If there’s one list I love writing every year, it’s this one. Forget the Oscar bait and indie critical darlings, we’re here to celebrate the purest escapist entertainment of the year. That’s not to say popcorn movies can’t be good, even incredible (as some of the films on this list prove), but they are by and large either spectacle-driven, in it for the shits and giggles, and above all, just want to show the audience a good time. They’re often held in a different regard than the “serious” movies, but they’re also one of my favorite kinds of films, and I just love putting the spotlight on the big, bright movies that often miss out of year-end acclaim.
The exact definition of what makes a popcorn movie is decidedly subjective – some people call them B-movies, some people call them junk food movies, but I’m sticking with the most common definition; a film that doesn’t have too much heavy drama, intellectualism, or pointed messaging. That means you’re not going to see some of the most wildly entertaining and spectacular films of the year, because they just don’t fit the definition. A popcorn movie doesn’t make you weep, it doesn’t demand thoughtful introspection. Popcorn movies are easy, breezy and fun.
That said, before we get started, I’m going to put a spotlight on two of the fabulous and entertaining movies of 2018 you won’t see on this list, even though some folks would argue they qualify:Mandy, which is far too heartbreaking and invested in grief no matter how big the chainsaws and cocaine piles are; andBlack Panther,which is a very entertaining superhero movie, yes, but just as much a full-on Best Picture contender, not to mention meditation on slavery and colonialism… which are, uh, pretty heavy subjects. There will be more honorable mentions at the end, but these two deserved a special spotlight.
Even with those titles off the list, it’s been one hell of a year for popcorn entertainment. We witnessed the culmination of a decade’s worth of shared universe blockbusters withAvengers: Infinity War, In fact, it was the biggest year for theatrical superhero movies ever, withninetitles making their way to the box office. We got aStar Warsmovie about Han Solo that everyone immediately forgot,Tom Cruiserisked his life (and busted his ankle) for our entertainment in the biggestMission: Impossiblemovie yet, andAquamanfinally made the transition fromEntouragejoke to reality. The Transformers franchise got a heartfelt makeover,Jurassic Worldtraveled to the main land, and the R-rated comedy made a comeback in a big way. So yeah, there’sa lotto chose from.
So with that out of the way, fix up a big bowl of popcorn, slurp down your favorite soda and settle in for some explosions, F-Bombs and insanity while I run down my favorite popcorn movies of 2018.
15. The Commuter
I just love watching people learn you shouldn’t fuck withLiam Neeson. The actor has become the new Die Hard of easy-pitch filmmaking. “Liam Neeson, but on a plane.” “Liam Neeson, but on a snow plow.” (That’s real by the way, coming to theaters next year.)The Commutersees Neeson re-team with his frequent collaboratorJuame Collet-Serrato bring us “Liam Neeson on a train.” Collet-Serra is one of our B-movie maestros at the moment, with films like The Shallows and Non-Stop earning spots on previous installments of this list and he’s right at home with Neeson, who is perfectly cast to type as an ex-cop lured into a deadly game of Simon Says with a mysterious organization on his last commute home on the train he rode for a decade. There are plenty of fun twists along the way (Collet-Serra knows modern audiences are always guessing ahead and introduces a handful of suspicious characters before the train ride even begins), and one of the best supporting casts you could dream up withVera Farmiga,Patrick Wilson,Sam Neill,Florence PughandJonathan Banksin the mix. As he has for many of his films, Collet-Serra takes a simple premise on the page and infuses it with style, clarity of geography, and a whole lot of close-ups on Neeson’s “you fucked with the wrong guy” face.
14. The Spy Who Dumped Me
Somehow we got an action-comedy starringMila KunisandKate McKinnonthis year and everyone just wrote it off. Big mistake, becauseThe Spy Who Dumped Meis one of the lowkey pleasures this year, with great comedic performances from the ever-reliable leads that are paired with surprisingly brutal action. If you think I’m exaggerating – this movie recruited Bond and Bourne stunt coordinatorGary Powell, and he did not come to play, giving their ladies and their oh-so-dapper co-stars, includingJustin TherouxandSam Heughanplenty of rough-and-tumble action scenes. In fact, Heughan is pretty much doing a 007 audience, which works quite well. And look, this will either mean something to you or it won’t, but McKinnon gets to do a scene withGillian Andersonso the stars were truly aligned whenThe Spy Who Dumped Mewas made.
