Month: December 2023

Another year of entertainment has come and gone so it’s time to look back at some of the very best that it had to offer. It’s been a wild and chaotic year for Hollywood and Cinema in general! From the near-year long strikes to financial bomb after financial bomb, there was a lot of negativity to take in with movies this year. However, despite all of that madness, there were still plenty of greatness that 2023 was able to offer with cinema! That’s why it’s now time to share my picks for the top ten best films of 2023 (that I actually saw)!

A few disclaimers is that I did not see EVERY film I wanted to see by the end of the year. These include films that have gotten rave reviews from critics and audiences such as Poor Things, The Iron Claw, Maestro, American Fiction, The Color Purple, and The First Slam Dunk. I’ll see them whenever I can but I couldn’t see them on time for this list. Perhaps in the future, I’ll make an updated list of the best films of 2023 and I might include them once I see them. But for now, just know that I couldn’t see every critically darling to come out in 2023.

As per usual, I will start off the lists of my typical unqualifiable mention and my special mention.

Unqualifiable Mention:

Rebel Moon- Part One: A Child of Fire

Ngl, I probably shouldn’t have this on here because I honestly don’t see this being a cult classic outside of the hardcore Zack Snyder fanbase, even when the Snyder Cut and Part 2 comes out. However, if there’s one thing I’ve learned when it comes to movies is to NEVER underestimate the sci-fi genre! There is plenty of interesting concepts and exciting moments throughout Rebel Moon. The visuals are as good as they can be for a Zack Snyder film, the worldbuilding while familiar is intriguing, the action is pretty damn solid throughout, and Sofia Boutella is awesome as Kora, the most compelling character in the whole film. It’s just a shame that it can’t escape the trappings of most theater cuts from Zack Snyder where a good chunk of it is left on the cutting room floor.

Even so, I still couldn’t help but be intrigued by Rebel Moon- Part One: A Child of Fire despite it’s major flaws. Maybe it’s because I’m just a sucker of the sci-fi genre and I’ll always just take whatever I can get with them. It lives rent free in it’s own sandbox and throws so many different ideas on the screen that it’s near impossible to be bored by it. I don’t know if this will gain any sort of recognition once time have had it’s day with it but in this case, I feel Rebel Moon is worth a mention.

Special Mention:

The Super Mario Bros Movie

Acting as the highest grossing animated film of 2023, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is the one video game movie that feels like it was 100% ripped straight from the games in terms of it’s animation, style, world building, and amount of fan service throughout. It even works quite well as a simple story of a complete zero turning into a complete hero along with the importance of brotherhood. It’s just so much fun seeing characters such as Mario, Princess Peach, Donkey Kong, and Toad kicking butt together on the big screen for the first time ever. Not even the common tropes from Illumination Animation that brought down their prior movies such as an obvious celebrity heavy voice cast and awkwardly inserted song tracks are able to bring this one down, which likely has to do with Nintendo’s influence. I don’t know how I would feel about this movie if I wasn’t a Mario but since I am, I couldn’t help but be very satisfied with this movie.

And now here are the honorable mentions (in no particular order):

• M3GAN

• Missing

• Creed III

• Air

• Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

• Evil Dead Rise

• Suzume

• Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret?

• Elemental

• Nimona

• Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning- Part 1

• They Cloned Tyrone

• Bottoms

• The Holdovers

• The Boy and the Heron

And now, onto the main top 10!

10.) Barbie

The highest grossing film of the year was also one of the year’s best! What easily could have been a by-the-numbers flick for little girls that would have been better off going straight to streaming, Greta Gerwig decides to go beyond that and craft a film about traditional gender roles, identity, and why there should be a proper balance between the matriarchy and patriarchy. Barbie is as clever, funny, and creative as you could expected given the talent involved, with Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling being a match made in heaven as Barbie and Ken respectively. The world-building is as strong as it could possibly be with a movie surrounding a toy brand that everyone is aware off, each cast member are clearly having the time of their lives, the soundtrack is one you are likely gonna have stuck in your head as soon as you leave the theater, and it feels so refreshing to see a new summer blockbuster that seems to have to same love and passion it does from both in front and behind the camera. It doesn’t all work 100% and there will certainly be plenty of folks that will take issue with the way it handles it’s themes and messages but for the most part, Greta Gerwig is able to make lightning strike a third time in a row and has made herself a new name to look out for. If you’re a woman, you probably already saw this movie and love it. And heck, even if you are a man, watch it yourself and you’ll probably have a good time as well!

9.) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

Of all the feature films that have we have gotten so far involving the TMNT brand, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is probably the movie that has gotten the most things right, aside from the 1990 original. While the animation and art style does take obvious inspiration from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, it’s able to learn the right lessons from it by creating exciting set pieces and inventive visual storytelling. It looks amazing, the turtles themselves are all well-utilized, bounce off each other perfectly and actually FEEL like teenagers, the story feels fresh yet faithful to the turtles themselves, the score is absolutely killer, the action is a lot of fun to sit through, and it’s able to exist in it’s own sandbox as being the kind of thing that can stand proudly on it’s own two feet along with being among the best of what the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have offered throughout their history. While I won’t go as far to say that it’s a perfect film in it’s own rights, it’s certainly a perfect TMNT film and one that will likely be the one to get a new generation into this successful running franchise. And if the next film and the new 2D series that’s in the works is as good as Mutant Mayhem, then this next wave of TMNT fans will have plenty to be spoiled by!

8.) Godzilla: Minus One

Perhaps the most surprisingly film to come out in 2023. Who would’ve thought that after so many different Godzilla incarnations over several decades that the character and brand can still find new ways to craft great motion pictures? Godzilla: Minus One not only makes for an instant kaiju movie classic but it’s perhaps the best the character has been on screen since 1954 original. It’s able to pull off that perfect balance of offering exciting Godzilla action and a compelling story with human characters you actually care about, the aspects that many recent Godzilla films have failed SPECTACULARLY at! Even when Godzilla isn’t on screen, you don’t mind as much because of how compelling our main human lead is in Ryunosuke Kamiki’s Kōichi Shikishima. The visual effects are excellent, the sound design is off the charts, and the third act is so tense that it will have you on the edge of your seat. I have a few nitpicks that keeps this from being higher on the list (mostly the detour between the end of the second act and beginning of the climax that dragged for me) but this is DAMN good cinema regardless of those gripes! Between this film, the Monarch: Legacy of Monsters series, and the upcoming Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire movie next year, Godzilla fans have a LOT to look forward to in the future!

7.) Killers of the Flower Moon

Killers of the Flower Moon is once again another winner from the great Martin Scorsese. It’s an exceptionally well crafted and brilliantly acted picture that goes to show why Martin might just be the best when it comes to making these kind of period pieces. It’s as every bit of gripping, emotional, and impeccable as you heard, the 3.5 hour longtime while excessive is put to good use, and it’s another reminder why films like this are worth experiencing on the biggest of screens possible. And Lily Gladstone MORE than deserves that Oscar for Best Supporting Actress! I don’t know where this ranks among his very best but it’s certainly a film that will leave an impact on you, one way or the other. As we reach Scorsese’s final chapter of his 80-year old life, this plays out as the proper beginning of the end of one of our finest filmmakers who has ever lived. Because of that, it’s best to enjoy Scorsese pictures as much as we can while the man is still breathing! Let’s do that and STOP asking the man of his opinions on Marvel movies! Please and thank you!

