Honestly, at this point, there’s no need to address the overall quality of a year based on the films that were released during that time. There are always going to be a lot of great films that come out every year for every demographic of every genre. Instead, I’m going to use this intro to comment on how 2018 proved… that fandoms are REALLY starting to get problematic. In the past, I’ve lamented on how sometimes people on the internet tend to forget that film is a subjective medium, meaning that no single film is going to be well-received by everyone. This past year, however, has bear witness to some of the most extreme cases of ‘fan reactions’ that I’ve ever seen in my time as a film critic. Basically, thanks to various factors that include the continued popularity of series like CinemaSins and the actions of a certain political figure who shall not be named, film discourse has erupted into a series of violent outbursts towards things that seriously don’t require that kind of intense reaction. Don’t even get me started on how many actors/actresses have been forced off social media this past year due to the intense harassment that they’ve received from online trolls either due to a comment that they’ve made on our current political landscape or because they allegedly ‘ruined’ something that these trolls liked. Now let me be clear… I know damn well that these misogynistic, homophobic, xenophobic ‘fans’ (the term ‘fans’ used VERY loosely in this case) only make up a small portion of the various fandoms that make up our current pop cultural zeitgeist. Still, it’s imperative at this point that the film fan community distance itself from this kind of behavior because I strongly believe that it’s only going to get worse if left unchecked. With that out of the way, it’s time to delve into my Top 12 Favorite Films from 2018. For those who are new to this site, the reason why I do a Top 12 list instead of the more traditional Top 10 is that it allows me the chance to talk about more of the great films that I loved from this past year. It may have also had something to do with the fact that I launched this site in 2012 and I did a Top 12 that year just for the occasion.
As always, though, we must first lay down the primary ground-rules that I have for this list. The first is quite simple; to fully address the films that will be featured on this list, I will be delving into their biggest spoilers. Thus, in case some of you haven’t seen the films that I’ll be discussing here, don’t worry, because I will be providing links to my original non-spoiler reviews of these films. Next, as is the case with any year, I’m unable to see every major film that is released in theaters. Granted, I did join the AMC Theaters’ A-List program this year, which allows me to see more films at a fraction of the cost (Disclaimer: Not a Promotion). However, you also must factor in my recent job as a Cast Member working at Disney World, which took up a lot of my time this past year. Thus, if you’re wondering why films like Roma, Won’t You Be My Neighbor, or The Favourite aren’t on this list, then that’s the reason why. This then brings me to a ground-rule that I’ve had to implement in recent years which admittedly is more of a disclaimer. As some of you may have gathered by the films that I usually cover on this site, this list will mostly consist of blockbuster-type films, many of which are sequels, reboots, remakes, etc. I know that this won’t fly well with film buffs who tend to stick towards the independent side of the industry, but to put it simply, that’s just not the market that I follow as a film critic. Granted, that doesn’t mean that I won’t cover those kinds of films. It’s just that these situations occur on a rarer basis.
Plus, to be perfectly frank, I feel that the independent side of the industry tends to spawn a frustratingly condescending attitude towards blockbuster-type projects. Now to be clear, even someone like me knows that blockbuster films usually aren’t meant to be deep, thought-provoking dramas, but at the same time, that doesn’t mean that they can’t. And every year, we do have a few blockbuster-level films that I’d argue are more than capable of standing toe to toe with whatever gets nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars (this year, especially, with a certain superhero flick…). Plus, as last year’s mother proved, just because a film is ‘original’ or ‘independently produced’ doesn’t automatically make it good. And lastly, we have the most important point of all; please, please, PLEASE be respectful of other folks’ opinions. If that mini-rant that I had earlier wasn’t enough of an indication, this past year has been extremely trying when it comes to some of the most hostile fandom-related incidents in recent memory. I mean, do I really have to keep bringing this up, folks? If you didn’t like any of the films that I’m about to discuss, then that’s totally fine. All the power to you! Just don’t be a jerkass to those that did like them, because if you ask me, the greatest sin that any film critic/fan can do is make others feel bad for having a different opinion. And so, without further ado, let’s start delving into this list. This is Part 1 of 4 and today we’ll be discussing films 12-10.
