2018 has been quite a year!
Women in the UK celebrated 100 years since they were granted the
vote, while the vote for Brexit remains a thorn in everyone's side
(least of all the Prime Minister's).
Though it has been distinctly
lacking in Game of Thrones this
year, there has been many great shows, such as Jodie Whittaker's
debut as the Doctor (shame we'll have to wait until 2020 for the next
series!), Tom Hardy's deliciously dark Taboo and
the stranger-than-fiction, Mrs Wilson.
Of course, it has also been a
stunning year for film. Here are my top 10 best films of the year.
Warning:
There are some major plot spoilers ahead. And an over-abundance of
fan-girling.
10) Ant-Man
and The Wasp
After stealing the Ant-Man
suit without permission during the events of Captain America:
Civil War, Scott Lang (a awkwardly likeable Paul Rudd) has been
under house-arrest. He has also been dealing with the bizarre dreams
he has been suffering with, since shrinking to 'sub-atomic' size. Who
is the woman he heard there? Dr. Pym (Michael Douglas) and Hope may
have the answer...it's the original Wasp who just happens to be Pym's
long-lost wife. Oh, and there's a woman called Ava who constantly
fazes in and out of existence.
Think lots of 'sizeable' humour
(the giant Pez-dispenser was a particular highlight) and some
unexpected casting choices from Lawrence Fishbourne and Michelle
Pfeiffer, with plenty of technobabble thrown into the mix. The first
of many (oh, so many) Marvel films to feature in this countdown,
Ant-Man and The Wasp surprised me just as much as the previous
one by how much fun is was.
MY RATING: 3 STARS OUT OF 5
9)
Mamma
Mia! Here We Go Again! (Mamma Mia 2)
Marketed
as electric and joyous like its predecessor, the plot to Mamma
Mia 2 comes
as quite a surprise. Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) is pregnant on the same
Greek island her mother, Donna (Meryl Streep) came to after
graduating university.
Cue lots of flashbacks and ABBA
numbers, proving once again that they are timeless no matter how many
times you hear them. I dare anyone to watch them without feeling
happy/singing shamelessly along! We finally learn how young Donna
(now played exuberantly by Lily James) meets Sophie's three possible
fathers, Sam, Harry and Bill. Though Donna's death is a real blow,
and the decision to for her mother to be played by Cher remains
ambiguous, it is a relief not to listen to Pierce Brosnan singing for
too long (sorry, Pierce!), and Cher's duet to Fernando was beautiful.
Though it didn't carry as much
of the sparkle as the previous film, my true praise came from Mamma
Mia 2's celebration of all shades of motherhood. No, I'm not
crying, you're crying.
MY RATING: 3 STARS OUT OF 5
8)
Deadpool
2
After
the shocking murder of his girlfriend, Vanessa, Wade Wilson (a.k.a
Deadpool) blows himself (and his Crocs) up in an attempt to commit
suicide. Problem is, he can't die. But when a young mutant called
Russell needs protection from time-traveller Cable, Deadpool
assembles a badass team to keep him safe. Shame that Russell is such
a little arse-hole.
Say what you will about
Canada's fourth-wall-breaking 'Merc with the Mouth', there is no
other superhero films out there like his. They are stupid, yes.
Immature, definitely, but only because all the other superhero films
take themselves so damned seriously!
Oh,
and Celine Dion sang the official song. And Deadpool danced in heels
in the video. Yes. That
did really happen.
MY RATING: 3 STARS OUT OF 5
7) Christopher
Robin
It's
rare for films that mix the nostalgia of childhood and the grim
reality of adulthood without coming across as cheesy. Thank goodness
for Christopher Robin,
then.
Ewan McGregor's Christopher was
easy to feel sorry for, and empathise with, as he struggles to juggle
with family commitments and his duties at work (not helped by his
useless manager, played by Mark Gatiss). The unexpected return of
Christopher Robin's best “silly old bear” offered plenty of
laughs, but the message was ultimately clear: it's a good thing to
reconnect with your child-self sometimes.
MY RATING: 4 STARS OUT OF 5
6)
Fantastic Beasts:
The Crimes of Grindelwald
Two years after Fantastic
Beasts and Where To Find Them,
and Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) is called upon to fight the
notorious Grindelwald (Johnny Depp, reminding us why we call him
talented regardless of what goes on in his private life).
