Tripwire’s Top 10 Films of 2016

The Movies Of The Year

♦It hasn’t exactly been a banner year for great films but Tripwire’s editor-in-chief JOEL MEADOWS picks his 10 best films of 2016…

1. 10 Cloverfield Lane
The first film picked here was a followup to Cloverfield back in 2008 but 10 Cloverfield Lane, directed by Dan Trachtenberg and produced by JJ Abrams, was a brilliant sci fi thriller with a compelling performance from John Goodman as the man who may be Michelle’s (Mary-Elizabeth Winstead) saviour or her prison warder, which eclipsed its progenitor. Even though it isn’t directed by Abrams, his fingerprints are all over this and it was a memorable spring movie.

2. Hail, Caesar!
Also earlier in the year was Hail, Caesar, the latest effort from the Coen Brothers which saw George Clooney as Baird Whitlock, 1950s movie star and Josh Brolin as studio fixer Eddie Mannix, whose job it is to keep the studio’s stars in line. Hail, Caesar isn’t a great film or even a great Coen Brothers film but thanks to some bravura performances especially from Brolin and Clooney and a wonderful eye for recreating classic Hollywood movies, Hail, Caesar! has a unique charm to it that keeps you watching. No-one makes films like the Coens in 2016.

3. Zootropolis
Known as Zootopia in the US on its March release, Zootropolis is the first animated movie to feature in our Top 1o of 2016 and thanks to directors Rich Moore, Jared Bush and Byron Howard, this is a stylish, intelligent and ingenious animated detective tale. We have spent years enduring animated films starring anthropomorphic creatures but Zootropolis displays true craft and serious research to bring its unique settings to life. Ginnifer Goodman as rabbit police officer Judy Hopps and Jason Bateman as dodgy fox Nick Wilde have real vocal chemistry here and there are a number of nifty nods to other movies throughout. Zootropolis is an animated film with heart, depth and soul.

4. The Witch
Made in 2015 but it took until the winter of 2016 to get a cinema release both in the UK and US, The Witch was Robert Eggers’ historical horror set in 1630s New England. Eschewing the slasher sensibilities that have inhabited pretty much every horror film of the past decade, The Witch‘s atmosphere built to an unsettling crescendo thanks to some exceptional camera work and low key performances. Some of the film will stay with you long after you leave the cinema and that’s testament to its power and subtlety.

5. Captain America: Civil War
The spring saw the latest huge Marvel superhero bonanza and Captain America: Civil War was the only superhero film released in 2016 that really satisfied its audience. Splitting the Avengers into two camps with one led by the whitebread Captain America and the other by playboy Iron Man, the Russo brothers (Anthony and Joe) managed to juggle all of the heavyweight and middleweight Marvel icons in one film while reintroducing the world to Spider-man. It wasn’t perfect by any means as it was a little too long but it was still a far more pleasurable experience than Avengers: Age of Ultron.

6. Star Trek Beyond
A little maligned when it was released this summer, the third rebooted Star Trek film was the first that wasn’t directed by JJ Abrams but Justin Long managed to distill the essence of the original TV series with the likes of Pine, Quinto and Urban. Star Treek Beyond feels like a far more faithful Star Trek movie than its predecessor Into Darkness. Sadly it will also be seen as one of the final films with the late Anton Yelchin but it is a worthy epitaph to a career that was cut far too short.

7. Kubo and The Two Strings
Our second animated feature on the list, Kubo and The Two Strings was the latest movie from Laika and it deserves to be here because it is a beautiful film with a sweet and inventive story. Owing a lot to the likes of Miyazaki, Kubo and The Two Strings has a central protagonist who isn’t your typical annoying US movie brat and voice talent of the calibre of Charlize Theron, Matthew McConaughey and Ralph Fiennes, who all lent something to proceedings. Kubo and The Two Strings is an animated fairy tale with atmosphere, humour and soul.

8. Doctor Strange
The second Marvel film on the list is this one, which saw Benedict Cumberbatch portray the company’s Sorceror Supreme, Doctor Stephen Strange. It did stick fairly closely to the character’s origin in the comics and Cumberbatch turned the cold arrogance of the character on paper to his advantage. Mads Mikkelsen made for a decently demented magical villain and for once, the special effects warranted a 3D release. It ended the superhero year in cinema on a definite high.

9. Arrival
Denis Villeneuve’s cerebral sci fi brought Ted Chiang’s short story to life on screen with rare panache and visual style. Amy Adams as linguistics professor Louise Banks is very good here and even the supporting cast like Jeremy Renner, the always reliable Michael Stulhbarg and Forest Whitaker lend extra weight to the story. The last part of the film is a little disappointing but because of what has come before, you can forgive Villeneuve its flaws.

10. Rogue One
Just a year after Episode VII: The Force Awakens, Disney were keen to continue to recoup the money they invested in Star Wars. Rogue One, which runs parallel with A New Hope, certainly has its flaws but visually it is hard to beat with some very impressive production design and lots of nods to other Star Wars movies and stories to keep the fans happy. After years with no new Star Wars product, we are treated to something at least once a year and the small kid in me is very grateful indeed.

Honourable mentions must go to DC’s messy Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad plus Disney’s The Jungle Book which wasn’t bad but there was no reason to make it. Arguably Ghostbusters, which wasn’t a terrible film, was however a totally pointless one.