Best and Worst Movies of 2018
Looking back on my reviews, I saw a lot of good movies, some pretty bad ones (that you can now avoid) and really everything in between. Overall 2018 was a pretty good year for movies, but a couple of general observations. A lot of the good movies (and hence the ones on my list) tended to be the big tent-pole superhero movies, although there were a few really good smaller movies. If you are not into superhero movies, this wasn’t the best year for you. There weren’t a lot of good true dramas. There also were surprisingly few comedies, I really only saw a couple pure comedies. Hopefully we can get more next year because I love a good comedy. Clearly these lists don’t include every movie I watched this year, so if you are curious about a specific movie, search it on the website and see what I say! I won’t be giving full reviews here because that’s what my original reviews are for (which you can read by clicking on the title), so I will share some basic thoughts on each one. So without further ado, here are my best and worst movies of the year. Enjoy!
Top 5
1) Searching
Searching was just overall an excellent movie. It is also one of the few really good true dramas that came out this year. The movie follows a desperate father as he uses the internet and social media to try and solve the mystery of his missing daughter. It is a gripping and emotional movie, and a must watch that I think everyone would enjoy.
2) Incredibles 2
An animated movie for families, so it might not be for everyone, but this was a really good movie. It is a sequel to The Incredibles, which is another great movie, but you don’t have to have seen the first to enjoy this one. A must watch for anyone who grew up with the original, families with young kids and anyone who likes Pixar movies.
3) Instant Family
I liked this movie so much that I wanted to watch it again right after leaving the theater. The movie is about a couple who fosters three siblings and the ups and downs during the process. It had my crying laughing, crying crying and wanting to foster children. It is a PG-13 movie so it’s not geared for young kids, but it’s a movie that I think everyone would enjoy.
4) Avengers: Infinity War
This might be kind of a cop-out because it is the third Avengers movie and the 19th in the overall Marvel Universe, so it isn’t a movie that really anyone can jump in and watch. But if you have seen some or most of the Marvel movies, or enjoy superhero movies, this is a great one!
5) Deadpool 2
Well this is definitely not for everyone, but this is a hilarious movie. Also a sequel, but that doesn’t really matter. It is a raunchy, satirical movie about an anti-hero. If you don’t mind crude humor, this is a really funny movie.
Just Missed the Cut
- Mission Impossible Fallout – A great action movie.
- A Star Is Born – An all around really good drama. Have tissues nearby.
- Adrift – A good, emotional drama based on an amazing true story of survival.
- Game Night – The best pure comedy that I saw all year. Very underrated.
- Molly’s Game – Really good and interesting drama based on a true story.
- Creed II – Not as good as the first, but a good movie that fans of Rocky will like.
- Black Panther – A solid superhero movie.
- A Quiet Place – A good thriller and one of the most unique movies I’ve ever seen. Try to watch with surround sound.
- Ready Player One – A nostalgic movie about video gamers. It’s just fun.
- Annihilation – I don’t know if I loved or hated this movie. I’m still confused. But it is worth a shout out.
Bottom 5
1) Vice
Maybe recency bias is taking over, but I hated this movie. So the takeaway is if you’re going to make a really bad movie, release it in the beginning of the year so everyone forgets about it by the end. It had potential, it was made by the same people who made The Big Short, and had semi-interesting material. They just dropped the ball with this one. Go do all the stuff that you hate to do and have been putting off before you watch this.
2) You Were Never Really Here
I guess I watched a different movie than everyone else. The critics loved this movie and it has some pretty good reviews from people also. It was about a veteran who I guess rescues kidnapped girls? I don’t know honestly. I found it horribly boring and incomprehensible. I’d say avoid at all costs.
3) Upgrade
Another small movie that critics liked and I hated. It was about a disgruntled blue-collar worker in a futuristic society who gets a computer chip implanted into his brain and hunts down his girlfriend’s killers. There were actually some decent action scenes and some ironic humor, but the plot of this movie was just awful. It was boring and formulaic, skip.
4) Venom
This was single-handedly the most disappointing movie of the year for me. I love Tom Hardy and was super excited for it, but it was just a ridiculous mess. It is about a popular anti-hero in the Spider-Man universe, but it gets stuck between funny and dark and it doesn’t work. It will probably get a sequel though, and I’m not sure why, but I have hope for it.
5) A Wrinkle In Time
Can’t believe a Disney movie made a list of worst movies for me, but this was not good. It is based on the popular classic children’s book, which I also never liked. I just don’t get who this is intended for, it’s too complex for young kids and too young for teenagers. Die hard fans of the book might enjoy it, but I didn’t.
Movies I Missed That I Want To See (in alphabetical order)
A Prayer Before Dawn; Bird Box; Blackkklansman; Bohemian Rhapsody; Boy Erased; Can You Ever Forgive Me; Eighth Grade; The Favourite; First Reformed; Green Book; The Hate U Give; Love, Simon; The Mule; Roma; Shoplifters; Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse; Sorry to Bother You; Tully