But first, let’s discuss my 6 Honorable Mentions…
HONORABLE MENTIONS
For starters, yes, I’m part of the crowd that did like the second installment of the Fantastic Beasts series even though it ended up being the worst-received installment to date of J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World franchise. And to be fair, this one’s far from being the series’ best installment as it does feel like the ‘middle chapter’ of its larger story. The plot is rather minimal, not every plot-line gets the attention that it deserves (e.g. Queenie being coerced into joining Grindelwald’s cause after getting into a fight with Jacob over their future), and the ending is a bit too anticlimactic. In short, this is a film that’s clearly more focused on setting up the next installments of the franchise, and while I’m fine with most of the big twists that are revealed here (e.g. the troubled Credence being told that he’s [supposedly] a long-lost member of the Dumbledore family), the screenplay still could’ve benefitted from a few extra rewrites. And yet, despite its narrative shortcomings, everything else that’s great about this franchise is still there, for the most part. The world-building is still as strong as it’s always been and the same goes for the gorgeous production design and solid visual effects work. Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Alison Sudol, and Dan Fogler are still excellent as Newt, Tina, Queenie, and Jacob, respectively, and are joined by some excellent newcomers headlined by Jude Law making the most out of his admittedly minor role as a young Dumbledore. And while I want to reiterate that this isn’t meant to be a defense of any of his recent actions, Johnny Depp does do a good job in the title role of Grindelwald. Obviously, his casting has been the cause of much scrutiny, but as strange as it may seem, none of this film’s shortcomings are directly his fault. As such, I’m still on board with this franchise… though, hopefully, the next film gets the narrative back on track.
Hey Aquaman, aren’t you glad that I decided to see your big solo film first before starting this list? I certainly didn’t do it for the DCEU fandom, who continue to be one of the most toxic fandoms of recent memory by A.) harping on those who didn’t think that this would be a box-office hit and B.) once again crapping on those who didn’t like it even though the film did fare decently with critics. To make a long story short, Aquaman is indeed one of the best installments of the DCEU. It completely forgoes the Zack Snyder aesthetic that made past films visually impressive but emotionally empty in favor of a light-hearted adventure atmosphere with some solid emotional depth and incredibly vibrant visual effects that effectively bring the world of Atlantis to life. The arc of seeing Aquaman rise to become the ruler of Atlantis is incredibly satisfying, and Jason Momoa is finally given the chance to shine in the title role. The same goes for Amber Heard as the film’s phenomenal female lead, Mera, as both she and Momoa manage to overcome their underwhelming debuts in Justice League where they were mostly just there to do cool stuff. Here, they get the same amount of proper character development that Gal Gadot got as Wonder Woman in her solo film, which is very much welcome. Really, my only issue with the film is that the villains (Ocean-Master and Black Manta) were a little underwhelming. Not terrible, mind you, as they are, at least, better-written than most villains in the genre. Still, they’re a tad bit underused in the grand scheme of things. Ultimately though, Aquaman is a very entertaining entry in the superhero genre and it’s cool to see that it ended up becoming a massive box-office success. It joined the billion-dollar club and even surpassed Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight films at the worldwide box-office. Yes, the character that was once considered ‘a joke’ now claims the distinction of having the highest-grossing DC Comics based film of all time.
As I’ve stated numerous times before, while I did enjoy the first Deadpool film, I wasn’t necessarily in love with it as much as the rest of the internet. While it was a very entertaining superhero flick that gave Ryan Reynolds the chance to finally do justice to the title character, it still felt like it adhered a bit too close to some of the common superhero film tropes that it was directly satirizing. As such, director David Leitch’s follow-up does take a lot more risks even if they don’t all work (e.g. killing off Deadpool’s fiancé Vanessa at the beginning, though thankfully she’s brought back at the end when Deadpool uses Cable’s time-traveling device). And despite some awkward tonal shifts here and there, Deadpool 2 also boasts far stronger emotional depth. Whereas the first film was primarily about Deadpool learning to become a hero, this one focuses on him finding a family and gaining a true sense of belonging, proving that even an unapologetically raunchy superhero like Deadpool can hit you with the feels. Ryan Reynolds continues to be outstanding in the title role while the additions of Josh Brolin (in his second awesome superhero role of 2018; more on the other one later…) as the time-traveling Cable and Zazie Beetz as the lucky Domino just sweeten the deal even further. Thus, as you might have guessed, I consider Deadpool 2 to be a superior sequel. Again, nothing against the original Deadpool as it did get the ball rolling for this proper take on the fan-favorite Marvel anti-hero. It’s just that the sequel is more like what the first film was trying to be but wasn’t necessarily able to reach due in part to it being the first major R-rated superhero film of the MCU era.
