#15 Scott Pilgrim vs The World (2010)
Video games and movies don’t have a great history, but Scott Pilgrim is one of the few exceptions (OK, it’s adapted from a comic book, but it has heavy video game influences). Edgar Wright plays around with fun, snappy dialogue and zany visuals to create a perfect millennial story centred around love, jealousy and ex-boyfriends. Great stuff.
(8/10)
#16 1941 (1979)
After Japan bombs pearl harbour, America is on high alert for a Japanese invasion – and this serves as the backdrop for Spielberg’s first comedy. Oddly, this took at lot of flak on its release but I can’t see why. It’s funny, well-paced and full of great actors having a laugh. A cult classic.
(9/10)
#18 Logan (2017)
Dark, gritty and bloody comic book adaptation. Good performances from the leads, especially Dafne Keen as Logan’s offspring. Despite the darker tone and brutal action scenes, it still ... feels like a comic book movie which lets it down a bit.
(8/10)
#19 Wonder Woman (2017)
Whilst it’s great to see a female leading a big budget comic book movie, Wonder Woman failed to wow me as much as I’d expected. All the usual comic book movie tropes are rehashed with nothing particularly new emerging as a result. It’s a competent film, but nothing special. Shame, really as WW is a great character.
(6.5/10)
#20 Aliens (1986)
One of my favourtite movies of all time, Aliens is that rare thing indeed: a sequel equal to or even better than the original - plus it still holds up well after 20+ years. This sci-fi / horror / war mash up is grand in scope but tight in storytelling, and shines even more in the special edition director's cut version. Outstanding.
(10/10)
#21 Dredd (2012)
Not the campy Stallone version, but the gritty and violent Karl Urban remake that does its best to stay true to the comics while keeping grounded in the real world. Urban is Judge Dredd, gravelly-voiced lawman of the future taking his rookie on assessment into a drug lord's lair. Things go south quickly and the two judges must battle it out against an army of gang members armed to the teeth. Tight, lean and visceral, this is a comic book movie done right. See my full review here.
(10/10)
#22 Black Panther (2018)
Going into this, I was aware of all the hype and so had low expectations because I'm always wary when everyone says a film is the best thing ever (especially a comic book movie). Perhaps my cynicism helped because I was pleasantly surprised. Sure, it has many of the trappings of the comic book genre, but it feels like the makers spent a lot of time and energy into trying to get things right. A well constructed story revolving around the new king of the ficticious and secretive African nation of Wakanda coming to terms with his role and the many threats it faces, Black Panther delivers on various levels to create an engaging and well-poised .
(8/10)
#23 Monster Family (2018)
Sky's attempt at imitating Netflix with origial content gets off to a sputtering start in this 'Munsters' rehash which doesn't quite hit the mark. Not a bad effort storywise, but the fact that the main characters all have English accents yet live in New York (without any explanation) is distracting. So is the terrible lip-synching.
(6/10)
#24 Annihilation (2018)
After an alien meteorite crashes near the sea, it begins to emit an eerie bubble that grows steadily outward. All who enter the bubble have failed to come out and when an all-female team goes in to investigate, they slowly discover it to be a place of madness and death. Alex Garland's multi-faceted sci-fi thriller is intelligent, provocative and creepy. Outstanding.
(9/10)
#25 Get Out (2017)
A white girl brings her black boyfriend to meet her parents over the weekend at their elegant country home, only to discover strange goings on that have a heavy racist undertone. Another hyped-up movie, this thriller/horror just about stands on its own merit, despite a slightly silly third act. The racism commentary is much more subtle than expected but the acting is great.
(7.5/10)
#26 Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
One of the better Marvel films of late, this third reboot in just over a decade mercifully skips the origin story and goes for a coming-of-age tale instead. Aided by Iron Man, he sets out to bring the winged arms dealer Vulture to justice for selling alien hybrid weapons to the criminal underworld. Not taking itself too seriously, with plenty of funny moments, Homecoming feels a little outside the orbit of its Marvel companions (despite the heavy referencing), which is no bad thing. Plus, Tom Holland is excellent as Peter Parker.
(7.5/10)
#27 Baby Driver (2017)
I saw this in the cinema last year but wanted to see it again because it's so good. In some ways it's better the second time round. Music is deeply ingrained into every scene, pushing the story along – whether it's the high octane robberies and car chases or slower, dialogue scenes. Edgar Wright is in his prime as a director and Baby Driver is evidence of that.
