Entertainment
6 Best Miniseries Released Since 2010
We all love a quick fix now and again. While long-running television shows sometimes require a longer commitment, the beauty of a miniseries is that it is built to satisfy audiences through a single storyline. The 20th century was filled with iconic miniseries, many of which aired on network television. Then, at the start of the 21st century, they shifted over to the premium cable channels. Now, we seem to be living in a golden age of miniseries thanks to the streamers.
Since 2010, there have been an abundance of extraordinary miniseries. With more freedom on the streamers, the way stories can be told in miniseries has changed drastically. Darker, more complex narratives have come to the forefront. Daring and bold risks are taken. From dramatizations of shocking true stories to sensational adaptations of classic works, the six titles on this list represent some of the best miniseries since 2010. Though there are certainly many others that could have slipped in, these six are at the tippy top of the list.
1
‘Adolescence’ (2025)
By no means is Adolescence an easy series to watch, but it sure is a fascinating product! The enthralling Netflix psychological drama tells the story of Janie Miller (Owen Cooper), a 13-year-old schoolboy who becomes the center of a scandal after he is arrested for murdering a girl in his school, Katie Leonard (Emilia Holliday). The series then follows Jamie’s parents, Eddie and Manda (Stephen Graham and Christine Tremarco), as they navigate the police and legal system as they handle the great shock of the event and the revelations about their own son. Adolescence tackles the real themes of toxic internet culture, peer pressure, male rage and the distorted ideals of modern masculinity. A truly harrowing film, Adolescence is built on pure, raw emotion.
The one-shot wonder took the streaming world by storm with its pristine four-episode series. Each tightly plotted episode is filmed in a single continuous take. By doing so, it captures the range of emotions, pure chaos, and dark intimacy of the situations. From the initial arrest to the series-defining psychologist session between Jamie and Briony Ariston (Erin Doherty), the series feels terrifyingly immersive. Created by Jack Thorne and Graham and directed by Philip Barantini, Adolescence became a transcendent piece that, on the surface, may have seemed like an extraordinarily extensive crime that was still rooted in reality. It was essentially presented without flaw. The series catapulted Cooper to great heights, sweeping the awards with win after win. Adolescence was not a whodunnit, but rather a masterful why-dunnit.
2
‘Chernobyl’ (2019)
The thought of telling the story of a horrible human tragedy may not be the biggest seller for a series, but Chernobyl was executed perfectly. Written by Craig Mazin and directed by Johan Renck, Chernobyl used only five tightly curated episodes to explore the catastrophic nuclear accident in Ukraine. The series dramatizes the explosion, the immediate chaos, the massive cleanup efforts, and the intense political cover-up and systemic lies by the Soviet government. Brought to life through an exceptional ensemble, featuring Jared Harris, Stellan Skarsgård, Emily Watson, Jessie Buckley, and Paul Ritter, Chernobyl doesn’t rewrite or sanitize history but captures the devastation through meticulous historical accuracy and visceral horror.
Rather than playing it like a documentary, Chernobyl treats its story as a human-driven dramatization. The series doesn’t attempt to soften the reality, instead providing a stark, grim reality. Viewers are dropped straight into the apocalyptic nightmare and the horrendous aftermath that dissected how bureaucratic lies, cover-ups, and systemic arrogance caused and worsened the catastrophe. Renck’s direction features a bleak color story that gives the series a lived-in, real-time atmosphere. Chernobyl pushes beyond a retelling to use the overarching theme of the cost of truth to serve as a harrowing reminder of what happens when a government decides to suppress scientific fact.
3
‘The Haunting of Hill House’ (2018)
The Netflix and Mike Flanagan collaboration served as one of the very best in streaming history. Launching a craving for short-form horror storytelling, The Haunting of Hill House, the first series in a string of hits, revitalized the genre for the small screen. Taking inspiration from Shirley Jackson’s novel, the series splits across two timelines. In 1992, Hugh and Olivia Crain (Henry Thomas and Carla Gugino) and their five kids move into a massive mansion to fix it up and sell it. The house slowly drives the family mad with terrifying visions. One tragic night, they flee the house, leaving Olivia dead inside. Twenty-six years later, a new family tragedy forces the grown-up siblings and their father to reunite and face the dark ghosts of their past. The Haunting of Hill House masters a ghost story with an exploration of grief, trauma, guilt, and pain and how it stays with an individual through time.
By maintaining a human-centric narrative, Flanagan ensures a genuine blend of terror with profound heartbreak of a family experiencing trauma. Through its core supernatural elements, The Haunting of Hill House uses the scares as a unique metaphor for how each family handles sorrow, depression, and loss. Trauma is established as the true monster of the story, not the physical manifestation of a ghost haunting the home. Flanaghan’s experience as a horror director allowed for a sublimely crafted thriller. He evokes a ghoulish atmosphere where dread lurks around every corner. The technical craftsmanship made The Haunting of Hill House better than some big screen frights. The Haunting of Hill House pushed horror to new storytelling directions. Without The Haunting of Hill House, we would never have experienced The Haunting of Bly Manor, Midnight Mass, or The Fall of the House of Usher.
4
‘The Night Of’ (2016)
Crime thrillers have seen a rise over the last few decades. Moving beyond a typical police procedural, miniseries have the power to take a single narrative and allow it to unfold over the course of a couple of episodes. One of the very best at the beginning of the trend was the incomparable The Night Of. Based on the British series Criminal Justice, the eight-part crime drama centered around Pakistani-American college student Nasir “Naz” Khan (Riz Ahmed), who is accused of a brutal murder of Andrea Cornish (Sofia Black-D’Elia) after an eventful night out. Awaiting a trial at Riker’s Island, Naz endures the treacherous prison environment while being reprsented by a determined lawyer, John Stone (John Turturro). The series examines the flaws, pressures, and broken American legal system through the police investigation and Naz’s trial.
The Night Of is a masterclass in tension-building and storytelling. Through eight episodes, The Night Of mixes a gripping murder mystery with an in-depth examination of how individuals can lose the potential of justice through predetermined opinions and biases. By putting the spotlight on intricacies and flaws, the justice system is put on trial itself, bringing forth the pressure and prejudice can trap the innocent. Through depictions of race, class discrepancy, and immigration, The Night Of continues to have a timelessness to it. Perhaps the most haunting part of the series is the moral ambiguity. The Night Of refuses to neatly resolve the story, making it feel raw and hauntingly authentic. Even if freedom is granted to the innocent, does it mean any institutional change will come?
5
‘The Queen’s Gambit’ (2020)
What happens when you unite a period coming-of-age story with the game of chess? You get The Queen’s Gambit. Based on Walter Tevis‘ novel, the series tells the story of Beth Harmon (Anya Taylor-Joy), a chess prodigy in the 1950s and 1960s who rises to the top of the game while dealing with drug and alcohol dependency. the series documents her journey as a young orphan who is taught the game of chess by Mr. Shaibel (Bill Camp), the orphanage’s custodian. Beth develops her skills as a cash-earning tournament chess champion, her adoptive mother Alma (Marielle Heller) pushes her to continue her journey to the top while reaping the financial benefits. The Queen’s Gambit depicts Beth’s brilliance at the chessboard as she faces off against her greatest foe: her inner demons.
Written and directed with precision by Scott Frank, The Queen’s Gambit is storytelling at its finest. One of the most popular series in Netflix history, The Queen’s Gambit was a captivating narrative with exceptional acting, breathtaking cinematography, and an overall vision that took Beth’s story beyond the board game. It miraculously transforms a slow-moving game and turns it into a high-stakes thriller. Rather than extend the series in hopes of a multi-season run, The Queen’s Gambit tells Beth’s story in an effective seven episodes. Taylor-Joy rises to superstardom through her quiet power, intense focus, and emotional realness. With strong attention to detail in the production design, The Queen’s Gambit immaculately brings the viewer into the action through the retro-set aesthetic. The Queen’s Gambit made history as the first streaming series to win Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series.
6
‘When They See Us’ (2019)
One of the most important miniseries of all time is none other than When They See Us. Fearlessly brought to life by Ava DuVernay, the four episode drama tells the harrowing tale of the Central Park Five, now proudly known as the Exonerated Five. The gut-wrenching series follows five Black and Latino teenagers from Harlem— Kevin Richardson (Asante Blackk), Antron McCray (Caleel Harris), Yusef Salaam (Ethan Herisse), Korey Wise (Jharrel Jerome), and Raymond Santana (Marquis Rodriguez)—who were wrongfully accused and coerced into false confessions, and convicted of the 1989 assault and rape of a white female jogger in New York City. It chronicles their fight to clear their names, spanning 25 years from their initial questioning to their eventual exoneration in 2002. When They See Us is a tale of stolen innocence, the dehumanization of Black and Latino youth, the power of family resilience, and how media bias.
