Hey everyone!
I started a Facebook tradition of posting my top 10 films at the end of the year to showcase the movies I thought were interesting, fun and sometimes emotionally visceral. I also add mini-reviews for the movies that didn’t quite make the cut. I’m changing it up a bit so that you guys here on geekmindfusion.com get to read the reviews before Facebook does. The cool thing is that there will be film reviews included that I didn’t post here (because they weren’t geek related) and my thoughts may have changed over time. So this is the most up-to-date when it comes to where this year’s movies stand in my mind. So here’s the list of the movies I saw this year that didn’t make the top ten. Let’s begin (in no particular order)!
Lego Batman:
I’m sure many are surprised that this isn’t higher on my list. As much as I liked it, I honestly don’t remember that much about it, neither do I feel the need to re-watch it. I did like the humor and the bright animation style, it was a homage to all things batman. Good movie, but for me, kinda forgettable.
King Kong:
Skull Island: This is a fun movie, and is entertaining enough, but there isn’t that much to talk about. The only thing I remember from this film is the over-the-top action sequences especially when the katana is pulled out. I was laughing out loud for better or for worse. Slocky as all else, but not a bad movie either.
Beauty and the Beast:
This is another good movie that had great music and a timeless story. I did like the attempt to fill in a lot of plot holes from the animated classic, however I think the animated version is still better with a far less uncanny aesthetic for the animated characters. Still worth watching if you’re a fan of the original. Also the new song “Evermore” is totally the best addition to the film.
Power Rangers:
This is a movie I thought was going to be terrible. But it was better than expected granted probably not for the right reasons. It was Breakfast Club meets Power Rangers and the Breakfast Club part of the movie was far more interesting than the slocky third act when it went full power rangers.
Pirates of the Caribbean:
Dead men tell no tales; Aside from the first movie, which is a true classic, the rest of the series has been bogged down by convoluted plots, confusing character motivations and a “biggerer is betterer” mentality. This was one of the better films from the series but still doesn’t come close to the original.
Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2:
This is a movie that I have no real reason on disliking, but this film was the first time I truly started to feel “superhero fatigue.” It did a lot of things right, every character is given an arc and the jokes were funny. But the plot was fairly predictable, the ending was way too long and the movie refused to take itself seriously when it needed to. I understand a lot of people loved the movie and that’s fine, but I came out feeling “meh.”
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets:
The trailer looked great, it was based off a classic sci-fi comic and had a lot of promise. Then you get a movie that feels like a video game with a bunch of side quests. The lead character was very much miscast and the pacing was awful. There were a few clever sequences but it couldn’t make up from the rest of the mess.
War of the Planet of the Apes:
This was a movie that was good but I don’t have much to say about it. Don’t go into this movie thinking it’s going to be the awesome third act of the last movie, it was more The Great Escape than a war movie that you’d expect. Still a good movie and a good ending to the prequel trilogy of the Planet of the Apes series.
Dark Tower:
I heard a lot about the books and I was surprised that not only did they get it into one movie, but an 90 minute movie at that. You can tell that they cut a lot out though. It got me interested in the world though and may persuade some people to check out the books. Other than that, it was an okay movie with some cool action.
Thor Ragnorok:
The same feelings I had about GOTG Vol 2, reappeared again after I saw Thor Ragnorok. Not a bad movie technically, definitely made me laugh, but there was something missing. I’m still trying to piece together things in my mind as why I’ve felt the superhero fatigue over these movies when everyone else seems to love them. It may be a future article if I can actually get to it.
Murder on the Orient Express:
I have a soft spot for mystery thrillers and this was a pretty good one I must say. The cast was will acted, the pacing of the story was tight and I was second guessing myself throughout. A good movie to say the least, but not much else to say about it.
The Red Turtle:
This film isn’t for everybody as there is no dialogue and takes place of a man’s life on a island. It’s beautifully animated, and there isn’t that much else to say about it. Definitely worth a look for animation fans in general but if you want something to watch with the kids, they’ll probably be bored.
The Disaster Artist:
I had a lot of fun watching this movie. Tommy Wiseau is one of the most perplexing people alive. This gives a bit of a glimpse into the making of The Room. James Franco does a really good impersonation of Wiseau and there’s plenty of laughs. However I don’t have much to say about it, it was a fine movie but “oscar-worthy” is a bit of a stretch.
Movies 10-6 will be posted on Friday.