Once again this year, we at FILMSTARTS have collaborated with Moviepilot to put together the ultimate best lists of the past year. With two of the largest movie sites and the expertise of the respective editors behind them, the end result is one best list that goes far beyond the individual best lists.
But these of course formed the basis. Once again, dozens of individual top 10 lists from both teams were queried, from which a large list was then compiled. In 2023, things were more exciting than they have been for a long time. While ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ (2022) and ‘Dune’ (2021) clearly had the upper hand in previous years, the evaluation for 2023 was reminiscent of the mood of 2020, when Christopher Nolan’s ‘Tenet’ and Greta Gerwig’s ‘Little Women ‘ produced good results. a mutual race. But this time there was even a three-way battle at the top (although the “Nolan vs. Gerwig” duel was ultimately not repeated despite the Barbenheimer hype).
No Marvel fatigue, hardly any streaming
Only one of the two titles was involved in this three-way battle. But there was even a German film in the mix, which just missed out on bronze – sandwiched between the two films that the entire cinema world was talking about in the summer of that year. But At the top is a Marvel title – which is certainly surprising to many – and it is not the only film from the comic book giant in the top 10. Someone mentioned Marvel fatigue again!
The films of Netflix and Co. had a hard time again in our list, which contained all films with a regular first release in Germany in 2023 (in cinemas, streaming, TV or on DVD and Blu-ray). Netflix Originals made the top 25. David Fincher’s “The Killer,” which also hit theaters, as did the animated standout “Nimona.” Together with the Disney Plus gem ‘No One Will Save You’, this is the only pure streaming release on the best list. Only one production from a streaming service reached the top 10: “Killers Of The Flower Moon”. However, Martin Scorsese’s work for AppleTV+ did not hit theaters until 2023.
But now we have tortured you enough: here are the 25 best films of 2023. From 25 to 11 in a compact list, for the top 10 with a short explanation.
Place 25 – 11
25. “The Hunger Games – The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes”
24.”No one will save you“
23. “The Silent Girl”
22. “The Woman in the Mist”
21.”The murderer“
20. “Passengers of the Night”
19. “Nimona”
18. Godzilla Minus One
17. “The Banshees of Inisherin”
16. “The Teachers’ Room”
15. “Pearl”
14. “Past Lives”
13. “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One”
12. “The Fabelmans”
11. “Anatomy of a Case”
10th place: “John Wick: Chapter 4”
With “John Wick: Chapter 4,” the action series reached a new peak with Keanu Reeves as the legendary assassin who blasts his way through crowds of enemies. In the official FILMSTARTS review, we describe Chad Stahelski’s Fireworks as a “work of art of modern action cinema.” Numerous colleagues in the two editorial offices also saw it this way, which is enough for tenth place in the general ranking.
9th Place: “Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3”
Before James Gunn moved to rival DC to finally build a coherent cinematic universe, he found work again at Marvel. His farewell film “Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3” is the best MCU title of the year. For Marvel expert Julius Vietzen, “the most moving and beautiful film of the year” even ended up in first place and is “perfect proof that the oft-cited Marvel fatigue may not be so bad after all.”
8th place: “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves”
When a new film adaptation of Dungeons & Dragons was announced, expectations were not exactly high. But the entertaining and funny “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” captured the hearts of fans – far beyond its theatrical release. As the year went on, more and more people discovered the fantasy adventure from directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley – and to his surprise, the author of these lines found the film on more and more top 10 lists.
7th place: “Babylon – Rush of Ecstasy”
Damien Chazelle did not inspire everyone with his wild ride through Hollywood that lasted more than three hours, but for many people ‘Babylon – Rush of Ecstasy’ is one of the films of the German cinema year 2023. The orgiastic spectacle with Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie is there can also be found in numerous individual best lists of both editors. FILMSTARTS author Sidney Schering raves about a “movie love letter” and a “wild, liberating rush” as he explains why it’s his personal No. 1.
6th place: “Killers Of The Flower Moon”
When old master Martin Scorsese makes a film, you can expect the result to end up in the annual best lists. This is also the case in his investigation into the series of murders of the Osage people. Andrea Wöger, the deputy editor-in-chief of Moviepilot, puts the almost three and a half hour epic “Killers of the flower moon” with its “revealing, devastating and far too invisible story” even reached first place.
5th place: “Tár”
“Every gesture, every look, every word – everything Cate Blanchett shows here seems absolutely authentic,” says FILMSTARTS author Oliver Kube enthusiastically about “Tár”. He is not alone in this. Thanks to many mentions and many high placements in the individual lists, Todd Field’s ‘consistently compelling character drama’ about a conductor haunted by the sins of her past closes out our top five.
4th place: “Barbie”
It was probably the hype film of the year and for our video producer Nino Steffeck “this postmodern, pink plastic puppet film is simply destined for pole position”. In the end it wasn’t enough in the overall standings, but it’s no wonder that Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” appeared so often on the individual best lists that it finished in fourth place in the overall rankings, putting Margot Robbie on the list with two titles. place in our top 10.
3rd place: “Red Sky”
No film has topped individual best lists more often than Christian Petzold’s “Red Sky.” Jan-Felix Wuttig of Moviepilot is enthusiastic about an ‘infinitely moving film that shows the absurd sides of life, love and art in a unique way’, while FILMSTARTS colleague Michael Bendix praises the mix of ‘Rohmer summer comedy and Petzold-style catastrophe film. the moment Paula Beer recited the same Heinrich Heine poem twice in a row, “she knew that cinema would no longer be able to do anything in 2023.”
These are just two of the many top 1 placements for the film from our two editors. It almost reached the top, but in line with an initiative we started in 2023, the podium is the best proof: German cinema is [doch] cool!
2nd place: “Oppenheimer”
While “Red Sky” often topped individual lists, Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” managed to reach second place without a single (!) top spot. Nevertheless, his audiovisually sensational drama was on many lists, usually very high. That’s enough for second place in the overall billing for what, according to our review, is a “truly impressive biopic epic, which in its best moments resembles a monumental cinematic rush.”
1st Place: “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”
Many might have even expected “Oppenheimer” to take the top spot, but the Marvel animated film “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” so thoroughly enchanted us that it ultimately came out on top. No film appeared on more individual lists than the wild multiverse trip from directors Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin Thompson. The sequel even trumps its predecessor “Spider-Man: A New Universe.” “Actually impossible,” Moviepilot author Christian Steiner thought and was pleasantly surprised.
The fact that it is only the first half of a double film does not detract from the enjoyment. “Across the Spider-Verse not only surpasses all live-action Spider-Man films, but also stuns as a milestone in animated film, taking the film form visually and technically to a whole new level,” said Moviepilot editor and – Podcaster Max Wieseler says.
Naturally, we have not only chosen the best films of the year, but also the best series of 2023. In the end, one title clearly came out on top, ahead of a small field of participants with insider tips and final seasons with titles that have been praised for years. You will soon discover what is behind it. The list of the best series of 2023 will be released in a week – on December 30, 2023.
Author: Björn Becher
Source : Film Starts
I am Dawid Malan, a news reporter for 24 Instant News. I specialize in celebrity and entertainment news, writing stories that capture the attention of readers from all walks of life. My work has been featured in some of the world’s leading publications and I am passionate about delivering quality content to my readers.