Not always the easiest story to watch, When They See Us uses historical authenticity to ensure an accurate representation of the events. In doing so, DuVernay exposes the deep-seated systemic racism and police coercion of the ordeal. Instead of a mystery, the true-crime drama focuses on the emotional aftermath and how it altered the lives of the accused, their families, and the lasting trauma caused by the legal system. The series boasts a brilliant ensemble, also featuring Michael K. Williams, Aunjanue Ellis, Vera Farmiga, John Leguizamo, Felicity Huffman, and Niecy Nash. A vibrantly shot series that brought a raw depiction of trauma to the screen, When They See Us makes the uncomfortable truths hit home harder than before.
The freedom for streamers is that there are fewer restrictions than on network television. That means the boundaries can be pushed further than you’d imagine. So when it comes to mature content, expect to see things you literally can’t see otherwise. So, that means violence, cursing, and sex are fair game. HBO and its streaming app HBO Max have made a name for themselves for their provocative programming.
If you’re looking for a bit of an escape for some steamy series, HBO Max has you covered. From young adults making their way through love and life to the bloodsucking adventures of just in the bayou, these adult series have certainly steamed up your screens through the years. These not-safe-for-work dramas and comedies also happen to be some of the best shows on television, so a double win!
1
‘Euphoria’ (2019-2026)
Image via HBO Max
There are many words that can be used to describe Euphoria. Groundbreaking is one; infuriating is another. But we stuck with the drama for its shocking storytelling. Created by Sam Levinson, Euphoria depicts a group of high school students who work their way through the strife of life. Centering on Rue Bennett (Zendaya), a 17-year-old fresh out of rehab and her new intense relationship with newcomer Jules Vaughn (Hunter Schafer), Euphoria opens up eyes to how young adults in modern times handle substance abuse, depression, trauma, and unhealthy coping mechanisms through the exploration of sexual orientations, body image, gender identity, and modern intimacy. Through a dangerous dance of social media, peer pressure, and family dysfunction, Euphoria certainly doesn’t skimp on salacious scenes.
Euphoria was a line-crossing take on modern teenage life that made it its mission to show how vast and scary young adult life is, and how teenage decisions can have adult consequences. If you wished you could leap through your screens and shake these kids, you’re not alone. If anything, it was a mark of its addictive nature. Euphoria went all in on intimacy, both woefully desired and provocatively intense. From Cassie Howard (Sydney Sweeney) on the carousel and Nate Jacobs (Jacob Elordi) and Maddy Perez’s (Alexa Demie) volatile and charged dynamic to Rue and Jules’ intimacy contrasting that of Cal Jacobs (Eric Dane), the series shed a spotlight on the range of intimate connections. By incorporating raw, uninhibited intimacy and nudity, Euphoria packs a dramatic punch through its euphoric cinematography. Prudes steer clear!
2
‘Girls’ (2012-2017)
Some found it cringe, others saw it as the most millennial show possible, but if there’s one thing Girls had going for it, it got people chattering. Created and starring Lena Dunham, the Judd Apatow-produced series followed four young New York City women as they made their way through friendships, careers, and romantic relationships. Showing the good, the bad, and the ugly, Girls shows Hannah Horvath (Dunham), Marnie Michaels (Allison Williams), Jessa Johansson (Jemima Kirk), and Shoshanna Shapiro (Zosia Mamet) stumble their way through adulthood, facing financial stress, career roadblocks, and messy breakups. Refusing to depict adulthood as a glamorized city series, Girls presents an awkward, unfiltered, and deeply cringe celebration of friendship and poor choices. A touchstone of 2020s pop culture, Girls was unapologetically honest.
Through the trials and tribulations of post-graduate survival, every crisis, every victory, and every meaningful moment becomes an event. The razor-sharp, often satirical observational writing captured the specific anxieties, narcissistic tendencies, and comedic absurdities of millennials. As far as the steamy content is concerned, Girls did not sugarcoat the uncomfortable nature of sex. As a means of body positivity, Dunham’s Hannah frequently appears naked or in intimate situations to deconstruct ideas of femininity, self-image, and body ownership. Intimacy is presented as a way of circling vulnerability, miscommunication, and loneliness in their relationships. The cringy, unsexy moments of intimacy become the beacon of conversation for the series. From Hannah and Adam Sackler’s (Adam Driver) raw, unfiltered physical eccentricities to Jessa having sex with a stranger in a bathroom, Marnie and Charlie’s (Christopher Abbott) emotionally potent and deeply intimate sequence to Shoshanna and Ray’s (Alex Karpovsky) “stalley pickle” and “slimy vagina,” Girls brought the full spectrum of twenty-something passion in and around the bedroom.
3
‘Heated Rivalry’ (2025-Present)
We all felt the collective rush thanks to the highly addictive gay hockey series Heated Rivalry. Based on Rachel Reid’s Game Changers book series, the Jacob Tierney-created sports romance depicts the secret romance between hockey stars Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie). Spanning nearly a decade, the narrative explores whether their deep connection can survive the intense pressure of professional sports, public scrutiny, and their fierce team rivalry. In addition to the primary couple, Heated Rivalry depicts a secondary couple —Scott Hunter (François Arnaud) and Kip Grady (Robbie G.K.)—who are more out in the open in a wholesome manner, in contrast to Shane and Ilya. Gaining popularity through a viral word-of-mouth campaign, the instant pop culture series became one of the most resounding emotionally rich dramas through its honest depiction of LGBTQ+ individuals in a hypermasculine industry.
A slow-burning story of yearning, connection, and intimacy, Heated Rivalry eventually depicted the tender moments after its slew of raunchy sex scenes. The connection between the two men was due to their shared attraction. The only way they could connect was through a high frequency of sexual encounters, which is why fans went wild about the steamy series. From laying the groundwork with the shower scene to the infamous tuna melt scene, these sexually intimate scenes were necessary for Shane and Ilya to have their tender moment together at the cottage. Throughout the six episodes of the season, there were quite a few hot and heavy moments, so if you’re coming to the show looking for on-ice action, be prepared. With Season 2 underway, expect more of the same thing, with new characters having their chance in steamy moments as well.
4
‘Hung’ (2009-2011)
It may seem shocking by today’s standards, but raunchy and steamy shows were truly not as prominent as they are today. When they did arrive, they were done properly and with purpose. Case in point, Hung. Created by Colette Burson and Dmitry Lipkin, the three-season erotic dramedy tells the story of Ray Drecker (Thomas Jane), a struggling former high school sports star turned middle-aged high school basketball coach in Detroit whose life falls apart after a fire damages his home and his wife leaves him. Desperate for cash, Ray resorts to prostitution upon determining he was exceptionally well-endowed. Arriving when the country was experiencing the economic anxiety of the recession, Hung focused on the unconventional relationships and personal reinvention of a man fighting mid-life depression.
With a proactive premise, Hung went full tilt. In a time when antiheroes were on the rise on the small screen, Jane continued the trend. His teacher took on an unlikely path, providing his brilliant storytelling. His unorthodox entry into sex work reflected the economic downturn that questioned American masculinity. Instead of solely relying on anatomical humor, the series treated its characters as fully formed individuals with severity and emotional weight. Hung may seem like a poignant topic by today’s standards, but before the normalcy of OnlyFans, Hung was quite edgy. The show captured the dark corners of suburbia with a distinct screwball-dark-comedy aesthetic. And yes, there was a lot of partial or full nudity, featuring intimate bedroom encounters between Ray and his clients. In doing so, it captured the intersection of sex, money, desire, and vulnerability. Don’t expect to see glamorous sex scenes, as the anxieties of reality bogged down the moments, making them brilliantly bittersweet.
5
‘I Love LA’ (2025-Present)
In the latest in the string of hot new hangout comedies comes I Love LA, a comedy straight from Rachel Sennott. The series centers on Maia Simsbury (Sennott), an up-and-coming talent managerwhose life is upended when her chaotic former best friend and influencer, Tallulah Stiel (Odessa A’zion), unexpectedly re-enters it. Alongside a chaotic friend group, including clout-chasing stylist Charlie Cohen (Jordan Firstman), nepo-baby Alani Marcus (True Whitaker), and Maia’s low-key teacher boyfriend Dylan (Josh Hutcherson), I Love LA keys into the absurdities of trying to make it in Hollywood where internet-fueled status, social media anxiety, ego, and one TikTok can be the key to the kingdom.
