The Best Movies of 2020 to Date
In the strange and turbulent times of 2020, where a global pandemic hit, whole countries shut down and most time was spent indoors, it might surprise you to know, that movies were still released. Yes, lots of the big-name, big budget films were put on hold to be released when times were less strange, but it didn’t stop everyone. Perhaps this is a time for lesser known actors, directors and filmmakers to break through onto the scene?
If you haven’t been getting your hit of cinema releases, here’s our list of the top movies, 2020. Choose a comfy spot on the sofa, grab a bag of popcorn and settle down for some top viewing. Maybe once you’re done with the top 10, you can move onto the best 50 movies of 2020!
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The Scent
Release date: 1st December 2020 (UK)
Cast: Aidan Whytock, Jet Jandreau, Rick S Carr, Ned Doherty
Directed by: Lawrence Jacomelli
Movie Genre: Horror Thriller
The plot: In this modern horror thriller, THE SCENT, Planet Earth is destroyed by an apocalyptic event and taken over by an Alien Species that hunts by scent alone the only food source left…HUMANS. The story follows a father who abandoned his teenage autistic son and is now re-united because of the death of the boy’s mother during the apocalypse. They, along with a handful of other survivors must contain their scent by wearing isolation suits to avoid detection by the Aliens. But the suits are both their saving grace and their prisons. They have to take them off to eat, drink and interact and it is at these moments when they can be hunted. The suits also have a fragility that is a metaphor for the plight of the human race and also an ever-present danger on their journey. This terrifying new world begs the questions; does the human race deserve a second chance? and is life worth living anyway?
What makes it great: This is a claustrophobic Hide and Seek Monster Movie: “End of Days” meets “Alien” (that’s the original Alien and none of the sequels). There is a clear emphasis on character design and careful build in tension that keeps you absolutely gripped with fear and desperate for any glimmer of hope in a world that is burnt to the ground and shrouded in perpetual darkness with monsters that can appear at any moment.
There’s nothing like a good old-fashioned hide and seek monster movie and this one is a smash hit and terribly zeitgeist, almost eerily so given the isolation that most of the world has experienced in 2020, and this is what makes The Scent one of the best horror thriller movies to watch in 2020.
Official Movie Trailer – The Scent
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The Assistant
Release date: 3rd April 2020 (UK)
Cast: Julia Garner, Matthew McFadyen, Kristine Froseth, Makenzie Leigh
Directed by: Kitty Green
The plot: A stark and pointed look at that world surrounding a serial abuser. This movie follows a day in the life of Jane (Julia Garner), a college graduate who has landed a job as an assistant to a powerful entertainment mogul. The world the movie mogul has created around him, protects and allows denial of what’s really happening. Sexual harassment, abuse in the workplace. The Weinstein references are clear. A tense look at the culture surrounding the Weinstein case and Miramax and a cringing recognition of seemingly small incidences, over time becoming so much more.
What makes it great: If you like movies which push you outside your comfort zone and address issues, this is one of the movies to watch 2020. Mostly though inference, you take a deep dive into a day in the life of Jane. Subtext, along with dropped hints and missing information, that could be something (or equally, nothing) come together to create an evident and simultaneously obscured bigger picture. This movie is closer than even first person, which is a huge directional feat. It’s beyond impressive and well deserving of a place in the top 10 movies of 2020.
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Sorry We Missed You
Release date: 6th March 2020 (UK)
Cast: Kris Hitchen, Debbie Honeywood, Rhys Stone, Katie Proctor
Director: Ken Loach
The plot: A poignant look at the harsh reality of the gig economy and the human impact of your online order. Zero-hour contracts, no worker protections and lack of basic human interaction are all addressed in this movie. Rickey delivers online purchases, his every move dictated by technology. Abby, a carer on a zero-hour contract, not paid for breaks, holidays, illness or even travel, but cares for people like they are her own family. There’s a lot said about the failings of modern society and the way language is used in these industries to make you feel like you are getting a good, flexible deal, which actually just means you need to sell your family car and you can never take a day off. One of the movies to watch in 2020, no questions asked.
What makes it great: This film makes you realise what could be behind something as small as an online order, or the carer coming to look after a grandparent. Something which most people wouldn’t even think about, it makes you think more deeply about the people you come into fleeting contact. Perhaps we need to consider the strain people who alleviate strain on your life, are under themselves. It’s certainly a ‘thinker’ and it immerses you in the life of the characters – one of the best films on Amazon Prime Video in 2020.
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Onward
Release date: 6th March 2020 (UK)
Cast: Chris Pratt, Tom Holland, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Octavia Spencer
Director: Dan Scanlon
The plot: Two elf brothers Ian Lightfoot (Tom Holland) and Barley Lightfoot (Chris Pratt), journey to discover whether there is any magic left in the world, so they can spend just one last day with their dad. Magic spells, cryptic maps, seemingly insurmountable obstacles and unfathomable discoveries plague their journey. Mythical creatures live as modern-day-humans do in Onward, one of the top 10 movies of 2020.
What makes it great: In classic Pixar fashion, this film tugs at your heartstrings and reduces you to tears, with a journey that is as much inward, as it is outward. Meaningful, this movie was inspired by the death of Scanlon’s own father, when he was but one year old. Truly heartfelt and with a poignant message, if you have kids (or to be honest, even if you don’t!) this has got to be one of the best blockbuster movies of 2020!
