As the end of the year nears, Rotten Tomatoes have released the tallies for the best reviewed movies of 2010. I thought we’d compare the list with the other movie review compilation site Metacritic.

Both sites have their advantages. Rotten Tomatoes includes a larger sample of reviews, while Metacritic features a smaller more-selected grouping of film critics. Rotten Tomatoes calculates critic scores using a positive or negative score for each review. One movie could be 100% fresh with all the critics giving the movie a 7/10 grade. Metacritic attempts to gauge the score of each critic’s review (not just a positive or negative, but a number 0 to 100) averaged together, giving you a better indication of what the response is to any given film, and not just a percentage of positive reviews.

For example, How To Train Youyr Dragon is ranked #2 for the year on Rotten Tomatoes with a 98% fresh rating based on 146 reviews. But on Metacritic, Dragon has a 74% average with 33 reviews. Honestly, I like how Metacritic calculates the numbers, but their refusal to incorporate a larger sample of film critics puts them behind Rotten Tomatoes in my mind.

Hit the jump to find out what films ranked in the best reviewed films of the year.



Rotten Tomatoes – Best Reviewed Movies of 2010 (minimum 60 reviews required)

“Toy Story 3” – 99% with 247 reviews

“How to Train Your Dragon” – 98% with 156 reviews

“Exit Through the Gift Shop” – 98% with 94 reviews

“The Social Network” – 97% with 258 reviews

“Restrepo” – 97% with 101 reviews

“Inside Job” – 97% with 91 reviews

“A Prophet” (Une Prophete) – 97% with 142 reviews

“The King’s Speech” – 96% with 142 reviews

“Animal Kingdom” – 96% with 108 reviews

“True Grit” – 95% with 173 reviews

“The Town” – 94% with 201 reviews

“The Kids Are All Right” – 94% with 192 reviews

“Winter’s Bone” – 94% with 142 reviews

“Blue Valentine” – 94% with 64 reviews

“127 Hours” – 93% with 146 reviews

“The Tillman Story” – 93% with 80 reviews

“Joan Rivers: A Piece Of Work” – 92% with 90 reviews

“The Father of My Children” (Le Pere De Mes Enfants) – 91% with 54 reviews

“Fish Tank” – 90% positive with 127 reviews

“Casino Jack And The United States Of Money” – 90% with 60 reviews

Metacritic – Best Reviewed Movies of 2010 (minimum 25 reviews required)