I Love LA flourishes for its desire to lean into cringy millennial and Gen Z ambition. With only Dylan truly grounding the fame-obsessed dreamers, the friends rely on witty, razor-sharp dialogue where pop culture references reign supreme. I Love LA opens with a direct sex scene between Maia and Dylan, setting the tone for the steamy series. From there, the series showcases explicit sexual content, frank dialogue about sex, and frequent intimate scenes that are true to reality. The characters’ personal and professional lives frequently blur into messy romantic and sexual entanglements as the hedonistic influencer world is on full display. Fret not, Sennott carefully curated the nudity for narrative purposes rather than shock value. Though shocks do come naturally to the show.
6
‘Industry’ (2020-Present)
Now, for some steamy drama with accents, it’s the juicy financial thriller Industry. Set at the prestigious investment bank Pierpoint & Co in London, Industry revolves around young graduates competing for permanent positions. Diving deep into the intense, high-pressure world of international banking, trading, and corporate finance, Industry also taps into how professional lives seep into personal lives marked heavily by drug use, party culture, messy relationships, and personal vices. The fast-paced series created by former investment bankers Mickey Down and Konrad Kay captures the adrenaline-fueled rivalries, the dilapidated exhaustion, and sensory overload of twenty-somethings bouncing between high-stakes deals and late-night debauchery.
Though Industry swaps out real-world pedantry for catching the right vibe through the intense cultural ecosystem and psychological pressure, it does a striking job of reflecting as work and pleasure intertwine. The characters are richly ambitious and greatly flawed. Some even veer into ruthless antihero territory. And yet, you simply cannot look away. Industry explores the world of sex, kinks, and nudity not simply for titillation but to explore how, for some, power-plays, high-stress coping mechanisms, and raw greed are simply an extension from the trading floor and boardroom. They treat intimacy as a transaction or a means of asserting dominance. And it’s meant to be authentic to the world Industry depicts. There’s simply no way to pick the steamiest scenes because they’re all exceptionally visceral. If steamy shows you seek, Industry delivers.
7
‘The Sex Lives of College Girls’ (2021-2025)
Created by Mindy Kaling and Justin Noble, the gone-too-soon The Sex Lives of College Girls follows four freshman—Kimberly Finkle (Pauline Chalamet), Bela Malhotra (Amrit Kaur), Whitney Chase (Alyah Chanelle Scott), and Leighton Murray (Reneé Rapp)— roommates at the fictional Essex College in Vermont who navigate newfound freedom, relationships, and self-discovery. Depicting the chaotic, hilarious, and stressful transition into unsupervised adulthood, The Sex Lives of College Girls focuses on a frank, messy exploration of modern dating, hookup culture, and sexual identity when the guardrails are off.
Through the depiction of the friendship of a mismatched quartet of roommates, their natural chemistry and quick, clever dialogue allowed for modern issues and heavy topics to be approached through honesty and earnestness. Rather than being approached through stereotypes, the young women are presented as messy, ambitious, and flawed. The messiness of college sexcapades lifted the series to its greatness. Through the eyes of the young women, the male-centric college tropes are gone in order for the candid conversations about explicit hookups and naked parties to resonate with female viewers. The physical intimacy isn’t just about the event; rather, it’s used as a way to further the character development in funny and realistic ways.
8
‘True Blood’ (2008-2014)
One of the most defining fantasy horror dramas of the 21st century was Alan Ball‘s magnificent True Blood. Based on the novel series by Charlaine Harris, True Blood dropped viewers into the small, fictional town of Bon Temps, Louisiana, where the invention of a mass-produced fake blood product known as “Tru Blood” allows vampires to survive without hurting humans. As vampires come out into the open, they push for equal rights and integration. Centered on the love between telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) and 173-year-old vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer), the pair are pulled into a dark and dangerous underworld where the revelation of other supernatural creatures emerges. A daring exploration of political power struggles between opposing factions, the moody Southern Gothic thriller gave everyone a lust for blood.
Through the guise of a soapy fantasy thriller, True Blood uses its story as an analogy for civil rights struggles, prejudice, and political polarization. Through a fictitious lens, the series mirrors real-world systemic hate and media sensationalism. The series excelled at mixing a murder mystery with camp, dark humor, and romance—the latter of which became a major draw for viewers. The humid, sultry locale served as the perfect backdrop for hot, heavy romance. With frequent nudity and intense romantic and lustful intertwining, True Blood emerged as the place to go for steamy vampire seduction. For a lore and mythology already tied to intimacy, True Blood didn’t hold back. Nor did the cast; some of whom emerged as the era’s sex symbols.
It all starts with the screenplay. It’s an adage almost any film student learns, and one that’s at the crux of what makes a good movie. Sure, there have been some experimental films made without any script to speak of, and more that have only used their scripts as loose guidelines rather than hardened rules, but more often than not, the best movies have the best scripts. It’s true for cinema worldwide, but more specifically in America.
Before a certain someone to whom words seemingly have no meaning made it so, America had no official language. We’re a country of a thousand different languages and dialects built up from indigenous and immigrant cultures with a few hundred years’ worth of historical repression, appropriation, and macaronisms. Words have meaning, but sometimes it’s hard to agree on what that meaning is, and there are some great American masterpieces that have used words on the page to try to make some meaning out of nothing. These are the greatest American movie screenplays of all time, proving that the pen really is mightier.
10
‘Aliens’ (1986)
Action is the genre least associated with great writing. When so many classic action movies seem to amount to cheesy one-liners and explosions, it can be easy to forget the incredible amount of work that goes into the structuring of these films. It wouldn’t be controversial to propose that James Cameron is the greatest action director of all time, but when it comes to his screenplays, it becomes a harder sell. They may be unsubtle in their characterizations and feature dialogue that could sound stilted no matter who delivers it, but nobody writes action like Cameron. Look no further than his script for the sci-fi action sequel Aliens for proof.
The script for the original Alien is a beast of different fathers, featuring the cosmic concepts of Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett and the stripped-down efficiency of Walter Hill and David Giler. Aliens is all Cameron. From the first lines that describe the stars shining like the love of God, it is an evocative script that is explicitly visual. Even without the benefit of knowing what the final film looks like, it’s incredibly easy to picture every image from Cameron’s descriptions, and it’s never more clear than in the action sequences. The relentless pacing of Aliens is all on the page.
9
‘Finding Nemo’ (2003)
Reviews and criticism of animation often focus on the visuals more than the script, but there’s just as much magic in the screenplays of some of the best animated films as there is in the beautiful imagery. On occasion, even the Academy Awards have recognized the quality scripts of several American animated movies, with Pixar taking eight of the nine total nominations. The studio has offered incredibly well-crafted films that combine character-driven comedy and perfectly structured storytelling, but it’s Finding Nemo that has the greatest screenplay.
Co-written by director Andrew Stanton along with work by Pixar stalwart Bob Peterson and animation writer David Reynolds, the script for Finding Nemo started with the emotional basis of the father-son storyline, then fleshed out through research into sea life and storyboard tests to improve the story beats and humor. The extensive rewrites resulted in a final screenplay free of any extraneous elements that didn’t serve either a narrative or character purpose. The scenes are structured with purpose, and the action and humor are all informed by the characters and situations. It’s that special process that made Pixar such an unstoppable creative juggernaut for two decades.
8
‘The Silence of the Lambs’ (1991)
Sometimes it’s hard to define what makes an effective horror screenplay. What makes a movie effectively frightening or scary is often a combination of performances, camera blocking, editing and score. Those elements are almost always absent on the page, but the adaptation of Thomas Harris‘ novel The Silence of the Lambs by Ted Tally succeeds not because the script is in and of itself scary to read, but for how effectively it builds the character dynamics and efficiently compacts the source material.
The horror is in the essence of the situations, and the script molds them around the characters. It fairly faithfully adapts the novel, with some minor differences in backstory and condensing of events, but what it gets perfect is the characters. The interactions between Clarice Starling and Hannibal Lecter are the crux of the narrative, and the script transposes much of their dialogue straight from the novel. Tally takes a lot directly from Harris but makes key adjustments in condensing scenes and even shifting moments to give Starling more agency as a character.
