Do you remember what movies were playing in theaters back in the noughties? And what did the movie repertoire offer 20 years ago, in sunny May 2004? Today, we want to remind you what cinema was like that year, when California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger made a completely silly cameo, Tom Cruise unexpectedly played a sinister villain, and Jim Carrey went into dramatic cinema. To make the memories more authentic, we took into account the films that were officially released in Ukraine during 2004.

This article is not so much a movie rating as it is a mold of the film era. It is intended primarily to trace what shaped the tastes of the young audience of that time, what genres and trends were in demand, and what generally constituted mass cinema at that time, even before the advent of Ukrainian dubbing, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and streaming platforms.

«The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King»

Release date: January 22, 2004
IMDb rating: 9,0
Where to see: MEGOGO

The epic conclusion of Peter Jackson’s cult trilogy, based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel of the same name, was released in late 2003, but, as often happens, it reached our cinemas with a noticeable delay. The incredible significance and success of the film and the entire trilogy as a whole need not be repeated: «The Return of the King» earned more than a billion dollars and won 11 «Oscars», which was previously only achieved by «Ben-Hur» (1959) and «Titanic» (1997).

And Gollum’s high-quality performance using motion capture technology was one of the factors that convinced James Cameron that it was time to start implementing «Avatar». By the way, recently, the news that in 2026 they are planning to release a new movie based on the «Lord of the Rings» — «The Hunt for Gollum» universe, with Peter Jackson. This is truly the return of the king.

«The Butterfly Effect»

Release date: March 18, 2004
IMDb rating: 7,6
Where to see: MEGOGO

If you ask yourself where the stars of the youth and romantic comedies of the noughties, Ashton Kutcher and Amy Smart, are now, it won’t be easy to find the answer. The first occasionally appears in lighthearted nonsense like last year’s «Your Place or Mine». The second has been mostly spewing outright nonsense in recent years that you’ve hardly ever heard of.

But 20 years ago, it happened that both of them starred in a much more serious movie than usual — a sci-fi thriller «The Butterfly Effect», which tells the story of a young man who is able to travel back to his own childhood and thus influence the future. Critics didn’t appreciate the film, but audiences loved it and grossed almost $100 million on a ridiculous budget.

«Dawn of the Dead»

Release date: April 15, 2004
IMDb rating: 7,3

«Van Helsing»

Release date: May 7, 2004
IMDb rating: 6,1
Where to see: MEGOGO

Stephen Sommers decided to pay homage to Universal’s classic monsters by creating several notable works at the time, including the popular adventure franchise «The Mummy». His «Van Helsing» was inspired by the most famous works of Bram Stoker and Mary Shelley, as well as Robert Louis Stevenson’s «The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde» and the classic horror «The Wolf Man» (1941).

The film was critically panned and did not do so well at the box office. However, if you were young enough at the time and therefore not very sophisticated, «Van Helsing» might have seemed like the best movie in the world. It was designed primarily for the category of young viewers who had already become obsessed with Wolverine and secretly fell in love with Kate Beckinsale, who had just jumped out of combat latex to take the opposite side and fight the vampire breed.

«Troy»

Release date: May 20, 2004
IMDb rating: 7,3
Where to see: MEGOGO

Alongside the revived zombie horror is the majestic peplum, which flourished in the 50s and 60s of the twentieth century. Over time, the popularity of the genre waned, and it only got a real second wind in the noughties. Before that, there was a surge of activity in the second half of the 90s, after the release of «Braveheart», and the global success of this genre of cinema could be discussed in view of the triumph of Ridley Scott’s «Gladiator».

In 2004 alone, such historical epics as «King Arthur», «Alexander», «Spartacus», «The Passion of the Christ», and «Troy» by the German Wolfgang Petersen were released. The latter, of course, looks the most convincing in terms of the scale of the production, budget, box office, star power of the cast, etc. Oliver Stone’s «Alexander» could have competed in these respects, but it was a big disappointment and a shameful box office failure — as Stone should have been. But you can watch Brad Pitt’s Achilles forever.

