Logan gives us a look into his 2023 in film.
While everyone else was making a Top 10 list for what they watched in 2023, I jotted down all the movies I made an effort to see and decided to write a bit about each one. I’ve done it before, I dare say I’ll do it again next year. As I’m want to do, I’ll start in January and ty to touch on the films based on when they were released, not necessarily when I watched them.
Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania
At the time it was released I was mostly positive about this entry into the MCU, but since then I really haven’t thought about it, and sitting here trying to write something on it all I can remember is how empty it all felt. No tactility, just people running around on stages, pumped in CGI and actors doing the best they can. MODOK was funny, even if most of fandom hated it. He’s a giant head, it shouldn’t be serious. The less discussed about Kang these days, the better.
Cocaine Bear
I caught this on streaming and found some enjoyment with it, especially with the performances.
Scream VI
One of my favorite theater experiences of 2023. I went with a few of my nieces and we had a blast. The franchise has certainly fallen from the heights it once reached, but it’s still a fun slasher film with lots of easter eggs and twists for OG Scream fans.
Champions
Another one I caught on streaming, mostly at the recommendation of Adam. I should say I’m very biased here, one of my nephews has Downs and so it was hard to look at the film with any kind of critical eye. I unabashedly loved it.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods
I debated on just lumping a lot of films together into a category of “I liked them just fine,” which would encompass most of what I watched this year really. This would certainly be at the top of that list though. It wasn’t the first film by a wide margin, but amongst all the other superhero releases of the year, this is one of the ones that stood out as deserving better than it got.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Maybe the most surprised I was at the movies this year. I loved every goofy, sentimental second of this movie.
Super Mario Bros.
There was so much anticipation and anxiety about this movie, and not just from me. While this year really did seem to break the curse of Bad Video Game Adaptations for film and TV, for me this one is just a small blip on that radar and only qualifies because it isn’t BAD. It just also isn’t that good.
Air
I honestly forgot this even came out in 2023. If you forgot what the world wanted you to believe 1980 was, this may be worth the time, but if you’re looking for insights to #23, this ain’t it.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
For most of the year, this was my favorite film. Equal parts hysterical, exciting and emotional, I think it’s a damn near perfect film. There are numerous instances where I found myself moved to tears, but the thing that I keep coming back to is the relationship between Peter and Gamora, and the fact that he’s clutching to his memories of her, desperately wanting to get back what he’s lost, and coming to the realization that she very much is no longer that person and never can be again. I was going through something similar at the time, and will always be grateful for the catharsis of watching all this play out.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
I know for a lot of people this was THE fandom film of the year, if not just the best film of 2023 period. It’s hard to argue that. I truly enjoyed every second of it, it was beautiful and most of the emotional beats landed hard for me, but the fact that it wound up just being half of a film really undercut a lot of what it had built up for most of its run time. I will say, there’s no superhero film I’m looking forward to more than the finale of this series.
The Boogeyman
I recently attempted to catch up with this Stephen King adaptation on streaming. I made it about 20 minutes in and turned it off. Not because it was bad, but because I wanted to be able to sleep peacefully again at some point in my life.
Transformers: Rise of the Beast
Despite Michael Bay ruining almost every ounce of goodwill I had for the Transformers as a franchise, I was really looking forward to this entry. I enjoyed Bumblebee, and while this was yet another attempted restart, I was optimistic that they could pull off something fun, even if it was stupid. I’m happy to say I was right.
The Flash
Has there ever been a more appropriately named film? There and gone in an instant. There’s a lot to discuss when it comes to this movie, but I think what needs to be said has been said again and again by many with louder voices than mine. The only thing I’m sad that we lost to its failure was more of Keaton as Bats.
Elemental
Another one I caught up with on streaming, and I’m glad I did. It lacks the gravitas of the best of Pixar, but it definitely was a charming (if innocuous) watch. It looks beautiful, and it elicits some genuine emotion and laughter; sometimes that’s more than enough.
