Best of 2016 - Films

Every year when I do these posts, I always act positive and say that it's been a great year for whatever the thing is, in this case films. However in the case of 2016, this year at least for films, has been a very questionable year as I stated in my post yesterday. People started losing confidence in the reliability of Rotten Tomatoes with the DC films that came out this year and people also started to question whether the people behind the certificate ratings for films know why they gave the films those ratings or just gave them for the sake of it, two good examples being Batman V Superman and Doctor Strange which both had a lot of violence, some strong language and blood.

But despite all that, this year we saw two iconic heroes and two Avengers going against one another in their respective universes while their villains go and have a good time on the big screen. We also returned to the ocean for a quite possibly forgetful adventure, we went to New York twice to see a new generation of Ghostbusters and to find some Fantastic Beasts. And that's just naming a few of the films that came out this year that I thought were good despite what others may say about them. So the only two rules to follow here are that the films must have released this year in most places (and any that were released last year, but didn't hit UK shores until this year do not count) and obviously I have to have seen them and thought nothing but positivity about them. So with that said, here are my personal best films of 2016 in no particular order and not in the form of a top list (as I generally don't do those for these posts):

Kung Fu Panda 3

I have known for a while that DreamWorks wanted to make this series a 6 part series of films and coming onto the halfway point, they seem to have done well. Every film thus far has been very well received to the point where children upon seeing Jack Black as a panda in the very emotional moments of all three films, actually cry and that is quite an achievement to have all things considered. So the next step for our Dragon Warrior is to become a teacher and when a new threat enters the world, he must teach his real Heisenberg father and a group of pandas the way of being a great warrior like him. It is another great film in the series and it just continues to get better and better as it goes on.

Deadpool

Sometimes, studios have to take risks and its paid off for some, but not so much for others (more on the latter of that later). In the case of Deadpool, it has paid off. Giving it a higher rating than the average superhero film, the 4th wall jokes and just seeing Ryan Reynolds playing Wade Wilson again after getting his lips sealed in a certain X-Men film with Wolverine as the main focus, are all big risks Fox took and even though they had reservations about it, it all paid off and the film alone got more money than all the X-Men films combined. And that's why studios have to take those risks and they should do it more often. The film is great as everything bad in Reynolds career is not left untouched as he tackles the superhero films he's been in and practically steals the show in every scene he's in. This truly is the ultimate 4th wall breaking film and whether it gets a sequel or not, I'll be there to see it and have my mind blown once more. The merc with a mouth is here to stay.

Zootropolis (aka Zootopia)

Animals act as humans is nothing new, but there has never been a film that manages to be incredibly accurate with the height of the animals and how they behave, until now. Normally I find it hard to believe the rating system when they give the wrong ratings to certain films (hence why I said earlier about the system needing to change big time), but I can actually say that this film actually has the accurate rating because of the amount of things it managed to get away with. A nudist club which is just animals without clothes on and the whole idea of predator animals being on something similar to crack, is just some of the many things that it got away with and it just makes the film that more entertaining and I love it. Another great film from Disney.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Well it happened after years of waiting and honestly, its not great, but its not as bad as you may think it is. While I will agree that WB really needed to flesh out the characters more before starting these team up or vs films, a lot of us already know a great deal about Superman and Batman so I feel that WB made the right move to make this film even if it was literally the second film in the DCEU. The best characters were of course Batfleck, Alfred, Wonder Woman and surprisingly Lex Luthor. Batfleck because its pretty much what we expect for Batman even if he went against the rule of no killing. Alfred because its just like every other Alfred and as long as Alfred is British and has some toughness about him, then that's all you need. Wonder Woman because even though she has minimal scenes until the end, she can kick some serious a** and does it like a bada** with bada** music to go with it. And Lex because apart from Smallville and potentially other things Superman, it's nice to have a younger villain go up against heroes who are much older than him, plus having him go insane is somewhat original. Of the two versions, the Ultimate edition is the one to go for as it manages to make sense of what's happening in various scenes and makes it much more enjoyable. So to wrap up, its not the best nor worst superhero film, but I enjoyed it and DC fans will enjoy it too. But on a serious note, only watch this having read up on both characters outside of the films because you may be surprised by the end result if not.

