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    Epic Movies of the 2000s: Top 10 Ranked

    Sarah Parker Sarah Parker Posted on


    Key Takeaways

    • Epic filmmaking in the 2000s saw a resurgence with significant investments in storytelling.
    • The best films of this era combined grand narratives with deep character development.
    • Many of these films are now considered classics, continuing to gain recognition over time.
    • Themes of honor, identity, and the consequences of violence are prevalent throughout these epics.

    The 2000s were a defining decade for epic filmmaking, a period when studios once again committed enormous resources to stories that demanded scale, spectacle, and emotional weight. Advances in visual effects made ancient worlds, vast battlefields, and lost civilizations more immersive than ever, but the best epics of the era understood that size alone wasn’t enough.

    The strongest of them combined their sweeping historical or mythic backdrops with layered characters and intimate emotional journeys. These are the best epic movies of the 2000s, serving up big set pieces, along with interesting themes of honor, faith, empire, identity, and the cost of violence. Many of them are now considered classics, and their standing can only keep improving.

    10

    ‘Troy’ (2004)

    Achilles (Brad Pitt) in battle on a beach in Troy (2004)

    Achilles (Brad Pitt) in battle on a beach in Troy (2004)
    Image via Warner Bros.

    “Immortality! Take it! It’s yours!” Troy is a glossy, muscular retelling of Homer’s Iliad that leans heavily into physicality and spectacle. It dramatizes the Trojan War through the rivalry between Achilles (Brad Pitt) and Hector (Eric Bana), while weaving in political ambition, personal pride, and doomed romance. It was directed by Das Boot‘s Wolfgang Petersen, who is to be commended for his ambition (though there are some narrative stumbles here).

    Firstly, Troy is overlong, trying to cram in too many events and subplots, and the theatrical cut is a little awkward at times. Some critics also took issue with a few of its deviations from the source material. That said, there’s also a lot to praise, and it was certainly a challenging undertaking. Pitt’s performance is great, the battles are large-scale and visceral, and the mood is fittingly tragic. Still, just the fact that anyone was trying to do a big adaptation of an ancient Greek poem was pretty cool.

    9

    ‘300’ (2006)

    Leonidas about to throw a spear in 300
    Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

    “This is Sparta!” 300 is less a historical epic than a graphic myth brought violently to life. It recounts the Battle of Thermopylae, focusing on King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) and his 300 Spartans as they face the overwhelming Persian army. The plot is straightforward, built around defiance, sacrifice, and last stands. What makes 300 distinctive is its radical visual style. Director Zack Snyder embraces the operatic and the exaggerated, using slow motion, heightened violence, and painterly compositions to evoke legend rather than realism.

    While its politics and simplifications remain controversial (and it obviously doesn’t stick closely to all the facts), the film connected with audiences, grossing a whopping $456m against a budget of just $65m. Several of its scenes became iconic, chief among them the shot of Leonidas brutally kicking an emissary into a pit. All in all, it’s a very entertaining riff on Greek military history, with an underdog spirit and an abundance of glorious mayhem.

    8

    ‘The Last Samurai’ (2003)

    “I will tell you how he lived.” At first, this movie seems a little ridiculous (an American is the last samurai?), but it’s actually a fairly reflective epic about cultural collision, loss, and adaptation. Tom Cruise leads the cast as Captain Nathan Algren, a disillusioned American soldier hired to train Japan’s modern army, only to be captured by a group of traditional samurai resisting Western influence. He lives among them, eventually developing respect for their code, customs, and worldview.

    High production values and stellar fight choreography keep the viewer engaged throughout, and Hans Zimmer‘s score is fantastic (as usual). The battle scenes are sweeping and emotional, but the film’s heart lies in stillness, ritual, and moral reckoning. While framed through an outsider’s perspective, the story ultimately mourns the cost of progress. The key theme here is the tension between modernization and tradition, which culminates in a tragic final confrontation.

    7

    ‘Apocalypto’ (2006)

    A group of indigenous men in the jungle in Apocalypto
    Image via Icon Film Distribution

    “A man does not have a destiny apart from his people.” Apocalypto is a relentless survival epic set during the decline of the Maya civilization. The main character is a Jaguar Paw (Rudy Youngblood), a young hunter whose village is violently destroyed, forcing him into a desperate flight through jungle terrain while pursued by captors. The plot is minimal but propulsive, driven by physical endurance and primal fear. There are a ton of tense, thrilling moments, including white-knuckle sequences where Jaguar Paw is literally running for his life.

    Another important element that makes Apocalypto stand out from other more mediocre movies is the fact that it’s spoken entirely in indigenous languages. This bold choice significantly adds to the realism and immersion, building up to a striking final shot that reframes the story within a broader historical collapse while giving the chase mythic resonance. Many directors have since hailed Apocalypto as a masterpiece including Spike Lee, Quentin Tarantino, and Martin Scorsese.

    6

    ‘Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World’ (2003)

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    Russell Crowe as Captain Jack Aubrey on a ship in Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.
    Image via 20th Century Studios

    “The lesser of two weevils.” Russell Crowe delivers a strong performance in this maritime epic as Jack Aubrey ,a British naval captain relentlessly pursuing an enemy ship across globe during Napoleonic Wars . Here , Crowe reunites with Paul Bettany , who is likewise great as ship’s surgeon . Movie stands out with its attention to process . Battles are chaotic brutal , but much drama unfolds routine hierarchy moral decision-making .

    The ship itself becomes floating world governed by tradition necessity . Similarly , film treats empire not spectacle , but labor sustained by sacrifice. Its refusal simplify naval warfare romanticize command gives it unusual maturity . This more complex approach characteristic director Peter Weir , who also made Gallipoliand The Truman Show . Basically , Master Commanderis like anti – Pirates Caribbean , grounded fact reality.

    5

    ‘The New World’ (2005)