Whew! I knew hanging on to this picture would eventually pay off. That’s me, of course, climbing the side of a skyscraper with the animated cast of Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse; one of the coolest-looking superhero films to come out this past year. But, superhero movies come in all shapes and sizes, not to mention genres within the genre. Here’s my list of the ones that caught my attention in 2018.
Teen Titans GO! To the Movies- This was such a hilarious film. I really didn’t have much interest in going to it because I never really watched the show and assumed it was only for kids, but I laughed out loud numerous times. From the jokes about Robin’s tiny hands to the wonderfully funny songs, not to mention the continual jabs at current pop culture, Teen Titan’s GO! To the Movies was one of the funniest movies I saw in 2018.
Avengers: Infinity War- This was a real roller coaster ride for my emotions. Usually, I feel sort of a comforting, all-is-good vibe from the Marvel movies. They pepper in a lot of laughs amongst the action and drama that assures you things will work out in the end. Over the course of all these Marvel films, I’ve become pretty emotionally invested in these characters. The cliff hanger that Infinity War ends on was very jarring and left me on the edge of my seat. GREAT movie!
Black Panther- Great addition to the Marvel movie universe. This is a character that Marvel should have used in their movies a long time ago. I would’ve liked to have seen a little more of Killmonger in it but hey, you can’t have everything. A little more involved than some of the other superhero movies this past year, as far as having more complex social and political overtones. I really enjoyed it.
Deadpool 2- Both Ryan Reynolds and Josh Brolin were amazing in this hilariously offensive sequel to the original Deadpool. You would be hard pressed to find a movie that was as willing to go so over the top in 2018. I didn’t think it could possibly be as entertaining as the first but in my opinion it was. The language, themes, and black humor however, relegate this movie to a fan base that does not offend easily. In other words, it’s not for the squeamish.
Ant-Man and the Wasp- Another really solid and funny movie . Paul Rudd delivers some great character moments in this sequel and although it is not on the same epic scale as some of the other Marvel movies, it has an incredibly likeable cast and was a nice comedic break from the much darker Avengers: Infinity War.
Spider-Man Into The Spider-Verse- I can’t say enough about this one. Stylish and multi-faceted animation that really blew me away… and I was sort of expecting not to like it. The trailers I had seen made me worry that the animation was going to look too “computery” or something. Nope! Fast, colorful, engaging…. a great story and a great message. This is one that really lived up to the hype and I hope to see more films done in this visual comic-book style. -Scotch
