The 2010s was a decade packed with iconic movies that have since become classics, numerous of which deserve a remake. From the groundbreaking movieThe Social Network to the revolutionary Mad Max: Fury Road, and the romantic musical La La Land, these films will be remembered for years by many fans. Of course, remaking classic movies is a gamble, but some of these masterpieces deserve a modern update and need to be reimagined into a fresh take on cinematic storytelling.
The 2010 era had iconic movies that featured Oscar-winning dramas, action-packed blockbusters and sweeping musicals that will likely be remade for a new generation of fans to enjoy.
10 The Social Network
The Social Network is one of the most relevant movies of the 2010s. The movie chronicles the invention of Facebook and the people involved in creating the social network. In 2003, a nerdy Mark Zuckerberg (played by Jesse Eisenberg) was rejected by Erica Albright (played by Rooney Mara). Filled with righteous fury, Mark hacks into the Harvard student’s records and creates a website called FaceMash, where women can be ranked according to their attractiveness. FaceMash is a hit all over the university, and this catches the eyes of the Winklevoss twins (played by Armie Hammer), who enlist the help of Mark to help them build a social network. Instead, Mark began privately building his own social networking site, which was the birth of the revolutionary social network Facebook.
When Facebook is launched, and the twins find out what Mark has done, they sue him, and he settles for an undisclosed amount of money. The twins were not the only ones beefing with Mark; he also had a conflict with his roommate, Eduardo (played by Andrew Garfield), the CFO for Facebook and the one who funded the beginning of the project. However, his shares lost value when Facebook was bought, so he sued Zuckerberg. The Social Network is one of the best movies from the 2010s. It’s relevant, has stellar actors, has won several awards, is critically acclaimed, and tells the story of Facebook in a way that keeps viewers involved. Decades from now, The Social Network will be remade because the rise of the tech giant (and the many scandals Facebook has been involved in since) is something that even future viewers would love to watch.
9 Baby Driver
Baby Driver is an excellent combination of epic car chases and a perfectly synced soundtrack. Director Edgar Wright spent over two decades working on Baby Driver, and this thrilling action drama shows the fruits of his labor. The movie follows Baby (played by Ensel Ergort), a talented getaway driver with tinnitus and an affinity for music. Baby has a debt to pay; he once stole Doc’s (played by Kevin Spacey) car, and as punishment, Doc makes him the getaway driver for his heists until the debt is fully paid. Baby, however, does not like the violent life and wants out, even more so after he falls in love with Deborah (played by Lily James).
After Baby pays his debt to Doc, he starts living a normal life delivering pizzas and dating Deborah, but Doc comes back and asks Baby to join him and the crew, which comprises Darling (played by Eiza Gonzales), Buddy (played by Jon Hamm) and Bats (Jamie Foxx) for one last heist. Unfortunately, the heist goes wrong, and several police officers end up dead, but Baby escapes to the safe house, where Doc helps him and Deborah run. He gets arrested but gets out in five years. Baby Driver is an iconic movie for several reasons; it has a simple yet impactful way of storytelling, the music and visuals are so perfectly in sync, the actors gave great performances, and its dry humor. Baby Driver should be remade because only a few action movies have the kind of personality it has. Yes, it has the usual action movie tropes, but the story is told so well that no one can fault it on that account. It is a rollercoaster ride which is made even sweeter because, in the end, it’s a love story, and everyone loves a love story.
8 The Artist
In the early 1900s, silent films were all the rage in Hollywood. George Valentin (played by Jean Dujardin) is no stranger to fame and adoring fans as one of Hollywood’s most successful silent actors. At the premiere of his latest movie, an emerging actress, Peppy Miller (played by Bérénice Bejo), accidentally bumps into him, and the two pose for the cameras. This incident is crucial in advancing Miller’s career, and she soon becomes a famous Hollywood actress. Two years later, George’s career comes crashing down when Kinograph Studios decides it’s out with the silent films and in with the talkies.
Of course, the egomaniac George cannot accept that his career is over, so he gives it one last shot by making his own silent movie which is, unfortunately, a flop. In a way, The Artistportrays the downfall of an actor who cannot acclimatize to a new normal. Many viewers are used to watching a movie with dialogue that watching one without it seems inconceivable, but herein lies the beauty of The Artist; it lures you in with riveting acting that makes you forget no one is talking and any movie that can do that deserves iconic status. Plus, the story of the history of film will always be relevant to tell no matter how many years pass.
7 La La Land
There’s something about musicals that can take you to a magical place where everything can be fixed when the actors break into a song and dance number. La La Land is nothing short of a musical masterpiece. What could bring two people in Hollywood together more than the dream of making it big? Sebastian Wilder (played by Ryan Gosling) is a jazz pianist who wants to own his jazz club. Mia (played by Emma Stone) is a barista and an aspiring actress struggling to find one big role that can change her career. Seb and Mia meet in an LA traffic jam, and the encounter is not pleasant as it’s mostly filled with road rage.
Throughout the movie, the two have several chance encounters, and they end up together. Eventually, they each find success, but having their dreams come true tore them apart. La La Land is a gripping portrayal of how love and dreams do not always go together. The critically acclaimed movie is beautifully shot, an excellent homage to old Hollywood musicals, and its actors were magical.
