The Top 5 Movies of 2018 In BurtonReviews’ Opinion [IBRO]

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2018 has been another great year for cinema, especially in the ever growing in popularity superhero genre of movies. But across the board the number of bad and/or disappointing movies seemed to dwindle as surprisingly fun and stellar awe inspiring experiences filled the big screens and the minds of those who had their eyes glued to them. But before we go into 2019, let’s look back at the biggest successes of 2018 in the hopes of continuing this trend of incredible and absorbing story telling into the year to come. So without further ado, here are BurtonReviews’ top 5 favourite movies of 2018 (favourite because while they may not be objectively the best, they were the ones that stole this wannabe-critic’s heart over the year).

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5. Aquaman

The first and most recent entry into this prestigious list, the latest DC movie: Aquaman was a much needed and sensational success for the struggling superhero franchise. Aquaman is just so much damn fun. Feeling like an Uncharted game, but with superheroic merpeople, Aquaman captured the adventurous spirit of a poppy globetrotting treasure hunt tale perfectly. Combining that infectiously exciting spirit with badass fight choreography, a mind-blowing introduction to Atlantis and it’s outrageously cool underwater world, epic fight scenes that will have you cackling with glee, and loveable characters you actually get to see grow through this adrenalin fuelled journey; this cocktail of pure escapism fun effortlessly whisks you away into its tidal wave of fun and you’ll love every minute of it.

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4. Hereditary

Undoubtedly the smartest film on this list, Hereditary is possibly the best constructed film of the year. With subtle and eerie hints to the movie’s true narrative sprinkled from the very first frame of the movie to its closing shot, everything on screen was placed in an exact and purposeful position to tantalise your mind as you slowly unravel the true horrors at the heart of Hereditary’s story. Heart wrenching performances in a heart breaking story that subverts expectations and leaves you wondering where up has even gone, while this film may not scare audiences in the traditional piano bang coupled with a creepy man jumping out of a bush kind of way, what it will do is infiltrate your mind and refuse to leave until you have unlocked all of the cleverly placed mysteries that director Ari Aster left for you to find. Without even a single explosion Hereditary is one of the most impacting films of the year and is a must for any psychological horror fan.

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3. Ready Player One

I admit, I am the exact target audience for this movie. Does that make my judgment on the movie vulnerable to bias? Definitely. But when fan service is done this damn good in such a spectacular fashion, a feat like that cannot be over looked. Ready Player One sparked a fire in my imagination that has not ceased since first seeing this beautifully realised movie in IMAX almost 10 months ago. Another movie that’s fun swallows you whole from moment one, Ready Player One’s dream-come-true virtual world had my jaw hitting the floor on multiple occasions. From the introduction of the Oasis (the best videogame we’ll never get to play), to the insane and explosive street race, the visuals of Ready Player One are awe inspiring. Fill those moments with loveable and relatable characters who are working their way through a surprisingly smart mystery to save the thing all gamers want the most and you can overlook the handful of so-cheesy-I-might-be-sick moments.

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2. My Hero Academia: Two Heroes

When an anime show brings out a movie that takes place in an until-now-unknown event, it is normally just fan service filler created to suck even more money out of the desperate fan’s pockets. Usually. But when the movie is in the universe of one of the best anime’s to be gracing our screens at the time things are going to be different. My Hero Academia: Two Heroes laughed at this tradition and went ahead and created the best 2 hour My Hero Academia episode ever. If Die Hard but with superheroes doesn’t already sound freakin’ amazing, then knowing that this cool as hell concept is being actualised by sensational animation that will bring to life planet shattering battles that will have you on the edge of your seat pumping your fist in the air for the hero’s victory; then that should definitely have you sweating with excitement. My Hero Academia: Two Heroes succeeded where so many anime movies from TV shows fail, they made a movie that feels impactful to the overall story and a vital piece of the character’s growth that will help shape them in the episodes to come.

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1. Avengers Infinity War

If you know me then this number one isn’t really surprising at all. Everything lead to this, 10 years of historical movie making, a franchise that launched a whole genre into unprecedented popularity, a crossover on a scale no one has ever attempted in cinema history, Avengers Infinity War had a lot of pressure on its shoulders. But like so many of their heroes, Marvel stood up to the challenge, looked it dead in the eye and said that they will win no matter what. And that is exactly what they did. It is an honest to god miracle that this movie is even coherent, never mind astonishingly entertaining, never mind actually phenomenally good, never mind surprisingly emotional and filled to the brim with character moments that perfectly distil the essence of these beloved titans of pop culture. The battles were the best the series has ever seen and truly fitting of the title War. But Avengers Infinity War isn’t just about the goose bump inducing spectacle and the mountain of wow moments it has up its sleeve. Like all good Marvel stories, this movie is about its characters, how they come together and attempt to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds for the good of everyone and in this the movie shined delivering some of the best character interactions and emotionally charged moments of the year. Avengers Infinity War is a marvel in itself and the best tribute to the legendary Stan Lee’s legacy.

But those weren’t the only new movies that I saw in the cinema this year, in fact I listed all of them as 2018 progressed. Here is how my year’s viewing shaped up, in ranking order from best to worst:

Ant-Man and the Wasp

Spider-Man Into The Spiderverse

Mission Impossible: Fallout

Overlord

Teen Titans GO To The Movies

Venom

The Incredibles 2

Solo: A Star Wars Story

Isle of Dogs

12 Strong

Pacific Rim: Uprising

Black Panther

Deadpool 2

And there you have yet another top 5 movies in the books. How many of my decisions and opinions do you disagree with this year? How many do you totally get and agree with? What is your list of top 5 movies of 2018? Comment in the Facebook post for this article and thank you for reading, watching, listening, and interacting with my content. I write for fun, but the real joy that comes from all of this is sharing my thoughts and ideas with all of you and seeing what you all think. With even more shake ups to BurtonReviews hopefully incoming, here’s to another exciting and expanding year where we can all geek out and argue about the things that get us really excited.

By Sam Burton

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