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Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Release date: 24th January 2020 (UK)
Cast: Sidney Flanigan, Talia Ryder, Théodore Pellerin, Ryan Eggold
Director: Eliza Hittman
The plot: Newcomer Sidney Flanigan as teenager Autumn, a melancholy soul. Autumn is 17 and pregnant and travels from Pennsylvania to NYC for an abortion, with cousin and friend Skylar. Making the journey together by bus, with hardly any cash, they end up being pushed and shoved through a system that Autumn wasn’t prepared for. You could be cynical and shy away from this film thinking ‘it’s just another hard knocks teen film’, but who are we to question a score of 8.58 on Rotten Tomatoes?
What makes it great: A quiet, yet powerful film, it’s a real and true look into the life of a young woman struggling. Daringly unafraid of silence, there are no monologues in this film and truth is looked bare in the face throughout. Acted with true strength and passion for the role, both young actors carve their characters excellently. A personal work, reflective of the struggle of many young women; profound, painfully honest and moving. It might not be considered one of the best blockbuster movies of 2020, but if this year is about anything, it’s about change, making this a must watch.
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Da 5 Bloods
Release date: 12th June 2020 (UK)
Cast: Delroy Lindo, Jonathan Majors, Clarke Peters, Norm Lewis
Director: Spike Lee
The plot: Martin Luther King Jr. and Mohammed Ali in their opposition to the Vietnam war. A heist movie sandwiched between Ali’s famed explanation of his refusal to enlist and King’s “let America be America again” speech. American veterans return to Vietnam in search of the remains of their Squad Leader and promises of buried treasure. If you are after one of the best thriller movies of 2020, then this is one for you.
What makes it great: Political, reminiscent and full of homages to great films this is one of the best films on Netflix 2020. Simultaneously simple and complex, you may feel as if you were getting exactly what you expected from this film, until you care to look a little deeper and the message smacks you in the face.
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The Personal History of David Copperfield
Release date: 24th January 2020 (UK)
Cast: Dev Patel, Aneurin Barnard, Peter Capaldi
Director: Armando Iannucci
The plot: If you are a fan of Iannucci’s usual style, you’ll find this movie a little different – its luminous in a way unusual for this director. Copperfield narrates his own story; chronicling his life from birth to ‘now’. An idyllic life turns into abusive family life, where David is forced to work and to live with a family hounded by creditors. Escaping from that way of life, troubles and eventually good fortune lead Copperfield to achieving his dream by becoming an author. Uplifting and one of the top movies of 2020.
What makes it great: this could be a stuffy, British, period drama, but it isn’t. The ingenious casting of Dev Patel (known for Slumdog Millionaire) in the title role is ingenious and is suggestive of the true mix of people in Victorian Britain; a fresh move away from the all-white casting of old. The kind-hearted David Copperfield, combined poverty, wealth and wickedness, alongside the interesting characters he meets along the way is classic. But his personal quest and his life-story top it off. Not only that, it comes with a Rotten Tomatoes top score!
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The Lighthouse
Release date: 31st January 2020 (UK)
Cast: Robert Pattinson, Willem Defoe
Director: Robert Eggers
The plot: an enthralling tale of two lighthouse keepers on a remote New England island in the 1890s. A black and white film which depicts the boss of the operation ordering around Ephraim (Robert Pattinson), never letting him forget who is in charge. Ephraim soon becomes obsessive and begins to suffer petrifying visions; exactly what you want from one of the top horror movies of 2020.
What makes it great: Tragic and desperate, this is easily one of the best horror movies of 2020, The Lighthouse looks to drive you mad. It’s like watching someone else’s bad dream, and a bleak one for that. It’s gloomy, obsessive, terrifying and experimental, whilst being both claustrophobic and loud at the same time.
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Uncut Gems
Release date: 31st January 2020 (UK)
Cast: Adam Sandler, Julia Fox
Director: Safdie Brothers
The plot: an exhilarating crime thriller about an NCY jeweller (it’s already sounding like one of the best Netflix movies of 2020). A gambling addict, Howard (Adam Sandler) makes a series of high-stakes bets which could lead to unimaginable money. His assistant ‘hustles’ clientele perhaps interested in the expensive, showy items in his portfolio. His wife hates him, as does his daughter. He owes people money, yet he’s still putting up his young mistress in an apartment. Business, family and adversity becomes a balancing act as he tries to alleviate his huge gambling debts.
What makes it great: Terrible choices, addiction, passion and obsession run throughout. Pure drama and one of the top new Netflix movies around. This is no deterrent for gambling, in fact, it’s quite the opposite, pushing you into the experience of the main character and making you feel the buzz. This film never stops. It’s this aspect of it (amongst many others) that firmly plant this movie in the top 10 movies of 2020, not to mention the best thriller movies of 2020.
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Parasite
Release date: 7th February 2020 (UK)
Cast: Song Kang Ho, Lee Sun Kyun
Director: Boon Joon Ho
The plot: without a shadow of a doubt, one of the best indie movies of 2020. The Park family: aspirational wealth. The Kim family: street smart. These two families are brought together and unsurprisingly, the Kim’s sense opportunity. Soon, an interdependent relationship develops between the Kim’s and the Parks’, until a parasitic threat seeks to destroy this fragile ecology.
What makes it great: A twisting and turning tale, exercising visual language and underlying narrative. It’s daring and bordering on the satirical; underlining class structure and revving into astonishing narrative. It could be too much, but the direction of Boon Joon Ho holds it all together. Unbelievable is the only way to describe it. It’s clever, it’s captivating and it’s contrasting – everything you want in a movie and more, more, more. This film takes home the prize for number 1 in the top 10 movies of 2020, there is no doubt about that.
If 2020 hadn’t already surprised you enough, it certainly has now, with its incredible release of films, from which could have been a non-event year for cinematography. From some of the best thriller movies of 2020, to the best indie movies of 2020 – these 10 films have it all. And there’s absolutely no need for real life rotten tomatoes!!