6 Mad Max: Fury Road
In Mad Max: Fury Road, post-apocalypse, Earth is a desert with scarce water and resources. Due to the limited resources, a warlord named Immortan Joe (played by Hugh Keays-Byrne) controls the water supply in his region. The movie follows Max (played by Tom Hardy), a former police officer who gets imprisoned to serve as a blood bag for Nux (played by Nicholas Hoult). In Mad Max: Fury Road, Charlize Theron takes on the role of Furiosa, Joe’s lieutenant, tasked with protecting Joe’s five wives when transporting them to safety.
Furiosa, however, has other plans, she helps them escape, and it enrages Joe, who sends the war boys after her with Max in toll. Amidst the confusion, Max breaks free, and the two form an alliance and plan to go to a rumored haven called the Green Place. Mad Max: Fury Road is an action movie like no other. The film has intense stunts, beautifully choreographed action sequences, stunning visuals, and powerful performances that made it one of the best movies of 2010.
5 Hereditary
Very few movies have such a strong effect on viewers that they might think twice about watching it again, not because it was horrible but because the thought of rewatching such a harrowing movie is terrifying. Hereditary chronicles the life of Annie (played by Toni Collette) and her family after the death of her emotionally distant mom, Ellen. Annie’s family has a history of mental illness which might have been passed on to her children. Despite Ellen’s inability to show affection to Annie’s firstborn, Peter (played by Alex Wolff), she is besotted with Charlie (played by Milly Shapiro), Annie’s daughter, and becomes an important figure in her life.
After Ellen’s death, the family begins to experience strange supernatural things, which leads Annie to search through Ellen’s things, and she discovers that Ellen is Queen Leigh, a coven leader. Hereditary is a gripping movie full of twists and turns that will keep viewers guessing. Everything about the film is superb; the lights, sounds, creepy scenes, and top-notch acting make it a masterpiece that leaves its viewers terrified long after the credits roll.
4 Parasite
Parasite is one of the most influential movies of the 2010s, and the theme of the movie, which highlights the unfair differences between the upper class and lower class, will always be relevant in any society. The film follows a poor South Korean family called the Kims who begin working for an upper-class family, The Parks. The Kims deceive the Park family by lying about their qualifications which end with Ki-woo (played by Choi Woo-Shik) being an English tutor for Da-Hye (played by Jung Ji-so) and Ki-Jung (played by Park So-dam) ending up being the Art Therapist for Da-hye.
When the Park family goes on a vacation, the Kims revel in their luxuries until they discover that another parasitic family is living in the basement of the Park’s house. The critically acclaimed movie made history as the first South Korean movie to win an award at the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. With Parasite, Bong Joon-ho created such an unflinchingly honest portrayal of the parasitic relationship between the rich and the poor; the Kim family might have at first seemed like the parasites, but with a closer look, the Park family was leeching on the Kim family too. Undoubtedly, such a masterpiece filled with compelling acting deserves a remake.
3 Selma
The racial history of America is certainly a touchy topic, so to have a movie that tells the story of race not to ridicule but to educate is refreshing. Selma portrays the struggle of the civil rights movement and the joint efforts to ensure that every Black American could vote. Martin Luther King (played by David Oleyewo) and other activists had a difficult task, they wanted to ensure that every Black American was treated fairly, but the white supremacists and the government made it impossible.
So in protest, MLK and other activists arranged several protests to shed light on these injustices. The movie showcases the Selma to Montgomery march and the bloodshed that inspired outrage from many American citizens. Martin Luther King is an important figure in the civil rights movement, and Selma is a movie that celebrates that. The story of the history of Selma and its people deserves to be retold. However, Selma is not just a movie about Martin Luther King but a retelling of how social contracts affect certain marginalized groups.
2 Prisoners
Prisoners is a highly complex mystery with an ending that leaves its viewers trying to figure out some of the happenings in the movie on their own. Hollywood’s powerhouses Jake Gyllenhall who plays Detective Loki, and Hugh Jackman, who plays Keller Dover, star in this heartbreaking movie about two girls who get kidnapped. When the girls go missing, Detective Loki is assigned to the case and has no leads except Alex Jones (played by Paul Dano), a man who was seen driving an RV where the girls went missing.
Unfortunately, there is no evidence to arrest Alex, but the detective suspects that he was not working alone but that his aunt Holly Jones (played by Melissa Leo) might also be involved in the kidnapping. Sadly, the movie does not explain why Alex and Holly kidnapped the girls, but it’s still a powerful exploration of the lengths a grieving parent will go to get justice. Prisoners is masterful with its unexpected turns, dark tone, and beautiful performances from the stellar cast.
1 Get Out
From the brilliant mind of Jordan Peele was born a psychological horror thriller that has a fresh take on the genre. Chris (played by Daniel Kaluuya) is a young African-American man dating a white woman Rose Armitage (played by Allison Williams). The two plan to visit the Arbitrage family home in Upstate New York. While visiting Rose’s parents, Chris notices that the Black staff are strange. They are overly compliant as if being controlled by a puppet master.
He eventually discovers that the Arbitrage family has been hypnotizing black people and switching their consciousness with that of white people. Get Out is a unique combination of horror, suspense, and satire that challenges societal norms and expectations while addressing racism. The movie received well-deserved critical acclaim, and its themes need to be explored more in the future.