It
was a fast-paced spectacle, with new characters and beasts
to encounter alongside the familiar. Jude Law was wonderful as a
young Albus Dumbledore, and the origin of Nagini was nothing short of
shocking. Unfortunately The Crimes of Grindelwald
was let down by its messy and convoluted plot.
MY RATING: 4 STARS OUT OF 5
Oh, look. Another Marvel film. And Josh Brolin is playing the villain again...possibly the most deadly baddie the Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy and Black Panther combined have come across. And all for a pretty golden gauntlet. Okay, it's the most powerful gauntlet in existence which Thanos uses to wipe out 10% of the world's population. Gulp. And now Tony Stark is stuck in space, alone.
Though it strangely lacked in
emotional depth, heartbroken audiences made up for it as they watched
their favourite characters just...vanish. Yeah. I'm still not over
it. Hurry up,
Captain Marvel!
MY RATING: 4 STARS OUT OF 5
4) Incredibles 2
Minutes after the explosive
ending of The Incredibles, Mr. Incredible and his family
defeat the Underminer and save the day. Only it's not Mr. Incredible
enjoying the limelight this time. Elastigirl (a resplendent Holly
Hunter) is recruited by a wealthy duo to help change the public's
negative opinion of other superheroes, and help them out of their
forced retirement. Meanwhile Mr. Incredible agrees to stay at home
and look after the kids, Violet, Dash and baby Jack-Jack – who has
just started developing his 17(!) powers.
The plot might have sounded
remarkably like The Incredibles in reverse, but whoever said
that was a bad thing? It's was also particularly wonderful to see how
far Pixar have come with animation over fourteen years. It looked
gorgeous, and Edna Mode (wearing a stunning red kimono at one point)
remained a fan-favourite.
Welcome back, guys. We've
missed you.
MY RATING: 4 STARS OUT OF 5
3) Bohemian Rhapsody
After numerous changes in
directors and actors (who's idea was it to cast Sacha Baron Cohen as
Mercury, really? Really?!), it was beginning to look like Bohemian
Rhapsody was never going to see the light of day. As a biopic of
one of the biggest and best rock bands in history (okay, I'm biased;
I'm not sorry), it would need to be nothing short of magnificent for
fear of angering countless generations of Queen fans.
Though I can't judge where the
facts end and creative licence begins, Bohemian Rhapsody is
exactly the Queen we asked for. Rami Malek (last seen as troubled
Elliot in Mr. Robot) is as close to Freddie Mercury as we're
ever going to get. Watching 'A Night At The Opera' come to life was a
joy. And that legendary Live Aid performance! I hadn't counted on
those tears of elation but they were in my eyes anyway. Bravissimo.
MY RATING: 5 STARS OUT OF 5
2) The
Shape of Water
The Shape of Water had
everything one needed for a modern fairy tale. An extraordinary
heroine (the fabulous Sally Hawkins), a morally ambiguous villain
(Michael Shannon - I'm sorry but you made it too easy to hate you)
and a stunning hero (the Fish Man). At last, Doug Jones had the
recognition he deserved!
I will admit this was a
difficult decision, but número uno received far more
widespread acclaim, as opposed to a grin from the critics as per The
Shape of Water. Nevertheless it remains, firmly and proudly, my
favourite Guillermo Del Toro film to date.
MY RATING: 5 STARS OUT OF 5
And finally...drum-roll, please...
1) Black
Panther
Oh, yes. We were briefly teased
about a secretive country called Wakanda in Avengers Age of Ultron
and then we were introduced to the Blank Panther two years
ago, in Captain America Civil War. T'Challa was unlike any
character we had seen before.
Black Panther made
traditional and modern African culture accessible to those unfamiliar
with it. Not to sound patronising, but the whole film was incredibly
cool to watch, alongside Kendrick Lemar and Ludwig Göransson's
electric musical score. On top of that, Michael B Jordan's
surprisingly sympathetic Killmonger is a powerful game-changer in
what we know to be a Marvel “baddie”.
Not only is Black Panther
the most successful Marvel film so far, it is perhaps the
epitome of how far attitudes have come (and still have to go) within
cinema.
MY RATING: 5 STARS OUT OF 5
All film posters from www.imdb.com
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