Moulin Rouge voted best film of decade

'Moulin Rouge!' has been voted Best Film of the Decade.

The 2001 musical - which starred Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman and was directed by Baz Luhrmann - topped a survey of 150,000 movie fans, narrowly beating Batman epic 'The Dark Knight' and British zombie spoof 'Shaun of the Dead' into second and third place respectively.

Two movies from the 'Lord of the Rings' series made the list, with 2001's 'Fellowship of the Ring' coming in fourth place and 'Return of the King' in sixth.

Helen Cowley - editor of DVD rental service LOVEFILM, who carried out the survey - said: "'Moulin Rouge!' can't claim to be on the same scale as some of its epic counterparts.

"But its place as the No 1 film of the decade goes to show that original cinematography, a solid love story and a creative soundtrack can truly stand the test of time."

Also featured on the list were the Russell Crowe epic 'Gladiator' in fifth, fantasy tale 'Pan's Labyrinth' in seventh and swashbuckling adventure 'Pirates of the Caribbean' in eighth.

Surreal drama 'Donnie Darko' and animated saga 'WALL-E' made up the rest of the top ten, much to the delight of LOVEFILM, who asked participants to make their selections from a shortlist of 100 movies.

Helen added: "The noughties has been a fantastic decade for film, with cinema lovers enjoying technological advances that have allowed viewers to be transported to new worlds like never before.

"While a number of big budget blockbusters dominate the top ten list, it's encouraging to see cult films such as 'Donnie Darko' recognised for their creative direction as well as foreign language films like 'Pan's Labyrinth' also making the cut."

The Top 20 Films of the Decade according to LOVEFILM:

1. 'Moulin Rouge!' (2001)

2. 'The Dark Knight' (2008)

3. 'Shaun of the Dead' (2004)

4. 'The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring' (2001)

5. 'Gladiator' (2000)

6. 'The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King' (2003)

7. 'Pan's Labyrinth' (2006)

8. 'Pirates of the Caribbean' (2003)

9. 'Donnie Darko' (2001)

10. 'WALL-E' (2008)

11. 'Kill Bill Parts 1 and 2' (2003 and 2004)

12. 'Casino Royale' (2006)

13. 'Shrek' (2001)

14. 'The Bourne Ultimatum' (2007)

15. 'Slumdog Millionaire' (2009)

16. 'Batman Begins' (2005)

17. 'Memento' (2000)

18. 'Amelie' (2001)

19. 'Sin City' (2005)

20. 'Finding Nemo' (2003)

- Bang! Showbiz