<p>It was an incredibly strong year for Hollywood. At least two films beat out 2017’s highest grosser, ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’. Aside from that, even some franchises thought doomed, managed to give a strong return; and some long-desired sequels finally saw the light of day.</p>.<p>As the year comes to a close, here are some of Metrolife’s best-reviewed Hollywood films.</p>.<p><strong>Christopher Robin</strong></p>.<p>Made for the kind of people who are in need a break from the daily hectic life, Christopher Robin was a sweet return to simpler childhood days and carried a powerful, very human message with it.</p>.<p><strong>Spider-man: Into The Spider-Verse</strong><br />To say the least, Into the Spider-Verse was a fundamentally weird experience. It was like watching a comic book instead of just a comic book movie, what with its art style and intentionally jarred movement animation giving it an otherworldly feel. Combined with an emotional coming-of-age story for both Miles Morales and Peter Parker, this film easily sits up there with Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 as the best Spider-Man film ever made.</p>.<p><strong>Mission: Impossible - Fallout</strong></p>.<p>Christopher McQuarrie returned, bringing another installment of the staple action film series in ‘Fallout’, a film that quite literally meant to go with the meaning of the word. Filled with a competently-written plot and bar-raising action, Fallout reigned over all action films of the year.</p>.<p><strong>Avengers: Infinity War</strong></p>.<p>Ever since 2012’s The Avengers, fans around the world waited with bated breath for Thanos to arrive and smack the Avengers down - and he did with force in Infinity War, the beginning of the end of the current MCU. Directors Anthony and Joe Russo subverted all expectations and fan theories in delivering the film - virtually guaranteeing that there will be no contender to next year’s Endgame in the eyes of fans.</p>.<p><strong>Isle of Dogs</strong></p>.<p>Set in a dystopian Japan where all dogs have been condemned to “Trash island”, Isle of Dogs explored themes like acceptance and communication between man and his best friend - with a dash of deadpan humour.</p>.<p><strong>You Were Never Really Here</strong></p>.<p>Marred by a limited release and some mild flaws, this film was considered ‘poetry in motion’ and a deeply meditative experience. Our review called it a celebration of visual storytelling.</p>.<p><strong>First Man</strong></p>.<p>First Man presented itself as a character study not of Neil Armstrong, the astronaut; but Neil Armstrong, the man - the man who found his calling in Apollo 11 when despair surrounded him. It pulled no stops in putting viewers right into Neil’s skin - and was better for it.</p>.<p><strong>Halloween</strong></p>.<p>When nearly everyone considered Halloween dead, David Gordon Green did not - and the result was a powerful return of the franchise that gave Hollywood its first masked mass murderer. It had a simple plot, well-written characters and relentless, bloody murder.</p>.<p><strong>Aquaman</strong></p>.<p>The DCEU, DC’s answer to the MCU, was thought to be all but dead after Batman v Superman and Justice League - but James Wan restored hope to it with Aquaman in a strongly character-driven story. The only question now is if Shazam! can keep the momentum going.</p>.<p><strong>Deadpool 2</strong></p>.<p>Ryan Reynolds returned as Deadpool - following on the smash hit of 2016, that showed A-rated comic book movies could work in the current era of Hollywood. The sequel followed up very admirably, though it played rather safe. The icing on the cake, of course, was Josh Brolin - who coincidentally played Thanos in Infinity War.</p>
<p>It was an incredibly strong year for Hollywood. At least two films beat out 2017’s highest grosser, ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’. Aside from that, even some franchises thought doomed, managed to give a strong return; and some long-desired sequels finally saw the light of day.</p>.<p>As the year comes to a close, here are some of Metrolife’s best-reviewed Hollywood films.</p>.<p><strong>Christopher Robin</strong></p>.<p>Made for the kind of people who are in need a break from the daily hectic life, Christopher Robin was a sweet return to simpler childhood days and carried a powerful, very human message with it.</p>.<p><strong>Spider-man: Into The Spider-Verse</strong><br />To say the least, Into the Spider-Verse was a fundamentally weird experience. It was like watching a comic book instead of just a comic book movie, what with its art style and intentionally jarred movement animation giving it an otherworldly feel. Combined with an emotional coming-of-age story for both Miles Morales and Peter Parker, this film easily sits up there with Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 as the best Spider-Man film ever made.</p>.<p><strong>Mission: Impossible - Fallout</strong></p>.<p>Christopher McQuarrie returned, bringing another installment of the staple action film series in ‘Fallout’, a film that quite literally meant to go with the meaning of the word. Filled with a competently-written plot and bar-raising action, Fallout reigned over all action films of the year.</p>.<p><strong>Avengers: Infinity War</strong></p>.<p>Ever since 2012’s The Avengers, fans around the world waited with bated breath for Thanos to arrive and smack the Avengers down - and he did with force in Infinity War, the beginning of the end of the current MCU. Directors Anthony and Joe Russo subverted all expectations and fan theories in delivering the film - virtually guaranteeing that there will be no contender to next year’s Endgame in the eyes of fans.</p>.<p><strong>Isle of Dogs</strong></p>.<p>Set in a dystopian Japan where all dogs have been condemned to “Trash island”, Isle of Dogs explored themes like acceptance and communication between man and his best friend - with a dash of deadpan humour.</p>.<p><strong>You Were Never Really Here</strong></p>.<p>Marred by a limited release and some mild flaws, this film was considered ‘poetry in motion’ and a deeply meditative experience. Our review called it a celebration of visual storytelling.</p>.<p><strong>First Man</strong></p>.<p>First Man presented itself as a character study not of Neil Armstrong, the astronaut; but Neil Armstrong, the man - the man who found his calling in Apollo 11 when despair surrounded him. It pulled no stops in putting viewers right into Neil’s skin - and was better for it.</p>.<p><strong>Halloween</strong></p>.<p>When nearly everyone considered Halloween dead, David Gordon Green did not - and the result was a powerful return of the franchise that gave Hollywood its first masked mass murderer. It had a simple plot, well-written characters and relentless, bloody murder.</p>.<p><strong>Aquaman</strong></p>.<p>The DCEU, DC’s answer to the MCU, was thought to be all but dead after Batman v Superman and Justice League - but James Wan restored hope to it with Aquaman in a strongly character-driven story. The only question now is if Shazam! can keep the momentum going.</p>.<p><strong>Deadpool 2</strong></p>.<p>Ryan Reynolds returned as Deadpool - following on the smash hit of 2016, that showed A-rated comic book movies could work in the current era of Hollywood. The sequel followed up very admirably, though it played rather safe. The icing on the cake, of course, was Josh Brolin - who coincidentally played Thanos in Infinity War.</p>
