Note: This list consists of my personal favorite films released in 2016.
One of my favorite films of 2015 had to be "Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens." I thought it was a great re-launch for one of the most beloved series of all time, and it even made it onto my list of the best movies of 2015. So the problem with "Rogue One" was that it had a lot to live up; but to the surprise of fans, many are saying it's even better than "The Force Awakens." "Rogue One" is a prequel to the original trilogy, and a sequel to the prequel trilogy (basically, it takes place immediately before "A New Hope"). It's all about a rogue, rebel squadron that mounts an ambitious plan to steal the blueprints for an Imperial weapon, the Death Star. Featuring several memorable original characters, impressive visual effects, huge battle sequences, and a darker/grittier tone, "Rogue One" exceeded my expectations. While it's not my favorite film in the franchise, it's hard for me to deny that it's not one of the best.
Since 2008, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has taken over the film industry. Within just a few years, the MCU became the highest grossing film franchise of all time; but when you watch them it's not hard to see why. The MCU has produced several of the best comic book movies ever released, and in my opinion "Captain America: Civil War" is the best of the bunch. A little while after the events of "Age of Ultron," the Avengers is left in shambles with many of the team's members leaving. But after a recent incident in Africa, the Avengers are under more scrutiny than ever. The world's governments have come together to suggest that the Avengers be controlled by the UN. While some members support this new plan, others aren't so enthusiastic; and their contrasting ideologies end with flying fists. One of the best action movies released in years, "Civil War" was a huge box office success. One of the more compelling stories of in the MCU, years down the line people will look back at "Civil War" as one of the greatest superhero movies of all time.
Since 2010, Disney Animation has been on a role. There filmography has consisted of fantastic movies such as "Tangled," "Wreck-it-Ralph," "Frozen," "Big Hero 6," and most recently "Moana" (which we'll is further down on this list); but many will agree that the best of the bunch has to be "Zootopia." "Zootopia" takes place in a world inhabited by animals, and follows a new police recruit named Judy Hopps. Judy has decided to move to Zootopia, a huge city where all animals live in peace; but once a series of disappearances begin to happen, Judy must team up with a con artist fox to solve the case. What impressed me most about "Zootopia" was how it addressed current social issues. The film tackles issues like racism, sexism, bigotry, and stereotyping in a very adult way; couple that with a funny script, several fantastic characters, gorgeous animation and design, and you have a modern animated classic on your hands.
"Deadpool" is like no other superhero movie ever made, which is exactly what we needed in an era with nonstop comic book movies. "Deadpool" follows the story of Wade Wilson, a former soldier action as gun for hire when he learns that he has cancer; one day he's approached by a mysterious man that asks him if he wants to take part in experimental surgery that left him horribly disfigured, so Wilson seeks out the men responsible. "Deadpool" was an over the top, hyper violent, and insanely funny movie. It was the "anti super hero" movie that we needed. Personally, I love seeing so many comic books get adapted for the silver screen, but with so many they tend to run together. "Deadpool" stands out as something special, a ridiculously good time that is nonstop entertainment start to finish; and I loved it.
I first watched the trailer for this movie a few months back and I was thoroughly unimpressed; it looked like a generic, run of the mill coming of age teen movie. Turns out I couldn't have been further from the truth. "The Edge of Seventeen" is about Nadine, a seventeen year old outcast with one friend and feels like she's always in the shadow of her perfect brother. The story follows her growth, and coming to grips with herself. On paper, a movie about a teenage girl shouldn't be very relatable for me (a 22 year old man), but surprisingly it was. I remember having similar experiences to Nadine and how hard growing up can be. Highlighted by a wickedly funny script and several great performances, "The Edge of Seventeen" may be the biggest surprise of 2016.
Back in 2013, I named "Frozen" as my favorite movie of the year; and they amount of crap I get for doing so is more than you'd expect. "Frozen" has a lot of hate directed it for some reason or another, despite this I still love it; and amazingly, I may actually like "Moana" more. "Moana" is Disney's latest animated princess film, and follows Moana, the daughter of the village chief of a small island in the pacific, as she travels the ocean to find a Demi-God to restore order to the world. Lovable characters, a great soundtrack, gorgeous animation, and an action packed adventure, "Moana" has something for everyone. Watching this movie gave me the same feeling that I had when I watched "Frozen," it brought me back to my childhood watching Disney movies from the 90s. "Moana" is a fantastic movie, and easily my favorite of 2016.
What about Moonlight?
ReplyDeleteIt's a great movie, but It's not my favorite. Not exactly a fun watch.
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