Best and Worst Films of 2016

[Hawki]

Edit: I've come back from seeing The Fencer and...yep, it's my new favorite movie of the year. I'll edit this post, but I'll leave others as they are (though that means Zootopia is no longer my top film).

So, yeah - general discussion thread, we've had the top ten GOTY thread on its respective session, so now it's time for film treatment. I've heard it said that 2016 was a bad year in film, but looking at my top/bottom lists, I really can't agree with that statement. But, regardless, I'm going to kick things off with a top 20 "best" list, and a top 20 "worst" list. Because there's that many good films this year that I feel they deserve recognition, but by proxy, that means I need to get an equivalent number of "worst" films.

Also note that some of these may be 2015 films depending on where you live.

THE BEST

Basically, every film on this list gets a stamp of "good," bar the top four, which get a stamp of "excellent." I'll give honourable mention to Nerve, The Shallows, Doctor Strange, Goosebumps, and Chasing Great, which also get stamps of "good," but don't make the top twenty cut-off. So, with that done:

20: The Peanuts Movie

19: Rams

18: Rosalie Blum

17: Ghostbusters

16: Concussion

15: The Founder

14: Moana

13: Finding Dory

12: Money Monster

11: Jason Bourne

10: Hunt for the Wilderpeople

9: 10 Cloverfield Lane

8: Hell or High Water

7: Arrival

6: The Nice Guys

5: The Revenant

4: Eye in the Sky

3: Hacksaw Ridge

2: Zootopia

1: The Fencer

THE WORST

So, like I said, good year - only the bottom 7 get a stamp of "bad," while everything else gets a stamp of "okay," though entries 8-16 are films I have disdain for, even if I can't outright call them bad.

20: Suffragette

19: The Lady in the Van

18: The Secret Life of Pets

17: Warcraft

16: Deadpool

15: Bastille Day

14: Independence Day: Resurgence

13: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

12: My Little Pony: Equestria Girls: The Legend of Everfree

11: Sully

10: The BFG

9: Hail, Caesar!

8: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

7: Gods of Egypt

6: The Wait

5: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

4: La La Land

3: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

2: The Huntsman: Winter's War

1: The Angry Birds Movie

So, discuss, query, post your own - I'm putting this in a forum rather than user reviews, because I don't have the time or energy to write forty blurbs for every entry on this list, but I figure that depending on what others post, I can discuss stuff on a case-by-case basis. But, yeah - posting and discussion is encouraged.

Have fun.

 

[Harrycanyon1982]

OMG Ghostbusters was the worst film i've seen all year! an unfunny and poorly paced/written remake that didn't need to be made and an insult to the franchise, an example of what modern comedy gets wrong sometimes and what 80s and 90's comedy did right.

My pick for best one is Deadpool.

 

[Hawki]

So, the first films for discussion have been posted:

ZOOTOPIA

Well, it's at the top of my list, so you can probably guess how I feel about it. Best film of 2016, best film in the Disney Animated Canon, and it would definately end up in a top ten animated films for me. The only rival I can think off the top of my head is Spirited Away.

But, yeah, I think Zootopia is amazing, and what makes it amazing (among other thing), is that it manages to be amazing without trying to be amazing. Or, to put it in less flowery terms, taking Zootopia by itself, in regards to its characters and plots, would be, in my mind, enough to make it a good movie. That it's able to express its themes so subtly is enough to elevate it to an excellent movie. Because while no-one probably missed those themes, it never got preachy or anything, they simply grow out of the story naturally. In a way, it's the inverse of Angry Birds, which expresses its own, opposing themes, but I've ranked it where I am because even excluding its themes, the film is just that obnoxious.

So, yeah. Zootopia is #1.

ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY

Well, this is going to be one of the less popular rankings from me - probably elevated more eyebrows with La La Land, but, yeah. Rogue One. It's...well...

Rogue One was poorly paced, contrived, had dull characters, shameless fanservice and contradicted the previous movies. It's average.

Pretty much this. I didn't mind the fanservice, and I didn't really spot any major contradictions, but, yeah. This.

What stymies Rogue One for me more than anything else is its pacing - the first act jumps all over the place, going from location to location, character to character, to the point where I couldn't be invested in what's going on, or what it's going on with. Things are salvaged somewhat in the third act, but it isn't enough to save the film, nor solve how the film just stops dead. Suddenly. Without warning.