7
‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (1969)
Westerns are a part of American iconography. There’s something about that period that ignites people’s passion for the country. From as early as the dime store novels about the exploits of cowboys and outlaws, which were published while those figures were still alive and shooting, there has been a concerted effort to mythologize and romanticize the Old West. In film, plenty of classic Western movies conform to that romanticization, and an almost equal number have taken revisionist approaches. The most outstanding Western screenplay comes from the legendary writer William Goldman with the quintessential buddy movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
Less dark revisionism than playful anachronism, the film is built on banter, but Goldman’s work is filled with far more detail than you might assume based on the final product. His screenplay for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid contains a kind of authorial control in its visual descriptions. Not all of that is reflected in the final film, but the intent is clear from the screenplay and the rhythms are right there on the page. The relationship between the two titular outlaws is tangible even without the benefit of two world-class movie stars reciting the dialogue, and Goldman’s screenplay reads like almost no other.
6
‘Being John Malkovich’ (1999)
The fantasy genre allows writers to work with fewer creative restrictions—when you don’t need to explain the how or why behind something absurd or impossible, it opens all kinds of narrative possibilities. Never one to let a narrative possibility go unexplored, Charlie Kaufman used fantasy to explore identity and celebrity in the idiosyncratic Being John Malkovich. It’s one of the most original American screenplays ever written, taking an already outlandish premise into completely unexpected territory.
Kaufman cobbled the script together from a variety of ideas from two separate scripts before settling on the core premise of a portal that allows those who go through it to enter the mind of actor John Malkovich. That premise could go in a dozen different directions, several of which Kaufman teases out early on before it fully engages with one. The blending of reality with fantasy through a celebrity persona had been attempted to a certain degree before Being John Malkovich, and has several times since, but never with the free-flowing creativity that Kaufman excels at.
5
‘Back to the Future’ (1985)
Science fiction is just as potent with possibilities as fantasy, just from a different angle. Concepts like interstellar exploration, genetic mutation, or time travel allow for all kinds of creative storytelling. Many writers have mined the genre for cosmic stories that question the nature of our existence or futuristic examinations of current social issues, but none are as perfectly written as the one that asked what it might be like to meet our parents when they were teenagers. That was the impetus for Bob Gale to develop the screenplay for Back to the Future with Robert Zemeckis.
It’s a brilliantly simple premise, and science fiction just happens to be the mechanism that Gale and Zemeckis used to send Michael J. Fox‘s Marty McFly back in time to 1955. The character could have just as easily been transported by a magical wish or curse, but sci-fi gave Gale and Zemeckis some perfect opportunities for time travel gags and plot devices. There’s also a brilliant use of setup and payoff in the screenplay by Gale and Zemeckis that’s been the standard-bearer for screenwriting since. Back to the Future is perfectly constructed sci-fi.
4
‘Fargo’ (1994)
When it comes to crime movies, the contenders for the best are too many and too varied to choose from, from The Godfather to Goodfellas to Heat. There are too many noirs, classic and neo, to mention, but it’s hard to beat the Coen Brothers. They’ve made neo-noirs inspired by the work of Dashiell Hammett (Miller’s Crossing), Raymond Chandler (The Big Lebowski), and James M. Cain (The Man Who Wasn’t There). Their best is the one that was distinctly all their own, though. Fargo is a Midwest noir with no real precursor, a true original that inspired many others.
The film has all the requisite archetypes needed for a noir. The Ordinary Guy who gets in over his head; the Ruthless Killers; the Hard-Boiled Detective. Except the Coens give all those archetypes a “Minnesota Nice” makeover. The Ordinary Guy is a cowardly car salesman, the Ruthless Killers are a dimwitted motormouth and his monosyllabic friend, and the Hard-Boiled Detective is a pregnant police chief whose husband paints mallards for postage stamps. The Coens also pull the clever narrative trick of falsely claiming the film is based on a true story. Any script that can effectively deliver a pivotal plot point between two characters that feature in no other scenes, while one shovels snow, no less, is doing something special.
3
‘All About Eve’ (1950)
A sharply written satire may be the most appreciated kind of screenplay. Bad satires that are too broad to make any piercing points or that think they’re smarter than they are can be painful to watch. When one is pitched perfectly, it makes it all the more impressive. That’s when you get movies like Dr. Strangelove, The Death of Stalin and Network, but the best biting satire has to be All About Eve. It’s a Broadway-bound satire of age, fame and ambition that’s perfectly written.
The original story that inspired writer-director Joseph L. Mankiewicz, The Wisdom of Eve by Mary Orr, had already been adapted as a radio play by Orr. Mankiewicz saw potential in the story of an actress whose life is taken away from her by an obsessed fan, and wanted to expand it with his own ideas. The result is an endlessly witty, incredibly thorny classic. The heightened melodrama, wicked wit, and queer-coded characters have made All About Eve a major text in queer cinema, but its script is universally delightful.
2
‘Casablanca’ (1942)
It’s been said there’s a thin line between love and hate, and romantic movies love to walk that line and embrace the tension within it. Whether it’s the tension of a “will they won’t they” classic like When Harry Met Sally… or that between the acrimony and nostalgia that comes from a break-up, like in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, there are many American romances for audiences to fall in love with. No romance has more perfect tension, or more memorable dialogue, than the WWII classic Casablanca. It’s one of the most quotable movies of all time, without a doubt, but it’s also just a perfectly told story.
Unlike the other screenplays on this list, Casablanca wasn’t the work of one creative mind. The script was based on the unproduced play Everybody Comes to Rick’s by Joan Alison and Murray Burnett, and had separate drafts written by Julius and Philip Epstein and Howard Koch, with uncredited work by Casey Robinson. It’s the culmination of multiple influences and writers, but the result is completely cohesive. Moment to moment, scene by scene, it’s the most perfect romance, and its bittersweet ending is the most perfect in Hollywood history.
1
‘Chinatown’ (1974)
There are many great screenplays that haven’t been mentioned yet. American classics of every genre like action (Die Hard), animation (Anomalisa), horror (Get Out), Western (Unforgiven), fantasy (The Lord of the Rings), and crime (L.A. Confidential). Forget genre, it’s Chinatown. The New Hollywood neo-noir masterpiece written by Robert Towne, with uncredited revisions by problematic director Roman Polanski and Towne’s writing partner Edward Taylor, Chinatown is a perfectly structured mystery with complex characters and dialogue that cuts to the bone.
It’s a masterclass in subjectivity, allowing the audience to experience every turn of its plot alongside private eye Jake Gittes as he unravels a dark conspiracy. Every detail builds upon the next, and every layer that’s peeled back reveals an even uglier underside. It takes the twists and turns of classic noir but applies them with ’70s cynicism, exploring the underbelly of Los Angeles with an explicitness in its language that those made in the Hays Code heyday could never even approach. Chinatown is an American masterpiece with the best-written screenplay of all time.
Earlier this year, the Aaron Taylor-Johnson crime thriller Fuze exploded into theaters. A tale of high-octane action and high explosives, the film didn’t make a huge crater in the box office. Now, the countdown is on to its streaming release date, which is coming sooner than you might think.
Fuze centers around an unexploded bomb, seemingly left over from World War II, that’s unearthed on a construction site in the heart of London. The military and police, commanded by Zuzana Greenfield (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), secure the area and evacuate the surrounding civilians while Major Will Tranter (Taylor-Johnson) and his team are sent in to defuse the device. Amidst the unrest, George Karalis (Theo James) and his crew, including the mysterious X (Sam Worthington), break into a now-abandoned bank to steal a fortune in uncut diamonds. However, all is not as it seems, as the plot goes through more complications than a booby-trapped detonator; when the dust clears from the explosive climax, you might not believe who’s still standing in the rubble.
Fuze will hit streaming on HBO Max starting on September 4. The film is from director David Mackenzie, who had a critical and financial hit with another bank-robbery thriller, the Taylor Sheridan-penned Hell or High Water, back in 2016. The script is by Ben Hopkins (Inside). It was released in theaters earlier this year, and garnered $5 million USD at the box office. It earned solid reviews from critics, and holds a 72% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. In his review, Collider’s Ross Bonaime called the film “mediocre,” but praised fun performances from Taylor-Johnson and James.
Where Can Aaron Taylor-Johnson Be Seen Next?
