Movies Released in 2018 That I've Seen

A Quiet Place is an intense, frightening and incredibly well-executed film in the same sort of vein as horror classic The Descent. The film has good, identifiable characters that you really care for, while pitting them against unimaginably brutal monsters. Really, there isn't much more I can say other than if you like horror, see this movie - it's sure to go down as a new, timeless classic.

I don't know how the Russos manage to pull it off, but Infinity War works so much better than I could have possibly hoped. It isn't quite as tight as Civil War, but Infinity War succeeds as the level of emotional, climactic spectacle that only 10 years of Marvel's cinematic universe could achieve. That said, you need to be invested in this story for it to truly hit home, but if you are, then there really isn't another movie quite like it.

Into the Spider-verse is significantly better than it had any right to be, feeling far more like a comic book than just about any other film has. Its art style is absolutely gorgeous and the story is fantastic and heartwarming. If this is the sort of unique quality we can expect from Sony's Spider-man films going forward, I think that the character might finally be in good hands.

Fallout is, simply put, the best Mission: Impossible film in an already-stellar franchise. I've always preferred the original film over its sequels, but even I have to admit that this one has finally perfected the formula that the others had been building up for years. It ups the stakes and action sequences, while improving the franchise's storytelling and providing plenty of high-octane surprises along the way.

Civil War already showed us that Black Panther is a cool character, but it's in his solo outing that he really proves himself as perhaps the biggest badass in the MCU. Wakanda makes for a setting unlike any other in the Marvel universe and the film plays out almost like a James Bond movie at times with its political intrigue. The villains are also quite compelling, to the point where you will almost certainly question your loyalties eventually. While I don't think Civil War has been topped yet, Black Panther comes close and is definitely in the upper echelons of what the MCU has produced so far.

Hereditary is fantastic in so many ways - the performances are all amazing, the director and editor are clearly having a blast lurching from drawn out scenes of tension to cool shots and transitions, and the music is eerie. I think that the film's one big flaw though is that the "big reveal" in the final act undermines a lot of what made the film's story work as well. It does fit into the film's themes of the "curse afflicting the family", but it's disappointing compared to what had been set up before. Still, it's hard to really be too down on Hereditary considering how much else is top-notch and that my disappointment is just a personal preference.

Free Solo is compelling enough as a documentary about what drives people to free climb and the toll this takes on their family and friends... but then you add in the ball-shriveling climax where Alex Honnold attempts to free solo up 3000ft of El Cap with stakes so high that you can feel the documentarians' own anxiety. This is one of those once-in-a-lifetime films that you need to experience yourself.

Annihilation is a film which, for better or worse, demands multiple viewings to really appreciate. It plays out more like an arthouse film rather than a typical Hollywood sci-fi romp, meaning that you should be viewing it more symbolically rather than literally. If you do so, then Annihilation is a rather interesting and evocative tale about relationships, tragedy, and/or death. If you're just looking for something more disposable though, then you're likely going to find Annihilation confounding and unsatisfying.

The Clovehitch Killer is one of those movies that you can tell got filmed one way and then edited into the film we got. This is for better or worse in some ways, but thankfully The Clovehitch Killer is compulsively tense and watchable thanks to its great performances, fascinating premise, strong script and tragic ending.

Ready Player One feels, at times, like classic Spielberg with its emphasis on spectacle, a mostly whimsical story and buffoonish cartoon villain. It leans a bit too heavily on nostalgia at times, although this does not truly hinder your enjoyment - I saw it with a 60 year old who definitely did not get all the video game references, but who thought the film was great.

Red Sparrow is an intriguing but slow-burning spy thriller, in which the hero does not fight with guns or fists (for the most part) but with her mind and body. It can be genuinely unsettling at times and you really don't know which side our heroine is on at any time. Jennifer Lawrence puts in a strong and empowering performance, on a similar level to her Oscar-worthy roles (hell, I was worried that the Russian accent would be distracting, but it's fine). Honestly, not sure why this film did not do better with critics, I thought it was solid.

Solo is about as good as anyone could have hoped, and certainly better than most people expected it to be. I felt like Alden Ehrenreich did a good job stepping into such a beloved character, although he is obviously no Harrison Ford. Donald Glover and Woody Harrelson also put in great performances. While the film itself is pretty unsubstantial within the Star Wars canon, it is definitely a fun space romp in a similar vein to A New Hope.

I was worried that a Nazi-zombies movie in the year 2018 might feel somewhat distasteful, but thankfully Overlord strikes a respectful enough tone while providing a grisly good time for action-horror fans. It's just a straightforward, solidly made b-movie thriller.

