Remember the Ice Bucket and Mannequin challenges? Even in 2026, there’s always a new social media fad that everyone wants to get involved with. The latest one that has recently swept social networks has seen celebrities rewind the clock back ten years to 2016.
Life seemed much easier back then, and everyone has been jumping on the nostalgia bandwagon. But if you’re not keen on sharing pics of the 2016 version of yourself, why not celebrate the year with a movie marathon of some of the year’s best offerings instead? 2016 was an exceptional year of film quality, with some of the best movies of the last decade all having been released that year.
Here’s a selection of movies that have just turned 10 years old that best represent the highly quality of films that arrived during that magical 12 month period.
1. Arrival (2016)
Before he got lost to the world of sandworms with the Dune movies, director Denis Villeneuve gave the world the emotionally devastating sci-fi film Arrival. Based on Ted Chiang’s novel Story of Your Life, Arrival is an alien invasion movie like few others. Rather than attack, these strange new beings wish to communicate. and so it is left to Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner to find a way to converse with the extra-terrestrials.
A mesmerising and melancholic and meme-able movie of complex depths, in any other year Arrival would have swept awards season, but it had some very strong competition.
2. Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Back in 2016, cinema was still caught in the chokehold grasp of superhero movies and the MCU. While in recent years the slate of superhero movies has thinned back to only a couple, 2016 had no less than six, which included X-Men: Apocalypse, Doctor Strange, Batman V Superman, Suicide Squad, and Deadpool. The biggest of them, though, was Captain America: Civil War.
As with many MCU movies, the plot of Civil War was years in the making and follows how political interference with the Avengers causes a team-wide rift between Captain America and Iron Man. Being Team Cap or Team Stark is essentially the comic crowd’s version of Team Jacob or Team Edward, so pick a side and get ready to cheer them on.
3. The Witch (2016)
2016 was the year that the horror community gained the fantastic Robert Eggers with the release of his feature debut, The Witch. Starring Anya Taylor-Joy as Thomasin, The Witch is a ye olde set, and spoken, story of a Puritan family ripped apart by witchcraft. Featuring Eggers' now trademark attention to historical accuracy, The Witch is incredibly atmospheric and features one of the most iconic animals in recent horror history, Black Phillip.
Since The Witch, Eggers has gone from strength to strength with The Lighthouse, The Northman, and Nosferatu all winning over critics and audiences alike. All eyes are now on his next project, Werwulf.
4. Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016)
In Hunt for the Wilderpeople, the rebellious Ricky Baker and his foster uncle find themselves on the run from the social services. As the pair travel through the New Zealand bush, they encounter all manner of quirky characters and, more importantly, learn how to bond with one another.
Directed by Taika Waititi, Hunt for the Wilderpeople features that magic brand of New Zealand humour, so if you’re a fan of that branch of comedy, get this one queued up on your watchlist ASAP.
5. Green Room (2016)
Directed by Jeremy Saulnier, Green Room is an incredibly intense thriller that pits punk rockers against neo-Nazis with disastrous results. Starring the late Anton Yelchin as one of the punk rockers in over their head, Green Room sets him against Sir Patrick Stewart.
Beloved as Captain Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Professor X in X-Men, Stewart plays heavily against type as the menacing leader of the neo-Nazis. Once seen, it’s hard to see him in the same light.
6. Moonlight (2016)
Although for a hot minute it looked like La La Land was going to take home the prize, Moonlight won the Academy Award for 2016’s Best Picture. It doesn’t take long to figure out why. Not only is the story – which chronicles the life experience of a Black gay man – incredible, but the performances of the cast are insanely strong, and the film looks and sounds beautiful.
A movie that is not merely one of the best films of 2016, Moonlight currently sits at number 60 in Sight and Sound’s 250 ‘Greatest Movies of All Time’ list.
7. Raw (2016)
Julia Ducournau is one of the most exciting directors working within genre cinema. Her 2021 film, Titane, earned Cannes’ prestigious Palme d’Or award, but before that she grabbed the horror crowd's attention with her debut feature, Raw. Set within a veterinary college, Raw is a coming-of-age story told through the genre lens, as new student and life-long vegetarian Justine succumbs to cannibalistic urges after a hazing ritual at the school. Justine must battle with her burgeoning hunger for flesh, acting as a perfect metaphor for the transition from girlhood to womanhood.
In addition to its compelling narrative, Raw also features some gnarly moments of gore that are rumoured to have had some early festival audiences vomiting and fainting in the aisle.
8. Ratchet and Clank (2016)
Ratchet and Clank is easily one of the best video-game adaptations in film history, and yet, it is criminally underseen. Anyone who has grown up around a Sony PlayStation will be familiar with big-eared Lombax Ratchet and his robot sidekick, Clank. The pair have been a part of the console since the PS2, and fans of the game series will find a ton to enjoy in the animated movie.
Featuring the original voice artists from the game, alongside the more famous vocals of Bella Thorne, John Goodman, Sylvester Stallone, and Rosario Dawson, Ratchet and Clank captures the spirit of the series beautifully. Full of references to the games, Ratchet and Clank also retains the games’ wry and sometimes satirical humour while also telling a fun space yarn about friendship and courage.
9. La La Land (2016)
While La La Land narrowly missed out on the 2016 Best Picture, the film did scoop several Academy Awards, including Best Director and Best Lead Actress. A love letter to jazz and Hollywood, the film follows the romance of aspiring actress Mia and musician Seb. Rather than go full sugar-coated schmaltz, La La Land has a kicker of a bittersweet ending that allows it to rise above some of its more sickly sweet peers.
It also manages to marry drama and musicals in such a way that even the most anti-musical of viewers will get swept away.
10. Train to Busan (2016)
The zombie movie has been popular ever since George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead was released back in 1968. Though he pioneered the subgenre, there have been several filmmakers that have helped revitalise and revolutionise it, and Yeon Sang-ho’s Train to Busan is a prime example. Set during the outset of a zombie outbreak, the Korean film finds a father and daughter trapped on the titular train surrounded by fast and feral zombies.
Not only does it feature some of the most stressful zombie encounters in recent history, but the movie also carries an incredible amount of emotional heft and had audiences crying at a zombie film long before 2025 hit, 28 Years Later.