Taylor-Johnson will next be seen howling at the moon this Christmas Day as he reunites with Nosferatu director Robert Eggers for the horror film Werwulf. Next, he’ll star alongside Benedict Cumberbatch and Eva Green in the Cary Joji Fukunaga-directed thriller Blood on Snow; it’s an adaptation of a novel by best-selling crime writer Jo Nesbø. He’s also slated to appear in Cry to Heaven, a historical drama that will be the first film directed by Tom Ford in a decade; a tale of a noble and a castrato in 18th-century Italy, it’s based on a non-horror novel by the late Anne Rice. Taylor-Johnson will also appear with Alicia Vikander in Enigma Variations, a globe-trotting Netflix romance miniseries.
Fuze will stream on HBO Max starting on September 4. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.
- Release Date
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April 24, 2026
- Runtime
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98 minutes
- Director
-
David Mackenzie
- Writers
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Ben Hopkins
- Producers
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Gillian Berrie, Callum Grant, David Mackenzie, Sebastien Raybaud
Fans have been fascinated with the stars of Welcome to Plathville since the show’s 2019 debut — and the family’s love lives have become an integral part of the series.
The TLC series follows the lives of Kim Plath and estranged husband Barry Plath and eight of their nine children: Ethan, Micah, Moriah, Lydia, Isaac, Amber, Cassia and Mercy. Their eldest daughter, Hosanna Plath, has not been featured.
As the kids started to grow up, their romantic entanglements became more prominent, including Ethan’s marriage to and divorce from Olivia Plath.
When Olivia and Ethan called it quits in 2023, she claimed a lot of it had to do with Ethan’s family allegedly wanting to control their marriage and run their lives.
When Micah began dating Veronica Peters that same year, the family couldn’t predict that she too would point the blame at their eventual split on the Plaths.
“I’m just getting gaslit by everybody,” Veronica claimed during an August 2025 episode of the show, which aired one month after she confirmed the couple’s split.
Scroll down to see the Welcome to Plathville cast’s dating history:
Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes‘ romance has continued to flourish over the years.
Sparks originally started to fly between Gosling and Mendes while they filmed The Place Beyond the Pines in 2011. They were subsequently spotted spending plenty of quality time together after working on the project.
Us Weekly confirmed in September 2014 that Gosling and Mendes welcomed their first daughter, Esmeralda. The twosome welcomed daughter Amada two years later.
In 2020, Mendes explained the choice to keep their lives under wraps when an Instagram follower accused Gosling of not being there for their children publicly.
“I don’t talk about Ryan and all the wonderful things he does as a father because I keep that part private,” the Lost River star wrote on social media in April 2020. “I feel it’s best that I continue to disclose what I’m comfortable with but not involve him or my kids too much. It’s not about being cagey or weird, it’s just about staying private in a public space. Does that make sense? Hope so. Because this is my honest answer.”
Scroll down to relive the romance between Mendes and Gosling:
A simple question during a comedy interview recently unexpectedly created one of music’s most talked-about cross-genre moments.
Doja Cat found herself at the center of a viral conversation after admitting she had no idea who chart-topping country singer Ella Langley was.
What followed wasn’t a celebrity feud or a heated back-and-forth, but a candid explanation from the rapper and a clever response from Langley that had fans applauding her ability to laugh off the situation.
The unexpected moment unfolded during Doja Cat’s appearance on Caleb Pressley’s “Sundae Conversation” on August 23.
After steering the conversation from a joke involving Darth Vader and elevators, Pressley suddenly asked the rapper, “Did you think I was talkin about Ella Langley?” before following it up with, “Are you an Ella’s Fella?”
The question appeared to catch Doja completely off guard. “I don’t know what that is,” she replied.
Pressley then asked, “Do you like Ella Langley?” to which Doja responded again, “I don’t know what that is.” The host seemed surprised by the answer given Langley’s massive success in country music.
At the time of the interview, Langley’s hit “Choosin’ Texas” had spent 19 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100, making her one of the most talked-about names in the genre.
Even so, Doja’s confusion appeared genuine, though Pressley briefly wondered whether she might simply be joking.
Rather than walk back the remark, Doja Cat addressed the situation directly during an Instagram Live session two days later.
“I really don’t just give a f*co about country music, and I don’t understand what’s so hard to believe about that,” she said per E! News, adding, “I never cared. I like that one Keith Urban song from 2004.”
While her comments stirred debate among fans, Doja stopped short of criticizing Langley personally. In fact, she offered several compliments after listening to “Choosin’ Texas” during the livestream.
Calling Langley “probably a fine lady,” the 30-year-old admitted the music simply wasn’t for her. “This is not my vibe, but she has a very pretty voice. If this is No. 1 on the charts, I’m sure it’s on the radio. I could see them playing this sh-t on the radio. I don’t like it, but that’s fine. It’s very earwormy it sounds like, it’s like [a] catchy melody. I get it, and she’s pretty,” she said.
Doja Cat Gets A Playful Response From Langley
If anyone expected Langley to fire back, the singer chose a much lighter approach. Instead of posting a lengthy statement or addressing the comments directly, the 27-year-old leaned into the viral moment with a subtle joke on Instagram.
Sharing a collection of photos and videos of herself from her recent travels and performances, Langley referenced Doja’s confusion with a simple caption. “Ella Langley? What is that?”
The post itself wasn’t related to Doja, with some slides showing Langley on an airplane and others capturing the Alabama native getting her makeup done, holding a butterfly or cuddling with an adorable dog.
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While Langley chose humor over confrontation, many of her fans were far less restrained in their reactions.
Some fans openly defended the country star’s musical success, with one commenter writing, “She jealous because you have actual talent and don’t need to sing about your kitty cat.”
Others praised Langley for handling the situation with grace instead of escalating it into a public feud.
“LOL I love you so much @ellalangleymusic this has me rolling you trolling @dojacat wish she didn’t mess with the smoke lol. We all know god wins over the devil every time,” another supporter commented.
A number of fans also took issue with what they perceived as Doja Cat’s attitude toward country music as a whole. One follower argued, “It’s not even about knowing, it’s just the disrespect she has towards you and country music. She seems miserable.”
Others used the moment to showcase Langley’s growing popularity. One commenter claimed, “Literally never even heard of Doja whatever until something was said about Ella. Ella has literally been the album of everyone’s summer.”
Doja Cat’s AI Feud With Tyga Showed Her Unfiltered Side
If Doja’s blunt comments about Langley surprised some fans, they were hardly the first time the rapper made headlines for saying exactly what was on her mind.
Just weeks before the country music debate erupted, Doja found herself in another viral controversy after taking aim at Tyga over his AI-assisted album “$tarface.”
During an August livestream, the Grammy winner criticized the rapper’s decision to incorporate artificial intelligence into the project and didn’t mince words.
“Nobody asked me anything about Tyga, but I felt like saying this,” Doja said per PEOPLE before adding, “Tyga is a penis for making an AI album.”
The criticism quickly gained traction because Tyga had recently acknowledged using AI tools while creating portions of the album’s production. Although he stressed that he wrote and performed all of the lyrics himself, the admission sparked a wider debate about artificial intelligence’s role in modern music.
Tyga eventually responded during a TMZ Live appearance, choosing not to escalate the dispute despite the insult. Instead, he defended his creative choices and argued that AI should be viewed as a tool rather than a replacement for artists. He compared the backlash to the criticism Auto-Tune once faced when it first entered mainstream music.
The rapper also took a playful swipe back at Doja, saying he respected her artistry while calling one of her projects a “demonic album.” Despite the disagreement, Tyga made it clear there was no personal animosity between them.
There’s something intrinsically exciting and high-energy about action movies that makes the genre one of the most fun and explosive styles of filmmaking that cinema has to offer. From massive-scale blockbusters that make the most out of their glorious setpieces to smaller-scale films with a raw dedication to choreography, incredibly fun action movies can take all different shapes and sizes. This has been even further exemplified within the 21st century, with so many amazing and incredibly fun action movies being released.
More than simply the most successful or recognizable action movies of the 21st century, these films have an inherent fun factor that keeps audiences engaged from beginning to end, with their stellar action still leaving an impact after audiences finish witnessing its greatness. Considering just how much fun factor can impact the memorability and lasting impact of a film, it doesn’t come as a surprise that these incredibly fun action movies are also some of the most celebrated of the 21st century.
