With another year drawing to a close, it is once again time to reflect on what we did and did not like about it. As with last year, a large number of new movies were watched and a good amount of new games were played, resulting in a rather lengthy list I found difficult to trim down. Much like last year, due to the high volume of movies from this year that I actually enjoyed, I have split my top movies of the year between live-action and animation. As per usual, the lists below are presented in no particular order, with links to reviews on the blog where applicable.
Top Live-Action Movies of 2017
Top Live-Action Movies of 2017
After a few missteps while struggling to keep up with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it looks
like the DC Extended Universe may finally be headed in the right direction. Wonder Woman
succeeds where it predecessors failed, providing an enjoyable experience with
an overall more light-hearted tone and a hero you actually want to root for.
With a sequel set for release in a couple years, hopefully the DCEU can live up
to what Wonder Woman has to offer.
Beginning from this movie, the Transformers Live-Action Film Series is
set to become its own Cinematic Universe. Having been hyped enough to attend a
special early screening, I found myself enjoying the film in spite of its flaws
(more on that below). While the movie has a lot of plot in it, the well-placed
humor and world-building (including borrowing elements from the “Aligned”
continuity) kept my interest throughout. If the upcoming Bumblebee: The Movie,
to be directed by Laika alumni Travis Knight, is any good, then the new
Cinematic Universe might turn out well in the end.
Another R-rated X-Men movie produced after the success of Deadpool,
Logan puts the spotlight on Wolverine once again, this time taking place in a future
without mutants as he winds up protecting both an out-of-control Charles Xavier
and a small child with mutant powers similar to his own as they make their way
to a supposed mutant sanctuary. Logan manages to both tell a well-written
mature story and make itself accessible to newcomers, meaning you do not need
to have seen any of the previous X-Men movies to follow along. In short, Logan
is a mature comic book movie done right, as well as a great movie on its own
merits. The black-and-white version, Logan Noir (included with the Blu-ray), is
also worth a viewing, since, though telling the same story, it offers a much
different experience.
Having enjoyed Hugo, I was intrigued to find out another Brian Selznick
book was being adapted, to the point where I bought the book at the signing I
was at and read it shortly thereafter. The movie, written by Selznick, is not
only a streamlined, faithful adaptation of the book, it also tells a rather
engaging story that makes it an enjoyable movie in its own right (though it
does drag a little bit in one spot). It doesn’t have the same tone or style as
Hugo, however I loved Wonderstruck all the same.
The Thor movies have never been the strongest movies in the MCU for me,
and so this newest entry caught me by surprise. Not only is this movie highly
entertaining to watch, I would honestly consider it one of the best movies of
Phase 3 so far. It breathes new life into the Thor sub-series by not taking
itself entirely seriously, with moments of genuine humor found all throughout
the movie as well as some new development on the Hulk. Only time will tell if
this new take on the God of Thunder will carry over into the upcoming Avengers:
Infinity War.
Following up on The Force Awakens, this movie picks up where it left
off and provides a lot more insight into Rey and Kylo Ren. As with
Transformers: The Last Knight, a lot of events transpire in this movie, some of
which could arguably have been shortened a little, however I found the story
engaging and found myself overall enjoying it. It’s not exactly the best Star
Wars movie one could hope for, however it is worth watching, especially if you
want to see the late Carrie Fisher play Princess Leia one last time.
Top Animated Movies of 2017
As a Yu-Gi-Oh! fan, I was already looking forward to this movie upon
learning details at a Comic-Con panel featuring creator Kazuki Takahashi
himself. Taking place after the end of the original manga, the movie introduces
a new villain, Aigami, while placing the spotlight on Seto Kaiba and his
growing ambitions to defeat the Pharaoh in a Duel. The movie is animated
spectacularly and gives some good character development to both Yugi and Kaiba
as they head towards their future goals, plus it was actually nice to hear the
English voice actors reprise their roles once more. Aigami is also given some
good development for a movie-exclusive character, which is more than I can say
for Anubis from the Pyramid of Light movie, though even as a Yu-Gi-Oh! fan I
couldn’t quite understand how Dimension Dueling, Aigami’s preferred method,
worked exactly. Still, the movie is highly entertaining for existing fans of
the series and is worth a look.
My interest in this movie came from hearing how successful and highly
praised this boy-meets-girl story was in its native Japan, and so I took the
chance to view it as part of a limited theatrical run. I could see where the
praise was coming from, as I got emotionally invested in both the plot and
characters. I don’t want to give anything away, though I would consider Your
Name. a must-see anime film.
This movie’s premise is rather interesting, telling the story of
someone investigating renowned artist Vincent van Gogh’s final days and getting
multiple viewpoints on how his death played out. While the story is very
engaging, the main draw is the movie’s animation style, being animated entirely
using 65,000+ paintings that emulate van Gogh’s particular painting style to
amazing effect. This, combined with imagery and characters inspired by the
subjects of van Gogh’s paintings, creates a very immersive world that you’ll
want to visit again.
Top Games of 2017
Little Nightmares is a horror game that’s very effective at building up
and maintaining an atmosphere throughout. While not the type of horror you can
find in Resident Evil 7, this game goes more for the psychological, and the
overall design and aesthetic contribute to this expertly well to create a very
unnerving experience. With a string of DLC and a comic book currently being
rolled out, this is an experience I’d gladly revisit once it’s all been made
available.
