Top 10 Movies of 2019
<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Going into the process of compiling this list, we were excited because we didn’t know what it was going to look like.</p>
Top 10 Movies of 2019
We each brought different tastes to the table this year—and that made for a wildly fun list to build. 2019 gave us blockbusters, intimate indies, and everything in between.
List compiled by Dylan Blight, Ashley Hobley & Nicholas Prior.
Ranked list
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10) Midsommar — Director/Writer: Ari Aster Sun-blasted horror that’s as beautiful as it is brutal. Florence Pugh anchors a breakup parable wrapped in cultural clash, with Aster slow-burning to a shocking catharsis.
— Nicholas Prior
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9) Doctor Sleep — Director/Writer: Mike Flanagan (from Stephen King) Flanagan threads the needle—honoring King and Kubrick while crafting a soulful, supernatural thriller. Ewan McGregor and Rebecca Ferguson shine.
— Nicholas Prior
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8) The Irishman — Director: Martin Scorsese; Writer: Steven Zaillian Scorsese’s elegiac epic: a decades-spanning tale of loyalty, regret, and the cost of a life in the shadows—told with a master’s final-act clarity.
— Dylan Blight
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7) Avengers: Endgame — Directors: Anthony & Joe Russo; Writers: Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely A remarkably satisfying goodbye to the Infinity Saga—epic, funny, surprisingly quiet when it counts, and full of moments fans will never forget.
— Ashley Hobley
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6) John Wick 3 — Director: Chad Stahelski; Writers: Derek Kolstad, Shay Hatten, Chris Collins & Marc Abrams Action cinema turned up to eleven—world-building expands, set pieces stun, and Keanu cements Wick as an all-timer. Dogs. Halle Berry. Chaos. Bliss.
— Dylan Blight
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5) Parasite — Director: Bong Joon-ho; Writers: Bong Joon-ho & Han Jin-won A razor-sharp class satire that shape-shifts genres with surgical precision. Immaculate design, perfect ensemble—believe the hype.
— Ashley Hobley
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4) The Farewell — Director/Writer: Lulu Wang Gentle, funny, and devastating—Lulu Wang crafts a culture-crossing story about family, love, and the lies we tell to protect one another. Awkwafina and Zhao Shuzhen are magic.
— Ashley Hobley
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3) Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood — Director/Writer: Quentin Tarantino A languid hangout elegy for a fading era—part fairy tale, part love letter. Sink into the vibe, then rewatch to savor the craft and choices.
— Dylan Blight
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2) Ad Astra — Director: James Gray; Writer: James Gray & Ethan Gross A quietly thunderous odyssey about legacy and letting go. Precision sound and production design sell a near-future space, while Brad Pitt delivers a career-best study in restraint.
— Nicholas Prior
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1) Marriage Story — Director/Writer: Noah Baumbach Heart-rending and humane, Baumbach’s divorce drama finds grace in the mess. Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson are extraordinary, guided by writing that feels lived-in and true.
— Ashley Hobley
Companion video
Dylan Blight
[He/Him] Dylan Blight is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Explosion Network, an independent Australian publication covering video games, film, television and pop culture. Since founding Explosion Network in 2017, Dylan has written and produced reviews, news, interviews, features and podcasts across the entertainment industry, while overseeing the publication's editorial direction and content.
MORE FROM DYLAN BLIGHT →
Ashley Hobley
[He/Him] As the Executive Editor of Games & Entertainment, Ash uses his sharp-eye to oversee the majority of the editorial work coming out of the Explosion Network.
MORE FROM ASHLEY HOBLEY →
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