Despite being yet another critical and commercial hit for Marvel Studios, Ant-Man and the Wasp ended up getting overshadowed by the other two MCU films of 2018. To be fair, though, it’s probably not that surprising considering that the other two were a culturally relevant mega-hit and the franchise’s largest crossover to date, respectively. Still, that’s not to say that it isn’t yet another entertaining installment of the MCU. Now that he’s no longer burdened with the pressure of being ‘the guy who replaced Edgar Wright’ on the original Ant-Man, director Peyton Reed manages to craft a more confident sequel that boasts flashier visuals and action sequences. The humor is just as on-point as it’s always been in the MCU and the main plot-line of Hank Pym and Hope Van Dyne trying to find his wife/her mother Janet Van Dyne AKA the original Wasp (played excellently in her admittedly limited screen-time by Michelle Pfeiffer) provides the film with that trademark MCU emotional poignancy. Ultimately, though, the biggest highlight of the film is getting to see Evangeline Lilly finally have the chance to get in on the action as the new Wasp, and simply put, she kills it. But, of course, Paul Rudd is still wonderful as well as Scott Lang AKA Ant-Man, who continues to be one of the MCU’s most relatable protagonists as the well-meaning family man who screws up more than he should. Because of all this, Ant-Man and the Wasp once again proves that solo superhero films are just as important as the big ensemble films. And just like how the first Ant-Man served as a welcome change of pace after the grand-scale escapades of Avengers: Age of Ultron, this film does lighten the mood after the emotional carnage that we experienced in the previous MCU film… even when considering this film’s mid-credits scene, which reiterates the gravity of what happened in the other film.
Over the course of this past year, I’ve repeatedly mentioned the one thing that I’ve found to be a key contributor to a great horror film, having characters that you care about as they endure various horrific events. That is very much the case in director John Krasinski’s highly successful silence-based horror-thriller A Quiet Place, in which a family tries to survive an alien invasion where the alien creatures can detect them via loud noises. The gut-wrenching opening sequence where the youngest son Beau is killed by one of the aliens immediately establishes the family’s sympathetic nature and is one of the many sources of the film’s strong emotional depth. This is then further exemplified by the plot-line of the father, Lee (Krasinski), trying to mend his relationship with his deaf daughter Regan (Millicent Simmonds), who feels responsible for Beau’s death as she had given him the toy rocket that had alerted the alien. It all culminates in what is easily the most emotional moment of the film where Lee nobly sacrifices himself to save his kids from the aliens but not before reassuring Regan that he’s always loved her. And that ultimately ties into what A Quiet Place is truly about as it’s not just a horror-thriller about sound-detecting aliens. It’s about parents trying to protect their kids from the harsh world that they live in… and yes, that makes this film incredibly timely. And thanks to strong direction from Krasinski, pitch-perfect sound design to portray a reality where silence is the key to survival, and phenomenal performances from Krasinski, his real-life wife Emily Blunt, Simmonds, and Noah Jupe, A Quiet Place is one of the best-written horror films to come out in recent years.
Because this is the fourth film version of A Star is Born, it admittedly follows the same general plotline of its story’s previous adaptations. It’s the story of an aging rock-star who romances (and later marries) an aspiring ingenue while also helping her make a name for herself in the music industry. But while her star is on the rise, his ends up going on the decline and the film ultimately ends with him tragically committing suicide, which is then followed by a heart-wrenching performance from his wife, who now publicly goes by her husband’s last name. And yet, even with its traditional narrative, the film benefits from amazing direction from Bradley Cooper, who makes one hell of an impressive directorial debut with this tightly-scripted and emotionally poignant musical drama. It’s a love story that hits all the right emotional notes, whether it’s the charming first interactions of its main protagonists or the heartbreaking ways in which this story of star-crossed lovers reaches its conclusion. The film also benefits from some of the best romantic chemistry in recent memory between Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga. Cooper is his usual charismatic self as rock-star Jackson Maine while Gaga majorly impresses in her first leading role as up-and-coming singer/songwriter Ally (e.g. her performance of the film’s final song, ‘I’ll Never Love Again’, which was filmed just hours after her best friend died from cancer). They’re then backed by a solid supporting cast that includes Anthony Ramos as Ally’s best friend Ramon, Andrew Dice Clay as her supportive father Lorenzo, and most of all, Sam Elliott, who also gets to partake in some of the film’s biggest emotional moments as Jackson’s brother/manager Bobby. In short, calling this a successful directorial debut from Bradley Cooper would be a massive understatement, and it’s easy to see why it’s touted as one of 2018’s best.
