Top 10 Best and Worst Films of 2016
This year wasn’t the best year for movies. It seemed like the general audience decided to turn against the movie industry. If it wasn’t a superhero-related film, internet users instantly wrote it off as one of the worst movies ever made without even seeing it (very sad). However, there were lots of movies, including Independence Day: Resurgence, Ice Age: Collision Course, Inferno, Blair Witch, and many others, that were way better than people wanted to force others to believe. With 2017 looking bright with movies like Kong: Skull Island, The Fate of the Furious, and War for the Planet of the Apes, it’s time to look back on 2016 and give you my Top 10 most favorite, and (for the first time) my top 10 least favorite, movies of the year.
Top 10 Best Films of 2016
10. The Conjuring 2
I believe that James Wan has great things coming for him as a director. After making the best entry in the Fast & Furious franchise in 2015, he returned to horror with a vengence with The Conjuring 2. Wan has crafted the most terrifying horror movie of the year, and that demonic nun is one of the most horrifying ghosts ever made in movies. I am really excited to see where this franchise goes from here.
9. Zootopia
The last few years have been the best for Disney. They have made some of the best animated movies of the decade, and Zootopia is no different. After a marketing campaign that made it look not all that original, the movie came out with unexpectedly hilarious commentary on racial diversity and the war on terrorism. Who knew that anyone could present jokes about sensitive topics in a kid-friendly manner? Then again, it is Disney, and they can do anything.
8. The Angry Birds Movie
The reason why Angry Birds surpasses Zootopia is because of the nostalgia factor. I am a huge fan of the Angry Birds video games, and this movie adapted all the elements of the game perfectly. So what if the story wasn’t all that original? It didn’t need to reinvent the genre of kids movies. It just had to adapt the game, and it fully succeeded.
7. Arrival
Denis Villeneuve has quickly become one of my new favorite filmmakers. Prisoners is one of my all time favorite movies, and Enemy is a puzzle of a thriller that is all the more fun when trying to solve it. However, I didn’t think his movie last year, Sicario, was all that great. Now, he has fully redeemed himself with Arrival, one of the most realistic alien movies ever made. With fantastic visuals and perfect performances from Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner, this is one of the most thought-provoking science fiction movies ever made.
6. Moana
Yet another Disney animated classic. Moana‘s great music and perfect voice cast are matched by the beautiful animated visuals of the South Pacific. I hope Dwayne Johnson gets more voice acting roles from this, and I really hope Auli’i Cravalho gets more roles in general. She was the best voice performance in the film. In my opinion, ignore the controversy. It’s obviously created by people who are almost dying for any type of attention. This is a movie you’ll have trouble not loving.
5. 10 Cloverfield Lane
Like most people, I have been waiting years for a sequel to the 2008 found footage monster movie, Cloverfield. While it wasn’t a direct sequel like I was hoping, that didn’t stop it from being a great movie. With perfectly executed thrills and solid performances from the small cast, this became an unexpectadly perfect sequel.
4. Money Monster
I have always been a fan of George Clooney (who isn’t?) which is one reason why I was so excited for this movie. I was mostly excited for this because it’s another movie about the corrupt financial markets, something I firmly believe in. This is one of the most intense movies of the year. The tension was so perfectly executed that I jumped at the end of the movie (no spoilers here). That’s how you know you have a great movie.
3. Passengers
I predicted this movie would be one of the best of the year, and I was not disappointed. From the story, to the performances, to the beautiful visuals and sets, this movie was the blast of originality that mainstream science fiction movies need. In my opinion, I can’t really figure out what people hate about this movie other than the fact that they’re overanalyzing it, or just being oversensitive. My advice: don’t listen to them and just watch the movie. You will not be disappointed.
2. Ghostbusters
My opinion on this movie isn’t influenced by the massive (unnecessary) backlash. The new Ghostbusters is infinitely better than the original. The original was just one of those movies where I was like, “This was good, but what’s so fantastic about it?” This new version of the 1984 comedy has better jokes, better chemistry among the actresses, and better visuals. Also, it has Holtzmann. Need I say more?