6.) Talk To Me

No horror film this year was able to impact me and hit me harder than Talk To Me. This is a thrilling and frightening tale about a group of friends led by Sophie Wilde’s Mia that uses an embalmed hand as a way to talk to the dead, taking the cast on a wild journey that makes them connect to spirits in ways they would never imagine and will soon learn to regret. It’s able to take it’s genius horror premise and does just about everything you possibly can with it, creating haunting visuals and imagery that is guarantee to stick with plenty of horror fans alike. The story is gripping, the set pieces are incredibly inventive, the scares are absolutely heart-racing, the tension is felt in every second of the runtime, and the visuals metaphors still live rent free in my head to this day. A24 is certainly not the most mainstream friendly studio out there but when they deliver, they deliver HARD! So hard that even the mainstream audience that give their films a F ranking on CinemaScore have to appreciate it! Talk To Me doesn’t just stand as my favorite horror film of the year but I wouldn’t be surprised if I was able to make room for it on my favorite films of the year period. Just superb entertainment all around!

5.) John Wick: Chapter 4

John Wick: Chapter 4 is an exceptional achievement of not just the John Wick franchise but for the action genre in general. Not since The Raid movies has there been a series of action films that dares to go as big, bold, and as over-the-top as this film does. Yes, the action has never been better choregraphed and executed than it has been here. Yes, the cinematography and pure scope have never looked and felt better than it does here. Yes, just about every noteworthy person in the cast get a moment to shine and scenes that stand out so well you can’t wait until someone uploads them to YouTube. Yes, the near three-hour runtime does not feel daunting in any way. Working perfectly as John Wick himself getting pushed beyond his reasonable measures along with director Chad Stahelski and crew of pushing themselves to make the most unbelievable and badass film imaginable. Even if Chapter 4 does bring a logical stopping point to John Wick’s story, it leaves plenty of room of other characters in the series to have their stories to continue if anyone wants to go that route. I’m not one that likes to claim when a movie is “perfect” but when it comes to John Wick: Chapter 4 and is able to deliver the goods with an absolute bullet point, it’s hard to bring up any flaws that bring the experience down. 

4.) Past Lives

Past Lives makes for a beautiful and touching tale about two friends, separated as children, being reunited as they confront destiny, their love for one another, and the choices they have made throughout the entire life. It’s a deep exploration of the connections we have with ourselves and the ones we care about along with our struggles that helps us define who we are. It’s about two dear friends that went their separate ways but might have an urge to try to relief the good old days in the here and now. It’s perfectly directed, beautifully acted, thematically relevant, emotionally engaging, and uses it’s slow-burn pacing to it’s absolute full potential. It’s a film where it’s ideas within the narrative are executed about as perfect as it could get. Even in an age where certain folks seem to decry the idea of films having important messages, Past Lives is a reminder why we need films like that, films that teaches us the true meaning of life and why we shouldn’t take or the ones we love for granted. If this is not a least nominated for Best Picture, then the Academy Awards can simply suck it. Give Greta Lee the Oscar right now!

3.) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is able to successfully hit all the beats it needs to give fans and audiences a very satisfying ending to it’s trilogy of what is perhaps the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most surprising and consistently great franchise, along with showing how Marvel can still find ways to deliver quality entertainment, even when it might seem like they’ve reached their limits. It’s able to be funny, dark, sad, engaging, and deliver the highest and most personal stakes of all the three Guardians films that helps make it stand out as possibly the very best in trilogy. I don’t think there was a scene that was as heartbreaking as Rocket watching his friends die right in front of him or as thrilling when the Guardians got together for that one kick-ass action scene with No Sleep ‘Til Brooklyn playing. I don’t know what the future holds for the MCU or what awaits for the team members that are still around to fight galactic wars but in the case of this movie, I don’t really care. All Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 needed to do for me was to deliver a conclusion that felt definite, right and satisfying all the same. And on those terms, it was no doubt able to deliver a famously huge third (Pun entirely intended!) I’m glad James Gunn was able to end his run with Marvel on a high note and leave me awaiting his future with DC. A fitting farewell to these lovable a-holes!

2.) Oppenheimer

To be honest, if were going by pure objective quality, this would probably be the very best film of the year for me. Oppenheimer is yet another masterfully made and directed film by the great Christopher Nolan himself, perhaps his biggest cinematic achievement to date. It’s able to tell exactly the kind of sprawling epic story that it aspires to be by acting as a character study first and a biopic second of the infamous man of J. Robert Oppenheimer himself. Every single member of it’s highly recognizable cast is able to completely disappear into their roles and captured their performances perfectly (RDJ better get that Oscar!), it does a great job of exploring the man of J. Robert Oppenheimer (played perfectly by Cillian Murphy) as not just “the destroyer of worlds” but as an impactful flawed man himself, the three hour runtime is put to near perfect use, the score is absolutely riveting and will haunt you in the best of ways, and is able to deliver fully on the theater experience in ways that no other filmmaker than Nolan can do. Even if this is Nolan going for his Oscar, he’s able to do it in such a perfect and organic way that it feels more earnest than forced (Take notes, Alejandro González Iñárritu!). While it’s not quite my favorite film from Nolan (Inception and The Dark Knight will always be very hard to top for me!), this might just be his most important one to date, showcasing why Christopher Nolan will always be a name to attract a mass audience. ! Speaking as someone that was underwhelmed by Dunkirk and Tenet, Oppenheimer is a glorious return to form for Christopher Nolan and perhaps might just be objectively the best film of 2023!

1.) Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

But yeah, this was still my favorite one of the year! Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse shows that the Spider-Verse could in fact make lightning strike twice! Everyone involved with the making of this movie wanted to take everything to the next level without holding anything back and they are able to exceed greatly with a sequel that manages to be as good as Into the Spider-Verse and in some ways, even better. The animation might be the very best I’ve ever seen in any film, the entire cast is perfect with everyone feeling like they are absolutely in LOVE with their roles, Miles and Gwen are some of the most best, engaging, and most layered protagonists in any comic book film, the themes and morals of the story still resonate and fits the core elements of Spider-Man perfectly, and there’s plenty of well earned fan service throughout that never gets in the way of the main central storyline. There has not been a film this year I’ve rewatched more than Across the Spider-Verse and I will certainly continue to do so in the future. While it does end on an obvious cliffhanger, it will no doubt make anyone excited to see how they will wrap up the story in the third and final installment. This is the kind of film that not only proves that superhero films are still important (even after the year the subgenre as had) but animation is as important as well! Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is my favorite film of 2023 and one of my favorite superhero movies of all time period! Bring on Beyond the Spider-Verse!

Also, to Phil Lord, Chris Miller, and the those at Sony Animation, PLEASE treat your animators right this time! Don’t put them through hell like you did with Across the Spider-Verse! We all can wait and be patience if it has to take a few more years for the next film to come out! Let’s not encourage crunch culture any longer and make sure the animators are treated with respect next time around! Please and thank you!

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is now in theaters, which means that the DC Extended Universe as a whole has officially come to an end.

