What a year! In movie land, this year has been nothing short of memorable from Marvel’s tragic decline to the rise of Barbenheimer, movie watchers everywhere are finishing this year like champions. However, among all the high expectations for movies like Across the Spider-Verse and Killers of the Flower Moon, others were brushed aside or overlooked prior to their releases. Here at MXDWN we took a look at the movies this year that took us all by surprise. 

Strays

Strays was probably the most surprising film of 2023. I did NOT want to go see the film, but when I did I also had incredibly low expectations for it. During the screening though, I actually had a great time and was laughing the entire way through. This may not be a critically-acclaimed film, but comedy films like these have a place in the film world as they provide audiences with a nice, short period of escape from daily life.

-Jaylen Briece

Godzilla Minus One

Godzilla Minus One was far and away the most surprising film of 2023. This is mostly because the general bar for quality on Godzilla movies has been so bad these last thirty years. Generally, Western Godzilla films have been an excuse for rampant chaos and destruction, leaving out any real reason to care about the character. This is entirely about the people involved and how Godzilla as a force of nature effects them and their community. It’s a massively impressive piece on such a well-worn character.

-Raymond Flotat

Godzilla Minus One is the biggest surprise of 2023. I never would have believed a Godzilla film could garner such a heartfelt human story that felt so connected to the monster. This isn’t incidentally a good movie that also has a giant monster in it.

-Dempson Juvenal

Elemental

Elemental was my most surprising film of 2023. I thought it was going to be a cute movie about the different elements trying to navigate life. I was delightfully surprised to see it was way more than that: a story of people from structurally different and opposing backgrounds falling in love when everything is working against them being together. It was a good romantic comedy, with equal parts heartwarming and funny. I loved this one.

-Nicole Dwyer

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

Look, not in my top 10, not even top 20, BUT! Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves was such a fun little film. Entertaining performances mixed with equally entertaining scenes truly caught me off guard. Seeing what this was in previews, this looked to be another batch of shovelware that would drop, suck, and then be forgotten immediately. However, once they showcased a birdman as a method of escaping prison, I was all in. What followed was one of the more appealing theatre experiences I had this year. Not a perfect or great film, but one that I did not expect to be even remotely good.

-Austin Waybright