Film of the Year: The Mid-Term Update

So we are halfway through a very crazy year of film, and it has been a very crazy 6 months so far, with 20 new-release films being reviewed right here on this blog since January. Because of this, I’ve decided to do a mid-year top 10 list, and the fun part will be whether any of these films actually make the final nominations list for Smit Film of the Year 2016 in December. And as a little bit of fun, I’ve included the worst films of the year too.

10: Zoolander 2

Well, I was one of the few critics who actually liked Zoolander 2. And I still like it now, purely for the ridiculousness of the film. It isn’t as polished as the original, but Ben Stiller and his team have made a good companion to the 2001 cult classic.

9: Angry Birds

This one will certainly ruffle a few feathers, but Angry Birds was a very unique game to screen adaptation. The humour was there, the cast was good, but due to the major narrative contrivances I couldn’t put this film in a higher position.

8: Bastille Day 

A very unique action film that takes a conventional story and turns it into something new and different- and this might secure the Bond role for Idris Elba.

7: Zootropolis 

Disney have had a lot of great films out this year, and Zootropolis is one that I had to slot in somewhere- it is an animated film that has a lot of heart to it, and when it opened in the UK on the same weekend as Batman v Superman, I actually told cinema staff to recommend this film over the Batman. Says it all really.

6: The Jungle Book

This is a brilliant piece of filmmaking that blends CG and live action so well that audiences don’t notice the use of green screen. Jon Favreau has mastered this sort of shooting, and it deserves a sequel. 

5: Eddie the Eagle

One of the finest films to be released this year, Dexter Fletcher’s biopic on the infamous ski jumper really warmed hearts up around the UK back in April. It tells the true story very well, and the soundtrack is just brilliant for lovers of 80s music like me.

4: 10 Cloverfield Lane

A very unique psychological thriller to say the least, it may have a few narrative issues (particularly in the final act), but it’s a brilliant companion piece to the original Cloverfield.

3: Captain America- Civil War 

Civil War is Marvel Studios’ best film to date- the action is very well handled and thought out, the characters are given a good amount of screentime and it’s a brilliant way to open up Phase 3.

2: Deadpool 

We all knew that Marvel’s most unconventional character would turn a few heads on his cinematic debut back in February- but little did we know how much of an impact that Ryan Reynolds’ passion project would have on the Hollywood scene. Rude, crude and using the 4th wall to its advantage, this might be a good film BUT there is one that is more award-worthy…

1: Eye in the Sky

With the passing of Alan Rickman earlier this year, it’s fitting that his final film where he appears on-screen is one that oozes of quality and pure class. Sure, it might be a hard watch considering the themes of the film (the human cost of warfare), but Gavin Hood’s thriller has earned an early shot at the big Film of the Year award in December.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Whittling down the list to a top 10 was difficult, but I do have to highlight films like Florence Foster Jenkins and X-Men Apocalypse for being very good pieces of cinematic entertainment that didn’t quite hit the high standard for this list.

TURKEYS OF THE YEAR (SO FAR)

We all know what one of them is- yes, Batman v Superman is an official turkey. The other one is Alice Through The Looking Glass, a film that is just as confusing as Batman v Superman. However, there is one film that outdoes both of them- and that’s Warcraft: The Beginning.