(This article is part of our Best of 2023 series.)
I ended last year on a hopeful note, expecting to watch even more films in 2023. Sadly, that didn’t happen, and so my list is pretty damn close to “the only five films Bob saw in 2023.” I’m not sure what the problem was, but I just couldn’t muster the enthusiasm to see more than a handful of films – and I only got to the theater twice. (One of those films was my favorite of the year, though.) Looking at the list now, I realize I mostly wanted to see genre fare this year, escapist pablum. I’m not gonna apologize for it, though – that’s what film has often been for me. An escape, and a comfort. Luckily I did manage to see more than five films, though, so The Meg 2 and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny didn’t make the cut. You’re welcome.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
As a long-time D&D player I… was not expecting much out of Honor Among Thieves. The title reminded me of previous lackluster film efforts and even the cast didn’t inspire – I mean, Jeremy Irons was in the 2000 film, and it didn’t help. I still had to go see it, though, and surprisingly I had a blast. It was fun, it was exciting, it was funny, and it felt – just a little bit – like a typical D&D adventure. I enjoyed the in-jokes and references, but mostly I enjoyed the whole rag-tag group of misfits getting together to save the day story. I know the budget meant the film didn’t do as well as expected, but damn – I hope they do some more of these. And I hope they’re all as good or better.
John Wick: Chapter 4
As the franchise has gone on I’ve found myself tiring a little of the endless fight sequences, as wonderfully choreographed as they are. I’m still invested in John and his world, though, and in his journey. It was a bittersweet ending, but also perfect. Along the way we got a new and despisable villain in Bill Skarsgård’s Marquis, some memorable antagonists with Donnie Yen (how many blind characters is he gonna play?) and Shamier Anderson. There was a dog. A good dog. And yeah, dammit, the fight scenes were something to behold, even if I got tired of that damn staircase at the end.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
In a wash of post-Endgame lackluster MCU releases it was refreshing to watch a decent story featuring characters I loved going out on a high note. While the first Guardians movie will always be my favorite (and my favorite MCU movie as well), Vol. 3 was a blast. Did I love everything? No (sorry Adam Warlock), but I did enjoy Rocket’s tragic backstory, Quill’s terrible – but somehow sympathetic – interactions with Gamorra, Drax’s interactions with the children, Nebula’s… hell, I just enjoyed all of the characters. Even the villain was better than usual. A solid end to the trilogy of films, not something most of the MCU roster can say.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
It’s rare to have a sequel to any film live up to the original. Toy Story 2, another animated film, comes to mind. Across the Spider-Verse doesn’t quite live up to that, but only because it ends in a cliffhanger. An awesome cliffhanger, but still. (And because I love origin stories.) The film is a delirious trip across multiple dimensions, but doesn’t feel like a hack retread of the dozen or so “multi-verse” films we’ve had recently. The stakes are the highest AND the most personal. As a comics fan it was a blast to see all the different Spidey characters and art styles – the animation is just outstanding. This was one of the few films this year that had me smiling and gasping and “oh-no-ing” throughout the whole run-time. I never once felt bored or like there was slack in the pacing. Very much looking forward to the next installment!
Godzilla Minus One
I think of myself as a passive Godzilla fan. I enjoy his movies, but I’m not running out to buy the Criterion collection of the Showa era, for instance. (I did buy all the Heisei and Millenium films, though.) I really only went to see Godzilla Minus One in the theater because how often does it happen that you get to see a Toho Godzilla release in the states? I think the last time for me was when Godzilla 2000 was released. So while I was hoping for some decent, if cheesy, kaiju action, I wasn’t expecting more than that.
But I got more than that. I got an emotionally affecting film about a failed kamikaze pilot trying to negotiate post-war Japan while suffering from PTSD and shame. I got a story about everyday people trying to deal with disaster in the face of an ineffective and absent government. I got to see the struggles of a patchwork family of survivors learning how to live again. And yeah, I got some pretty freakin’ amazing Godzilla action as well. It was so much more than I expected – I’ve never teared up at a freakin’ Godzilla film before – that it vaulted immediately to the top of my list of favorite films this year. Hell, it’s the second best Godzilla film ever. While I might equivocate on the other films in this list, Godzilla Minus One is the film I can whole-heartedly say was the best film I saw this year.
What are your thoughts on the movies that made my top five? Share them down below!
