2017 was my favourite year in film. This years films encompassed all we love about film. We saw re-hashes of genres we thought we knew all about, continuations of franchises new and old, and some new original films from some well-known names.
All of this anticipation, somehow, led me to visiting the cinema twenty times to see sixteen different films. In this post, I’ll go through my top ten out of those films, highlighting my favourite shot from each.
10 - John Wick: Chapter 2, dir. Chad Stahelski
Chapter 2 was a fresh return to form for John Wick, played by action veteran Keanu Reeves. Everything about this sequel feels fresh, even with the specificities and potential constraints of the action genre. It doesn’t even feel like a ‘cash grab’ either, but a strong continuation of Wick’s story. It’s action sequences innovate beyond what you’d expect from the typical action film; using colours, symmetry and even a pencil to do so. Chapter 2 thinks outside the box; incorporating a intriguing plot, captivating, memorable characters besides the main man and even humour - something you’d expect the least from the Baba Yaga.
9 - La La Land, dir. Damien Chazelle
After its 2016 release in America, the Oscars buzz and simply the strange intrigue I had when it came to a good modern musical that borrowed from musicals from the past, this became my third cinema trip of 2017. Going in having never seen, or heard, any modern musicals before - I was hoping this first time wouldn’t disappoint. Luckily, it did the opposite and truly fascinated me. La La Land is a film that, even with it’s big ‘song-and-dance’ numbers, manages to keep its realism and relatability. It gives off a wave of Disney-like nostalgia with its consistent optimism, bright colours and its countless callbacks to jazz. Gosling and Stone, simply put, kill it with their performances and dedication to their roles of Sebastian and Mia, respectively. The overarching theme of dreams in a world where it’s increasingly hard to achieve them also gives for a unique, if at times subdued, plot. La La Land, its spectacle, performances, clothing and more immerses us in what feels like a 2 hour, musically driven, lucid dream.
8 - Spider-Man: Homecoming, dir. Jon Watts
One of my earliest movie memories was watching my Grandad’s VHS copy of Sam Raimi’s 2002 Spider-Man at five years old. Thirteen years, four films and one cameo later, I find myself in a Greek open-air cinema watching Marvel Studios’ first Spider-Man film. Homecoming as a film gave us what Stan Lee gave us as a comic in the 60’s, a superhero who under the mask was just a real person like you and me. The focus on Peter Parker being Spider-Man and the struggles of the superhero made for one of the most realistic, relatable superhero films since Kick-Ass. This is down to that Parker-Spidey balance from Tom Holland, the young actor (finally) playing a young role. He inhabited the quirky, quippy, quick-witted attitude of Spider-Man while also capturing the sensibility and shyness of Peter Parker. It takes a new step for Marvel’s films, thankfully one closer to its comics.
7 - Get Out, dir. Jordan Peele
Before seeing this, I only knew Jordan Peele from his ‘Key and Peele’ comedy sketches - popular across all corners of the internet. I knew nearly nothing going in, so when I got out (excuse the pun) I was blown away. Get Out is a film that grabs the horror-thriller genre we all know and overlays it with a socio-political relevancy I’ve never seen from a film before. Although, the art of Get Out isn’t its relevancy, but the subtlety in which it’s written - it never detracts from its thrilling nature, but instead boosts it. Race is used as a plot device under a thriller cloak to serve the narrative, the characters and most importantly the way audiences perceive the film. With Get Out, Peele delivers an interesting commentary on race and it’s representation as well as 2017’s most motivational protagonist.
6 - Baby Driver, dir. Edgar Wright
Edgar Wright has dealt with zombies, policemen, aliens, nerds and even Noel Fielding, but never a good old car chase. However, with Wright at the helm, this isn’t any ordinary car chase film. This is a slick flick set in a world where almost everything magically syncs to music, not even street art is safe. Baby Driver’s unique take on music is one Wright portrays perfectly with his unique style of filmmaking and his approach to the connection between score and scene. Ansel Elgort is great as Baby - not your Gosling or De Niro, but a character made by the music he listens to. Using it as a driving force for the film, Wright moulds everything from explosive action scenes to coffee shop trips around music, a concept most filmmakers shrug off. In Baby Driver, music isn’t a convenience or a distraction - but a advancement in plot, tension and development.
5 - Star Wars: The Last Jedi, dir. Rian Johnson
For 2017’s most discussed film, I don’t think there’s much to be said on my part. I loved The Last Jedi. While The Force Awakens felt like a step backward in its borrowings from A New Hope, Rian Johnson’s space epic felt like a grand leap forward. Luke Skywalker’s character arc feels fresh and unexpected - but in a way that never feels predictable either. While the film’s focus on Kylo Ren, his affliction with the force and how he deals with this surprised me, I was impressed with Driver’s representation of it. He brings a sense of fragile honesty to the Sith that I’ve never seen in an antagonist before. As polarising as it was, to me The Last Jedi felt like a reminder about why we like Star Wars so much without losing its focus on the plot or main character development critical to the ‘middle franchise film’ many regard as the best.
