2018 was the year that set out by promising a significant number of blockbusters and major films, there were some high demands that many were anticipating. Unfortunately, the year failed to deliver as strongly as 2017 despite some obvious hits along the way. Last year I talked a little about blockbusters being cranked out at an alarming rate resulting in a cost to quality in exchange for quantity. I firmly believe this problem persists but I thought I might talk a bit about my favourite genre, the superhero film. This year brought forth one of the biggest superhero events yet with Avengers: Infinity War and a surprising contender in WB's Aquaman; yet some of the other features were strongly indicative of an industry content with simply making a film to fit the trend as opposed to creating something significant. Marvel's Black Panther struggled with a director clearly not accustomed to working on a large production with plotlines piecemealed from other famous storylines and little to call its own. Sony's Venom tried to break the mould with a darker hero yet didn't quite have the confidence to create a unique entry which set it back hugely. Even Fox's Deadpool 2 was plagued by a serious case of sequel-itis, right down to a significant element of the plot revolving around a child-figure the hero feels responsible for. I guess what I'm trying to point out is that I love watching the superhero genre make itself known but it's sad to see it being treated as a cash cow trend rather than a space to be testing the boundaries and experimenting with new ideas and content.
I found myself watching a lot less this year which meant I made a point of really selecting a feature each week. I found myself shocked by some favourite directors or studios letting themselves down and at other times there were some moments where I left the cinema completely surprised by how great of an experience some of these titles were. Last year the trends within my top 25 seemed rather evident but this year there is a very mixed bag. However, I find it worth noting the number of sequels that have made their way into my upper margin - proving just how much the way in which we view cinema has begun to change now. Sequels are beginning to shape up to be extremely worthy by their own right. Well without further ado allow me to break down exactly where the best and worst wound up...
The Best:
5. Mile 22 - 8.5/10
This is one of the only thrillers to really make it into my top five placing and it is certainly one of the bigger surprises on the list. Peter Berg and Mark Wahlberg have been partnering up for a little while now and making some solid features, this one has to be right up there for me. Watching events play out as the protagonists hoof a target through 22 miles of foreign soil to an exfiltration site is nerve-wracking and tense, completely capturing everything a modern black ops feature could ask for. Every step of the way the danger feels real and any character onscreen could reveal themselves to be a threat. Mark Wahlberg strongly leads the production with a stern demeanour and a character unafraid of going off the reservation. His onscreen co-stars are absolutely brilliant; Lauren Cohan making a strong supporting lead, John Malkovich adding an air of finesse to the feature and even Ronda Rousey doing a great job.
https://ciaranknight.blogspot.com/2018/09/mile-22.html
4. Solo: A Star Wars Story - 9/10
If you keep up with film news you'll know that a lot of people slept on this controversial Star Wars spinoff. Mired with a lack of demand from fans, scepticism after Episode VIII and the exit of the original directors halfway through production this film should have been a mess to watch. However, what was delivered was a fresh take on Star Wars, a narrative that felt like it was setting out to define itself while still paying tribute to all that had come before it. Watching Ehrenreich as a young Han Solo was stellar and seeing him take on the smuggler role and become the iconic character we wanted to see was fairly moving. Solo has all the narrative twists and turns of a heist film, the comedy to boot and the impressive visuals of a sci-fi epic. Plus they had the nerve to bring back Darth Maul, those geniuses...
https://ciaranknight.blogspot.com/2018/05/solo-star-wars-story.html
3. Incredibles 2 - 9/10
I've often had a special place in my heart for animated films, yet not a single animated feature has been on my top 5 since 2014. Yet there's no denying that there was a certain kind of magic watching the Incredibles return to the big screen. For years growing up, the first Incredibles was probably my favourite animated film; it toted a narrative that really hooks you in as a kid but I found there was always something new to appreciate the older I got. This sequel doesn't just recapture the spark, it celebrates the revitalisation of the superhero genre in a way no other film has really done. It was a special treat listening to the old voice cast reprise their roles and come back to be the superfamily we know and love.
https://ciaranknight.blogspot.com/2018/07/incredibles-2.html
2. Aquaman - 9/10
Last year I remember the dull experience that was Justice League, I felt certain that once Aquaman fizzled out too that that would be the end of the DC cinematic universe. So much for that assumption. Aquaman didn't set out to play things safe, nor did it go the gritty and grim tone that has plagued the DCEU. What I loved about Aquaman was that it felt fresh and creative, visually it was nothing short of gorgeous and the narrative was a fun, thrilling ride. The cast for this film all put in a stellar job and I can hope more of the same to come from DC and Warner Brothers. It's about time.
https://ciaranknight.blogspot.com/2019/02/aquaman.html
1. Avengers: Infinity War - 9.5/10
This particular film is a cinematic event that has been ten years in the making, with a number of films crafting characters and events that have all lived up to this moment. If Infinity War hadn't been the best film of last year I would have been devastated. Yet Infinity War proves to be worthy of the hype constantly, pairing up characters you never expected to see together or having an epic revelation play out in exactly the right place. Marvel Studios put so much effort into making sure this would fit the universe they had crafted and be true to the fans' expectations and they really delivered. Plus watching such an epic feature build to the antagonist defeating the heroes? What a stunning move.
https://ciaranknight.blogspot.com/2018/04/avengers-infinity-war.html
Last year really toted some major event films and also some surprise contenders for my top five. However, as I noted earlier, there was a slight increase in lower ranked features and 2018's bottom five is a particular mix of bad eggs. Let's delve right in:
5. Holmes And Watson - 2/10
I get why people like to watch John C. Reilly and Will Ferrell together, but unfortunately, as their careers have progressed Reilly has made some great choices and Ferrell's sense of comedy has not changed with the times. Quite simply put these two together isn't really a sure thing anymore. Watching a spoof comedy in which the characters of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson are vaguely imitated in the hopes of a laugh was painful to watch. It does not matter how impressive your cast may be a spoof film tends to be the lowest form of wit in cinema and this is a perfect example of that. Holmes and Watson is confused, impossible to laugh at and yet another death knell in Ferrell's lacklustre recent career.
https://ciaranknight.blogspot.com/2018/12/holmes-and-watson.html
4. The House With A Clock In Its Walls - 1.5/10
Last year I was overjoyed with just how far family films had come, it almost seemed like we were on the verge of the genre coming back in a big way. Then along came 2018...At first, the idea of a young kid coming to live with a warlock played by Jack Black seemed like a safe Halloween film, it was probably going to be fun and Jack Black had already surprised me in the first Goosebumps film. While Goosebumps might have fluked an alright film, The House With A Clock In Its Walls proved to be as dumb as its title. Owen Vaccaro is a child performer who constantly seems to be out to tear this film down around him and Jack Black is a serious miscast; I'm still getting that scene in which Jack Black's head is CGI'd onto a baby's body scrubbed from my brain. There is just no understanding how Cate Blanchett even wound up attached to this film, every scene with her was a saving grace.
https://ciaranknight.blogspot.com/2018/09/the-house-with-clock-in-its-walls.html
3. The Darkest Minds - 1/10
I said it in the review I'll say it here too: The young adult dystopian film is dead, we're done with them now. This film spends more time trying to explain itself and what's going on than actually trust the audience to experience what they're creating. The narrative has no flavour, it's a bland generic world that does little different from anything that has come before it in the genre. This film seems so trapped in the past that it even gives the old angst-ridden romance sub-plot a go; a significant aspect that is downright painful to watch. The cast is just as boring as the script and I genuinely don't think they screen test the co-stars alongside one another at the casting stage. YA dystopia RIP.
