My Favorite Movies of Summer 2018

Another summer season has come to a close, and with it, we bid adieu to the summer blockbuster movie season. As you all get ready to move on into a season full of cozy jackets, colored leaves and pumpkin spice lattes and start preparing for “Oscar-bait” movie season, it’s time to look back at the movies I liked from the past three hot months.

It was an eventful summer with many anticipated sequels and a couple surprises. Yet it was a personal odd summer in the movies department for me. Despite the sheer volume of movies that came out, it’s almost a personal “shame” to declare there were a couple of movies I was anticipating to see that I ended up not watching for one reason or another. Whether it was other things vying for attention, the higher volume of new content coming to streaming services and the ever changing viewing habits (seriously, the early release of digital movies just months after release makes it tempting to just wait to watch movies that way), I wish I had a bigger pool of movies to rank. The good thing is that what I saw was strong enough to do a write up like this, and within a month or two the movies I wanted to see this past summer will become available, so I feel it’s a win-win. With that said, I can’t wait to watch you Incredibles 2, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Sicario: Day of the Soldado and a couple of other ones I may be missing. 

With that out of the way, here are my favorite* movies of Summer 2018. Beware of some spoilers:

*All opinions are my own. Feel free to disagree.

5. Solo: A Star Wars Story

 

HOT TAKE: I really liked Star Wars: The Last Jedi. I realize that sentence may have just made the blood boil to some of you. As a longtime fan of the Star Wars franchise, I was ok with the way that movie completely subverted the expectations of a franchise that’s gotten a little too mired in its own tradition. After 40+ years of this series existing, I was happy to see a movie take chances and establish an unpredictable new future, especially when we’ll probably keep getting new Star Wars movies until we all die. 

Was The Last Jedi flawed? Absolutely. Was it the pile of garbage many fans continue to pile on even 9 months after it came out? I don’t think so. 

I preface with that because of the way I felt about Solo: A Star Wars Story. As someone who generally liked but didn't love Rogue One: A Star Wars Story due to its forgettable characters and hokey reliance on things from the original trilogy (seriously people, we got to move on to new things), I found Solo to be a much more satisfying movie for the sect of Star Wars fans who just want to see movies set around the time of the original trilogy. As someone who’s firmly in the camp of moving Star Wars away from tradition and unto fresh new pastures, I thought Solo was a good mix of new and familiar. Harrison Ford will forever be Han Solo to me, yet I thought Alden Ehrenreich did a good enough job to fill in the shoes of such an important character, even with some odd and off moments here and there. Donald Glover really was perfect casting as Lando Calrissian, to the point I feel this should have been his movie. The Kessell Run was one of the series’ coolest space ship sequences.  And everything about Woody Harrelson’s character I thought were some of the stronger elements of the movie.

The movie still has problems that need mentioning. Han Solo doesn’t feel like he goes through a complete character arc in this movie, especially considering this was his “origin” story. Han’s relationship with Emilia Clarke’s Qi’ra was trying to go for that James Bond-Vesper Lynd vibe from Casino Royale to explain what changed Han, yet that element feels underdeveloped and fails to resonate. And all the MCU-style universe-building threads connecting to things from the TV series and comic books just starts to overcomplicate Star Wars in a way that seems unnecessary. But even with these problems, I still found Solo enjoyable enough. Considering the grueling behind-the-scenes turmoil that plagued the film before it came out, that says something. 

With the movie bombing at the box office, the future of the Star Wars stories is left in doubt. While part of me will always believe doing an origin story of a character that met his end in Star Wars: The Force Awakens was completely unnecessary, at least I’m glad this movie didn’t leave me with a sour aftertaste. And I say that as someone who still prefers something weirder and riskier like Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

4. Deadpool 2

 

Two years later, I am still shocked that a movie like the original Deadpool exists, and I’m even more surprised that it was as successful as it was (the movie beat Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in the domestic box office that year, which still completely blows my mind). Coming from the mostly risk-averse X-Men movie franchise from 20^th Century FOX (which actually ruined the Deadpool character back in the disastrous film X-Men Origins: Wolverine from 2009), it’s crazy to think how they managed to get the Deadpool film so right. The success of Deadpool paved the way for FOX to do a movie like Logan, which wouldn’t have happened before. The R-rated Comic Book movie was finally shown to be viable, which meant we could finally get to see movies with characters whose tone and style fit more with the unchained restraint of a more adult rating. 

