Top Ten Films of 2016: A Retrospective
I like to leave it until the spring of the following year to look back at the previous year’s releases and pick my Top Ten films from that year – partly because it gives me an extra few months to catch up with some of the releases that I may have missed in the cinema, and partly because sometimes the real test of a film is how well it ages in the weeks and months after you first see it.
With that in mind, it’s now time for my retrospective Top Ten review of 2016 – a year that seemed to have a pretty good mix of franchise films and original concepts, with a surprising number of comedies and animations making it into my Top Ten as well.
10) Jason Bourne - If I’m being honest with you, Jason Bourne only just made it into my Top Ten, and after the disappointment of the Bourne-free The Bourne Legacy, I thought this franchise was dead and buried … but the return of Jason Bourne in this self-titled “fourth” film (ignoring Legacy) actually showed that the character was still hugely relevant to current affairs. Yes, some aspects of the story were a bit clichéd (such as the ties back to his father), but the tale of covert government surveillance, leaks from inside the intelligence community, hacktivism, civil unrest, and internet-based invasions of privacy couldn’t be more topical. This felt like “classic” Bourne, while also feeling like something fresh, new and ripped from the headlines – and new characters like Alicia Vikander’s cyber-counterterrorism expert added fresh shades of grey and intrigue to the franchise.
9) The Nice Guys - As I said in my full review, this is exactly the kind of original, risk-taking movie that I wish they’d make more of, and it’s such a shame that it was completely overlooked in the cinema, on both sides of the Atlantic. The Nice Guys only missed out on a higher spot in my Top Ten because, for me, the conspiracy wasn’t quite as satisfying as in Shane Black’s last private-eye thriller, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (which was pretty much a masterpiece in my book).
8) Moana - I rarely put “kids’ films” in my Top Ten, mainly because as enjoyable as they may be, I’ll only watch them if I’m watching them with my kids and they’re not the sort of films I’ll choose to put on otherwise. However, Moana was such an enjoyable film, I just had to put it on my Top Ten. I knew next to nothing about this film when I saw it, and yet its combination of a family friendly inspirational story, a soundtrack put together by some of the most talented composers around, and the historically accurate portrayal of Polynesian culture and mythology, really blew me away, and fully deserved the 5-star review.
7) Zootropolis - 2016 was the year that Disney Animation took things to a whole new level, and in my mind, overtook Pixar as the animation studio producing the best quality work. There’s no doubt that Disney’s last two films, Moana and Zootropolis (called Zootopia in the US), were far better that Pixar’s last two, The Good Dinosaur and Finding Dory. And as much as I loved Moana, Zootropolis was excellent on a whole other level (which was why I named it Best Animated Film of 2016, before it won the matching Oscar win!). Part family-friendly caper, part 70s-style conspiracy thriller (with talking animals), Zootropolis is the kind of film that works on several different levels. There are fantastically inventive sight-gags centred around designing a city where animals of different shapes, sizes and habitats could all live together, as well as some great 80s-style mismatched buddy-cop banter between the two main characters, voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman. Add to the mix a frightening topical subtext about racial prejudices and discrimination, and you have something that is not only one of 2016’s best “family” films, but one of its best films full-stop.
6) Star Trek Beyond - You almost couldn’t wish for a better film for Star Trek’s 50th anniversary, and this captured the spirit of unity and exploration that is at the heart of Star Trek. As such, Beyond is probably the best Star Trek film in the last 20 years (since First Contact), and I’d say that it’s my fourth favourite of the 13 Star Trek films made so far. The “new” cast finally feel like they’re fully at home with their characters (now in their third film), and we were treated to some great interplay between the characters (most notably between Spock and Bones, which results in some of the film’s best moments). Poignantly looking back at Star Trek’s history (with the subplots regarding Ambassador Spock and the USS Franklin) as well as forward to its future, the film (like Zootropolis) also includes an alarmingly relevant message about the dangers of choosing isolationism and cultural “purity” over collaboration, teamwork and multiculturalism. As ever, Star Trek manages to be entertaining while also providing a social commentary on our real world issues. Oh, and congratulations to Idris Elba for having two films in my Top Ten (Zootropolis and Star Trek Beyond).
5) Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping – as explained in my 5-star review, I thought that this was not only the Best Comedy of 2016, but also the Best Soundtrack. The truth is, I’ve been a massive fan of The Lonely Island for years, and to be honest with you, I was just excited to hear that they announced they were releasing a new album - so the fact that it effectively came with its own spoof musical mockumentary film as well was just icing on the cake.
