Top 10 Action Movies of the 2000s

Most years the box office is dominated by action movies. Though movie goers flock to theaters to see these big budget movies only a select few are truly good movies. It takes a special movie to be able to mix all the fun and excitement of action and special effect with good storytelling and interesting characters. The 2000s were particularly rough on action movies as CGI becomes more popular and more and more franchises go the sequel route but these ten movies were the best action movies of the 2000s.

10th Best Action Movie of the 2000s: 300
Before Iron Man and Dark Knight 300 was probably the best adaptation of a comic book, oh sorry, I mean “graphic novel. 300 was so popular that other movies are now copying the same style. Many people are saying that the upcoming Marvel Comics movie, Thor, is going to have the same special effects.

9th Best Action Movie of the 2000s: Pitch Black
Vin Diesel isn’t a horrible actor, he’s just an actor in horrible movies. Pitch Black is one of the few good movies that Diesel has starred in. Pitch Black had a story that was pretty unique and a badass bad guy that was forced to be a good guy, sort of.

8th Best Action Movie of the 2000s: Kung Fu Hustle
Most people will side with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon as their best Asian action film of the 2000s, and that isn’t a bad pick, but I prefer Kung Fu Hustle. Anybody that is new to Asian films can’t go wrong with either one.

7th Best Action Movie of the 2000s: Iron Man
Though it didn’t stay there for long, Iron Man was briefly the best comic book adaptation. The story was a little lacking, especially in the villain department, but the acting by Robert Downey Jr. was top notch and Gwyneth Paltrow was surprisingly good. Even though good special effects and action was expected from a Marvel Comics movie the Iron Man suit turned out even better than expected.

6th Best Action Movie of the 2000s: Gladiator
Gladiator is about as obvious choice as you could possibly come up with. Not only does it have all the action that you would want in an action film but the movie was good enough to be nominated for 12 Oscars and win five of them

5th Best Action Movie of the 2000s: Serenity
Serenity was probably the best sci-fi movie of the 2000s. Serenity was based on a failed television show but the story was good enough that it wasn’t necessary to see the show to understand the plot. The ensemble cast is one of the best of the past decade with Nathan Fillion and Adam Baldwin being the standouts. The action and special effects were as good as any movie on this list even though the budget was only $39 million which is small potatoes compared to movies like Gladiator ($103 million) and Iron Man ($140 million).

4th Best Action Movie of the 2000s: Kill Bill Volume 2
Some Tarantino fans may prefer the action and blood in the first installment of Kill Bill but Volume 2 is a superior movie. First of all, it had an ending, that’s always a plus. Second, more David Carradine, less Vivica A. Fox. Huge upgrade. Really I’m not even sure why Volume 1 exists, Volume 2 is a good standalone movie and Volume 1 is just nonsense.

3rd Best Action Movie of the 2000s: The Dark Knight
Iron Man’s reign as the best comic book adaptation was short lived when Heath Ledger brought Joker to life on the silver screen. Obviously I didn’t like it as much as a lot of people though because it’s only number three. I felt Christian Bale’s portrayal as Batman was worse than the first movie, Two Face was only alright, the movie was half an hour too long and though the first 2 hours were worthy of the “it’s not just a comic book movie” praise, the last 30 minutes was total comic book.

2nd Best Action Movie of the 2000s: District B13
Is the Dark Knight a better movie? Probably. Is the Dark Knight a better action movie? No. This French movie is about as good as it gets as far as non-stop, kickass action. It is a must see for any fan of action movies. Don’t worry that it has subtitles, every language understands a kick in the face.

Best Action Movie of the 2000s: The Bourne Movies
The Oscars are expanding to 10 nominees for Best Picture and many believe it is because of the Dark Knight’s snub last year. Really this change should have been made as soon as the Bourne movies was snubbed. The action in the Bourne movies is even better, the writing is better and no offense to Mr. Bale or Mr. Ledger, but Matt Damon is the best current actor on the planet.