Captain America: Civil War

So a lot of people compared Civil War to Dawn of Justice mainly because they both feature two well known and beloved superheroes going against one another, only to later be drawn to a much bigger threat and some government stuff as well. Of the two, I find Civil War to be the better one because unlike DC who decided to do Dawn of Justice soon after Man of Steel without fleshing out the characters beforehand (to a certain extent), the MCU has been building up to this moment. The Avengers have fought many bad guys through their two team films and in their solo films. But now the tides have changed and due to a disagreement on the government side of things, Cap has become a criminal having managed to keep the Winter Solider out of government hands while Iron Man chooses to be the hunting dog to find and capture Cap and the Winter Soldier. It does have a number of Avengers in the film and it doesn't really follow the original graphic novel mainly because the MCU is against secret identities so it's more around the heroes taking responsibility for their actions which both the public and the government have spilt decisions on. As the last Captain America film, its a good one that sees him become a criminal and go against the Avengers' values and principles while also giving some character development for the other Avengers (especially Iron Man) and introducing some new characters that we will see in future MCU films such as Black Panther and Spider-Man.

The Jungle Book (2016)

I will say that I did enjoy the original Jungle Book film, but I will say that the live action remake is much better. It's not the first time the Jungle Book has been remade to a live action film, but it is the first time that a live action remake is done right. It has a plot, it mentions the music from the original film and it has an all star cast featuring a Ghostbuster, an Avenger, a man with a funny voice, a former drug king pin (and this is just characters these actors have played for your reassurance) and more. Not only that, but for a film that's mostly CGI (except for Mowgli), its visually spectacular and feels very stand alone unlike the original film where it needed a sequel that no one asked for to bring it some closure. Great work Jon Favreau and I look forward to your take on The Lion King.

X-Men: Apocalypse

As I said in my review earlier this month, its not the best nor worst X-Men film, but I did enjoy it for what it was and I liked how it comes closer to the original X-Men films and has younger versions of characters like Jean, Storm, Angel and Cyclops who surprisingly are not as whiny as your typical young actor. I won't say any more as I did my review of this very recently so if you want to know more, read that review.

Finding Dory

So except for Toy Story, Pixar sequels/prequels have not done well. So after spending a year's break and then come back on top with the highly successful Inside Out and the slightly less successful The Good Dinosaur, they return to the world of Finding Nemo to bring us Finding Dory which while it is a misleading name (well to a certain extent anyway), the film actually sees a more emotional side of Dory as we go on a journey with her to find her parents. But rather than spend the entire film in the ocean, we spend a good chunk of it in an aquarium which if I'm honest, its actually a good change from the big ocean. It is a great film that has new and old characters as well as some fan favourites and its very funny, full of heart and its just wonderful fun.

The BFG (2016)

Its been a while since we got a film adaptation of one of Roald Dahl's books and the one we got this year, is one that has been adapted before, but honestly I prefer this one over the first adaptation. This is because that last film (which by the way gets a 7/10) has not aged well when you compare the visuals of both versions. Having said that, this version feels much darker than the first one, but still manages to remain faithful to the source material and still has a lot of heart and soul like the first film. Only criticism I have with this one is that the ending was rushed. But other than that, it's a great film which I expect nothing less from the legend that is Steven Spielberg.

Ghostbusters (2016)

So enough with the hate towards this film. I mean yes its obviously not going to be like the original because that's the best one of the three. But having said that, I have always been curious as to whether a team that typically consists of males can instead be all females and honestly, it works well here. But I will say the humour does wear thin after a little while. But its got not all but some of the original cast in new roles, Slimer is in it and even though it has a familiar plot like the previous two, it's quite original and doesn't rehash what the first and second film did. So not a perfect film, but its an enjoyable one that shows that anyone regardless of gender, age, religion and race (among other things) can be a Ghostbuster. Because busting makes us feel good as they say. But yeah, the remixes of the theme suck. That I can agree on.

