The 20 best movies of 2017
‘Call Me by Your Name’ is a film that celebrates love, and transports you to a sub-baked Italian village to remind you of the ineffable, inescapable feeling of falling for someone for the very first time, that makes for a nostalgic, beautiful drama. Oh, and Armie Hammer’s dancing. – Stefan Pape. (Sony Pictures)
Even though it’s my number one film of the year, I will probably never watch ‘A Ghost Story’ again. It’s the most profound exploration of death and grief I have ever seen, and I’m considering that a good thing, apparently. – Chris Edwards. (Lionsgate)
Patty Jenkins’ deliriously brilliant origin tale gave us the Wonder Woman we’ve always wanted. It was light-footed, funny, and surprisingly moving, but also spectacular, making ‘Batman v Superman’ and ‘Suicide Squad’ feel like bad dreams.
The closest you’ll get to an American Ken Loach film ever. Sean Baker’s follow up to ‘Tangerine’ is light on actual plot, but with characters this authentic and vivid, who needs it? – Ben Falk. (Altitude)
‘Miss Sloane’ is a razor sharp, intricately plotted and relentlessly paced political thriller, held together by a compelling performance from Jessica Chastain as a lobbyist who’s always three steps ahead. It’s a fantastic character study, with the most satisfying conclusion of any of the movies I saw this year. – Alex Moreland. (eOne)
Unlike any movie you have ever seen, Darren Aronofsky’s biblical pyscho-thriller made us feel things we absolutely weren’t comfortable with feeling in a cinema… which is great, obviously, but it may not for everyone. (Paramount)
Easily the best Spider-Man movie since ‘Spider-Man 2’. A great movie where we were expecting something average. Brims with youthful vigour. Consistently funny, and witty, and entertaining.(Disney)
It’s complex, profound, a blockbuster, but also an intimate character study. Without a doubt the most exciting and innovative franchise currently going – it also features CGI characters that masterfully bridge the uncanny valley. Later, we think these three films will be recognised for the works of art they are. – Ben Falk. (Fox)
Barry Jenkins’ film tells a vital story about male identity using a unique narrative that spans decades of a young man’s life. The 2017 Best Picture winner is poetic, beautifully shot, and unbelievably moving. (Altitude)
Casey Affleck won the Best Actor Oscar for this supremely moving meditation on grief and suffering right at the start of 2017. Kenneth Lonergan’s received six Oscar noms in total, and rightly so, it’s a storytelling masterpiece underpinned by towering performances. (StudioCanal)
It’s a bit of a miracle that Denis Villenueve’s sequel lived up to its predecessor, with some even claiming it surpassed Ridley Scott’s original. ‘Blade Runner 2049’ is a monolithic slab of considered, grown up sci-fi, and one of the few films in the list we’ll still be watching in 30 years time. (Sony Pictures)
Edgar Wright’s musical heist thriller blasted its way into cinemas, propelled by a killer soundtrack, reminding us there’s more than one way to make a memorable action movie. It’s become the British filmmaker’s most successful film, and a sequel may be on the way soon. (Sony Pictures)
R-Pattz’ self-centered Connie Nikas attempts to spring his mentally-challenged brother from prison over the course of one insane, crime-fuelled night. Propelled by a woozy synth soundtrack, ‘Good Time’ features a career-best performance from Robert Pattinson. (Curzon)
Rian Johnson’s ‘Episode 8’ took everything you thought you knew about ‘Star Wars’ and turned it on its head. Some fans may not like the way Johnson subverted the seeds of expectations sowed by ‘The Force Awakens’, but we loved it. The galaxy far, far away has evolved setting us up for new adventures in the future while honouring its past. (Disney)
A complete subversion of expectations: where before ‘Thor’ movies were stuffy and pretentious, ‘Ragnarok’ was the polar opposite. The third Thor film featured more laughs per minute than most comedies, thanks to a superb free-wheeling, and largely improvised script from Taika Waititi. (Disney)
James Franco retells the story behind the making of the “‘Citizen Kane’ of bad movies” – cult favourite ‘The Room’. Gut-bustingly funny and surprisingly moving, ‘The Disaster Artist’ has many parallels with Tim Burton’s ‘Ed Wood’ in that it invites us to laugh with Tommy Wiseau, as well as it him when he behaves monstrously. (Warner Bros.)
‘Get Out’ is the most chilling, and at the same time, one of the funniest films of the year. Not many movies can truly pull off comedy and horror, but ‘Get Out’ can make you laugh out loud and send a shiver down your spine in the same scene… literally within seconds of each other. – Peter Turner. (Universal)
Bringing 17 hours of ‘X-Men’ storylines to a satisfying conclusion, Hugh Jackman was finally able to play Wolverine as we’ve always wanted him to. ‘Logan’ is like being punched in the stomach over two hours and 20 minutes, but in a good way. (Fox)
Visually stunning, superb song and dance routines, bravura single-take sequences, great performances with undoubted chemistry, and a bittersweet story. ‘La La Land’ proved irresistible even to those usually allergic to musicals. – Jody Clark. (Lionsgate)
‘Dunkirk’ is Christopher Nolan’s best film. It’s a relentless ride that’ll leave you exhausted, shaken and with a ringing in your ears. It’s unique, typically Nolan-esque narrative separates it from other war films, and best of all, Harry Styles isn’t a distraction. – Rob Young. (Warner Bros.)
Ignore the doom-mongers and naysayers, 2017 has been one of the best years at the cinema in ages. In compiling the Yahoo Movies UK best movies of 2017 list, we polled over a dozen movie journalists and writers, and over 60 films made it into the long list. This range of titles speaks to a terrific 365 days of films, with a diverse selection of movies catering for all tastes. Votes were cast far and wide, leading to a tightly fought battle for the number one spot.
Join us know as we share Yahoo Movies UK’s list of the 20 best movies of 2017.
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