Summer 2017 was chock-full of great films, from blockbuster superhero sagas to streaming-only
surprises.
Franchises were revived with vigor … franchises were brilliantly wrapped up ... legacies were
secured, and Charlize Theron probably had more fun than anyone in the business.
These are the best of the best from a season full of fantastic films.
Wonder Woman
After 75-odd years of whooping bad guy butt in the comics pages, Wonder Woman finally
got her shot at solo blockbuster glory, just in time to either make or break the emerging
DC Extended Universe.
Wonder Woman did everything it needed to and then some, serving as an effective origin
story as well as a superhero adventure that stood on its own as a standalone experience
while continuing to lay the groundwork for the DCEU's big team-up in Justice League.
The reviews have been almost universally positive, and audiences have turned out in droves, laying
the groundwork for a real battle for superhero supremacy at the box office between Marvel
and DC.
Atomic Blonde
This neon thriller takes place in the final days of the Cold War: The Berlin Wall is about
to go down, but that doesn't mean the cloak-and-dagger business is over.
To the contrary: a super-spy played by Charlize Theron is sent to Germany to retrieve a stolen
list that contains the names of undercover spies.
The list has fallen into the hands of the Soviets, and Charlize will have to bash a
few skulls in her quest to discover that document.
But honestly, the plot isn't that important.
The insane fight choreography is the star here: Charlize beats up dudes using everything
from shoes to ropes to cooking pots, all while wearing the most stylish clothes imaginable.
The actress did her own stunts for Atomic Blonde, adding a touch of realism to the brutal
battle scenes and car chases.
"Fasten your seatbelt."
Okja
Netflix's Okja is a film that starts off feeling like a G-rated kid's adventure and ends up
inside an very R-rated slaughterhouse.
The film tells the story of a young girl who's friends with a hippo-like "super pig" named
Okja that actually belongs to the all-powerful Mirando Corporation, a business run by evil
twins, both played by Tilda Swinton, obviously.
Okja is their genetically modified creation, and they plan on turning the poor pig into
the tastiest, most eco-friendly pork chops on the planet ... but not if the girl and
a team of animal activists rescue Okja first.
A darkly comic vision of future, Okja has quite a lot to say about the evils of capitalism
— and the merits of a plant-based diet — while also offering up a wildly entertaining and
inventive piece of filmmaking.
War for the Planet of the Apes
The conclusion to one of the best film trilogies ever, War for the Planet of the Apes expertly
blends the book of Exodus with Apocalypse Now, resulting in a brutal Old Testament-P.O.W.
story.
In the fiery aftermath of the previous film, Caesar has led his followers into the mountains,
hoping to escape the wrath of man.
But Caesar knows his apes can't hide in the hills for long, so this primate Moses plans
on leading his people to a new promised land, where they can avoid any future conflicts.
This sets up a Bridge on the River Kwai-style showdown between Caesar and a mad Colonel
played by Woody Harrelson.
War for the Planet of the Apes is the perfect ending to the trilogy, featuring a show-stopping,
Oscar-worthy motion-capture performance from Andy Serkis.
Spider-Man: Homecoming
One of the most charming and entertaining films to ever swing its way into the Marvel
Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming follows wannabe Avenger Peter Parker as he
tries to fight crime and navigate high school at the same time.
Things get even more complicated when an honest-to-goodness supervillain shows up: Michael Keaton's Vulture
is the ultimate thief, and if Peter can bring him to justice, it could be his ticket into
the Avengers.
One of the best comic book movies ever made, Homecoming even won over Marvel haters thanks
to its John Hughes-like high school vibe.
And all that upbeat energy was largely thanks to Tom Holland, who's a pitch-perfect Peter
Parker.
"You can't tell anybody about this.
You gotta keep it a secret."
"Secret?
Why?"
"Because you know what she's like, if she finds out people try and kill me every single
night she's not gonna let me do this anymore!"
Dunkirk
Without a doubt, the epic World War II thriller Dunkirk is one of Christopher Nolan's greatest
achievements, right up there with Inception and The Dark Knight.
Shot mostly with 65 millimeter film on IMAX cameras, the nail-biting Dunkirk tells the
story of a real-life military retreat in 1940.
Roughly 400,000 Allied troops were trapped on a French beach, completely surrounded,
and the only thing keeping them from home was the English Channel.
Unfortunately, the beach was too shallow to accommodate military-sized vessels, so English
civilians sprang into action, sailing to Dunkirk in their yachts and fishing boats.
Nolan masterfully uses three interlocking tales to put audiences right in the middle
of the battlefield.
Baby Driver
With its eclectic soundtrack and insanely impressive driving stunts, Edgar Wright's
Baby Driver is one of the most exciting films of 2017.
This souped-up action flick stars Ansel Elgort as Baby, a young man who works as a getaway
driver for a smarmy crime boss played by Kevin Spacey.
Suffering from tinnitus, Baby drowns out the constant droning with an incredible collection
of tunes to soundtrack his incredible driving skills.
Baby wants to go straight, but he gets pulled into a robbery-gone-wrong, so he's forced
to take a stand to save everything he loves.
With its dance-like action and its super cool characters, Wright's sixth feature film is
like a mashup between Singin' in the Rain and Walter Hill's The Driver, which means
it's got a little something for everyone.
"I want us to head west and never stop.
You in?
I'm in, Baby."
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