As we wind down 2023 and look to the promise that 2024 brings, let’s dive into at the best films of 2023.
The year 2023 will be largely defined by the Barbenheimer phenomenon. Two high-profile films from Christopher Nolan and Greta Gerwig were released on the same day. Barbie and Oppenheimer made over $1 billion and are two of the best films of 2023.
Superhero films may be dipping at the box office overall, but several films in the genre represent some of the best films of 2023. James Gunn bucks the box office trend with his MCU swan song, Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 3, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and TMNT: Mutant Mayhem are the two best-animated films of the year.
Finally, 2023 delivers a big finale with two musical adaptations based on beloved stories in The Color Purple and Wonka. Add in a few terrific biopics such as Oppenheimer, Air, The Iron Claw and Napoleon (Just kidding) and you have a wide variety of quality films in 2023.
Before diving into the top 10 films of 2023, let’s dive into a few honorable mentions.
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Honorable Mentions
- Poor Things: Emma Stone and Mark Ruffalo shine in Yorgos Lanthimos‘s black comedy.
- TMNT: Mutant Mayhem: For the first time on the big screen, the ninja turtles finally feel like teenagers in this Seth Rogan-produced animated film.
- Wonka: Paul King delivers a whimsical musical adaptation focusing on the origin of Willy Wonka and features stunning production design, an impressive supporting cast and a charismatic performance by Timothée Chalamet.
- The Creator: Gareth Edwards returns after a long hiatus and delivers original science fiction centering on a war between humanity and AI.
- Knock at the Cabin: Dave Bautista delivers a career-best performance in this M. Night Shyamalan thriller.
Most Honorable Mention
The Color Purple takes the crown as the best musical of 2023. Danielle Brooks delivers the best supporting performance of 2023 as the unforgettable, take-no-prisoners Sofia. The prison scene alone is one of the most memorable emotional scenes of 2023.
Top 10 Best Films of 2023
10. Barbie
Greta Gerwig‘s Barbie aims at patriarchy and hit the mark in comedic fashion.
Margot Robbie shines at showing Barbie’s fading naive optimism in the real world. Ryan Gosling is sensational as Ken. America Ferrera also shines as a Mom from the real world who infuses Gloria with infectious positive energy and delivers an all-time great, scathing monologue regarding the predicaments of being a woman.
From the covered-in-pink Barbieland to the drab office confines of Mattel, Barbie is a visual marvel.
The enthusiasm of Robbie, Gosling and Ferrera allows Barbie to shine as a comedy while leaving room for emotional depth. Gerwig and Noah Baumbach‘s script shines in skewering male ego but stays in shallow waters until Ferrera’s terrific tirade.
9. Joy Ride
Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Stephanie Hsu and Sabrina Wu take no prisoners in the best R-rated comedy since 2014’s 22 Jump Street in Joy Ride.
The story conjured by writers Cherry Chevapravatdumrong and Teresa Hsiao as well as director Adele Lim follows a group of four Asian Americans as they travel to China in search of Audrey’s (Park) birth mother. The comedy and bonds forged between the four women are incredible. You will never think of a Theragun the same way again.
In addition to being a sex-filled romp, Joy Ride showcases a heartfelt journey featuring a young woman trying to find her birth mother and her place in the world.
The combination of raunchy humor and heart makes Joy Ride the best comedy of 2023.
8. Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Dungeons & Dragons is a rich IP rife with film adaptation possibilities. Honor Among Thieves is the first film to realize the fantasy world’s potential by focusing on a small crew of charming characters.
Directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein shine at meshing the tone between comedy, drama and action sequences. Daley and Goldstein are aided by a terrific ensemble cast led by charismatic performances by Chris Pine and Michelle Rodriguez.
the screenplay by Daley, Goldstein and Michael Gillio Edgin does a great job of maintaining a tight focus on the story. Honor Among Thieves has no business being as fun, heartfelt and just plain good as it is.
Honor Among Thieves succeeds in setting up a new fantasy world and characters worth investing in making it one of the best films of 2023.
7. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
As a sequel, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is a visually stunning, emotion-filled rollercoaster that sets up the end of the trilogy coming in 2024.
The balance between comedy and drama is fantastic with Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy shouldering the story load, while the animation styles continue to set new standards. The respective family drama in the Morales and Stacy families helps them both find where their allegiances lie. Shameik Moore and Hailee Steinfeld are perfect as Miles and Gwen.
Miles arrives at Spider Society and doesn’t receive a warm welcome from Miguel O’Hara (Oscar Isaac). The goal of Spider Society is to preserve the canon of events. Miles’s presence presents a risk of wrecking the universe. When Miles finds out his family is at risk, he must choose whether the needs of all matter more than his family.
The family drama, world-building, animation, comedy and Daniel Pemberton‘s score make Across The Spider-Verse one of the best films of 2023.
