The 50 Best Movies of 2020

by Jason Dietz, Metacritic Features Editor – January 6, 2021

Here is Metacritic's final list of the 50 best-reviewed movies of 2020, ranked by Metascore. This list only includes films receiving at least 7 reviews from professional critics.

All films released between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020 in at least one U.S. theater or directly to streaming or VOD/digital services were eligible for inclusion. Titles are ranked by Metascore (a weighted average of scores from top professional critics) prior to rounding based on scores as of January 3, 2021.

22 of 25 photo by Amazon Studios/Parisa Taghizedeh

95 Lovers Rock

(#2) The final Steve McQueen film on our list is perhaps the least serious-minded (and least plot-driven) but most purely enjoyable of the bunch. Unfolding over a single night in the 1980s, Lovers Rock spends almost its entire duration at a West London house party, offering a brief glimpse into the lives of its attendees, soundtracked by a killer reggae score. Critics found it jubilant and intoxicating and praised McQueen's attention to detail.

Note that like the other four films in Amazon's Small Axe anthology, Lovers Rock will be eligible for Emmys (in the new "Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series" category), not Oscars. But that's not stopping a few of the films (and the anthology as a whole) from collecting awards from other film groups.

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“Electric and alive as few films are, Lovers Rock will make you giddy with longing for a pleasure we’ve been too long denied: The singular rush of being one with a beat and a roomful of possibilities.” —Jeannette Catsoulis, The New York Times

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