This has been a shared universe that’s been very inconsistent with it’s quality and it’s overall continuity. The stinkers are absolute stinkers while the hitters hit absolutely hard. Everyone has their own opinion on these series of films. Some prefer the ones that are darker and more thematically attached to one another, A.K.A. the Zack Snyder directed and produced ones. Others prefer the ones that stand alone as it’s own thing without too much emphasis on franchise continuity, A.K.A. the other ones not made or produced by Zack Snyder. Now is time to share my overall rankings on these movies!

First, a few disclaimers. I’m not including Joker and The Batman on this list since those movies take place in their own separate continuities and doesn’t tie into the DC Extended Universe in any way, shape, or form.

Second, as I’ve stated in the past many times before, this is all opinions. Feel free to let me know your list in the comments or on Twitter and tell me just how wrong I am with my list! Without further do, let’s begin the list!

16.) Suicide Squad

It’s baffling how you can take a movie that has such a fun and exciting premise along with a superbly talented cast (outside of Jai Courtney and Joel Kinnaman) but somehow manage to execute it in the worst way possible. Attempting to take a page from Guardians of the Galaxy with it’s style and soundtrack, Suicide Squad is like to trying to build a puzzle with pieces that clearly don’t fit. It’s clear that this wasn’t what director David Ayer had in mind when he first signed one for this as he clearly envisioned something more bleak and grounded.

It also doesn’t help that it has a rushed script that makes no sense, terrible AD-HD editing, pointless characters and subplots, cringe dialogue that sounds like it was ripped straight out of a 90s video game, and a plot that crumbles when you think about it for a split second. Not even the superb casting of Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Will Smith as Deadshot, and Viola Davis as Amanda Wallers can save this mess!

In hindsight, despite being the absolute worst movie in this universe, it’s existence did feel like a necessary evil. After all, it did lead to at least two other movies of this list that fully utilized this movie’s premise and characters far better than this one ever could. I guess that’s something.

15.) Justice League (2017)

It’s unbelievable how not only the first ever live-action Justice League movie doesn’t work, but it has to be one of the most lifeless and forgettable superhero movies ever made. It’s clear that Warner Bros and company where so caught off guard over the backlash that Dawn of Justice received that they brought in Joss Whedon, after Snyder stepped down in part due to the passing of his daughter, in the hopes of providing the same spark he gave to The Avengers. Not only is that course correction painfully obvious on screen but mixing the visions of Whedon and Snyder could not have led to more disastrous results.

This is like the equivalent of a superb Japanese anime getting butchered in the English version by 4kids, filled with unnecessary editing, censoring, and scripting to make it more “kid” friendly even if it doesn’t make much sense in the context of the feature film and hurts the overall quality of the picture as a result. Justice League (2017) (also known as JOSStice League) comes across as more of a straight-to-dvd Avengers knock-off that you would find at the bargain bin at the Dollar Store than an actual Justice League movie. The tone is all over the place, the reshoots are as clear as daylight it’s embarrassing, and it’s edited into incredibly bite sized pieces that you can tell were only done just so the movie can finish under two hours.

A handful of moments (or at least the ones I can remember) are cool in their own right (It’s always cool to see Wonder Woman on screen saving people) and is is nice to see Henry Cavill represent a bit of Christopher Reeves here (despite it making no sense in the context of the universe) but it’s incredibly unforgiveable just how cheap, hollow, and unmemorable this whole experience is. When even a remix of Danny Elfman’s iconic Batman theme can’t win me over, you know your movie has failed!

14.) Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

I’m still in awe how you take a crossover like Batman and Superman and make it so long, dull, and joyless. It’s a film that wants to comes across as the most grand and ambitious movie every made, but when you look deep into it, this movie actually doesn’t have much to say on anything it’s talking about. Other than trying to cram two to three movies worth of material into one film, there’s nothing really risky or daring about Dawn of Justice and it’s so-called themes have been done much better in plenty of other superhero films. The plot is a convoluted mess no matter which version you watch and the conflict between Batman and Superman is so incredibly ridiculous that it could have been avoided if they would just simply talk to each other.

Ben Affleck is fine as Batman and there’s a few standout moments here (The warehouse fight scene and Wonder Woman’s first appearance are all-timers) but that’s nowhere near enough to save this turd of a film. Even the ultimate edition which many claim “saves” the movie really just has more of the same things that were wrong in the first place, aside from being editing and pacing. If there is a clear difference between ambition and aimlessness, then Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice certainly strikes the finest line yet between those two definitions with results that fit more of the latter than the former.

It gets a slight edge over Suicide Squad and Justice League (2017) because it does at least feel like a fully realized vision of a filmmaker but that is no where near enough for me to claim it’s good or even should be praised because of that. It’s a movie so bad that it arguably killed this whole universe for the mainstream audience before it even got a chance to get going! Sorry but I’m not a fan whatsoever!

13.) Wonder Woman 1984

Patty Jenkin’s follow-up to the original Wonder Woman could not have been more underwhelming if it tried. Instead of actually trying to expand upon the character of Diana Prince and develop her even further, Wonder Woman 1984 remains stuck in the past quite literally, as Jenkins attempts to make a sequel with the same tone, heart, and feel as the Christopher Reeves Superman movies but ends up landing closer in the quality to the last two bad ones as oppose to the first two good ones.

There’s many things I can overlook in this such as the nonsensical magical rock plot, the gazillion leaps of logic, and the complete unself-awareness of the whole thing. What kills the whole picture is turning Wonder Woman into a love sick puppy dog, obsessing over her dead boyfriend she knew for like a week over 40 years go, and even raping a guy (Yes, really!) thanks to an ill-conceived body swapping plot device that was clearly not thought out in the slightest. There’s only so much the human brain can take before it flips the table and walks away. Not even the spot-on chemistry between Gal Gadot and Chris Pine works this time around because of this creepy plot mechanic or even Kristen Wig’s solid portrayal as Cheetah.

It’s certainly more watchable than some of the other bad DCEU movies but it all just feels like a waste of time and potential. It’s like Patty Jenkins and the crew couldn’t figure out where to go next with Wonder Woman so they decided to just make a “filler” movie until they could actual come up with something worthwhile. Too bad no one on the creative team will likely have another chance in the future with this universe about to get rebooted. Just stick with the first film!

12.) Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

After ten years and 16 films deep, the DC Extended Universe comes to an end with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, the sequel to DC highest grossing film of all time (Yes, really!). While I’m sure no one on the team picture that this would be the last installment in this ill-fated cinematic universe when they first signed on for Part Two, you would at least assume they would give their absolute best effort to end this 10-year DC run on a high note and get audiences excited for the rebooted universe coming in the near future. While I’m sure there was version of that movie that was presented during the production, it is anything but that when it comes to the finished product.

For as much you can pick apart about the original Aquaman, it at least had some form of energy, passion, and even heart from behind the camera which help make it an entertaining ride. The Lost Kingdom, on the other hand, is basically the exact opposite, with the whole thing feeling like it’s on autopilot while hitting many of the same beats as the first movie but with no energy, passion, or heart to be found here. Also, it’s embarrassing how the film was trying to do everything in it’s power to NOT have Amber Heard’s Mera on camera, only showing up when the plot absolutely demands her to show up.

