TheAnimationFanatic

Excellent trailer and a very strong first impression.

The Wild Robot - The best DreamWorks film since How to Train Your Dragon (and from the same director, too). Stunning animation, endearing characters, and full of heart. 10 out of 10.

Transformers One - The best Transformers movie since Bumblebee (low bar, I know). Rocky start, but it picks up later and goes in some unexpectedly dark places. I hope we get a sequel. 8.5 out of 10. The Substance - Easily the most unsettling movie of the year. A cross between "Death Becomes Her", "The Nutty Professor", and "The Fly." Amazing performances from Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley. Just don't eat anything while watching. 9 out of 10.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice - A wildly entertaining, if overstuffed return to form for Tim Burton. Captures the madcap energy of the first film and had me laughing plenty of times. 8 out of 10.

A Quiet Place: Day One - A solid, tense prequel to the first two films. But the formula is definitely starting to get a bit familiar. I hope the third movie is able to keep things fresh. 8.5 out of 10. Longlegs - Probably the biggest surprise of the year for me. Nicholas Cage delivers an all-time great performance in a tense, unsettling thriller. Only issue is that the slow burn pace sometime works against the movie's favor. 8.5 out of 10. Twisters - A pretty decent sequel to the 1996 original. It does exactly what it sets out to do as a fun summer blockbuster, but it's elevated by having a cast of likable (and attractive) leads. 8 out of 10. Deadpool & Wolverine - Messy plotting aside, this is the most fun I've had watching an MCU movie in a long time. Lots of laughs, carnage, and cameos. 8 out of 10. Alien: Romulus - A mostly decent return to form for the franchise. A few problematic aspects hold it back from being truly great, but it otherwise delivered. 8.5 out of 10.

Bad Boys: Ride Or Die - Another surprisingly solid entry in the franchise. Smith and Lawrence continue to have phenomenal chemistry. 8 out of 10. Inside Out 2 - The best Pixar sequel since Toy Story 3 (or 4). Not perfect, but a worthy followup the original. 9 out of 10.

He will be dearly missed. Comicstorian was my gateway for following current comics. To say I'm devastated would be an understatement. RIP Ben.

I adore this show! Outside of X-Men 97, Moon Girl is the best Marvel animated thing in a long time. It's funny, it's energetic, the characters are supremeley likable, and it's full of great sincere representation. Really hoping Disney is smart and gives this a third season. It would be a shame if it met the same fate a The Owl House

The Fall Guy - An absolute blast. It has a self-aware tone, great action sequences, lots of laughs and in-jokes, and surprisingly romantic at times. Blunt and Gosling have phenomenal chemistry. 8 out of 10. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes - Not quite as good as Dawn or War for the Planet of the Apes, but a very good installment into the rebooted franchise. Thrilling action and incredible visual FX. Though I definitely felt that two and a half hour runtime at first. 8.5 out of 10.

Abigail - Another home run from Radio Silence. Equal parts hilarious and thrilling. Tons of laughs and brutal carnage. I had a blast. 8.5 out of 10.

Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire - Mindless and goofy, but fun and satisfying monster movie. It's not Godzilla Minus One, but it doesn't need to be. I had a blast. 6 out of 10. Monkey Man - An impressive directorial debut from Dev Patel. Brutal action sequences blended with a surprisingly deep tale about Indian culture and political power. I look forward to seeing what Patel does next. 8.5 out of 10.

Love Lies Bleeding - A brutal, gripping crime drama that's also a very entertaining (and horny) queer romance. Kristen Stewart and especially Katy O'Brian are phenomenal. 9 out of 10.

Drive Away Dolls - A zany and uneven, but ultimately enjoyable queer comedy. 7 out of 10. Dune: Part Two - Everything a sequel should be and then some. Large in scope, top notch acting, incredible music, and incredible action sequences. My favorite movie of the year so far. 10 out of 10.

My first movie of 2024 was The Beekeeper with Jason Statham. A very basic and goofy, but very entertaining action movie. Think Death Wish, but with tech bros. A solid 8 out of 10.

I saw two more movies to close out the year: Poor Things: A weird cross between Frankenstein and Edward Scissorhands. Gorgeously shot, darkly humorous, and has amazing performances from the entire cast (especially Emma Stone). Yorgos Lanthimos is slowly becoming one of my favorite directors. 9.5 out of 10. Migration: The best Illumination movie since the first Despicable Me. Very formulaic and safe, but also very sweet, sincere, and endearing family film. 7.5 out of 10.

Godzilla Minus One - Not only is this an amazing Godzilla movie, it's also one of the best movies of 2023. An emotional war drama that just so happens to feature a giant monster. 10 out of 10.

Killers of the Flower Moon - Another winner for Martin Scorsese. Even with a lofty 3.5 hour runtime, this is a well-acted, masterfully directed. and compelling crime drama. Special praise especially for Lily Gladstone, in what could be a star-making performance. 9.5 out of 10.

Saw X - Easily the best Saw movie in years. It has all the plot twists and carnage you expect from the series, but also has a compelling character story centered on John Kramer. 8 out of 10. The Creator - A refreshing and ambitious sci fi epic. Thrilling, stunning to look at, thought provoking, and it somehow has better special FX than most blockbusters despite having a third of the budget. 8.5 out of 10.

The Equalizer 3 - Hands down the best in the series. Full of brutal cathartic action courtesy of Denzel Washington. 8 out of 10.