Best Movies of 2017 So Far

Today is the 2 year anniversary of keithlovesmovies.com so to celebrate, let’s take a look back at the best movies of 2017 so far. Everyone has started to publish their own lists but now it is my turn. Out of the 63 movies I’ve seen so far this year, here are the 10 best movies I’ve seen so far this year.

*click the posters for links to reviews*

10. Personal Shopper

Who knew that Kristen Stewart can really act? The title perhaps wasn’t the best but that doesn’t change the fact that it was a powerful drama dealing with the grief and was elevated by Stewart’s excellent, emotionally-nuanced performance. Suffice it to say that if you are not a fan of Stewart, then it may not be for you, however, give her a chance. She might surprise you.

9. The Belko Experiment

I am a big fan of silly B-movies and this one definitely fit the bill. It was rather mindless and stupid but this just added to its charm. There wasn’t much of a story although it didn’t take itself overly seriously and was both uber-violent and exciting to watch thanks to its short running time.

8. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2

The first movie was a surprise when it was released 3 years ago. After several MCU movies since then, this one was no longer a surprise but was still very fun to watch thanks to the great chemistry between the cast which was even better this time around. The film changed things up by providing more of a story which could have been executed slightly better, however, was still a welcome addition.

7. Wonder Woman

Wait, a good DC movie? The previous DC Universe movies were good and not great but this one was great. It went back to basics by offering a compelling, action-packed origin story reminiscent of other movies and was well executed, featuring an excellent performance by Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman.

6. Colossal

You’ve never seen a movie quite like this one guaranteed. There aren’t that many monster dramedies but this one worked with both sides fitting together surprisingly well with the monsters acting as manifestations one’s personal monsters. For an indie movie, the special effects were very good as well. The best part of the movie had to be the chemistry between Anne Hathaway and Jason Sudeikis.

5. Maudie

It is nice to see a Canadian movie make it this high on the list. This was just a beautifully shot film with an extremely emotional story led by the amazing performances of Sally Hawkins and Ethan Hawke who both deserve some recognition come awards season. For U.S. readers, this movie will be released this weekend so all of you will finally get the chance to see it for yourselves. You won’t regret it.

4. Logan

Hugh Jackman has had quite the run as Wolverine and this film did both him and the character justice. Although Wolverine is technically a superhero, this wasn’t a superhero movie in the traditional sense but was more of a grounded redemption story and that is probably why it resonated so well. A big fuss was made about the R-rating but it was never gratuitous and fit with the story.

3. The Lego Batman Movie

The Lego Movie is one of my all time favorite movies and while this one was not on that level, it came pretty close. Lego Batman was one of the most memorable characters from The Lego Movie because of Will Arnett. This movie was more of the same with excellent animation but more importantly, it did not take itself seriously with an entertaining story full of references and a lot of great humor.

2. It Comes at Night

Sometimes humans can be just as scary as any monster. Focusing on a family living in a forest instead of the crisis that forced them there, this allowed for some tense, character drama with a excellent sense of dread throughout thanks to the eerie cinematography and score. It may not have provided that many answers but that just added to the dread, leaving motivations up to interpretation.

1. Get Out

This should not come as much of a surprise since it’s been on or near the top of most best of 2017 lists, rightfully so. It was a surprisingly topical movie, dealing with race but it did so in an inventive way with horror and comedy. It did take awhile to get going but there was still a great sense of tension throughout sold by Daniel Kaluuya’s performance. Once things got going, the tension and intensity ratcheted up leading to a satisfying conclusion.

Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.