What a strange, fascinating year this was for film.
The cinematic quality absolutely showed up in 2023: multiple mega-budget discussion magnets rolled onto big screens without even one (1) superhero in them – and some of the movies that did feature comic book origins were even quite good! We got gigantic big-screen showcases and intimate streaming-friendly art pieces waiting to be picked apart. We got new Scorsese, new Fincher, new Scott, and new Nolan joints within one calendar year, and they all looked expensive – which just seems crazy in a post-lockdown world.
Speaking of which, the last of the major pandemic-delayed movies may be behind us now, but we may be in for a wave of strike-delayed features – hopefully made by fairly-compensated people – over the next couple of years.
I saw 28 new-release films in 2023, which was always going to come far below my 2022 tally, but almost everything I saw this year was worth my time, and some of these may even be worth yours! To close out the year as always, these are my top ten favourite movies of 2023.
-◊-◊-◊-◊-
VR BEST OF 2023 DISCLAIMER
This list represents my opinion only. I am not asserting any kind of superiority or self-importance by presenting it as I have. My opinion is not fact. If you agree with me 100%, go buy a lottery ticket. Respectful disagreement is most welcome.
-◊-◊-◊-◊-
10. Barbie
Our first entry seemed for a while like it could have gone in either an ultra-shallow or overly-pretentious direction, and it kind of did neither. Frustratingly uneven given the ridiculously stacked roster of people involved both in front of and behind the camera, Barbie is still a relentlessly entertaining ride from the triumphant set design of its opening scene to those loopy, abstract final minutes. And sure, it has prompted remarkably varied discussions about quality, thematic payoff and commercial realities among my friends and family that I have and will likely continue to enjoy over time – which will always give a movie extra points in my book – but it also gave us two of the best musical sequences of the year, one of Kate McKinnon’s most unhinged cinematic turns, and that career-highlight performance from Ryan Gosling.
9. Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part I
I’ve found the seventh Mission Impossible film exceedingly hard to quantify over the last half-year, largely because after they made two of the greatest action movies ever back-to-back, Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie decided to lean into more character-focused territory – and tell only half a story – for their third Mission Impossible project as a team. Thus many of the narrative choices the script makes are yet to be resolved, and for once the action isn’t uniformly excellent enough to make up for this: the movie features only the second-craziest vehicular chase down a Roman staircase this year (and unbelievably, the year’s third-most-intense action scene on a European staircase altogether); the realities of the pandemic clearly also limited the volume of real-world stunt magic this time around.
But just to be clear, I still love this movie; Ethan’s established crew (Ilsa Faust aside) is handled as endearingly as ever, newcomer Grace makes a fantastic entrance, and the lead character’s continued transformation into the ultimate ride-or-die partner keeps the stakes impossibly, entertainingly high.
8. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3
The best Marvel Studios film in years is an indirect indictment of the MCU formula as it exists so far this decade, and James Gunn has left the continuity with plenty to think about as he heads for the yet-untapped wildlands of the new DC line-up. His parting gift is one of the most satisfying send-offs to a trilogy you’ll see, a film that leaves each member of pop culture’s most implausibly famous ensemble in a place where they could stay off our screens for the rest of time and be just fine, but they definitely won’t and that’s fine too. Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 is also a film that suggests Gunn could make any one of these characters the sole focal point of a story and they could carry an entire feature – as Rocket Raccoon does here in heartwarming, enthralling, at-times hard-to-watch fashion. And as always with this bunch, the visuals are imaginative and the jokes actually land.
7. Missing
2018’s Searching really felt like a one-and-done to me: a fantastic story idea built off a screen-share gimmick that worked exceptionally well, but felt stretched to its limits. Any attempt to make another mystery movie in its mould would surely go stale quickly. Well, apparently I know nothing. Missing may deliberately start by referencing the format of its predecessor, but not only has the last half-decade opened up whole new avenues of believable internet sleuthing to capture onscreen, the scale of this movie’s mechanical plot ambitions are on a whole different level. From the exact midpoint of the runtime, the Jenga tower of consecutive twists that collapses upon careful foreshadowing is a true sight to behold, and I was floored by practically all of them. If you missed this one, get it on your computer screen as soon as you can.
6. John Wick Chapter 4
Hand-to-hand action flicks hardly get better than this. The most unlikely team-up of a stuntman-turned-director and a reborn former superstar in history has now spawned four top-class examples of cinematic fight craft, and if Chad Stahelski and Keanu Reeves do wash their hands of Wick and walk into the proverbial sunset after this, the legacy of their achievements will forever be set in stone. While I still think the third movie can boast a more novel bag of set pieces, John Wick Chapter 4 is absolutely no slouch in this department, and its narrative through-line is far more focused and satisfying. Bill Skarsgård and Donny Yen play the dual antagonists with glorious ham and effortless cool/weirdly magnetic awkwardness respectively, and Lawrence Fishburne is having the time of his life with his limited screen presence. The long-awaited visit to a Japanese hotel in the opening act is spectacular, and the ending is basically perfect. Bravo.
5. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Across the Spider-Verse is another mega-budget half-story released in 2023, but unlike Dead Reckoning (or, while we’re at it, Fast X), this movie does not advertise that crucial fact upfront. But it turns out that’s for pretty good reason, because not only is it a superior film to any of the others in comparable positions, it’s probably the best movie I’ve ever seen that ends with a proper “to be continued”. Though it naturally lacks the icy freshness of the first movie and can’t reap the benefits of its (I can’t believe I’m saying this) comparatively intimate cast, Across the Spider-Verse is an assault on the senses that somehow always feels like its letting you into an exclusive nerd club rather than shoving you to the sideline. The returning characters all get to build on what made them so memorable the first time – even if they get one scene – and the new ones somehow match or even exceed that magical debut squad. The third movie can take as long as it needs as far as I’m concerned.
