Top Action Movies of the Past Decade: A Yearly Breakdown
The last decade has produced some classic action movies, including big franchise releases and creative original concepts. Historic franchises like James Bond and Mission: Impossible have produced some of their greatest hits in recent years, but the landscape of action still has room for low-budget thrillers, hidden gems and offbeat ideas.
The action genre has a lot of overlap with sci-fi, war, and the superhero genres. While superhero blockbusters have dominated the box office, only a few have managed to deliver hard-hitting, kinetic action. It’s often the case that the best action movies are a little more grounded. This gives them the power to connect with audiences on a deeper level.
2015 – Mad Max: Fury Road
2015 produced several great action movies, including Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, Sicario and Furious 7, but it’s hard to compete with Mad Max: Fury Road, which has already been thrown into conversations about the greatest action movies ever made. George Miller’s revival of his Mad Max franchise raised the bar like never before.
Fury Road replaces Mel Gibson with Tom Hardy in the lead role, and it presents a more fraught and unrecognizable vision of the wasteland than previous movies. Miller’s worldbuilding is fascinating, but Fury Road is all about action. It strings together several unbelievable stunts, as the entire film plays out like a lethal chase across the desert.
2016 – Deadpool
Aside from some interesting exceptions, like The Accountant and Jason Bourne, the action genre was ruled by superhero movies in 2016. There were smash hits like Captain America: Civil War, but also more divisive movies like Suicide Squad. The idea of “superhero fatigue” started to take hold, which set the scene perfectly for Deadpool.
The first Deadpool movie spoofed the modern landscape of the superhero genre from the inside out, with a wise-cracking hero who refuses to conform to expectations. Ryan Reynolds has since become synonymous with the character, but Deadpool‘s hard-hitting fight scenes prove that it’s more than just a comedy. It satirizes superhero movies while still delivering the thrills that fans love.
2017 – Baby Driver
Superhero movies continued to dominate the action genre in 2017, but there were also some great “pure” action movies, like John Wick: Chapter 2 and Atomic Blonde. Baby Driver deserves recognition as one of the year’s coolest and most entertaining action flicks, with a great soundtrack to match its chase scenes.
Baby Driver was Edgar Wright’s first movie since ending the popular Cornetto trilogy of genre parodies. It isn’t as directly satirical as those films, but Wright still shows a willingness to subvert the tropes of heist movies. He initially indulges in the impish swagger of the crime capers, before his lovable hero comes face-to-face with a much harsher reality.
2018 – Mission: Impossible – Fallout
Nothing in the action genre can compare to the Mission: Impossible franchise in full swing. Other great action movies from 2018 include the animated masterpiece Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and the creative sci-fi thriller Upgrade, but Mission: Impossible – Fallout is arguably the pinnacle of the modern action blockbuster.
Fallout sees Ethan Hunt wrestling for the fate of the world once again, but it still feels fresh and unpredictable despite a few familiar elements. Henry Cavill’s introduction as one of the franchise’s best villains is a huge bonus, and he strikes up a brilliant dynamic with Cruise. As always, the stunts are nothing short of spectacular.
2019 – Avengers: Endgame
Several big action franchises returned in 2019, including Terminator, Rambo, and Godzilla, but they achieved mixed results. The undisputed blockbuster event of the year was Avengers: Endgame, which stuck the landing after several years’ worth of meticulous build-up. The Russo brothers somehow brought every character and storyline together in style.
Avengers: Endgame represented the end of an era for the MCU, offering one crescendo that lived up to the hype. Endgame delivered on the promise of seeing the biggest heroes teaming up in unexpected ways, and the action scenes are spectacular. There’s a case to be made that the MCU peaked with Endgame, and nothing has felt the same since.
2020 – Tenet
2020 was an odd year for all movies, with the pandemic causing chaos to release schedules. Tenet was one of the few big studio movies that wasn’t delayed until 2021 or moved onto a streaming platform. It received some underwhelming reviews at the time, but it continues to grow in popularity as the years pass.
Tenet is similar to many of Christopher Nolan’s best movies in some ways, since it pairs a cerebral sci-fi concept with some creative action sequences, just like Interstellar and Inception. The idea of reverse entropy sets up some remarkable fight scenes, including one in which John David Washington’s protagonist fights a version of himself moving through a backwards timeline.
2021 – No Time To Die
Nobody, Wrath of Man and Spider-Man: No Way Home were among some of the best action movies of 2021, a year in which Hollywood was still recovering from the lasting effects of the pandemic. Arguably the most notable action movie of the year was No Time to Die, Daniel Craig’s final flourish as James Bond.
Although it doesn’t hit the heights of the best James Bond movies, there are still stunning action sequences, like the Aston Martin chase in Matera and Ana de Armas’ role as a Cuban CIA agent. No Time to Die also ends on a bombshell, giving Craig a fitting send-off, which also marked the end of the franchise’s EON years.
2022 – Top Gun: Maverick
2022’s Best Picture winner Everything Everywhere All at Once is part action movie, albeit with plenty more genres mixed in. This underlines how 2022 was a strong year for the action genre, with a wide variety of hits, including the period sci-fi thriller Prey, the riotously entertaining Indian epic RRR, and the noirish superhero reboot The Batman.
Top Gun: Maverick was the year’s best action movie in terms of sheer thrills, and it serves as proof that legacy sequels don’t have to be uninspired, nostalgic cash-grabs. Maverick improves on its predecessor in every way. The flying scenes are breathtaking, and Tom Cruise’s character is supported by some interesting fresh faces. Top Gun 3 now seems genuinely exciting.
2023 – John Wick: Chapter 4
2023 produced plenty of exciting action sequels, with big franchises like Indiana Jones, Mission: Impossible, Guardians of the Galaxy, and the Spider-Verse all returning. John Wick also delivered another sequel, cementing its status as a truly great action franchise, with an unblemished record on the big screen.
John Wick: Chapter 4 continues the franchise’s trajectory of getting bigger and bolder with each sequel. The runtime and budget both increased again, so John’s globe-trotting odyssey has even more remarkable action scenes than previous movies. There are too many highlights to list, but the overhead shootout and the showdown at the Osaka Continental are particularly eye-catching.
2024 – Monkey Man
2024 brought another wide range of action movies, like Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Rebel Ridge and The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. There were just as many original standalone action movies as there were big franchise releases. One outstanding upstart was Monkey Man, directed by and starring Dev Patel.
Monkey Man is a thrilling directorial debut from Patel, and it introduces his credentials as a martial arts star. His directing style has drawn comparisons to John Wick, due to the way it accentuates the brutal fight choreography, but Monkey Man is also rooted in Indian culture. With any luck, this is just the start for Patel’s martial arts journey.