(9/10)
Video games and movies don’t have a great history, but Scott Pilgrim is one of the few exceptions (OK, it’s adapted from a comic book, but it has heavy video game influences). Edgar Wright plays around with fun, snappy dialogue and zany visuals to create a perfect millennial story centred around love, jealousy and ex-boyfriends. Great stuff.
(8/10)
#16 1941 (1979)
After Japan bombs pearl harbour, America is on high alert for a Japanese invasion – and this serves as the backdrop for Spielberg’s first comedy. Oddly, this took at lot of flak on its release but I can’t see why. It’s funny, well-paced and full of great actors having a laugh. A cult classic.
(9/10)
#18 Logan (2017)
Dark, gritty and bloody comic book adaptation. Good performances from the leads, especially Dafne Keen as Logan’s offspring. Despite the darker tone and brutal action scenes, it still ... feels like a comic book movie which lets it down a bit.
(8/10)
#19 Wonder Woman (2017)
Whilst it’s great to see a female leading a big budget comic book movie, Wonder Woman failed to wow me as much as I’d expected. All the usual comic book movie tropes are rehashed with nothing particularly new emerging as a result. It’s a competent film, but nothing special. Shame, really as WW is a great character.
(6.5/10)
#20 Aliens (1986)
One of my favourtite movies of all time, Aliens is that rare thing indeed: a sequel equal to or even better than the original - plus it still holds up well after 20+ years. This sci-fi / horror / war mash up is grand in scope but tight in storytelling, and shines even more in the special edition director's cut version. Outstanding.
(10/10)
#21 Dredd (2012)
Not the campy Stallone version, but the gritty and violent Karl Urban remake that does its best to stay true to the comics while keeping grounded in the real world. Urban is Judge Dredd, gravelly-voiced lawman of the future taking his rookie on assessment into a drug lord's lair. Things go south quickly and the two judges must battle it out against an army of gang members armed to the teeth. Tight, lean and visceral, this is a comic book movie done right. See my full review here.
(10/10)
#22 Black Panther (2018)
Going into this, I was aware of all the hype and so had low expectations because I'm always wary when everyone says a film is the best thing ever (especially a comic book movie). Perhaps my cynicism helped because I was pleasantly surprised. Sure, it has many of the trappings of the comic book genre, but it feels like the makers spent a lot of time and energy into trying to get things right. A well constructed story revolving around the new king of the ficticious and secretive African nation of Wakanda coming to terms with his role and the many threats it faces, Black Panther delivers on various levels to create an engaging and well-poised .
(8/10)
#23 Monster Family (2018)
Sky's attempt at imitating Netflix with origial content gets off to a sputtering start in this 'Munsters' rehash which doesn't quite hit the mark. Not a bad effort storywise, but the fact that the main characters all have English accents yet live in New York (without any explanation) is distracting. So is the terrible lip-synching.
(6/10)
#24 Annihilation (2018)
After an alien meteorite crashes near the sea, it begins to emit an eerie bubble that grows steadily outward. All who enter the bubble have failed to come out and when an all-female team goes in to investigate, they slowly discover it to be a place of madness and death. Alex Garland's multi-faceted sci-fi thriller is intelligent, provocative and creepy. Outstanding.
(9/10)
#25 Get Out (2017)
A white girl brings her black boyfriend to meet her parents over the weekend at their elegant country home, only to discover strange goings on that have a heavy racist undertone. Another hyped-up movie, this thriller/horror just about stands on its own merit, despite a slightly silly third act. The racism commentary is much more subtle than expected but the acting is great.
(7.5/10)
#26 Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
One of the better Marvel films of late, this third reboot in just over a decade mercifully skips the origin story and goes for a coming-of-age tale instead. Aided by Iron Man, he sets out to bring the winged arms dealer Vulture to justice for selling alien hybrid weapons to the criminal underworld. Not taking itself too seriously, with plenty of funny moments, Homecoming feels a little outside the orbit of its Marvel companions (despite the heavy referencing), which is no bad thing. Plus, Tom Holland is excellent as Peter Parker.
(7.5/10)
#27 Baby Driver (2017)
I saw this in the cinema last year but wanted to see it again because it's so good. In some ways it's better the second time round. Music is deeply ingrained into every scene, pushing the story along – whether it's the high octane robberies and car chases or slower, dialogue scenes. Edgar Wright is in his prime as a director and Baby Driver is evidence of that.
(9/10)
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