Asteroid City
I used to be a pretty die-hard Wes Anderson guy. I loved his whole schtick, the aesthetics, the dry wit and the way he always seemed to get the best people to come play pretend. Decades into it, I think I’ve had my fill. There’s still a lot to like in his latest, and I was beyond excited to see Tom Hanks join his band of melancholy merrimakers, but ultimately it feels like a shrug of a film. Too many gimmicks-in-gimmicks and not enough true pathos and exploration of humanity. It’s like someone made a pastiche of Anderson, except it’s Anderson.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
There were a lot of films I desperately (foolishly?) hoped would be great in 2023, maybe none more so than this one. I guess I should be clear about two things: there wasn’t a 2023 film I watched that I outright hated, and I do think there’s a lot of fun to be had with this final outing of the great Indiana Jones. I just wish it was truly great.
Mission: Impossible- Dead Reckoning, Part 1
Like its title, this movie is incredibly messy, but also unbelievably fun. Like Spider-Verse, the thing it suffers from the most is being incomplete.
Barbie
If not for my personal catharsis with GotG Vol. 3, Barbie would have been my favorite film of the year. I think it absolutely lands in every way, shape and form. It’s hysterical, poignant, personal and prescient. I bought myself a “I am Kenough” hoodie. I bought the soundtrack on vinyl. I talked incessantly about it with friends and coworkers. And, yes, I even realized some things about myself in doing so.
Oppenheimer
My interest in Christopher Nolan films has been on a steady decline since The Dark Knight Rises. So much so that I never even got around to watching Tenet. Cillian Murphy getting a chance to really step out as the lead in a huge, anticipated film was enough to bring me back to the fold. I’m fortunate that I got to see it on an actual IMAX, and it truly was an amazing experience. There’s a lot to love here, but ultimately I think it suffers from what most biopics suffer from; it never really elevates itself past its subject matter. All my opinions, of course. I look forward to RDJ getting Oscar gold though.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
This is the one movie I wish I’d gotten the chance to revisit before I sat down to write this. I went with my nephew Jace to see it in theaters and I was exhausted. On top of that we had a kid in our screening who felt like he had to engage with the film, as if they were just talking to him. It wasn’t the best experience, but what I did get to focus on I really enjoyed. I need to see it again, and soon. More importantly, maybe, I’m excited for the future of these characters for the first time in quite awhile.
Blue Beetle
I loved this movie, and it deserved far better than it got. I think the performances, at least on the hero side, were all fantastic, and the laughs were genuine. It’s not without flaws, but it’s got more than enough heart to overcome them.
Polite Society
One of two surprise enjoyments for the year, for me at least. This film was not on my radar and I got invited to tag along to a screening with a friend. It’s one of those movies that the less you know going in the better, so I’ll just say that it’s very funny and full of some great, unique action set pieces.
Jawan
This was the second surprise, and another one not on my radar at all. Again, invited to tag along with a buddy, went in knowing nothing, and loved every second. There’s not another movie I watched in 2023 that measures up to the brilliant insanity of this film. Any attempt to describe it would just make me sound like a lunatic, it just has to be seen to be believed.
Five Nights at Freddy’s
Is it good? No, not really. But it strikes a weird balance between fun and creepy, and managed to further solidify that video game adaptations can be good(ish) and successful. There’s some decent twists and turns and it gives us some Matthew Lillard on screen, which is always a great thing.
The Marvels
While video game adaptations seemed to take massive jumps in quality in 2023, superhero films took a nosedive. The Marvels was a bit better than most, but still lacked something. Naysayers will cite wokeness and plucky young heroes, but that first thing is a red herring and the last is just wrong. Ms Marvel is the single part of this film that works throughout. I hope it got some folks to go check out her underseen series on Disney+.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
Jason Mamoa seemed to be filming a cheeky commercial while everyone else was making an overdramatic superhero film. It looks great but overall falls completely flat. Partially because it just won’t matter in two years when we get an all-new DCEU. Patrick Wilson deserves a bigger, better franchise.
Leave the World Behind
Adapted and directed by Sam Esmail, no film in 2023 better captured the existential dread that is living in modern times. It’s moody as hell, with brilliant performances and an ending that will either leave you shaking your head in agreement or disappointment. It’s easily one of the best films of last year.
I watched less than 30 of the films that were released in 2023. It’s a good deal more than I’ve made time for in recent years, but far below the number I’d been hitting a decade or so ago, and it’s not even a notch on the belt of a majority of film critics. To that I’ll just say…it’s a good thing I’m not a film critic, even if I used to fancy myself one. Here’s to 2024. Bring on Deadpool 3!