Ranking Movies of 2018

The good thing about this list is that I apparently only saw just a handful of movies that came to the big screen (or Netflix stream) in 2018, so the only challenge came in putting these movies in the correct order instead of sorting through a plethora of garbage.

We all know how ranking lists work and what kind of criteria is required for this list. Let's roll!

12. Solo: A Star Wars Story

Unfortunately the most boring of the movies I saw this year and one of the blandest Star Wars movies ever. Cinematography was dark (hard to see) half the time. References here were subtler than Rogue One, but still they shoved in way too much "what do people know about Han Solo" into here. Alden Ehrenreich did good in the role and his relationship with Chewie and Woody Harrelson's character were the best parts. Otherwise most characters were bland, the droid character was annoyingly on par with Jar Jar, and Paul Bettany was wasted.

11. Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle

Best thing this movie has going for it is the CGI animation. The animals look incredibly realistic while maintaining an animation style in the face and eyes that lets you know they're not actually live animals. Things really slowed down and dragged once Mowgli joined the man village though. The cast all seems talented...but the movie was never really thrilling or engaging. It's hard to tell what audience this movie is for. 

10. Paul: Apostle of Christ

I applauded this movie for being just above average when I first saw it, but second viewing did not improve my impression of it. Cinematography was okay, but sometimes it reminded me of TV quality camerawork. Jim Cavizeal and James Faulkner carry this movie, they're more than half the reason to watch! Appreciation of this movie is limited because it's aimed at a very specific type of audience member. If someone is not the target audience, it's hard to enjoy the movie, and even if someone IS the target audience, it still leaves something to be desired.

9. Ballad of Buster Scruggs

Let's get this out of the way: Not every segment of the six-part anthology is good. I'm specifically referring to the Liam Neeson and Zoe Kazan pieces in terms of bad or boring stories, even if they have intriguing concepts. Then there are the James Franco and Brendan Gleeson pieces, which are good in their own bizarre way but also fall just short of intriguing or engaging. The standouts that seem to be universally praised by everyone are the zany Buster Scruggs opening and the Tom Waits gold miner solo piece. Both showcase Coen Brothers at their best in terms of dark comedy and brilliantly engaging character development. Perhaps if the individual stories had been tied together by something like same city or shared characters it would have been a more enjoyable experience, but just being connected by themes on death let them stumble as individual pieces.

8. Hostiles 

An underrated Western gem that I had trouble figuring out where to put it on the list. Its cinematography is spectacular, it does a great job of putting you into these physical locations in this particular time. The acting is all good, the gunplay is realistically brutal, there's tension between white soldiers and Native Americans, basically everything you want in a typical Western is there. I guess it's also kind of forgettable, even if the plot is simple. The images don't stay with you in the same way that modern Westerns like Unforgiven do.

7. Ant Man and the Wasp

This was a really fun, entertaining movie and I'm sorry I did not see it in theaters. It had great, eye-catching imagery. The main cast was all fun and knew where to throw in humor versus when to deliver serious emotional moments. The best thing about this movie is the relationships, particularly Ant-Man's relationships with his daughter and with Hope. I guess most people dismiss this movie since it does not have the same massive stakes and storyline consequences that majority of the MCU movies have. Yet, it satisfies as a bright, pleasing superhero movie. I put this ahead of Black Panther because I was ultimately more entertained by this movie. My biggest complaint I guess would be that Walton Goggins is wasted as a sad excuse for a villain with limited screen time.

6. Black Panther

For the most part, this is a very average superhero movie. The CGI is good in some places, like holograms, but when the CGI is used on humans and action scenes, it's obviously lacking. The story about the main character is very basic, nothing in the plot is surprising or exciting. Even the main character himself is not the most interesting character in his own movie, all of the supporting cast and villain shine brighter in this movie. If it were not for the real world sociopolitical issues in the story, I do not think this movie would be as highly regarded as it has become. However, with that said, it does a good job of sensibly connecting the real world problem with the plot of the story. It was entertaining enough and offered a couple of intriguing villains along with bright, colorful images that combined the traditional and the futuristic.

5. Avengers Infinity War

This is a very balanced movie that I think delivers on its promises and audience expectations. It has a lot of entertaining, thrilling action pieces at various locations. It gives us interesting character interactions and even a little bit of character development. It delivers a threatening villain that is charismatic yet intimidating. I do think that while the ultimate outcome itself was kind of a no-brainer from the start, there were still a couple of moments where the chain of events genuinely surprised me. For the most part it looked really great and balanced entertainment with melodramatic story arcs. This movie could have ended up being a disaster, but thankfully it was delightful.

4. Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse

I am a little uneasy about putting this movie so high up the list. It is the latest movie I've seen and it carries a lot of positive reviews and hype that could influence my decision-making. However, I think this movie deserves all the praise it has received. The animation is unique looking, though it leaves room for variety and experimentation in the visuals. It is colorful and fun, but also dark and serious when it needs to be. I did find myself genuinely laughing at different moments as well as feeling thrilled and awed by others moments. I liked these characters. I surprisingly actually enjoyed seeing a superhero origin story on the big screen.

3. Annihilation

To be honest, the director's other movie Ex Machina is the more memorable and engaging movie. With that said, this is an eye-popping thought-provoking sci-fi thriller in the best ways possible. While the movie works at a slow pace, it keeps us hooked by providing various time jumps for character development and the visuals slowly get crazier and crazier as the story progresses. Even when the characters are not always being engaging, the images, ideas, and creativity involved in the movie keep things thrilling and moving forward.

2. Mission Impossible: Fallout

I don't know if it's because I had certain expectations coming in to this movie or if it was just put together very well, but I had a blast watching this Mission Impossible on the big screen. It has all of the crazy Tom Cruise stunts people have come to know and love. The basic premise is simple enough, almost television-esque, but it is the character relationships and the mystery life of the spy game that keeps everything shrouded in mystery or adds complexity.

1. Isle of Dogs 

Why is this movie not being talked about by more people? The artistry is superb here. It is signature Wes Anderson with all his trademarks, but it also leaves room for exploration in the setting, the stop-motion puppetry, and character interactions. It has trademark actors that Wes Anderson fans have seen in his previous movies, but it also has new voices and even a new language you never hear in an Anderson movie. The story is engaging, balancing humor and drama very well. I think for me the added bonus that sealed the deal for me was the theater experience, where everyone in the theater was respectfully watching and reacting to the movie appropriately in all the correct ways.