8
‘Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl’ (2003)
With exceptional directing from Gore Verbinski and a stylish combination of practical action and groundbreaking visual effects, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl made waves as a deeply enthralling icon of action-adventure. A lot of the film’s continuous fun factor can be traced back to the sheer memorability of these characters and set pieces, from Johnny Depp‘s legendary turn as Jack Sparrow to the fledgling duo Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley).
Seeing these memorable characters in wild action setpieces aboard the high seas, especially when the plot delves into massive fantasy elements, makes it one of the most engaging and electrifying blockbuster experiences that the 2000s have to offer. It makes the absolute most out of every aspect of its massive budget, with Verbinski’s distinct style of action filmmaking utilizing the blockbuster scale better than many modern blockbusters could hope to achieve. It all comes together to make the action movie incredibly rewatchable and a fan-favorite that has stood the test of time and only grown in appreciation in the decades since its release.
7
‘Top Gun: Maverick’ (2022)
Rarely does a legacy sequel ever live up to the stature and quality of the original film, especially when said sequel releases 36 years after the original iconic action film. However, Top Gun: Maverick is the rare exception to the rule, being a legacy sequel that not only lives up to the stature of the original film, but in many ways surpasses it to create an even more fun and even more enthralling action experience. It does just about everything one would want a legacy sequel to do, raising the stakes and upping the ante while still staying true to the timeless strengths that made the original such an icon in the first place.
Tom Cruise is as charming and charismatic as ever; the supporting cast each shine in their own distinct ways and leave a prominent impact, and the practical fighter jet action is a glorious sight to experience on the big screen. It’s a beautiful marriage of old and new action filmmaking styles that deeply resonated with audiences, being one of the faces of blockbuster success in the 2020s and a pillar of Cruise’s modern career.
6
‘RRR’ (2022)
Arguably more than any other culture of action filmmaking, Indian action movies have a fundamental understanding of spectacle and fun-factor that many traditional Hollywood blockbusters could only dream of coming close to. However, no action movie from India has broken through cultural barriers and become a worldwide phenomenon quite like RRR, whose story of revolution and fighting against tyrannical oppressors, with glorious spectacle, made waves across the world. The execution proves to be so invigorating that it never falters in amping up the audience, whether it be through slow-motion action or high-energy dance numbers.
Especially for those not familiar with the filmmaking trends of Indian action films, RRR came across as a breath of fresh air and a glorious explosion of spectacle and flair. This signature sense of raw, powerful energy and setpieces makes it an exceptionally fun time, even when it delves into darker subject matter, because it always finds this balance that has the audience rooting for the heroes in moments of pure wonder. At the very least, no other action movie utilizes its top-notch choreography to create a one-of-a-kind musical number, complete with the scale of a flash mob and extremely catchy music.
5
‘Baby Driver’ (2017)
A great and well-suited soundtrack can make all the difference in terms of getting the audience invested in an action movie, with great music doing a lot to amplify the style and energy of an already great action sequence. Baby Driver understands this phenomenon more than any other action film, setting up many of its action sequences specifically to align with the tempo and energy of the soundtrack. It makes for an incredibly satisfying blending of action and music that is unlike any other action movie out there.
The stylish and satisfying editing of the film works at every moment to create all sorts of fun for the viewer, as it just feels good when the action lines up with the music so seamlessly, especially when said music includes all-time greats from Queen, The Beach Boys, and Focus. It never loses its appeal and fun factor no matter how many times it’s watched, being one of the most creative and distinctly original takes on an action movie in the 21st century.
4
‘The Raid’ (2011)
One specific region of the world that has truly found its calling in the world of exceptional action filmmaking built on choreography and masterful stuntwork is Indonesia, with the undeniable face of extremely fun Indonesian action being Gareth Evans‘ masterpiece, The Raid. This ultraviolent action movie understands the sheer catharsis and joy of watching such ruthless carnage unfold on-screen, with the magnitude and craft of its action elevating the stakes to create one of the most consistently engaging action movies out there.
It’s one of those cases where the exceptional craft on display in the film serves to amplify the fun of the entire experience, as each amazing moment of action and stunt choreography proves to be more hype and awe-inspiring than the last. Rarely has non-stop death around every corner and visceral carnage been so wildly fun to experience, yet The Raid capitalizes on the fun of its carnage to create an unforgettable icon of the action genre.
3
‘Kill Bill Vol. 1’ (2003)
A love letter to martial arts movies and action movies of the past, the first film in Quentin Tarantino‘s action movie masterpiece, Kill Bill Vol. 1, might just be the most cathartic and entertaining revenge movie ever made. With an iconic soundtrack, a stern and powerful lead performance by Uma Thurman, and a great array of blood being spilled in cathartic action sequences, the film has been at the forefront of extremely fun R-rated action movies ever since its release. The various battles in Japan, especially, are some of the wildest and most fun action scenes of the 2000s that almost single-handedly cemented the film’s classic status.
Tarantino’s love and appreciation for the action genre is on full display in this film, as it combines elements from martial arts films, westerns, and 70s exploitation films to create a full display of personality and charm. The film’s influences and stature within the action genre have only grown over the years, with its overwhelming sense of fun standing tall as one of its greatest strengths.
2
‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ (2022)
Fueled by a seemingly endless sense of creative possibilities and some highly impressive action choreography and stunts, Everything Everywhere All at Once‘s sense of energy and fun was so infectious that it became the first action film to win Best Picture since The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. The multiverse as a concept simply lends itself to a base level of comedic fun, yet Everything Everywhere All at Once goes all out to maximize the comedy, satisfying action, and emotional impact of the multiverse in the cinematic form.
The film became an immediate fan-favorite for good reason, as it has such a joyous, tongue-in-cheek tone in every aspect of its filmmaking, having such a blast creating all of these action sequences and concepts that said joy translates to fun for the audience. It also certainly adds to the fun of the film that Everything Everywhere All at Once is as much a comedy as it is an action film, embracing a sense of absurdity and wild comedic nonsense that has audiences laughing at the action as often as they are impressed by it. All of this comes together to make an extremely fun viewing experience and easily one of the best films of the 2020s so far.
1
‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ (2015)
Not a particularly surprising choice for the top spot, yet George Miller‘s ruthless post-apocalyptic masterpiece Mad Max: Fury Road lives up to its reputation and more so as one of the greatest action movies not just of the 21st century, but of all time. This unrestrained mixture of practical action, dynamic characters, and outright madness took the world by storm and elevated the Mad Max franchise into the modern age, with a sense of catharsis that sees action filmmaking at its very best and most fun.
For a film that is primarily a massive-scale vehicle chase across the desert, it continuously finds ways to stay engaging and extremely fun in its execution, utilizing its blockbuster budget and scale to create a beautiful concoction of chaos and carnage. The film is as impressive to witness as it is electrifyingly fun to experience, being the type of extremely entertaining action masterpiece that blockbuster filmmaking was made for. It was already heralded as one of the best action movies when it was released, and will continue to build up its legacy throughout the rest of the 21st century.
Mad Max: Fury Road
- Release Date
-
May 15, 2015
- Runtime
-
121 minutes
- Director
-
George Miller
- Writers
-
Brendan McCarthy, George Miller, Nico Lathouris
Se7en is such a dark and effective crime thriller that it’s very easy to overlook how silly the title is, given it replaces a “v” with a “7,” and so is seemingly pronounced “Sesevenen.” It was arguably David Fincher‘s first great film, and has a plot that follows two detectives going after a dangerous serial killer who appears to be committing a series of murders that are each based on one of the seven deadly sins.
It’s the sort of movie that’s proved to be influential and remarkably popular in the years since its release (even getting a 4k remaster), and at the same time, it’s possible to see certain titles released before Se7en as influencing it and its dark neo-noir narrative. The following movies all have certain similarities to Fincher’s 1995 film and are worth checking out for fans of dark, twist-filled, and sometimes stomach-churning crime, thriller, and mystery movies.
30
‘Resurrection’ (1999)
One of the many abstract police procedural films of the ’90s that were directly influenced by and inspired by the success of Se7en, Resurrection adds a layer of biblical allegory to its string of mysterious homicidal murders. The film sees a jaded detective set to take down a ruthless killer in Chicago, leaving behind ironic bible quotes alongside his mutilated and dismembered victims. The Easter-centric horror crime film is pretty compelling in its execution, even if far from the most original story being told.
