Top Ten Films of 2019: A Retrospective

I normally like to leave it a while before taking a look back at the previous year’s releases and picking my Top Ten films of that year, but this year’s been anything but “normal”.  Nevertheless, here’s my retrospective look back at my favourite films from 2019, which are all worth catching up on if you’ve not seen them yet.

As usual, there were many films that I really loved that still narrowly missed out on a spot in my Top Ten for 2019, but we start off with…

10)  Frozen 2:  Despite all of the pressure on this sequel, it’s actually every bit as expectation-defying as the original, which is saying something.  It takes the characters in compelling – but believable – directions, and has a storyline that deals with some really interesting concepts that feel as far removed from a straightforward fairy tale as the first film did.  All that, and a rousing soundtrack (winner of my Best Soundtrack of 2019 award) that has everything from comedic songs to ones that will break your heart.

9)  The LEGO Movie 2:  This sequel didn’t have nearly the same cultural impact as the original film, but that doesn’t make it any less good.  Just as funny as the first film, and just as inventive – this time it doesn’t rely on the revelation about the real world for its twist, and instead layers the jokes over a tale of growing up and loss of innocence, with a (much needed) message about not losing hope when “everything’s not awesome”.

8)  Toy Story 4:  Winner of my Family Film of 2019 award, this was the best sequel of the year that no one thought they needed.  At the time, Toy Story 3 felt like it concluded the story perfectly … but actually, Toy Story 4 found a natural and poignant way to add a touching coda onto Woody’s story, and to provide Bo Peep with a proper send off.

7)  Jumanji: The Next Level:  Cynically, you could argue that this is essentially the same as the last film … but then, that’s half the joke.  And that attitude also does this film a huge disservice, as despite the superficial similarities, this is actually a very different movie when it comes to the film’s character moments and themes.  Fun, adventurous, funny and genuinely emotional in places, this is perfect family friendly entertainment.

6)  Spiderman: Far From Home:  A bit like with Jumanji: The Next Level, a cynic could argue that this is just more of the same – but again, they’d be wrong.  Far From Home takes possibly the worst movie trope of all time (a sequel where the American characters go on a road trip across Europe), and actually delivers a film which is not only one of the funniest entries in the MCU, but which also serves as an emotionally satisfying coda to Avengers: Endgame, and an engaging continuation of the teen/high school storylines from Homecoming.  All that, and an ending that leaves the audience begging to see what happens next…

5)  John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum:  I know some people have said that Chapter 3 was over indulgent when it comes to the mythology of the John Wick Universe (and I will admit, I don’t think Chapter 3 is quite as tight as Chapter 2) – but a less-than-perfect John Wick instalment is still better than 95% of other action films out there.  It may lose a bit too much momentum in the middle, but the escape-from-NYC opening section, the ‘dog fight’ with Halle Berry’s Sofia, and the final showdown are all action sequences which are unparalleled in terms of fight choreography in a modern Hollywood film (and which deservedly won the film my Best Stunts of 2019 award).  I, for one, could not be happier about the recently announced Chapter 4 and Chapter 5, as the series shows no signs of running out of inspiration for continually raising the bar for Western action cinema.

4)  Captain Marvel:  The 21st film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe had to find a way to tell yet another origin story, without it feeling like it was going over old ground by telling yet another original story.  It also needed to find a way to introduce as much universe-building galactic backstory as Thor, Guardians of the Galaxy or Doctor Strange did, but in a way that felt fresh and new.  It succeeded on both counts, turning the truth of Captain Marvel’s origin into a character-driven mystery to be solved, and using the character’s space-based backstory as an allegory for abusive and coercive relationships.  It also has some of the biggest surprises of any MCU film (which I still won’t spoil here, just in case…), acts as an origin story for Nick Fury as well as Captain Marvel, and also has a very touching final tribute to Stan Lee.

And finally now, on to my top three, which this year really felt like they stood a cut above the rest of the pack.

3)  Joker:  This was a film I was predisposed to hate; generally, I am not a huge fan of writer/director Todd Phillips, and as a life-long Batman fan, the idea of giving the Joker a definitive origin story seemed completely antithetical to the character.  But then I saw the film, and realised that you have to leave all that baggage behind – this isn’t the definitive origin story of The Joker, it’s an unreliably-narrated origin story of a joker.  The film has far more in common with psychological thrillers like Taxi Driver or Nightcrawler than it does with any comic-book or DC film, and on that level, it’s a gripping, unsettling and uncompromising character drama that, while set in 1981, is also a cautionary social commentary on America’s social care failures and growing sense of disconnection between the public and those in power.

