2023 is swifting by and I want to take this time to rewind and remind myself about great movies that came out this year. After planning this for many years now, 2023 is the year and Hive's Movie and TV shows is the place to do that.
I'd like to group my picked movies into 4 major categories; Hits (Me likey), Misses (Me no likey/disappointed), Question Marks (Me not sure) and On-the-list (Me wanna watch). No Ranking in numbers or anything in particular and based purely on my feelings.
Now, let's start with...
🎥 2023 Hits 🎥
Barbie
Great movie with such a strong plot and concept, combined perfectly with cinematic pictures. I had high expectations for the movie and I'm even more surprised by how well they are able to create it. It conveys the message of patriarchy and feminism in our society so intelligently and beautifully. My first hit of this year.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
I've always been a big fan of Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. Somehow it kept getting better and better. The theme of family and the characters that are so different from each other can form a beautiful relationship. Especially in this one that talks about "change" that whether you like it or not, you have to learn to live with it. Great job!
Knock at the Cabin
Thriller movie that surprised me this year. I love the concept of religion and the complexity of the story that M. Night Shyamalan has presented. Though I'm not very familiar with the cast, I find the plot very intriguing and a must-watch of the year.
Elemental
Even, if I can try to cut off my Disney/Pixar fangirl quality, I believe I still put this movie in my 2023 Hits. Once again Pixar is able to pick a controversial topic and turn it into a tangible story that everyone can relate to. The pictures were beautiful and the soundtrack was added to my Spotify playlist. That's how much I like it.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
I honestly surprised myself by putting a Transformer movie on my Hits list. Because it never was and I didn't imagine myself doing this. But as I went through the movie list, I remembered how much fun and how surprisingly I liked it after I watched it. The plot might not be super complex or anything, but I can't keep complimenting them on how the computer graphics had to work so hard to make this movie. So, congratulations Transformers, I finally like one of your titles.
🎥 2023 Misses 🎥
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Honestly, I was so disappointed with this Marvel movie. I remember feeling that it was so long and the jokes were stupid. Most importantly, the main message of the movie wasn't clear. It left me scratching my head after watching it and I hate feeling that watching a bad movie is a waste of time and this movie just gave me that.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
I love animation and I love Jack Black, but I don't love this movie. The plot was too predictable and boring. I try to wrap my head around that it's a family movie, but still, I had high expectations for this one. I thought it's gonna be like The Lego Movie with a strong message for the viewers, but now I don't even seem to remember anything in the movie. Such a shame to bring the most iconic game, turning it into a movie and it just flopped.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods
I liked the first one and I had a feeling that it was gonna disappoint me and sadly, it did. Again, it's one of the family movies that doesn't have a key message. That element (at least to me) turns the movie into a nonsense aspect and I can't take it seriously to like it.
The Creator
I was excited about the cast and the plot looked really interesting, but how come it was kinda /meh/ to me? I normally really like dystopian movies with lots of imagination but this one, I just felt like it didn't really take me anywhere both intellectually and visually. Just feel like they put so much money into it, they could have done so much better
🎥 2023 Question Marks 🎥
Oppenheimer
Please, don't kill me that I put one of the biggest movies of the year here. But I just felt like the movie somehow "missed" Nolaness in it. I won't argue that the cinematic and the cast are absolutely incredible, but as Nolan shifted the theme into a dramatic political movie made me question where's the essence of the excitement that Nolan's work would give me.
The Little Mermaid
I LOVE DISNEY and there's no doubt about that. The animated little mermaid is one of my all-time favorite animations. This live-action one kept all the main plot and the key original elements like the songs, which I'm grateful for. Somehow, the movie just had so many huh? moment of trying to be so woke that it made me kinda cringy watching it. I just wish I'd liked it more since I love the animated little mermaid so much.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
I stay true to my The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023): Recap, Review and Reflection and I stand by many things that I like about the movie. I just had to compare the movie to the franchise and I felt that this one has taken more of a drama part a little much it hurts my head. The cast was great, but the story length of the movie is just too much. If they had picked up the pace more, I think I could've liked it much better.
Napoleon
I talked about the movie in Napoleon (2023): Recap, Review, and Reflection that there are lots of things that surprise me and I'm very impressed by it, still, I just felt like if Scott could have made it more historical with the twist of dark humor like he had in this one. It's not just a movie, but it can be a great historical resource for education. The cast was incredibly talented and helped add things to the story. It just that if Scott could find a way to make it smoother, I believed it would be even better.
Haunted Mansion
I've been waiting for years to watch this movie because Haunted Mansion is one of my favorite rides at Disney Parks. I was really looking forward to it. There are many things I like about it. The cinematic pictures were as I hoped for. The key message of the movie conveyed pretty okay. However, overall I just wish it could be a little stronger in terms of pacing the story to be firmer and faster. I love that they kept all the elements, the characters from the ride, and the catchy songs. I just think that towards the end, it could be more exciting and heart-warming. Most of the cast was great, except the kid, who I felt kinda off about. Still, it's fun and you should give it a try.
🎥 2023 to-watch list 🎥
Here is the list of soon-to-be-watched movies because I think it's interesting and I could enjoy them visually and intellectually. So, I'm not gonna write anything until I watch them and maybe I will write a post about them if I am really entertained by them.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Killers of the Flower Moon
Past Lives
Joy Ride
The Boy and the Heron
Wonka
Tetris
Asteroid City
That's all my 2023 movies. Do you agree with me or not really? Let me know in the comments below and I'll see you in the next review of a movie next year!
Let's stay supportive of the entertainment industry and keep watching great movies, guys
Khob khun kaa,
Nomnomnoodle 🍜