Deadpool 2 fits in the classic comic book sequel mold of “more of the same, but bigger”. Whereas the original film was forcefully restrained due to its limited budget (something the movie was able to make fun of), Deadpool 2 sees the benefit of a bigger budget with more stylish visuals, crazier action choreography (thanks to John Wick director David Leitch), and an expanded cast with some really cool new additions like “Cable” played by Josh Brolin (who probably had one of the best summers as an actor, also appearing in the summer’s biggest blockbuster) and “Domino” played by Zazie Beets, who has probably the funniest gags from the film. The movie takes the kitchen sink approach to everything it does, throwing so many jokes and gags with reckless abandon its crazy to think most of them hit more often than not. But more importantly, the movie never loses sight of keeping the stakes low and personal, which helps the movie not get unwieldy as it added more to its plate, which also allows it to end with a great emotional punch. 

While it may not capture the “lightning in a bottle” surprise of its leaner predecessor, Deadpool 2 is still a riot of a good time. In the end, this movie is more Deadpool, and that’s never a bad thing.  With the Disney and 20^th Century FOX merger almost in its finishing stages and the X-Men more than likely joining the MCU, it’ll be smart if they let Deadpool remain just like it is, even when everything else will potentially change. 

3. The Equalizer 2

The Equalizer 2 may not be a Marvel movie per se, but it may just be the best Punisher movie I’ve ever seen.

 Antoine Fuqua’s sequel retains all the elements that worked from the original film and gives us more of it, which to some it may be a good or bad thing. To me, everything that worked about the original film still works in the sequel, from its up-close-and-personal brutal action and a phenomenal lead performance by Denzel Washington, who still provides main character Robert McCall with the warm sense of pathos that carries the film throughout. This helps the movie retain sympathy for a man who lost everything and whose vigilante actions may seem reprehensible. I’ll always gravitate to a movie with a multidimensional character always looking for the good of people, which is perfectly exemplified with Robert McCall’s relationship with Miles Whittaker (played by Ashton Sanders). The scene where he saves Miles from almost joining a gang, underlining the fact Miles doesn’t need to throw away his life because his life matters, is probably the most powerful and understated scene I’ve seen in a movie all year. The movie also has one of the coolest ending set pieces where Robert has to deal with the movie’s villains in an emptied town being hit by a hurricane. The action in that final sequence is visually stunning, and it’s brutal, tense, and cathartic in its resolution.

The Equalizer 2 loses some points due to its too predictable murder mystery, but in the end the strengths of the movie are enough to catapult it as one of my favorite movies of this summer. This also serves as a great reminder that Denzel Washington is still a phenomenal actor who can carry a movie on its own, and I wish I could see him in even more starring roles in the days to come. 

2. Avengers: Infinity War

Ten years. 

That is how long the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been in existence ever since Marvel decided to no longer license out its characters to different movie studios and decided to make their own movies. 

Even then, I don’t think anyone in 2008 would have thought the universe that started with the original Iron Man could build itself so well. 

Now ten years later, we have an event movie like Avengers: Infinity War that weaved every single character and plot thread from every preceding movie in a unprecedented way.

Comic Book crossover events are always one of the most exciting things that happens in comic books, and the appeal of seeing your favorite characters from different stories come together in one story is something the original Avengers movie captured so well in 2012. While that same appeal didn’t resonate as much in the 2015 sequel Avengers: Age of Ultron, I would say the magic was recaptured with the scale and magnitude of “Avengers: Infinity War”. Indeed, with 18 prior movies under its belt, the way the stakes were raised in Avengers Infinity War is akin to a serialized TV show building on its previous episodes to plow us through to the finish line. 

Seeing this movie manage its gigantic cast the best it could (with some characters getting more of a shorter shrift than others) without falling apart could be considered its biggest achievement, but that would be underselling the fact the big achievement is probably delivering the best, most fully realized CGI villain in Thanos. Apart from Gollum in the “Lord of the Rings” movies, I don’t think I’ve seen a full CGI villain with the level of menace and the level of emotional resonance they extract from Thanos in this movie. Huge amount of credit goes to Josh Brolin in imbuing a potent sense of character to Thanos, and to directors Joe and Anthony Russo and writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely for delivering such a well realized villain with a nefarious but understandable motivation. It may be hyperbole to say this, but Thanos may emerge as this generation’s Darth Vader.