2)  Knives Out:  I’ve always been a fan of the whodunit genre, but Rian Johnson’s film is not only an intelligent, funny and entertaining tribute to the genre, it’s also a clever reinvention of it.  Introducing Daniel Craig as a new big screen detective that’s sure to stand alongside the greats in years to come, the film is carried by an impressive all-star cast that are clearly having a great time playing the larger than life archetypes.  Laugh-out-loud funny, full of engaging characters, and with a central mystery that’s ingenious and intellectually satisfying in its own right, Knives Out is certainly the best original film of 2019.  Re-watching some classic whodunits recently has only increased my admiration for what Knives Out accomplished in terms of reinvigorating this genre.

1)  Film of the Year 2019 – Avengers: Endgame:  Where to start with Endgame?  It’s quite literally a piece of cinematic history – the culmination of a 22-film, 11-year story arc that’s spanned fictional decades (The First Avenger being set during WW2) and has travelled from Earth to the other side of the universe, via parallel dimensions, time travel, and the quantum realm.  And it all comes together seamlessly in a finale that is at times contemplative and melancholy, and at other times triumphant and exhilarating.  It provided emotional swansongs for a handful of beloved characters, while also passing the torch onto others.  It found a way to give the main cast plenty of emotional character material to get their teeth into, while also delivering some of the most visually stunning, epic action sequences of recent years.  And let’s not forget the so-called ‘portals scene’, which won my Cinematic Moment of 2019 award, and is one of the greatest sequences in any recent blockbuster.  The finale of the MCU’s Infinity Saga did not disappoint, and is a true masterpiece of modern cinema.

If you want to read my full (non-spoiler) reviews for any of these Top Ten films, just click on the above links.

While I don’t do a list of the "worst" films of the year (because I try to avoid paying to watch "bad" films), here's a brief run-down of my biggest disappointments of 2019 in terms of the films that I did see:

4th place – Stuber:  I really like Kumail Nanjiani (who stole the show in Men In Black: International), Dave Bautista (who was the comedic MVP in Guardians of The Galaxy Vol 2) and Iko Uwais (from the legendary Raid films), so was actually looking forward to this odd-couple buddy-cop movie.  Shame it’s such a by-the-numbers, straight-to-DVD disappointment.

3rd place – Hellboy (2019):  I love (a) the original Guillermo Del Toro/Ron Perlman Hellboy films, and (b) David Harbour, so I thought this reboot could be the start of an exciting new era for the Hellboy character (even if all anyone really wants is a Del Toro/Perlman Hellboy 3).  Instead, I got a disjointed, two-dimensional, cheesy AF mess of a movie, which would have been disappointing as an original movie, but was a kick in the teeth for existing Hellboy fans.  The great cast tries their best, but this is a truly bad film that borders on being unwatchable.

2nd place – Brightburn:  This is definitely the “worst” film I saw from 2019, but it wasn’t the biggest “disappointment”, because as I wasn’t expecting much in the first place.  Even so, this was still a huge disappointment and a completely wasted opportunity.  The premise is great (what if baby Superman grew up to be a sociopath), but it was done soooooooooooooooo much better in the TV Series The Boys – in comparison, Brightburn has absolutely zero depth or character development and feels like it was written by a couple of immature teenage gore-fans.

Biggest Disappointment of 2019 – Last Christmas:  Not the “worst” film from 2019, but certainly the most disappointing.  I love Paul Feig films (his last film, A Simple Favour, came 6th in my Top Ten of 2018 ).  I love Christmas films.  This one was written by the genius Emma Thompson, and starred Emilia Clarke and Henry Golding (who I both rate as actors) and the legendary Michelle Yeoh.  What’s not to love?  I was expecting another Xmas classic, but it’s uninspired and cliché-riddled, and falls limply between being a romantic-comedy and a life-affirming Christmas film, without really satisfying as either.  It’s not a “bad” film per se, but it’s not a “good” film either – and that certainly feels like a huge disappointment given the talents of everyone involved.

I’m not saying that the above films were necessarily the worst films of 2019, but they were the most disappointing.

Still, let's not end on too much of a downer – you can also check out my earlier blog of my Cinematic Highlights of 2019, which includes my nominations for categories such as “Hidden Gems of the Year” and “Guilty Pleasure of the Year”.