Batman: The Killing Joke

So in a year where almost all the DC films suck (and just to point out that I've only seen 3 of the 5 that were released), one film I can say without a doubt was the best one to be released this year and that was the Killing Joke. Not only do we see the return of Mark Hamill as the Joker and Kevin Conroy as Batman, but many of the other animated series cast also return to reprise their respective roles in a film that's based on one of the greatest Batman stories ever told. Now it is true that the book isn't very long so the film had to fill up that gap. Fortunately they decided to dedicate that large gap to Batgirl which I know people have had some reservations about, but seeing as this story is significant for Barbara Gordon switching roles in the Bat family, this was necessary. OK, maybe they could've given us something less messed up than Batman and Batgirl banging one another if you catch my drift, but still. Its a well crafted film that once again, follows the book word for word, panel to panel and shows that while Joker is as insane as any one of Batman's rogue gallery, there are some people that cannot be broken by him. Best DC film by far this year.

Lights Out

I've seen many horror films and unfortunately, I have come to the conclusion that its always the same premise and there is nothing great about it. Now I have seen three horror films this year and I have to say, even though 2 of the three have been criticised, I actually enjoyed each one very much and left each of them not being able to sleep well at night. So the first one is Lights Out. So this one is a interesting film in that its about this girl/creature thing that can only appear when as the name of the film implies, the lights are out and its interesting because its an original way to go about jumpscares and what have you. Not only that, but its a well acted film and a film where it can get ever so creepy in only a few minutes in. A great horror film I'd say.

Suicide Squad

So I've said my piece about Batman V Superman and how I can forgive that thanks to the ultimate cut so let's now talk about the second DCEU film. Now to begin with, the Suicide Squad have been seen in a film before (a much better film I might add) so anyone who has seen that film or read the comics, will be very familiar with them. All I can say is that even though it feels like DC are trying to do their take on Guardians of the Galaxy (again, a much better film) with the music and all the characters being a**holes as well as the villain, its actually an enjoyable film. I can't forgive it as easily as Batman V Superman and that's because unlike that film where it took me twice to spot the flaws (yeah I had to watch it again), this one was easy to spot flaws. The first half was the best thing about it and the soundtrack is somewhat random in the film, but is good regardless. I also enjoyed the performances of not all but some of the actors doing their roles. So again, its not a perfect film, but again its not worthy of the harsh rating Rotten Tomatoes gave it, but I will agree in saying that there are a lot of problems with this film. More so than Batman V Superman in my opinion. But its still an enjoyable watch despite all that.

Pete's Dragon (2016)

I've seen a lot of Disney films in my time, but the original Pete's Dragon I have never seen and at the time of doing this post, I still haven't seen it. So I went into watching this not knowing a thing about it beforehand and honestly, it was a good watch. What I did know about it was that even though its a remake, its in name only which means that Disney can use the same name, but can change the story just as long as they feature Pete and the dragon. Its like with Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland where the film just used the name, was a different story than the film before it, but featured familiar characters and settings. But anyway, films with dragons in them are always good in my books. The design of the dragon in question was a bit off putting, but was a nice design regardless. Its also a film with a good cast who acted out their parts really well and would quite happily watch them again. So overall, its a good film and will please fans old and new regardless if you've seen the original or not.

Blair Witch

So the second of the 3 horror films I've seen and one that has been criticised. Personally I don't see what the big deal is because even though this film has a familiar plot, it more than makes up for it with some clever and pretty anti-climatic jumpscares. Also I think this is the first found footage film that uses drone cameras which shows things at an interesting angle. I will agree in that its not the best horror film out there, but like with Lights Out, I didn't sleep well the day I went and I also vomited in my mouth. No film has ever been able to achieve both those things at once for me so that's kind of a bit deal I'd say. Whether you enjoyed the first one or not, this one will put you on familiar ground, but will do things differently and more bizarre than before. Not a perfect horror film, but a good one that shows that this franchise is not done yet.

Doctor Strange

So while my experience going to the cinema to watch Ben in action once more wasn't great, it was also the film that made me question the system that gives the films the age ratings. I mean its a good film, no question of that. But there were children in the showing I went to (as its a 12A in the UK) and having them sit through swear words, violence and  blood I would say a big fat no. But anyway, I've seen Ben as a dragon, as the best detective for Scotland Yard and as one of the greatest villains in Star Trek. And now he's an Avenger (read comic books if you think otherwise) and one of the smartest minds out there, Doctor Strange. A man who can manipulate all sorts of things and someone who I see as being more than capable of taking on Thanos, with help of course. Is it the best Marvel film out there? Well no, I've seen better. But its a very enjoyable film that shows that even if Marvel are similar to DC, there have some originality out there which is good.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

First of all, this is not better than Harry Potter. Its too early to say that. But other than that, this is a great prequel to the Harry Potter films. Its magical, unusually festive and has a pretty decent cast. Plus I don't think we have seen many of these Fantastic Beasts in the Harry Potter films so that's something to keep in mind. And I got to say, even though all these beasts come from the works of J.K. Rowling, they are pretty original and unique. As Rowling's first film as a screenwriter, it's a good one that I will quite happily watch again and again. And I'm interested in seeing how the rest of the films go, now that its all original material as opposed to taking it from the book.