Aside from some fun buddy cop-like moments between Jason Momoa’s Aquaman and Patrick Wilson’s Orm along with some neat visuals, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is superhero cinematic burnout at it’s finest. You can tell this was a movie that Warner Bros was just desperate to get out of the way so they can finally move on to other things. While not the worst DC Extended movie ever, this is probably far in a way, the most forgettable one by a wide margin, even more so than JOSStice League.

11.) Black Adam

Black Adam is possibly the most paint-by-numbers movie in this universe thus far, not counting the theater cut of you know what. If there was one thing you could give the DCEU is that despite it’s mixed results, each one did feel like a complete different beast of it’s own and unlike any other superhero movies out there, even if it mostly came across as aimless. Unfortunately, you can’t really say any of that about The Rock’s superhero fantasy vessel!

It follows nearly every single beat from any other recent superhero movie to a t without any sole attempt to break from them or at least put a different spin on it. Thrown in overly dull, CGI-heavy action scenes, a colorful cast of superheroes that feel more like action figures than fully realized characters, an out of place moral about superheroes who kill and a dull main protagonist with the least charismatic performance from The Rock ever and you get a very muddled picture. It also has possibly the most embarrassing post credit scene of all time considering it got rendered meaningless just ONE month after this movie came out.

It’s certainly a watchable movie that with good elements to it such as some fun side characters and a solid score. It’s just that what’s good about are things that not only have been good in other superhero movies but it’s been done better in plenty other superhero movies as well. However, for a movie that has been in development for this long and this much talent attached to it, you would expect Black Adam to be something that didn’t simply leave me shrugging my shoulders when leaving the theaters. You can certainly do worse but you can also do a whole lot better.

10.) The Flash

Speaking of movies that were in development hell forever and should be a lot better than they ended up being, we have The Flash, the movie designed to reset the entire DC universe continuity. It also have controversies from behind the scenes largely due to the Flash themselves, Ezra Miller, doing a bunch of awful and unforgivable things off of camera. Even if put all of the behind the scenes and drama with it’s main lead, this is still not a very good movie.

Yes, Michael Keaton is just as awesome as Batman as he was in Tim Burton’s duology. And yes, Sashe Calle is perfect as Supergirl who is more than deserving of her own movie. That still doesn’t take away how terrible the CGI is (I still can’t believe how godawful that one re-creation was and how anyone thought it was a good idea), how the fan service and cameos scattered throughout don’t amount to anything, how it can’t escape the whole feeling of obligation, and how this version of Barry Allen is still an incredibly annoying and unengaging character with Miller feeling very miscast. There are ways to tell interesting stories with the multiverse concept and even as a course correction but it lacks the celebratory and culmination level of storytelling of No Way Home, the inventive and stylish nature of the Spider-Verse films, and even using it’s course correction template in a unique way to push the series forward that X-Men: Days of Future Past did marvelously. Unfortunately, The Flash is unable to do any of that in ways that feel as fresh, creative, and entertaining as the movies that I mentioned.

It does everything it sets out to do with resetting it’s timeline and may even delight DC fans with the amount of Easter Eggs provided along with getting them a glimpse of what’s to come, but none of it is done as well as it could and leaves plenty to be desired. It just comes across as a movie that DC felt they were forced to make just so they can later get to the movies they actually want to make. While it does pave a way towards a more open future, I certainly hope that future doesn’t feel as phoned-in as The Flash does. Please bring back Sasha Calle for Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow!

9.) Man of Steel

The DC Extended Universe kicked off in 2013 with one of the most polarizing superhero movies of all time. Looking back on it nearly a full decade later, I can’t help but have INCREDIBLY mixed emotions when it comes to this film. In terms of casting, tone, action scale, scope, and score, this is everything that a modern Superman movie should consist off, with nearly single technical and sound aspect works absolute wonders. However, when it comes to the overall story, script, and structure, that is where the confliction comes in.

Most of the characters come off as plot devices and motivation for Superman than actual characters, the dialogue strikes a fine line between being poetic/inspiring and just plain pretentious, and it’s overall themes feel not so much explored but just told directly to the audiences. Even so, the action is dynamic, the cast do great with what they have to work with, and the scope and Han Zimmer’s soundtrack are off the charts that it’s almost good enough to convince you that you are watching a much better film than you actually are! The elements that work are absolutely great while the elements that don’t work really bring down the whole picture.

When looking at it’s own thing and the seeds it plants for the future, Man of Steel could have been considered a solid re-introduction to the character of Superman and one that could successfully redefined Superman to a new generation. However, due to it’s shortcomings and the movies after tripling down on the things that don’t work rather than what does, you can’t help but see wasted potential. As it’s own thing, Man of Steel is functional on a surface level but not on a depth level. Henry Cavill deserved a much better standalone film than this!

8.) Shazam!: Fury of the Gods

While Shazam! Fury of the Gods certainly doesn’t break any new ground for the superhero sub-genre and doesn’t quite reach the heights of the first movie, it still makes for a solid albeit formulaic sequel. Director David F Sandberg is able to deliver the exact goods that he delivered in the original Shazam! had even if it’s not able to deliver much else that feels as fresh. It’s not groundbreaking by any means, but with movies that are this lighthearted, fun, and just has it’s own warm tone to it, I really find it hard to be overly critical off.

I still enjoy the lighthearted nature of the whole thing that felt reminisce to classic superhero flicks I grew up with such as Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man and Christopher Reeve’s Superman. I like how it puts a big focus on the majority of the family members on the verge of becoming fully grown adults. And man, does it always feel nice to see superheroes act like actual superheroes by rescuing civilians every chance that they get and saving the day from the bad guys. If you are someone that was just looking to spend more time with this cast and characters for the sequel, then you should definitely get your money’s worth with Fury of the Gods. 

I can’t help but think that the negative reaction to this movie is not so much of the quality of the movie itself but with either the feeling of superhero fatigue or the studio politics behind the DC movies itself. My response to all of that is who cares? Sometimes it’s okay to allow yourself to be sucked into the movie going experience and enjoy the time you are having at the moment you are watching the movie without worrying about the aftermath of it. Only then will the world might be able to enjoy perfectly enjoyable movies like Shazam! Fury of the Gods once again. Judge it on it’s own merits and I think this movie will do you just fine.

7.) Zack Snyder’s Justice League

Because we live in some dark and twisted form of an alternate universe, Zack Snyder’s Justice League is a real thing now. Truth be told, even if you remove yourself from the toxicity that is the Zack Snyder fanbase (I won’t blame you if you can’t!), it’s actually not that bad with a lot more to like than their is to hate. This is probably the one movie in the DC Extended Universe with Zack Snyder that doesn’t feel overly pretentious but more of just the man wanting to make the most epic Justice League movie he can possibly make. For the most part, he succeeds even if some of the faults from his other films are carried over here.

The first half is way too stretched out for it’s own good, feeling like Snyder is trying to get every single little frame of work that he desires in there regardless if it actually serves a purpose. There’s also the final fifteen minutes that feels more like a collection of post credit scenes rather than an actual epilogue. But everything in between that is pretty solid. There’s good action set pieces, a nice, riveting score, memorable gorgeous visuals, and some good character interactions between all of the Justice League members, with Wonder Woman and Cyborg being the main standouts. And this also feels like the first time in Snyder’s films that the superheroes on screen actually act and feel like superheroes instead of just being all sad and mopey all the time. What a time to be alive!

