With 2019 approaching, now’s the perfect
time to reflect back on the highs and lows in 2018 entertainment, in no particular
order. I didn’t play as many new games this year, but the movie category has
more than enough to make up for it, plus the return of the Worst Movie and
Worst Game categories, reserved only for the particularly horrible.
Top
Movies of 2018
After ten years of commitment to the Marvel
Cinematic Universe, Infinity War made
the journey feel worth it. Thanos was fleshed out to a greater extent than his
previous appearances and the story is surprisingly tragic in its development
and conclusion, all while teasing the true finale, now known as Avengers: Endgame. Perhaps the only
thing holding this movie back, however, is the fact that, for better or worse, a
complete understanding of the events in Infinity
War requires knowledge of all 18 previous MCU movies.
Deadpool
2 is an R-Rated superhero film, and
sequel, done right. It’s hilarious like the original, but is also able to couple
that with a story that explores more of the tragic aspect of Deadpool. Two
recuts would follow, Deadpool 2 Super
Duper Cut and Once Upon a Deadpool,
and while they are enjoyable in their own right, neither of them can quite top
the original theatrical cut.
Despite releasing in February, Game Night was the comedic gem the
trailers made it out to be. The premise of a game night gone wrong went a long
way thanks to clever writing and smart, well-timed humor backed by talented
actors. Definitely worth watching more than once.
Though lumped in with all of the
live-action Disney remakes, Christopher
Robin is actually more of a continuation of The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh that explores how
Christopher Robin’s life turned out after going off to boarding school and
serving in the war. While not perfect, Christopher
Robin is a welcome, optimistic change of pace.
Given the dwindling reception of the
previous live-action Transformers
films, Bumblebee managed to finally
do the property justice. Thanks largely to a change in director, Travis Knight
instead of Michael Bay, as well as a tighter script and relatively conservative
use of special effects, it’s now possible to wholly enjoy a Transformers movie as a movie rather
than a guilty pleasure at best.
Considering the reception to Sony’s take
on Spider-Man after Sam Raimi’s trilogy and the poor reputation of their animation
studio, it’s amazing that Spider-Man:
Into the Spider-Verse turned out as well as it did. Into the Spider-Verse offers a refreshing take on the property with stellar
animation and a well-written story, as well as featuring Miles Morales as the
main character. Whether you’re familiar with Spider-Man films or not, this is a
movie you don’t want to miss.
Top
Games of 2018
Dragon
Ball FighterZ
After decades of attempts at perfecting
a Dragon Ball fighting game, FighterZ feels like the one that finally
got it right, courtesy of Arc System Works. The attention to detail, including
individual character animations and an art style that looks exactly like the
anime, is what helps sell the presentation, which is fortunately coupled with
gameplay mechanics that are focused more on competitive viability rather than
fanservice. Playing Dragon Ball FighterZ
is a worthwhile experience, especially if you’re a Dragon Ball fan.
While the God of War series is an all-time classic, the games went on long
enough that the formula was getting stale. Enter God of War (2018), which managed to find a way to breathe new life
into the franchise. Though there are legitimate criticisms, this game’s take on
an older Kratos, the new approach to combat and the exploration of Norse
mythology, as opposed to Greek mythology, are nonetheless captivating and the
sequel hook at the end felt very much earned. Simply put, it’s a must-play game
for PS4 owners.
After the sleeper hit that was Undertale, TobyFox has proven that he is
capable of even more with the surprise release of Deltarune Chapter 1. While the story is sort of a compressed
version of Undertale, the party-style
combat system is a natural expansion of the unique TPS/Bullet Hell hybrid of
its predecessor, the combat sprites are colorful and more detailed and the new
characters are written so well that they leave a lasting impression even months
after you finish your first playthrough. Hopefully, TobyFox finds the resources
necessary to deliver on additional chapters of Deltarune in the future.
Top
Disappointments of 2018
I wasn’t that enthusiastic about Solo based on the initial trailers and
the reports of a troubled production and actually watching it didn’t do much to
change my mind. It’s by no means a bad movie, but the story is weakened by its
use of Expanded Universe lore, something that maybe only a fraction of fans
would’ve been invested in from the get-go, plus the fact that the actors seem
more like they’re playing dress up. Add in a hook for a sequel that’s never
going to happen and you’re left walking away with a feeling of emptiness.
I wasn’t the biggest fan of Jurassic Park going in, since the
premise is pretty dumb when you think about it, but I still enjoyed certain
aspects of Jurassic Park and Jurassic World and hoped Fallen Kingdom would be an improvement.
Unfortunately, it’s anything but, largely due to poor logic and terrible
decisions on part of the characters. I don’t know why they ever thought keeping
the dinosaurs alive was a good idea, but if the teased sequel ever comes to
pass, then hopefully, by some miracle, the characters finally come to their
senses.
For a movie as good as the original Wreck-It Ralph, I didn’t expect Ralph Breaks the Internet to be so
disappointing. Where the original was very well-written and executed, the
sequel feels like more of a quick cash grab so that Disney could spend a good
chunk of the movie advertising all of their properties. The characters are a
little more self-absorbed, the writing relies too much on ignoring the
consequences that the original revolved around and film’s interpretation of
internet culture will unfortunately date the movie within a few years, in spite
of how clever some of the references can get. Unlike the original, this one is
more of a take-it-or-leave-it.
Worst
Movie of 2018
I don’t know how it was possible, but
the Sharknado franchise somehow got
even worse in its final installment. With rocky time travel logic, a number of
Z-list cameos, terrible special effects, an abundance of anachronisms and a
wholly unsatisfying ending, only Sharknado
die-hards will find The Last Sharknado
even remotely entertaining.
Worst
Game of 2018
There’s no way to really sugarcoat this,
but The Quiet Man is one of the worst
games I’ve ever played. It’s a three-hour movie with some buggy, glitch-ridden
brawler segments tacked on so that it can just barely qualify as a game. It
fails as a movie because you need to sit through an indecipherable mess to view
The Quiet Man -Answered-, a marginal
improvement that elevates it to merely an unwatchable mess, and it fails as a
game because of tedious and grindy combat sequences with poorly explained
mechanics and missing animations that cause both Dane and the enemies to
teleport everywhere. Add to that the ugly graphics and terrible soundtrack and
you get a “game” that you are honestly better off experiencing through a Let’s
Play on YouTube. Even then, however, there are far better things you could do
with three to six precious hours of your life.