There's the personal gripe that this doesn't feel like a Star Wars movie to me, in tone, or aesthetics, or, well, anything, but I can't hold that against it - certainly I've praised the prequels for daring to be different. But if there's one thing that tanks Rogue One more than anything, at the end of the day, it's its characters. I just couldn't bring myself to care about any of them. You know it's a bad sign when the most lively character is a droid of all things. If anything, Rogue One has helped me appreciate The Force Awakens more - the worst I can say about TFA is that it's derivative of films that have come before it, but it has a far better grasp of story structure, and far more likable characters. So, not only is Rogue One in my bottom 10 list, but also the #7 Star Wars film I've seen, with only Attack of the Clones and The Clone Wars below it.

THE JUNGLE BOOK

Not on either of the lists, which is a shame - I feel this film didn't get as much recognition as it should have. Yeah, that may sound odd, considering that I'm not really giving it recognition either, but I'd take The Jungle Book over superhero movie #66, thank you very much. Because there's no way Captain America is getting on a best list from me...

But yes, Jungle Book. Thing is, this film doesn't really do anything wrong. The CGI is amazing. Neil Sethi does a fairly decent job, even if some of his acting does fall into the usual child acting pitfalls. Got great voice work for its animal characters as well, and it includes some clever commentary on the nature of human interaction with the natural world, and how our use of tools is what separates us from many animal species. I left the theatre having thoroughly enjoyed myself, and yet, I can only say this film is "okay." So why isn't it "good?"

I can only think of the following reasons:

1) Ka is underutilized.

2) I know this story already, from both the animated version, and the original story by Kipling

3) The movie feels like it drags on too long at times

There's also an interesting paradox in that this film does Bagheera better than the animated version, but short-charges Baloo, whereas in the animated version, it's the other way around. So, of the two, I'd nominate this version as superior, but for whatever reason, can only call it "okay."

 

[Kenbo Slice]

My favorite movie of the year is Green Room. Fantastic horror/thriller.

The worst movie I've seen is Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. Fuck that movie.

 

[bartholen_v1legacy]

Didn't see that many films this year, and not a lot of them were memorable. Only Yesterday (it came theatrically out this year for the first time where I live), Kubo and the Two Strings as well as The Boy and the Beast were a bit disappointing after the hype I'd heard. In short:

- Only Yesterday is too long for a slice of life film, and too plotless for a drama film
- Kubo and the Two Strings, despite the phenomenal visuals and initially unique story, goes total Hollywood by the end.
- The Boy and the Beast is like watching two completely different films on two different channels at once

Another category is "bland, forgettable product movies" which for me include Rogue One, Doctor Strange and Civil War:

- Rogue One is overlong with thin characters, drawn out battle scenes and its marketed "darkness" kneecapped by the PG-13 rating
- Dr Strange has rushed character development, bad pacing and an overall sense of inconsequentiality
- The same feeling of inconsequentiality is even stronger in Civil War, where the conflict feels forced, the story's a total mess, there's a profound lack of stakes and even the big superhero showdown feels no more impactful than banging a few action figures together.

The worst film I saw was Suicide Squad bar none. Horrid, awful, production line garbage that at the same time failed having an identity of its own yet also succeeded in finding wholly unique ways to be annoying. Terrible characters, terrible terrible terrible pacing, terrible story, terrible dialogue, terrible villain, terrible action, terrible absolutely shit goddamn fucking everything. That film deserves all the bashing it got from here until the end of all eternity.

Batman v Superman is an odd mix of the two former categories. I enjoyed it while watching despite the absolutely wretched first half hour, and still even remember it more than Civil War. Perhaps the most conflicted movie of 2016 for me, with mixed parts of both awesomeness and absolute awfulness.

The best film I saw is probably Arrival which I saw yesterday. I felt chills down my spine so many times, and the aliens in the film were what I'd been waiting for years: aliens that were actually alien, not just scary looking humanoids or insects. It's genuinely intelligent (something which I always feel horribly pretentious for saying), and uses its concepts brilliantly.

Deadpool was good, though I did get a bit taken in by the hype and expected an even crazier, gorier and more foul mouthed film. I can't imagine getting a better on screen adaptation of the character within the constraints of the budget though, so I can't fault the film that much.

