This “Top 50 Best Movies of 2005 List” is a tough mix of cinematic offers that earned their ranks as the best of 2005.
It’s not all about the big budget and bankable stars. These things actually count in the overall charm of a film, but they aren’t the only reasons why people love watching movies.
Top 50 Best Movies of 2005 List
Ranking is based on a number of factors including storytelling quality, awards and nominations, thematic and technical achievements, critics’ ratings, awards, popularity, and box office and DVD statistics.
1. “Batman Begins”
Christopher Nolan effectively explores the origins of Bruce Wayne’s emergence as Batman. This story successfully goes back to the roots of the character, portraying a confused and angry Wayne who rises to redeem himself and defend Gotham.
2. “Brokeback Mountain”
Ang Lee’s unmissable and unforgettable LGBT film “Brokeback Mountain” hits a bull’s eye. This landmark motion picture for Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal features such a defiantly erotic love story.
3. “Crash”
It is the Academy Award Winner for Best Motion Picture in 2005. Paul Haggis keeps up with the high expectations for this cinematic masterpiece as he weaves no fewer than nine sets of characters into a suffocating tangle of ham-fisted ironies and acceptable coincidences.
4. “Walk the Line”
This James Mangold film turns out as one of the most nominated works during its time at the Oscars. Reese Witherspoon and Joaquin Phoenix give their finest performances as June Carter and Johnny Cash here.
5. “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”
Tim Burton breathes new life to Roald Dahl’s 1964 tale and transforms it into a new celluloid confectionery. His interpretation is a gothic, yet colorful fantasy filled with his signature eccentricity as an auteur.
6. “Sin City”
Based on three of Frank Miller’s graphic novels, Robert Rodriguez collaborates with Miller’s genius to come up with this stylized, sexually charged, and blood-soaked treat that is especially meant for the fans of the source material.
7. “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”
This fourth film in the franchise has enough sights and sounds to stir the audience’s enchanted imaginations. Mike Newell gives this realm of fantasy adventure a darker, more mundane look at the lives of the major characters with due respect to what were already established by its predecessors.
8. “Corpse Bride”
Tim Burton presents a morbid and romantic trip in between the cold dwelling of the living and the colorful underground world of the dead in this stop-motion animation classic. It is a darkly enchanting tale about the celebration of love told in a quirky, gothic, and ironic style.
9. “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith”
In this cinematic offering, the legendary six-film saga by George Lucas comes full circle with a Vader and Kenobi face off, as played by Hayden Christensen and Ewan McGregor. Despite the mixed reactions, this space opera franchise’s iconic power definitely lives on with the force.
10. “North Country”
This Niki Caro drama starred by Charlize Theron is a powerful and compelling story about a 1989 American mining community where chauvinistic values are too common in the workplace.
11. “Match Point”
Woody Allen showcases another auteur work in this philosophical film about class and infidelity.
12. “Cinderella Man”
As an entertaining and uplifting piece, Russell Crowe reunites well with Ron Howard in this heartwarming and powerful underdog story.
13. “Capote”
Philip Seymour Hoffman’s unforgettable performance as Truman Capote leads him to a number of acting awards. This motion picture also tops the Oscar list of the best films of 2005.
14. “Pride and Prejudice”
Set in a post-18th century class-conscious England, Keira Knightly earns acting recognitions for her role as Elizabeth Bennet in this classic tale of love and misunderstanding.
15. “Syriana”
This political drama manages to turn one of the most controversial topics in the world into a challenging, thought-provoking story about the world’s grandest schemes, powerful companies, and most dangerous people.
16. “The Constant Gardener”
Rachel Weisz gets an Oscar nod for Best Supporting Actress in this film by Fernando Meirelles, also the brilliant helmer of “City of God.”
17. “King Kong”
This cinematic piece proves to be an enduring part of film history and legacy as Peter Jackson pays homage to the original 1933 “King Kong” and its actress Fay Wray.
18. “Munich”
Steven Spielberg wins the Academy Award for Best Director in this mournful masterpiece. It engages in its revenge plot about the aftermath of eleven Israeli athletes getting massacred in the 1972 Olympics.
19. “Good Night, and Good Luck”
George Clooney directs this small-budgeted picture about a historic battle between a legendary newsman and an intrigue-stricken senator. The film earns half a dozen Oscar nominations including the calls for Best Director and Best Motion Picture of the Year.
20. “Ocean’s Thirteen”
The inventive and spontaneous bunch of professional men pulling off an impossible heist for the third time still remains as a guilty pleasure to watch. Helmer Steven Soderbergh lives up to the expectations with his bunch of A-listers including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Al Pacino on board.
21. “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants”
At first, it may seem like a typical adaptation riding on the popularity of the bestselling novel by Anne Brashares. It actually turns out to be more than just a teenybopper flick. It is a heartwarming episodic film that aptly fits its target market.
22. “Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”
This fantasy-adventure treat catches the Academy Awards’ attention for its technical artistry. It also launches new iconic Hollywood faces through the young characters of this C. S. Lewis classic.
23. “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”
This romantic comedy disguised as an action movie is a fun material with truthful bits about relationships and marriage. Here, new real-life couple Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt prove their on-screen charisma with their action-packed ride.
