David Pierdomenico
There have been quite a few highs and lows in film this year. So let’s break down each genre and take a look at which films were awesome, which films were awful, and which films no one saw coming!
(Click on the highlighted ones for our original review of that film. See if we changed our minds!)
Action/Adventure
The Best – Mission Impossible: Fallout
In an age where CGI is so overused, it was really refreshing to see an action film like this. Between the car chases, the helicopter chase, and the HALO jump (all of which were done with practical stunts), MI6 is one of the most visually fun films of the year. We can really tell that the action is real, and that Tom Cruise is absolutely dedicated to his craft. There’s a reason this franchise has had such staying power over the last two decades!
(Honorable Mention: Equalizer 2)
The Worst – Robin Hood
Dear Hollywood, stop trying to make Robin Hood happen! Or at least try to understand the character better. Trying a new take on an old character isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but when that new take involves ridiculous looking costumes, action that’s trying to feel too modern, and cartoonish dialogue and villains, you can’t really be surprised when it flops. Also stop trying to force a sequel with the last scene. We all know it’s not happening after this one’s box office performance
(Dishonorable Mentions: The Predator and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom)
The One that Surprised Us – Overlord
It’s hard to utter the words “Nazi zombie” and not immediately think video games or parody. But Overlord really pulled something off. What worked was that it started out as a legitimately good war film before the supernatural aspect took over. Much like From Dusk Till Dawn, it really pulls off the genre shift at the midpoint successfully. It’s a real shame that it didn’t get more attention.
Comic Book
The Best – Avengers: Infinity War
Arguably the most anticipated film of the decade, Infinity War had a lot to live up to. And according to the box office and fan response, it didn’t disappoint. It was the culmination of 10 years, 18 previous films, and a studio’s dream that they could pull off on film what had only been done in comics before. The fact that it got made at all is nothing short of amazing. Sure it has lots of fan service, but given all the groundwork Marvel did before, it all feels really earned!
(Honorable Mentions: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Black Panther)
The Worst – Venom
To be fair, Venom isn’t a terrible film by any means. But it’s also far from great and something had to go here, so consider it the “least good” comic book film of 2018. It has its funny and entertaining moments, but tonally it’s all over the place, and the 30 minutes of footage Sony removed really shows in the final product. It feels like a film that’s missing a chunk of its second act. The very best scenes are with Venom himself, but we don’t get enough of it. Instead it just sort of rushes to the end.
The One that Surprised Us – Teen Titans Go! To the Movies
For years, fans have criticized DC films for taking themselves too seriously or being humorless. And DC’s response was this unexpected film. Based on the animated series, Teen Titans Go!, it was the fun, self-aware, unconventional film they needed. Some of the jokes were admittedly immature, but many of them were meta, even poking fun at the dark tone that the DCEU had taken. It also contained a slew of references to other DC films: Nicholas Cage voicing Superman (since he never got to play him in Superman Lives), Lex Luthor’s real estate scam, and a parody of the infamous “Martha” scene from Batman v. Superman. It was very much the breath of fresh air and humor that DC sorely needed.
(Honorable Mention: Aquaman)
Comedy
The Best – The Favourite
This film is for anyone who’s ever felt like British period pieces were boring and a little snobby. On the surface, it just looks like another pretentious look at British royalty, but it’s actually a sharp and witty comedy about two royal subjects competing for the affection of the vain and emotionally frail Queen of England. Because it still maintains a very serious tone, but with humor and sarcasm infused, the film feels as if it’s almost mocking the historical drama genre itself. And it does so brilliantly and hilariously.
(Honorable Mentions: Vice and Eighth Grade)
The Worst – The Spy Who Dumped Me
The problem with this film can be summarized quite easily: it’s not funny enough to be a good comedy, and the action isn’t interesting enough for it to be a good spy thriller. It just feels like the epitome of generic Hollywood comedy with a spy angle thrown in because why not? In the 90’s it probably would have felt more entertaining, but with audiences demanding their comedies be smarter and wittier, it just doesn’t hold up.
(Dishonorable Mentions: Action Point and Holmes and Watson)
The One that Surprised Us – Sorry to Bother You
From the trailers, Sorry to Bother You looks like a typical workplace comedy based out of a call center. However, the trailers don’t do the film justice as it’s so much more than that, and then some. The film starts out rather ordinary and realistic, but takes a hard dive into surreal political commentary that’s smart, creative, and holds nothing back. By far, it’s the most unique film released this year, and the fact that it wasn’t nominated for Best Comedy at the Golden Globes is a crime!
Drama
The Best – A Star is Born
It’s hard to decide which is more impressive about this film: the fact that Lady Gaga can act or that Bradley Cooper can sing! While this is the third remake of this same story, the film keeps everything feeling updated and fresh. Initially it seems as if it will be a cliché “dreams come true” type of story, but then reality hits and settles in. It’s funny at times, poignant at times, inspirational at times, and tragic at times. It hits every human emotion, and if it wins Best Picture, it will be very well deserved.
(Honorable Mentions: BlacKkKlansman and White Boy Rick)
The Worst – Fifty Shades Freed
There’s not much to say that hasn’t already been said about this film series. This one attempts to have a suspenseful subplot involving a kidnapping, but it’s handled with all the subtlety and expertise of a middle schooler writing a crime story after watching Law and Order. Perhaps the best thing about this film is that this series in finally over.
