2017’s Cinematic Highlights
As regular readers will know, I don’t rush into choosing my favourite films of any particular year until a good few months into the next one – primarily because a film’s staying power is a key factor for me when picking my favourites. But that said, as it’s Hollywood’s annual awards season at the moment, I do like to hand out a few prizes of my own!
So without further ado, here are some of my highlights from 2017’s cinematic releases.
Comedy of 2017 – Thor: Ragnarok. Sure, we could get into a whole debate over whether the third Thor movie is a true “comedy”, or an “action-comedy”, or just an “action” movie with funny bits … but the bottom line is that I probably laughed more consistently through Thor: Ragnarok than I did with any other movie this year.
Most Visually Stunning Film(s) of 2017 – Blade Runner 2049 and Ghost In The Shell. I had to call it a tie between these two films, as they’re both absolutely breath-taking to look at. Blade Runner 2049 is perhaps more of a visual mood-piece, while Ghost In The Shell is a seamless melding of practical prosthetics, real locations and CGI, but both are true visual treats.
Feel Good Film of 2017 – Paddington 2. If ever there was a perfect, family-friendly film to put a smile on your face and restore your faith in the decency of humankind in these dark times, it’s this surprisingly good sequel to the surprisingly good 2014 film.
Best Christmas Movie of 2017 – A Bad Moms Christmas. I’m a sucker for a Christmas movie, but when was the last time we got a decent, cinematically-released, one? A Bad Moms Christmas may not have been high art, but it was good fun, and will make it onto my Xmas movie playlist for future Christmases!
Most Divisive Film of 2017 – Star Wars: The Last Jedi. The fact that this was so divisive has come as a real surprise to me (and I’m still not sure whether there was a “genuine” backlash against the film, or just a small, but very vocal, minority who didn’t like it). I loved the film, in part precisely because it didn’t unfold the way anyway expected it to – but ironically I know a few people who didn’t like it for the exact same reason…
Biggest Disappointment of 2017 – The Dark Tower. I’ve never read the Stephen King novel on which this film is based, but I’ve heard nothing but great things about it. I love Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey, and thought they could do no wrong. It’s fair to say I had high hopes for The Dark Tower, but the end result felt more like a made-for-TV pilot episode than a satisfying blockbuster movie.
Biggest Surprise of 2017 – Baby Driver. I’m not sure any of us really knew what to expect from Edgar Wright’s latest movie, but what we got was arguably the most original and inventive film of the year.
Best Soundtrack of 2017 – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. A fantastic compilation soundtrack, that’s every bit as good as the soundtrack from the first film (and that’s saying something). A close runner up was Baby Driver’s soundtrack, but both films manage to make the music an integral part of the film itself. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 also wins my award for Best Opening Credits Sequence of 2017!
Best Score of 2017 – Wonder Woman. I’ve listened to Rupert Gregson-Williams’ great score countless times since its release, and I never get tired of it.
Guilty Pleasure of 2017 – Valerian & The City of a Thousand Planets. Look, I know that objectively speaking this is not a great film, but it’s so weird and idiosyncratic that I kinda love it. A close runner-up on my “guilty pleasure” list is Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, as I’ve long been a fan of this series, which ended on a particularly high note with this film.
Action Flick of 2017 – John Wick: Chapter 2. I was going to name this my “guilty pleasure” of 2017, but there’s really nothing to feel guilty about! This is a fantastic action flick, and it’s even an improvement on the first excellent John Wick movie. The kind of rollercoaster ride of a movie that I never get tired of re-watching!
Hidden Gem of 2017 – Split. This was a film that seemed to arrive without any fanfare, and was finished in the cinemas before I knew it was even out – but having tracked it down on Blu-ray, it’s a great little character-driven, supernatural thriller, that builds towards something even more exciting…
Most Unfairly Judged Films of 2017 – Pirates of the Caribbean 5 and Baywatch. I’ll admit I was as judgmental as anyone when they announced the fifth Pirates film, but having actually seen it, it’s a really enjoyable return to form. Similarly, Baywatch may be crude and crass, but it’s also very funny, and didn’t deserve the critical mauling it received.
Favourite Cinematic Moment of 2017 – Wonder Woman. I won’t spoil the context for anyone who’s not seen the film yet, but I think two of my favourite cinematic moments from 2017 came from Wonder Woman – the No Man’s Land scene and the “maybe we’re all to blame” moment. For a film where the only criticism people seem to have is that the final act is CGI-heavy, people do appear to forget that there are some really moving character moments in the final act as well.
Obviously, these aren’t all of my favourite films from 2017, but they are some of the highlights! Watch this space for my Top Ten of 2017 in a couple of months, but for now, you might want to check out some of the above highlights if you’ve not seen them already.
