1. Inception
Fresh off the spectacular success of The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan had the combination of budget and creative freedom that few directors are ever gifted with, and with it he created the kind of ambitious, original, and daring work that is rarely seen in mainstream Hollywood. Nearly everything about this film works, the cast is uniformly excellent with Joseph Gordon-Levitt establishing himself as a rising star, Tom Hardy announcing his arrival as a big-time actor, and Leonardo DiCaprio giving one of his most affecting performance to date. Hans Zimmer's score is the most iconic and recognizable since The Lord of the Rings, the cinematography is crisp and the CGI top notch, and Nolan masterfully brings it all together. He connects multiple story-lines featuring the same characters, manages to invest emotionally in the well-being of the characters, and brings it all to a sensational climax that does what all great films should aspire to, to make the audience question and think about everything that has just happened on screen. Nolan managed to make a film that was so unique, original, and skillfully crafted that it will likely go down as one of the all-time great action films. In the end, the most impressive thing about Inception is that no one has even considered tarnishing it with a sequel, despite it earning over 800 million dollars worldwide, making it truly one of a kind. Did we miss any of the big blockbusters that have ruled the past five years? Share your picks below in the comments.