When I reflected upon 2018 it was clear to me that film had declined somewhat over the past couple of years, I certainly had a margin of films that didn't make the top end of my rating list. 2019 felt like a major step up, with over half of the films I've reviewed achieving a 6/10 score or higher. As anyone who reads my reviews knows I tend to go for the feature of the week that errs on the side of what is most popular and I felt this year saw some surprising growth in this type of film. There was a lot of effort made towards releasing something outside of the box; audience expectations were challenged and I think there was a lot of effort put into crafting narratives that were definitely much more original.Films like Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, Knives Out and Booksmart have been some of my favourite films coming out of 2019 as they've played against genre expectation and redefined what we can expect from these types of films. In a lot of ways 2019 laid down the proverbial gauntlet and I think the biggest challenge 2020 has in store is finding a way to match up with original, out of the box films that challenge audiences in all the right ways.
I honestly didn't expect this year to have such a positive trend but I'm really glad it did, going to the cinema felt like a treat again. Some readers out there might have noticed the whole controversy this year when a few film-makers, Scorsese included, decided to denounce popular blockbuster films as 'not being cinema'. I found that interesting and it gave me pause, a moment in which I reflected what cinema means to me. I thought back to some of the recent years and how seeing some films has really felt like a chore, something that is a real trudge to watch through. I compared that to 2019 where the viewing experience was a real rollercoaster, I was thrilled to see such positive pieces of cinema again from all genres and productions. In spite of my own process around rating a film, cinema doesn't end with a 'best out of ten' or five star system. Those are expressions of enjoyment and why we did or did not enjoy such a thing. Cinema is not a higher art form hierarchy, where everything on the top shelf is cinema and everything on the bottom shelf a 'popcorn flick'. Cinema is what thousands of us experience every week, these brilliant visual narratives that can show us the best, worst and wackiest of what our creative minds have to offer. For me personally I'm looking forward to showing you exactly what my cinematic experience was like from the past year...
The Best:
5. Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse- 9/10
Spider-Verse was one of the first films I watch this year and it has managed to hold a place in the top consistently throughout. This year the top five doesn't have a Disney or Dreamworks animated feature leading the charge but instead an animated feature that I really believe has paved the way for big changes in animated films. This film delivers the high intensity, action-packed content we've seen in live-action superhero films to a much greater extent, it's a film that takes itself seriously and delivers a story both kids and adults are going to love. The animation is really fresh, making nods to classic comic book art styles while also playing with style to craft stunning visuals that other studios just aren't even attempting. I'm also a big fan of the soundtrack which is another impressive game-changer, in a film that celebrates popular African-American hero, Miles Morales, it's nice to see African-American artists bringing representation to the sound of the film.
Check Out my Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse review!
4. Green Book - 9/10
Green Book was another top contender that I saw back in January and loved the whole year round. The only biographical drama to make top five and it well and truly earned its place. This film is nothing short of a character piece about a friendship between a white man and a black man in the 60s. I was really impressed with how this film told the nature of this friendship honestly and openly, this was by no means a film that portrayed the civil rights movement through rose-coloured lenses. It had a lot of heart and taught me more about how we should come together as human beings than any other film I watched this year.
Check Out my Green Book review here!
3. Spider-Man: Far From Home - 9/10
What?! Two Spider-Man films in the top five?! Yeah I'm a sucker for the superhero genre, this is no great shock. And honestly? This was the year that really put Spider-Man back on the map as a character for me. It's been exciting seeing Tom Holland as Spider-Man in the MCU but I haven't really been sold on what made his character greater than any other Spider-Man out there. But this film right here? This is it for me. No longer is Spidey defined by his relationship to other MCU characters, instead Peter Parker has to struggle with the fallout of losing his mentor, stopping a new threat abroad and trying to live a semi-normal life. It's the sort of story Spider-Man fans will view as a classic and it is without a doubt one of the most character-defining films I've seen for the wall-crawler. Plus Jake Gyllenhaal as Mysterio was exceptional casting, I personally feel he's one of the best antagonists the MCU has been graced with.
Check Out my Spider-Man: Far From Home review here!
2. Avengers: Endgame - 9.5/10
For over a decade Marvel Studios has been reshaping what audiences have come to expect from the blockbuster genre, while squarely revitalising the dwindling superhero genre. What they achieved with Endgame was the culmination of all those years of work. This film boasts one of the largest and most impressive casts this year, visual effects that were never topped in 2019 and the conclusion to one of the MCU's long-running story arcs. It was globally considered one of the cinematic events of the year and I couldn't agree more. The last bow for a couple of MCU cast members, who do a spectacular job and a bold look forward and just how much these great series of films still has to offer.
Check Out my Avengers: Endgame review here!
1. Knives Out - 9.5/10
I'm not a Rian Johnson guy; I'm not just talking about Star Wars: The Last Jedi here, I was never a big fan of Brick or The Brothers Bloom either. So suffice it to say I was a bit sceptical heading in to see Knives Out. Humble pie was feasted upon, let me tell you. The film takes the 'whodunnit?' feature from a very unique narrative perspective and promptly journeys the audience along a plot that will constantly leave you guessing. Everything about this film was well crafted be that moments of homage, the consistent visual style or the atmospheric score. This film has the best ensemble cast of the year, which considering my second placeholder is saying something. Worth a watch on the big screen at least once.
