Best & Worst Movies of 2017 (So Far)

Believe it or not, we've passed the halfway point of 2017! Next thing you know it will be 2018 already! Now, last year I cobbled together the Summer 2016 Movie Season In Review to enlighten viewers on five fantastic films they may have missed out on in addition to five stinkers they should stay away from. This year I decided to share my personal ranking of all this year's releases thus far because towards the latter end of the year I suspect these films may not retain their position. I'll include a short blurb justifying each film's position on the respective list but you can visit my full reviews for all of these by clicking the blue hyperlinks with the titles. Keep in mind though that this is my personal ranking and I'm only qualifying the films I've seen this year so if one of your favorite/least favorite flicks didn't make either list, then I may not have ever seen it or I simply didn't like/dislike it as much as you did. Regardless of whether you agree with my opinion or not, I hope you at least enjoy reading my perspective of this year in cinema so far.

Worst Of 2017 (So Far)

Dis-Honorable Mentions (Alphabetical order): The Belko Experiment and The Great Wall.

5. The Fate of the Furious

I'm sure this will be my most controversial pick on either of my lists but The Fate of the Furious is absolutely idiotic. The only Fast & Furious movies I've truly enjoyed are 5-7, which launched the franchise in a completely different direction. However, F8 tests the limit of that mileage to an absurd degree. There are no longer stakes, the action's senseless, and there's simply no more creative fuel left over in the franchise's tank. 

4. The Mummy (2017)

The Mummy is an example of how not to establish a cinematic universe. The Mummy simply gets too wrapped up building a world for these monsters to thrive in that the stand-alone story decays as a consequence.

3. Transformers: The Last Knight

Transformers: The Last Knight didn't disappoint me per se but it didn't redeem the franchise either. The Last Knight just meanders about for two and half hours with very few redeeming qualities. It's just a lot of visual noise with zero substance underneath.

2. A Cure for Wellness

A Cure For Wellness was deeply disturbing and featured some of the most unsettling scenes I've seen in the cinema all year. It was entirely off-kilter but in the worst ways imaginable. So it comes as no surprise that the film delivers on the title's promise, sickening from start to finish. 

1. The Circle

The Circle was the closest I got to bestowing a grade of an "F" this year because it was a sophomoric slog. I know that the captivating concept and accomplished actors make it seem promising but whatever you do, don't circle around for this one because it's an utter waste of time.

Best Of 2017 (So Far)

Honorable Mentions (Alphabetical order): Alien: Covenant, Beauty and the Beast (2017), Get Out, John Wick: Chapter 2, and The LEGO Batman Movie.

5. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

I understand I'm of the unpopular opinion that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is better than the first but I think everyone can agree that it was a fun time and I had a blast all three times I went to the theater. I enjoyed getting to galavant across space with these miscreants and really getting to the core of what makes each character tick while often laughing hysterically.  

4. Spider-Man: Homecoming

Spider-Man: Homecoming marks the third time Sony's attempted to launch a Spider-Man franchise following Raimi's trilogy and the two Amazing Spider-Man movies directed by Mark Webb. What makes Homecoming interesting though is how expertly it captures the character while swinging in a different direction by placing Spidey in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Homecoming feels like the perfect portrayal of Spider-Man and is easily the most entertaining incarnation of the web-head since Spider-Man 2.

3. Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman not only was a change of pace for the DCEU but a landmark shift for female lead superhero movies. Wonder Woman remains invigorating, visceral, and intense in the heightened moments of WW1 action while reserving time for worthwhile character development and story progression. I've watched Wonder Woman five times now and am continually blown away. 

2. Logan

Logan is the first superhero movie that I whole-heartingly believe deserves to be in the conversation for Oscar gold. In fact, it's my favorite comic book movie to date! Not only was Logan a sensational and sentimental send-off to Hugh Jackman but a fantastic film in its own right that definitely deserves the acclaim.

1. Baby Driver

It was a huge toss-up between the No. 1 and 2 slots on this list considering Logan and Baby Driver were the only films this year I've honored with the distinction of my "A+" rating. Ultimately, I had more fun with Baby Driver though thanks to a varied soundtrack full of rockin' tunes, outrageously entertaining action sequences, and charismatic characters. The love and care that Edgar Wright poured into Baby Driver really shows and I'd say it's an excellent example of meticulous masterclass filmmaking. 

'The Fate of the Furious' Review

The Fate of the Furious flips the Fast & Furious franchise on its head when Dominic Toretto suddenly betrays his team in the midst of a non-sanctioned operation. The crew then are assembled by Mr. Nobody and must partner with an unexpected ally, former foe Deckard Shaw, if they have any hope of stopping Toretto and the cyberterrorist organization behind his shifted alliance. 