4. AIR
It’s easy to forget now given all the big-hitters, but 2023 gave us no less than three “retro finance bro” movies, each of which takes an iconic product and turns the story behind its success into a tension-filled, high-stakes drama with ageing out-of-shape businessmen playing heroes and villains alike. While BlackBerry turns the story of one of history’s most dominant flash-in-the-pan devices into a tragic study of human greed, and Tetris leverages razor-sharp style to tell a constantly-surprising Cold War espionage tale, AIR rises above the pack with an unwavering focus on tight shots and commited performances.
Ben Affleck’s return to the directing chair for the first time in over a decade to tell the story of Nike’s most famous brand deal is typically devoid of unconventional frills, but he still knows how to surround himself with a committed team on both sides of the camera and have a bit of fun when the moment calls for it. Viola Davis is typically commanding in the crucial role of Michael Jordan’s mother, but Jason Bateman has rarely been better on screen – and I’m not afraid to admit Matt Damon’s fourth-wall-breaking speech in the board room made me tear up something fierce.
3. Killers of the Flower Moon
2023 was an unusually good year for very long movies, which was largely due to the combination of legendary directors and cashed-up streaming services recognising the benefit of cache and prestige over direct profit. One such partnership brought Apple and Martin Scorsese together, and while the living myth’s previous team-up with Netflix produced a lengthy gangster feature with plenty of positive buzz, the depressingly novel perspective Killers of the Flower Moon brings to the table has resulted in a much bigger splash. It’s hard to believe Scorsese is in his eighties now, because his direction here has all the energy of a uni student who has just discovered an historic social injustice – a vibe that becomes extra obvious in the controversial final scene. Leonardo DiCaprio is incredible as the man you expect to be the hero, but Robert De Niro is operating in another stratosphere with his performance – and then there’s Lily Gladstone. Just wow. Also, the two lawyers in the final act? What an unexpected treat.
2. Godzilla Minus One
As was the case for many people in 2023, this movie was not on my radar until some properly strong word of mouth put it there, and boy am I glad it did. I am in no way what you’d call a Godzilla guy, but that could hardly have mattered less to my enjoyment of this amazing production; the human characters are not only the focus of Minus One, but unlike some Hollywood adaptations of the Godzilla mythos, they are also its heart. It’s truly astonishing what you can achieve with a gigantic cool-looking monster design and a nostalgic score when you actually care about what might happen to the people the big fella threatens to wipe out. Despite the at-times theatre-style overacting from Ryunosuke Kamiki as the guilt-ridden cowardly kamikaze pilot at the story’s centre, I was thoroughly won over by him and his optimistic friends by the end, and I absolutely, definitely cried at that sappy finale, because Godzilla Minus One unquestionably earns it. But if you think such character-first flavouring means the movie skimps on big destructive spectacle, think again.
1. Oppenheimer
Sometimes you just gotta embrace the thirtysomething meme you are and admit that Christopher Nolan got you again – but some years that’s easier to do than others. I doubt it’s all that controversial of a statement to say that Oppenheimer is Nolan’s best film, but despite its at-times Academy-baiting direction, unprecedented runtime, deeply confronting mental health-related content and almost parody-like roll call of endless big-name cameos, this is not a movie you might confusedly attribute to any other living auteur. The eye-catching use of IMAX aspect ratios and black-and-white film with thematic purpose, the inter-cutting of shots from different time periods into the chronological scene progression, a complete aversion to any form of CGI shot at all costs, the elevation of a big low-frequency score in the sound mix (this time by a returning Ludwig Göransson), and the presence of a contemplative Cillian Murphy performance that stares through your soul – this time at an all-time career-best level – take care of ensuring that Nolan’s considerably loud voice shines through. And it just might ensure he takes home the award his career has deserved for a long time.
-◊-◊-◊-◊-
Honorable Mentions
—Asteroid City
Quite possibly the most Wes Anderson of Wes Anderson films, Asteroid City calls direct attention to the right angles, artificial CGI and flat shot compositions that make up most of his filmography via a ludicrous cameo list, a beyond-stilted script, and a black-and-white framing device that itself lacks a fourth wall. This movie will absolutely divide people forever, but I had a great time.
–The Super Mario Bros Movie
The crimes of the 1980s Hollywood Mario Bros adaptation have at last been corrected, and the long-cursed prospects for cinematic video game adaptations are definitively starting to look up: Illumination and that endlessly-discussed voice cast have delivered an authentically enjoyable Nintendo movie. The background references, the Easter eggs, the rainbow road chase, the hilarious trapped Luma: it’s all gold for a parched longtime fan.
–The Creator
The plot may not be the most unique thing in the world, but The Creator is astonishingly good-looking, well-directed, and packs in some superb performances, as well as an action scene or two that will stick in my mind for a long time to come. It’s still so crazy that it allegedly cost less than most of the blockbusters it outperforms in the visual department.
–Extraction 2
This young straightforward-action franchise, which somehow feels like an underdog despite the very famous people involved, is now building some serious momentum due to its gimmicky action shots and under-represented cinematic settings. What once felt like a flash in the pan now feels like a series worth anticipating.
—Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Did anyone actually expect this movie to be good? A straightforward fantasy story without so much as a single meta gimmick or joke should not have been as enjoyable as this. It definitely should not have brought Michelle Rodriguez back as a viable movie star, or had such inventive action sequences, and it definitely should not have made me tear up at the end. And yet it did all those things. 2023 was weird, man.
Vagrant Rant 