The 2023 Mid-Year Top Five

With six months down in 2023, it’s time to look back at what the best movies so far this year have been. Like last year, there is a pretty clear frontrunner while the other four could make a solid case for any position in the rankings depending on how they fall that week. While there are a lot of movies that came out and were seen for consideration on this list, there are a few like Past Lives, Evil Dead Rise, and Infinity Pool that were not seen. This is not an implication of the quality of those films, merely a statement on the merits of these. That said, this year’s top five movies through June are:

Honorable Mention: Sometimes I Think About Dying: It turns out J.J. Abrams and George Lucas have something in common after all. Both manage to take an acclaimed actress who has tremendous ability and pull an utterly bland performance out of her. Daisy Ridley is a revelation in Sometimes I Think About Dying as she plays Fran, a socially awkward office worker who, as the title would suggest, fantasizes about her own death. While the movie has not had a wide release yet, it debuted at Sundance and is a standout among some titles with bigger names. It is slated for a wide theatrical release later this year.

5. You Hurt My Feelings: Another Sundance select that received its wide release back in May was You Hurt My Feelings. The film is a thoughtful meditation on the impact of a mid-life crisis and imposter syndrome while wrapping the entire experience in a lot of really solid comedic moments. It is a near-perfect blend of heart and comedy that makes this film worth seeing.

4. Creed III: The first high-quality big-budget franchise movie of 2023 was Creed III which was capitalizing on the success of the first two movies that breathed new life into the ailing Rocky franchise. This movie moves outside of Rocky’s shadow and tells an intimate story with an intriguing villain that is entirely personal to Adonis as he has to face down his childhood friend who feels that Adonis stole his life. The fight sequences are excellent, especially the final one in the third act, and move the emotional arcs through the movie while also being well-choreographed and fun to watch.

3. John Wick: Chapter 4: Much like the other sequels in the franchise, John Wick Chapter 4 delivers fantastic action set pieces and great fight choreography while also being one of the best-paced three-hour movies to be released. There are multiple fight sequences in the film that are nearly 50 minutes, however at no point do they feel boring or overwrought. It also takes guts to end the movie the way it does, even if it will likely be retconned in a sequel that may or may not be in development.

2. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was one of the best movies in 2018 and expectations were high for the sequel. These expectations were shattered visually with a unique art style and the use of the medium of animation to build new and unique worlds. Maybe the movie ends on a cliffhanger to set up the end of the franchise and maybe the character arcs for the majority of the spider-people don’t quite feel in line with the spirit of who Spider-Man is as a character, but there is more than enough fun to be had with this film from beginning to end.

1. Nimona: Nimona was a bit of a latecomer considering it arrived right at the end of June on Netflix but it is hands down the best movie so far of 2023. It gives solid competition to Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse for Best Animated Film at the Academy Awards this year (though Spider-Verse will probably still take it because it uses the medium a little better than Nimona does) and delivers a fantastic emotional story about someone trying to find where they belong. Chloe Grace Moretz (Kickass, The Peripheral) shines as the titular Nimona who brings just the right amount of chaos to the role to keep her perpetually entertaining without crossing into annoying territory. The animation is beautiful and the visual aesthetic of the world that blends high fantasy with both modern and futuristic technology is very unique.