This year gave us some really awesome movies both locally and internationally. The movies listed below are not particularly award-season movies (so don't expect movies chosen based on theatrical brilliance or some complex mode of execution) but movies that stood out in a unique way based on the connection they had with their target audience.
It's also important to know that this isn't a ranked list but simply the ten movies that made this year worthwhile.
1. Wonder Woman
Superhero movies are trending now mostly thanks to movie adaptations from comic giants Marvel and DC. This year there were quite a number of superhero movies and there was Wonder Woman. Wonder Woman is the first female-led superhero movie to hit the big screens and in just five months, it became the top-grossing superhero origin movie in both the domestic and worldwide box offices. This means it beat her fellow DC Comics heroes Batman, Superman, and Green Lantern, while also flooring Marvel's Spider-Man, Captain America, Iron Man, and the rest of the MCU.
Beyond the numbers, Wonder Woman is a great movie and is worth every naira spent on it.
2. Isoken
It's impossible to make a list of top Nigerian movies this year without mentioning Isoken. The romantic story that stars Dakore Akande, Joseph Benjamin, Marc Rhys, Funke Akindele, Lynda Forson, Damilola Attoh and others is easily one of the most talked about movies this year. Fortunately, it delivers on its hype and it takes a simple relatable story and executes it to near perfection. All praise to scriptwriter and director Jadesola Osiberu for giving us one of the best movies of the year
3. Get Out
Jordan Peele's satirical horror movie is arguably the biggest shock in Hollywood this year. The great thing about this movie is that it keeps breaking records that are unheard of especially for a low budget movie with no big names in it. It's the highest grossing original debut of all time and writer/director Jordan Peele is the first black writer-director with a $100-million film debut.
It's also third highest grossing horror movie of all time. For Get Out, it's not just about the numbers though, the movie easily most creative movie of the year and it has a message for everyone.
4. Baby Driver
Edgar Wright has never made a normal movie in his entire career (Shaun Of The Dead, Hot Fuzz, Scott Pilgrim VS. The World) and Baby Driver lives up to the Edgar Wright name. It's an action comedy starring Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Lily James, Eiza González, Jon Hamm, Jamie Foxx and other stars. Everything about this movie is done right and it's surprisingly musical with one of the best soundtrack albums of the year.
5. The Wedding Party 2-Destination Dubai
The first instalment was a record breaker and this movie shows no signs of slowing down. Kemi Adetiba and the rest of The Wedding Party cast and crew have proven that lightning strikes twice sometimes. Raking in N73m after three days of its release, the best thing about the sequel of The Wedding Party is the ability to take the audience on a totally different journey without compromising the standards set in the first movie.
6. Logan
Logan is an X-men spin-off movie created by 21st Century FOX. As the third instalment of the Wolverine trilogy, Logan symbolizes a number of important things for the Superhero genre. It is Hugh Jackman's last official appearance as Wolverine--a character he has played for 17 years--and it also happens to be his best portrayal of everyone's favourite mutant. Logan isn't your everyday X-men movie and although it's the most violent version of Wolverine on screen, at its core, Logan is a movie about family, loss and the fight for freedom.
7. IT
IT is the second movie adaptation of a book of the same title written by Stephen King. Generally speaking, movies based on books never do well on screen, usually, a lot of very important details from the book get left own or changed and this doesn't please fans at all. For the second adaptation of a well read book, IT does surprisingly well to surpass all expectations. The story is carried by children and the kids in this movie do it justice. Although it's a supposed to be a horror thriller, IT is a beautiful character-based story that was done justice this year.
8. Potato Potahto
Potato Potahto is a pleasant surprise in the world of Nollywood movies. Taking on the topic is divorce and giving it a comedic spin that doesn't rob the topic of its seriousness is a very rare thing to do. Divorce is a very sensitive topic especially in this part of the world because of our religious and cultural dispositions to the subject matter, director Shirley Frimpong-Manso was able to craft a masterpiece out of this theme that deserves to be seen over and over again.
9. COCO
Coco is a PIXAR animation that deserves more credit than its given. This isn't to say that people did not appreciate the movie, but it's very rare for an animation to explore culture and art the way Coco does. Coco is a light-hearted movie that digs deep into Mexican culture and beliefs. It's a story of family, music, friendship and the mystery of life after death. A total package that's worth everybody's time.
10. The Disaster Artist
This year has packed its fair share of surprises but The Disaster Artist sits in a class of its own. Based on a movie called The Room which is a legendary film known for just how bad it is. The Disaster Artist tells the story of Tommy Wiseau, the writer and creator Of The Room. Tommy Wiseau is an enigma in the history of filmmaking and James Franco, Seth Rogen and Dave Franco gave this man one of the best and most compelling stories ever.
For a movie made by people known primarily as comedy actors to be one of the front-runners in the award season, it definitely packs a punch.
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