Check Out my Knives Out review here!
There were some films this year that I would love to continue talking about, certainly some honourable mentions among the bunch that only just missed out on the top five. However, even in a solid year of cinema there are a couple of bad eggs that manage to make up my bottom five films for the year...
The Worst:
5. Stuber - 2.5/10
Action-comedy seems to be on the rise more and more of late, and for all your Deadpools and Jumanjis you get their weirdly bad offspring. Enter Stuber. Stuber as a concept is already pretty bizarre, a half-blind cop drags his Uber driver along while trying to take down a big drug runner all inside of 24 hours. You hear that concept and think of those weird midnight fuel film ideas that are bounced around conceptually but never made. This one managed to slip through and see the light of day which is a shame because it is just as messy a story as the brainstorm leads you to believe. For over half the film one of the main characters is begging to leave the events of the main narrative and I could not blame him, part of me was begging myself to leave that theatre.
Check Out my Stuber review here!
4. The Hustle - 2/10
This comedy film disguising itself as a con film was about the most absurd, boring film I had to sit through this year. Outside of the two female leading performers the film really didn;t know what it was trying to be. At times The Hustle attempted to pay homage to old famous con films while only a scene later it would resume conventions more familiar with a modern comedy. Nothing about the film felt consistent aside from the fact the story never went anywhere good. By the time the film had worked out what it wanted from the plot we were in the last ten minutes and the final twist was such a convoluted steaming pile of nothing that it all came across as a waste of time.
Check Out my The Hustle review here!
3. Greta - 2/10
Every so often a thriller comes along that is so badly written and directed that you just struggle to sit through it. The whole film is built around a very bizarre relationship that I'm never really convinced by, it takes over half of the film for the kidnapping aspect of the piece to come into play. A lot of the cast can probably tote this as one of the worst films that they've been in. In particular, Isabelle Huppert who played the title character gives the most overdramatic, disappointing performance of her career.
Check Out my Greta review here!
2. The Angry Birds Movie 2 - 1.5/10
This year saw a number of really well crafted delightful animated features, but this certainly was not one of them. The first Angry Birds never particularly demanded to be made, missing the hype of the mobile game by half a decade and now this sequel hits us right where it hurts. From the start of this film it is very clear that most of the voice cast is not in the least bit interested in being a part of this production. The film feels like a joke, but I've not got a lot of clue who's supposed to be laughing. You wish the first Angry Birds had never barely scratched that profit margin because no one deserved this.
Check Out my The Angry Birds Movie 2 review here!
1. Cats - 1/10
Some of the best films I've seen have been film musicals that have transcended the bounds of expectations, features like Moulin Rouge or La La Land. Cats also transcended the bounds of my expectations because I never quite imagined that the film was going to be that miserable to watch. A completely bonkers mess of a film that had no sense of direction and some of the worst acting from academy award nominated performers I've seen all year, Cats was nothing short of a nightmare. If one of the cornerstone selling points of your film is special effects at the very least make sure the effects are ready for a movie-going audience.
Check Out my Cats review here!
So concludes another wrap up of the year's best and worst films, as always I'm keen to hear what your own favourite and least favourite films were! Here's to a new decade of exciting cinema ahead! For those curious where your favourite film of 2019 wound up check my list below to see my complete rankings:
- Knives Out – 9.5/10
- Avengers: Endgame – 9.5/10
- Spider-Man: Far From Home – 9/10
- Green Book – 9/10
- Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse – 9/10
- Toy Story 4 – 9/10
- Doctor Sleep – 8.5/10
- Captain Marvel – 8.5/10
- Booksmart – 8.5/10
- Aladdin – 8.5/10
- Frozen 2 – 8.5/10
- Jojo Rabbit – 8.5/10
- How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World – 8.5/10
- Cold Pursuit – 8/10
- Zombieland: Double Tap – 8/10
- Fighting With My Family – 8/10
- The Good Liar – 8/10
- Long Shot – 7.5/10
- Late Night – 7.5/10
- John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum – 7.5/10
- Terminator: Dark Fate – 7.5/10
- Jumanji: The Next Level – 7.5/10
- Pokemon: Detective Pikachu – 7.5/10
- Once Upon A Time In Hollywood – 7/10
- Dumbo – 7/10
- Godzilla: King Of The Monsters – 7/10
- Ad Astra – 6.5/10
- Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker – 6.5/10
- X-Men: Dark Phoenix – 6.5/10
- Ready Or Not – 6.5/10
- It: Chapter 2 – 6/10
- Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs And Shaw – 6/10
- The Mule – 6/10
- The Lion King – 6/10
- Destroyer – 6/10
- The Curse Of The Weeping Woman – 6/10
- Charlie’s Angels – 5.5/10
- Abominable – 5.5/10
- Men In Black: International – 5.5/10
- Shazam! – 4.5/10
- Joker – 4.5/10
- Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil – 4.5/10
- Gemini Man – 4/10
- The Kitchen – 4/10
- Escape Room – 4/10
- Child’s Play – 4/10
- Alita: Battle Angel – 3.5/10
- Angel Has Fallen – 3.5/10
- Glass – 3/10
- Instant Family – 3/10
- Hellboy – 2.5/10
- Stuber – 2.5/10
- The Hustle – 2/10
- Greta – 2/10
- The Angry Birds Movie 2 – 1.5/1
- Cats – 1/10
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