Moana

So everyone, who's sick of Let It Go? Personally I'm not, but I can understand people's frustrations about it. So I think its safe to say that Moana came at the right time. Everyone wants Let It Go out of their heads so maybe You're Welcome or How Far I'll Go can take its place. I mean Frozen is great and all, but we all need a new Disney musical so Moana came and everyone loves it and so do I. It's a film that is aware of the nitpicky people, its well animated with some beautiful animation and is one of those Disney films that doesn't have a main villain as such, but a series of them which is actually good because it allows for the story to be quite clever. Is it better than Frozen? I'd say it is. Not only are the songs better, but the fact that its more colourful as well as making us want to be in summer again, just goes to show how great the film is. Great film all around.

Friend Request

Well the last time I saw a horror film all about social networking, it was Unfriended. A year later and this is what we get. While the premise isn't that original, it makes up for it with quite possibly some of the best acting I've seen in ages in a horror film and the jumpscares while predictable as to when each one occurs, are executed quite well too. Plus the biggest twist of them all is seeing how the most popular girl at college, almost ends up being the least liked girl in college all because of some deal with some weird girl. Sorry I may have spoiled it for you there, but it is a pretty good film despite what critics have said about it.

Pee-wee's Big Holiday

First time I came across Pee-Wee Herman was when the Nostalgia Critic mentioned him in some of his earlier videos. Now personally I don't know much about him other than he's a popular TV personality in America so I gave his Netflix film a try and I have to say, its pretty good. Its funny as hell, its wacky and its one of a few films with TV personalities in the starring role that I actually like and I don't even know a thing about Pee-Wee Herman, but I still like him regardless. I guess whenever you see a man being wacky and just funny is always going to put a smile on anyone's face (just as long as you're not trying too hard when doing so). A very funny film and as I haven't reviewed it, it gets a 9/10 from me.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

So Rouge One. As mentioned in my review of it not too long ago, its better than I thought it would be and is packed to the rim with Easter eggs and references to the other Star Wars films and even has some things for fans of Star Wars Rebels too. Only one lightsaber here, but it is a very good Star Wars film with some groundbreaking CGI and just shows that a prequel to the original trilogy can be done well when the responsibility is given to the right people (this case being Gareth Edwards who did that amazing Godzilla reboot a few years ago). I mean George Lucas is a great film maker no question of that, but I'd say he's made more mistakes than anyone when it came to the prequel trilogy. That's not to say that they all suck, but they could've been made better if as I said, they were given to the right people. But back to Rogue One, it is another great Star Wars film from the house of mouse and I'd say its even better than Force Awakens which is saying something.

And just to finish off, here are a list of actors who have passed away this year that many of us will remember for years to come:

David Bowie - While more well known for his music, he will also be remembered for his iconic role in Labyrinth as well as The Man Who Fell To Earth.

Brian Bedford - Not a well known actor, but he provided the voice of the titular character in Disney's Robin Hood.

Alan Rickman - One of the UK's most loved actors, known as Prof. Snape in the Harry Potter films as well as his roles in the first Die Hard film and Love Actually.

George Martin - The composer of the James Bond film Live and Let Die and has done countless work in the music industry.

Gene Wilder - The original Willy Wonka who will also be remembered for his roles in Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein and Bonnie & Clyde.

Andrew Sachs - A man many of you will know as Manuel the butler in British sitcom Fawlty Towers.

Carrie Fisher - A more recent one. A great actress known worldwide as Leia from the Star Wars franchise and also known for her roles in The Blues Brothers and When Harry Met Sally.

Liz Smith - She's been in films such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as well as the British sitcom The Royle Family.

RIP to you all and thank you for all the joy you brought to the world.