MOULIN ROUGE! TOPS LIST OF FANS’ DEFINITIVE NOUGHTIES MOVIES
Baz Luhrmann’s musical romp Moulin Rouge! has seen off competition from the likes of Brit director Christopher Nolan’s 2008 The Dark Knight to be named Film of the Decade in a poll of over 150,000 film fans.
LOVEFiLM the UK’s largest online DVD & games rental service and entertainment website asked members to vote from a shortlist of 100 films that have defined the last decade for cinema goers and DVD buffs alike.
Luhrmann’s 2001 visual feast of Bohemian Paris, starring Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman, can-canned its way to the top of the list, receiving just over 3.24 per cent of all votes cast while superhero thriller The Dark Knight swooped into second place with 3.14 per cent.
2004’s zombie satire Shaun of the Dead proved a hit with film lovers and was the only British film to be voted into the top ten, picking up 3.1 per cent. According to writers Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright, the film was the first (and last) ‘romantic zombie comedy’ to hit our screens in the noughties.
Responsible for bringing the word ‘Hobbit’ into mainstream vocabulary in the first part of the decade, Peter Jackson’s seminal epic in the Lord of The Rings trilogy, LOTR: The Fellowship of The Ring proved a worldwide hit and took 2.51 per cent of the votes.
Ridley Scott’s 2000 Gladiator starring Russell Crowe was credited with reviving the historical epic genre at the turn of the millennium, cementing its place as a definitive film of the decade and battling its way to fifth place in the poll (2.48 per cent).
Frodo returned for a final battle in 2003 with Lord of the Rings: Return of The King. The final film in the trilogy experienced one of the biggest box office successes of all time, winning eleven Academy Awards and sixth place in the poll (2.34 per cent).
Spanish language fantasy film Pan’s Labyrinth, following a young girl into a fantastical make-believe world against the backdrop of 1940’s post-Civil War Spain, first premiered at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. Directed by Guillermo Del Torro, the film went on to win numerous awards, as well as seventh place in the list (2.04 per cent).
Kick starting a multi-million film franchise and showcasing some of the most awe-inspiring visual effects of the past ten years, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl captured the imagination of LOVEFiLM members, gaining 2.02 per cent and sailing into eighth place.
Cult DVD favourite and breakthrough film for Jake Gyllenhaal, Donnie Darko barely broke even at the box office upon its initial release, but proved so popular with film fans that it was voted to ninth place with 1.93 per cent of the votes.
In 2008, Disney/Pixar released WALL-E, the computer animated tale of a lonely, rubbish-collecting robot left on a futuristic earth to clean up after mankind had departed. The striking animation and uncannily human-like mannerisms of the film’s main characters earnt it an Oscar as well as tenth place in the poll with 1.88 per cent.
Helen Cowley, Editor of LOVEFiLM commented:
“The noughties has been a fantastic decade for film, with cinema lovers enjoying technological advances that have allowed viewers to be transported to new worlds like never before.
While a number of big budget blockbusters dominate the top ten list, it’s encouraging to see cult films such as Donnie Darko recognised for their creative direction as well as foreign language films like Pan’s Labyrinth also making the cut.
While Moulin Rouge! can’t claim to be on the same scale as some of its epic counterparts, its place as the number one film of the last decade goes to show that original cinematography, a solid love story and a creative soundtrack can truly stand the test of time.
With LOVEFiLM’s selection of over 65,000 titles, film lovers can easily re-live their favourite moments of the last ten years, and also start thinking about the decade to come.”
