The Greatest Action Movie of Each of the Last 6 Years

All in all, the 2020s have been an excellent time for action movies. These are films all about constant movement, exciting combat sequences, and adrenaline-pumping explosions. From suspenseful thrillers to terrifying horror films to unexpectedly hilarious comedies, the action genre lends itself perfectly to being combined with other genres—and these combinations have resulted in some truly exceptional films over the course of the last six years. From 2021 to the present, audiences around the world have been treated both to huge action blockbusters and surprising action indie spectacles. By the time the 2030s roll in, these are bound to be remembered as some of the genre’s best recent outings.

Whether it’s a pure action flick like Nobody, an Oscar-winning masterpiece like Everything Everywhere All At Once, or an animated gem like Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, these are some of the greatest action films of modern times that we’re talking about. The wonderful thing about this genre is just how incredibly versatile it is, and as a result, it shouldn’t be the least bit surprising to see how vastly different yet equally entertaining these genre-defining gems are.

6

2021: ‘Nobody’

Image via Universal Pictures

In 2021, both the world in general, and the film industry more specifically, were still right in the middle of a global pandemic. As such, this year’s output of action films wasn’t the highest purely in terms of quantity, but as soon as the conversation veers toward quality, some excellent films emerge. Dune was an incredible sci-fi epic, The Suicide Squad was a surprise hit for the superhero genre, and No Time to Die brought Daniel Craig‘s tenure as Bond to an exceptional (and at times considerably overhated) conclusion. But as the years have passed, the 2021 action spectacle that has aged the best is Ilya Naishuller‘s Nobody.

Only a handful of 2020s action movies are perfect. Nobody may not be one of them, but it sure is one of the most entertaining popcorn flicks that the 2020s have had to offer thus far. Led by an incredible Bob Odenkirk, the film introduced the world to Hutch Mansell, a refreshing action hero who knows how to take a hit just as well as he knows how to be a badass. John Wick copycats have been aplenty since the film’s release in 2014, but Nobody elevates the formula to the stratosphere with its compelling story, the powerhouse performance of its lead, and its commitment to some of the most entertainingly brutal and visceral action of any 2021 film.

5

2022: ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’

Image via A24

Back when it originally came out, the Daniels‘ Everything Everywhere All At Once began to take the world by storm—somewhat quietly at first, and then, all at once. It became A24’s highest-grossing film at the time four months into its theatrical run, but that wasn’t the last surprise it had stored up its sleeve. At the 95th Academy Awards, the film achieved the tremendous feat of earning seven Oscar victories, and it probably deserved to win even more. Though blockbusters like The Batman and Top Gun: Maverick are also guaranteed to go down in history as some of the 2020s’ best action films, it just doesn’t get better than this.

It’s one of the best martial arts movies of the 2020s, but it isn’t the kind of film that’s content with operating within a single genre. It’s an existentialist dramedy, a family drama, a sci-fi epic, and a surreal comedy. Dealing with themes of nihilism, absurdism, generational trauma, and immigration, it truly is one of the most complex and ambitious films that have been made at any point during this decade. It runs for just a little under two and a half hours, and every minute of that runtime is easily spent with a massive smile on one’s face—except for when the tears inevitably start coming.

4

2023: ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’

Image via Sony Pictures Releasing

After Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse took Marvel fans, animation lovers, and the world in general by storm in 2018, the standard for its sequel was set sky-high. Somehow, not only did Across the Spider-Verse meet that bar, it even surpassed it by quite a bit. It remains the highest-rated film of the 2020s so far on both Letterboxd and IMDb, and for good reason. Though it’s logically best enjoyed by those who already love the Web-Slinger, it’s a film so fun that it should be more than enough to entertain even the most ardent superhero genre hater. As good as 2023 action flicks like Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One and John Wick: Chapter 4 were, none of them were even remotely as perfect as this.