(Dishonorable Mention: Gotti)
The One that Surprised Us – Creed II
After the success of Creed, it’s no surprise that MGM wanted to go forward with a sequel. But many fans were understandably apprehensive when it was announced that Creed II would deal with Adonis taking on the son of Ivan Drago. Rocky IV is arguably the most ridiculous of the entire franchise and it seemed like a strange choice to revisit. It could very easily have been cheesy, and yet Creed II is anything but. Drago is far more developed here and is downright sympathetic at times. Between that and some very relatable character drama, Creed II makes up for all the tackiness of Rocky IV.
Horror
The Best – Hereditary
Despite being incredibly divisive among horror fans, Hereditary was everything that’s missing in a genre that’s rarely taken seriously. Rather than relying on cheap jump scares or poor CGI, the film takes its time laying the groundwork of a family descending into tragedy and dysfunction. Between its subtle writing, brilliant acting (especially from Toni Collette), and insurmountable tension, it’s a fresh callback to the horror classics of the 70’s.
(Honorable Mentions: Anna and the Apocalypse and A Quiet Place)
The Worst – Slender Man
While Hereditary avoided every cheesy horror cliché, Slender Man covered every square of the bingo card! Released a solid five years after the craze had already died down, the film showcases clichéd idiotic teenage characters, a slew of jump scares, and a villain who looks incredibly fake at the end. At times it feels like the film was trying very hard to be like It or The Ring, but it fails to live up to either.
(Dishonorable Mention: The Nun)
The One that Surprised Us – Unfriended: Dark Web
Back in 2014, Unfriended was an admittedly cool concept that was squandered by subpar writing and acting. The supernatural element really didn’t work to its favor and there’s a reason why many horror fans despise it. But when its sequel came along, to everyone’s surprise, it seemed that the filmmakers knew how to utilize the premise effectively. The whole idea of nefarious criminals manipulating people via the dark web is rather frightening; especially in our world of technology. It really makes the viewer think twice about leaving their webcam uncovered. Who knows if anyone might be watching?
(Honorable Mention: Bird Box)
Science Fiction/Fantasy
The Best – Upgrade
As his directing buddy James Wan has been off doing big-budget action movies, Leigh Whannell gave audiences the awesome 80’s techno-thriller they didn’t even know they wanted! Between its practical stunts, kickass fight scenes, futuristic aesthetic, and gritty tone, Upgrade is brilliantly entertaining. It’s over the top at times, but it’s intentional, and the film knows exactly what it’s doing.
(Honorable Mention: Annihilation)
The Worst – The Darkest Minds
Add this to the long list of Young Adult novel adaptations that tried their hardest to be the next Hunger Games or Harry Potter. The story involves some sort of virus that eradicates millions, but results in some children developing superpowers. So take the plot of Maze Runner, throw in a little Divergent and X-Men for good measure and the end result is this two-hour bore fest.
(Dishonorable Mentions: Mortal Engines, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, and Nutcracker and the Four Realms)
The One that Surprised Us – Bumblebee
To be fair, the original Transformers was a decent film. It wasn’t until the sequels that the franchise did a nosedive into awfulness. So it was understandable when no one was too excited at hearing Paramount was releasing a spinoff based around Bumblebee. However, the film we got was far better than anyone could have dreamed. Its 80’s setting really captures the spirit of the original Transformers cartoon and it focuses more on the friendship between characters rather than incoherent fight scenes filled with explosions. Clearly, this one was made by someone who truly loves the franchise. It only took until the 6th film for Paramount to realize that the key to making a quality Transformers film is not having Michael Bay direct.
Thriller
The Best – Widows
In a strange twist of fate 2018 had two female-led heist films. While Ocean’s 8 plays everything for laughs and is mediocre at best, Widows is its grittier counterpart that holds nothing back. Viola Davis brilliantly leads the cast in a performance that’s desperate, relatable, but also fierce. She excels at playing a strong character willing to do anything. It’s a tense film brimming with conflict, political corruption and moral ambiguity. In addition, it has one of the strongest ensemble casts of the year, including Michelle Rodriguez, Liam Neeson, Elizabeth Debicki, Daniel Kaluuya, Jacki Weaver, Colin Farrell, and Robert Duvall.
The Worst – Bad Times at the El Royale
To be fair, this isn’t a terrible film inherently. It has a few entertaining moments, but not since Lucky Number Slevin has a film tried so desperately hard to be like something from Quentin Tarantino. It uses title cards, long drawn out plot points, dialogue that thinks it’s sharp, and the constant cutaway scenes to explain characters’ backstories; all stylistic choices regularly made by Tarantino. Had the film tried to be something of its own, it might have been more compelling. Instead it just feels like attempted plagiarism.
The One that Surprised Us – Searching
Between this and Unfriend: Dark Web, 2018 has been the year of the “desktop thriller.” The trailers made Searching look like just another cliché thriller taking place in front of the computer screen. But instead it’s a brilliant, emotional, and gripping story. The first few minutes weave a heartbreaking story using nothing but images on a computer screen. As the mystery unfolds, the audience only knows as much as John Cho’s character does. It’s a storyline that’s been done before, but it’s done exceptionally well here.
(Honorable Mention: A Simple Favor)
Do you agree or disagree with our list? Comment below and let us know!
