The 5 Best Movies of 2016 (So Far)​

- by Steve Garcia, 18 April 2016

We’re 108 days into 2016, and aside from a few minor bombs, Hollywood has already given us some gold before the big-budget summer season. Without further ado, here are the five that are worth your time.

1. Deadpool

After the character was mangled and butchered in 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine, fans and audiences alike were pretty ok with never touching Deadpool again to do further harm. When leaked footage of a then-dead film reached the public, fans went ballistic. Ryan Reynolds (bless him) took control of the property at Fox, helped his vision of the character see the light of day, and as a result, it’s arguably the best movie of the year. While R-rated superhero films re certainly not new, Deadpool works because the filmmakers allowed the character to be the same character that fans know and love, and if it’s impressive $758 million worldwide gross on its paltry $58 million budget says anything, it’s that they nailed it. Funny, entertaining, action-packed, and surprisingly sweet in all the right places, Deadpool is worth the ticket price. All the dinosaurs feared the T-Rex.

WATCH TRAILER

2. The VVitch

It’s hard to make a good horror film in this day and age because almost all of them rely on the standard jump scares, torture porn, or some combination of the two. The VVitch is unique in that it allows its eerie (and impressively accurate) New England setting to speak for itself and thrusts you into this satanic fairy tale that ends with an astonishing payoff. As excellent as it was, however, I cannot stress enough how this is not the standard scary movie—this is a hauntingly beautiful period piece that requires your full attention and time. The up and coming director Robert Eggers’s attention to detail, camerawork, and overall artistry is the only way a film like this works. Seek it out, and by the end, I promise you that you will love to live deliciously.

WATCH TRAILER

3. Zootopia

I’ll be frank: Zootopia is hands down the best animated Disney movie in the past decade at least. It's smart, charming, funny, and loaded with deep messages about cops doing their job, the dangers of stereotyping, and racism (among other things) that are relevant now more than ever. It brings attention to these issues, packs them up in a way that anyone, regardless of who you are, can understand and inspires you to overcome those obstacles to be whatever you want to be without being overly preachy. In addition to its surprisingly adult story, it’s also a delightful spectacle that’s jam-packed with amazing character and set designs. It’s Disney at its finest!

WATCH TRAILER

4. 10 Cloverfield Lane

The secrecy surrounding this film was impressive, as the public wasn’t even aware of its existence until just two months before its release. 10 Cloverfield Lane houses some of the best performances of the year, including what may possibly be the best of John Goodman’s entire career. From the second the stunning opening credits begin to its jaw-dropping ending, it was the most incredible roller coaster of a film that I’ve had the pleasure to watch in a theater in a long time. My God, that ending! The payoff is so ballsy and absurd that I can’t help but love and appreciate the brilliance that is director Dan Trachtenberg.  

WATCH TRAILER

5. The Jungle Book

After Disney brought Alice in Wonderland and Maleficent to life with their disappointing live-action fairytale trend, I was ready to skip them going forward altogether. After the beauty of 2015’s Cinderella however, I was more excited than ever to see how Iron Man director Jon Favreau would bring the Bare Necessities to life in his interpretation of The Jungle Book. Folks, it was the most fun movie-going experience of the year so far. The cast was top-notch (Christopher Walken, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, and Bill Murray, are you kidding me?), the tone and music were perfect, and I haven’t seen a film this visually impressive since Avatar. I can’t stress enough how the only “real” thing in this film was Neel Sethi’s Mowgli. Everything—the trees, leaves, animals—was CGI. This child was acting in front of nothing, and he made it work. When you go see it, I implore you: do it in IMAX 3D. It’s the first movie in a long time that actually warrants it.  

WATCH TRAILER

​And there you have it ladies and gents! Have you seen any of these movies? What did you think of them? What’s your top 5 so far? Let us know down below and as always, be good to one another!

Tagged: movies & TV.

blog comments powered by Disqus

---

Follow @TrashMutant