While there’s still faults from the theatrical cut that are carried over here (*cough* Steppenwolf and Flash *cough*), this is certainly an improvement over the theatrical cut and should most certainly be considered the actual definite version of Justice League. I might not call myself a fan of Snyder’s input on the DC Extended Universe but I’m at least glad he got the chance to finish what he started after having to originally step down due to the tragic death of his daughter. The Snyder cut of Justice League exists and it’s pretty damn good! Can we please move on with our lives now?!

6.) Aquaman

If there’s anyone in Hollywood who is a master of making dumb, over-the-top, and incredibly fun motion pictures without necessarily making fun of them and even giving it a bit of heart, it’s James Wan. Aquaman is definitely a movie you can pick apart it’s logic and nitpick it’s script to death but it’s also a movie that’s so entertaining, adventurous, and just plain “out there” that it’s hard to really care. All it wants to do is entertain you and look pretty while it does so and it succeeds big time!

This is almost like the live-action Atlantis movie that I’ve always wanted to see. A movie that puts good emphasis on exploring an underwater world while showing off some crazy action scenes and beautiful visuals that it makes for quite an enjoyable ride. Jason Momoa fits Aquaman quite well and is giving more range this time out. The “fish out of water” stuff and romantic angles are nothing we haven’t seen before but it’s done well enough that it’s quite hard to notice when you’re watching it. And, taken out the behind the scenes drama, Amber Heard is cool as Mera and gets some awesome moments to shien. The script does feel overstuffed with too much characters and exposition along with containing some hilariously awful acting and dialogue (“ARE YOU SAYING THEY EXECUTED HER?!) but even when the movie’s overall quality keeps shifting, you will be along with the ride laughing with and at it along the way.

I imagine with a different director that Aquaman would have failed spectacularly as it would either try too hard to be deep and serious or try too hard to be dumb and stupid. With James Wan at the helm, he’s able to find a great mix of both and making for a really good time. I never would have guessed in a million years that an Aquaman movie would be the highest grossing DC film of all time, let alone in the DC Extended Universe, but here we are.

5.) Blue Beetle

I enjoy Shazam!: Fury of the Gods more than most people, despite it being an obvious step down from the first film, and found The Flash to be an ugly and unfocused CGI mess with the only saving graces being Michael Keaton’s Batman and Sasha Calle’s Supergirl. However, Blue Beetle is easily the best film that DC has released this year and their very best one since The Batman. While lower expectations may have played a factor in that, it feels like the only film released this year to do the job it sets out to do exceptionally well without the demand for much more.

There’s no universe baggage or sequel setup to weight the whole thing down, there’s no painfully distracting reshoots and CGI of certain characters that will take you out of the movie, and there’s no drama with any cast member making unpleasant remarks and/or doing terrible things of the camera to distract you from the picture. All we have here is a very well made and enjoyable new superhero origin tale about a cool new superhero with everyone from the cast and crew doing their jobs as well as they possibly could have. Jamie Reyes is a likeable and engaging protagonist, the dynamics with his family are great, the action is fun to sit through, and it has the kind of beating heart that not much superhero movies have nowadays. Also, it has the most badass granny in any movie ever!

It may not be the best superhero movie ever made nor even the best one that has come out this year but Blue Beetle is still a fun and refreshing comic book movie that has plenty of action, humor, and heart at it’s center for anyone to enjoy. If there is anyone out there that was on the fence of watching it for whatever, I definitely give this one to watch. Even though this movie underperformed at the box office, the fact is currently finding an audience due to making it’s way to Max puts a smile on my face.

4.) Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)

I’m not gonna lie, if I did this ranking based off which ones I had the most fun watching or actually enjoyed watching the most, I would literally put this at #1 and I’m not even joking. However, because this movie isn’t quite as important to other DCEU movies and acts as more of a spin-off than the other ones, I have it at #4. That being said, Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is an absolute blast of a movie that I have no problem admitting that I love the shit out of it!

The action is some of the most creative and inventive of the whole DC Extended Universe, with the standouts being the prison break and amusement mile sequence, Cathy Yan’s direction is refreshing and stylish, Christina Hodson’s script is clever and witty, the story of Harley’s emancipation and birth of the Birds of Prey themselves are told in a very unique, smart way, and everyone in the cast brings their A game, especially with Jurnee Smollett’s Black Canary, Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s Huntress, and Ewan McGregor’s Black Mask! This movie not only proves that Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn is hands down the best casting choice of the entire DC Extended Universe but Harley Quinn herself is more fun and interesting when she gets to be her own woman and not just simply Joker’s girlfriend. I can nitpick aspects such as Mary Elisabeth Winstead as Huntress needing more screen time and how from a source material standpoint, it’s not necessarily faithful but Birds of Prey made for one rocking good time!

I might lose some masculinity points for putting a so-called “girl power” movie this high on the list but I don’t care. Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is not just one of the most entertaining movies in the DC Extended Universe but it’s one of the most entertaining comic book movies out there period that I will watch whenever I’m in the mood for it. It may not technically be the objectively best DECU movie but I can’t think of one that I had more fun watching than this. You may hate it but for me, it’s just a blast!

3.) Shazam!

If you want to see a modern comic book movie that commits to the cheeseball nature and lightheartedness of superhero classics such as Christopher Reeves’ Superman and Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man while also having an actual functional brain in it’s head, look no further than Shazam! This is the kind of a superhero movie that I always imagine myself making as a kid. A coming-of-age tale that deals with themes of family and responsibility while also showing off ridiculously cool powers and colorful cast of characters to have fun with.

Zachary Levi (taking recent controversies with him aside) is perfectly cast as Shazam himself and has great chemistry with the entire cast, where every child actor is able to shine extremely well on their own. The family dynamics are dealt with a lot of heart and care, making for perhaps the most heartful superhero movie ever made. The song choices are absolutely inspired and fit perfectly with the overall light and joyful tone, with perhaps my favorite use of Don’t Stop Me Now in any film. The action scenes are fun and not as gloriously excessive as say Man of Steel. And David F. Sandberg direction is top-notch as he make his perfectly fun and child fanboy-like vision realizes with getting to make the kind of movie I imagined he wanted to make since he was a little boy.

Even if Dr. Thaddeus Sivana is a pretty “meh” villain (even if I love Mark Strong) and having the entire family becoming superheroes at the end feels like it should have been saved for the sequel or at least a post credit scene, that doesn’t make Shazam! any less awesome and satisfying! This is a comic book movie I could recommend to not just fans of DC and superhero movies but even for those who aren’t even fond of superhero movies. It’s that good!

2.) Wonder Woman

This is the kind of movie that is hard to dislike. Not just because that it has a great strong female protagonist that has her fair share of strengths and weaknesses despite being a literal goddess herself. Or it has terrific action sequences that fully display Wonder Woman’s power and abilities perfectly. Or has probably the most compelling romance in any superhero movie with Gal Gadot’s Diane Prince and Chris Pine’s Steve Trevor. Or it has it’s own beating heart to it that prior DCEU movies were missing. The thing that stands out the most about Wonder Woman is it’s overall sense of optimism, not just for the DC Extended Universe but for mankind in general.