24. “Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang”
This dark, eclectic, trippy, and know-it-all comedy-thriller is a bold and breathless showcase of entertaining action and spot-on performances topped by Robert Downey Jr.
25. “In Her Shoes”
Starring Toni Collette and Cameron Diaz, this chick flick has enough depth to keep up with its interestingly profound and complex story about family, friendly, and romantic relationships.
26. “The Legend of Zorro”
This visually purist, action-filled flick showcases a decent touch of technical grandeur, while exploring an intimate family portrait in the eyes of Zorro and Elena, as played by Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones.
27. “Memoirs of a Geisha”
With three Oscar wins under its belt, this epic spectacle starring Ziyi Zhang, Michelle Yeoh, and Li Gong presents a romantic look on Japanese culture, particularly of geisha life, in a western illustration.
28. “War of the Worlds”
Steven Spielberg’s contemporary retelling of the 1898 classic novel by H. G. Wells features a sci-fi adventure thriller about a Martian invasion, as seen through the eyes of an American family led by Tom Cruise.
29. “Wallace and Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit”
This Academy Award Winner for Best Animated Feature provides a magical fusion of deadpan comedy and gothic horror for its willing audience.
30. “Hustle and Flow”
This redemptive story about a Memphis hustler struggling to find his voice gets Oscar nods with Best Actor nomination for Terrence Howard and Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures – Original Song win for “It’s Hard Out Here For a Pimp.”
31. “Transamerica”
In his stunning feature debut, writer-director Duncan Tucker mounts a touching drama about an average, conservative woman who turns out not a woman after all.
32. “A History of Violence”
As a revelatory work about the nature and consequences of physical, emotional, psychological, and sexual violence, this film gets Academy Award nominations for Best Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published and Best Supporting Actor for William Hurt.
33. “Mrs. Henderson Presents”
Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins shine in this warm, witty period offering about a widowed society woman in the 1930’s. Dench earns an Oscar Nomination for this multi-genre piece.
34. “The New World”
This is Terrence Malick’s fourth film in 32 years. This Academy Award-nominated work keeps him in the position of being the least prolific but definitely one of the most interesting directors in the business to date.
35. “Assault on Precinct 13”
This dark and gritty picture is well worth a look for being a respectable remake of John Carpenter’s 1976 crackerjack B-movie thriller.
36. “The Squid and the Whale”
With an Oscar nomination for Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen under its belt, this cinematic piece depicts its deep-seated conflict with a piercingly honest, moving, and frequently hilarious drama with top-notch performances.
37. “Junebug”
Amy Adams garners an Academy Award for her supporting role in this wise and effectively bittersweet comedy about the Southern homecoming of a guy, played by Alessandro Nivola, to his parents’ place in North Carolina.
38. “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”
This light and funny adaptation of Douglas Adams’ novel is an enjoyable, mind-boggling sci-fi romp poised to reaching a broad audience with its silly and spirited tour of space.
39. “The Jacket”
Adrien Brody and Keira Knightley put life to this intense psychological thriller about a Gulf War veteran who finds himself trapped inside another terrifying scenario.
40. “Kung Fu Hustle”
Set in a chaotic pre-revolutionary China, actor-director Stephen Chow puts enough humor and action to this Asian hit.
41. “The Great Raid”
Mainly set in Cabanatuan, Philippines, this movie based on the books “The Great Raid on Cabanatuan” and “Ghost Soldiers” promotes a touching rendition of the incredible story of one of America’s most successful POW rescues in history.
42. “The Exorcism of Emily Rose”
This picture is a hybrid of horror and courtroom drama and it approaches its compelling subject matter with an effective form of metaphysical horror.
43. “Valiant”
Inspired by the true-to-life story of World War II carrier pigeons trained to carry vital information for the allied forces across the English Channel, this animated offering accommodates both kids and their adult companions for a fun movie time together.
44. “Sky High”
Like how Hogwarts gets portrayed as a secret school for kids with magical powers, the heroic world of “Sky High” works like an amalgam of “The Incredibles” and “X-men” via “Harry Potter.”
45. “Wolf Creek”
This is one of the most brutally realistic horror movies to date — and it is based on true events about an Australian Outback vacation gone fatal.
46. “Wedding Crashers”
Regardless of its flaws, the Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn tandem in this escapist flick is still a comedic riot.
47. “The Pacifier”
It has that same old story about the tough guy who needs to take care of a bunch of menacing kids, but the formula apparently works in this family movie.
48. “Blade Trinity”
Targeting action picture fans, this third installment in the “Blade” franchise offers a music video-style smash in between chasing and wrestling scenes.
49. “Transporter 2”
“Transporter 2” succeeds in maintaining the action-flick formula: the good guy chases the bad guys and vice versa. Deadpan Jason Statham delivers well through his silent charisma as Frank Martin, while Alessandro Gassman works as a sexy villain.
50. “Ong-Bak”
This is a movie that amazes and defies the Hollywood cheats of stunt doubles and CGI creations. It shows the real thing of what one Muay Thai expert can do without using the usual movie tricks.