«The Day After Tomorrow»

Release date: May 27, 2004
IMDb rating: 6,5
Where to see: MEGOGO

Just a week after the premiere of «Troy», another high-profile blockbuster was released, this time by another German director, Roland Emmerich. Oh yes, that May pleasantly surprised us with eventful movies and genre diversity. If you don’t want to watch nasty vampires and werewolves, check out the expensive sword & sandal genre. And if you’re not interested in Brad Pitt’s torso, go to the movies to see apocalyptic snow and young Gyllenhaal.

We have already written about «The Day After Tomorrow» in Top disaster movies (which pond one of the most popular articles on ITC in 2023), but we have the opportunity to once again admire Emmerich’s sincere desire for high-budget destruction of the planet. Well, you can’t stop destroying beautifully!

«Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind»

Release date: May 30, 2004
IMDb rating: 8,3
Where to see: MEGOGO

Amidst tons of genre blockbusters, Michel Gondry’s sci-fi melodrama Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, stands out as an island of outstanding drama and originality. The lead actors, Kate Winslet and especially Jim Carrey, deserve special mention. Here, he, usually a joker and a joker, forgets about the image of an incorrigible merry man and gives a sensual performance, proving his dramatic talent once again.

«Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind» looks like a great alternative to the clattering blockbusters of May 2004 (and the last episode of «Friends» was released then). This month also offers three high-budget films — «Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes», «Imaginary Friends» and «Furiosa A Mad Max Saga». The conditional equivalent of «Eternal Sunshine» will be «Challengers» by Luca Guadagnino. Now share your thoughts in the comments, which May seems more attractive to you in terms of worthwhile movies.

«Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban»

Release date: June 4, 2004
IMDb rating: 7,9
Where to see: MEGOGO

Six months after the third installment of «The Lord of the Rings», another outstanding fantasy is rushing to the big screens, and for the third time as well — this is «Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban», based on the novel of the same name by J.K. Rowling. This time, the director was Alfonso Cuarón, who decided to choose a darker tone of narration compared to the previous films by Chris Columbus. And it clearly worked. Both the audience and critics liked the film equally.

The latter noted that this was a clear step forward for the franchise, and some ultimately did not shy away from calling this part the best in the entire Harry Potter cycle. Positive reviews were supported by good box office receipts, which amounted to about $800 million (less than before, but also very good) and two «Oscars» for Best Music and Visual Effects.

«Kill Bill. Vol. 2»

Release date: June 17, 2004
IMDb rating: 8

«Kill Bill» was conceived by Quentin Tarantino as a single film, but later the filmmakers decided to split it into two separate features. From every angle, this movie is primarily an aesthetic one. It is a Tarantino-esque paean to the grindhouse that the director loves. It winks in a postmodern way at old Hong Kong martial arts films and samurai cinema. Inventively pays homage to spaghetti westerns and anime. In short, Mr. Tarantino reveals himself to be an avid moviegoer this time around.

The bride, aka Black Mamba, aka Uma Thurman, is more determined than ever: even the aforementioned zombies have not risen from their graves as bizarrely and spectacularly as the director’s muse has done. The question «will she get to the damned Bill?» has been rhetorical since the first part. The main thing is — how she will do it.

«Spider-Man 2»

Release date: July 2, 2004
IMDb rating: 7,5
Where to see: MEGOGO

After the success of «Blade» (1998) and «X-Men» (2000), the early noughties saw another genre flourish, in fact, superhero films. At that time, they started appearing like mushrooms after the rain, and there were no movie universes yet!

The success of the projects varied. There was the completely unsuccessful «Golden Raspberries» «Catwoman». There was «Daredevil», which did not meet expectations. «Fantastic Four» received devastating criticism, but performed well at the box office. However, «Spider-Man» by Sam Raimi and «Batman» by Christopher Nolan were recognized and later gained cult status. Both the genre and the attitude towards it have changed, and Nolan’s trilogy contributed to this. Superheroics became more complex, darker and more realistic.

Sam Raimi’s «Spiderman» also shot, filling the story with great action, but not forgetting to make the characters interesting within the genre. Many agree that the second film in Raimi’s trilogy is the best. And how can we not mention the return of Spider-Man Toby Maguire and his rivals Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, and Sandman in «No Way Home» (2021).