Whether it’s that powerful scene where Diana leads the soldiers through No Man’s Land or at the end where she helps them single handily win the war, Diane is someone that always inspires a reason for others to hope again, even during the darkest times. This is showcases all throughout the movie, especially towards the end to where she discovers that it’s her love for Steve Trevor that gave hope to resurrecting mankind, not killing Ares. That form of optimism is what made Wonder Woman so satisfying when I saw it in cinema back in 2017 and still satisfying several years later. With a movie filled with so much heart, emotion, and inspiration, how could you not love this movie?

Okay, okay so the climax does feel a bit tacked on and too CGI heavy with a villain that’s not the most interesting? So, what? Even then, that doesn’t really ruin the movie and even contains some of the best character moments and emotional beats of the whole film (which I got to write an article on someday). Wonder Woman is a movie that proved that not only that the DC Extended Universe was in fact worth giving a chance but that female-lead superheroes movies can work and that women have stories that deserve to be told on the big screen just as much as male superheroes. This is still one of very best in this universe and all of DC in general.

1.) The Suicide Squad

Despite my negative feelings and disappointment towards the original Suicide Squad, I was still open to a sequel if it had someone else taking the helm that could fully utilize it’s premise and not have it be plagued by studio inference. Thankfully, we got just that with James Gunn in The Suicide Squad. Not only does he deliver a far superior Suicide Squad movie than the original but the best film in the DC Extended Universe to date! Nearly every single problem that the first Suicide Squad movie had, this one fixes.

The script is packed with multiple characters and subplots but nearly every single one gets resolved and has an arc in their own right. The violence, carnage, and foul language is ramped up to 11 and takes full advantage of it’s R rating. Each actor and actress is 100% committed to their roles and fits it all like a glove, with the standouts being Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn (Of Course!), Idris Elba as Deadshot, and John Cena as Peacemaker. The style, direction, and soundtrack fits organically with the picture with not a single ounce of it feeling out-of-place or try hard unlike the first one. The humor is absolutely on point and perfectly matches the tone and rating of the whole movie. The best of all, James Gunn’s voice is heard throughout the entire thing without any hint of studio meddling of any kind.

This goes to show you what happens when you believe in something and don’t try to mess it up. Maybe then the cinematic universe of DC wouldn’t have to get reboot like it’s about to. We are certainly going to get more from Gunn now that he along with Peter Safran will be the main heads of DC going forward. If we get installments as good as The Suicide Squad, we should be heading towards a bright future for this universe. Regardless, it’s my favorite of the entire DC Extended Universe and one comic book movie that I will watch anytime I want to. In Gunn We Trust!

Another year, another wave of comic book films have hit the big screen! Although, many people have claimed that 2023 is the year where comic book movie fatigue has finally settled in for general audience, due to numerous flicks of this subgenre underperforming or flat out bombing at the box office. However, if the success of the likes of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and (fingers crossed) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem are any indication, I think it’s more that audiences are fed up with lackluster comic book films or ones that are just okay. If every single movie on this list were anywhere near as good as the top three on this list, I don’t think we would be complaining about the amount of comic book films released today, or at least crying over fatigue. At the end of the day, all it matters if the actual movie itself is good or not.

Now that this subgenre of movies have come to a close for the remainder of the year, let’s rank all the superhero or comic book related films to come out of 2023.

Also, just for fun, I decided to include the infamous fan film from this year, Spider-Man Lotus. Why? Because it’s a terrible film that was made by a bunch of racist idiots who legit thought they could make a better Spider-Man movie than the MCU and they deserved to be laughed at! It’s also far worse than any superhero movie that came from Hollywood, which is saying quite a bit.

Let’s not waste anymore time and let’s get on this list from worst to best!

10.) Spider-Man Lotus

Spider-Man: Lotus comes across as a film made by a fan with a very ill-conceived vision of what the character of Spider-Man stands for. It attempts to dive into the inner turmoil of Peter Parker and how he responds to losing those he cares about because of his duty as Spider-Man but the film fails to deliver a compelling narrative or a reason to get behind this version of Spider-Man, with Konop mistaking dourness and pro-faced seriousness for depth and nuance. What kills the whole picture is that Peter Parker is profoundly unlikable here, constantly lashing out as his friends and pushing them away in the hopes that will somehow ease the pain. It also doesn’t help that the pacing is slower than a sloth with a broken leg and the storytelling here is basically non-existent. Spider-Man: Lotus feels less like a love letter to Spider-Man and more of a neglect for him. There’s a reason why people like Jon Watts are the ones in charge of making these Spider-Man movies in Hollywood and people like Gavin J. Konop are not.

9.) Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

After ten years and 16 films deep, the DC Extended Universe comes to an end with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. While I’m sure there was a strong version of this movie that was presented during the production, it is anything but that when it comes to the finished product. The Lost Kingdom is a film that’s feels like it’s on autopilot throughout it’s entire runtime, hitting many of the same beats as the first movie but with no energy, passion, or heart to be found here. The jokes don’t work, the tone is inconsistent as hell, the editing is terrible and it’s embarrassing how the film was trying to do everything in it’s power to NOT have Amber Heard’s Mera on camera, only showing up when the plot absolutely demands her to show up. Aside from some fun buddy cop-like moments between Jason Momoa’s Aquaman and Patrick Wilson’s Orm along with some neat visuals, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is superhero cinematic burnout at it’s finest. You can tell this was a movie that Warner Bros was just desperate to get out of the way so they can finally move on to other things. Such a shame that a once promising cinematic universe had to go out with such a damn whimper, with not a single care from anyone else on the planet. Let’s hope James Gunn and Peter Safran is up to the task in the future because man, does DC (and superhero movies in general) not look good right now!

8.) Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania isn’t quite the worst movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe but it’s certainly knocking at that door. Despite the movie’s overall goal is to give everyone a clear direction as to where this next phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is going, it still has that feeling of inconsequentiality because of how little that will likely matter in the long run and how it barely progresses the characters and their stories here. It still hits the same beats you would expect from a Marvel movie but whether or not that will be enough to save the picture is entirely up to you. And if the box office results and fan/critical reception is anything to go by, it’s clearly not for most people. Jonathan Majors as Kang stands out well here (at least until Majors had to be an abusive idiot and destroy his career) but very little else does, especially the mind numbing CGI. It’s a film so lackluster that it was basically a wake-up call for Marvel Studios, forcing them to re-think their current direction and potentially even erase the Kang storyline entirely. Whether or not that will act as a necessary evil remains to be seen but for now, Quantumania may not be the worst thing ever but we know that Marvel and superheroes are capable of much better.

7.) The Flash

Even taking way the controversies surrounding the production of this mess, The Flash is still not a very good movie. Yes, Michael Keaton is just as awesome as Batman as he was in Tim Burton’s duology. Yes, Sashe Calle is perfect as Supergirl who is more than deserving of her own movie. That still doesn’t take away how terrible the CGI is here, how the fan service and cameos scattered throughout don’t amount to anything, how it can’t escape the whole feeling of obligation, and how this version of Barry Allen is still an incredibly annoying and unengaging character. It does everything it sets out to do and may even delight DC fans with the amount of Easter Eggs provided, but none of it is done as well as it could and leaves plenty to be desired. It just comes across as a movie that DC felt they were forced to make just so they can later get to the movies they actually want to make. While it does pave a way towards a more open future, I certainly hope that future doesn’t feel as phoned-in as The Flash does. Please bring back Sasha Calle for Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow!