6. John Wick Chapter 4
The ultimate big bad is revealed, new characters threaten to steal the show and the action, set in some of the most gorgeous locations on earth, continues to set new standards for action cinema in John Wick: Chapter 4.
Keanu Reeves has never been better at playing the boogeyman on a mission, John Wick. His ability to move forward through wave after wave of adversaries is pure videogame fun in live-action form. Donnie Yen, Hiroyuki Sanada and Shamier Anderson shine in supporting roles with Yen’s Caine nearly stealing the movie from Wick at times.
Chapter 4 finally unveils the ultimate big bag in Marquis. Bill Skarsgård is fantastic as the head of the high table. He only follows the rules when it suits and his comeuppance is satisfying.
Chapter 4 is a fitting end to the John Wick franchise and one of the best films of 2023
5. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 3 is an emotionally satisfying conclusion and the best of the trilogy.
James Gunn balances the expected comedic moments with strong character moments and genuine horror. Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 3 is the saddest MCU film. After multiple appearances in the MCU, Rocket’s origin is finally revealed heartbreakingly.
The High Evolutionary is the vilest character in the MCU. Chukwudi Iwuji is phenomenal and easily the best villain in the trilogy. His dedication to creating a perfect society while having little regard for actual living beings is an interesting dichotomy.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3‘s status as the best comic book film of the year makes it one of the best films of 2023.
4. The Iron Claw
Sean Durkin‘s take on wrestling’s most tragic family, the Von Erichs, is a gripping drama that turns the pursuit of the American dream into something quite dark.
Zach Efron is incredible as the 2nd oldest son, Kevin. Efron shines at showing the soft-spoken Kevin’s vulnerability as he tries to maintain his family’s legacy. Holt McCallany is also fantastic as Fritz Von Erich. A terrifying father figure who after failing to accomplish his goals in wrestling transfers those aspirations to his sons.
The support the brothers show for one another is The Iron Claw‘s beating heart. The connection and warmth between the brothers make the tragic events that occur throughout the film all the more painful. Jeremy Allen White and Harris Dickinson round out the trio of wrestling brothers as Kerry and David Von Erich with compelling performances.
This heartwrenching tale of family tragedy is one of the best films of 2023 and concludes 2023’s slate of impressive biopics.
3. Godzilla Minus One
Godzilla has always operated as a cautionary tale on the consequences of war. In Godzilla Minus One, writer/director Takashi Yamazaki goes further. Instead of drawing on post-war Japan, Yamazaki unleashed Godzilla in 1945—a time when Japan was in near total shambles.
Setting this film right at the end of World War II provides Yamazaki an opportunity to use Godzilla to illustrate the devastation of PTSD as well as survivor’s guilt. For the first time in the Kaiju franchise, Godzilla Minus One executes a compelling story surrounding the human characters.
Kōichi Shikishima’s desire for redemption while maintaining a unique family dynamic with Noriko Ōishi gives the moments with Godzilla more meaning. Godzilla has never been as terrifying as he is in Minus One. By far the most impressive technical accomplishment is the special effects, from the way Godzilla looks to the effects of his atomic breath, Godzilla Minus One puts most Marvel and DC films to shame with a fraction of the budget.
The combination of heart and carnage results in one of the best films of 2023: Godzilla Minus One.
2. Air
Air is another excellent onscreen reunion for Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.
Air is a change of pace for Affleck as a director. His restrained approach behind the lens allows the fantastic cast to shine. Damon, Viola Davis and Affleck deliver dependably great performances. However, it’s Chris Tucker as Howard White, Jason Bateman as Rob Strasser and Chris Messina as Jordan’s agent David Falk who steals nearly every scene.
The story of Sonny Vacarro (Damon) pulling out all of the stops to land Michael Jordan is incredible. Alex Convery‘s terrific script is full of explosive dialogue exchanges.
Damon does a great job of making Vacarro come across as sympathetic. This desperate sort of persistence can come across as unlikeable. Somehow, Damon finds the right balance.
Air pulsates with an undeniable underdog mentality that makes it one of the best films of 2023.
1. Oppenheimer
A wonderful cast, Ludwig Göransson‘s score and Hoyte van Hoytema‘s haunting cinematography turn Oppenheimer into a cautionary word of warning and the best film of 2023.
The cast is spectacular. Cillian Murphy delivers the best lead performance of the year as Robert Oppenheimer. His hubris is questioned by many, but never outwardly wanes except for conversations with Albert Einstein. Robert Downey Jr. delivers the best supporting performance of the year. Emily Blunt and Florence Pugh make their sparse screentime count with Blunt having one of the best scenes in the film.
Christopher Nolan does an excellent job of creating a mounting sense of dread throughout the film. After the first hour, Oppenheimer turns into a horror film. Eventually, Oppenheimer shifted again into a courtroom drama. From visual flourishes that add to the weighty dialogue and world-altering science, Nolan’s never been better as a writer and director.