I saw most of the new Ghostbusters after my sister got the Blu-ray for Christmas and insisted I watch it. It was far from the worst film I've seen, but it was soooooo mind numbingly average, and had shockingly little comedy for a film that marketed itself as such. I watched Bad Santa (a much better comedy) on Netflix the same day, and I could clearly see how Bad Santa understood making a comedy film in ways Ghostbusters did not. Bad Santa, crass and mean spirited though it may be, feels like the team had discipline, wit, timing and an understanding of how to construct a joke, whereas Ghostbusters felt like the director just let the camera run while the actors were ad-libbing. It's just a collection of individual jokes that don't connect, build on one another or pay off in any way.

Overall not a particularly memorable year for movies, though I missed quite a few I wanted to see (Don't Breathe, The Nice Guys, Nocturnal Animals among others).

 

[skywolfblue]

I completely agree with your top two Hawki:

1: Zootopia: A very fun movie that underlines how racism goes both ways.

2: Hacksaw Ridge: War movies never tend to portray pacifists in a good light. It's incredible to see Dobs stand up for his beliefs.

10 Cloverfield Lane was an interesting movie. It's not really a genre I love, so I was expecting it to be pretty terrible. It's not one of my favorites, but I turned out pleasantly shocked:

Spoiler

That girl was clever! She basically MacGyvers a solution out of whatever she has. Nearly all horror movies have their female protagonist win out of shear firepower. This girl wins not because she's holding the biggest gun, but because she's smart. That was new to me, and I LIKE IT!

 

[Kyrian007]

I didn't see nearly that many movies in 2016. Of the ones I did get to. Arrival was probably my favorite. Also I enjoyed Star Wars: Rogue One, CA: Civil War, Doctor Strange, and 10 Cloverfield Lane. Nothing else made enough of an impression. And if I know a movie is going to blow I just don't go see it, so I gave Independence Day: Resurgence, Batman V. Superman, and Suicide Squad a pass. Although I did watch BvS for free when I borrowed it from a friend to see if it blew as much as reviews said (p.s. it totally did.)

 

[Kyrian007]

When I say it contradicts the original trilogy, I'm referring to Vader and Leia's dialogue in the beginning of Star Wars. Her ship shouldn't have been anywhere near a battle, and it probably wouldn't have been a battle anyway. What she says to Vader in Star Wars, that she is on a diplomatic mission and denying she has the plans, makes no sense. He was there, almost on her ship.

I've seen people mention that as a fault, and I'm trying hard to understand it. "Her ship shouldn't have been anywhere near a battle." Uh, ok why not? I can think of several different logical reasons why it would have been, Rogue One's scenario being one of those. "What she says to Vader in Star Wars, that she is on a diplomatic mission and denying she has the plans, makes no sense. He was there, almost on her ship." Yes it makes complete sense... she's lying. She KNOWS he knows she's lying, but she's taking part in a rebellion against a galactic empire... what's she supposed to do? Just tell the truth and surrender the information about the droids? No, in that situation you make something up and lie. Like she did when she offered up Dantooine up as a sacrifice to protect Yavin IV.

 

[Queen Michael]

Best movie I watched? Probably Captain Amertica: Civil War. It's not the best movie from a technical point of view, but I love the kind of accomplishment it consists. I love how it created a world where, just like in comic books, A-list heroes like Iron Man can appear in a movie even though it's named after another hero.

Worst? I'm about to go see Passengers, so I'll wait until I'm done there.

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

Most impressed by 10 Cloverfield Lane. I honestly hope for a sequel or another spin-off there, it teased so much potential for different stories towards the end.

Most disappointed by Batman vs Superman, such promise squandered. Not bad by any stretch, just disappointing.

Most pleasantly surprised by Independence Day: Resurgence. Far more enjoyable than it had any right to be. Maybe I just like murderous aliens a little too much while setting expectations too low.

Most intrigued by Midnight Special. Hmm, not too shabby, film! Not knowing what to expect from it was a good mindset to go in with.

The worst of the worst? Can't really say for sure, haven't chose to indulge in any bad films from this year yet. I tend to avoid what looks unenjoyable and it seems to mostly have worked out so far this year. There was this one DVD that probably wasn't a recent release, but it's hard to tell due to its' low budget stylistic choice. Was about the Christian rapture, made by a production company that deals specifically in christian - for lack of a better word - propaganda. Some heavy Christian beliefs were so aggressively pushed, and its' main jist was about a group of evil sinner/doubter/I-dunno people hiding out in a church taking various amounts of time to accept our lord and saviour J-dude into their hearts; It literally being the only way to save themselves in the movie. I quit 15 minutes in after the hilarity of its' intent faded completely, leaving only a depressing and badly made/written/acted/shot film. Can't and won't remember the name. Luckily had Spotlight to cleanse those wasted neurons afterwards with some reality.