13. Ocean’s 8
All-female remakes are an interesting thing – they piss a lot of people off and as an imitation of an existing male-driven story, they often don’t quite hit the mark of inclusivity folks are looking for anyway. That said,Ocean’s 8is a breezy, beautiful caper that, like itsSteven Soderbergh-directed predecessors, unites a blunt-force ensemble of charm and star-power, led bySandra Bullock,Cate Blanchett,Anne Hathaway, 2018 breakoutAwkwafina, andRihanna, because why the hell not?Gary Ross’s direction can’t quite match the thrills of Soderbergh’s trilogy, but there’s still plenty of delights to be found in the sister film, which finds costume designerSarah Edwardsdoing the lords work (Blanchett is dressed to perfection in every single frame of the film and Rihanna’s Met Gala gown got a literal gasp from the audience both times I saw this in theaters.) Jazzy and crowd-pleasing,Ocean’s 8assembles one of the best ensembles of the year and delivers a laid back easy-watch with style to spare.
12. Deadpool 2
What ifDeadpool, but more?Deadpool2 delivers on that question in every way with snappier snark, bigger set-pieces, and an influx of fan-favorite comic book characters. The thing aboutDeadpoolis that it’s inherently one of the most juvenile superhero franchises on the market, I mean, that’s the bit, but fortunately, there’s a lot of wit and well-shot action behind the sex jokes and plushies. As the sequel to the R-rated superhero movie that changed the game, Deadpool is also refreshing for its casual representation, another facet in the middle finger to establishment the foul-mouthed, murderous anti-hero has come to represent. Deadpool 2 isn’t quite as ground-breaking or concise as its predecessor, but it’s still all maximum effort andRyan Reynoldscharm, which means its still one of the best times you could have at the movies this year.
11. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
OK, here’s where we start verging into controversial territory, but I maintain thatJurassic World: Fallen Kingdomis Good Actually and all the haters are missing out at one seriously good time at the movies. The thing aboutFallen Kingdomis you have to open yourself up to its silliness; this is not a self-serious sequel toSteven Spielberg’s beloved original film, this is a rollicking, globe-trotting B-movie adventure about genetic experiments andChris Pratt’s machismo, with big ass dinosaurs. Get. On. Board. Because it’s fun over here. If you’re the type of person who thinks raptors shouldn’t get “Cool Guys Don’t Look at Explosions” moments, then hey, this probably isn’t for you. But it’s certainly for me, andJ.A. Bayonamakes gorgeous work of the set-pieces, serving everything from slapstick to gothic mansion horror (and I don’t hate the fact that it does a lot of work to fix the Claire problems fromJurassic World.)Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdomis such a scattershot love-letter to genre filmmaking, adventure, and dinosaurs, I never thought we’d see this kind of movie made on this scale. It might not be for everyone, but I love it and I’m sure glad it exists.
10. Aquaman
Aquamanisn’t the best superhero movie of the year, but it is the most shamelessly indulgent, silly, and theatrical; a deep sea treasure chest of high camp and fantasy adventure that never stops never stopping. I kind of adore this movie, one of the many B-movie gems on this list that somehow got studio funding, but without a doubt the shiniest of all.James Wandirects this movie like a champion, turning a so-so script into a neon-lit wonderland with so much style and energy you can hardly be mad at its remedial narrative sense of who, what, where, when and why. It doesn’t matter why or when (though the where is consistently gorgeous), becauseAquamanis such a pleasure to watch and behold, free of ironic or gritty genre subversion, invested instead in grinning confidence that being ridiculous can be just as cool.Jason MomoaandAmber Heardare often one-note, but Wan knows how to orchestrate those notes in harmony and, even better, knows just how to keep the rhythm, blasting the hell out of Mera and Arthur like invulnerable doe-eyed rag dolls every time they start to have a moment – a gag that made me laugh harder every time he pulled it. Aquaman is a movie that takes the incredible capacity of modern technology and builds worlds out of it, throw in some signature James Wan set-pieces and this candy-colored fantasy is a pure delight.
