After what seemed to be an unbeatable year for movies in 2017, along came 2018 to challenge it. And unlike last year, 2018 gave us great movies from genres spanning from action like Mission: Impossible — Fallout and Black Panther and gut-busting comedies like Finnish heavy metal comedy Heavy Trip and Game Night to thrillers like Searching and Calibre.
And 2018 also had its fair share of surprises. Paul Feig's dark comedy soap A Simple Favor was an unexpected gem and Netflix's To All the Boys I've Loved Before captured critics and audiences alike with its irresistible charm.
Of course, there were a fair share of disappointments like the return of Michael Myers in Halloween and the Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One, but more often than not, there were more pleasant surprises.
As usual, it was nearly impossible to choose what, in my opinion, were the 10 best movies of 2018 (you can see my ranking of every movie I saw this year here). However, I went with my heart on these choice and I'm proud of the list I compiled.
To start of, here are the movie that just missed my top 10.
20. Crazy Rich Asians: Without completely subverting the romantic comedy formula, Crazy Rich Asians is entertaining with a strong point-of-view, and is a compelling commentary Asian parenthood.
19. Thoroughbreds: An incredibly assured debut feature character study about sociopathy and the nature versus nurture debate. However, what makes the movie great is its chilling final scene.
18. Leave No Trace: Unexpectedly, Leave No Trace isn't the survivalist drama that it looks to be. Instead, it's a character study about a man whose fears and anxieties trap his daughter in a life of his choosing.
17. Incredibles 2: Picking up right where the original left off, this movie delves into even deeper themes of parenthood and challenging expectations while also remaining an entertaining superhero blockbuster.
16. Suspiria: Disturbing, creepy, and upsetting, this remake of the classic 70s film of the same name has some of the best horror set pieces of the year and improves on the original's plot.
15. BlacKkKlansman: A funny and heartbreaking biopic that is a striking political piece that comments on the polarized political environment and the rise of white supremacists.
14. Bad Times at the El Royale: A sweeping, subversive homage to the 60s noir that is character-driven, thrilling, and keeps you guessing from beginning to end. It also features one of the best movie ensembles of the year.
13. First Man: A gorgeously shot, subversive biopic about Neil Armstrong and his obsession with making it to the moon. It's a technical marvel and features one of the great “woman behind the man” performances from Claire Foy.
12. Support the Girls: Regina Hall's empathetic performance is what elevates this movie to greatness as does the beautiful mundanity of its day-in-the-life plot.
11. The Favourite: Weird, absurd, and hilarious, this movie is the perfect intersection of period costume drama and Yorgos Lanthimos' odd sensibilities to deliver an entertaining and surprisingly profound comedy of manners.
And without further ado, the 10 best movies of 2018 (according to me):
Game Night is the best studio broad comedy in years. Following a run of raunchy stoner comedies that all followed in the vein of Seth Rogan/James Franco/Jonah Hill types, Game Night focused on a smarter kind of comedy. Instead of going for quantity of jokes—though it certainly doesn't lack in that department—it centers on sharper gags that last the entirety of the movie.
Jokes set up at the start of the movie are paid off at the end—the fight club crack is one of my favorites. However, it doesn't waste a minute by having some sharp one-liners delivered with precision timing by the entire cast—Rachael McAdams is the clear standout. But what makes it one of the best movies of the year is that so much of the comedy is based on character and interaction. Not just jokes for the sake of jokes.
Game Night is available to buy or rent on Amazon
There have been a slew of great coming-of-age dramedies specifically around the experience high school—Lady Bird, The Edge of Seventeen. And with Eighth Grade, comedian turned director Bo Burnham has tapped into genre from the perspective of Gen Z. Specifically, the movie grapples with this generation's value in social media and how social capital is gained with likes and follows.
And while Burnham's naturalistic screenplay and smart direction—he has a solid point-of-view—have to be credited with the movie's success. It all wouldn't have worked without Elsie Fisher's standout performance. She is what makes this movie one of the best movies of 2018.
Eighth Grade is available to buy or rent on Amazon
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse does for superhero movies what The Cabin in the Woods did for horror movies. It's a loving critique and hard reset for the genre, which has become oversaturated and stale in recent years. Into the Spider-Verse is interested in exploring what makes superhero movies great—particularly origin stories—while also pointing out its flaws in increasingly ridiculous and hilarious ways.
