9. Upgrade
The similarities between Upgrade and Venom are so uncanny, that even though the latter is not on this list, I can’t help but want to recommend the two of them together. Still, Upgrade is a much, much better movie and works just fine on its own, as well. Basically, with Luc Besson turning out to be a garbage human being, Leigh Whannell is here to take over (and do better) the hyperkinetic action-heavy tech thriller bag, proving himself a capable director of fight scenes and medium-level futurist sci-fi, working with his own smart yet not overly sophisticated script about a man with a Hal 9000-esque AI implant in his brain helping him take revenge on the guys who killed his wife. This is the one that should have grossed almost a billion dollars worldwide.
8. Isle of Dogs
Oh boy, does Wes Anderson’s latest stop-motion animated feature have problems. The cultural appropriation and naive racial insensitivity are not to be ignored. That said, neither can be the artistry and storytelling of Isle of Dogs, and Anderson’s loving tribute to things he loves, including Kurosawa and Miyazaki films, never came across to me as fetishization or exploitation. There are creative works that can be appreciated and criticized in equal measure, and this often clever and funny dystopian adventure story filled me with wonder and joy even as and if I (mostly later) recognized its offenses. One thing we can hope for: Anderson has learned from his errs.
7. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
While compiling my list of movies to watch after Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, I was surprised to realize how lacking cinema is ion tales of a multiverse. Fortunately, Sony’s animated Spider-Man feature does justice to the concept of various versions of ourselves and our world. That part is thanks to the source material, of course, but the way producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller adapt the idea of alternative Spider-persons (and pigs) and make it about a combination of uniqueness and oneness plus diversity and inclusion, that’s just genius. And on top of the thematic gold, there’s the visual style that doesn’t so much mimic the look of comic books as pay homage to it while creating a fresh kind of motion picture altogether. And I can’t forget about the sound design and soundtrack that goes along with that innovative imagery. This is a complete sensational package.
6. Black Panther
Marvel Studio’s best effort yet isn’t so much a superhero movie as it is a smorgasbord of cultural celebration honoring African heritage while delivering a classic political story. Some of the action could be executed better, but it’s an improvement on many others, and that stuff is all just obligatory filler anyway, while the true spectacle is in the design of the movie. And the empowering characters and complex performances and complicated themes of the narrative more than outweigh any faults. Almost everyone and everything in Black Panther is inspiring in some way, and there hasn’t been a more enticing fictional world since Shangri-La.
5. Suspiria
Luca Guadagnino’s reimagining of Dario Argento’s Suspiria begins a trio of horror-adjacent movies on this list. The grim and gory fairy tale goes even darker in the dance, presenting a studio that’s essentially Tanztheater as governed by a coven of witches. Led by Tilda Swinton as a faux Pina Bausch, the expressionist choreography turns bodies into a literally twisted tool for wicked spells. There’s retro magic in the look of the movie, and thanks to the makeup wizardry of Mark Coulier and Fernanda Perez, we get some extra Swinton and some devilishly disturbing (in a delightful way) imagery involving skin and bones.
4. Annihilation
Featuring some of the most stunning visuals of the year, this mix of sci-fi and fantasy is a metaphorical monster movie that doesn’t shy away from going full-on surreal. It’s pretty cold as far as emotionality goes, in the spirit of other recent genre favorites of mine, Under the Skin and A Ghost Story, but Natalie Portman does a good job of selling her character’s heart and soul at least. And when it gets frightening, it’s blood-curdling. When it gets weird, it’s mindbending. It doesn’t matter if you see and accept that the film is all about cancer, just enjoy the trippy trip with a fabulous female cast into a restricted, reality-altering zone, and don’t worry if your mouth is agape most of the time. It’s just competing with your eyes in a contest of which one can go wider.
3. A Quiet Place
Who knew John Krasinski had it in him? The guy best known as Jim from The Office basically created a silent film (maybe the best sci-fi silent feature since Metropolis?), all apt in purpose not just for narrative reasons (the alien monsters have an exceptional sense of hearing) but also for thematic reasons. And it’s engaging enough that we barely realize that we’re watching something that, given its lack of dialogue, is so incredibly abnormal. The fact that there’s so little speech isn’t the only way it’s unique, either. Most movies that would use an alien invasion story as a way of exploring parenthood would be talky in their explanation. A Quiet Place is visual in its explanation, and its action and horror are perfectly realized to boot.
2. Sorry to Bother You
Oh yeah, alright. Hell yeah, this movie’s tight. The feature directorial debut of writer and rapper Boots Riley is a beautiful and bizarre sci-fi film in the spirit of Jordan Peele and Charlie Kaufman. Lakeith Stanfield proves he’s movie star material as a new Gary Cooper for the sort of evolution of Capra that we need in the 21st century — confronting issues of race, capitalism, and more. It’s a darkly comic fantasy that keeps on pushing the line with ridiculously effective turns of plot. We’ll never have a more poignant satire of the modern (and future) employment trends, and Riley barely has to exaggerate anything. Sorry to Bother You is also the second movie in the top four to feature Tessa Thompson, so that’s another mark in its favor.
1. Paddington 2
Do the Paddington movies count as fantasy? Talking bears aren’t real, of course, and while anthropomorphic animals aren’t common to the world of this franchise, the title character also isn’t looked at too strangely. It’s not fantastical for the people in the movies, that’s for sure. But as long as it’s impossible, and it is, Paddington 2 not only qualifies but tops this list — and most other lists, too, including the best comedies of 2018. It’s an impossible story, but it’s a hopeful one. The world of Paddington 2 is more utopic than even Wakanda. I wish all the movies on this list and for all time could be Paddington sequels. Well, maybe not really, but I wouldn’t complain at all if that was the case. More whimsical and honorable and wonderful than the first movie, the follow-up makes me more excited for the future of Paul King’s career and anxious to see if we do get a Paddington 3.
Honorable Mentions
Ant-Man and the Wasp, Bird Box, Maze Runner: The Death Cure, Mirai, Overlord, Pacific Rim Uprising
Related Topics: 2018 Rewind, Fantasy, paddington, Science Fiction, Sorry to Bother You, Suspiria, Year in Review
