The Top Rated 2008 Movies on IMDB

If you follow this sort of thing, you probably remember a three-week period this summer when The Dark Knight was heralded by IMDB users as the greatest film ever made. Of course, I could argue dozens of reasons why it's not the greatest film ever made, and that it's not even the fourth greatest film ever made, which is the position the film now holds on IMDB's list of the top 250 movies of all time. But I love checking out the top 250 because of the way it democratizes the whole discussion. There are very few lists like it that are as open to the public, that are updated constantly, and that seem to mean something to movie fans. There is something to be said for the list, even if you disagree with individual rankings, because it's not clearly weighted in favor of modern films or a particular genre. This year, nine films are ranked in the IMDB top 250 at year's end, and I would think that at least five of them would be fixtures on the list for years and years to come. So, according to the voters of IMDB, I guess these are the top nine movies of 2008, complete with their all-time rankings. 4 - The Dark Knight
34 - Wall-E
68 - Slumdog Millionaire
70 - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
78 - The Wrestler
172 - Milk
192 - Gran Torino
224 - Let the Right One In
234 - In Bruges We recently compiled our own Top Five of 2008, taken only from the votes of our readers. Our top three is the same as the IMDB list, and it might even be a little different now since Button and The Wrestler hadn't been released at that time. So how does the IMDB list reflect your own rankings of 2008 movies? Is it way off base...or are you?

Comments

[IY]

Dark knight, synecdoche, new york and reprise. there's my top 3 for 2008.

[shirley]

the dark knight is on my list of greatest movies of all time at number 5 and i see alt of movies thats my job.

[Michael]

Slumdog Millionaire is better than Wall-E, and In Bruges is a little low, but not a bad list.

[Broadwayhottie07]

Best 3 films of the year:
Benjamin Button
Slumdog Millionaire
Synecdoche, New York

[Lengthy Johnson]

The hype surrounding "Wall-E" is clearly suspicious.

It's a very well-made animated film but it's no better, deeper or even much different than, say, "Finding Nemo".

Are people reading too much of their personal thoughts into this rather simplistic film or is everyone just over-enthusiastic because it is now OK for socially accomplished grown-ups to admit that they like animation?

I personally think that BlueSky beats the pants off Pixar and that "Robots" has a lot more content than "Wall-E".

The best thing about Wall-E is the short "Presto". Makes me laugh everytime.

[Allan]

I feel that most of the nine films are overrated by the predominantly male movie fans on IMDB. Dark Knight is a fine movie, but #4? Maybe #100 or #200. Wall-E is a good animated film, but not one of the greatest films, animated or otherwise, of all time. I think In Bruges is a decent film, perhaps even a B, or 7/10.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I enjoy visiting IMDB to view the ratings of movies, mainly made by young males, from around the world. It is unfortunate that so many older, classic movies are not on the Top 250 list. I think the list should be expanded to list the Top 500 films, or at least the Top 300.
Happy new year, and enjoy the new movies!

[ds]

all of them are totally crap ...................dont watch ............

[ST]

Slumdog's production values are stellar, but the screenplay is pronounced. Some of my favorite films of the year where the story flows effortlessly, without attracting any attention to itself at all:

- The Visitor
- Vicky Cristina Barcelona
- Gran Torino
- Synecdoche, New York
- Body of Lies
- Revolutionary Road
- Married Life
- Smart People
- The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (may be forgotten, I know)
- Slumdog Millionaire

Having the mawkish and highly predictable Wall-E in most of these lists of the year is a little strange. As an animation production with a fun and provocative script, Ratatouille was better any day, and I'd also include Furutama Bender's Game in there if 2D animation were bunched in the same group.

To the first poster called "IY" -- "Reprise" is not a 2008 film, it's a Norwegian production from 2006.