Just like I did last year when I went over my top 15 favorite films that came out in 2010, I decided to carry that along to this year and share what my top 15 favorite films from that came out in 2011 were. And as I said last year, time sure flies by and it’s BAFFLING to me that it’s already been 15 years since 2011 occurred. It was a year that brought me nothing but good vibes throughout and it simply makes me nostalgic for a more earnest and innocent time throughout our daily lives, particularly when there was a much proper balance between social, television, AND internet.
However, I don’t think 2011 was as strong of a year for film as was 2010. As a matter of fact, I would probably say that among the years for films throughout the 2010s, this might just be the weakest year for film of the decade in my humble opinion. Not to say it was bad overall (Even the weakest years for films ALWAYS has plenty of winners that are worth seeing!), but there’s not a ton of films this year that I believe stands out among the rest of the 2010s. Although 2011 was among the best years of the decade when it came to video games, 2011 wasn’t quite up to par when it came to feature films.
I still do have 15 films that I want to share as being my absolute favorites of 2011 but I only have about five honorable mentions I want to share. Although I did originally have five others films for honorable mentions, those were mostly films that I really liked or throughout were just fun rather than films that were truly great in my eyes if that makes sense.
Honorable Mentions:
- 50/50
- Arthur Christmas
- Attack of the Block
- Bridesmaids
- Rango
Also, FYI, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is NOT on this list because…..I didn’t care for it too much. Sorry, not sorry!
Now, onto to the main top 15!
15.) Fast Five
Yep, I just had to save a spot for the very best Fast & Furious movie to date! Every action scene, from the car chases to the hand-to-hand combat to the heist missions, is very well done, the stunt work from every member of the team is so good that they all deserved an Oscar, the supporting cast is at their absolute best and most well utilized here, the family drama and tension has never been more personal, and introduces the most charismatic actor of the series that acted as the perfect “shot in the arm” with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. This was the one where it felt like the whole thing came full circle, paying off four movies of ill-conceived plots and delivering a spectacular climax in the heist mission that is easily the most stand out sequence in the entire franchise. It’s gloriously excessive, dumb, and over-the-top but it still feels Fast & Furious! Fast Five is the best that this franchise has gotten and is just as good as these kind of films can possibly get in general.
14.) Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Despite a lackluster marketing campaign and being released during the height of reboots/remakes era in Hollywood, Rise of the Planet of the Apes ended up being one of the more welcome surprises in recent film history. Andy Serkis gives an outstanding motion capture performance as Caesar, by far the most engaging protagonist in this series and seeing how his story begins is equal parts thrilling and emotional. Sure, the human characters are about as thin as they come but that’s okay because there’s more than enough time with the apes to make up for that. If the majority of reboots and remakes were anywhere on the level of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, we would have virtually nothing to complain about.
If you want a perfect example on how to do a good old fashion “dramedy”, look no further than The Descendants. George Clooney is able to take an impressively mournful turn here, playing a man who is forced to deal with the frustration of a loved one’s passing. With a tight script, great cinematography, and terrific performances to boot, this is definitely worth watching if you are in the mood for a “dramedy”! Just make sure you bring yourself a handkerchief if you chose to do so.
There is nothing that excites me more than an awesome and uniquely original sci-fi film. Smart, thought-provoking, and with a refreshing premise, Source Code does everything it possible can with what it has to work with, with strong acting, an engaging narrative, and interesting characters to help hold the entire picture without having you think too much about any nagging plot holes or loose ends. Duncan Jones was able to shine quite brightly with First Moon and with Source Code, he was able to make lightning strike twice.
11.) Warrior
I would be lying if I said Warrior wasn’t the most sports heavy movie I’ve ever seen that hits the exact same beats that you would expect for these kinds of movies. However, that still doesn’t hold it back from being a gloriously entertaining and tense experience regardless. Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton, and Nick Nolte are all great here, the direction from O’Connor is on part every step of the way, and it’s a film that’s able to find satisfying payoffs to everything it builds up too, making for an emotionally rewarding experience by the time the credits roll. Yes, you have seen this story before but that still doesn’t hold back Warrior as being a damn fine way of telling it.
