My Top 10 Movies of 2017

As 2017 has come and gone, I've taken some time to think about the films from the past year and rank my top 10 of the year. While I haven't seen the "critically acclaimed" movies up for the Academy Awards this year, I have been to the movies my fair share in 2017 and thought these were the cream of the crop. 

10. Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 2

I’m pretty positive I’ll catch some flack for putting this movie this low, but it’s my list, and really, I’m not too high on the Guardians. However, this movie was beautiful and I loved it. From the get go it was action packed, but it kept true to a get storyline and led very well into where the Guardians will be come Infinity War.

9. Thor: Ragnarok

Unlike most MCU fans, I actually liked Thor and Thor: The Dark World, that being said, Taika Waititi made cinematic gold. He managed to give Thor the best storyline he’s had yet, while also giving Hulk a pretty decent character arc in the same film. Oh yeah, and he also led us right up to Infinity War by introducing us to Thanos’ ship. Such a great addition to the MCU and most importantly, we finally got a Loki hero turn.

8. Beauty and the Beast

Marvel (Disney), Marvel (Disney), Disney. Are you seeing a pattern here? But really, when this was announced I had very low expectations and was preparing for a film that would tarnish the original classic. What I got was a film almost as good as the original and a deeper love for Josh Gad. While I didn’t like the additional songs added, the film itself stayed true to the original and Emma Watson is a beautiful Belle.

7. IT

The first non-Disney film on the list goes to arguably the most thrilling movie of the year. The re-imagining of the Stephen King classic novel was thrilling and hilarious, but had a very good storyline. Finn Wolfhard stole every scene he was in as the funniest 13 year old I’ve ever seen. While the film was reasonably scary, I think it did a great job of not making it overly terrifying. Overall, a really good movie and not as scary as people make it out to be.

6. Coco

Back on the Disney train. This is probably way too low on the list, but it barely misses the top 5. I loved Coco, and maybe it’s this low because of how much it made me cry, but nonetheless, it’s a great movie and easily the animated movie of the year. A huge step in the right direction for Pixar after they put out a couple of sub-par movies.

5. Fate of the Furious

The Top 5 begins here. I was genuinely worried for how this movie would do following the tragic death of it’s star Paul Walker. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the film. I love bringing Jason Statham and Luke Evans back, along with finally getting to see the heel turn of Dominic Torretto. Charlize Theron is at her best when she’s playing a female villain, and The Rock is, in my opinion, the best actor in Hollywood. The action was great, as always, but what really won me over was the story. Unlike some of the other films, this one actually has a phenomenal storyline that incorporates some of our favorite people from past films. Such a great movie, and my favorite of the franchise.

4. Wonder Woman

Talk about a progressive film. The first superhero movie directed by a female was also the first superhero movie ABOUT a female hero. Gal Gadot is the perfect Wonder Woman combining beauty, bad-assness, the mysterious accent, and amazing fighting power. I loved everything about this movie, and it’d be higher on my list if it wsan’t such a great year at the movies.

3. Spider-Man: Homecoming

Easily the best Marvel movie of the year. Tom Holland is the Spidey we’ve all been waiting for. Not already in college, not already an adult, but just a super smart high schooler that has to try to balance personal life, school, and being a superhero. Michael Keaton as Vulture was such a breath of fresh air as well. I’m extraordinarly happy they went with a villain we’ve never seen instead of someone already seen on the screen. The great twist at the end of Zendaya’s character being MJ was out of nowhere and something I did not see coming at all…and I loved it. Also, whenever I get to see Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man and Tony Stark, I will automatically love it. Can’t wait to see Holland’s character grow throughout the films.

2. Justice League

*HOT TAKE ALERT* Justice League wasn’t horrible…it was actually really really good. DC’s version of The Avengers gave us Batman, Super Man, and Wonder Woman teaming together again. However, the darling of this film was introducing Aquaman (Jason Momoa), Flash (Ezra Miller), and Cyborg (Ray Fisher). Jeremy Irons will always be Scar to me, but he makes a pretty great Alfred. The post credit scene with Lex Luthor and Deathstroke was enough to bump this movie over Spidey as the best superhero movie of the year.

1. Star Wars: The Last Jedi

No surprise here. TLJ was the best Star Wars film of all time. That’s right, I said it. The way Rian Johnson took everyone’s fan theories and threw them out the window was beautiful. He made this his movie, and I love him for it, because his movie was exactly what Star Wars needed. A movie with a bunch of unexpected twists, a movie in which Luke dies, and Kylo rises to lead the First Order. A movie where Rey’s parents are trash, but she comes into her own even more. There were literally no faults in this film, and I went back to watch it 4 more times. Nothing compares. Perfection.

Honorable Mentions: Logan, Jumanji, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, and A Bad Mom’s Christmas. 

Now that we covered 2017, let me tell you my top 10 films I’m looking forward to in 2018!

10. Jurassic World: The Fallen Kingdom (June 22, 2018)

9. Venom (October 5, 2018)

8. Mary Poppins Returns (December 25, 2018)

7. Deadpool 2 (May 18, 2018)

6. Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them 2 (November 16, 2018)

5. Teen Titans Go To The Movies (July 27, 2018)

4. Solo: A Star Wars Story (May 25, 2018)

3. Aquaman (December 21, 2018)

2. Black Panther (February 16, 2018)

1. Avengers: Infinity War (May 5, 2018)