_PNG.png)
2018 Movie Rankings
I got to watch more movies this past year than I ever have before. Because of this, I started ranking them throughout the year. I didn’t get to see everything I wanted to, so this list is in a way incomplete. Though I did end up seeing 57 2018 releases.
On this list, you’ll probably find that most of my low-ranking films are sequels, franchises, or big budget movies. For the most part, I don’t enjoy a lot of movies like that these days, except for some examples.
I didn’t get to see every movie I wanted to this year, unfortunately. So some notable movies that will be left off this list include Wildlife, Paddington 2, Mandy, Shoplifters, Blindspotting, and Ready Player One. I’ll most likely get to all of these eventually, but for now, I have to leave them off my list.
Finally, this ranking is a mix between what I thought was the best and what was my favorite. Movies that I thought were good tended to be those I considered favorites. This is all my opinion, so feel free to disagree!
Movies I Hated – There was nothing redeemable about the movies in this category.
57. Ralph Breaks the Internet – This movie was aggressively bad. It tried to be self-referential and meta, but it turned out to be forced humor and Disney product placement.
56. A Simple Favor – A movie that couldn’t pick a lane with what it wanted to be. It mixed mystery thriller with comedy and did not work for me at all.
Halfway Enjoyable Bad Movies – I didn’t like these movies overall, but they had their moments.
55. Welcome to Marwen – This is a movie that lacks a focus and relatable characters and the message is confusing. But some of the animated parts are enjoyable.
54. Venom – I like Tom Hardy and his performance is… interesting. But overall, the humor didn’t do enough to save this bad story.
53. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom – There were parts in here I enjoyed, like Chris Pratt stuck in the back of a truck with a T-Rex. But the story was all over the place and it thought it was much smarter than it was in reality.
52. Aquaman – There were enjoyable segments of this movie. Jason Momoa was having a lot of fun. But the CGI and story were poorly done.
51. Solo: A Star Wars Story – This movie had some fun action scenes and Alden Ehrenreich is really good as Han Solo. But it’s too much Star Wars, lore building, and Easter Eggs to actually work.
They Were Decent – They weren’t good, they weren’t bad. They were just there and harmless.
50. Ant-Man and the Wasp – I enjoyed this overall, which is what I can say for the majority of the MCU. Paul Rudd is hilarious and Evangeline Lilly is solid. The problem is that I’ve already forgotten most of this movie.
49. Bumblebee – The CGI was very good in this movie, but the story was lacking. There was good heart in it due to Hailee Steinfeld.
48. Incredibles 2 – A sequel that didn’t come close to living up to the original. Where The Incredibles was innovative and original, this was a retread of the same themes and a familiar superhero movie structure. But it was still fun overall.
47. Crazy Rich Asians – I enjoy romantic comedies in general, and this movie satisfied that part of my desires. But it was a very lacking story overall.
46. Robin Hood – I had a lot of fun watching this movie. The story had some good messages, the acting was good, and the action was fun. But it isn’t a good movie.
45. Bohemian Rhapsody – Hearing lots of Queen music was definitely the highlight of this movie. But the storytelling wasn’t great and it was overlong.
44. Christopher Robin – The best parts of this were with Pooh and the gang. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough of that.
43. Mary Poppins Returns – This is basically the same story as Christopher Robin, just a little bit better.
42. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald – I love Harry Potter, so this gave me my fix.
41. Black Panther – This wasn’t bad, but other than the great villain and cultural impact, I didn’t see it as anything special. Just another superhero movie.
40. Deadpool 2 – I liked this one more than the first. It had good humor and fun action, but I think it will be outdated soon due to the cultural references.
Movies I Wanted To Like More – I was excited to watch a lot of these, but they just didn’t quite reach the bar I was expecting them to.
39. Leave No Trace – This explored some really good themes, but it became a little boring towards the end. Still, it’s really well-made. Thomasin McKenzie will hopefully get some more roles after this one.
38. You Were Never Really Here – Joaquin Phoenix is unsurprisingly great in this. It’s just difficult for me to be on board with the subtle storytelling.
37. Bad Times At The El Royale – This is one I was really looking forward to. Chris Hemsworth is great, and so is the first act. The middle is decent, but was just missing something for me.
36. Love, Simon – A good teen coming of age story. Some beats are really forced, but overall, it’s entertaining and important.
35. First Man – Damien Chazelle and Ryan Gosling should have delivered better results. But other than the moon landing sequence, this was below average to average.
Movies That Surprised Me – I wasn’t expecting to enjoy these movies as much as I did.
34. Overlord – An entertaining zombie movie with really good action and CGI.
33. Tag – A funny action comedy that’s based on a true story. I liked the way this was shot and it has a lot of funny people in it who are being funny.
32. The Sisters Brothers – I don’t like a lot of westerns, but the actors in this made it very enjoyable for me.
31. First Reformed – This is a movie that made me think and ask questions. I asked questions like, “What in the world happened at the end?!”
30. At Eternity’s Gate – I enjoyed that this was a slice of life from a historical figure, instead of a full on biopic. It was well acted and gripping all the way through. I thoroughly enjoyed the filmmaking style.
29. Can You Ever Forgive Me? – Once I realized we weren’t supposed to take Lee Israel’s side, I really started to enjoy this movie. It’s darkly funny, while delivering an important message about being honest.
28. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs – I enjoyed some sections a lot more than others, and overall, I don’t really see how they all fit together. But I liked it as a whole.
27. Adrift – This was much better than I was expecting it to be. The twist ending seemed like a cheat, though. But overall, I loved both performances, especially Shailene Woodley.
Really Good Movies – These movies were very good. But they still didn’t make it over the hump to be classified as great.
26. A Star Is Born – This is anchored by its great performances, but I thought it moved too quickly through her career. Bradley Cooper is a noticeably rookie director, but it’s still one of the year’s best.
25. Annihilation – There are some incredible visuals in this movie. Natalie Portman and Oscar Isaac also give great performances. But there was a little bit too much science fiction for it to be classified as great.
24. The Mule – I enjoyed the road trip aspect of this movie, as well as all of the close calls. But Clint Eastwood’s character is just too on the nose.
23. Creed II – I keep trying to convince myself that this isn’t as good as I thought it was, but it isn’t working. Other than the underdeveloped villain, I really liked everything about this.
22. Tully – The reveal at the end is what made this movie so poignant for me.
21. Widows – A solid heist movie that includes women with agency, great acting, and lots of suspense.
20. Mary Queen of Scots – I keep coming back to this because of the acting, scenery, and score. The storytelling could be improved, but I liked this one a lot.
Great Movies – These movies were all legitimately great. There are just some that are greater.
19. Hereditary – This movie has grown on me a lot as the separation gets longer. I was loving every minute of it until the end caught me off guard the first time I saw it. But now I think the whole thing is genius.
18. Searching – A crime mystery that was a good story in its own right, but adding the screen gimmick to it took it to another level.
17. Isle of Dogs – Wes Anderson continues to be Wes Anderson. I love the animation, the framing, the human aspect of the story, and the humor.
16. BlacKkKlansman – This is as important as any Spike Lee movie. The end is one of the best in cinema this year.
15. Vice – This lacked a final punch, but it was very informative and moved an important message along. Christian Bale was also incredible.
14. Sorry to Bother You – It takes a hard turn into sci-fi at the end, but it really works for what the movie was trying to do. It’s funny and satirical and great.
13. Roma – The cinematography, acting, and sound design are great. What made it even better for me was when I learned much of the story is from Alfonso Cuaron’s memory. The last half hour are some of the most emotional moments in cinema all year.
12. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse – A superhero movie I actually liked, partly because it was making fun of other superhero movies. But it was also just a really good story with great animation.
I Loved These Movies – These aren’t quite the best of the year, but I still loved every second of each one.
11. Game Night – This is shot like an action movie, but acted like a comedy. It mixes the two seamlessly, with some great performances.
10. Under the Silver Lake – If you know anything about my favorite actors, you know I love Andrew Garfield. He didn’t disappoint in this movie, making me thoroughly enjoy a neo noir.
9. A Quiet Place – I bought into the hype and loved this movie. It was tense, scary, and a family movie at its heart. I loved the sound design.
8. mid90s – Jonah Hill really brought it with his directorial debut. It’s a deeply personal story about how hard life can be, even when you are young.
The Best Of The Year – I could only narrow it down to seven. These were all great movies that will stick with me for a long time.
7. The Favourite – I loved the performances from each of the three leads. It had me hooked from the very beginning and it delivered until the very end.
6. Avengers: Infinity War – This was a glorious amalgamation of all these different heroes into one movie. The ending was heartbreaking and worked, even though I know it isn’t permanent. Endgame is one of my most anticipated movies of next year.
5. Boy Erased – A horror movie disguised as a drama. This movie did everything it set out to do and it was hauntingly beautiful.
4. Green Book – Just an all-around joy. It has humor, great performances, and excellent social commentary. It’s my pick to win Best Picture.
3. Mission: Impossible – Fallout – I loved every second of this. This is an action movie done right.
2. Eighth Grade – Bo Burnham is a genius, if you didn’t already know. He captures this week in the life of an eighth grader perfectly.
1. Beautiful Boy – This is the most emotional movie of the year for me. It’s also the most well-acted and poignant to me personally.