As I move into my Top Four films of 2016, I have to confess that for all intents and purposes, these four films are essentially all tied-first-place – although I’ve ordered them fourth down to first based on how I feel today, the order could easily change again tomorrow, and again the day after that…
4) Rogue One: A Star Wars Story - I really couldn’t find anything to fault about Rogue One, which managed to feel like a “proper” Star Wars film and also something new and fresh – and which not only weaves seamlessly into A New Hope, it actually adds more depth and emotional resonance to the 40-year-old original Star Wars film. Earning its 5-star review, this was daring in a way I never expected a Star Wars film to be, and it has set the bar high for all future Star Wars standalone films. Oh, and congratulations to Riz Ahmed, who has two films in my Top Ten (Jason Bourne and Rogue One).
3) Deadpool - This was a film that for years Fox refused to make, and it was only greenlit thanks to the hard work and perseverance of the filmmakers … and the fact that someone (whose name rhymes with “Smyan Smeynolds”?) leaked the test footage a week before Comicon and the internet lost its mind. It wasn’t an understatement for me to say that Deadpool was the Game-changer of 2016, as it almost single-handedly proved that you didn’t always need to water down “action blockbusters” in order for them to be a commercial success, and that you could still make a financially viable R-rated movie. It’s not a stretch to say that without Deadpool, there probably would never have been a Logan (one of the best films of 2017). Deadpool is funny, inventive, original and fresh – and was by far the biggest surprise of 2016, and I for one can’t wait to see where they go with the sequel.
2) Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice – arguably the most divisive film of 2016 at one point, it might be my imagination but it seems that there are a lot more people now that are willing to admit publically to liking this film than there were back in March 2016 when it came out (and when it seemed like everyone wanted to jump on the bandwagon to trash it). The truth is, beneath all of its blockbuster super-heroics, BvS is probably one of the most prophetic films of 2016, and Alfred’s quote about “the feeling of powerlessness that turns good men … cruel” seems to sum up 2016 for many. As a lifelong fan of Batman comics, and in particular of Frank Miller’s seminal work The Dark Knight Returns, I got a real thrill out of seeing a version of that story brought to life on the big screen. This is a very different version of Batman from Christian Bale’s version … but the same could be said of Frank Miller’s version in The Dark Knight Returns, as this older, gritty, and more violent Batman is meant to be a man who has lost his way and become engulfed in darkness. Characters should go on a journey in a film, and it’s clear that the Batman we see at the end of BvS is a very different one from the Batman we see at the beginning of the film; if anything, you could view BvS as a redemption story for Batman (as well as an interesting examination of how the modern - cynical and distrustful - world would actually view Superman). Add to that the impressive introduction of Wonder Woman, and an emotionally-charged score that I still regularly listen to over a year later, and it’s easy for me to see why this is one of my very top films of 2016. Oh, and I should add that it you can, watch the extended "Ultimate Edition" - the 3 hour run-time is pretty hefty, but it adds a lot more character moments (for Clark Kent in particular) and fills in several plot-holes created by the cut-down cinematic release.
1) Captain America: Civil War - As much as I loved BvS, it did use the movie cliché of having a misunderstanding arise between two heroes so that they’ll fight, but then (mild spoiler for BvS, but come on, it was obviously going to happen!) they overcome their misunderstandings and unite against a common enemy. Civil War, on the other hand, does something that I’ve never seen before – it sets heroes against heroes where there are no misunderstandings at all – just honest, apparently insurmountable, differences of opinions. Even when the “common enemy” is revealed, it’s still not enough to get the warring heroes to set aside their differences. Writing a film where heroes clash over ideological issues is all but impossible at the best of times, but to do it in such a way that neither side is clearly 100% wrong or 100% right is an accomplishment of staggering proportions. This is probably the best Marvel film to date (although it’s definitely not the most “feel good”), as it deals with complex character motivations and relationships in the context of an exciting, spectacle-packed blockbuster. Some character motivations (particularly Tony Stark’s) stem from relatively recent films like Age of Ultron, while other plot threads tie events right back to 2008’s Iron Man. Couple that with tonnes of great character moments for Scarlett Witch, Black Panther, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Falcon, Vision, War Machine – as well as the central trio of Captain America, Iron Man and The Winter Soldier – and add to that an impressive debut for the MCU’s new Spiderman, as well as Zemo who is, for my money, the best and most complex 3-dimensional villain since Loki – and you have my Film of 2016.
Before I sign off, it’s only fair to also give a shout out to those films that just narrowly missed out on a spot in my Top Ten of 2016 (and which, in a less competitive year, might have made it in) – so I tip my hat to Doctor Strange, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, Suicide Squad and Bad Moms.
And as some have asked why I rarely post reviews of films I didn't like, the simple answer is a rarely have the time or money to see films that I suspect I won't enjoy! So while I can't do a list of the "worst" films of 2016 (because I try to avoid paying to watch "bad" films), here's a brief run down of my biggest disappointments of 2016 in terms of the films that I did see:
5th place: David Brent: Life On The Road - as I said in my 2-star review, this wasn’t a bad film per se, but it wasn’t a scratch on The Office. In fact, it just left me with the urge to re-watch The Office again, rather than ever seen this film again! Not bad … but a bit pointless?