However, the superhero genre isn't the only one that it subverts. It is an innovative and groundbreaking animated movie that pushes the limits and ability of the form. It, more than any other movie, nails the comic book sensibility and feels like an elevated cartoon with all the slapstick humor, but smart thematic elements and story, as well. It's the best animated movie in years.
Black Panther is the best version of the Marvel Cinematic Universe formula because it's not afraid to break that formula. Of all the MCU origin story films, Black Panther is easily the most assured. That's because Ryan Coogler is so assured in his vision. The world-building he achieves with Wakanda is a masterclass. The details from Ruth Carter's costumes to the stunning production design by Hannah Beachler are unlike any other film in the genre. It all feels real and lived in.
However, what makes it one of the best movies of 2018 is its willingness to explore themes that are more complex than your standard superhero movie. It explores race and identity, but also the duty people in power have to empower those in lesser positions and how to bring about that empowerment. Coogler somehow does all that while also delivering one of the most enjoyable blockbusters of the year.
Game Night is available to buy or rent on Amazon
Shoplifters is one of those rare movies that you cherish what you don't know about the characters. Not because what's beneath the surface will change your opinion of them. It's because you know when that truth comes out that everything will change and you'd much rather spend more time with them in blissful ignorance.
That's what is incredible about the Palme d'Or-winning drama by the renowned Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda. We know that there are things that the characters do that we should disavow, but Kore-eda achieves the same effect that Wes Anderson's The Royal Tenenbaums does. For all the bad the characters do, we can't help but want to hang out with them for all the good we see in them.
At just 90 minutes, You Were Never Really Here is as lean and efficient as crime movies come. But Lynne Ramsey doesn't sacrifice impact or emotions. In one of the best scenes of the year, Joaquin Phoenix, playing a grizzled hit man, lies down next to a would-be assassin he just shot and sings along to a song playing in the background in a surprising moment of humanity.
It's moments of brilliance like that that make You Were Never Really Here a hypnotic and emotional experience. Ramsay shows us what we need to know about the main character instead of telling us. It's visual filmmaking at its best. The second it ended I wanted to start watching it again and dissect every movement, every beat, and every sound. You will be mesmerized by it.
You Were Never Really Here is available to buy or rent on Amazon
Widows works as an action-packed heist film led by four strong female characters. But Ocean's 8 this is not. Director Steve McQueen uses the frame of a heist to tell a very different and more profound story of grief, race, and political corruption. And he does all this without making any element less effective.
Through masterful direction and a tight screenplay from Gone Girl scribe Gillian Flynn, Widows is an enthralling commentary of the current state of the country through the lens of Chicago. The movie explores the baggage that each character has and how it makes navigating life—whether political or personal—extremely difficult. But it presupposes that the best way to get through hell is to go through it. And in this case, hell is Chicago.
If Beale Street Could Talk is, at its core, a love story about a sweet perfume counter clerk and an aspiring woodworking artist. And with that story alone, Barry Jenkins has crafted an intimate portrait of love in the face of great adversity. Everything from the longing score and warm cinematography to the brilliant sound design and smart editing, If Beale Street Could Talk is made to make you fall in love with the main couple.
However, what makes If Beale Street Could Talk one of the best movies of 2018 is its staunch political commentary about what it is to be a black person living in America. Jenkins grapples with the idea of safe spaces for minorities to live in and presupposes—correctly—that those spaces are disappearing. Heartbreaking and heartwarming, If Beale Street Could Talk is another home-run for Barry Jenkins.
After directing the near sci-fi masterpiece Ex Machina, Alex Garland had a lot to live up to. However, with his conceptual and enigmatic sci-fi horror Annihilation, he was able to top himself despite an even headier concept and narrative. Even more, he is able to balance elements of horror, sci-fi, and an emotional thematic core.
Despite its sci-fi exterior, Annihilation is about a very human subject. At its core, it's about depression and self-destruction and all the forms that it can take. However, there are countless ways to dissect and interpret the movie. There's always something else to discover.
Annihilation is available to buy or rent on Amazon
2018 ended up being a great year in horror. However, if there's one movie that completely changed the genre it's Ari Aster's debut film Hereditary. The movie, which follows a family's journey through an unspeakable tragedy that may have a more sinister cause, is easily the most terrifying movie of the decade and perhaps of all time.
Aster's patience when it comes to horror makes Hereditary an uncomfortable experience, but one that you want to dissect over and over. Toni Collette gives a career-high performance leading an ensemble that has to navigate the movie as both a horror and family drama. It succeeds in both aspects. Hereditary is an ambitious debut and one that is as assured as can be. And because of that, it is the best movie of 2018.
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