This Is the Best Movie of 2020, According to Critics
In a year without many major releases, these films quietly stood out.
Chances are you didn't see many movies in theaters this year. With closures across the country, and many of us forced to stay inside our homes, the moviegoing experience in 2020 was different—to say the least. But there were still plenty of new releases: smaller, indie films that got a little more attention on streaming services than they likely would have while competing against the many blockbuster releases that were postponed until post-pandemic. The critics were certainly paying attention. Based on their reviews, the following list represents the best movies 2020 had to offer.
We turned to Metacritic, which assigns films scores based on an average of the reviews they receive. The site's ranked list of the best reviewed films of the year is eclectic and filled with titles you might have missed in a more crowded, studio-driven year. Read on to see if any of your 2020 favorites made the list, and to find out what movies you need to make time to stream. And for more on what we watched this year, These Were the Most Popular Shows on Netflix in 2020.
50
Make Up
Metascore: 81
And for more recent films that got great reviews, check out The Best Movies of the 21st Century, According to Critics.
49
Sound of Metal
Metascore: 81
48
A Thousand Cuts
Metascore: 81
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47
The Climb
Metascore: 82
46
Bacurau
Metascore: 82
And for more of the year's best genre films, These Are the Best Horror Films of 2020, According to Critics.
45
Sorry We Missed You
Metascore: 82
44
Da 5 Bloods
Metascore: 82
43
House of Hummingbird
Metascore: 82
42
Residue
Metascore: 82
41
Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets
Metascore: 82
40
Driveways
Metascore: 83
39
Palm Springs
Metascore: 83
38
Saint Frances
Metascore: 83
37
I Wish I Knew
Metascore: 83
36
Our Time Machine
Metascore: 84
35
The Vast of Night
Metascore: 84
34
On the Record
Metascore: 84
33
Beanpole
Metascore: 84
32
Boys State
Metascore: 84
31
Red, White and Blue
Metascore: 84
30
Black Is King
Metascore: 84
29
76 Days
Metascore: 85
28
Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin
Metascore: 85
27
Athlete A
Metascore: 85
26
The Father
Metascore: 85
25
Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution
Metascore: 86
24
Vitalina Varela
Metascore: 86
23
To the Ends of the Earth
Metascore: 86
22
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Metascore: 86
21
Divine Love
Metascore: 86
20
Welcome to Chechnya
Metascore: 86
19
The Wolf House
Metascore: 86
18
Wolfwalkers
Metascore: 87
17
What the Constitution Means to Me
Metascore: 87
16
Rewind
Metascore: 87
15
Minari
Metascore: 87
14
City Hall
Metascore: 88
13
Education
Metascore: 88
12
Dick Johnson Is Dead
Metascore: 89
11
First Cow
Metascore: 89
10
Soul
Metascore: 89
9
Mangrove
Metascore: 90
8
Hamilton
Metascore: 90
7
Gunda
Metascore: 90
6
Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Metascore: 91
5
Time
Metascore: 91
4
David Byrne's American Utopia
Metascore: 93
3
Collective
Metascore: 95
And for more movies worth watching, find out The Best Movie That Came Out the Year You Graduated, According to Critics.
2
Lovers Rock
Metascore: 95
1
Nomadland
Metascore: 97
And if you're wondering what films critics hated this year, discover The Worst Movies of 2020, According to Critics.
