This is a list of my personal favorite movies to come out in 2023 that I have watched.
“I really liked a lot of movies that came out and watching them with friends. This year was special for movies and I’d like to see what’s gonna happen at the Oscars. So many good movies this year but also a lot of bad ones,” said OHS junior, Tennyson Penrod.
Potential spoilers are included in this ranking.
No. 5: Spiderman: Across the Spider-Verse
This movie was highly anticipated after the success of Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse, and it did not disappoint. The most heard complaint about the film is the abrupt ending it has, which is a very annoying trope in a movie that is separated into two parts.
I definitely like the first one way better, but this objectively is way above the first one through the plot, direction, characters, and the pacing. This film did not feel like two hours at all. Miles Morales has matured but has kept his mannerisms from the first film.
We understand how he grew even though there’s nothing telling us how he did. He’s a much more serious person but still has his humor. The soundtrack for this film was so good, and fits in so well with what the movie was going with at the moment. From the peaceful moments in New York, to the climax of the film.
There was a huge lack of characters from the first movie like Spider-Man Noir and Spider-Ham and only showed up at the end without saying anything which was a little disappointing.
This movie was a 9/10.
No. 4: Talk to Me
Talk to Me was about the only good horror movie to come out in 2023. I was anticipating another mediocre movie from the horror genre, and this movie exceeded my expectations.
It was made by two brothers who were pushed away from YouTube. So they decided to make a horror movie for A24, and it was great. All the scary moments and horror factors are awesome. It also had a ton of gross moments, which made my stomach queasy.
A movie this well made by former YouTubers is crazy to me, and they both set such a high standard for horror movies for their first film.
This movie was a 9/10.
No. 3: Godzilla Minus One
Godzilla Minus One made me think about Godzilla in an entirely different way. The American movies that have been coming out lately really don’t do him justice. This movie was made by people who actually understand Godzilla and not cheesy movies where Godzilla always turns out to be the good guy.
The main problem with this movie is the ending, in where everybody lives and it gets to be a big happy ending. I’m always sick of characters straight up dying on screen but later coming back and revealing that they actually lived. This is the only thing in the entire movie that bugged me, and it ruined the ending a little, too.
Other than that, this is a movie that should be watched to understand the destruction and chaos Godzilla really causes. It didn’t feel like I was sitting there and watching it for two hours. The story ran well and the cinematography was so good. I really don’t understand how the CGI was so well done. For a Godzilla movie, this had so much heart too.
This movie gets a 9.5/10.
No. 2: Oppenheimer
Oppenheimer is a movie that I really wish I could watch for the first time again. When this movie got announced, I really didn’t care about it. I didn’t care much about a movie about an atomic bomb and I’m not a big Christopher Nolan fan.
Everything that I thought was erased and it just blew my expectations away. I loved every actor’s performance and the soundtrack was just out of this world. The film is just everything cinema can be. This might actually be the best movie that came out in 2023, it’s just not one that stole the spotlight.
The only bad thing about this movie is it really wasn’t for everyone, it’s a very long movie with just a lot of talking. I have a deeper review on this film here.
This movie gets a 10/10.
No. 1: John Wick: Chapter 4
John Wick: Chapter 4 shows how to end a series of movies really well. This film had so much heart for an action/thriller, it’s amazing how this left things off.
The cinematography and action was crazy. I really enjoyed everything about it even though it’s just some action movie. There really was no other way to make this movie better. It’s also always good when an actor plays a bad guy so well it really makes people upset. Donnie Yen and Bill Skarsgard had the best acting in this movie.
John Wick movies really don’t feel like they are just copies of each other, they’re all unique to what they are. Chapter 4 specifically has a charm that the others dont have. It has the style and the best gun play out of the whole series.
This movie leaves people wanting so much more, and also leaves satisfaction with what was brought to the table. No doubt, the best thing about this movie is that it was willing to end. Finally, there is a movie series that had a real ending and didn’t drag it on forever.
This is at the top of my list of the best movies to come out in 2023.
This movie gets a 10/10.
I am a senior and a staff reporter for 42Fifty. This is my first and only year on 42Fifty and I really like to review things.
