2018 has been marked by many dramatic ups and downs, highs and lows, and a lot in between. Out of all the movies that lit up the box office this year, these ten especially stand out.
Movies are arranged in no particular order.
“Incredibles 2”
Fans of “The Incredibles” have been waiting since 2004 to see the Parr family’s return to the movie theater, and this year, they finally got their wish. Nostalgia hit movie theaters across the world as the Parrs returned to their alter egos as a family of superheroes. The film did exponentially better than the first Incredibles movie, pulling in more than 1.2 billion dollars at the box office, compared to the original which made 633 million dollars. This was a great, family-friendly film that people clearly enjoyed. Its intriguing plot, character development, and overall strong delivery make this film just as good as (if not better than) its predecessor.
“Crazy Rich Asians”
“Crazy Rich Asians” was groundbreaking for the film industry due to its all-Asian cast. Over the years, films have been criticized for a lack of racial diversity; “Crazy Rich Asians” presented a change for the better. This film mastered handling both the lightest and most difficult moments of relationships between a woman and her boyfriend’s family. It mastered lightheartedness while still touching on the topical issue of diversity and cultural tensions.
“The Hate U Give”
“The Hate U Give” centered around a white police officer who shoots an unarmed black male teenager. In the film, a teenager named Khalil is pulled over by a police officer and while he reached into his car and picked up a brush, the police officer mistakenly believed that it was a gun. The police officer fired at Khalil, and he was killed. Khalil’s death quickly made national news as another case of an unarmed black man being gunned down by a white police officer for doing nothing wrong. “The Hate U Give” is a difficult movie to watch, but it raises the important topic of police brutality towards African Americans that must be addressed. This film offers a teachable moment for the nation around the unfair treatment of African Americans by the police. The acting is superb, and the delivery of the script demonstrates talent.
“Eighth Grade”
“Eighth Grade” revolves around an eighth grade student Kayla Day as she nears the end of her time in middle school. The movie widely received praise for more accurately portraying a “typical teenager” than most other adolescent movies. While many may argue there is no such thing as a “typical teenager”, the film creates a “typical teenager” by touching upon the issues of social anxiety, technology, and social media. These are all issues that affect teenagers in their day to day lives. If you are looking for another family-friendly film, check out this movie, although, it may be best understood by teenage audiences and up.
“Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again”
By no means a sophisticated film, “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” represents a fun film to see when you are looking for a good laugh. This film’s funny, heartfelt, and lighthearted nature seems like something we all need from time to time. And besides, who would not want to see Cher and Meryl Streep in the same movie?
“A Star Is Born”
This movie is perfect for drama fans looking for an interesting film involving the romance and careers of two musicians. This movie tells the story of an inexperienced singer who tries to find her way in the musical profession with the help of another already established musician struggling with his own alcohol addiction. While this may sound cliche, the writers, directors, and actors successfully took a rather depressing subject and made it into an inspiring story. The movie focuses mainly on the upbeat nature of the character’s successes, and not on their shortcomings.
“Paddington 2”
After the first “Paddington” movie in 2014, fans wanted more. Their wish came true this year as “Paddington 2” played for families around the country, bringing in over 226 million dollars. Described as a great family film, parents looking for an appropriate film they can trust their children to watch without parental supervision should definitely look into this movie. Or the parents could watch with their kids and be entertained as well!
“Avengers: Infinity War”
Looking for an action film? Try “Avengers: Infinity War”. This was one of the biggest superhero movies of all time, for in this film, the Avengers united to destroy the antagonist, Thanos, who threatened to kill half of all life in the universe. The film has been described as action-packed, exciting, and upbeat because the scenes constantly change the story enough. You certainly will not be bored during this film considering the fast pace and wide variety of frequent activity that happens.
“Mission Impossible: Fallout”
This movie was more than a regular action movie; it was very consistent because each scene escalated the stakes for the better. This movie supplied a constant stream of excitement that ramped up through the entire movie. If you are not into action movies, still consider seeing this film because of the action-packed scenes and the pace at which they move. If you prefer quiet and slow movies, you may feel opposed to seeing this. However, if you have any interest in trying an action movie, then this could definitely suffice.
“A Quiet Place”
This horror movie did not just rely on jump scares; “A Quiet Place” included much more substance than a typical horror movie including incredible acting from John Krasinski and Emily Blunt, along with a strong plot. This film balanced the horror with its characters well and kept drama and horror separate. Surprisingly, this movie spent time on character development, a rarity in most other horror movies.