Add to that some inventive, phenomenal action sequences straight out of a comic book, the MCU’s signature sense of humor which balances out the story’s more serious tone, and a brave, intentionally frustrating ending which doesn’t change things forever but raises the stakes for what’s to come, and the stage is set for a great conclusion in next year’s untitled Avengers 4. 

While the density and “incompleteness” of Avengers: Infinity War may not make it as rewarding a watch as other MCU efforts, the achievement of managing something of this scale can’t be understated, and all things considered, seeing this movie with next year’s Avengers 4 will potentially make both movies the crown jewel of this ten-year-old franchise. 

Had it not been for the next movie on the list, Avengers: Infinity War would have been my favorite movie of this summer.

1. Mission Impossible: Fallout

Throughout most of the summer, I was pretty sure Avengers: Infinity War would predictably end up being my favorite movie of the blockbuster season. It was a momentous event 10 years in the making, a dense movie packed with crowd pleasing moments and stake raising payoffs, I was sure no other movie could top it for me. 

Enter Mission Impossible: Fallout.

Other than the Fast and Furious franchise, I can’t think of another long running action movie franchise that continuously gets better and better with each new installment like the Mission Impossible series. Ever since the fun but relative low point of John Woo’s Mission Impossible 2, it is crazy to see this series increasingly up the ante when it comes to the ridiculous action set pieces like this one does. After the opera scene and plane hanging scenes from Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, I would have thought the series would have peaked action wise, and nothing could surprise me again with this series. 

The most surprising thing about Mission Impossible: Fallout is the way it’s become self-referential to its own ridiculous history. Here we have a movie where what’s come before, from important characters to events from a couple films back, starts imbuing the series with a sense of weight it seemingly lacked before. The character dynamics of Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt and his fellow partners Luther and Benji (played by Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg) benefit from that sense of history, which makes the ridiculous plot more digestible and way more fun. In all its thriller self-seriousness, the movie feels like it’s “in” on the joke, which makes you accept the increasingly asinine things that keep happening, from the triple crosses and the ridiculous death defying set pieces. The movie is not pretentious about what it is, and it’s more the better for it.

Mission Impossible: Fallout also serves as a great throwback to the great action spy flicks of yesteryear. For all the modernity in display, there is an old school charm to it all. From Henry Cavill’s mustached assassin August Walker (sorry Justice League, but #mustachegate was worth it) to the fancy seedy underbelly organization of Vanessa Kirby’s White Widow, it’s a reminder that the best elements of spy flicks came decades ago, and this movie harkens back to that era to give the movie a sense of style sometimes missing from most summer blockbusters.

This sense of style carries over to what’s the center piece of it all: the action set pieces. This is a movie that continually impressed me with how it took what some people would consider tried and true action sequences like a sky dive, a bathroom brawl, a motorcycle chase, a parkour sequence and a helicopter fight, and spices it up with a mix of restraint, style and tension when needed. There is just something about the way writer-director Christopher McQuarrie frames and executes these scenes with such raw style and confidence that dwarfs similar sequences in this genre. The stunts are exciting and potent in a way that underlines how much better some action movies are when stunts feel real and not overly manufactured in CGI. It draws you in and never let’s go. The final sequence where in the span of 15 minutes we see a helicopter chase, a mountain brawl and the desperate diffusion of two nuclear bombs, may be one of the most edge-of-your-seat tense denouements I’ve ever seen in an action movie.

As I cackled maniacally through most of the film’s 150 minute run time, something became clear in my mind: this is the kind of movie that defines the summer blockbuster season. As more superhero movies emerge and every series in existence seems to be pursuing the “cinematic universe” angle, Mission Impossible: Fallout is a great reminder of what a summer blockbuster should be. It’s tense, thrilling and complete in a way most movies can’t manage, and transcends some glaring flaws with style to spare.

It may not end up being the best movie of the year, but I believe this is the best movie of the summer, and in an era where viewing habits are shifting more towards streaming services and stay at home experiences, Mission Impossible: Fallout is the perfect example of why watching movies in a theater is still a great time.