It’s that time of year again! No, I’m not talking about Christmas Day (Happy Holidays by the way). It’s time to look back at the films that came out this year and see which ones succeeded and which ones failed.
Of course, everyone has their subjective lists and what was a good film to some, was a bad film to others. But for the purposes of this list, I’ll be looking at those films which were critically well received this year. The best way to gauge that, of course, is by looking at their Rotten Tomatoes scores.
The films here will be listed from highest to lowest scores and according to the month in which they were released. Because it’s Christmas day, I thought we’d start with the best films of the year.
There will be films that are not on this list with scores higher than the ones here, however, the list is limited to films with a wide release (at least 1000 cinemas according to Box Office Mojo) that would have likely been in the public consciousness. So small, independent films that no one has heard of or seen will not be on this list. However, films, like Call Me By Your Name and The Shape of Water, that ARE in the public consciousness, won’t make the list because they don’t meet the wide release criteria.
For the TL;DR of this list, watch the video above.
Get Out (February)
RT Score: 99%
Written and Directed by: Jordan Peele.
Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Caleb Landry Jones, Stephen Root, Lakeith Stanfield and Catherine Keener.
Synopsis: When Chris (Daniel Kaluuya), a young African-American man, visits his white girlfriend’s (Allison Williams) family estate, he becomes ensnared in the more sinister, real reason for the invitation. At first, Chris reads the family’s overly accommodating behavior as nervous attempts to deal with their daughter’s interracial relationship, but as the weekend progresses, a series of increasingly disturbing discoveries lead him to a truth that he could have never imagined. This speculative thriller from Blumhouse (producers of The Visit, Insidious series and The Gift) and the mind of Jordan Peele (Key & Peele) is equal parts gripping thriller and provocative commentary. – Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.
Lady Bird (November)
RT Score: 99%
Written by and Directed by: Greta Gerwig.
Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Tracy Letts, Lucas Hedges, Timothée Chalamet, Beanie Feldstein, Stephen McKinley Henderson and Lois Smith.
Synopsis: The adventures of a young woman living in Northern California for a year. – IMDB.
The Big Sick (June)
RT Score: 98%
Written by: Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani.
Directed by: Michael Showalter.
Starring: Kumail Nanjiani, Zoe Kazan, Holly Hunter, Ray Romano and Anupam Kher.
Synopsis: Based on the real-life courtship between Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon, THE BIG SICK tells the story of Pakistan-born aspiring comedian Kumail (Nanjiani), who connects with grad student Emily (Kazan) after one of his standup sets. However, what they thought would be just a one-night stand blossoms into the real thing, which complicates the life that is expected of Kumail by his traditional Muslim parents.
When Emily is beset with a mystery illness, it forces Kumail to navigate the medical crisis with her parents, Beth and Terry (Holly Hunter and Ray Romano) who he’s never met, while dealing with the emotional tug-of-war between his family and his heart. – – The Big Sick Official Website.
Coco (November)
RT Score: 97%
Written by: Adrian Molina.
Directed by: Lee Unkrich.
Starring: Anthony Gonzalez, Gael García Bernal, Benjamin Bratt, Renée Victor, Ana Ofelia Murguia and Edward James Olmos.
Synopsis: Despite his family’s baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel (voice of newcomer Anthony Gonzalez) dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz (voice of Benjamin Bratt). Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Hector (voice of Gael García Bernal), and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel’s family history. – Disney Movies.
Logan (March)
RT Score: 93%
Written by: Scott Frank, James Mangold and Michael Green.
Directed by: James Mangold.
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Boyd Holbrook, Stephen Merchant, Richard E. Grant and Dafne Keen.
Synopsis: In the near future, a weary Logan cares for an ailing Professor X in a hide out on the Mexican border. But Logan’s attempts to hide from the world and his legacy are up-ended when a young mutant arrives, being pursued by dark forces. – Fox Movies.
Baby Driver (June)
RT Score: 93%
Written and directed by: Edgar Wright
Starring: Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Lily James, Eiza González, Jon Hamm and Jamie Foxx.
Synopsis: A talented, young getaway driver (Ansel Elgort) relies on the beat of his personal soundtrack to be the best in the game. When he meets the girl of his dreams (Lily James), Baby sees a chance to ditch his criminal life and make a clean getaway. But after being coerced into working for a crime boss (Kevin Spacey), he must face the music when a doomed heist threatens his life, love and freedom. – Baby Driver Official Site.