And now we officially kick off the Top 12 with a film that truly deserved to do better than it ultimately did. Despite having to endure all the scandals that were spawned from a controversial change in direction halfway through filming, the film managed to be another entertaining installment of its historic franchise. Sadly, though, it ended up massively under-performing at the box-office, and while I know that this is going to be a ‘hot take’, I primarily attribute this to the toxic side of its franchise’s fandom that, over the past year, has made it very difficult for folks for me to consider themselves a ‘fan’ of this franchise.
As I’ve mentioned a few times this past year, the Star Wars franchise is in an odd place right now… and yet, ironically, it has nothing to do with the films themselves. Ever since Disney took over the franchise in 2012, the newer Star Wars films have consistently done well with critics and audiences. But then came Star Wars: The Last Jedi in 2017… and most of you reading this already know what happened there. Despite many critics praising director Rian Johnson’s unique take on the franchise, it attracted a CONSIDERABLY hostile backlash from certain audiences, and even after more than a year since the film’s release, I still don’t necessarily understand what these folks were so mad about because their reasonings are all over the place. But one thing that is certain is that ever since the film’s release, those ‘fans’ (and I use that term very, very loosely) have launched an all-out war against Disney and Lucasfilm for this alleged ‘crime against humanity’. Their ‘acts of justice’ have included the following; sending death threats to producer Kathleen Kennedy, Johnson, and any other major female figure associated with the franchise, petitioning to remove The Last Jedi from canon, attempting to remake it (yes, seriously…), forcing The Last Jedi star Kelly Marie Tran off social media, etc. In other words, remember what I said in the intro to this post about the terrible fandom-related incidents from this past year? Well, this was what I was mainly referring to, and it’s obviously put a ton of unwarranted pressure on J.J. Abrams and his crew when it comes to Episode IX and making sure that it isn’t as polarizing. And as for the second installment of the franchise’s line of spin-offs, Solo: A Star Wars Story, it seems as if all that Last Jedi backlash ended up hurting it quite a bit.
Now obviously there’s a bit more to this than just the Last Jedi debacle, as this film attracted quite a bit of negative attention when it was announced that its directors, Phil Lord and Chris Miller, were basically kicked off the project due to creative differences with Lucasfilm. And even though the studio ended up rebounding from this by hiring the legendary Ron Howard to take over, the damage was already done. Star Wars fans were already skeptical of a ‘prequel’ film based around Han Solo (arguably the franchise’s most beloved character) to begin with, and Lord and Miller’s involvement was practically the only thing keeping them onboard given the duo’s tendency to make the most out of questionable concepts. And yet, at the end of the day, the final film is nowhere near the disaster that some thought it would be. Is it the best installment of the series? No, not even close, but at the same time, it still manages to be a fun little Star Wars film with a sci-fi western vibe. It’s decently edited and despite having to face the burden of following in the footsteps of Harrison Ford, Alden Ehrenreich does a solid job as a younger iteration of Han Solo. He’s then backed by an excellent supporting cast that includes Donald Glover as a young Lando Calrissian, Emilia Clarke as Han’s original love interest Qi’ra, and Woody Harrelson as Han’s mentor Tobias Beckett. The film even ends with an awesome and genuinely unexpected cameo when it’s revealed that Qi’ra is secretly in cahoots with none other than Darth Maul, which ties into the various Star Wars animated series like Clone Wars that revealed that he survived his apparent demise at the end of The Phantom Menace.