While director Nicolas Winding Refn can be extremely hit or miss for me, he was able to fit quite well for me here with Drive. This is a hypnotic, character-driven crime thriller about a skilled Hollywood stuntman who moonlights as a gateway driver for criminals. That description right there pretty much tells you that this is one crazy, chaotic ride but in the best way possible. All the performances are great in it (particularly from Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, and Albert Brooks), the score from Cliff Martinez is haunting, the script is well-though out and multilayered, and the cinematography is absolutely breathtaking. Even if you aren’t the biggest fan of Mr. Winding Refn, Drive is still a film I would highly recommend.
9.) The Adventures of Tintin
You wanna talk about the best Indiana Jones movie that is somehow NOT an Indiana Jones movie, look no further than The Adventures of Tintin. It’s got some of the main people that were involved in the Indiana Jones franchise from Spielberg to Kennedy to Williams, there’s an adventure that leads to the main character needing to look for a McGuffin before it falls into the enemy hands, there’s plenty of action set pieces that the main character will have to go throughout their journey, and it even has an unlikely sidekick or two that sounds like the most oddest yet awesome pairing ever. However, the one element that Adventures of Tintin captures just as well with the original Indiana Jones trilogy and arguably does it better than either Indiana Jones movie that has come out in the 21st century thus far, capturing that exact feeling of adventure, excitement, and discovery. The Adventures of Tintin is one of the most overlooked animated movies in recent memory, one of Spielberg’s best films in the 21st century, and is just a terrifically enjoyable ride all around.
8.) X-Men: First Class
After The Last Stand and Origins: Wolverine came out, the X-Men franchise felt about as good as dead. Thankfully, Matthew Vaughn was able to bring the series back to new heights with the excellent (No pun intended!) prequel known as X-Men: First Class. This really felt like a proper origin story about the very first members of the X-Men becoming a team along with the start of the biggest love-hate relationship ever with Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr. The cast are all excellent and have perfect chemistry with one another (James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender might just even better than their older counterparts!), the action is fun and inventive, the soundtrack is great, and it’s able to fit all the requirements needed for a prequel film without the baggage that tends to weight these kinds of films down. The film’s villains could have been fleshed out more (Even if Kevin Bacon is clearly having a blast in the role!) and yes what they do with Darwin absolutely SUCKS but as a whole, X-Men: First Class is the real deal and one of the best installments in this franchise.
7.) Captain America: The First Avenger
Might be a hot take but Captain America: The First Avenger was my personal favorite of the build-up movies leading up to The Avengers. It had such a warm and nostalgic feel to it that I can’t help but be in the mood to watch it whenever it’s on TV. Even before it became cool to like Captain America, The First Avenger made me respect and admire the character of Steve Rogers in ways I never imagined. He’s a good guy just trying to do good things and do what he believes it’s right for himself and others. Chris Evans is terrific as Steve Rogers along with co-stars Sebastian Stan, Hugo Weaving, and the absolutely beautiful Hayley Atwell. Even the montage scene that is everyone’s biggest complaint didn’t bother me, even if I wouldn’t have mind an extra 15 to 20 minutes. With it’s warm tone and sense of wonder and optimism threw out, this is one of my personal favorite movies not just in 2011 but also in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe! Also, you are a robot if you don’t tear up at or near the end.
6.) Mission Impossible- Ghost Protocol
Here is where the franchise would be taken things to the very next level. Brad Bird is able to make a stellar first impression in his live-action debut by delivering a Mission: Impossible installment that at the time in 2011 was the biggest and the best the M:I franchise has ever gotten in terms of action, scope, and delivering the most impossible mission imaginable. This is also where you would certainly feel the fantastic chemistry that Cruise would have with his cast members such as Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Jeremy Renner, and Paula Patton (who I’m still awaiting her return to the franchise). The main highlights of this installment include the gripping as hell opening sequence in the prison, the “girl boss” fight between Paula Patton and Lea Seydoux, and of course, the intense, breathtaking set piece in Burj Khalifa where Tom Cruise climbs the tallest mountain in the world. The main downside is that this has easily the weakest villain in the franchise, containing conflicts and motives that I constantly keep forgetting about every single time that I watched it. Nevertheless, Ghost Protocol is still excellent and did it’s job at keeping the series fresh four movies in. Brad Bird should certainly consider returning to directing live-action (even if Tomorrowland didn’t work out).
5.) The Muppets
It’s the freaking Muppets! What else needs to be said?!?!
4.) Harry Potter and the Deadly Hallows Part 2
There have been plenty of big grand endings to long-running franchises that has come before AND after this film released in July 2011. Some of hit hard, while others hit too far. Harry Potter and the Deadly Hallows Part 2 was able to hit the exact target without any prior baggage dragging it down. This finale of a long-running film franchise based of a beloved book series was able to save the very best from last, with the direction, acting, cinematography, and score taking to a whole new level and finding some way to bring all eight films to a very fitting and conclusive circle. Yes, author J.K. Rowling is still……J.K. Rowling but if you are to take that knowledge through a rearview mirror, Harry Potter and the Deadly Hallows Part 2 remains one of the most grand and satisfying conclusions in recent cinema history. It’s never easy nailing the final chapter but thankfully, this was able to do just than and then some.
3.) Moneyball
If you have been following me on here since the beginning, you would know that I absolute LOVE baseball and movies. And very few things are as satisfying to me when BOTH of the things I love are brought together. Moneyball is a great inside look to the “analytical” side of not just baseball but all of sports, showing the early days of when the analytics would be the main driving force of decision making from management and showing proof that you don’t need the biggest payroll in the role in order to win. Brad Pitt is perfect as Billy Beane, easily one of his best performances to date, Jonah Hill and Phillip Seymore Hoffman (RIP!) are equally great in supporting roles, the script is tight, witty, and feels appropriately baseball, and the actual baseball scenes, while few and far between, are equally as well-done as the rest of the picture. Maybe it could be my bias with the love of the sports but if you ask me, Moneyball is an absolutely perfect sports and baseball movie that I will continue to rewatch time and time again.
Kung Fu Panda 2 is one of the rare sequels that not only is as good as the original Kung Fu Panda, it’s even better. It does EVERYTHING you want a sequel to do. Instead of doing the same old same old, it actually does something new and different. It takes the characters into exciting and new directions, it expands upon it’s story and lore in the most logically way possible, the action and animation are taken to the next level, the villain of Lord Shen is given more focus and is used perfectly, and it’s able to act as the best possible next step for the journey of Po as oppose to do just retreating steps from his first go around. Also, the scene where Po discovers inner peace is the series true definite moment up to this point, as well as just being one of the most beautifully done sequences in animation film history! (You are a robot if you did not cry during that scene!) Kung Fu Panda 2 is not only the best Kung Fu Panda movie thus far but it’s possibly one of the best animated film sequels ever made period. It’s so good that there’s a good argument to be made that this is where the series officially peaked.
1.) The Tree of Life
Here’s the truth: I have only ever watch this film ONE time and I don’t ever plan on rewatching again anytime soon. However, it’s that one watch of The Tree of Life that made for one of most magical viewing experiences I have ever had watching a film, so much so that I don’t ever want to watch it again because I don’t want my one experience being taking away from me. Terrence Malick delivers a complex, thought-provoking, and incredibly beautiful piece of filmmaking, not only perfectly portraying the perfect traditional family values lifestyle but also one of the most honest to god interpretations of life as a child and losing your innocence. With perfect direction, perfect cinematography, perfect visuals, perfect acting, perfect editing, and perfect imagery, The Tree of Life is a one of a kind cinematic experience that I will think about for the rest of my life. I don’t know if I ever will watch it again but man, sometimes one time is just enough.
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