War for the Planet of the Apes (July)
RT Score: 93%
Written by: Mark Bomback and Matt Reeves.
Directed by: Matt Reeves.
Starring: Andy Serkis, Woody Harrelson and Steve Zahn.
Synopsis: In War for the Planet of the Apes, Caesar and his apes are forced into a deadly conflict with an army of humans led by a ruthless Colonel. After the apessuffer unimaginable losses, Caesar wrestles with his darker instincts and begins his own mythic quest to avenge his kind. As the journey finally brings them face to face, Caesar and the Colonel are pitted against each other in an epic battle that will determine the fate of both their species and the future of the planet. – Fox Movies.
Logan Lucky (August)
RT Score: 93%
Written by: Rebecca Blunt.
Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: Adam Driver, Channing Tatum, Riley Keough, Daniel Craig, Seth MacFarlane, Katie Holmes, Hilary Swank, Katherine Waterston, Sebastian Stan, and Jesco White.
Synopsis: Trying to reverse a family curse, brothers Jimmy (Channing Tatum) and Clyde Logan (Adam Driver) set out to execute an elaborate robbery during the legendary Coca-Cola 600 race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. The production shot at Charlotte Motor Speedway during the actual NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 and the Bank of America 500, as well as at Atlanta Motor Speedway. In a fun twist, six NASCAR stars pop up in non-driver cameo roles in the film. – Logan Lucky Official Site.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (November)
RT Score: 93%
Written and Directed by: Martin McDonagh.
Starring: Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, John Hawkes and Peter Dinklage.
Synopsis: THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI is a darkly comedic drama from Academy Award® winner Martin McDonagh (IN BRUGES). After months have passed without a culprit in her daughter’s murder case, Mildred Hayes (Academy Award® winner Frances McDormand) makes a bold move, commissioning three signs leading into her town with a controversial message directed at William Willoughby (Academy Award® nominee Woody Harrelson), the town’s revered chief of police. When his second-in-command Officer Dixon (Sam Rockwell), an immature mother’s boy with a penchant for violence, gets involved, the battle between Mildred and Ebbing’s law enforcement is only exacerbated. – Fox Searchlight.
Dunkirk (July)
RT Score: 92%
Written and Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Fionn Whitehead, Tom Glynn-Carney, Jack Lowden, Harry Styles, Aneurin Barnard, James D’Arcy, Barry Keoghan, Kenneth Branagh, Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance and Tom Hardy.
Synopsis: Allied soldiers from Belgium, the British Empire and France are surrounded by the German Army, and evacuated during a fierce battle in World War II. – IMDB.
Wonder Woman (June)
RT Score: 92%
Written by: Allan Heinberg.
Directed by: Patty Jenkins.
Starring: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright, Danny Huston, David Thewlis, Connie Nielsen and Elena Anaya.
Synopsis: Before she was Wonder Woman, she was Diana, princess of the Amazons, trained to be an unconquerable warrior. Raised on a sheltered island paradise, when an American pilot crashes on their shores and tells of a massive conflict raging in the outside world, Diana leaves her home, convinced she can stop the threat. Fighting alongside man in a war to end all wars, Diana will discover her full powers…and her true destiny. – Wonder Woman Official Website.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi (December)
RT Score: 92%
Written and Directed by: Rian Johnson
Starring: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, Kelly Marie Tran, Laura Dern and Benicio del Toro.
Synopsis: In Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the Skywalker saga continues as the heroes of the Force Awakes join the galactic legends in an epic adventure that unlocks age-old mysteries of the Force and shocking revelations of the past. – Star Wars Official Website.
Thor: Ragnarok (November)
RT Score: 92%
Written by: Eric Pearson, Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost.
Directed by: Taika Waititi.
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Idris Elba, Jeff Goldblum, Tessa Thompson, Karl Urban, Mark Ruffalo and Anthony Hopkins.
Synopsis: Thor is imprisoned on the other side of the universe without his mighty hammer and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok—the destruction of his homeworld and the end of Asgardian civilization—at the hands of an all-powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela. But first he must survive a deadly gladiatorial contest that pits him against his former ally and fellow Avenger—the Incredible Hulk! – Marvel.com.
Spider-Man: Homecoming (July)
RT Score: 92%
Written by: Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley, Jon Watts, Christopher Ford, Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers.
Directed by: John Watts.
Starring: Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Jon Favreau, Zendaya, Donald Glover, Tyne Daly, Marisa Tomei and Robert Downey Jr..