 

[Saelune]

Best movie I saw was Zootopia.

Worst movie I saw was Moana.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Best was probably Zootopia, eventhough the racism message made no real sense within that setting. The characters were just so great and the chemistry between Judy and Nick was wonderful. The humor was also actually good, and not the typical quirky Disney/Pixar fare.

Followed closely by The Nice Guys. You can tell Shane Black still doesn't know how to direct a movie with a proper flow, but it was the funniest film I'd seen this year.

The worst was Batman v. Superman. This fucking movie was a giant, boring, flaccid piece of shit. Who looked at this and thought 'Yeah, that's good enough for theaters; people are gonna love it.' Can someone please get these movies away from Snyder and Goyer.

Followed closely by Warcraft. It's just such a limp, wet noodle of a movie, with bad acting that would make Tommy Wiseau blush.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Best Films

1) Nocturnal Animals
2) La La Land
3) Arrival
4) 10 Cloverfield Lane
5) Free Fire
6) Paterson
7) The Nice Guys
8) Hacksaw Ridge
9) On the Milky Road
10) Paradise

Worst Films

Brimstone is the one truly abominably bad movie I've seen this year. Just a generally unpleasant, tasteless, pointless shaggy dog story of a movie. Every other bad movie is either some crappy horror film like Havenhurst or Shut In or something that's just simply disappointing and unambitious, like Suicide Squad.

 

[Wintermute_v1legacy]

Without spoiling the movie, can anyone tell me what makes 10 Cloverfield Lane good? Because Cloverfield was pretty terrible.

 

[Thaluikhain]

The worst 2016 movie I saw was Suicide Squad.

Admittedly this is probably in large part because it's the only 2016 film I saw, but it still was a bit shabby.

 

[Queen Michael]

Okay, here are the top (and only) 15 movies I watched this year.

15) Sausage Party
14) The Dressmaker
13) The Boy
12) Passengers
11) Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
10) Suicide Squad
9) Doctor Strange
8) Batman v. Superman
7) Arrival
6) Angry Indian Goddesses
5) X-Men: Apocalypse
4) Rogue One
3) Captain America: Civil War
2) Zootopia
1) Deadpool

 

[thebobmaster_v1legacy]

I only saw two movies this year, and I liked both of them quite a bit, so the "worst" one is more of a default "wasn't as good" pick.

Best movie I saw was Deadpool, and technically speaking, the worst was The Conjuring 2. That said, Conjuring 2 was still a very good movie. Just not Deadpool good.

 

[KissingSunlight]

Without spoiling the movie, can anyone tell me what makes 10 Cloverfield Lane good? Because Cloverfield was pretty terrible.

It's because it is the opposite of Cloverfield. It is a tense thriller about 3 people in a bunker. It is incredibly well-acted. John Goodman deserves an Oscar for his performance in it. I am not exaggerating. He was that good.

I decided to not make a list of best movies. None of them really stood out as the best. However, there a lot of movies that I really liked for different reasons.

Best Acted: 10 Cloverfield Lane - I have already raved about John Goodman. Mary Elizabeth Winstead and John Gallagher Jr. are also fantastic in this intense drama.

Best Animation: Zootopia - What haven't been said about this movie? Great voice acting, great writing, and most importantly a smart message about tolerance.

Best Comic Book Movie: Deadpool - I am starting to feel a little burned out with all these superhero movies. So, this movie came along at the right time to give it a fresh R-Rated, irreverent energy to the genre.

Best Comedy: Keanu - It was going to be Army of One, because it was criminally underseen. However, I recently revisited the best action movie that features a cute kitten. Key & Peele delivers a hilarious comedy about the absurd length a guy would go to get his cat back.

Best Written: Hell or High Water - The dialogue in every scene in this movie just pops. He made overused tropes really fresh and demonstrate why they matters.

Best Musical Movie: Swiss Army Man - This movie is definitely WTF! However, there are remarkable musical moments in this movie that really stands out. My favorite is Montage.
I forgot to mentioned the worst movie I saw. It was easily Ghostbusters. It was just too much talk about a cynically produced, sub-par, nostalgic cash grab of movie.