While the COVID-19 pandemic isn’t as much of a threat as it was back in 2020, I still take precautions to avoid infection, though my interest in seeing films in a theater has become less about whether or not I can and more about whether or not it seems worth it, now that our household has integrated streaming options for newer titles. That said, between both streaming and the theater, so many films came out this year that I liked that my list was difficult to pare down, but I am overall satisfied with my final list. Due to various circumstances, however, I didn’t get to play too many new games this year, but I did manage enough to still put a list of my favorites together.
Each list is presented in no particular order, with links to reviews where applicable.
Top Movies
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Following the end of the Infinity Saga, the quality of subsequent MCU films has overall been on a decline, but I was still dedicated to seeing the Guardians of the Galaxy sub-series through since it had generally remained consistent, and also since the third film would be the last Marvel would see of director James Gunn before his move to DC. Not only did Vol. 3 provide a surprisingly emotional arc for Rocket Raccoon, it also has arguably the best MCU villain since Thanos in the form of the High Evolutionary, thanks largely to a stellar performance by Chukwudi Iwuji. For those who have been following the Guardians’ exploits and/or want a good dropping off point from the seemingly-endless Marvel train, this is a must-see.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
As someone who has only a general idea of D&D, not to say I haven’t tried to dip my toe in it before, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this film going in, but came away wholly enjoying it thanks to its well-timed humor and having the general atmosphere of a D&D session in a good way. I enjoyed it so much that I not only bought every D&D transforming Diceling figure with the Honor Among Thieves branding, but it also made me seriously consider giving the game itself another shot.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
After seeing how good Bumblebee turned out, I gained a renewed interest in the Transformers film series as it began to pivot in a new direction, especially with its sequel Transformers: Rise of the Beasts finally venturing outside the franchise’s then-overextended stay in its G1-inspired comfort zone. While my expectations were tempered with cautious optimism going in, said expectations were exceeded thanks to its well-written human cast and its expanded robot cast somehow feeling decently well-balanced. One ending scene even has me excited for what’s to come in this new universe, though I first hope that the upcoming Transformers: One animated prequel film can maintain the same level of quality.
Films such as Oppenheimer are not usually my speed, especially ones with hefty runtimes, but I went to see this anyway, and in the highest quality possible, so I could be a participant in the Barbenheimer phenomenon. Despite my personal feelings on these types of films, and much of it consisting of people talking, I was actually hooked from start to finish and was particularly blown away by the surprisingly-tense nuclear bomb test scene. This scene alone is the main reason to see it in the best quality you can, something the sold-out 4K sets can attest to, though I would still strongly recommend this film anyway.
While video game movies usually attempt to adapt the game’s premise to the big screen, with mixed results that have gotten steadily better in recent years, Gran Turismo takes a different approach by adapting the story of a real-life event surrounding the game, with a few liberties taken for the sake of dramatization. The result is far better in its own right than one might expect, with a very suspenseful racing story that even those (such as myself) with no familiarity with the game itself can enjoy it, as well as a multitude of Easter eggs for those who are.
While this film already grabbed my interest as a fan of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure and the Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan spinoffs, I found it to be both an excellent adaptation of the original one-shot and a solid suspense film on its own merits, thanks in no small part to the spot-on performance of Issey Takahashi in the role of Rohan Kishibe. Fortunately, this film is also written in such a way that anyone who is not familiar in any way with the world of JoJo can enjoy it, succeeding where the live-action Diamond is Unbreakable film fell short. Although not required viewing for this film, I would also highly recommend newcomers to watch the Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan live-action drama, which this film shares a universe with and also successfully divorces itself from JoJo, if they can.
Top Games
The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog
In a pleasant surprise for April Fool’s Day, a new Sonic the Hedgehog game was released for free, placing the characters in a visual novel mystery about Sonic’s death, though the events turn out to be more mundane than initially let on (at least at first). For a free game, it has some amazing production values on all fronts, with some funny and clever writing that makes it a joyful ride from start to finish.
We Love Katamari Reroll + Royal Reverie
Part of Bandai Namco’s latest series of remasters of older Namco games included Katamari Damacy Reroll, which already excited me as a fan of the series, but I was even more surprised by the announcement of We Love Katamari Reroll and became further interested by the new Royal Reverie content. Much like the first, this is a remaster done right and the most ideal way to play this classic title, featuring cleaner visuals and several quality-of-life changes to bring the addictive gameplay to newer audiences, along with some new levels that expand on the game’s lore. While I would like to see the Katamari remasters continue, I would also hope the fact they made a second remaster means more of a full-on revival for the once-dormant IP.
It’s not too often we get any new Tron media since the franchise was put on hold after Tron: Legacy, so the announcement of a new Tron game at D23 Expo got me very excited for having any new media at all. While a choice-driven visual novel mystery might not be to everyone’s liking, with the main gameplay outside of that being Identity Disk puzzles, Tron: Identity has some very intriguing world-building and characters, as well as a great soundtrack, that makes it worth playing for anyone starving for new Tron content prior to the upcoming Tron: Ares.
God of War: Ragnarök – Valhalla
In celebration of God of War: Ragnarök’s one-year anniversary, the game received a bit of DLC content that serves as an epilogue to main story and mixes things up with rougelite gameplay, all for free. Said gameplay loop provides an extra challenge that can be freely adjusted to one’s desires, backed by a short bit of story that satisfactorily caps off Kratos’ character arc in the Norse games as he learns to make peace with the actions of his younger self. While a must-play for fans of the series, it is strongly recommended you brush up on both the Greek and Norse games if you care about the plot.
Top Disappointments
Where the original Shazam! film felt like a step in the right direction for what the DCEU could be, Fury of the Gods felt like a step back, with an overreliance on computer effects and a more complex storyline that takes away the more intimate focus that helped the first film stand out. While not one of the worst DC films out there, it is certainly one of the weakest and is more likely to disappoint fans of the original.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
The Ant-Man sub-series of the MCU isn’t one of the strongest, starting with a pretty funny first film and followed up by a less-well-written second installment whose main redeeming factor is its relationship with the Infinity Saga. Now that the MCU is in the midst of the Multiverse Saga, Quantumania represents everything wrong with the MCU at its current point, with a plot that takes comic book logic to its absolute extreme even by Marvel Studios standards and a setting that feels more like Star Wars than Marvel, not to mention weak villains, convoluted multiverse logic and a reliance on the viewer having seen a bunch of TV shows locked behind a Disney+ paywall. Unless you’re wholly devoted to the Marvel lifestyle, you can safely skip this one.
Bluey: The Videogame
With the immense popularity of the Australian animated series Bluey, to the point of it even getting a successful stage production, a video game adaptation seemed inevitable. Sadly, Bluey: The Videogame can't live up to the quality of the cartoon, mainly due to its severe lack of content for the asking price ($40) that can be beaten within an hour, maybe two or three if you make the time to gather all of the collectibles and Trophies. The voice acting and music are all there and the art style is faithfully recreated, but these alone do not make up for the janky animations and odd glitches that make the end product feel oddly rushed. I did not pay full price for the game, and neither should you (I got a physical PS5 copy on sale for $25), but I could tell I would most certainly have felt ripped off if I did.
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