6.) Shazam!: Fury of the Gods

While Shazam! Fury of the Gods certainly doesn’t break any new ground for the superhero sub-genre and doesn’t quite reach the heights of the first movie, it still makes for a solid albeit formulaic sequel. Director David F Sandberg is able to deliver the exact goods that he delivered in the original Shazam! had even if it’s not able to deliver much else that feels as fresh. It’s not groundbreaking by any means, but with a movie that is this lighthearted, fun, and just has it’s own warm tone to it, I really find it hard to be overly critical off. I can’t help but think that the negative reaction that this movie received is not so much of the quality of the movie itself but with the either the feeling of superhero fatigue or the studio politics behind the DC movies itself. And of course the controversy surrounding certain cast members offscreen such as Zachary Levi and (at the moment) Rachel Zegler doesn’t help either. Even so, put all the off camera drama aside and you find there’s actually quite a bit to like here, even if it’s not all great what’s on camera.

5.) The Marvels

Talk about a movie that came out at the worst possible time imaginable. Releasing during multiple strikes, franchise/superhero fatigue, and internet trolls being louder than ever, The Marvels is basically the one MCU movie that no one gave a chance to, not even Disney and Marvel themselves. Which sucks because when actually looking the movie on it’s own, it’s actually quite fun with some damn good action sequences, neat looking visuals, and three enjoyable female leads. Iman Vellani is precious as hell as Kamala Khan, Teyonah Parris is cool as Monica, and Brie Larson is able to shine much better her than any other films she’s been in as Captain Marvel, almost as if this is the character that Brie has been wanting to play since signing up for the role. It could have used a stronger villain in Dar-Benn, with more flesh out dynamics between her and the Marvels themselves and it’s certainly a film you can nitpick to death if you want to get technical about it but judging it as a straight up action movie, it’s entertaining with solid chemistry between the three leads. Much like Shazam!: Fury of the Gods, what would have been consider good enough five to ten years ago is simply not good enough anymore. If you skipped this movie in theaters because of the inconsistent quality of recent Marvel movies or other personal reasons, I’d say give this a chance once it comes out on Disney Plus and you might be surprised with it.

4.) Blue Beetle

Blue Beetle is easily the best film that DC has released this year and even their very best one since The Batman. While lower expectations may have played a factor in that, it feels like the only film released this year to do the job it sets out to do exceptionally well. There’s no universe baggage or sequel setup to weight the whole thing down, there’s no painfully distracting reshoots and CGI of certain characters that will take you out of the movie, and there’s no drama with any cast member making unpleasant remarks and/or doing terrible things of the camera to distract you from the picture. All we have here is a very well made and enjoyable new superhero origin tale about a cool new superhero with everyone from the cast and crew doing their jobs as well as they possibly could have.  Jamie Reyes is a likeable and engaging protagonist, the dynamics with his family are great, the action is fun to sit through, and it has the kind of beating heart that not much superhero movies have nowadays. Also, it has the most badass granny in any movie ever! It may not be the best superhero movie ever made nor even the best one that has come out this year but it’s still a fun and refreshing comic book movie that has plenty of action, humor, and heart at it’s center for anyone to enjoy. If there is anyone out there that was on the fence of seeing Blue Beetle, I definitely recommend checking it out in theaters while you still can!

3.) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

Of all the feature films that have we have gotten so far involving the TMNT brand, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is probably the one to get the most things right since the original 1990 live-action film. The animation is top notch with learning the “right” lessons from Into the Spider-Verse, the characters are all well-utilized, defined, and bounce off each other perfectly, the story feels fresh yet faithful to the turtles lore with plenty of resonate themes that might connect with general audience, the score is absolutely killer and gives the film it’s own upbeat personality, the action is a lot of fun to sit through, and it’s able to exist in it’s own sandbox as being the kind of thing that can stand proudly on it’s own along with being among the best of what the Ninja Turtles have offered throughout their history. While I won’t go as far to say that it’s a perfect film in it’s own rights (there’s a bit too much pop culture references and “milking” jokes for my taste), it’s certainly a perfect TMNT film, one that will likely be the one to get a new generation into this successful running franchise. And if the next film and the new 2D series that’s in the works is as good as Mutant Mayhem, then this next wave of Ninja Turtles fans will have plenty to be spoiled by!

2.) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is able to successfully hit all the beats it needs to give fans and audiences a very satisfying ending to it’s trilogy of what is perhaps the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most surprising and consistently great franchise, along with showing how Marvel can still find ways to deliver quality entertainment, even when it might seem like they’ve reached their limits. It’s able to be funny, dark, sad, engaging, and deliver the highest and most personal stakes of all the three Guardians films that helps make it stand out as possibly the very best in trilogy. This also has some of the very best performances and emotional beats in anything Marvel related! I don’t know what the future holds for the MCU in terms of quality or what awaits for the team members that end up living to fight another day but in the case of this movie, I don’t really care. All Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 needed to do was deliver a conclusion that felt definite, right and satisfying all the same. And on those terms, it was no doubt able to deliver a famously huge third (Pun entirely intended!) I’m glad James Gunn was able to end his run with Marvel on a high note and leave me awaiting his future with DC. A fitting farewell to these lovable galatic a-holes!

1.) Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse shows that the Spider-Verse could in fact make lightning strike twice. Everyone involved with the making of this movie wanted to take everything to the next level without holding anything back and they are able to exceed greatly with a sequel that manages to be as good as Into the Spider-Verse and in some ways, even better. The animation might be the very best I’ve ever seen in any film, the entire cast is perfect with everyone feeling like they are absolutely in LOVE with their roles, Miles and Gwen are some of the most interesting, engaging, and layered protagonists in any comic book film, the themes and morals of the story still resonate and fits the core elements of Spider-Man perfectly, there’s plenty of well earned fan service throughout that never gets in the way of the main central storyline, and while it does end on an obvious cliffhanger, it will no doubt make anyone excited to see how they will wrap up the story in the third and final installment. For as much as there been talk about superhero movie fatigue nowadays, I’m willing to bet if the majority of modern superhero movies were anywhere near as good as these Spider-Verse movies are, we would not been having that conversation whatsoever and realize that the movie being good is what matters most at the end of the day. Across the Spider-Verse is the best comic book film of 2023, one of the best films of 2023, and might just be one of the most perfect sequels ever made! Bring on Beyond the Spider-Verse and PLEASE treat your animators right this time!

To cap off cinema in 2023, I decided to do something a bit different this year. Other than giving you my list of my top favorite movies of the year, I want to do something extra and give you a list of my favorite films of a certain genre, subgenre, or medium of 2023. This year, in the build up to my list of the best films of the year, I will also do an individual list of the best horror movies of 2023, best animated movies of 2023, and a ranking of all the superhero movies of 2023. This would be the perfect way to give certain films some love and recognition that I might not have gotten to in my main top list because it just missed the list. I plan on publishing one list every Sunday for the rest of the month, concluding with my list of the top overall films of 2023!

