Top Ten Movies of 2020
As 2020 draws to an end, we can still look back and see what good this year has brought us amongst the bad. Spending so much time inside with nothing to do has led people to watch a lot of movies from the comfort of their homes. So let’s take a look at the top 10 movies of 2020:
1. His House
Taking the spot for number one, we have His House, a horror movie by Remi Weekes, Felicity Evans, and Toby Venables. His House tells the story of a couple (Sope Dirisu and Wunmi Mosaku) who narrowly escapes war-stricken South Sudan by fleeing to England. There, they later discover an evil waiting for them and learn that they are not as alone as they think. I included this movie in the top 3 because it has well-timed jump scares, an interesting plot and it cleverly gives insight into the life and struggles of a refugee. The horrifying and disturbing scenes, accompanied by the deep backstory of the characters, truly come together to make this a great film. Its 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, 6.5/10 on IMDb, and 72 on Metacritic also show that this movie is well-liked by a large audience.
This movie went straight to streaming and is now available to watch on Netflix.
2. Run
Coming in at number two is Run by Aneesh Chaganty and Emma Miranda Moore. This film follows the story of a mother, a wheelchair-bound daughter, and a terrible secret. Chloe (Kiera Allen) has had her every move controlled by her mother, Diane (Sarah Paulson). It isn’t until Chloe gets older that a chain of sinister secrets unfolds the truth about her mother. I included this movie in the top 3 because it is extremely suspenseful and has you at the edge of your seat the whole way through. By having a disabled actress play a wheelchair-bound character, the movie’s positive representation of disabilities paves the way for other actors and actresses with disabilities in filmmaking. Overall, this movie makes you question what you would do in certain situations and it gives you insight into the thinking process of someone who is mentally ill.
This movie went straight to streaming and is available to watch on Hulu.
3. Antebellum
In third place, we have Antebellum by Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz. Antebellum details the story of a successful woman stuck in a terrifying reality, where she must escape before she loses her life. I included this movie in my top 3 because it portrays the life of a slave in the past and connects it to present-day racism with an intricate and interesting plot. As the film jumps between the past and present, finally merging into one at the end, it opens your eyes to some racist behaviors and thinking that are still prevalent in today’s world, and more specifically, in the south.
This film went straight to streaming and is available to watch on iTunes, Vudu, Google Play, Fandango, FlixFling, and Microsoft.
4. Soul
Summary: After Joe, a middle-aged teacher, unexpectedly dies on the day of getting the opportunity to become an aspiring jazz musician, he goes on a quest to get back his life where he befriends an unborn soul.
This movie went straight to streaming on Christmas Day and is available to watch on Disney Plus.
5. The Invisible Man
Summary: After Cecilia’s abusive ex commits suicide and a coincidental series of lethal events tests the lives of those she loves, her sanity begins to spiral as she desperately tries to prove that she is being haunted by an entity that no one else can see.
This movie went straight to streaming and is available to watch on HBO, HBO max, HBO NOW, Amazon Prime video, Microsoft, Google Play, iTunes, FandangoNOW, and VUDU.
6. Host
Summary: Amidst the COVID-19 lockdown, six friends hire a medium to hold a séance over Zoom when things quickly spiral out of control. Once an evil entity enters their homes, they realize that their lives are at risk.
This movie went straight to streaming and is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video, Microsoft, iTunes, Fandango, and Google Play.
7. Birds of Prey
Summary: After Harley’s recent split with Joker, she is thrown onto the streets of Gotham and left to fend for herself with a large target on her back. She befriends three other women and is faced with the task of saving a young pickpocket with a large bounty on her head from Gotham’s most narcissistic and wicked villain.
This movie went straight to streaming and is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, HBO NOW, Google Play, Roku + HBO, Google Play, Microsoft, iTunes, VUDU, and Fandango.
8. I’m Thinking of Ending Things
Summary: A young woman travels with her boyfriend to his parents’ house, where reality becomes distorted and she begins to question everything that she knows and what she thought she knew.
This movie went straight to streaming and is available to watch on Netflix.
9. Onward
Summary: Two elf brothers embark on a journey to find a magical artifact that will bring back their late father for a single day.
This movie went straight to streaming and is available on Disney Plus, Google Play, Fandango, and Prime Video. It is also available on Blu Ray and DVD.
(Note from the Editors: Originally, Mulan had been movie #9, but we have decided to remove it from the list due to its production in Xinjiang, a region where Uighur Muslims are currently being persecuted.)
