IMDb Users name the best films for each of the last 25 years

Who needs the Oscars when you’ve got people power?

The problem with the Academy Awards is that they’re voted by industry types who are lobbied and wooed by major Hollywood players.

Conversely, cinema grosses tell you what is popular, but don’t always take critical thinking and technical prowess into consideration.

That’s why a new list of the top 25 films from the last 25 years, as voted for by millions of IMDb users, is so fascinating. It takes into account the public’s preferences, but films are judged with a critical eye.

And seeing as IMDb boasts 250 million users from all over the world, it’s a pretty good cross-section.

The list features best film for each year between 1990 to 2014, and three themes are immediately clear:

1. People love Lord of the Rings;
2. Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorsese have excellent staying power;
3. People really love Leonardo DiCaprio.

So if you make a film starring DiCaprio as a violent hobbit, you’re onto a winner. Check out the full list below…

2014: Interstellar
2013: The Wolf of Wall Street
2012: Django Unchained
2011: Intouchables
2010: Inception
2009: Inglourious Basterds
2008: The Dark Knight
2007: Into the Wild
2006: The Departed
2005: Batman Begins
2004: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
2003: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2002: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
2001: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
2000: Memento
1999: Fight Club
1998: Saving Private Ryan
1997: Life Is Beautiful
1996: Fargo
1995: Se7en
1994: The Shawshank Redemption
1993: Schindler’s List
1992: Reservoir Dogs
1991: The Silence of the Lambs
1990: Goodfellas

P.S. Top rated for 2015 thus far is Pixar animation Inside Out.