4th place: Ghostbusters (2016) - I really wanted to like this film … but unfortunately, for me it failed to either hold a candle to the original film, or to stand on its own two feet as a comedy. In terms of great female-led comedies, I’d rather re-watch Bridesmaids or The Heat or Spy or How to be Single or Bad Moms, as they're all female-led comedies that are funnier than this reboot. This film does feed into the larger question, of why does Hollywood keep trying to remake classic films (where it’s difficult to match, let alone exceed, the quality of the original), instead of trying to remake films that had great potential or concepts but didn’t live up to them?
3rd place: Dad's Army (2016) - I have a huge amount of affection for the original TV-series, and the casting on this film is the absolute definition of fantasy casting, with the crème de la crème of British comedy talent. Shame then, that they are let down by a script which forgets to be funny, or to really give them anything to do.
2nd place: High-Rise - I love weird, allegorical films as much as the next guy, but this was just too weird, even for me. It's the type of film where the actors are playing metaphors rather than actual characters, and no one is behaving in a way that is even slightly believable or relatable. Too odd for me, I'm afraid.
Biggest disappointment of 2016: X-Men: Apocalypse - Now, I’m not saying it’s the worst film of 2016, but it certainly had the biggest gulf between potential and end product. X-Men: Days of Future Past was such a fantastic film (I genuinely think it’s probably the second-best X-universe film made, just behind X2), and when I heard that the same creative team would be tackling one of my favourite X-Men villains (Apocalypse, obviously), it’s fair to say that my expectations were sky-high. What we got was an absolute mess. Apocalypse himself was a disaster – poorly written, poorly designed (that costume was hideous), and inadequately motivated, he was probably the least impressive main antagonist in any of the X-universe films, and poor Oscar Isaacs (who I normally really love) not only had nothing to work with in the script, but he also could barely emote under all that make-up and costume. And speaking of wasting great actors – after his excellent, layered and nuanced work in First Class and Days of Future Past, Michael Fassbender was hamstrung this time with a character arc that was straight out of clichés-for-dummies. But at least he had a character arc (albeit a clichéd one) – poor Nicholas Hoult, who was also so good in the previous two films, had literally nothing to do in this film. Worst still, the attempt to recapture the magic of the Quicksilver scene from Days of Future Past felt tacky, hollow and cynical, and even more so when you realise who’s just died during that “comedy” scene. And while we’re talking about Quicksilver – WTF has he been doing for the last 10 years?!? I mean, if you want to use the gimmick that each of the three “prequel” X-Men films happen 10 years apart (1963 for First Class, 1973 for Days of Future Past, and 1983 for Apocalypse), you have to be able to explain what the characters have been doing between films. They managed that really well in Days of Future Past by showing what the various characters had been up to since First Class, but in this film, the chronologies made no sense at all. So Quicksilver, who was (let’s say) late-teens in Days of Future Past has literally just spent the last decade playing arcade games in his mum’s basement? Okay! But what about Havoc – he must be in his mid-to-late-30s by now, and yet appears to have done nothing with his life (other than hang out with his brother who must be about 20 years younger than him presumably)? And let’s not forget that if you look at all three films together, Professor X – the great mutant leader who (we have always been told) is responsible for fighting for mutant tolerance and acceptance – has basically taken twenty years to set up the X-Men as a force for good! And don’t get me started on the completely one-dimensional characters of Psylocke or Archangel (although, admittedly, their character designs were cool riffs on the original comic book designs), or the scene involving the nuclear missiles that still doesn’t really make any sense, or the fact that no one seems to even mention the almost incalculable death toll in the final act (which is far worst that the end of Man of Steel, and look how much flak that film got), or the general “hyper choreographed, gravity defying, city-block destroying, CG f**kathon” (to steal a quote from James Mangold’s screenplay for Logan) that is the final act! For me, this film is right down at the bottom of the X-universe scale, alongside the unloved X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men: Origins – Wolverine, except this one has no behind-the-scene excuses, as it came from the same creative team that had just made Days of Future Past! But let’s end on a positive (the only one?) … I really liked the new characters (Nightcrawler, Jean Grey and Cyclops), and the very last scene of the film was not only awesome, but it also gave me some hope for the future direction of the series. Ironically, the three “prequel” X-Men films have followed the same pattern as the “original” trilogy – a great first film full of imagination and promise, a masterful second film, and a hugely disappointing final chapter that wasted many of the characters build up in the previous films…
Still, let's not end on too much of a downer - you can also check out my earlier blog of my Cinematic Highlights of 2016, which includes light-hearted awards like my nomination for “Feel Good Film of the Year”!
