So, 2017, and December, are both over, meaning that's the end of my superhero movie marathon. I do need to say that I'm really glad I decided to do this. I don't know if I would have found the time to watch these movies without making myself commit to reviewing them here, and I found some of my favourite movies of all time this month. I also found some of my least favourite, but they can't all be winners. So, as a final recap of the month, I thought I'd do a Top/Bottom 5 here for you all.
Top 5
For this list, I'm invoking the Franchise Rule, meaning I can't include more than one film from the same series/featuring the same main character. This is just because so many films got a 9 or above, and it was just easier to sort out this way. So, here we go:
While it didn't quite reach the heights of Spider-Man: Homecoming, it came bloody close, as this was a joy to watch. If only Mary-Jane wasn't so goddamn annoying, this might be higher on this list, but everything else just works here. Tobey Maguire is at his best, Doc Ock is one of the best Spider-Man villains ever and Peter's journey is so interesting to watch. Also, the action is among the best I've seen this month. An absolutely brilliant Spider-Man movie.
Rising out of the ashes of the DCEU comes a movie that caught me by surprise in the best possible way. I initially thought Wonder Woman's abilities were silly and ridiculous, but that was before I saw how awesome they were in this. While the last-minute twist might be off-putting for some, if you look at it through the lens of Diana's personal arc, it's amazingly good. In fact, no, it's not. It's wonderful.
Before the week began, I thought Batman Returns would be the Batman movie in the top 5, but then along come Christopher Nolan, Christian Bale and Heath Ledger to prove me wrong. The Dark Knight is everything it was hyped up to be and more, with the best Joker, the best Two-Face, and the most believable 'dark and gritty' interpretation of Batman I've seen. It's just a joy to watch, and it's the best Batman's ever been.
This is on here more for my childhood nostalgia but, to be fair, that's really who the movie was made for. I'd know better than anyone how amazing this movie is, as it's the faithful interpretation of the original source material I honestly didn't expect them to pull off. Very few childish jokes and quite a lot ot clever writing (cleverer than it really needed to be, might I add), this was the biggest surprise of the month, and I'm happy I made it a bonus review in the end.
The best movie of the month, and the best movie I saw in 2017, this was absolute perfection. Before seeing this, X-Men: First Class was going to be #1, and while I still see that as a 10/10 movie, it just had to be Logan. The most unique superhero movie I've ever seen, and the perfect sendoff for Hugh Jackman in the role. A movie that will go down is history as perfect.
Now, for the fun list.
Worst 5
I haven't imposed Franchise Rule on this list, purely because of the lack of hideously bad movies I saw this month. Some of these don't deserve to be passed up on, and there's enough variety in here to call it like it is. Let's put these movies down one last time.
Yeah, you all knew this would be on the list. You can't establish a world like the one in Batman and Batman Returns, and then do something like this. It's clearly for kids, but I don't even see the patience of most kids lasting long with this one. Cheesy writing (and not in a good way), impossible logic, boring characters and bland acting. Batman's fallen lower, but he can certainly do better.
The only movie on the list that actually physically hurt my eyes. This is an ugly movie, saved only by one or two performances and an enjoyable action sequence. The story is all over the place, and it doesn't even have the patience to save its twist ending for any point after the opening montage. A film that, fittingly enough, made me angry.
A showcase on how not to organise a cinematic universe, Suicide Squad is only saved by Will Smith and Margot Robbie, who can do no wrong, but they come bloody close here. Put it this way: when a storyline taking up all of 30 minutes in an episode of Arrow gets it better than this high-budget theatrical release, you've done something wrong.
I think this was the first movie of the month that genuinely pissed me off. Boring characters, ugly visuals and every cliche under the sun. I don't normally mind the cliches, they're there for a reason, after all, but when they're done wrong, they're just the worst thing ever. There's nothing about this movie that makes me recommend it. Just watch Ryan Reynolds in Deadpool if you're looking for a fix.
Come on. You knew it was going to be this. This is the worst movie I've ever seen in my life, how could it not be the worst movie of the month? The characters have no reason to do the things they're doing, the plot is paper-thin, and the acting is only okay. If this was just a standalone Batman or Superman movie, I might be more lenient. But this is Batman vs Superman. This is a big deal for comic-book readers. And the fact that they got this so wide of the mark is just insulting. It's a movie that insulted me. That's why it's a 0. That's why it's the worst movie I've ever seen, and that's why it's #1 on this list.
And, there we have it. Super-cember is over. I do want to do this kind of thing again at some point, but I'm not sure what to do. I could devote October to a lot of the horror movies I haven't seen, I could watch the James Bond movies throughout June, I could watch the animated Disney movies I've yet to see in April, or I could even devote an entire month to a lot of the franchises I haven't touched before, such as Alien, Jaws and Indiana Jones. I'd love to hear what you guys have to say, but just a reminder that I won't be doing it for at least 3 months, as I've got a lot of theatre projects to work on in the new year. Either way, let me know what you thought of Super-cember, what you'd like me to do differently, and what kind of movies I should watch in the next Movie Marathon Month. Thanks for reading these reviews all month, and I'll see you in 2018.
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