Puyo Puyo Tetris
In a rather unexpected crossover, the Puyo Puyo and Tetris puzzle game
series have come together for the first time, delivering normal Puyo Puyo and
Tetris gameplay in addition to a number of other game modes (including a mode
that combines the two games together). The music and sound design are also
good, as is a surprisingly entertaining story mode featuring Puyo Puyo
characters meeting a new set of characters representing Tetris. Though I had
more fun with the Tetris segments due to personal skill level, I did find
myself getting the hang of Puyo Puyo’s gameplay over time, which helped me get
more into the other game modes. This is a great game for puzzle fans,
especially for those who enjoy Tetris and/or Puyo Puyo.
Having never played any of the Crash Bandicoot games prior to this
collection (unless the cameo in Skylanders: Imaginators counts), I found myself
really enjoying it. Though difficult, the three games in this collection have a
world and characters that keep you wanting more even in the face of failure,
especially in regards to the first installment. With intricately remade
graphics, great voice acting and a catchy soundtrack that doesn’t stop, Crash
Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy is the perfect starting point for any new Crash
Bandicoot fan.
Cuphead
Before this game was released, I was hyped up by the art direction
alone, taking inspiration from 1930’s cartoons and being animated entirely by
hand. The game itself has a very strong difficulty curve, however beating a
boss to get their Soul Contract is very satisfying and makes you want to go back
for more. The visuals capture the 1930’s aesthetic very faithfully, which,
along with the gameplay, make the game’s lengthy development cycle worth it. Regardless of whether you're in it for the gameplay, the animation is something that would make me recommend it to those who are fans of this particular style or possibly even animation students looking to study said style.
Top Disappointments of 2017
In spite of my praise for this movie above, I recognize the movie has
some issues. Aside from any plot holes (one being Bumblebee’s new ability to
Iron Giant himself back together to sell more toys), the movie has an
overabundance of story, including a whole Suicide Squad-style sequence that ultimately
goes nowhere, and so things could have easily been cut to shorten the run time.
There’s also admittedly an overabundance of new characters, most of which don’t
even have toys to sell, and the short
screen time for many of them makes it a little difficult to care. Regardless,
the next two films, one of which centers on Bumblebee, have a chance to rectify
where this one went wrong.
After the disappointment of Minions, Illumination had the opportunity
to steer the Despicable Me franchise back on track. Unfortunately, while
somewhat better than Minions, this movie suffers from an overabundance of
sub-plots, leaving not much room for development for either characters or story
and lowering my expectations for a teased fourth installment. The only real
saving grace of the movie is Trey Parker as the entertaining villain Balthazar
Bratt, and even then, his performance alone could not salvage it.
The Sharknado series began as a funny joke, however that joke has
probably more than run its course. While it may have been able to sustain
itself for 3 movies and pushed it a bit with 4, the fifth annual installment, Global
Swarming, fails to really capture the same enjoyment, relying more heavily on
B-list cameos, plot contrivances, shoe-horned references and ripping off better
movies to keep swimming. Though the ending teases the inevitable Sharknado 6,
it seems like it may be time for this shark to finally stop swimming.
Ghost in the Shell (2017)
I’ll admit my experience with Ghost in the Shell lies mainly within the
1995 animated feature and the Stand Alone Complex (SAC) anime series, however I
actually enjoyed those unlike this movie. Casting controversies aside, the 2017
movie manages to capture the look of Ghost in the Shell, though I can’t say the
same about the feel. It does take some scenes from the 1995 movie almost
wholesale to try and ground it within that setting (while also borrowing
elements from SAC), however it can’t seem to decide whether it wants to be a
remake or tell an original story, overall just falling short of its real
potential. If you’re looking to have a good time with Ghost in the Shell, you
may as well just stick with the 1995 movie instead.
After Wonder Woman pushed the DCEU in the right direction, Justice
League feels more like a step back. Odd villain choice aside, the movie
attempts to emulate the MCU’s The Avengers without understanding exactly what
made it work so well, establishing a team before many of the individual members
rather than the other way around. There is some humor in places and the movie
is overall a major step up from Batman v Superman, however that isn’t saying
much and it overall wasn’t as fun as the movie it was trying to copy. The
upcoming Aquaman movie has some promise to turn things back around, hopefully
borrowing more from Wonder Woman rather than this film.
Honorable Mentions
The Hitman’s Bodyguard
Though a bit of a sleeper movie, The Hitman’s Bodyguard is one that I
found rather enjoyable. The main draw though is that it co-stars both Ryan
Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson, each essentially playing a version of their
most famous characters (Wade Wilson/Deadpool and Nick Fury, respectively); the
two of them have surprisingly good chemistry together, their characters being
good foils for each other. It’s not likely the two will share a movie like this
again (pending company merger notwithstanding), though in any case it’s still
worth a viewing.
Another game in the recent 3D platformer revival boom, what attracted
me to this particular title was, in addition to the art direction, the ability
to manipulate time to solve puzzles. Though it has some shortcomings (including
some technical issues), the game is actually pretty enjoyable and I found the
approach to puzzle-solving interesting. While not perfect, the game presents
enough potential for a follow-up title, though whether the developer will tap
into this potential remains to be seen.
Rime
While I was once again captivated by the art direction, what interested
me was the idea of exploring an island and solving puzzles (though it presents
itself in a more linear, story-focused fashion). The puzzles can get a little
difficult, however this did not stop me as I wanted to get through it and
discover what the island was all about. These puzzles, coupled with a powerful
ending (plus one of the best tutorials I have ever seen), make Rime definitely
worth a look.