To start off this little marathon to end the year, let’s look over ten films in the horror genre that I believe are worth a watch! Keep in mind, this is NOT in number order and are only in the order of the time which it came out! The only exception to this is my very final pick, with what I believe was the best horror film of 2023!

Let’s not waste anymore time and get straight into it!

M3GAN

I don’t how I would judge M3GAN if this was a film to NOT come out in January, most often regarded as the toxic wasteland month for movies. Even so, regardless of what time and month it came out, there is a lot to like and recommend with M3GAN. There is a certain warmth and heart here with plenty of laughs, scares, thrills, and meaningful messaging involving A.I. and the way humans respond to it. Not to mention, the character of M3GAN herself makes for an instant horror movie icon, suiting greatly as this generation’s Chucky! It’s quite uneven and there are certain kills you will likely see coming from a mile away but for what it’s worth, M3GAN was a damn fun time and I’ll definitely watch a sequel if it gets made. This was a movie that not only kicked off this year’s horror movies on a high note but also this year’s films in general.

Scream VI

Although, there probably isn’t a WORSE time to talk about this movie in a positive light after everything that has happened for the past few weeks regarding this franchise, Scream VI was about as good, if not better, than it’s 2022 predecessor and deserves recognition for it. The new cast equipped themselves admirably and don’t need the legacy characters themselves to carry it, the kills are still effective and satisfying, the returning cast are better utilized here than the last movie, and it does give you a brighter sense of the future that lies ahead for franchises that actually dare to move forward without their main face of the franchise. And even if this is the very last Scream movie now due to incompetent management from the higher ups at Spyglass, this would be a satisfying note to end on as it does bring proper closures to characters old and new. Justice to Melissa Barrera!

Renfield

I wasn’t the nicest camper to this when it came out, but it has slightly grown on me since it’s release. It’s far from the best version of itself and lacks the tonal control or brain in it’s head that M3GAN had but Renfield is still an enjoyable time overall! The humor and set pieces does it’s job when it arrives, Nicholas Hoult and Ben Schwartz are always welcome presences, and Nicolas Cage as Dracula is as much of a match made in heaven as you would expect. While it falls just shy of being an instant horror movie classic, Renfield is worth a watch for those that are in a massive horror fix or Halloween mood.

Evil Dead Rise

Who would’ve thought that 40 years after the original Evil Dead that the series would still have plenty of juice left in it? Evil Dead Rise is able to continue the franchise momentum in pushing itself forward to new territory while still sticking to the roots of what Evil Dead stands for. Here we see mum Ellie getting possessed by the spirits with her sister and children in the fight for their survivals! The characters themselves are engaging, the kills still deliver in fresh and exciting ways, and the creativity that the series is known for is still on display! Even if it’s not quite the very best movie in the franchise, Evil Dead Rise still succeeds greatly at reintroducing Evil Dead to a new generation. Five movies in and it doesn’t seem like Evil Dead is losing momentum anytime soon, making for perhaps the best (or at least most consistent) horror movie franchise out there!

The Last Voyage of the Demeter

Critics weren’t too kind to this one but I found himself being one of this film’s supporters. Taking a footnote in Dracula lore and exploring the hidden depths buried underneath it, The Last Voyage of the Demeter was able to deliver the exact kind of Dracula film that 2014’s Dracula Untold could not. The cast is all great with every member bringing their A game, the period setting is very well done and completely buyable, and the tension is build greatly throughout the entire movie, giving us enough of Dracula without him feeling overused or pushed to the side until the climax arrives. While it may not be quite the best horror film of the year, The Last Voyage of the Demeter might just be the most misunderstood horror film of the year. Go into it with a more open mind and you will find that there is a lot to like here than there is to hate!

No One Will Save You

If you want to talk about a sci-fi horror movie that will kick you ass in the best possible ways, No One Will Save You will do that straight and hardcore. This is a silent film that’s lets it’s tension and atmosphere do the talking while every other element is able to walk between those lines quite well. Carried heavily by a brilliant turn from Kaitlyn Dever and stellar direction from director Brian Duffield, No One Will Save You will get under you skin the right way and does it’s every best to leave a lasting impact on you, proving that alien and horror elements can work out well together when they are both done right. It’s certainly not the most conventional sci-fi horror movie out there and may be a bit too “different” for mainstream audience, but for those that welcome something different and scary, No One Will Save You will give you just that and even more.

Totally Killer

Playing like a more diet version of recent slasher flicks such as Happy Death Day and Freaky, Totally Killer is still able to find an identity of it’s own with new modern twists added, even if it does wear it’s inspirations on it’s sleeves. If you ever imagine a traditional slasher flick with a mix of Back to the Future and Groundhog Day thrown in a blender, this is basically what you get. Added by a breezy 105-minute runtime and a charismatic turn from Kiernan Shipka, this is a film that is able to poke fun at generations old and new along with providing an interesting spin on these typical slasher flicks and time travel films. I can’t deny you will see the influences of prior films for Totally Killer and won’t make a comparison or two to other films I mentioned but I also can’t deny that you will have an absolute blast with it all the same. It’s one of those films that doesn’t just work in spite of it’s inspirations but strictly BECAUSE of it’s inspirations.

Saw X

After the divisive reaction to Spiral, the Saw franchise decided to take things back to basics with a straight forward story with plenty of blood, kills, and gore thrown into the mix. The result is the simplistic but mostly entertaining ten installment with Saw X. Instead of trying to expand the lore and timeline even further, it instead returns to it’s traditional roots by putting the kills and scares first and everything else second. For those that appreciated the likes of Spiral for trying to blaze it’s own path forward with new ideas, they will likely find themselves disappointed with this newest Saw installment playing things rather safe. But for those that like their Saw films simple and straight to the point, Saw X will do you good.

Thanksgiving

Talk about a return to form for Eli Roth! Nothing like getting back in the groove than with a good, old-fashioned slasher dasher that happens to take place at Thanksgiving! This is a horror film that basically gives you everything on the cover and doesn’t try to trick you that it’s trying to be anything else. The jokes works, the kills are effective, the gore is present, and there’s is not a single moment that isn’t entertaining on a certain level. Thanksgiving is proof that not only does Eli Roth still have what it takes to deliver horror entertainment but he might have progressed and matured as a filmmaker, with a better hand of sticking to what he is best at without trying to be what he is not.

Best Horror Movie of 2013 goes too…..

Talk To Me

No horror film this year was able to impact me and hit me harder than Talk To Me. This is a thrilling and frightening tale about a group of friends led by Sophie Wilde’s Mia that uses an embalmed hand as a way to talk to the dead, taking the cast on a wild journey that makes them connect to spirits in ways they would never imagine. It’s able to take it’s genius horror premise and does just about everything you possibly can with it. The story is gripping, the set pieces are incredibly inventive, the scares are absolutely heart-racing, the tension is felt in every second of the runtime, and the visuals metaphors still live rent free in my head to this day. A24 is certainly not the most mainstream friendly studio out there but when they deliver, they deliver HARD! Talk To Me doesn’t just stand as my favorite horror film of the year but I wouldn’t be surprised if I was able to make room for it on my favorite films of the year period. Just superb entertainment all around!