Synopsis: A young Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland), who made his sensational debut in Captain America: Civil War, begins to navigate his newfound identity as the web-slinging super hero in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Thrilled by his experience with the Avengers, Peter returns home, where he lives with his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), under the watchful eye of his new mentor Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.). Peter tries to fall back into his normal daily routine – distracted by thoughts of proving himself to be more than just your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man – but when the Vulture (Michael Keaton) emerges as a new villain, everything that Peter holds most important will be threatened. – Sony Pictures.
The Disaster Artist (December)
RT Score: 92%
Written by: Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber.
Directed by: James Franco.
Starring: James Franco, Dave Franco, Seth Rogen, Alison Brie, Ari Graynor, Josh Hutcherson and Jacki Weaver.
Synopsis: When Greg Sestero, an aspiring film actor, meets the weird and mysterious Tommy Wiseau in an acting class, they form a unique friendship and travel to Hollywood to make their dreams come true. – IMDB.
The Lego Batman Movie (February)
RT Score: 91%
Written by: Seth Grahame-Smith, Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Jared Stern and John Whittington.
Directed by: Chris McKay.
Starring: Will Arnett, Zach Galifianakis, Michael Cera, Rosario Dawson and Ralph Fiennes.
Synopsis: In the irreverent spirit of fun that made “The LEGO® Movie” a worldwide phenomenon, the self-described leading man of that ensemble – LEGO Batman – stars in his own big-screen adventure. But there are big changes brewing in Gotham, and if he wants to save the city from The Joker’s hostile takeover, Batman may have to drop the lone vigilante thing, try to work with others and maybe, just maybe, learn to lighten up. – The Lego Batman Movie Official Website.
John Wick: Chapter Two (February)
RT Score: 89%
Written by: Derek Kolstad.
Directed by: Chad Stahelski.
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Common, Laurence Fishburne, Riccardo Scamarcio, Ruby Rose, John Leguizamo and Ian McShane.
Synopsis: Legendary hitman John Wick is forced back out of retirement by a former associate plotting to seize control of a shadowy international assassins’ guild. Bound by a blood oath to help him, John travels to Rome where he squares off against some of the world’s deadliest killers. – John Wick: Chapter 2 Official Website.
Girls Trip (July)
RT Score: 89%
Written by: Kenya Barris and Tracy Oliver.
Directed by: Malcolm D. Lee.
Starring: Regina Hall, Tiffany Haddish, Larenz Tate, Mike Colter, Kate Walsh, Jada Pinkett Smith and Queen Latifah.
Synopsis: When four lifelong friends (Regina Hall, Tiffany Haddish, Jada Pinkett Smith and Queen Latifah) travel to New Orleans for the annual Essence Festival, sisterhoods are rekindled, wild sides are rediscovered, and there’s enough dancing, drinking, brawling and romancing to make the Big Easy blush. – Universal Home Entertainment.
It Comes At Night (June)
RT Score: 88%
Written and Directed by: Trey Edward Shults.
Starring: Joel Edgerton, Christopher Abbott, Carmen Ejogo, Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Riley Keough.
Synopsis: Imagine the end of the world. Now imagine something worse. Award-winning filmmaker Trey Edward Shults follows his breakout debut Krisha with the psychological horror thriller It Comes At Night, centering on a teenaged boy (Kelvin Harrison, Jr.) as he grapples with mounting terrors—external and otherwise—in the aftermath of an unnamed cataclysm.
Secure within a desolate home with his vigilant, protective and heavily armed parents (Joel Edgerton and Carmen Ejogo), 17-year-old Travis navigates fear, grief and paranoia amid scarce resources as a desperate young couple (Christopher Abbott and Riley Keough) seeks refuge in his family home with their young child.
Despite the best intentions of both families, panic and mistrust boil over as the horrors of the outside world creep ever closer. But they are nothing compared to the horrors within, where Travis discovers that his father’s commitment to protecting the family may cost him his soul. – It Comes At Night Official Wesbite.
Only the Brave (October)
RT Score: 88%
Written by: Ken Nolan and Eric Warren Singer.
Directed by: Joseph Kosinski.
Starring: Josh Brolin, Miles Teller, Jeff Bridges, James Badge Dale, Taylor Kitsch and Jennifer Connelly.
Synopsis: Based on the true story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, a group of elite firefighters who risk everything to protect a town from a historic wildfire. – IMDB.
