Continuing with our Best of 2017 coverage, we have now reached what we see as the most surprising films of the year. These include movies that transcended our expectations, ones that we thought would be bad and weren’t, or ones that blew us away beyond what we could have imagined.
BETTER WATCH OUT
Read our review here.
Chris Peckover’s holiday thriller isn’t exactly great, but it is one of the most surprising films in recent memory. If you haven’t heard a thing about this film, don’t – just watch it. It’s a home invasion horror film gone completely sideways. This is a love it or hate it kind of movie. I kinda love it. I can’t guarantee you will, but I can guarantee it won’t be what you expect.
– John Wedmeyer
BRIGSBY BEAR
I did not know what to expect from this film. I was provided tickets to see a movie during the LA Film Festival, and the only film I was able to attend was Brigsby Bear and I was extremely hesitant. After watching the film, however, my opinion completely changed, as seen by its place on my top ten. If you want to know more, see my description for its place on my top ten in mxdwn’s Honorable Mentions.
– Daniel Jungenberg
THE DISASTER ARTIST
Read our review here.
The Disaster Artist, like Tim Burton’s Ed Wood, reminded me of the power of cinema, and provided a careering-defining role for James Franco. It was this year’s least likely to exceed and it has since exceeded all expectations. A film that could have easily become stale joke after stale jokes turned out to be funny, revealing, and incredibly inspiring.
– Sean Arenas
GET OUT
To me, Get Out was the biggest surprise hit of 2017 simply because the its expectations paled in comparison to the overwhelmingly positive reception it received. Sure, this was a horror film directed by Jordan Peele, a man best known for his outstanding Obama impression, but who can really discern much from that? We had seen some cinematic input from him in 2016’s Keanu alongside Key and Peele co-star Keegan Michael Key, but horror felt like the last thing a comedian would attempt for his directorial debut. Not only that, but the social commentary was different in how it addressed the presence of racism, exploiting its existence in a seemingly non-threatening liberal neighborhood. In many respects, Get Out felt like a referendum on one of the oldest and most clichéd tropes in the horror genre: the black character always dies.
– Ben Wasserman
GOOD TIME
The Safdie Brother’s Good Time was so utterly surprising that I almost walked out of the theater after the first fifteen minutes from overstimulation. I didn’t leave, though, and it paid off enormously. One of the most, if not the most, viscerally engaging films of the year, it tells the story of one reckless young man’s struggle to protect his disabled brother over the course of a single wild night. It will leave you shaken up and Robert Pattinson’s performance as the said reckless man will have you squirming, cringing, and reluctantly rooting for him all at once. This should be counted as one of the best films of the year as the Safdie Brothers have turned out one of the most excitingly fresh films of recent memory.
– Rachel Lutack
HAPPY DEATH DAY
Read our review here.
For the most part, horror movies are generally a miss – even this year’s beloved It was mediocre at best. However, Happy Death Day was a welcome surprise, taking its Groundhog Day slasher concept and turning it into a well executed dark comedy. Nothing wrong with appreciating shlock when it’s done well.
– Brett Harrison Davinger
JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE
Read our review here.
Being a fan of the 1995 original with Robin Williams, I severely judged this sequel that didn’t seem necessary; man am I’m glad to be so wrong. Jumanji is filled with non-stop laughter and upgrades the story with a video game setting. Great work from the cast and the writing is unique and funny as ever. Jumanji is a trip I want to take again and again.
– Rick Rice
KONG: SKULL ISLAND
Read our review here.
I was taking a class this semester on men, women, and beasts in film and literature. Upon noticing this movie on the syllabus, I was resigned, as it looked like an unremarkable popcorn flick. However, I was happily mistaken in my judgment, as the movie does a lot of justice to its source material, a take on Heart of Darkness (and of course Apocalypse Now) and the King Kong films. It also seems to be making commentary on the gender politics of the original King Kong movie, casting Mason Weaver alongside Ann Darrow, righting some of the many wrongs of the film. It also makes Kong the most sympathetic character in the film, casting him very much as a hero, therefore complicating and reworking many of the uncomfortable politics of the Kong movies of the past.
– Emily Chapman
THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE
Read our review here.
The Lego Batman Movie appeared at first glance to be a shameless money grab meant to capitalize on the popularity of Will Arnett’s brooding, blissfully oblivious take on the Dark Knight in The Lego Movie, but turned out to be so much more. The film criticizes the absurdity of Batman as a character just as much as it celebrates how enjoyable he has been for so many years. Referencing everything from obscure 1940s serials starring the masked hero to the campy 1960s Adam West television series and Zack Snyder’s recent gloomy treatment of the Caped Crusader, the film also provides an interesting meditation on the vital importance of not being alone in the world, and embracing those who are truly there for you. Never has a superhero movie managed to pack in so many ridiculous villains while still finding the room for a heart and soul.
– Parker Danowski
LOGAN
Read our review here.
For a franchise that never really made a good film (solo Wolverine movies) this one was a real tear jerker. Solidly dark and profoundly gripping, this was a fitting final chapter to Hugh Jackman’s long career of portraying Wolverine in movies.
– Raymond Flotat
MARJORIE PRIME
Read our review here.
Though not without its flaws, Marjorie Prime was a movie I not only enjoyed at the time much earlier this year, but found myself reflecting on several times throughout this year. How our memories, our realities, and our truths intersect, come together in this intriguing little play of a movie.
– Karen Earnest
SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING
Read our review here.
Spider-Man: Homecoming definitely surprised me. I went into the film with high expectations by Tom Holland did a good job of making Spider-Man just a kid in his nerdy way of trying to be a hero. It reminds people of the concept of not growing up too fast.
– Julie White
SPLIT
Read our review here.
While most have written off Shyamalan as a has-been hackneyed director, it seems that the Philadelphia-born filmmaker has come back into his stride with the underrated Split. After having made a string of atrocious films, (The Last Airbender and After Earth being the most heinous of them), many had given up on the once-heralded director–critically at least. But it appears that the director has come back into his stride with the James McAvoy-starring Split. With adept direction, mesmerizing performances, and a well-constructed script that kept filmgoers on the edge of their seats, Split is a welcomed return to the thriller/suspense genre that audiences know and love from Shyamalan.
– Riyad Mammadyarov
MXDWN Movies Best of 2017 continued coverage:
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