Resurrection proves to be so similar stylistically and conceptually to Se7en to the point where it could be considered a ripoff, yet considering just how masterful Fincher’s magnum opus is, even a ripoff manages to feature some compelling attributes. There’s a pretty effective cast, with the likes of Christopher Lambert, Leland Orser, and even David Cronenberg in a rare acting role putting in a great performance. —Robert Lee
29
‘Strange Darling’ (2023)
One of the greater strengths of Se7en is how the complete picture of its narrative and wider messaging makes the earlier entries all the more beautiful and impactful with this newfound context, a facet similarly shared by modern cult classic Strange Darling. The film purposefully keeps information hidden from the audience through its non-chronological story, telling its chapters out of order for maximum impact in its story of a one-night stand turning into a deadly chase through the woods.
Strange Darling succeeds thanks to the core strengths of its two leads, with Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner giving exceptional, layered performances that evolve and change perspective as more information and knowledge is gained while watching the film. It makes for a highly entertaining mystery thriller that gets the audience hooked early on before delivering some truly great twists. The indie film made a large splash when it first released, with it easily being one of the best horror thrillers of the 2020s so far. —Robert Lee
28
‘The Bone Collector’ (1999)
Combining the absolute star power of Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie to create a pretty underrated crime thriller, The Bone Collector is about as classically executed as psychological crime thrillers get. The film sees Denzel as Lincoln Rhyme, a top homicide detective who is made incapable of working due to an injury that left him paralyzed. However, after a gruesome murder leaves other detectives without answers, Rhyme teams up with a rookie cop (Jolie) to put together the cryptic clues left behind at the crime scene to catch the serial killer.
“Se7en but paralyzed” doesn’t exactly seem like the kind of film that would be that exciting, yet the screen presence of Washington and Jolie, combined with an array of effective twists that play into the inability of Rhyme to actively see these crime scenes in person, makes for a pretty memorable watch. With an exceptional supporting cast rounding out the film, including the likes of Queen Latifah, Michael Rooker, and Bobby Cannavale, the film is easily one of the more underrated Denzel Washington films. —Robert Lee
27
‘Faces of Death’ (2026)
The original Faces of Death was one of the most controversial horror releases of all time, with its quasi-documentary style and sickening usage of real-life death footage making it an infamous icon of the era. However, in the modern era of social media, where users are subjected to horrifying gore and death and have grown completely desensitized to it, this modern reimagining of the classic film evolves it into a new beast entirely. It largely follows a slasher plot, with a serial killer recreating scenes from the original film with his victims and posting them online for massive notoriety, with a local content moderator setting out to stop his conquest of murder.
This type of socially aware messaging on social media in film has often times failed due to feeling half-baked in their execution and like the ramblings of an old person simply not understanding the digital age. However, Faces of Death is instead scarily tapped into the sickening details of social media culture and the gross part of human nature where users actively seek out such sickening material. Combined with an effective game of cat and mouse and some memorable twists, Faces of Death is a must-watch psychological horror film for the modern age. —Robert Lee
26
‘Fallen’ (1998)
Yet another underrated police procedural psychological thriller from the 90s with Denzel Washington in a leading role, Fallen certainly has much more abstract, fantasy elements than The Bone Collector. The film sees Washington as a homicide detective witnessing the execution of a serial killer, only for his murders to mysteriously continue. While initially believing it to be a copycat killer, they soon realize that something much more sinister and demonic is at play.
Combining together demonic possession and police procedurals doesn’t necessarily seem like it would be an effective combination, yet Fallen soars thanks to some truly memorable twists and turns and an exceptional cast who delivers across the board. Washington himself is great, yet it’s the support of John Goodman, Donald Sutherland, James Gandolfini, and more that truly turn Fallen into a horror fantasy gem of the era. The film also features an amazing twist ending that sticks with the audience, much like how Se7en‘s ending leaves such an undeniable impact. —Robert Lee
25
‘Frenzy’ (1972)
While Alfred Hitchcock made most of his movies at a time in history when there were certain restrictions in place content-wise, he was still able to craft his fair share of dark, morbid, and violent films. Frenzy, one of his last ones overall, did have the benefit of being made at a time when you could get away with showing a little more, ensuring that much of it still packs a punch 50+ years later.
There is a dark sense of humor to be found at the heart of Frenzy, but it is still pretty bleak and intense overall, following a chaotic chase to find the serial killer behind a series of murders targeting women in London. It’s worth a watch for anyone who likes a good crime/thriller flick and doesn’t mind the idea of things getting a little mean-spirited (again, in a somewhat funny way, at least at times).
24
‘Longlegs’ (2024)
Scratching the same sort of crime/thriller/horror itch that Se7en does, Longlegs is perhaps one of the more interesting horror flicks of the decade so far. There is a familiarity with the core premise, which involves the tracking down of a dangerous criminal, but there’s a good deal more to it than that, with various revelations made in the back half that help Longlegs get a little weirder and less predictable.
It’s also a movie that benefits from having a very strange Nicolas Cage performance, and he’s used the perfect amount here for the kind of character he plays. Elsewhere, Maika Monroe is very good in the lead role, and writer/director Osgood Perkins injects the whole thing with a ton of energy from a stylistic viewpoint. It’s an odd sort of blend of horror and crime, but a largely compelling one overall.
23
‘Spiral: From the Book of Saw’ (2021)
While it’s unlikely to be anyone’s favorite entry in the series, Spiral: From the Book of Saw is a bit over-hated. Yes, being on board with the fact that this is a Saw movie starring Chris Rock can be a bit of an obstacle, and there is a twist here that’s probably the least surprising of any Saw movie twist… but there’s an element on the police procedural side of things that helps it stand out.
In Spiral: From the Book of Saw, there are still some grisly traps and moments of ultra-violence, but it’s also a little like the first movie in that the investigation occurring around the traps/murders proves arguably more important than the other stuff. When the conclusion to the mystery underwhelms, it does hurt the movie overall, but before then, there’s a sense of brazenness and grit to this one that makes it more than watchable.
22
‘No Country for Old Men’ (2007)
A crime movie where there’s an intentional focus on those outside the law, and an emphasis on how those on the “right side” can’t do much, No Country for Old Men is as stunning as it is bleak. It’s all about the aftermath of a drug deal gone wrong, with one man stumbling across the site and taking a large quantity of cash with him, which makes him the target of a relentless assassin tasked with getting that cash back.
Even if you know how it ends, No Country for Old Men is unwaveringly intense for almost its entire runtime, with a central villain who’s a big reason for that continued sense of dread and/or outright terror. It’s not a feel-good movie by any means, but it is a remarkable film, and likely the best film adaptation of a Cormac McCarthy story to date.
21
‘8MM’ (1999)
Another film starring Nicolas Cage, alongside a noteworthy supporting cast that includes the likes of Joaquin Phoenix, James Gandolfini, Peter Stormare, and Catherine Keener, 8MM works fairly well as a dark and dingy mystery/thriller flick. Cage plays a surveillance specialist who comes across a reel of plastic film and discovers its contents might point to something incredibly disturbing. This, naturally, sets him off on a surprising investigation.
There is an element of traveling further into an off-putting underworld as 8MM goes along, and it can be fairly involving and suspenseful at times. The acting is also quite strong, at least compared to how the film’s written and directed… in those areas, 8MM can be a little disappointing. It doesn’t come together quite well enough to be a masterpiece by any means, but the stuff that works is generally strong enough to make it recommendable for those who like their crime/thriller movies dark.
One of the main reasons that people go out to the movie theaters to see superhero movies is because they want to have a boat load of fun. Superheroes movies, inherently—most of the time—are fun! Wild action sequences, fun humor, popping visuals, and more, keep people coming out and enjoying these films—a big reason that these projects continue to be as popular as they are.
Whether they’re from Marvel, DC Comics, or a company not part of the big duo, superhero projects have always had audiences leaving the theaters with smiles on their faces in some way, shape, or form. This isn’t to say that every superhero movie needs to be fun, per se, but some of the best ones are, and these projects more than prove that.
8
‘Avengers: Infinity War’ (2018)
The Avengers franchise is one that is filled with gigantic crossover events—completely made up of them, in fact—and that’s a huge part of what makes them so much fun. There are cameos from characters that people love, great character introductions, and action sequences that are genuinely well-made spectacle. None of the other films in the franchise—no, not even Avengers: Endgame—do these things like the third entry, Avengers: Infinity War, does.