4 - Logan, dir. James Mangold
If this film was good enough for me to arrange a cinema viewing with a decent portion of my university course, then it’s good enough for this list. All nostalgia aside, Logan was a game changer for the superhero genre. With an R-rating upgrade, Wolverine’s claws become bloody after nearly twenty years. This rating also allowed to make way for the brutal Wolverine that many comics depicted, but many studios were afraid of. Hugh Jackman gives one of my favourite performances of the year as the eponymous washed-up mutant living in a post-mutant world. Reminiscent of Clint Eastwood in Unforgiven, he provides a sombre, realistic take on the character type we associate with the opposite. Its action sequences feel organic and unique to the films post-hero setting, yet still pack the punch and awe we expect from the genre. Dafne Keen gives an exciting portrayal of the mostly silent ‘Laura’, a young mutant not afraid to get her own claws dirty. I liked how she was also a driving force in the narrative, with her backstory being the backbone to Logan’s main narrative and not being an accessory to a potential Jackman-focused story. Overall, Jackman’s last outing as Wolverine is his best. Contending with The Dark Knight as a fresh, gritty, re-telling of the superhero we thought we knew all about.
3 - Moonlight, dir. Barry Jenkins.
Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight was a film that I had been chasing ever since it’s release back in February. Having missed it at the cinema, I hoped to see it at a free screening hosted by my University - but missed that too because of coursework. It wasn’t until the summer when I finally got around to watching it with my family after its digital release. The wait was over and my patience was rewarded with one of 2017’s most original, honest and realistic films. There are moments in Moonlight where it feels less like a film and more like a documentary of its lead character Chiron. This is because of its simple narrative focus on the life of Chiron as a child, teenager and adult. Moonlight isn’t a film about being in space, the battlefield or in the back of a getaway car to fight a big enemy; it doesn’t want to distract you from reality, but give you a gentle reminder about the reality of those less fortunate. It’s timely release in a LGBT society where the struggles of Chiron are not only his own adds an extra stroke of reality to the plot. The narrative focus around conformity and the pressure it puts on people like Chiron, a gay black man raised, made vulnerable and then giving into the masculinity surrounding him, throughout their lives makes Moonlight of the most down-to-earth, empathic films this year.
2 - DUNKIRK, dir. Christopher Nolan
Christopher Nolan has become the most innovative director when it comes to genre. So when given the war genre to play with, Nolan once again was able to give his own unique take on it. The ‘triple timeline’ and it’s importance to the film’s flow alone is impressive. It covered all perspectives of the war, high and low, without giving any one more priority than another - even with its short runtime. Its runtime is also a tool used by Nolan to rethink the war genre, ramping up the intensity to levels I’ve never seen from a film before. Doing this lets Nolan capture the intensity, shock and impact of war, translating all of these into the film and he then translates all those emotions back to us in just over a hundred minutes. I was also surprised by Harry Styles’ acting in this film, expressing a unique intensity as a ‘tommy’ trapped on the beaches of Dunkirk awaiting escape. I was also interested by the choices to cast young actors to portray just how young soldiers really were in these wars. This reality, the width of emotions Dunkirk makes you feel in such a short time, the immersive acting all leave you with a truly unique cinematic experience.
1 - Blade Runner 2049, dir. Denis Vilenueve
Hans Zimmer, Denis Vilenueve and Roger Deakins have respectively become household names over the course of their careers. With their respective work in music, direction and cinematography they’ve each demonstrated why we love film. So, naturally, when I heard they were collaborating on the same film, I was bathing in hype. Then I found it was a Blade Runner sequel. Most were put off by its runtime and fears that it would never live up to its predecessor; which caused a tidal wave in sci-fi, inventing new sub-genres and inspiring countless media from books to videogames. But, cinema’s three musketeers pulled off the job perfectly.
2049 takes everything that was great about the original, its visuals, its darkness and its homages to the slick noir flicks of the 40s and 50s, and gives it a new coat of neon paint. Its connectivity to the original, from cameos to musical cues, doesn’t feel forced but instead moves the film forward - especially with the return of Harrison Ford. His work in 2049 is certainly his most captivating as the older, withered Deckard, while still shining with that coolness that made him such a unique character in the original. Gosling also immerses us in the world as K, a replicant with the most tragic, shocking, jaw-dropping character development I’ve ever seen. Although the true star of the film is its visuals; its colouring, its composition and camerawork from Deakins makes every frame feel like a shiny, cyberpunk painting. So, with that said, if you ever want a real example of how film can be art - do yourself a favour and watch Blade Runner 2049, my favourite film of 2017.