2023 is quickly approaching its end, and this year has been massive for me. A-Levels and starting university in the same year is a whole new level of responsibility that I would not wish on my worst enemy. However, despite all of these mad changes and busy workloads, I’ve actually managed to see more new films this year than last year, so that’s got to count for something, right? Especially since I’ve got a lot more goodness to talk about than the relatively small collection I could choose from when I did this in 2022. Here are my Films of 2023.

This isn’t necessarily a definitive ranking of my favourite films of the year, just consider this as a series of my personal highlights. (Editor, if you want that definitive ranking – we are putting together a big old year in review two parter podcast, and once that is done – the definitive rankings will follow… ) Without further ado, let’s go!

My favourite horror movie of the year was Evil Dead Rise. I went into the year having no idea they were making another Evil Dead film, but walked out satisfied. It’s certainly in a different wheelhouse to the original Raimi trilogy, being a lot darker and gnarlier for one, but I felt like this kept the raw anarchic spirit of those early films despite its change in tone and setting, and the main cast were all top-notch. Centering the torment upon the children of the possessed mother is a ballsy decision and it really lent the film much of its stakes. It’s brutal, it’s insane, it’s over-the-top. In short, it’s Evil Dead, and it’s still groovy. And more importantly, it wins the award for the best title card of the year. That reveal was awesome.

The excellent Blue Jean came out at the start of the year, and even though I didn’t get a chance to see it until November it was well worth the wait. It’s a beautifully-acted grounded drama set in Northern England after the passing of the abhorrent Section 28 legislation which targeted LGBTQ+ people, but while the film does dwell on the aftershocks of such a law, the film’s wonderfully optimistic ending and its empathetic relatable lead keeps it from feeling miserable. It’s a hard watch but an important one, and a phenomenal feature-length debut from director Georgia Oakley.

Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse is the best animated film of the year hands down. I didn’t understand the hype surrounding the first film at the time, and the second came out during exam season, so I didn’t get a chance to see it until well after its run in cinemas. But after rewatching the first and now seeing this, I am totally on board. Much like its predecessor, Across The Spider-Verse is just dazzling in its beautiful animation style, and dizzying in its pace and scale. It’s rare for a PG-rated computer-animated film to be 2 hours 15 minutes and end on a cliffhanger, but it’s just so enthralling and kinetic that the runtime flies past. It sounds like it was a bit of a nightmare to work on, but I hope that this work environment can be improved and that they deliver a third film as good as these two, because to achieve lightning in a bottle twice like this is an achievement unto itself. Who would’ve thought that the studio that once made Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs would soon be reigning supreme in animation and kicking Pixar’s arse?

In a similar vein to Across The Spider-Verse, I also had an absolute blast with Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning: Part One. Before this year, I had never seen a single film in the franchise but I soon corrected that once I got to university, and (aside from the woefully misguided 2) I thoroughly enjoyed every single instalment, and Dead Reckoning: Part One continues this streak. It left me absolutely breathless, with a big globetrotting narrative that sucks you in almost immediately, and leaves you incredibly satisfied even if it only gives you half the plot. Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie are dedicated to giving the audience a good time, and they certainly do that as even watching this on my laptop screen broke me out in sweat on several occasions. The entire last forty-five minutes is heart-pounding.

Molly Manning Walker’s directorial debut How To Have Sex was a fantastic drama released towards the end of the year, starring a figure from my childhood, Mia McKenna-Bruce (early 2010s CBBC, good times), as one of a group of school leavers who go on a holiday abroad hoping for raucous fun and, of course, raucous sex. This is a fantastic debut, with a cast of really natural actors and a brilliant treatment of some distressing subject matter. I loved the cinematography too, there’s a dreamlike wooziness to the way this film is photographed that fits perfectly. 

While I do appreciate when a film surprises me, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is the year’s biggest relief. Keeping up with the MCU has become more and more cumbersome regarding both narrative and quality, but this is easily the strongest standalone outing in the franchise in a good few years. The Guardians are my favourite set of characters in the MCU so it was great to see them get a fantastic farewell, in an emotionally-charged and devastating 150 minutes that still showcased the silly exuberance of the Guardians. The dog days for the MCU may not be over yet, but the Guardians never really had any, as they were consistent right until the end. Thank God.

It’s somewhat fitting for these last two films I’m talking about to be also my two favourites of the year if I were forced to pick. Emerald Fennell’s sophomore film Saltburn is an ingenious blend of social satire, black comedy and family drama that is boosted even more by its superb cast. Cillian Murphy is the obvious Oscar choice for Best Lead Actor, but the dark horse candidate for that win is Barry Keoghan in Saltburn, who is darkly funny and consistently commanding in almost every scene, holding his own even as the film gets more and more insane. Also, if Evil Dead Rise wins the award for best title card of the year, then Saltburn gets the “most awkward scene to watch with people” award. All I’ll say is that you’ll feel gross every time you have a bath after watching this.

Let’s finish this off in style, and how could I go through the best films of 2023 without mentioning Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer? I have never been much of a Nolan fan and find much of his filmography quite overhyped, but Oppenheimer sucks you straight in and doesn’t let you breathe for the whole three hours. Cillian Murphy is magnificent but the best actor card has to go to Robert Downey Jr, who steps out of Marvel’s shadow to remind us what he can truly do with his acting range. However, I don’t think Oppenheimer can be best reviewed by compartmentalising the different aspects, since it gains its value as an overall cinematic experience, and on that front it’s phenomenal. Three hours flies by with propulsive editing and an overwhelming sound design that truly wallops you. I’m not sure what a rewatch at home would bring to the film, but as a cinema experience Oppenheimer reigned supreme this year.

And that’s about it. I’m really happy I got to see this much in 2023, and I hope that now I’m fully settled into uni, I’m not trying to catch up with the year’s releases when I get to autumn! Thanks very much for an amazing year, and I wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy new year.

HERE’S TO A FANTASTIC 2024!

Alex’s Archive – Films Of 2023