Zach’s Top 10 Best Movies of 2023

Despite all the strangeness of the year in the world of entertainment, there were still plenty of fantastic movies that hit theaters in 2023, and here are my picks for the Top 10 Best of 2023.

1. John Wick Chapter 4: Somehow, the John Wick franchise continues to top itself with every entry, and John Wick Chapter 4 is not only my favorite movie of 2023 but also one of the greatest action movies ever, period.  Right from the start the movie is filled with epic, massive set pieces that go on for extended lengths of time but continue to stay exciting and evolve as they go.  From the opening battle in the Osaka Continental to the insane battle on the staircase in Paris, John Wick Chapter 4 has some of the greatest set pieces and action choreography I have ever seen.  The John Wick franchise also does what The Expendables franchise failed to do after the 2nd entry and brings in awesome action stars that actual action movie fans care about, like Donnie Yen, Scott Adkins, and Marko Zaror.  Keanu Reeves continues to be excellent as well and delivers on all the action and drama as John’s journey comes to its end(?).  Decades from now, people will still be talking about John Wick Chapter 4 as one of the greatest action movies ever made.
2. Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse: While most mainstream superhero movies flopped, Across the Spider-Verse soared with an even bigger and better sequel to the already incredible Into the Spider-Verse.  Digging deeper into the multiverse as well as growing Miles and Gwen more as characters, the movie has everything a Spider-Man fan could dream of, from incredible action to deep-cut references and inside jokes that will make the movie something to rewatch over and over to try and find everything.  The visual style somehow evolved into something even more beautiful and stylish, with different worlds and characters having entirely different visuals, color schemes, and styles and the movie isn’t afraid to mix and match say, a completely CG Insomniac Spider-Man with live-action cameos, LEGO and everything in between.  The only downside is that it ended on a cliffhanger and we’ll probably have quite the wait to see how this trilogy ends.
3. Extraction 2: Somehow in 2023, we got two of the most incredible action movies ever made, with Extraction 2 not quite hitting the heights of John Wick Chapter 4 but definitely blowing up everything that made the first movie great to an incredible new level.  Chris Hemsworth brings the swagger and physical prowess as Tyler Rake and Golshifteh Farahani also gets to shine and kick an equal amount of ass as Nik Khan.  The plot is still a little thin and cliche but the action is incredible, with gigantic sequences that are shot to feel like it’s all one take and, much like John Wick, they are chunky 20-30-minute sequences that never get dull but continue to evolve and keep things interesting, going into new locales or ramping up the threat, except for the final set piece that goes for a more small scale, intimate battle that feels a bit lackluster compared to the insanity that came before.  The movie sets up a sequel and I’m definitely down for more Tyler Rake adventures if they can maintain this level of action movie-making.
4. Godzilla Minus One: There’s tons of Godzilla media currently for fans of the various franchises, from Monarch on Apple TV+ to the upcoming Godzilla x Kong movie but Godzilla Minus One is one of the best entries, period, for the King of the Monsters.  One of the main issues with lots of Godzilla movies is that the human characters are usually either boring or terrible and it feels like they are just wasting time before we get to see the Big G again.  Godzilla Minus One gives us compelling, interesting human characters alongside big, bombastic Godzilla action and delivers everything you could want from a great Godzilla movie.  The movie brings Godzilla back to his origins and delivers a truly terrifying monster with some of the most destructive abilities we’ve ever seen and interesting set pieces that seem to pay homage to classic films like Jaws while retaining a unique style.  Godzilla Minus One is a fantastic giant monster movie that delivers in all areas.
5. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: The only truly excellent entry in the MCU this year, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was a funny, heartbreaking, and exciting farewell from James Gunn and what seems like this iteration of the Guardians as we know them.  Rocket gets to shine as we dig into his brutal backstory but all the characters get at least one moment to truly shine and it features one of the best action sequences in the history of the MCU set to “No Sleep till Brooklyn”.  Part of what makes Guardians Vol. 3 work as well it got to be standalone, only beholden to the previous Guardians movies and the Holiday Special, and didn’t get bogged down in the multiverse/Kang stuff of the other MCU entries (all of which seems like a pointless mess now in the wake of everything involving Jonathan Majors).  James Gunn loves these characters as much as we do and it’s a great send-off before he brings his vision to the DC universe.