Isle of Dogs features as much of Wes Anderson's trademark style and whimsical humour as you would expect, with a few twists (mainly relating to the clever takes on the Japanese/English language split). I feel like this doesn't reach the heights of Anderson's best work though, mainly due to its second half ignores most of the characters we've been on this journey with and instead focuses on the relationship between the 2 main characters - thankfully that core is still strong so this movie doesn't collapse as a result, but it does make the ending feel unsatisfying. Honestly, the biggest flaw with Isle of Dogs might just be that The Fantastic Mr. Fox, Anderson's previous animated film, was so good that it just makes this project have a hard time measuring up.

Alt-Right is a decent documentary if you don't know much about the alt-right or the current state of white supremacy, or if maybe you think that antifa is just as bad as the KKK. If you are more familiar with the subject then it isn't exactly going to be revolutionary. However, the last 15 minutes or so are gripping, with footage shot on the ground from Charlottesville portraying just how nasty the fight between fascism and the people can be.

You probably know whether you'll like Deadpool 2 or not based on whether you liked the original. It's basically the same idea, although in my opinion it executes its humour much less effectively. On the other hand, the action sequences are more kinetic, but the humour is the main draw for Deadpool in my opinion - when that aspect of the film is weaker, the whole product suffers in my opinion.

After the disappointing City on the Edge of Battle, The Planet Eater caps off the Godzilla anime trilogy in a emotional and thematic high note. I'll admit, the first half of this film was really turning me off with hamfisted and cliche anime melodrama, but as soon as Ghidorah shows up this film goes into overdrive. Some people might be disappointed that the ensuing battle between Ghidorah and Godzilla is underwhelming, but the focus is instead on the emotional and philosophical battle between the hero and villain, which is handled very well. It makes for a really compelling and exciting conclusion to this wildly inconsistent trilogy, although it is still dragged down a bit by how overwrought everything can be at times.

As far as slasher sequels go, Halloween is better than most. However, I was still hoping that this movie would be better than it ended up being. It's well made and has some fantastic moments, but it all just feels like the story its telling could have done with a bit more... ambition I guess. Still, it's reasonably good and easily near the top of its franchise.

The First Purge is probably the strongest Purge entry yet. Anarchy is still definitely the funnest, but The First Purge aims to be a much more serious entry, leaning hardest into the series' political elements while also doing the best job of justifying them. The film doesn't hit quite hard enough, but it is a pretty solid film overall. My biggest critique is that the film doesn't do enough to establish that people seem to actually think The Purge is a good thing in this universe, leaning far too hard into the NFFA's role in the "festivities".

Considering that it has been 14 years since the last film, you'd expect that when they finally brought back The Incredibles, they'd do so with an iron-clad script. Unfortunately, I was really let down by the story in The Incredibles 2 - there are lots of disparate elements but they never really come together to make a cohesive whole. Luckily the action sequences are quite fun, but I'm not sure that the final product was worth pulling the Incredibles out of their long retirement.

The first hour of Tomb Raider is great, giving us some strong action sequences and a good leading performance from Alicia Vikander. However, the second half leaves much to be desired, mainly due to an unfortunate narrative turn which derails the plot and never really recovers its balance. All that said though, Tomb Raider is definitely one of the best video game movies ever made and is certainly a worthwhile and fun time at the movies.

Behind the Curve is an interesting look into the bewildering world of the Flat Earth movement and a snapshot into the lives of some of the people who inhabit it. It goes to great lengths to humanize the people it covers (to the point where it feels like this movie's main point is a Mark Sargent and Patricia Steere shipping fanfic), although it doesn't pull punches when it comes to refuting their misguided (and at times abhorrent) beliefs. All-in-all, Behind the Curve is an enjoyable documentary, but it feels like it's mostly just skimming the surface of this topic.

The American Meme is an unintentionally depressing watch as the film takes us through the highs and lows of influencer culture and how it is destroying peoples' lives. Perhaps the most interesting aspect is how the film exonerates Paris Hilton. Formerly the most hated celebrity of her era, Hilton gets her own arc here, showing that she's far smarter than most people give her credit and has matured since her socialite hey-day. Unfortunately, the other figures in the documentary aren't nearly as compelling, with Kirill Bichutsky coming across as truly loathsome despite his best efforts to humanize himself.

Ant-man and The Wasp is a film which is clearly intended to be little more than breezy fun, but this feels really strange in a time when superhero films are more serious and emotive. It ends up making this film feel throw-away in comparison, it never feels like there are any stakes and I didn't really care about the characters that much. Again, it's all about having fun and the film pulls that off for sure, but something a bit more substantial would have been appreciated.

A Kid Like Jake has some interesting ideas, but it doesn't really capitalize on them. The film plays out like a slice of life, which interesting but doesn't make for the most compelling story. Also, Jake himself isn't really all that important to the plot, rather the film is just focused on his parents and how they react to his desire to be a princess and what that might mean, which is a bit of a missed opportunity in my opinion. Oh, and it's really weird seeing Jim Parsons playing someone other than Sheldon.