https://ciaranknight.blogspot.com/2018/08/the-darkest-minds.html
2. Fifty Shades Freed - 1/10
At least we won't be getting another one of these awful Fifty Shades films, I honestly am surprised they managed to slog through the whole series. After watching this series get adapted to screen and each year hover around the lower features of the year it makes sense to finally have a Fifty Shades make bottom billing where it belongs. At this point, the story is confusing and takes itself to extremes that feel over the top and poorly written. None of the cast has had much chemistry for a while now but it's clear that most of them are just as excited as the rest of us for these films to be over. I hope they're happier now.
https://ciaranknight.blogspot.com/2018/02/fifty-shades-freed.html
1. The Breaker Upperers - 1/10
In 2017 Gary Of The Pacific was the worst film I watched all year, in 2018 I have to suffer through another nonsense New Zealand comedy. The problem with The Breaker Upperers is quite simply this, the main characters are painfully narcissistic and never learn or grow from their experiences. Maybe that would be fine if they could at least manage to be funny but sitting through this film felt more like a chore than anything else. The entire time I was struggling to work out who this film was actually for because it seemed to change it's intended audience a couple of times. I'm tired of watching my home nation make abysmal cinema, we're so distracted trying to make easy Kiwiana humour that we've lost sight of the fact that there are actually real stories that can be told from our culture and history. I look forward to seeing if New Zealand cinema will ever recognise that.
I have reviewed 59 films over the course of this year and it has been a really varied experience, I'm honestly excited to see if 2019 can step things back up. If you want to see where the big features or your own personal favourites wound up, take a look below and as always if you have your own top five I'd love to hear about it!
- Avengers: Infinity War – 9.5/10
- Aquaman – 9/10
- Incredibles 2 – 9/10
- Solo: A Star Wars Story – 9/10
- Mile 22 – 8.5/10
- A Quiet Place – 8.5/10
- Sicario: Day Of The Soldado – 8.5/10
- Bumblebee – 8.5/10
- Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom – 8.5/10
- Mission Impossible: Fallout – 8/10
- The Shape Of Water – 8/10
- The Equalizer 2 – 8/10
- Smallfoot – 8/10
- Bohemian Rhapsody – 8/10
- Pitch Perfect 3 – 8/10
- Ready Player One – 7.5/10
- Tag – 7.5/10
- Ant-Man And The Wasp – 7.5/10
- Maze Runner: The Death Cure – 7.5/10
- Ralph Breaks The Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2 – 7.5/10
- Hunter Killer – 7.5/10
- King Of Thieves – 7.5/10
- Teen Titans Go! To the Movies – 7.5/10
- The Happytime Murders – 7.5/10
- Deadpool 2 – 7/10
- Johnny English Strikes Again – 7/10
- All The Money In The World – 6.5/10
- The Post – 6.5/10
- Venom – 6.5/10
- Bad Times At The El Royale – 6.5/10
- Mortal Engines – 6.5/10
- Overlord – 6.5/10
- Vice – 6/10
- Molly’s Game – 6/10
- Upgrade – 6/10
- Robin Hood – 5.5/10
- Ocean’s 8 – 5.5/10
- The Nun – 5.5/10
- Red Sparrow – 4.5/10
- I Feel Pretty – 4.5/10
- Pacific Rim: Uprising – 4.5/10
- Black Panther – 4/10
- Tomb Raider – 4/10
- Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald – 4/10
- The Spy Who Dumped Me – 4/10
- Skyscraper – 4/10
- Widows – 4/10
- Game Night – 3.5/10
- Life Of The Party – 3.5/10
- A Wrinkle In Time – 3.5/10
- Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri – 3/10
- Rampage – 3/10
- The Predator – 3/10
- Death Wish – 2.5/10
- Holmes And Watson – 2/10
- The House With A Clock In Its Walls – 1.5/10
- The Darkest Minds – 1/10
- Fifty Shades Freed – 1/10
- The Breaker Upperers – 1/10
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