fired from his rock band. Desperate for money, he pretends to be his roommate when an upscale private school calls, asking said roommate to fill a teaching position. Despite not being teacher material, Dewey takes on his new job, and instead begins molding his class to be the perfect rock band for the upcoming national Battle of the Bands. Every student has a role to play, whether it be instrumentalist, backup vocalist, manager, or lighting technician.
This is a movie that really made use of the talent it had, with all of the young actors actually playing their respective intruments, and Jack Black of course playing his. This musical comedy is just an all-around fun movie, full of heart, laughs, and lots of great moments for music fans. It’s an all-time classic of the 2000s that is both extremely nostalgic and satisfying. It also boasts a young Miranda Cosgrove as one of the students, who, ironically, doesn’t get to utilize her pipes in this film. That aside, it’s a wonderful movie.
6
‘Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl’
Directed by Gore Verbinski
The first film in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, The Curse of the Black Pearl was actually based on an attraction at a Disney theme park, which is a bit of a weird concept for a movie. Despite this, this was a film that exceeded all expectations and became an instant swashbuckling classic, starring Johnny Depp in one of his most iconic roles: that of Captain Jack Sparrow. The star-studded cast also includes Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, and Geoffrey Rush, in roles that are just as iconic as Captain Jack himself.
With thrilling swordplay, quests for cursed treasures, elements of fantasy, and a storyline straight out of seafaring folklore, this first installment would later blow up into a huge multi-million dollar franchise that broke all kinds of records. Yet this first movie will always reign supreme for just how fun it is. There’s romance, adventure, and action on the high seas that establish it as one of the greatest pirate movies ever made.
5
‘X2’
Directed by Bryan Singer
X2 is the second installment in the X-Men movie franchise, and one that is commonly forgotten in the 21st Century. Though it may be slightly forgotten, that doesn’t stop it from being amazing in almost every way. This is the second film to star Hugh Jackman in the leading role as Wolverine, which quickly became one of his greatest and most memorable roles; a role he still returns to in the 2020s. Featuring new villains and new compllications to the story, X2 raises the stakes and becomes one of the most unique superhero flicks of the decade.
The team of mutants known as the X-Men expands, bringing in exciting new characters and developments in the story, coming with an exceptionally emotional ending that many didn’t expect from a superhero flick, which typically involve happy and hopeful endings. Any Marvel fan or superhero fan in general should definitely watch X2, because it’s a shining example of how much care went into superhero flicks before many felt the MCU became tired and overproduced.
4
‘Kill Bill: Vol. 1’
Directed by Quentin Tarantino
There’s nothing quite like a good old revenge story, is there? Quentin Tarantino‘s Kill Bill Vol. 1 is about The Bride, a.k.a. Beatrix Kiddo (Uma Thurman) a former assassin who is about to be married to the love of her life. But during the rehearsal ceremony, assassins from her own organization arrive and slaughter nearly everyone in attendance and putting Beatrix into a coma. Angry and vengeful, the surviving Bride wakes up four years later, digging up her past to go on one last mission to eliminate the people who made her life miserable.
This martial arts film boasts some incredible fight choreography and some truly brutal violence in typical Tarantino fashion. From swordplay to gunplay, Kill Bill: Vol. 1 is a revolutionary film, as it is based on samurai flicks while being extremely American in nature, for a bit of cultural fusion that works insanely well. This is one of Thurman’s most popular roles, and one for which she is to be commended for, because this movie is quite simply awesome.
3
‘Memories of Murder’
Directed by Bong Joon-ho
Memories of Murder is a crime thriller from South Korean film director Bong Joon-ho, before he became a household name in Western households thanks to the success of his 2019 psychological thriller Parasite. This movie may not be as well-known, but it is absolutely an essential film that demands to be seen. The film follows two South Korean detectives who are assigned to track down a serial killer. The murderer in the film is based on South Korea’s first confirmed case of serial murder committed by Lee Choon-jae.
With this film, Bong proves that he is a master of film, escalating tension and drawing viewers in deep with every passing second. Not only is this a tense and exhilirating crime thriller, but there are also a lot of aspects from dark comedy and gallows humour. This is mainly in how it depicts the police as being incompetent and too relaxed, as well as unprepared, considering they had never faced a crime of this calibre before. A unique and chilling masterpiece, Memories of Murder should be watched by anyone and everyone, period.
- Release Date
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May 2, 2003
- Runtime
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132 Minutes
- Director
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Bong Joon Ho
- Writers
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Bong Joon Ho, Kwang-rim Kim, Sung-bo Shim
2
‘Finding Nemo’
Directed by Andrew Stanton
Pretty much everybody knows the story of Finding Nemo by now: a widowed and anxious clownfish named Marlin (Albert Brooks) witnesses his only son, Nemo (Alexander Gould) get caught by divers, after which Marlin becomes determined to get him back. He befriends a ditzy fish named Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) who has short-term memory loss, but who offers to help him find his only remaining family, in a tale of a friendship and a father’s love.
Marlin and Dory encounter numerous undersea dangers on their quest to get Nemo back, amplified by human environmental destruction and the general risks that come with being a small fish in the world’s biggest pond, i.e. the ocean. This is arguably one of the greatest films Pixar has ever produced. It’s not only exciting for both kids and adults, but there’s a ton of quotable moments and a genuinely moving story. Finding Nemo is, by all accounts, absolutely perfect, and earns every bit of praise that it gets.
1
‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’
Directed by Peter Jackson
The final film in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Return of the King is nothing short of cinematic perfection. In this installment, the end of Middle-Earth looms, and the free peoples amass armies to combat the invading Orcs and preserve their way of life, in the hopes that the unassuming hobbit who carries the One Ring will be able to cast the cursed thing into the fires of Mount Doom, from whence it came.
With sweeping romance, epic cinematic scale, inspiring speeches, and unbelievably exciting large-scale battle sequences, this film was unlike anything anyone had ever seen before. Even though it’s not 100% faithful to J. R. R. Tolkien‘s original novel, it’s still the best adaptation anyone could have asked for, and won numerous Oscars for its outstanding quality. This is truly the best film of 2003, and the one that everyone must see at some point in their lives.