9. A Simple Favor
A frontrunner for most WTF movie of 2018,A Simple Favoris a perfect storm of murder-mystery, female-driven comedy, sartorial decadence, and a very distinct je ne sais quoi that makes it sing in a key all its own. This is a weird movie, top to tail, profoundly twisted and full of genuine melodramatic surprises, but it’s also so chic and entertaining thanks to leading ladiesAnna Kendrick, who displays some wonderful against-type deviousness, andBlake Lively, who transcends type entirely into the performance of her career.BridesmaidsandSpyhelmerPaul Feigedirects the hell out ofJessica Sharzer’s razor-sharp script, with his long-running affection for subversive female-driven stories on proud display, and I just can’t emphasize enough how deliciously twisted and twisty this thriller is.A Simple Favoris a suburban camp gasp-fest and it’s one of the most slept on treasures of the year.
8. Blockers
No movie this year made me laugh harder or louder thanBlockers, a film that takes a premise that sounds regressive on paper and turns it into an honest, thoughtful (and hilarious) investigation of parenting and teenage sexuality instead.BlockersstarsLeslie Mann, IkeBarinholtz, and the effervescentJohn Cenaas a trio of parents who set out to “save” their daughters when they learn the teenage best friends made a de-virginizing pact on prom night. But what stars with the cringe-worthy potential of an 80s rom-com transforms into a really lovely coming-of-age story and touching family comedy about three young women and a crossroads in their life, and three parents who realize they’re taking their own issues out on their kids. But most importantly in the context of this article,Blockersis funny as hell and a joy to watch, carried by a fantastic ensemble across the board and a pitch perfect directorial debut forKay Cannon.
7. A Quiet Place
In a year where Spielberg’s return to blockbusters faltered at the finish line,John Krasinskidelivered a film that plays so reverently by the iconic filmmaker’s playbook, it could be mistaken for the real thing. Equal partsTwilight Zone-inspired monster movie and uplifting family drama,A Quiet Placehits all the right Amblin-adjacent notes, taking an audience on a journey that intertwines heart-warming emotional beats with thrilling monster action. Krasinski employs himself perfectly as the everyman father desperate to protect his family, but it’sEmily Bluntwho carries the film’s biggest and best moments, using her star power and top-notch acting chops to makeA Quiet Place a must watch story of survival. Overall, the key element that makes this film work is a big dose of old-fashioned love. Krasinski dove into this project while contemplating the birth of his own kid and he shot it with Blunt, his real-life wife – it’s a personal project and it reads that way, a love letter to a monster cinema, but to the highs and lows of family above all.
6. Game Night
Game Nightis a sneaky little trickster, so elegantly constructed to slip between the boundaries of comedy and action that you honest-to-god have no idea what’s going to happen at any given moment.Game Nightworks from the core, with a hilarious script from Mark Perez (who also penned the too-forgotten gemAccepted) and super smart direction fromJohn Francis DailyandJonathan Goldstein, but the casting is a real work of genius that makes this genre-hybrid soar.Rachel McAdamsonce again proves that she’s one of the most versatile, consistent actresses working today (I hope her and Rose Byrne have lunches over rosé and commiserate over how under-appreciated they are) and she’s well-matched by Jason Bateman’s unshakeable deadpan. In the supporting realm New Girl standoutLamorne Morrisshines,Kyle Chandleris expertly employed against type, andJesse Plemmonsthreatens to steal the whole thing as the lapdog-doting chaotic neutral who runs through the film like a livewire. This was a great year for high-concept R-rated comedyandGame Nightwas the best of the bunch.