«I, Robot»

Release date: August 5, 2004
IMDb rating: 7,1
Where to see: MEGOGO

«I, Robot», based on Isaac Asimov’s short story collection of the same name, competed with «Spider-Man 2» for the «Oscar» in the «Best Visual Effects» category, but lost. Critics didn’t like the film very much, but it was highly appreciated by the audience. We have already mentioned it in an article dedicated to films on artificial intelligence. Overall, this is an exciting and dynamic summer blockbuster that leaves an extremely positive impression.

«Hellboy»

Release date: September 9, 2004
IMDb rating: 6,8
Where to see: MEGOGO

In the wake of the rise of the superhero genre, «Hellboy» by Guillermo del Toro stands out among others. It seems that only this master of bizarre infernality could adequately transfer the comic book of the same name to the screen. This was confirmed by the shameful reboot in 2019, which turned out to be even more trash. The plot was based on the debut miniseries with the subtitle «Seed of Destruction» (released in Ukrainian in 2019 by «Vovkulaka»).

Del Toro, having made his mark in the sequel to «Blade», turned out a really nice thing. Thanks to his love of colorful landscapes and his unique ability to bring them to life on the screen, the film was strikingly different from the standard superhero.

Ron Perlman’s red devil with carefully sawn-off horns and a sincere fondness for cats turned out to be an extremely charming character. And then there was the semi-mechanical Nazi fencer Karl Kroenen, the amphibious man Abe Sapien (hello, «The Shape of Water»), the living dead Ivan Klementovich, and the hotshot Liz Sherman.

«Collateral»

Release date: September 16, 2004
IMDb rating: 7,5
Where to see: MEGOGO

There’s no doubt that neo-noir thriller «Collateral» by Michael Mann — movie is outstanding. Firstly, the story captures and keeps you in suspense. Second, the development of «relationships» characters is interesting to watch. And thirdly, it’s not every day that you see a gray-haired Tom Cruise in the role of a cruel villain. The mechanistic nature of his movements easily recalls the perfectly honed skills of his colleague John Wick, not to mention the strict business suit and stylish shootouts in nightclubs.

However, unlike «Wick», «Collateral» relies more on suspense than crazy action, which it does very well. A ruthless killer can leave behind mountains of corpses, but to defeat someone who is an incorrigible romantic is truly a mission impossible.

«The Chronicles of Riddick»

Release date: September 30, 2004
IMDb rating: 6,6
Where to see: MEGOGO

Following the success of the sci-fi horror «Pitch Black», it was only a matter of time before the adventures of space criminal Riddick were continued. But instead of a modest horror, producer Vin Diesel and writer/director David Tooey offered a full-fledged, high-budget blockbuster, with an expanded cast and crew and a larger scale of action. However, the audience was clearly not ready for such a sharp contrast: it was as if the epic «Prometheus» came out immediately after the sealed «Alien».

So nowadays «Chronicles» can be considered an underrated film, and it was because of its negative perception in «Riddick» that the authors had to abandon their space opera ambitions and return to a story of a more modest scale. It is known that Diesel is very fond of this character, so for a cameo in «Tokyo Drift» asked Universal to transfer the rights to the franchise to him. For now known that the actor will start working on the next part of «Riddick: Furya» in August.

«AVP: Alien vs. Predator»

Release date: October 21, 2004
IMDb rating: 5,7
Where to see: MEGOGO

Long before your «Godzilla and Kong» an equally significant on-screen encounter took place: in 2004, Alien and Predator clashed in a life-and-death battle in a crossover created under the direction of the tireless video game adaptation specialist Paul W.S. Anderson. The battle of two slasher icons, which was successful in terms of box office, has just been released Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees, now it’s time for the fight between the cult aliens.

Either Anderson didn’t have the courage to handle such a big responsibility, or the monsters were cramped in the frame, but the film was panned by critics and received disappointing reviews from viewers (although it did well at the box office). Yes, there were plenty of reasons for discontent, but the feeling of seeing your childhood favorite movie monsters on the big screen together is truly unforgettable. Let’s not even mention «Requiem», it was so bad. I wonder how the upcoming «Romulus», which is not long in coming.

Among the animated projects worth mentioning are «Shrek 2», which became the highest-grossing film of 2004, and «The Incredibles», which eventually gained universal recognition. Write in the comments which films from 20 years ago are definitely worth mentioning and in which cameo Schwartz appeared.