My Top 15 Films of 2017

Despite the surprisingly low box-office numbers, 2017 was a great year for film. I went to the movies more than any other year, seeing 16 mainstream releases. I was going to do a top 10, but I found that it was too hard to narrow it down because there were so many good movies, so I am doing a top 15 list. Now I am not a critic and I don’t see every movie that’s released, so there are a lot of films I have not seen. This is also not a best films list. These are also my personal favorites, so I doubt that anyone is going to agree with this list. I’m also not the best at ranking films, so the middle section is the most fluid in terms of the order. I will say that the top and bottom of this list are very definite, though. Factors included in this ranking are how much I liked it, overall quality, how much I have thought of it after viewing it, connection to existing franchises, soundtrack, the number of times I saw it in theaters, and level of anticipation. The only 2017 that I saw that did not make the cut was Beauty and the Beast. Honorary Mention: La La Land - Because this was released in 2016, I am including this as an honorary mention because I did not see it until last year and wound up seeing four times in theaters (which is rare for me). So I will probably always associate this film with 2017. This is a beautifully directed film with a great, catchy score and soundtrack. As a filmmaker, creative, artist, and dreamer at heart, I found this film extremely relatable and has quickly become one of my favorite films of all time. Now onto my favorite 2017 films. 15) Despicable Me 3 - This was probably the most meh movie of the year for me and the least satisfying in terms of meeting expectations. It’s funny, I enjoyed it and I got the DVD for Christmas, but it wasn’t as good as 1 or 2, especially 2, which is my favorite of the series. 14) Dunkirk - This is an interesting film that has been getting a lot of awards season buzz. One of the reasons this isn’t higher on my list is because I had a horrible experience when I saw it in 70 mm. The theater I went to had reserved seating, so of course, I wound up getting a seat lower than I wanted, despite arriving very early to an empty theater. As a result, I got extremely motion-sick. I’ll eventually see it again on DVD and won’t deny that it’s a good film, but it’s not one of my favorites. My favorite Nolan film (and the only own I own a copy of) is still Inception. 13) Blade Runner 2049 - I did not see the original until right before this one, since my dad wanted to see this in theaters. I actually did not like Blade Runner but was vaguely curious about the sequel. I was greatly surprised by Blade Runner 2049, which is the film I thought the original was going to be - long and complex. The length might bother some, but it’s far more compelling and less boring. This is a gorgeous, thought-provoking film that I think is better than the first one. I highly recommend this movie, particularly if you like sci-fi. If you don’t like sci-fi, watch it anyway, but with breaks. 12) The Man Who Invented Christmas - This is probably the most underrated film on this list. Only a month after its opening, I had to drive over an hour and a half to Sarasota to see this. This was a charming film about the writing of A Christmas Carol. Dan Stevens is excellent as Charles Dickens and Christopher Plummer makes a great Scrooge. As a writer, I found it very relatable. If you are a fan of Dickens and his work especially, I highly recommend this film. This is definitely going to be added to my yearly Christmas watchlist. 11) Baby Driver - I haven’t seen an Edgar Wright film before this, but I was very intrigued by the trailers. This is a very intense action thrill ride that’s can be both humorous and disturbing at times and goes to places you don’t expect. This is one of the most accurate depictions of what it means to be involved in crime that I’ve seen. And the use of music is freaking awesome. I’m calling it now that Baby Driver will win the Oscar for Best Editing. 10) The Lego Batman Movie - This is a hilarious film that’s a worthy spin-off of the brilliant The Lego Movie, a film that caught me by surprise. This movie is filled with heart and humor and is without a doubt my favorite Batman movie. 