The movies in 2017 were an odd bunch, with the best movies of the year being unexpected or far exceeding the expectations I had for them. Big blockbusters like “Justice League” and “Transformers: The Last Knight” were terrible as expected, which led the way for smaller films to get seen more. Here are my ten favorite films of the year, going from 10 to 1.
Beginning this list is “Spider Man: Homecoming,” Marvel Studios’ first foray with the webbed crusader. This reboot of the Spider Man character was much needed, and I really enjoyed how fresh he felt. I loved the youthfulness of the characters, as well as all of the side characters, especially Ned. The different ages of the characters allowed the movie to be a bit different without changing too much. The villain is pretty interesting as well, and one of the better in a Marvel movie. However, it is still a Marvel movie, with all of the tropes that come with them. If they aren’t your type of movie, “Spider Man: Homecoming” won’t sway you.
Next is “Murder on the Orient Express,” which is an adaptation of a famous book by author Agatha Christie. The best part of the movie is Kenneth Branagh’s performance as the main character, Hercule Poirot. His performance was immersive, and led me to get into the movie even more. The other characters were good too, but they were not developed much. The best part of the book was the interrogation of every single passenger however, due to being a movie, the film cuts out many of these, leaving many characters underdeveloped and underutilized. It is still a good movie with this problem, though.
“Thor: Ragnarok” is a great Marvel movie, even rivaling “Guardians of the Galaxy.” The two best parts of the movie are the humor and the characters. Talking about the humor, every single time the movie tried to get a laugh, it worked for me. It is a welcome change from the other Thor movies, which I felt were very boring. The characters are also great, with Thor and Loki being standouts again. The chemistry between them is evident in every scene they are together, and I loved the movie for it.
“The Lego Batman Movie” is, unironically, one of my favorite superhero movies ever, and that is because of the amazing aesthetic and wonderful humor. I love the Lego aspect of the movie, and it made it feel completely different from any other superhero movie. The humor is great too, with the one-liners landing every time, and many small cameos getting a laugh. I liked it a lot, and I think many more people would as well if they give it a shot.
“Baby Driver” can be described with the use of one word, and that would be “style.” The directing in the movie is great, and the reason the movie is so good. Each scene felt completely different; they would change based on the music Baby, the main character, listened to. The movie had me tapping my foot to the music and excited to see what would happen next.
“Logan” is a movie about a man who happens to be a mutant. It’s why I love it so much. It can be seen without seeing any of the other “X-Men” movies, and is also a very personal story. Hugh Jackman’s performance as Logan is great, and I was rooting for him throughout the whole movie. The chemistry between Jackman and the other characters is good as well, and led me to love all the characters in the movie.
“Dunkirk” is a directing masterpiece. Every shot felt masterfully crafted, and was different every time. In the overall run time of the movie, I was transported to the past, and it was difficult for me to remember I was watching a film in that time. I really enjoyed how each scene didn’t feel like a movie, but an actual part of the past. “Dunkirk” was the most immersive movie of the year. Christopher Nolan is one of the best directors in the business, and this is one of his best movies.
“Blade Runner 2049” is great in the quiet nature of the story. It is environmental storytelling at its finest. It’s a science fiction movie, you would think a deserted city covered in sand would be met with a monologue of its history. However, it is given a three-minute introduction with just music, and not dialogue. It was a breath of fresh air that a movie would respect its viewers in this way. I loved thinking about the history of the world, which was the reason I enjoyed it so much.
“Get Out” is a documentary using a horror movie as its shell. I loved all of the things the movie had to say about society as a whole, as well as the suspense the movie had going for it. “Get Out” is good in making the viewer feel something when people are asking Chris, the main character, questions. It is great in getting viewers to know that something is going to happen, but not knowing when, where and how that thing will happen.
“It” is the best horror movie of all time, and one of my favorite movies. The whole movie is a mix of a horror movie and a coming-of-age story, and I loved the contrast of these two things. The horror is weaved into the growth of each of the characters; when one scare occurs, something good or bad happens to the character. The scares in the movie are also not your typical jump scares. They scared me a bit, and I don’t usually get scared in horror movies. “It” was actually very funny too, with one character in particular being the main crux of the humor. Overall, I loved “It” so much, and I am excited to see what it does for the horror genre.
