My Best and Worst Films of 2023
So yeah it probably seems a bit weird that I'm posting my best/worst films of 2023 list in 2025, well there's a reason for that.
Since for my 2020 list I had managed to cover both theatrical and streaming releases, I had planed on doing the same from then on. Unfortunately due to a combination of procrastination and me finally managing to get a job after donkey's years of searching, I've fallen a bit behind on streaming. But it was starting to get a bit ridiculous so I've decided to say fuck it and post rough versions of my 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 lists with only the theatrical releases so far, and I'll just add the streaming ones on in italic as I try and catch up over the year.
Hopefully I'll have the lists done by the end of the year. Hopefully.
So anyway in 2023, I saw 70 new theatrical releases (which ones - along with any streaming releases - can be found on my Letterboxd page: (letterboxd.com/firebirdmaximus/list/2023-releases/), sixteen more than the previous year (firebirdmaximus.tumblr.com/post/776951623718207488/the-best-and-worst-films-of-2022).
And once again a note to non-UK viewers, as with previous years, since I’m English and live in England and subsequently watch films at cinemas in England, this list will be going by UK release dates so If you see a film on the list that you swore was from 2022 it was probably not released here until 2023, contrarywise If your surprised that a particular movie from this year is not on the list it might not have been released here til 2024.
If you see a streaming film here on my list and it's not in italics, that means it probably got a limited theatrical release somewhere in my area and that's how I saw it.
Best Films:
* Missing
* Rye Lane
Runner Up Best Films:
* A Haunting in Venice
* Barbie
* Elemental
* Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3
* Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
* Wish
Honorary Mentions:
* Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
* Are You There God? It's Me Margaret
* Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
* Beau is Afraid
* Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
* Godzilla Minus One
* Haunted Mansion
* Joy Ride
* Nimona
* Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
* Raging Grace
* Rebel Moon Part One: A Child of Fire
* Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
* The Blackening
* The Creator
* The Flash
* The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
* The Little Mermaid
* The Whale
* Wonka
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The Meh:
* Anyone But You
* Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
* Fingernails
* Rally Road Racers
* Tar
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Worst Films:
* Retribution
* The Lesson
