Rhiannon Elizabeth Irons
To say that 2023 has been a remarkable year for cinema is a bit of an understatement. Blockbusters came and went, indie filmmakers thrived in the wake of the actor’s and writer’s strikes, and the epic film sagas dominated theatres.
Now it’s time for me to shed some light on the best 5, and worst 5, movies of the year. Disclaimer: The views stated in this article are mine and mine alone. You are welcome to disagree with them and sound off in the comments below with your own thoughts regarding the movies released in 2023.
THE BEST
5: A Bad Influence
Introvert Anthony attends his best friend’s housewarming party, which goes fine until brash, loud-mouth Steve arrives. Things go from bad to worse as Anthony struggles to control the troublesome, alcohol-fuelled Steve, who has no remorse for his actions, and will do anything to get what he wants. Even if it means bringing everyone else down in the process.
Australian indie filmmaker Andreas Toumbas brings this intense feature to life, touching on the very real subjects of addiction and toxic relationships. A Bad Influence is a compelling story, driven by a fantastic screenplay and brought to life through Toumbas incredible direction and the powerful performances of his actors.
Confronting and gritty, A Bad Influence will stay with you long after you’ve finished the film.
4: Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One
Ethan Hunt and the IMF team must track down a terrifying new weapon that threatens all of humanity if it falls into the wrong hands. With control of the future and the fate of the world at stake, a deadly race around the globe begins.
After a successful 2022 with Top Gun: Maverick, Tom Cruise returned with the latest instalment of the Mission: Impossible franchise. Opening with a bang, the early reviews were overwhelmingly positive.
Mission: Impossible is a rarity – it’s getting better with each release. Bring on Part Two.
3: Talk To Me
Intrigued by the latest party craze, best friends Mia and Jade attend an exclusive house party to see for themselves if the rumours of a strange object capable of opening the gate to the supernatural realm are true.
From the mind of Danny and Michael Philippou, two YouTubers, came the surprising horror hit of the year.
Creepy with high suspense, Talk To Me proved that a simple idea can make for a truly terrifying experience.
2: Barbie
Barbie suffers a crisis that leads her to question her world and her existence.
There was no way I was going to leave this off the best movie list for the year. From the casting choices of Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken to America Ferrera’s passionate speech, Barbie had a lot to offer.
While not a perfect movie, it is a fun romp and one that completely overshadowed Mission: Impossible at the box office, earning over $1 billion. Share in the Kenergy with this cult classic film from 2023.
1: Oppenheimer
A dramatization of the life story of American scientist, J. Robert Oppenheimer, the physicist who had a large hand in the development of the atomic bomb, thus helping end World War 2.
Blowing up box office, pun totally intended, Oppenheimer was praised by both critics and the average cinema goer. A powerful film that stays with you long after you’ve seen it, it went head-to-head with Mission: Impossible and Barbie at the box office, creating the phenomenon known as Barbenheimer.
Cillian Murphy will secure himself an Academy Award nomination for his role as J. Robert Oppenheimer. And I won’t be surprised if he takes the win.
THE WORST
5: Scream VI
Following the latest Ghostface killings, four survivors leave Woodsboro behind and start a fresh chapter in New York City.
I have mixed feelings about Scream VI. I applauded the ruthlessness of Ghostface in the trailer for toting a shotgun and using it – a first for the franchise (at least while masked). But without Neve Campbell returning as Sidney Prescott, the movie was all but doomed.
It did well at box office as people were curious about how the franchise would hold up without Sidney, but the story was lacking. Ghostface and their motivations weren’t anything new, the killer, or killers, were obvious from the beginning, and the more you analyse it, the more you realise that Scream VI doesn’t make sense.
4: Peter Pan & Wendy
Based on J.M Barrie’s novel Peter and Wendy and inspired by the 1953 animated classic, Peter Pan & Wendy is the timeless tale of a young girl who, defying her parents’ wishes to attend boarding school, travels with her two younger brothers to the magical Neverland. There she meets a boy who refuses to grow up, a tiny fairy, and an evil pirate captain, and soon they find themselves on a thrilling and dangerous adventure.
Disney, I say this with love – ENOUGH WITH THE LIVE ACTION REMAKES!
This was a disaster from start to finish. The acting was wooden with the exception of Jude Law as Captain Hook, the story, despite being a classic, was tired with no imagination added to it. The cinematography, while beautiful, lacked any substance. If you’re on Disney+, you can find something better to watch than this epic fail.
3: Love Again
A young woman tries to ease the pain of her fiancé’s death by sending romantic texts to his old mobile phone number and forms a connection with the man the number has been reassigned to.
This premise is just creepy. Adding modern elements to movies can be smart but can also easily backfire – particularly when it comes to technology. After her fiancé dies, Mira copes by sending text messages to his number, which she believes has been disconnected. However, it’s revealed that it has actually been reassigned to someone else, who decides to use the messages for a story he’s writing, and to win her heart.
Besides the fact that this doesn’t make sense technologically – if the number was disconnected, the messages wouldn’t have been delivered – it’s also a super creepy way of initiating a relationship. In typical rom-com fashion, she’s able to overlook this massive breach of privacy, but somehow, I feel this was more suited to the horror genre. Eww.
2: The Little Mermaid
A young mermaid makes a deal with a sea witch to trade her beautiful voice for human legs so she can discover the world above the water and impress the prince.
I said it before, and I’ll say it again – we don’t need live action remakes of classic Disney tales.
There are some redeemable qualities about this film. Halle Bailey was superb in the role of Ariel. Jody Benson, the original voice of Ariel, has a cameo. The cinematography is beautiful. But it takes more than a pretty film to make this enjoyable.
Melissa McCarthy as Ursula was over the top and not in the Pat Carroll kind of way, Javier Bardem didn’t resemble King Triton at all, and no matter what anyone says, that was NOT MY SCUTTLE! What the fuck was that? That’s not even a seagull! And don’t get me started about that stupid Scuttlebutt song.
Great, now I’m riled up. If you’re a fan of The Little Mermaid original from 1989, don’t watch this. Just stay under the sea with the original Ariel.
1: Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey
After Christopher Robin abandons them for college, Pooh and Piglet embark on a bloody rampage as they search for a new source of food.
Oh. My. God. I don’t know where to start. This is a cool idea, but it was poorly executed. Pooh and Piglet are less like rabid feral animals and more like men in masks toting weaponry that would make Jason Voorhees happy. The screenplay is insulting, and I’ve seen better acting in porn. No, seriously, subscribe to Under the Covers to see what I’m talking about.
This film was the worst movie to grace theatres in 2023. And how the hell it’s got a sequel coming is beyond my comprehension. While the film could have been a clever satire of the lovable series, it ended up coming across as a generic slasher film. The scariest aspect was how Winnie the Pooh looked, and even that felt more ridiculous than genuinely frightening. The movie left a sour taste in the mouths of those who loved the original characters and took itself too seriously to appeal to anyone else.