The first part of the two-part finale of the legendary Infinity Saga is one that is commonly considered by most to be the best movie in The Avengers franchise. From minute one to the final second, Avengers: Infinity War has abundantly epic moments. Characters are getting sick introductions, gigantic battles are seeping spectacle and excitement, and the performances across the board are great. Despite this very much being Thanos’ (Josh Brolin) movie, every single Avenger included gets a moment in the sun that gives most of them an arc of some sort. This is some masterful storytelling and balancing on the directors, Anthony Russo and Joe Russo‘s, parts.
7
‘Kick-Ass’ (2010)
One of the most popular non-Marvel or DC Comics superhero movies of all time comes in the form of not some high-budget epic, but the smaller Matthew Vaughn movie, Kick-Ass. With a budget of only $30 million, this project ends up being one that is incredibly enjoyable. It has excellent humor—truly one of the funnier superhero movies ever made—and the performances from the entire cast help bring it to life.
Kick-Ass has a good balance, though. While it may mainly be a comedic flick, it balances heart, emotion, and drama, blending it into the lightheartedness borderline perfectly. Director Matthew Vaughn absolutely knew what he was doing when he brought this movie to the table, clearly aiming to give people the kind of experience they could walk out of theaters of with a huge smile on their faces—continuing to deliver said smiles to people to this day.
6
‘The Suicide Squad’ (2021)
If his entire filmography is any proof, James Gunn knows how to make a fun movie. After a bit of a scuffle with Marvel Studios and Disney for a bit there, Gunn got the opportunity to hop over to DC Comics and Warner Bros. Entertainment for a little bit to bring a new product to life. Given the choice, he actually chose to do none other than a Suicide Squad sequel/soft reboot. While many would initially consider this a bad idea, it actually ended up working out very well for everyone, as it was executed excellently.
When The Suicide Squad was released in 2021, Gunn proved that this franchise could be saved, and was worth giving another shot. It’s clear that if there’s anything that the director is great at, its taking characters and franchises that are underrated—like Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy—and showing the world that they’re actually amazing. This movie has great humor, pretty visuals—see: Harley Quinn’s (Margot Robbie) flowery action scene, and a very solid cast. Many consider this to be DC Comics’ Guardians of the Galaxy for the very best reasons. It also has one of the best superhero movie openings of all time, killing off such a plethora of characters in multiple ridiculous ways.
5
‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ (2023)
After the massive success of the first movie, fans everywhere—all across the world—were waiting in both excitement and anxiousness for what was going to come next. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse had so much riding on it to be considered a success… and it did, in fact, succeed! This sequel may very well be one of the best superhero sequels of all time, and for very good reasons.
Everything that made the previous movie so great is present in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, featuring an all-new villain, all-new—and way more—Spider-People, and excellent attention to detail, this project is legendary. The visuals are bright, stunning, visceral, and truly beautiful. When it comes to Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, this sequel is going to be hard to beat.
4
‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ (2014)
Another incredibly fun, spectacular, hilarious, and visually-popping James Gunn superhero movie comes in the form of his first huge superhero hit, Guardians of the Galaxy. As stated earlier, the director knows exactly what he’s doing when it comes to bringing lesser-known or lesser-appreciated franchises to the theater screen. The greatest case of this is one of Marvel Comics’ most under-appreciated cosmic teams put to page.
Guardians of the Galaxy went from a movie many were unsure about—Marvel Studios were probably not even sure it’d be such a massive success—to a group of heroes that almost immediately became the favorites of fans everywhere. Nobody could have expected the Guardians to become such a gigantic property before 2014, but that’s what Gunn excels at. It’s funny, has great acting, beautiful frames, and inventive space-opera action.
3
‘The Incredibles’ (2004)
With Sam Raimi‘s Spider-Man 2 releasing the exact same year, one would most definitely expect another superhero movie to become such a triumph and, arguably, one of the best animated movies ever made. Pixar knows how to bring the heat, and boy, oh boy, do they do exactly that with the revolutionary Brad Bird‘s—known for The Iron Giant—The Incredibles.
This super family—the Parrs—is filled to the brim with some abundantly relatable characters for almost every single demographic that would be sitting down to watch this movie. This story is a classic Pixar tale that’s bursting with heart, extremely well-written characters, unique action and powers, and, clearly, a story that is unforgettable. It is so difficult to step up against The Incredibles, and if that isn’t proof of its quality, nothing is.
2
‘The Lego Batman Movie’ (2017)
When it comes to the character of Batman—whose become quite a dark character since the 80s—no one could have ever expected to have a lighthearted, comedy-centric Lego movie to end up being one of the best representations of the character put on the screen. The Lego Batman Movie is a flick that is entertaining for pretty much everyone. It proves that a Batman movie doesn’t need to be dark and gritty to be phenomenal.
The Lego Batman Movie encapsulates the heart and soul of the hero in a way few others have. Alongside that, as stated, it is so funny—potentially one of the funniest superhero movies ever made. Will Arnett‘s performance as the Caped Crusader is unironically a top-tier performance for the character (regardless of it being comedic). The humor has perfect comedic timing, which is very in line with a Lego property. Somehow, The Lego Batman Movie wound up being one of the best superhero movies of the 2010s.
1
‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ (2018)
No matter what, there has yet to be—and most likely will not be for quite some time—a movie like Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. This is a film that is genuinely groundbreaking. It changed the animated film medium forever, inspiring studios to get more creative with their overall art styles, and opening up a world of animated projects that have abundantly unique styling. Alongside this, though, the movie itself is one of, if not the most fun, superhero flicks out there.
The visuals are astounding, the comedy is smart, the animation is flowing and done very well, and the vocal performances from literally every single cast member are so dang great. Daniel Pemberton‘s score and the soundtrack also treat the ears and not just the eyes. There is so much that is amazing about Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse that is truly undeniable. Despite this being a Phil Lord and Christopher Miller production, the directors—Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman—do not get the credit they deserve for delivering such an excellent movie.
The golden age of cinema was a brief shining moment when it seemed every movie that came out was a masterclass of its craft. The 2008 Academy Awards were a particular triumph, even if Paul Thomas Anderson didn’t win Best Director. His feature, There Will Be Blood, is remembered as a gold standard of modern cinema, and for good reason. Daniel Day-Lewis stars in the period film about the oil rush that considers the lengths one man will go to achieve success.
There Will Be Blood is a classic American story, particularly because Day-Lewis’ best character, Daniel Plainview, was such a ruthless and remorseless capitalist. Plainview loses everything he cares about, including his humanity, culminating in a final scene that will be quoted forever. There are many memorable quotes in this final sequence, but one of them is the most important.
‘There Will Be Blood’ Is Summed Up In Two Words
Everyone remembers Daniel Plainview’s iconic “I drink your milkshake” speech in one of the most rewatchable scenes of There Will Be Blood, but that isn’t even the most important declaration of the scene. The greatest epic masterpiece comes together in the final sequence after he beats the ruined preacher, Eli (Paul Dano), to death in his bowling alley. After years of strife between the two, Eli’s death marks an end, and Daniel declares: “I’m finished!”
This quote can be taken in a lot of ways, but it signifies the conclusion of Daniel’s character arc, as the oil man spent decades losing his humanity in the name of wealth. This internal struggle was externalized by his dynamic with Eli, who challenges him at every turn from the beginning, when Daniel purchases land from him in exchange for funds for his church.
The film commences with a battle of wits between the two of them as they take turns at humiliating each other. Resentment grows because of this, so that even when Daniel loses his soul, he still holds on to his hatred of Eli. Daniel becomes so corrupted in the end that he loses his son and any chance at having a typical family.
Eli’s return at the end of the narrative proves just how low Daniel has gone. There is no hope for him to ever be redeemed. Daniel’s final moment of triumph is bragging about how he swindled Eli one last time and all the while getting him to renounce his faith. Though it is a triumphant moment for Daniel, it’s a tragedy for the audience, who have watched this man destroy everything for his greed. When he exclaims that he’s finished, viewers truly believe him. That is the conclusion of his story, and it is a dark one.
There Will Be Blood is a story about how capitalism corrupts everything. Even when someone feels as though they have won everything, they have really lost. Daniel murders, betrays, and schemes his way through life. Even though he ends his story technically successful, he has lost his humanity in exchange. This scathing indictment of capitalism is not just Paul Thomas Anderson’s best work, but one of the best movies in modern cinema. No one has done it like Anderson, and every component came together to create a masterpiece.
- Release Date
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December 26, 2007
- Runtime
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158 minutes
- Director
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Paul Thomas Anderson
- Writers
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Paul Thomas Anderson
- Producers
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Daniel Lupi, JoAnne Sellar, Paul Thomas Anderson
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