My Top 10 Movies of 2016

I’ll get to the top 10 movies I watched in 2016 in a minute. But first:

Solid Sequels

Here are a couple of sequels to good films that I liked, but weren’t top 10:

“Allegiant” * * *

Allegiant is the 3rd film in the dystopian future science fiction series that began with the excellent “Divergent”. Though not nearly as good as the first film, it is significantly better than the second installment.

“Mockingjay – Part 2” * * *

Mockingjay 2 is the fourth and final film in the “Hunger Games” quadrilogy (which should have been a trilogy), another dystopian future science fiction series. Again, this is a decent film, and brings the series to a close.

Honourable Mentions

I have a few honourable mentions, good films that didn’t quite make my list:

“MI-5” * * *

This fun little espionage film is a sequel of sorts (though it stands alone) to the British series of the same name.

“Blood Father” * * *

Mel Gibson is back in another solid action film, unusually well written for the genre.

“Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” * * *

Tim Burton’s imaginative film based on a novel for young adults is a fun alternative to the steady crop of super hero films that seem to have no end.

My Top Ten

#10: “X-Men: Apocalypse” * * *

The rebooted X-Men are back, this time battling a god like mutant from ancient Egypt. Predictable, but fun.

#9: “Jack Reacher: Never Go Back” * * *

This Tom Cruise action flick is mindless fun.

 #8: “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” * * *

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter meets 1920s America. A visually stunning and a fun film.

#7: “Suicide Squad” * * *

DC villains team up to fight another villain. Funny, with good action. This film was far superior to “Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice”, which didn’t even make the honourable mentions.

#6: “American Ultra” * * *

Hilarious and action packed, this film is like a stoner version of the Bourne Identity. Good fun.

#5: “Captain America: Civil War” * * *

Cap and most of the Avengers are back in a film that has met with very high praise. I didn’t think it was great, but it certainly deserves its place in the top five.

#4: “Doctor Strange” * * *

This new addition to the Marvel cinematic universe is fresh, and was fun.

#3: “The Martian” * * * *

My second favourite hard science fiction film of all time, after “Gattica”. This is a must watch.

#2: “Deadpool” * * * *

Easily the best super hero film of the year, Deadpool nails it. Very funny, and full of action. Best comic book adaptation since “Guardians of the Galaxy”.

#1: “Star Wars: Rogue One” * * * *

Probably the biggest surprise of the year, I liked this film better than “The Force Awakens”, as well as all of the prequels. If you are a Star Wars fan, this is the film you’ve been waiting for.

#2016 #topten