In short, Ron Howard managed to come in and overcome the messy situation that this film had gotten into after the whole Lord and Miller incident with relative ease. Unfortunately, upon its release, Solo did not do well at the box-office. It may have had a $100 million opening during Memorial Day weekend, but it ultimately grossed around $392 million on a hefty $275 million budget, a final total that paled in comparison with the last 3 Disney-backed Star Wars films, each of which grossed over $1 billion worldwide. Some attributed this to ‘Star Wars fatigue’, as it was released just five months after The Last Jedi instead of being released during December just like the other recent Star Wars films… but I take issue with that notion for one simple reason. If there’s such a thing as ‘Star Wars fatigue’, then how the hell is Marvel getting away with releasing 2-3 MCU films a year, plus all the other superhero films from the likes of DC, Fox, and Sony? By comparison, despite the short window between the releases of The Last Jedi and Solo, there’s only been one Star Wars film a year since Disney took over the franchise. Because of this, the continued argument of ‘superhero fatigue’ that has been in play since 2015 makes a lot more sense than ‘Star Wars fatigue’ (words cannot describe how much it kills me to have to put that in writing given my feelings towards that damn superhero fatigue argument). While I know that it’s not necessarily the main reason, I do believe that one of the key factors to Solo’s underperformance was the venomous side of the Star Wars fandom who decided to boycott the film as their cheap way of getting back at the studio for The Last Jedi. And that’s a damn shame because Solo didn’t deserve that. With that said, would it have been nice to see Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s version of the film? Yes! But just like Marvel Studios and the Edgar Wright/Ant-Man debacle, Lucasfilm moved on and Lord and Miller moved on. Thus, in the years to come, I do hope that Solo will be given more of a chance in the eyes of the Star Wars fandom.
During last year’s Top 12 list, I briefly talked about a recently trending point that’s been brought up in film discussion that I’m not a fan of; the ‘it’s not as fresh as the original’ argument. This is basically an extension of the ‘it’s not as good as the original’ argument but with a more cynical twist in which a film gets knocked just for being a sequel. And in 2018, my number 11 pick was arguably the most affected by it.
11. CREED II
Upon its release, Creed II got knocked a bit (no pun intended) for being a bit too predictable with its plot. But to that, I ask the following… who goes into a Rocky film expecting original plots? In fact, even the first Creed shared a lot in common with the original Rocky by being the story of an unknown who surprisingly manages to go the distance against the heavyweight champ and ultimately wins over the crowd despite losing the fight. Really, the reason why that film worked as well as it did was thanks to strong direction from Ryan Coogler and excellent performances from Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, and Tessa Thompson. And because of this, the film very much revitalized its iconic franchise for a new generation while still respecting its roots. This is once again the case with Creed II, even though it wasn’t directed by Coogler this time due to his commitment to a certain superhero flick. Newcomer Steven Caple Jr. does do an excellent job in his place, however, and while there aren’t any major long-take fight scenes like in the previous film, the fight scenes in this film are still fantastic. Most importantly, though, the film continues to emphasize what is truly the most important aspect of the Rocky franchise, its characters. Having Adonis Creed take on Viktor Drago, the son of Ivan Drago AKA the man who killed Adonis’ father Apollo in Rocky IV, obviously makes this one of the most emotionally-charged entries in the entire franchise because of the intense history between these two families. Sure, Viktor isn’t the steroid-laden tank that his father was in Rocky IV, but that doesn’t make him any less of an imposing adversary for Adonis in the ring given that his father is his trainer.
Simply put, Adonis is very much put through the emotional wringer here. Just like Rocky in Rocky II, Creed II has Adonis endure some of the toughest challenges of his life. His first fight with Viktor ends up going so poorly that he receives one of the worst beatings that anyone has ever gotten in this series. And while he and his fiancé Bianca end up having a baby girl, Amara, they’re hit with a devastating bit of news when they learn that she was born deaf, a trait inherited from Bianca’s progressive hearing loss. But, of course, as is usually the case with these films, it all turns out okay in the end and everything that Adonis goes through in this film allows us to be fully behind him when he goes into the rematch against Viktor. A lot of this is thanks to Michael B. Jordan, who continues to shine as Adonis thanks to his natural charisma. He also continues to have excellent chemistry with Tessa Thompson who, in just two films, has managed to be more than just Adonis’ Adrian because of the considerable effort made by the writers to ensure that she’s just involved with Adonis’ decision-making as he is. After all, as one key scene in this film clearly dictates, they’re truly ‘a team’. And then, of course, you have Sylvester Stallone returning as Rocky Balboa, and while he doesn’t get the same kind of emotional material that he got in the previous film when he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, he still gets to partake in some of the film’s biggest emotional scenes. This mainly stems from A.) his hesitancy to help Adonis train for his fight with Viktor because of everything that he and Apollo went through when they each fought Ivan and B.) the scene at the end where he finally reunites with his son Robert, with Milo Ventimiglia making a cameo reprising his role from Rocky Balboa.
