Alright, now that I've had a day to ruminate on it and get some distance from the Last Jedi, I'm throwing down a probably unpopular "Best of" list.
1. IT. I will be the first to say that most of this movie's placement as # 1 probably comes from the fact that I'm a huge fan of the book (obligatory disclaimer: with the exception of the orgy at the end). I was tempted to set my next horror choice up here since this was such a year for it.
However, expectations were riding into space on this one, and moon-high expectations are so often met by disappointment. I was not disappointed, however. I was met with a movie full of heart, humor, mostly good-to-excellent characters, an excellently-played villain, and enough horror that it didn't feel too much like a thriller. Apparently, I wasn't the only one who loved this film, since this movie's gone on to make more money than God Apple's tax lawyers (and on a 35 mil budget, somehow). On top of that, it was unexpectedly an event movie, too, like SW: Episode 7 expectedly was.
So kudos to you Warner Bros. I'd been saying for years (before they'd even started the project) that IT was the property most in need of a proper telling, and you ½ delivered. Here's to hoping you stick the landing in part 2.
Also 1: Star Wars: The Last Jedi. What's better than making a decision between two movies I absolutely loved? Cheating by not making that decision at all.
I had to stop and think on this one, because I wasn't sure that I didn't want to put IT in the second slot. The problem is, I love both these movies for most the same reason: perfectly executed nostalgia. Both of them gave me everything I've wanted from their respective source material for some time and both were a treat to behold.
Apparently, nostalgia's the exact reason a lot of people have been bombing this movie on Metacritic and RT. A lot of the negative reviews I've been reading are people who are apparently...just pissed that they made a SW movie, I guess? No, it's fine, 8 million same-y Marvel movies is alright (more on that down below), but three Star Wars movies is just cynical.
Anyways, all that aside, I really loved this movie, and I'm already prepared to go see it next weekend (not that I preordered tickets for the second movie, that's something crazy people do).
3. Get Out. Were there ever a more perfectly-timed movie, I haven't seen it. I was out on a date for this one and had just heard the buzz around the movie, so was like “Sure, this one, I guess.” Holy shit, was I unprepared for just how poignant and yet satirizing this horror movie was(and funny, for that matter). Nothing much to say that everyone and their mother hasn't said, other than: Damn fine job for a directorial debut, Jordan Peele. I hope this is the beginning of great things.
4. Wonder Woman. Time and again I've bemoaned the love that World War 2 gets compared to its predecessor, often because it was a flashier and less morally ambiguous war. If aliens came and wanted a good summation of human history all in one single flashpoint, I'd point them toward World War 1. Video games, movies, books, few properties want to touch the far more bleak and nihilistic conflict that was the War to End All Wars (ha, so naive, early 1900s).
So imagine my surprise when a superhero movie, of all things (and Wonder Woman, of all heroes), went out to tackle the subject. This was a pretty decent war movie, and that's before we even get into all the superhero stuff. With Wonder Woman, this is absolutely the best of the DC movies so far.
5. Lego: Batman Movie. This one actually took me by surprise. I ended up watching this at a Thanksgiving party, where someone just had it on. I had no interest in the lego movies, I certainly didn't watch the first one, but this shit was hilarious (as well as having a plain dick joke in a movie mostly meant for kids).
This is a movie for Batman fans, both because it's a big injoke for Batman fans and because it's such a deconstruction of Batman as a character. So this one sneaks its way into the top 5.
Special Mentions –
Kong: Skull Island. This is such a strange movie. It shouldn't have worked. But John C. Reilly put in a surprisingly funny and poignant performance, Samuel L. Jackson brought his A Game, and there's never a moment with John Goodman I don't like (In this movie or any other). Much how like WW felt like a World War 1 movie with Wonder Woman in there, this felt like a Vietnam movie with King Kong in there.
If it hadn't felt like it dragged in places, this might've penetrated the top 5, but I'd suggest everyone with some time on their hands to check this one out.
The Justice League. Yeah, it's trendy to hate on this movie, but I thought it was pretty good. It didn't knock my socks off, but it had its moments and I enjoyed much of it.
Biggest “Meh” of the year that everyone else loved - Guardians of the Galaxy 2. Considering how much I loved the first one, I'm not sure why this is. Is it because the music felt forced? Because I was just kinda 'eh' on the characters? Because it wasn't novel, this time? Because it was more superhero movie than space opera, unlike the last one? I don't know, but I was just over this movie by the time the credits ran.
Stuff from this year I still wanna see - Anabelle: Creation, Blade Runner 2049
Thing I don't care to watch that everyone else loves and whose lack of inclusion will inevitably piss someone off: Thor Ragnarok. Yeah, I've been tired of all these Marvel movies, frankly. As much as some people piss and moan about Disney doing too much Star Wars, that's me when a new Marvel trailer comes out and everyone's orgasming to a trailer that looks like it could've been pulled from any of the last ten movies.
Hero of the Year:Luke Skywalker. Before I saw the movie, it was actually going to be Beverly Marsh from IT. Instead, I'm giving it to the farmboy from Tatooine. Apparently, there's a lot of anger with how the movie treated Luke Skywalker, and I'm not sure why. I won't speak too much on the character, given that the movie only just came out two days ago, but this is my big bump of the year.
Villain of the Year: Racism. I mean, in general it's been a pretty big villain this year what with Trump and all, but especially in the fantastic movie Get Out. Seriously, go see that movie.
Anyways, how 'bout you guys?