My opinions only, of course! :)
Logan - This movie is magnificent from the opening to the end credits, and if you haven’t seen it, go out and rectify that RIGHT NOW. Hugh Jackman brings an utterly heartbreaking vulnerability to an aging Wolverine. Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier and newcomer Dafne Keen as X-23 keep pace easily with Jackman’s fantastic performance. The story is amazing, the acting is phenomenal, the special effects and fight choreography are stunning. Seriously, just sit down and watch it already, even you are not a fan of the X-Men franchise. You won’t regret it.
Thor: Ragnarok - A delightful romp that, although it doesn’t hold up particularly well on its own, lightens up the Marvel Cinematic Universe almost as easily as a Guardians film. And despite its overall silly tone, it does a good job wrapping up the Asgardian story line and delivers some actual consequences that will reverberate in later films.
Wind River - Stunning cinematography and superb writing elevate this fairly by-the-book murder mystery above its brethren. Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olson (as well as the supporting cast) are fantastic, and their performances alone make it worth watching.
Get Out - As much biting social commentary as it is thrilling horror movie, this was by far the biggest surprise of 2017 for me. Everything about Get Out was meticulously crafted, and it deserves every bit of praise it got. I can’t wait to see what else Jordan Peele has up his sleeve.
Tie: Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and Spider-Man:Homecoming - Both manage to balance the humor and the gravity of their plots fairly well, giving us plenty of funny interspersed with character growth. I have to give a slight edge to Spider-Man because of Tom Holland’s adorkable performance as Peter Parker, but I enjoyed them both a lot.
Most Disappointing of 2017:
Ghost in the Shell - Damn, I wanted to love this, but even Scarlett Johansson wasn’t enough to make this live action adaptation of the beloved anime work. (In fact a lot of people seemed to think she was part of the problem. I disagree). It’s gorgeous, and it’s well acted, but at the end of the day it just felt flat and forgettable.
Alien: Covenant - Not sure what I expected, considering the let down that was 2012’s Prometheus. A far cry from the quality of the original Alien and Aliens, it has all the shine but none of the substance that would be a good modern addition to the franchise. It goes in a direction that makes little sense, and made less of an impression on me than even the much derided Alien:Resurrection.
The Dark Tower - Ugh. It took me months to read Stephen King’s epic fantasy/horror series in its entirety, and all my hopes and dreams for a good adaptation of the source material were dashed very quickly during The Dark Tower. Not only was it a bad adaptation, it was a bad movie in general. I only hope that someday down the road someone can do the saga justice, even if it’s as a TV show or miniseries, because at this point anything would be better than this movie.
Kong: Skull Island - Another one I had high hopes for, another one that let me down. Tom Hiddleston and Brie Larson were given nothing interesting to do in a movie with a bloated run-time and little plot, which is a shame because they are both fantastic actors. Utterly forgettable.
Beauty & the Beast - Why, Disney? Why do you have to keep making these mediocre live action adaptations of your already excellent animated films? I don’t know exactly what I expected with this one, other than more of what made the original good. Instead we got a charmless scene for scene rehash, with lukewarm chemistry and tepid song and dance numbers that don’t hold a candle to that of the original.
The Lego: Batman Movie - Having enjoyed 2014’s The Lego Movie on a very basic level, I wasn’t expecting to like this as much as I did. Genuinely funny and heartwarming, it was a better Batman movie than Batman V. Superman and a better DCU movie than Justice League.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi - Hear me out on this one. Going into The Force Awakens in 2015, I had seen only A New Hope and The Phantom Menace in their entirety, so I had no idea what to expect of this new iteration. As it turned out, I was largely indifferent to The Force Awakens. Color me shocked when I walked out of The Last Jedi very excited for Episode IX. Was The Last Jedi flawed? Absolutely - and yet, due to a few very crucial elements (mainly any part involving Rey or Kylo Ren), I wouldn’t call it unsalvageable. In fact, it’s one of the few movies I’d ever consider going to see in the theaters twice, just so I can have more of the good stuff.
IT - I may have spent half the movie covering my eyes, but as far as horror movies go, that’s high praise coming from me. While IT has a few issues, overall I found this modern adaptation of Stephen King’s classic novel to be thrilling, terrifying, and terribly beautiful.
Power Rangers - Having grown up with a cousin who spent a good chunk of time obsessed with the original Mighty Morphin version, I watched this mostly for nostalgia. While it takes itself way too seriously for the most part, Elizabeth Banks’ campy turn as Rita Repulsa elevates the quality whenever she’s hamming it up onscreen. Overall I enjoyed it, which was not something I expected for a movie rebooting a very bad 90s kids’ show.
Colossal - Based on the trailer, you’d think Colossal was a comedy - and you’d be completely wrong. Hiding a slightly disturbing redemption story behind a funny facade, this one came out of left field, but managed to leave a good impression.
Movies of 2017 that I wish I had seen:
Lady Bird - From all accounts, it’s brilliant, and I’m just upset that no theater within a reasonable driving distance is playing it. Saoirse Ronan is an amazing young actress and I’ve always enjoyed anything I’ve seen her in.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri - See above, ha. As we both consider In Bruges to be one of the best movies ever made, my husband and I are eager to see it.
Baby Driver - For some reason my husband and I completely missed this in the theaters and we’re now regretting it, considering the amount of praise it has gotten. Edgar Wright’s movies are always fantastically shot, and I’m sure this is no different.
