15 Brilliant YA Movies That Guided Us Through the 2010s

The Maze Runner franchise never gained the same level of recognition as The Hunger Games or Harry Potter franchises, but the first installment in the series creates a fast-faced, vivid dystopian world that instantly pulls you in. Dylan O'Brien is excellent as Thomas, a young man who is dropped into a labyrinth with no memory of his life before, and he and the rest of the cast never fail to make the stakes feel real in the fantasy setting.

Convincing an audience that two people can fall madly in love with one another over the course of a single day takes some serious talent. Luckily, this movie has Yara Shahidi and Charles Melton to guide us through the romantic frenzy of two teen's magical day in New York City. If The Sun Is Also a Star only gave us the romance between its two leads, it would be an incredible movie, but what truly elevates it to best of material is the timely subplot about the heartbreaking ramifications deportation has on families.

Is it a cheat to lump both parts of the final Harry Potter film together? Maybe, but separating the two feels wrong. Deathly Hallows ushers Harry, Ron, and Hermione into adulthood as they face a war and the loss of numerous comrades and loved ones. By the end of the eighth movie, the golden trio has come of age right before our eyes, and for all the magic in their world, the loss of innocence evident on their battle worn faces is all too real.

At once quirky and heartbreaking, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl puts a new spin on the sick teen movie. When Greg befriends a classmate with leukemia, he also changes the dynamic of his friendship with best pal Earl. Watching the unlikely trio navigate their friendships, romances, and the harsh realities of leukemia makes for a poignant, funny, and altogether unique viewing experience.

A large dash of magical realism allows Every Day to challenge gender norms and create a love story unlike anything we've seen before. A inhabits a different body every single day, and each day they find their way to Rhiannon, the girl they love, in a different form. It's a wholly original concept with a beautiful message about gender fluidity at its heart.

The DUFF starts out by enraging us when Mae Whitman's Bianca learns that she's known among her classmates as the "designated ugly fat friend." Rather than crumple under the title, Bianca refuses to be defined by her peers and goes on a journey of reinvention that's all about shattering the outdated social rules of high school before she graduates.

Jennifer Lawrence is a revelation in The Hunger Games. The first movie in the franchise is a grim look into a future where entertainment distracts the masses from the dark truth about their society. And Lawrence is in the center of the action, making Katniss Everdeen a hero right in front our eyes.

No one could have predicted that Netflix's To All the Boys I've Loved Before would become a certified hit. But it did, and the reason why comes down to good old-fashioned chemistry. Lana Condor and Noah Centineo's Lara Jean Covey and Peter Kavinsky are so fully realized and so electric together that this sweet rom-com became a monster hit for the streamer — and an instant favorite for its legion of fans.

The Hate U Give is a searing depiction of racism in America that centers on Starr Carter (Amandla Stenberg) witnessing her childhood best friend being shot by the police. What follows is a meditation on youth activism, family ties, and one young girl's fight to right a wrong. It's a harrowing, remarkable, and essential film of the 2010s.

There's a palpable sense of yearning in Love, Simon, the story of a gay teen who falls for one of his classmates online. When he ends up being unexpectedly outed, we get to see Simon take charge of his own narrative and chase the great love story that he deserves.

Not only is How I Live Now one of the best YA movies of the decade, it's also one of the most little seen. As we head into 2020, it's time for the world to discover this dark and daring tale of World War III as seen through the eyes of an American teen transplanted to England at the worst possible time. Starring Saoirse Ronan, Tom Holland, and George MacKay this intense film never holds back from showing the injustices of war, but at the same time it grounds itself in the wryness of disaffected youths.

John Green's weepy The Fault in Our Stars is this generation's A Walk to Remember. With its powerhouse performances from Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort, and its beautiful dialogue, the adaptation succeeds in bringing the book to life with care. It also smashes our hearts to bits, but then, that's all part of the film's somber charm.

The horror of gay conversion therapy is at the center of The Miseducation of Cameron Post. When she's caught with the prom queen, Cameron's guardians send her away to be "cured" of her sexuality. But the real power of this film comes from Cameron's unwavering belief in herself and in the simple truth that she's not in need of any cure.

Depression is a difficult subject to depict on film, but The Perks of Being a Wallflower cracks the code. The movie shows the ups and downs of Charlie's teenage experience with care. And more importantly, it respects all of his feelings: from his yearning for cool kid Sam to the elation of finally finding friends to the profound bouts of sadness that he can't avoid. This gentle film should be essential viewing for teens (and everyone who ever was one).

As Nadine, Hailee Steinfeld is so relatable she'll make your heart ache. She's an average teen whose life becomes complicated by her best friend dating her brother. It's a simple story, but The Edge of Seventeen captures the awkwardness of shifting relationships and loyalties that accompanies growing up with a level of authenticity that makes this movie the very best teen film of the decade.