9) Spider-Man: Homecoming - I liked Sam Rami’s Spider-Man and thought that the Amazing Spider-Man films were okay, but I have to say that this is my favorite Spider-Man movie of all time. This is a hilarious film with great performances. Ned is one of my favorite characters this year, and Michael Keaton’s Vulture is by far one of the best villains of this year and of the MCU in general. It also has one of the best twists of the year in a year with a lot of good twists. I also loved the diversity and high school elements of the film. This is definitely the first Spider-Man film that actually feels like a high school film. 8) Star Wars: The Last Jedi - I know this one is controversial, but I personally loved this movie. I loved Rey and Kylo Ren’s storylines and I actually didn’t mind the other ones. It was filled with unexpected twists and turns and had its share of heart and humor. Without giving too much away, I appreciated the direction the franchise is heading. I thought the theme was relatable and the film has a lot of things to talk about for years to come. 7) Thor: Ragnorak - I wasn’t a big fan of the first Thor and I thought that Thor: The Dark World was fun, but not great, so I wasn’t so sure if I wanted to see this one in theaters. But after the hilarious trailer and the positive reception, I went and I’m glad I did. This film is hilarious and takes the characters to new places and really shakes up the cosmic area of the MCU. I highly recommend seeing this one before Avengers: Infinity War. 6) Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle - I have not seen the original, but I was very intrigued by the trailers. That really says a lot because this is also only the second role I’ve seen each of the five main actors in, so it grabbed my attention beyond simple star power. This is probably the funniest film of the year that I saw. It is a lot of fun showcasing these actors playing against type and Jack Black is the best in this film. I was also surprised at how much heart the film had. The villain was forgettable, but it does not decimate the overall film. I highly recommend this film. 5) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - I loved this movie. It would have been impossible to live up to the pleasant surprise of the first film, but I felt that this was a very worthy sequel. I loved the humor, characters and the soundtrack, and felt that the villain was excellent. Despite the cliche of the plan, I could totally understand his motivations. It was also very touching and filled with a lot of heart like the first film. 4) Wonder Woman - I was intrigued by the trailers, but after the last few DCEU films, I didn’t decide to see this until the positive reception. This is a wonderful movie in so many ways, not just because it features a female superhero and was directed by a woman. It is funny, heartwarming, and goes deep into the idea of humanity in a way that I truly wasn’t expecting. Also, it has an amazing soundtrack. Wonder Woman has such an awesome theme song! I can’t wait for the sequel. 3) Cars 3 - I actually like the Cars franchise and I don’t hate Cars 2 as much as most people (it’s still better than The Good Dinosaur). This film was a return to form for the franchise, delivering a surprisingly inspiring and feminist story that is probably one of Pixar’s most adult films, just based on the subject matter alone. It can also be said that it’s the most original of the franchise since the plot of Cars is similar to Doc Hollywood. It also has the most to do with NASCAR racing in a way that isn’t boring. While the soundtrack as a whole is not a strong as the first film, it does have some catchy songs such as “Ride” and the “Kings Highway” and I think I like the score better in this film than the original. I wished they sold the soundtrack and score as one CD. 2) Coco - It took two viewing for me to really appreciate this film. This is one of Pixar’s best films in years and on the list of films that made me cry. In the usual Pixar style, it’s a gorgeous film with a lot of heart and emotion to it. It is also a musical and the music has been stuck in my head on and off for weeks now. It definitely deserves the Oscar for Best Animated Feature and maybe even Best Original Song for “Remember Me.” 1) Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales - This was easy for me. Pirates of the Caribbean is my second favorite movie/franchise of all time (I like to count series as one film for simplicity), behind only The Chronicles of Narnia. I wasn’t a huge fan of On Stranger Tides so I wasn’t as excited as I expected going into 2017 until I re-watched the previous films. This movie is the followup I’ve been waiting for the exact same length of time that Will Turner had to wait before stepping on land again. It incredibly satisfying, especially in its connection to the original trilogy, particularly At World’s End, and I don’t think I have ever cheered and freaked out in a theater as much as I did during that ending. It also has a great soundtrack and a much better one than On Stranger Tides. And because of that awesome tag, I am now looking forward to a potential Pirates 6. Please?