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Tripwire’s Best Films of 2017
The Best Films Of 2017
♦ 2017 wasn’t a bad year for cinema and so here’s Tripwire’s Best Films of 2017 in no particular order with links to the reviews that ran when the films came out (we missed Get Out at the cinema and had to check it out on DVD). With contributions from Joel Meadows, James DC, Andrew Colman, Dominic Wells and Stephen Dalton …
1. Get Out
Jordan Peele’s inventive 21st century twist on Stepford Wives starring Daniel Kaluuya as photographer Chris Washington who agrees to meet his girlfriend Rose Armitage (Alison Williams) is one of the best horror films in ages. It marked Peele out as a writer/ director to watch.
2. Blade Runner 2049
Although it could still be argued that there was no earthly reason to make a sequel to Ridley Scott’s seminal 1982, Denis Villeneuve’s follow-up was a very strong film, building on Scott’s themes and obsessions. Ryan Gosling made for a very intriguing new protagonist and we even had the return of Deckard in the shape of an old and grizzled Harrison Ford.
3. The Lost City Of Z
Totally ignored on its release this year, this adventure yarn directed by James Gray and starring Charlie Hunnam channeled the spirit of Coppola and Apocalypse Now. It showed that Hunnam had a little range as an actor and it was an old-fashioned film, harking back to the modern golden age of cinema in the 1970s. Hopefully it may build up a cult following on DVD and Blu Ray.
4. Thor: Ragnarok
Marvel’s superhero films had always been better at straight action-comedy but Thor: Ragnarok helmed by quirky Kiwi director Taika Waititi was the funniest Marvel outing yet. Hemsworth showed that he is actually pretty good at comedy and the whole thing had a sense of fun that was infectious.
5. Wonder Woman
Speaking of fun, up to this point, DC’s superhero films had been lacking in it. Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman managed to make the viewer smile and tonally it came closest to boiling down the essence of what makes DC’s superheroes so popular. It also properly introduced the world to Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman.
6. It
For every good Steven King adaptation, there are at least four stinkers. Thankfully, 2017’s version of It by director Andy Muschietti added to the 1990 Tim Curry version thanks to some great directing and some very impressive visual effects. Bill Skarsgard is a magnificent and malevolent Pennywise too.
7. Blade Of The Immortal
Probably the most violent film you will see all year, Takaska Miike’s adaptation of Hiroaki Samura’s acclaimed manga series shows that 100 films into his career, he isn’t finished impressing audiences yet. With a moral complexity that lifts it above just a samurai slasher, Blade of The Immortal is bound to be a cult favourite for many years to come.
8. Shape Of Water
Tripwire’s editor-in-chief Joel Meadows hasn’t seen this yet but since its contributing writer Stephen Dalton gave it such a glowing review and we have always been such huge fans of del Toro, it had to be here. Visually amazing but with a beating heart, The Shape of Water could be the film that gives Guillermo del Toro a slice of mainstream success.
9. The Limehouse Golem
Based on the Peter Ackroyd book Dan Leno and The Limehouse Golem, Juan Carlos Medina’s Victorian murder story starring Bill Nighy pulls no punches and uses the gothic setting to great use. We are used seeing Nighy in lightweight fare but he proved here that he could hold his own in far darker material.
10. Dunkirk
Christopher Nolan’s beautiful story of the rescue of the British soldiers during the Second World War had impact and power on the big screen. One of the most cinematic films seen in years, Dunkirk is a high water mark of the director’s career.
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