It’s that time of the year (not really, it’s halfway through January), where review sites like mine put together their lists of the best and worst films of 2018 so naturally I’m doing the same because I’m a slave to trends and people love lists.
Only rules to my lists are:
-I’m only including films i actually saw so you won’t see Hereditary or many Oscar winners On my list
-It will only include films from 2018 even though I did watch a fair few from 2017. Unfortunately this excludes Paddington 2 as it came out in the UK late 2017 but hopefully will give you a push to see some films you may have missed from 2018.
-The scores on the reviews may not reflect if they get on the list or not, as time can change your opinion of films. I’m really going for the films that left a lasting impression rather than ones I liked when I saw them but have largely forgotten about.
-This is my list, you are welcome to disagree but keep in mind this is all opinion only.
With that, let’s get on with it. There are going to be a good few Super-hero movies, I’m sorry
Guilty Pleasure of the Year
Pitch Perfect 3
budsoutof10reviews.wordpress.com/2018/01/20/film-1-p-itch-perfect-3/
I know it’s bad, I know it’s stupid, I’m so sorry but it’s so bloody charming and has genuine laugh-out loud moments. The dialogue is fantastic with actresses you really enjoy watching and it has some awesome musical moments. The Pitch perfect movies are stupid but enjoyably stupid and the third is no different.
Honourable mentions
A Simple Favor
https://budsoutof10reviews.wordpress.com/2018/10/27/film-37-a-simple-favor/
A film that really surprised me in how much I enjoyed it. It’s a proper noir for the modern era in the same vein as Gone Girl or Girl on the Train, but with sensational casting in our 2 female leads. It’s dark as hell and will definitely leave a lasting impression.
Bleach
https://budsoutof10reviews.wordpress.com/2018/10/27/film-38-bleach-2018/
I was searching for a good anime adaptation all year and in October I finally found it! A film that fixes a lot of problems from the manga and anime, but keeps the best parts of both; in its comedy, swordplay and actually really likeable actors. It didn’t have much to live up to but smashed anything that could have been expected of it.
10 – Blockers
https://budsoutof10reviews.wordpress.com/2018/04/23/film-16-blockers/
The more I think this film the more I realise how much it has stuck with me for being such a breath of fresh air in the realm of teen sex comedies. A fantastically talented cast, from the incredibly funny parents Leslie Mann, Ike Barinholtz and the rising phoenix that is John Cena, to the relatable and smart teenager girls. It’s absolutely hilarious but also has so much heart to it, it’s a beautiful thing to see a gender-swap of the American Pie formula but handled so maturely.
9. Bumblebee
https://budsoutof10reviews.wordpress.com/2018/12/23/film-47-bumblebee/
John Cena is on a roll with this list! A film I had no interest in, to one of my favourite films of the year, Bumblebee just did everything right with the task it was given. It took nearly everything wrong with the Michael Bay Transformers films and either increased, decreased or got rid of it completely! A Transformers movie, with real, believable and likeable characters but with enough action to satisfy any explosion hungry film-goer; all Transformers movies should have been this from the beginning.
8. Black Panther
https://budsoutof10reviews.wordpress.com/2018/03/05/film-8-black-panther/
This record-breaking, game-changing, Oscar-pushing movie is not just another addition to the MCU, this was something so new and so great to see. Putting aside this is the first Super-Hero movie to have an almost completely black cast, this was one of Marvel’s best solo stories; an almost Shakespearean tale of usurpation and redemption. A fantastic cast and one of the best villains in the MCU, Black Panther made the politics of the Wakandan royal family so much fun.
7. Teen Titans Go to the Movies
https://budsoutof10reviews.wordpress.com/2018/08/18/film-32-teen-titans-go-to-the-movies/
Fight me.
If I come out of the cinema with a massive smile of my face as big this film made me come out with, it’s making the best list. This film had no right to be as good as it is based on how childish the TV show is but here we are with one of the most self-aware, funny and all round enjoyable animated movies of the year. It minimises everything wrong with the show and pushes everything right with it to the max, to create something very special. A voice acting masterclass from our leads and some great cameos throughout, it’s definitely one for anyone who’s sick of normal superhero movies.
6. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
https://budsoutof10reviews.wordpress.com/2018/12/23/film-46-the-ballad-of-buster-scruggs/
The Coens bring their special kind of macabre humour to the old west in this anthology film that keeps on surprising you. It’s 6 individual stories each bringing something unique and enjoyable to the genre and it’s packed with big name actors doing incredible work for a very short amount of time. It’s a film that shocks you within the first 10 minutes then keeps you guessing throughout.
5. Incredibles 2
https://budsoutof10reviews.wordpress.com/2018/07/18/film-28-incredibles-2/
It took 14 years but we finally got the sequel we’d been begging Pixar for and it was as good if not better than we expected. It plays on the family dynamic so well, with Mr Incredible staying home to watch the kids while Mom is away being a Superhero and this allows for some of the funniest and some of the most heart-warming scenes in Pixar history. Still the best Baby vs Racoon fight in cinema history.
4. Avenger – Infinity War
https://budsoutof10reviews.wordpress.com/2018/05/01/film-17-avengers-infinity-war/
10 years of build up and here we are. Infinity War delivered what years ago would have been thought to be impossible; combining so many characters from the Marvel universe into one film and still keeping it coherent and enjoyable. Marvel Studios and The Russo brothers accomplished this and left us with a film that the world is still talking about over half a year later with it’s huge story, complex villain and dramatic cliffhanger ending. 10 years of ground work perfectly set up one of the best films of the year and now the world can’t wait for Endgame. Take notes DCEU.
3. Coco
https://budsoutof10reviews.wordpress.com/2018/01/31/film-4-coco/
Before anyone says anything, this was released in the UK in 2018 so it counts.
Pixar’s second addition to this list and a film that got a reaction out of me that no film had done since I was a child. Coco is a beautiful coming of age story about always moving towards your goals in life but not forgetting where you came from. It boasts gorgeous animation in it’s characters and stunning backdrops, great performances from it’s latino cast and one of the most mature and high-concept stories Disney has ever done. Coco leaves you with a great joy but also great sadness; you just need to hug someone after and that’s exactly what a great film should do.
2. Isle of Dogs
https://budsoutof10reviews.wordpress.com/2018/04/14/film-14-isle-of-dogs/
Coco and this have been exchanging places in my head all year but as of today Wes Anderson’s stop motion wonder takes the silver medal. I think I only love this movie as much as I do as I recently converted to being a dog-lover but maybe that’s the idea of the film, I only recently noticed that saying Isle of Dogs quickly sounds like ‘I love Dogs’ and that’s the message this film is trying to get across about how we treat our canine friends. It’s a gorgeous film in how ugly everything is and just captures you from the word go, every creative choice has reason and can be interpreted in multiple different ways and this is all from a film that was marketed to children. It’s an experience and one everyone should take.
1. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
https://budsoutof10reviews.wordpress.com/2018/12/24/film-48-spider-man-into-the-spider-verse/
Slipping in right at the end of the year and stealing the crown from Isle of Dogs is Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. This is the best Spider-man film of all time in my opinion, for how it deals with exploring the character of Spider-Man through multiple different eyes, for having one of the best ensemble casts in an animated movie and for having some of the best animation in any film period. This film is so good I saw it twice because I couldn’t stop think about how it works on so many levels; as a super-hero movie, a coming of age story, a redemption story, a story about dealing with change and loss. It has something for everyone and I cannot urge you enough to go check it out on the big screen while you can.
Buds out of 10 reviews 