6. TMNT: Mutant Mayhem: Proving the flexibility and enduring legacy of the TMNT, Mutant Mayhem delivered a fresh, funny, and action-packed new take on the Ninja Turtles that was a blast for old-school and new fans of the franchise.  Seemingly inspired by Spider-Verse, Mutant Mayhem doesn’t copy that movie’s look but instead goes for its own stylish and unique look that feels like the doodles on a kid’s school notebook and it makes all the characters feel fresh and interesting.  The fact that the Turtles are all voiced by actual teenagers is also a fun new twist and brings so much fun and energy to the quartet as they bounce off of each other and the other characters.  It’s also great to see so many of the weird mutant side characters on display, all done in the movie’s unique style and usually with someone fun behind the voice, like Ice Cube as the main villain Superfly or Paul Rudd as a scene-stealing Mondo Gecko.  The fact that the Turtles have been around for decades but there are still unique, interesting takes on the franchise is incredible and I’m excited for more in the Mutant Mayhem universe in the future.
7. The Super Mario Bros. Movie: Not quite as innovative animation-wise as Mutant Mayhem or Across the Spider-Verse, The Super Mario Bros. Movie was still a gorgeous-looking, super fun take on the world’s most famous plumber.  It can’t be overstated how stunning the visuals in The Super Mario Bros. Movie are, keeping the core of the character designs but drenching everything in vibrant colors and jam-packed backgrounds full of fun easter eggs and details. Despite all the hubbub going on, Chris Pratt was fine as Mario but Jack Black truly steals the show as Bowser, switching between threatening and hilariously pathetic to great effect.  The plot was incredibly simple but it was full of great setpieces and tons of references for fans of all eras of Mario, whether you’ve just started to play the games with something like Odyssey or you’ve been there since the NES days.
8. Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part 1: While feeling a bit overlong at times, Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part 1 still delivered everything you expect from the modern Mission: Impossible series, including insane practical stunts from star Tom Cruise, especially the much-hyped jump off a mountain on a motorcycle.  The action is the big reason to see Dead Reckoning, with extended sequences that feature a mixture of humor and heart-stopping thrills.  Esai Morales is a great villain, even if it seems like it will take the next movie to give us the whole picture of his character and Hayley Atwell is a fun addition that gives us a non-spy perspective on the insane goings-on of IMF.  It’s also great to have franchise veteran Henry Cznery back as Kittridge along with our usual cast of characters that have been in the most recent entries, like Ving Rhames, Rebecca Ferguson, and Simon Pegg.  We’ll have to see if the next movie completes the sage of The Entity in a compelling manner or not but I’ll be there either way.
9. Sisu: Feeling like something out of Grindhouse or a side story in the Inglourious Basterds universe, Sisu was a brutally fun revenge movie with a fantastic, badass protagonist in Jorma Tommila, who plays a former solider turned gold miner who hits the motherlode but has to battle a group of sadistic Nazis roaming Finland.  Luckily, he’s basically a one-man kill squad and dispatches his fascist foes in some over-the-top violent kills that are oftentimes as hilarious as they are brutal.  The movie leans into its over-the-top nature more and more as the movie progresses and it’s just a tight, fun revenge movie that was a blast to watch.
10. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves: Dungeons & Dragons had a terrible track record as far as movie adaptations but luckily D&D: Honor Among Thieves delivered a super fun and funny movie for D&D fans and non-fans alike.  Seemingly taking a page from Guardians of the Galaxy, Honor Among Thieves brings together a group of wisecracking outcasts and forces them to work together for the greater good. The cast is great, led by Chris Pine who seems like he’s having an absolute blast.  Hugh Grant also continues his recent run of supporting roles in movies as the pompous main villain.  The movie has a ton of great set pieces that utilize all of the magic and items of D&D in fun and interesting ways and there are also tons of just laugh-out-loud comedic moments as well, like when a magical clone of Chris Pine starts to horrifically go awry, which embraces the goofier side of what can happen in aD&D campaign.  One of the best surprises of the year and hopefully there’s more on the way, despite its lackluster box office performance.

Honorable Mentions

• Cobweb
• Blue Beetle
• The Marvels
• M3GAN (Unrated Cut)
• Creed III
• Evil Dead Rise
• Barbie
• The Creator
• Equalizer 3
• Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny