Top Ten Films of 2020: A Retrospective

I like to leave it a few months before taking a look back at the previous year’s releases and picking my Top Ten films of the year – partly because it gives me some extra time to catch up with films I missed, but mainly because often the real test of a film is how well it ages in the months after you first see it.

Of course, 2020 was anything but a “normal” year, with release dates constantly being cancelled and films repeatedly postponed into 2021 (and beyond). Nevertheless, there were some really enjoyable films released, both before and during the pandemic, so here is the Top Ten of my personal favourites from 2020.

10) Hamilton: I’m still not 100% sure if I consider this (an edited recording of the live Broadway production) to be a genuine “film”. For that reason (and that reason alone) I’ve dropped it down to my number 10 – it’s pretty much flawless entertainment that I’ve revisited time and time again, but is it the original stage show (rather than the “film”) that’s so impressive? If it wasn’t for these existential questions, this would no doubt be higher, as it’s an absolute must-see on Disney+ (and it’s the only streaming-exclusive film to make it into my Top Ten)

9) 1917: This film could so easily have been nothing more than its technical gimmick (the “one shot” movie), but the way it’s filmed is so immersive that it puts you right in the trenches alongside the soldiers, so that you become emotionally invested in their plight. Not only is it technically brilliant (some of the cinematography, especially the night scenes, is truly breath-taking, earning my Most Visually Stunning Film of 2020 award), but it’s also an emotionally gripping anti-war thriller.

8) Bill & Ted Face The Music: I admit that I may be voting for this film primarily for nostalgic reasons, but I don’t care! After a 29-year break, Bill and Ted’s return to the big screen is better than I dared hope, and this threequel is not only just as funny as the previous films (earning my Best Comedy of 2020 award), it also arguably has more heart, poignancy and plot too, managing to be simultaneously laugh-out-loud funny and touching in many places.

7) Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn: Okay, so I admit that this one is a bit of a guilty pleasure (it was actually my Guilty Pleasure of 2020) – but it’s also one of the films from 2020 that I’ve seen the most times (three, so far). Why do I keep coming back to it? It’s just so much fun, which in 2020 is something I’ve been craving in my entertainment. This film is the equivalent of a sugar rush – lacking any real substance, but so enjoyable in the moment.

6) Tenet: In a world overrun with sequels and reboots, Tenet is one hell of an original movie (snagging my Best Original Film of 2020 award). Given that 2020 was a year without many of the planned big budget blockbusters, Nolan provided us with some of the most impressive action scenes and mindbogglingly creative visuals of recent years. An out-and-out spy film, just with a Nolan twist, it’s not nearly as difficult to follow as some would have you believe (especially if you’ve watched other sci-fi films before). A satisfying puzzle-box of a movie that pays off all of its various mysteries by the end of the film.

5) Jojo Rabbit: I only discovered this film relatively late last year, and Taika Waititi’s surreal comedy will certainly not be to everyone’s tastes – but his use of humour to highlight the inherent absurdities that lie behind prejudice and discrimination delivers a really effective “anti-hate” message. This film genuinely made me laugh out loud in places, and moved me to tears in others, which is not an easy balancing act to pull off.

4) Wonder Woman 1984: Although some audiences seemed divided, I felt this film captured some of the spirit of the Christopher Reeve’s Superman movies, while also continuing to explore the theme from the first film of whether there is inherent good or evil in humanity. It does have some pacing issues, some bits are undeniably cheesy, and other moments lack much subtly … but despite all those flaws, the dénouement packs a real emotional punch, and the film’s message of hope and selflessness is a much needed one in today’s troubled world.

And finally now, on to my top three…

3) Onward: Pretty much a perfect family film (deservedly taking my Family Film of 2020 award), its blend of comedy, family-friendly adventure, and real emotion is spot on, providing something to enjoy on a number of different levels. The comedy and adventure elements alone make this a must-see family film – but add to that the brothers’ emotional journey (inspired by the writer/director’s own experiences of losing his father at a young age) and it’s on a whole other level. This is probably my favourite original Pixar movie in years.

2) Bad Boys For Life: What’cha gonna do? Coming 17 years after Bad Boys II (and 25 years after the first Bad Boys), I was expecting this to (at best) be a mediocre rehash cashing in on fans’ nostalgia, and (at worst) be a huge disappointment. No one was expecting this to be one of the best action-comedies of recent years, or arguably the best instalment yet in the Bad Boys series. Not only are the action and comedy elements as good as ever, but the character moments are surprisingly nuanced and impactful too. Plus, Lorne Balfe’s propulsive score is fantastic, winning my Best Score of 2020 award. If you’re a fan of the original films (like I am), this is the film you’ve been waiting 25 years to see – but in truth, the film should have wider appeal far beyond just the existing fan base (and its box office performance suggests that it did).

1) Film of the Year 2019 – The Invisible Man: Although my Top Ten has included some guilty pleasures and films that I loved despite their flaws, my film of the year is (IMHO) something of a masterpiece. Writer/director Leigh Whannell and star Elisabeth Moss took what was a really uninspiring concept (yet another invisible man reboot – yawn) and managed to deliver something truly exceptional. This contemporary psychological horror tells the story from the victim’s perspective rather than the invisible man’s, allowing the tired concept to be re-examined through the scarily topical lens of domestic violence, coercive control, psychological abuse, toxic masculinity and gas-lighting. It also includes my Favourite Cinematic Moment of 2020 (although I won’t say anything more, in case you’ve not seen it yet). I’m not a fan of horror films normally, but I would say that this film is more of a psychological thriller than a horror film – although Leigh Whannell really knows how to crank up the unrelenting sense of tension throughout.

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 2020 in terms of the films that I did see:

3rd place – Artemis Fowl: I’ve not read the books, but I had heard good things, so was very disappointed by this forgettable franchise wannabe, which is weighed down by a dull and muddled plot, a vague and under-developed main character, and a villain that’s nothing more than a place-holder concept.

2nd place – Uncut Gems: Again, I’d heard good things (and this made many critics’ top tens of the year), but although I can appreciate on an intellectual level that the acting and direction in this film are really good, I just found it boring and exhausting spending two hours in the company of such an unsympathetic and unlikeable character.

Biggest Disappointment of 2020 – Extraction: Not the “worst” film from 2020, but certainly the most disappointing.I love Chris Hemsworth and action movies as much as the next guy, but the characters in this were so two-dimensional, and the plot so unoriginal and uninspired, that even the handful of decent actions sequences couldn’t make up for all of its other shortcomings.

I’m not saying that the above films were necessarily the worst films of 2020, but they were the most disappointing.

Still, let's not end on too much of a downer – you can also check out my earlier rundown of my Cinematic Highlights of 2020, which includes my nominations for categories such as “Hidden Gems of the Year” and “Person of the Year”.