The Best Films of 2016
2016 is history now. The year was primarily populated with films which fit the mold of previous blockbusters. Because of the successes of the superhero genre, we were treated to a half dozen major superhero releases in 2016. And thank goodness. Otherwise, we would probably have been drowning in a sea of cartoons with singing animals.
According to Wikipedia and BoxOffice Mojo, of 2016’s top ten grossing (worldwide) films, four were superhero films – Captain America: Civil War, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Deadpool, and Suicide Squad. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story made the list as the most successful science-fiction film and Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them was the year’s most lucrative fantasy. The highest-grossing action-adventure film was Jason Bourne, ranked 16th and The Conjuring 2 was the most successful horror film at the 26th spot. The other four films in the top ten were animated efforts – Finding Dory, Zootopia, the new version of The Jungle Book, and The Secret Life of Pets.
A survey of how we spent our money at the movies in 2016 seems to indicate a desire to ditch this world for a fantasy one of one type or another. It was also interesting to observe how the strong representation of science-fiction films in 2014 and 2015 lessened back nearly to the levels of the preceding years.
While I am interested with how films performed as a barometer of the public’s tastes and as a predictor of what the film industry will be financially motivated to make more of, the purpose of this article is to give my appraisal of the best films of 2016 in our five recognized genres under the criteria we use to define them.
Adventure
The action-adventure genre was a bit weak this year, though it had seemed initially promising. London Has Fallen was, as I had anticipated, a noisy echo of its predecessor, Olympus Has Fallen. However, I had been optimistic about the Tarzan, Bourne, and Magnificent Seven films. Unfortunately, none really made much of a splash. The Legend of Tarzan was surprisingly dull. Jason Bourne has seemingly run out of interesting ideas and interesting characters. And the Magnificent Seven remake didn’t really bring anything significantly new to the story besides different faces.
Truthfully, though it technically comes from the science-fiction category, the film with the best action (non-superhuman) and excitement was Rogue One. It was the film that best introduced a group of characters the audience could relate to and keep us invested in the plot as they persevered through their challenges, triumphs, and setbacks.
Fantasy
This was the easiest category to pick a winner from. Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them exemplifies much of what makes a fantasy story good – imaginative elements, a balance between light and serious moments, and a general sense of wonder. As I mentioned in my review, Fantastic Beasts lacks some of the dramatic gravitas of some other fantasy stories, it may adopt the approach set in the Harry Potter series of growing darker with each installment. I will be curious to see author J.K. Rowling’s choices as she goes forward.
Horror
Early in the year, I assumed The Conjuring 2 would be getting my nod for best horror film of 2016. But my main criterion for a quality horror film is a constant feeling of unease. The film that had me on the edge of my seat, my stomach in a knot, and sometimes, ironically, trying not to breathe, was Don’t Breathe. This seemingly simple tale of a trio of young thieves who break into a blind man’s house had me watching and saying “oh come on” as things continually go from bad to worse and then still worse. I left the theater exhausted. Well done.
Science-Fiction
As often occurs, science-fiction often slips into one of the other genres and vice versa. Alien is a sci-fi horror film. Some fantasy versions of science find their way into stories about superheroes. And many times the sci-fi trappings could be replaced with an urban environment or the old West without substantially changing the basic plot.
The most financially successful sci-fi films of 2016 were Rogue One, Independence Day: Resurgence, and Star Trek Beyond. But they fall short on my criteria for good science-fiction – it needs to make you think and it needs to use science as a way of exploring the human condition. This is why I have to give the nod to Arrival.
Arrival deals very intelligently with the problem of bridging the language gap with beings drastically different from ourselves. It also explores the effect language has on how we think and how this could influence our choices in life. It is a very intriguing and thoughtful film.
Superheroes
And lastly, the year's fun category.
You may have been fooled into thinking the battles were Superman versus Batman and Team Captain America versus Team Iron Man. No. This was the first serious year of Marvel versus DC. Marvel won this year, both critically and financially. Both studios make a lot of money with both their heroes and their antiheroes as well. Marvel’s Deadpool and DC’s Suicide Squad were both surprise hits and both sit in last year’s top ten.
Domestically, he lost to a talking cartoon fish, but world-wide Captain America: Civil War took the year. While Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice suffered from some clumsy storytelling, odd performances, and an excessively dark appearance and tone, Civil War was very nearly a perfect crowd pleaser. It had heroes struggling with serious ethical dilemmas and dealing with the friction of fundamentally different personalities. Our political system is an easy example of how people of good conscience can hold different viewpoints on issues that affect us all. Civil War dealt with issues of loyalty, trust, and personal responsibility. It was also great fun.
DC brought out their big guns. Superman wasn’t enough. Superman and Batman wasn’t enough. They brought us their new version of Wonder Woman as well and gave us a glimpse of Aquaman, Flash, and Cyborg. Not to be outdone, Marvel had most of the Avengers in Captain America’s movie and introduced us to very impressive new versions of Spiderman and the Black Panther.
Next year could go the other way. Marvel will have Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 2, Spiderman: Homecoming, and Thor: Ragnarok, but DC will have Wonder Woman’s standalone film and then later in the summer . . . Justice League. They have just never had Marvel/Disney’s quality control, however. But it will all be fun to watch.
Outer Space Café’s picks for the best films of our genres from 2016
Adventure - Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Fantasy - Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them
Horror - Don’t Breathe
Science-Fiction - Arrival
Superhero - Captain America: Civil War
Bring on 2017!
- JC