10 Best Movies of 2003

By Vlad Zakh · September 24, 2027

Drama thought provokingintense

2003 balanced blockbuster spectacle with an unusually rich crop of intimate, critically adored dramas.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) 01

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

IMDb ★ 9.0

The final battle for Middle-earth unfolds as the fellowship's quest reaches its climax.

Lost in Translation (2003) 02

Lost in Translation (2003)

IMDb ★ 7.7

Two lonely Americans form an unexpected bond while both staying at the same Tokyo hotel.

Finding Nemo (2003) 03

Finding Nemo (2003)

IMDb ★ 8.1

A worried clownfish crosses the ocean to rescue his son from a fish tank in a dentist's office.

Mystic River (2003) 04

Mystic River (2003)

IMDb ★ 7.9

Three childhood friends reunite as adults after one of their daughters is murdered.

Big Fish (2003) 05

Big Fish (2003)

IMDb ★ 8.0

A son tries to separate fact from fantasy in his dying father's tall tales about his own life.

City of God (2003) 06

City of God (2003)

IMDb ★ 8.6

Two boys from a violent Rio de Janeiro slum take dramatically different paths into adulthood.

American Splendor (2003) 07

American Splendor (2003)

IMDb ★ 7.4

An underground comic book writer chronicles the mundane frustrations of his own working-class life.

School of Rock (2003) 08

School of Rock (2003)

IMDb ★ 7.1

A failed musician poses as a substitute teacher and secretly trains his class to form a rock band.

Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003) 09

Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003)

IMDb ★ 8.2

A former assassin seeks bloody revenge against the crew who betrayed her at her own wedding.

Elf (2003) 10

Elf (2003)

IMDb ★ 7.1

A man raised as one of Santa's elves travels to New York to find his real father.

Vlad Zakh

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix, built to fix a specific annoyance: most recommendation sites are just algorithm-driven noise. Our lists are researched and organized by who's in a film, where it's from, and the mood you're actually in tonight.