2007 Hit Film Was Just Ranked the 'Most Perfect Movie of the Last 30 Years'

Within the past 30 years, critics and audiences alike have been treated to some seriously spectacular films. In May 2026, the publication Collider showcased some of the best movies released after the mid-'90s by publishing a ranking of "the 10 most perfect movies of the last 30 years."

The list featured beloved films like 2010's The Social Network, The Matrix from 1999, the 2004 romance Before Sunset, and Parasite, released in 2019. According to Collider, the 2007 Oscar-nominated film There Will Be Blood is the most perfect film since 1996. The publication reported that the Paul Thomas Anderson film is equally intense and important, elevated by Daniel Day-Lewis' masterful take on his character, oil tycoon Daniel Plainview.

There Will Be Blood has a score of 91 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 93 on Metacritic.

Paul Thomas Anderson & Daniel Day-Lewis Discussed 'There Will Be Blood' in 2007

In a 2007 interview on Charlie Rose, alongside Day-Lewis, Anderson discussed making the film, based on the 1927 book Oil!, by Upton Sinclair. Anderson explained he was drawn to the book's material because he's from California, "not that far from the oil field in Bakersfield," which made him curious about the history of oil in the state.

Anderson also shared that while he had always wanted Day-Lewis to play Daniel, he didn't want to get his hopes up.

"I didn't want to grab on to the thought and keep thinking, 'This is who I'm writing it for.' Because I didn't know Daniel. I didn't want to make presumptions about him or anything like that. I just seen his films and I obviously respected him as an actor. I thought, 'Well that's the Holy Grail,'" said the Phantom Thread filmmaker in the 2007 interview.

During the Charlie Rose interview, Day-Lewis, who took home the Oscar for Best Actor for his There Will Be Blood role, shared why he wanted to be involved in the project.

"When things are working right, you feel yourself irresistibly drawn into the orbit of a hitherto unknown world," said the actor.

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This story was originally published May 11, 2026 at 2:13 PM.