1. Nocturnal Animals
For the first time in my life, my favorite movie of the year isn’t an animated or science fiction movie. Instead, it’s a brilliant, nail-biting thriller. I honestly did not expect this movie to be as great as it was. I really had no idea what this movie was going to be about. The trailer gave me a plot almost completely different from the movie, which is a good thing if the different movie is great. A movie that keeps me on the edge of my seat, blind to what’s really going on, definitely earns the title, “Best Movie of 2016.”
Top 10 Worst Films of 2016
10. American Honey
In my opinion, you can’t create a two and a half hour film when you have a bunch of unlikable characters. This movie throws away all its potential on two hours and forty-three minutes of plot-holes and unlikable characters. I was put off by the long runtime, but I thought it looked like it would be pretty good. Some movies can last over two hours, but this movie just couldn’t.
9. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
I love Tim Burton as much as the next person, and his directing wasn’t the problem (or was it?). The main problem with this movie was the unending amounts of familiar young adult tropes that we’ve seen millions of time before. I wish these movies could be a little more creative instead of relying on familiarity. It would have made this movie so much better.
8. The Huntsman: Winter’s War
While the cast is undeniably talented, they all have done better. This could have been just a fun fantasy film, but it just wasn’t. Loaded with tons of tropes seen many times before, a mis-advertised plot, and generally nothing entertaining, this movie was just a confusing slog. I have no intention of ever seeing it again.
7. The Legend of Tarzan
I honestly don’t see what others say is so great about this movie. There wasn’t anything entertaining about it, and Samuel L. Jackson was only cast in his role for box office draw. His character was completely useless. I respect the actors, but all of them have done way better in other films.
6. Cabin Fever
I am a fan of remakes, but this was the first one where I really did say, “Why?” I thought this was going to be like the Evil Dead reboot, where it would be both a remake and a loose continuation of the series. This movie was just a shot-for-shot remake of the (far better) original from director Eli Roth. As far as I know, this movie was Roth’s idea. I don’t know what he was thinking when he decided to remake his own movie. I just know it didn’t work.
5. The Disappointments Room
This is one of the most accurately titled movies I have seen in theaters. Enough said (mic drop).
4. Suicide Squad
Oh boy, where to start? This movie was overstuffed with characters never developed enough to really care about. It didn’t know whether it wanted to be dark like most superhero movies, or funny like Deadpool. There was far too little Joker for me to really decide whether or not he was good. In the end, the only thing I liked about this movie was Margot Robbie’s portrayal of Harley Quinn. Other than that, this is one of the most forgettable superhero movie I have ever seen.
3. Warcraft
I love video game movies, but this video game movie did not love me. The main problem with Warcraft is that it refuses to accept new fans into the world. There is so much lore and logic in this universe that this movie expects its audience to be fully invested in the franchise. If you’re not, then you are left in the dust. Aside from the massive amounts of lore, there just wasn’t anything really entertaining about it. I wanted to love this movie, but it just wouldn’t let me.
2. Free State of Jones
If I fall asleep during a movie, it’s safe to say that it’s one of the worst movies of the year. I love Matthew McConaughey. I think he is a great actor, but he couldn’t save this movie from a completely muddled story. An overly long recreation of historic events, combined with a useless subplot set almost a century later, makes for a biopic that is no better than a boring middle school history lesson.
1. 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi
The worst movie of the year also happens to be the most confusing movie of the year. This movie claims to be about real heroes. However, they failed to save the American embassador, and then they just shot people who invaded them for the rest of the night. How are these guys heroes if they failed to save the one person they were tasked to protect? This movie also proved that Michael Bay is an untalented director. When he doesn’t have flashy visuals to work with, there’s nothing left but the wooden acting, unlikable characters, and overly-long runtimes he seems to only know how to produce. This was the easiest film to declare “The Worst Movie of 2016.”
