As I sat down to compile my list of best movies from 2018, I noticed something.
2018 was a terrible year for movies!
In fact, there is only one movie made for adults (I almost wrote "adult movies"... but that may have lead to a slight misunderstanding) that made my list.
In addition to this, due to the lack of quality movies, I had to rethink my list. I decided to include any movie from 2018 that I would watch more than once. This criteria made it quite simple to narrow the list down to a mere seven movies.
I only saw seven movies in 2018 that I would watch more than once.
Here they are (I am starting with #6 as my seventh pick may be relevant only to me).
6 Solo: A Star Wars Story
Although not a perfect movie by any stretch, Solo was incredibly entertaining. Solo kept it simple. The writers explained how Han Solo met Chewbacca, got his gun, acquired The Millennium Falcon, and became the scoundrel/hero that I love so much. The creators managed to do all of this while tossing in some great action sequences and a bit of humor.
5 Ant-Man and the Wasp
Marvel decided to go full comedy with this one... and I loved it! While many Marvel movies sprinkle some laughs in-between the incredible action sequences, Ant-Man and the Wasp seemed to start with the laughs and build the story and action around it. But don't worry, there was still plenty of action.
4 Avengers: Infinity War
Although only half of the story, I loved every second of it! This movie did an excellent job of tying most of the stand alone movies together into one amazing package. They manage to do this while including so many incredible action sequences that I could not even count them all. As always, Marvel included enough humor and emotion to make the film feel "complete" rather than simply a mindless popcorn movie. Miraculously there are three movies I liked better during a down year in Hollywood.
3 Deadpool 2/Once Upon a Deadpool
I could have actually counted these as two separate movies. If I did, each would make my list. Unfortunately I'm not sure which version I liked best so I would not know how to order them. Therefore, I took the easy way out and combined them. It is quite rare for a sequel to surpass the original. Deadpool 2 does just that.
More over-the-top action and violence? Check.
More laughs? Check
Better story? Check
More heart? Check (It is a family movie after all...)
Sadly the only thing there is less of is Morena Baccarin... but there is enough.
2 Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
I simply cannot believe how freaking good this movie is! Spider-Man is my favorite superhero. This is by far the best Spider-Man movie ever made. This is not simply an entertaining movie. It is a spectacular super hero origin story that included actual character development and emotion filled scenes that made the audience tear up only to be saved by a hilarious joke just in the nick of time.
The cast is perfect and the animation is pure art. Toss in an excellent use of music, some valuable life lessons, and Stan Lee's most important cameo and you have yourself a perfect movie.
How can anything beat that?
One movie did and it happens to be the only non "kid" movie on my list.
1 A Quiet Place
This is the only movie on my list that is making me tear up as a write (even though Peter Parker doesn't "feel so good" I know he and many of his friends will be back this summer). Advertised as a Sci-Fi/Horror movie, A Quiet Place is really a story about the strength of Family and a love letter to fathers. But don't get me wrong, there are still plenty of scary monsters, thrills and chills. The creators weave that emotion into a really cool version of Swiss Family Robinson where the family is hiding from and fighting monsters who hunt via sound.
And now for the weird bonus selection...
The Cloverfield Paradox
If you just spit your drink all over your computer screen, I understand. Most people have the Netflix movie The Cloverfield Paradox on their worst movies of 2018 list. And yet, I have enjoyed it each of the three times I have watched the movie. However, I am not the average viewer. I am obsessed with all things Cloverfield. In fact, the only complaint I have about A Quiet Place is that I can't connect it to the Cloverfield Universe... yet.
For me, Cloverfield is an experience. Each piece is part of a bigger puzzle. The Cloverfield Paradox has opened up an endless amount of possibilities. Basically, due to the events of this movie, anything is possible in the Cloverfield Universe.
But please heed this warning, if you aren't already into the Clover-verse, this movie will most likely end up on your worst list as well.