If you told me that Fate of the Furious was directed by Michael Bay, I'd probably buy it due to Straight Outta Compton filmmaker F. Gary Gray's decision to switch gears into full Transformers territory. The two franchises might as well cross over at this point because they've both got slo-mo, explosions, choppy editing, and shaky cam galore! 

Gray and his technical crew absolutely deliver on piecing together ridiculous action set pieces comprised of a standard street race in Havana harkening back to the roots of  The Fast and the Furious, an absurd chase through the Big Apple involving thousands of remotely controlled auto-driven cars, and the gang casually skidding over the frozen tundra and a nuclear submarine in efforts to stop World War III to name a couple. 

Despite Fate of the Furious' best intentions at delivering a commercialized blockbuster, the film feels devoid of the energy that bolstered previous entries (possibly due to Paul Walker's absence). Now I can suspend my disbelief of nonsensical action and overlook the bad dialogue provided I'm reasonably entertained, but Fate of the Furious never quite found that niche. I can't fault the film itself for this but Universal's marketing department plastered the coolest moments everywhere on the internet so Fate of the Furious never took me by surprise. I occasionally laughed at the senseless situations the crew found themselves in or the cheap one-liners but I was rarely invested in the insanity. 

Furious 7 tied up all the loose ends of the series nicely with a neat, little bow but veteran F&F screenwriter Chris Morgan returns to unravel that with his sixth consecutive F&F screenplay. Fate of the Furious can't help but feel like an extraneous extension of the saga because of how nicely Furious 7 wrapped things up, especially when minimal character growth occurs over the 136 minute runtime and the ending seemingly leaves little room for anywhere I could conceivably see the franchise headed. One thing that especially bothered me was that there were no lasting consequences or any aftermath from choices made by these characters. It doesn't help that the characters are virtually invulnerable either, these people are practically superheroes at this point. 

On top of that, the formulaic nature of these F&F movies is becoming more and more apparent with each new installment and I'm convinced the last four or so practically have the same ending. However, two things I can credit Morgan for are writing decent hamstrung one-liners and constructing a convincing motivation for Toretto to turn on his family (probably the only surprise in the movie). Aside from that I was awestruck at how easily entertained the people around me were, they audibly gasped and aw'ed at predictable clichés I saw coming from a mile away. 

For the most part, the cast fill out their prescribed duties but it's noticeable the material they're given is rather lackluster. Vin Diesel gets to tread new waters as Dominic Toretto explores the inherent internal conflict that accompanies betrayal. Diesel demonstrated more range in this film that I feel was missing from some of his previous performances in this franchise and lent itself well to the precarious position his character found himself in. Michelle Rodriguez's scenes opposite Diesel provides the soap opera-esque relationship drama for Letty and Dom, which is incredibly melodramatic and over-the-top but somehow works thanks to the chemistry between the two. 

Amongst the supporting roster, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson hams it up as Luke Hobbs and Jason Statham's Deckard surprisingly steals the show now that he's on the good guy's side (watch out for his plane sequence that's an absolute delight and demands a spin-off). Statham and Johnson's verbal sparring turned out to be a highlight as both get a few good insults while Ludacris and Tyrese Gibson serve as supporting comedic relief with their characters Tej and Roman competing for the affections of Nathalie Emmanuel's Ramsey. Emmanuel gets to spout technical know-how and hack plenty of databases in the same vein as her role in Furious 7 but sadly has little else to do. Kurt Russell returns as the franchise's Nick Fury, Mr. Nobody, and he's brought Scott Eastwood and accomplished actress Helen Mirren along with him because clearly the ensemble wasn't crowded enough already. 

In the antagonistic department, Charlize Theron enters the fray and you'd expect a certain level of gravitas to accompany an Academy Award winning actress like Theron in a villainous role. However, Theron absolutely phones it in as Cipher, making her the blandest foe the team have come across yet. Cipher doesn't ever trade blows with the crew, which is incredibly disappointing when you take her stint as Furiosa in Mad Max: Fury Road or the trailers for her upcoming action flick Atomic Blonde into account (both of which serving as sufficient evidence she can handle an action sequence). It's probably worth mentioning to keep an eagle eye out for cameos since there were a few familiar faces I didn't expect to see and there's no post credits scene so you can race out of the theater once it's over. 

When it's all said and done, I'm not really sure Fate of the Furious was a necessary addition to the franchise. It feels driven towards financial rewards rather than furthering the characters or story in a meaningful way. Legitimate fans and casual viewers of F&F who have loved each installment and are simply seeking a good time will be more than satisfied with Fate of the Furious, but anyone hoping for an interesting continuation of the F&F family story will probably be let down. The Fate of the Furious has just about everything longtime viewers of the series have come to expect; outrageous vehicular stunts, cheesy quips, and a strong focus on family, but it fails to deliver an engaging adventurous atmosphere for our characters.

Film Assessment: C-