10. The New Mutants
Summary: Five young teenagers, labeled as mutants, discover that they have powers in a facility where they are being held against their will. With their new powers, they learn to fight for their lives and accept the sins of their past.
This movie went straight to streaming and is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video, VUDU, Google Play, Fandango, and Microsoft.
Genesis • Apr 17, 2021 at 2:06 pm
my favorite movies you mentioned in your article were soul, the invisible man, birds of prey , onward and the new mutants because like you said since were in quarantine I’ve watched a lot of these movies and they gave important messages in then I would like to know more about what you thought of the movies soul I appreciate you for keeping your passion during these hard times .
Andeta Kapica • Jan 29, 2021 at 9:23 pm
Top Ten Movies of 2020 by Amber Ann Houghtaling, is probably one of my favorite articles on The Curtis Log at the moment. With Covid, we’ve obviously had a lot of time to spend inside with our devices and I really found myself running out of movies to watch. With this, they gave such an insightful description of each movie which I appreciated as a reader , I will definitely be watching some of these. Each description was short and sweet, it didn’t reveal too much which made me curious about the rest of each movies’ plot. They also mentioned where each movie is streaming which is a plus to this whole article. I think that this was a really good use of an article because we know that high school students are always on their phones and laptops watching movies and shows to pass time so this title is eye candy for those looking for more to watch.
Leidy Rodriguez • Jan 28, 2021 at 10:49 pm
There are many words that come to mind when trying to describe quarantine, however the first word that instantly comes to mind is bored. The lockdown prevented us from doing pretty much everything we loved, making us stay stuck at home trying not to lose our minds. Some things I would do to try and not stay completely bored was hang out with my family, play with my dog, cook, and bake many many things. My overall favorite thing to do was to watch movies and tv shows available to me on all my streaming devices such as Netflix, Hulu, and Disney Plus. I had to rewatch many of my old favorites because I kept running out of new movies and shows that are interesting to me. A list like this is so helpful because I just gained so many new movies I can add to my “must watch” list. I have watched Soul and I loved It so much that I watched It twice in a row. By just this one movie, I can already tell this movie list is one that will capture my attention and I can’t wait to get started on watching all these films.
Ayman Abadin • Jan 26, 2021 at 4:25 pm
While I am aware that this list is opinionated, I still have to disagree with part of the list. Most of these movies are very popular and talked about a lot, so it makes sense that they are considered ‘Top 10’. However No. 9 – Mulan doesn’t belong on this list. Even though it was very popular when it was initially released, it also received a lot of immediate backlashes when people learned more about the behind-the-scenes. All the writers and producers were white, but they kept promoting it as authentic to Chinese culture. They also removed characters from the animated movie which upset a lot of fans. A large number of people said they wouldn’t watch it with all these new changes. However, the worst scandal was when they announced it was actually filmed in China, while Chinese Muslims were undergoing a genocide not too far from the shooting area. I don’t think Mulan should be on this list because of all the scandals.
Editor • Feb 3, 2021 at 4:40 pm
Hi Ayman, we’ve read your comment and the editorial staff along with the writer have decided to take Mulan off the list for the reasons you stated, especially for the ongoing situation with Uighur Muslims in China. Thank you for the feedback, we always take it into consideration for the future.
Caterina Perrone • Jan 26, 2021 at 2:31 pm
Hey! I read the “Top Ten Movies of 2020” Article by Amber Ann Houghtaling and genuinely I have little to no criticism! The formatting of the list has a buzzfeed like quality that entices the reader to continue reading. All the descriptions of the movies are informative yet compressed into understandable paragraphs that maintain the attention of the targeted audience, especially in a society that has a very restricted attention span. Not to mention, the list itself was really interesting and consisted of various genres and topics. Instead of limiting the list to one singular category of movie the author made sure to keep an open mind and find movies that catered to different types of peoples different interests. It goes from horror thriller movies to animated kids movies allowing for the reader to gain a better grasp of what movies are worth watching within their genre comfort zone. Another thing I would like to commend is the addition of the sites where you can stream the movies listed, I thought that was really helpful considering the list capitalizes on the reader actually absorbing the information and going out of their way to take the advice given to them. All I would say is maybe include more facts and info in the introduction of the article to further back up why these movies are so good. I thought this article was executed really well and efficiently got across the point it was intending on persuading in a simple enjoyable manner. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and I thought the author did a great job!