But perhaps the most fascinating part about this film is how it manages to humanize, of all people, Ivan Drago. Yes, the same man who, in his previous appearance in Rocky IV, was basically just the final boss of an old-school video game. Here, he attempts to regain the glory that he had lost after his defeat to Rocky by training his son Viktor to challenge Adonis. But as Viktor himself points out, it seems highly questionable for his father to try and win back the same people who had shunned him, including his ex-wife Ludmilla (played once again by Brigette Nielsen), who left Ivan and Viktor when the latter was just a baby. This ultimately comes to a head during the second Creed-Drago match. After Adonis manages to knock down Viktor (a moment that’s perfectly tuned with the reprisal of the classic Rocky theme, which is used much more prominently here than in the previous film), Ludmilla leaves before the fight is over, effectively dampening Viktor’s spirits. Thus, as Adonis starts to gain the upper hand against Viktor, Ivan ends up throwing in the towel to prevent anything bad from happening to his son, a moment that effectively humbles them both. And once again, this ultimately ties into what these films have truly been about. They’re not the kind of films that are intent on re-inventing the wheel when it comes to their plots. Instead, they serve as emotionally poignant crowd-pleasers that inspire their fans to be like Rocky and Adonis and overcome seemingly insurmountable odds. And because of this, Creed II is another excellent addition to this legendary franchise.
My Number 10 pick was undoubtedly one of my most anticipated of the year given my deeply personal history with the franchise that it’s connected to.
On the surface, this may just seem like the latest installment of Disney’s recent string of live-action remakes. And yet, while it is technically a live-action take on one of Disney’s beloved IP’s, this isn’t a remake of any prior film. Instead, it’s a unique new spin on Winnie the Pooh that focuses on Pooh’s titular best friend, now grown up, as he finds himself reunited with his friends from the Hundred Acre Wood as they try and help him regain his lost sense of imagination. Seeing Christopher Robin go through all sorts of devastating moments in his life at the beginning of the film, from having to grow up faster than expected following the death of his father to enlisting in the army and fighting in World War II despite missing the birth of his daughter Madeline, immediately gives this story its emotional poignancy. Simply put, it’s a story about the dangers of growing up and the importance of friends and family, which the film handles very well. However, some have argued that this was perhaps a bit too dour of a story for a Winnie the Pooh film. And to be perfectly fair, the first half of the film does maintain a generally grim atmosphere even when Christopher Robin returns to the Hundred Acre Wood for the first time since he was a kid. However, this is only the case for the first half of the film, and it does keep in line with the arc that Christopher Robin goes through. Once he starts regaining his childhood spirit (after a considerably tough scene where he yells at Pooh, which is then followed by a very dark nightmare involving Heffalumps), the film shifts gears and returns to the charming escapades that the Winnie the Pooh series has always been known for. And the finale in which Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, and Eeyore travel to London to try and ‘save’ Christopher Robin paves the way for some great humorous scenes by way of their interactions with the real world.
Ewan McGregor headlines the cast as Christopher Robin and does a fantastic job in the role. His interactions with Pooh and company feel incredibly natural and he works quite well with Christopher Robin’s big character arc. He also has excellent chemistry with Hayley Atwell, who admittedly doesn’t get as much to work with by comparison but still does a great job as Christopher Robin’s wife Evelyn. The same goes for Bronte Carmichael as their daughter Madeline, who shares a lot of scenes with Pooh and the gang and gets some nice emotional material of her own to work with through the conflict that she and her father get into over his plans to have her go to boarding school. As for Pooh and his friends, the film does a nice job of translating these beloved characters into a live-action setting, as their live-action redesigns don’t stray too far from what audiences are used to. And even though the film focuses more on the quartet of Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, and Eeyore while the rest of the Hundred Acre Wood gang (Rabbit, Owl, Kanga, and Roo) play more of a cameo role in the story, their charming personalities are still fully intact thanks to the solid performances from the film’s voice cast. Said cast is, of course, highlighted by the one and only Jim Cummings reprising his long-time roles as Pooh and Tigger, and… simply put, the positive reactions that this film’s teaser trailer got should give you an idea of why this was such a big deal for many people. For lack of a better term, he is the Pooh and Tigger of my generation, and his return to these iconic roles was the icing on the cake for yet another delightful installment of a series that’s near and dear to my heart.
And that concludes Part 1 of Rhode Island Movie Corner’s list of my Top 12 Favorite Films of 2018. Thanks for following along and be sure to check back in tomorrow for Part 2, where I’ll be listing films 9 through 7.
