With 2023 coming to an end, it is time to take a glance back and reminisce over the best films of the year. The first notable movie to come out this year was “The Super Mario Bros. Movie”. Coming out in early April, this movie exploded with popularity and ticket sales due to everybody’s love for the Nintendo characters. The movie is a perfect representation of how to turn a beloved video game into a fun and enjoyable experience for all ages. A highlight from the movie includes Bowser, voiced by Jack Black, singing his famous song about his love for Princess Peach. Overall this film was lighthearted and enjoyable for all who made their way to the theater to see it.
Next to come out was “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” which was a combination of the traditional Marvel action comedy, and added elements of sorrow. The testing on animals and murder of populations was a bit graphic, but the film had the Guardians end victorious and defeat the villainous High Evolutionary. “This film made me shed a tear due to the cruelty shown to animals by the High Evolutionary,” said senior Ross Bernath, “When the Guardians defeated him, I screamed in satisfaction,” For being the third film in a series, this film did very well in the box offices amassing a profit $358.9 million.
On the animated front, “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse” was the headliner for the year. This movie was the sequel to the Miles Morales Spider-Man series and was fantastic. In this movie, Miles Morales discovers a whole multiverse of different Spider-people and he has to navigate through it while also dealing with an enemy and life as a teenage boy. The animations for the movie are perfectly done and the film received a 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. What is also amazing about this movie is that it outearned the first movie in the series. Overall the movie is fantastic and a must watch for all those who have yet to see it.
Arguably the biggest film of the year, “Oppenheimer” covers the story of Robert Oppenheimer and the creation of the atomic bomb. This film was directed by Christopher Nolan, and to say that Nolan left his mark on the film community is an understatement. Receiving a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes just goes to show that everything about this film was perfect down to the smallest detail. Cillian Murphy plays Robert Oppenheimer and any description of his performance except for outstanding is unacceptable. Senior Vivian Kohn said, “I couldn’t believe how amazed I was by this film. My eyes were glued to the screen and I couldn’t turn them away or I would miss a fantastic scene,” This film is being considered for numerous film awards and recognition.
“Barbie” was surprisingly the highest grossing movie this year. With Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken, the movie was a major hit. People of all ages flocked to the theater in their pink attire to watch Barbie take on the dangers of the modern world. Prior to the movie, it was anticipated that this movie was just going to be a joke and a silly movie about Barbie, but it ended up being much more. It had real themes such as women empowerment, toxic masculinity and so much more. This movie was such a hit that it is paving the way for other movies like it.
While all these movies were outstanding and made this previous year entertaining, next year is looking like it is going to have some major hits. The most anticipated of these movies has to be “Kung Fu Panda 4”. After years of waiting, the long awaited fourth movie in the series will finally release in March. With the success of the first three movies, it is hard to imagine a scenario in which this movie turns out bad. I personally cannot wait and I know many kung fu enthusiasts cannot wait either.
Also coming out in March, is “Dune: Part Two”. The first part of the film featuring Timothee Chalamet as Paul Atreides was outstanding and a major hit, so this next part is much needed. The second part of this series will be the conclusion of the story as the first part only covered half of the original “Dune” book. Paul Atreides leading an army of thousands with giant sandworms is a sight and scene everyone can look forward to.
With the success of the live action “The Lion King”, Disney has decided to go ahead and produce a live action prequel called “Mufasa: The Lion King”. This film will explore Mufasa’s reign as leader of the pride and show his childhood and upbringing. The cinematography and camera work associated with the live action films are always phenomenal, so the same awe factor is to be expected for this movie.
With 2023 almost in the books and 2024 on the horizon, it is time to say goodbye to all the great movies of the previous year and officially look forward to these awesome upcoming movies. With this new modern age, anyone can watch almost any movie anywhere, so be sure to watch all these great movies from last year and be ready to buy your ticket for this year’s movies.