As one of the most ambitious superhero movies of all time, there’s no shortage of areas where Across the Spider-Verse excels. For one, it’s perhaps the single most visually stunning animated movie in history, full of eye-popping colors, adrenaline-pumping action sequences, and visual details that keep coming up in every rewatch. But what really makes this a masterpiece is that, aside from working flawlessly as a sci-fi action epic, it also works flawlessly as a deconstruction of both the Spider-Man mythos and the figure of the superhero. In a blockbuster scene that’s perhaps more full of superhero movies than it should be, masterpieces like this one are all the more appreciated.

3

2024: ‘Dune: Part Two’

Before the 2020s, fans of Frank Herbert‘s Dune—easily one of the most groundbreaking and important works of science fiction literature of the entire 20th century—likely believed that no film could possibly live up to the legacy of Herbert’s work. That was before Denis Villeneuve came into the scene. The imagination of the Canadian auteur seemed to match Herbert’s vision like two pieces of the same puzzle, and though 2021’s Dune was as solid as any fan of the source material could have asked for, it’s Dune: Part Two that really blew everyone away. 2024 had other great action spectacles, from Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga to Monkey Man, but Dune: Part Two is on a tier all of its own.

As far as sci-fi action blockbusters go, this is arguably this generation’s The Empire Strikes Back. At the very least, it’s one of the best sci-fi blockbusters of all time, packed with awe-inspiring sequences bolstered by stunning visuals, Hans Zimmer‘s best score of the decade so far, and adrenaline-pumping action scenes. The way that Villeneuve understands the tonal essence and thematic core of Herbert’s source material is worthy of the utmost admiration, and the way he elevates the material through some of the most perfect technical qualities of any action film of the 2020s is no less than what this legendary story deserved.

2

2025: ‘Sinners’

Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

Ryan Coogler has been delivering some of the greatest action movies of the 21st century over the course of his career, but he really outdid himself in virtually every sense imaginable with Sinners. Only a handful of 2020s horror movies are true masterpieces, and this one’s right up there, a complete revolution of the vampire genre that will likely only get better with age. Winner of four Academy Awards and anchored by its standout ensemble cast and Ludwig Göransson‘s legendary tunes, it’s one of the most near-perfect blockbusters of the decade so far. Films like Predator: Badlands and Superman are also worthy of praise, and One Battle After Another may even be a superior film overall, but purely in terms of what the action genre can achieve, there are few examples from this decade more notorious than this.

The wonderful part about Sinners is just how well it works on multiple different levels. It’s an incredibly entertaining and suspenseful action film, yes; but it’s also a very effectively scary horror film, a complete recontextualization of the vampire genre, and even a remarkably fun and catchy musical at times. This sort of genre juggling is something you don’t often see in modern action films, which only makes the achievements of Coogler and his team all the more worthy of admiration. All those who love horror action movies will find virtually nothing significant to complain about when they watch Sinners, which can already be counted among the best examples of its genres from the 21st century.

1

2026: ‘Masters of the Universe’

Image via Amazon MGM Studios

All in all, 2026 hasn’t really been a particularly prolific year for action cinema so far. Movies like The Rip and Mortal Kombat II have kept fans of the genre perfectly entertained so far, but it’s easy to tell that the action films that’ll end up being remembered as the best of the year still lie on the horizon, from The Odyssey to Dune: Part Three. But so far, the best action film of 2026 is one that probably not many people had on their bingo card as being even remotely as fun as it was: Travis Knight‘s Masters of the Universe, a nostalgia-fueled reimagining of Mattel’s media franchise.

This visually delightful sword-and-sorcery gem may be full of nostalgia aimed at those who grew up loving the adventures of He-Man, but it also sprinkles in plenty of its own modern magic and charm, perfect for young newcomers to fall in love with the franchise in the same way that the grown-ups did decades ago. It’s not particularly well-written and it relies a bit too much on CGI, so it very likely won’t end up being the year’s best action blockbuster by the time 2027 comes around; but as the first half of the year comes to a close, it’s a real treat that the best action flick we’ve had thus far is such an entertaining and energetic reinvention of such a beloved ’80s icon.

Masters of the Universe

Release Date

June 5, 2026

Director

Travis Knight

Writers

Chris Butler

Producers

Jason Blumenthal, Robbie Brenner, Steve Tisch, Todd Black