Critics vote for the best British film of the 21st Century

Virgin Radio

14 Apr 2022, 08:18

Film reviewers have selected what they believe to be the best movie since the turn of the Millennium, and the winner might surprise a few people. 

Under The Skin, released in 2014, topped the poll taken by 60 film reviewers from national newspapers and film magazines, as well as freelance critics.

In case Under The Skin has slipped under your radar, the movie is directed by Jonathan Glazer and stars Scarlett Johansson as an alien that disguises itself as a human female, and drives around Glasgow in a van, luring local men and then preying on them. 

The film didn’t set the box office on fire, but it was acclaimed at the time and has become something of a cult classic. It is definitely worth a couple of hours of your time, if strange, scary, unsettling sci-fi is your cup of tea. 

Director Glazer also helmed 2000’s Sexy Beast - which made the top 20 as well -  and directed music clips for Blur, Radiohead, and Richard Ashcroft. 

Conducted by MASSIVE Cinema, the film list sees the faultless Paddington 2 land in third place, just behind Lynne Ramsay’s Morvern Callar. The Paddington sequel, starring High Grant as a deliciously evil baddie, overtook Citizen Kane as the top-rated film of all-time on Rotten Tomatoes last year. 

This Is England, directed by Shane Meadows, also made the top ten of this new list. The film spawned one of the all-time great British TV series, and starred Brassic’s Joe Gilgun and Line of Duty’s Stephen Graham and Vicky McClure.

Also in the top ten were Fish Tank, The Souvenir, and The Favourite, the latter of which starred Olivia Colman and Emma Stone. 

Completing the ten best movies was God’s Own Country, which sat just behind Lynn Ramsay’s second entry in the list, You Were Never Really Here.

Meanwhile, the top 20 included Edgar Wright’s classic zom-com, Shaun of the Dead, and the stunning sci-fi Ex Machina, directed by Alex Garland.

Bend It Like Beckham - the much-loved footy movie which celebrated its 20th anniversary this week - also shot its way it into the top 20.