Welcome back to Rhode Island Movie Corner’s big end-of-the-year list, in which I’m counting down my Top 12 Favorite Films from 2016. We’ve now come to the final part of this four-part series. Today, I’ll be listing my Top 3 Favorite Films from this past year and I’m really excited in this instance because all 3 of these films came from 3 of my favorite film franchises. If you want to check out my previous picks, including the 7 Honorable Mentions that I listed this year, click the following links to be directed over to Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 of this series. But, for now, it’s time to get back to the list…
This year saw us return to one of the best ‘cinematic universes’ that there is with an exciting new adventure that already has us eager for more…
Like many people, I’m a huge fan of the Harry Potter series. I’ll admit that, for me, my love of the franchise mainly started with the films more so than the books but, still, there’s no denying how big of a success this franchise has been. All of the books were huge best-sellers, rightfully so because they were all excellent stories courtesy of the one and only J.K. Rowling, and the film series is one of the rare instances where each film is excellent in its own right. Thus, I was undoubtedly excited when I heard that we’d be returning to the Wizarding World courtesy of a new series of films based around the adventures of Newt Scamander, author of the in-universe textbook Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. These new films would be set in the 1920’s, many decades before the events of the Potter books/films. And in the case of the first film, we’d be going across the sea from the UK to New York City, meaning that this would be the first time that we would be seeing the American side of the Wizarding World. Now, sure, at first glance it seems like a weird idea to do a new series of films that are primarily based on an in-universe textbook, even more so considering that it was announced that this would be a five-film series. However, J.K. Rowling, making her screenwriting debut, does manage to make it work as the first installment of this new series starts it off on an excellent note. Under the direction of director David Yates, who helmed the last four Harry Potter films, this new film features a lot of the same great stuff that made the Potter films so wonderful. Overall, I’d describe this film sort of like how I view Goblet of Fire, my personal favorite of the first eight films. While I wouldn’t say that this film has the best ‘story’ of the series, nor would I say that it’s Yates’ best directorial effort from the series, it still does everything great that these films have done over the years. Namely, to tell an engaging story that impressively manages to effectively mix the charming wonder of the world-building with a well-balanced plot of solid emotional depth and strong, relevant themes.
Another key part of this franchise’s success has always come from having an endearing main cast of characters to follow, and this film very much succeeds in that regard thanks to the quartet of Newt, sisters Tina and Queenie Goldstein, and Muggle (AKA ‘No-Maj’, the American term for non-wizarding folk) Jacob Kowalski. All four are played excellently by Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Alison Sudol, and Dan Fogler, respectively, and just like the trio of Harry, Ron, Hermione, it’s a well-balanced group of leads. Newt is the socially awkward main protagonist who finds himself becoming a ‘fish out of water’ as an English wizard in the American Wizarding World. Tina is a career-driven young woman who, as it turns out, was demoted from the position of Auror following an incident in which she protected someone from a No-Maj and was found out in the process. Queenie is a delightfully flirty but also sweet and nurturing young woman who falls in love with Jacob who, of course, is the ‘audience avatar’. He’s the No-Maj who gets sucked into the world of wizards after a mix-up with Newt results in him taking Newt’s suitcase and unknowingly unleashing some of his magical creatures from it. This quartet proves to be such an endearing group that the moment in the climax where they’re forced to have Jacob’s memories of the Wizarding World removed (‘No exceptions’) is a genuinely emotional one. From Newt telling Jacob that the reason why he kept him around in his adventure was because he was his friend to Queenie going out to kiss him goodbye as he stands in the ‘memory-erasing rain’, it’s easily one of the best emotional scenes of 2016. And it all concludes with a sweet final scene in which Jacob, having now opened his bakery thanks to Newt getting him the ‘collateral’ that he needed to apply for a loan, crosses paths with Queenie again and seemingly begins to remember that which he had forgotten. The final shot alone, where Jacob’s confused expression slowly turns into a smile, was described by my Sabers, Phasers, and Lasers, Oh My! co-host Alex Corey as the ‘best final shot of 2016’.
The main plot of the film saw Newt and co. traveling around New York trying to capture all the magical creatures that were released from his suitcase before they can be harmed by either the MACUSA (Magical Congress of the United States), who view them as threats, or the city’s No-Maj population. They do succeed in capturing them, meaning that this series isn’t just going to be about Newt trying to recollect creatures that had been in his magical suitcase. Instead, the film concludes with a big climax in which it’s revealed that the mysterious dark force that was running rampant across the city is the mysterious son of New Salem Philanthropic Society (a No-Maj organization who worked to expose witches and wizards) leader Mary Lou Barebone, Credence (Ezra Miller). Earlier in the film, Newt explained that there is a magical creature known as an Obscurus; basically, it’s a parasite that develops within children who suppress their magical abilities. And although Credence was dismissed as being a ‘Squib’ (a non-magical person with magical heritage) by Auror Percival Graves (Colin Farrell), it’s shown that this isn’t exactly the case. And although Newt, Tina, and Percival try to calm him down, especially Tina since it’s revealed that he’s the one she was protecting during the incident that got her demoted, MACUSA officials end up destroying him… or did they? Series producer David Heyman has stated that there was a deleted scene where Credence was shown to have survived and had gotten onto a boat to flee the city. But, it was taken out to leave his fate more ambiguous. So, with that in mind, does this mean that there’s a possibility that Credence may appear in a future film? Because if not, while I’ll admit that I wouldn’t call his ‘demise’ one of the most emotionally impactful deaths of the series, he certainly comes off as one of the most tragic characters in the entire franchise.
This then leads to Graves, who had been serving as a friendly figure to Credence throughout the film, turning on his peers. But, he is quickly subdued by Newt and a Revelio charm reveals that he is, in fact, the notorious dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) AKA basically the precursor to Voldemort. Now, the Grindelwald reveal has been one of the most controversial aspects of the film, namely due to Depp’s casting. It could be because of his tumultuous 2016 (namely that messy divorce of his; yes, some people weren’t too happy that someone like J.K. Rowling was fine with having someone who is an alleged wife-beater star in her film franchise) or the fact that it looks like this role will see him in another one of his trademark ‘elaborate makeup’ jobs. It may also be because this reveal basically means that he’s replaced Colin Farrell in the film franchise (a twist that some may have seen coming given that Grindelwald and Graves have similar hairstyles). However, we don’t really have any idea of how this will all turn out just yet because he’s only in the film for like a minute. If you ask me, I say that we should at least give him a chance. And in a way, that ties into one of my favorite things about this film; the fact that we’re not exactly sure yet where this series will go. The film’s ending may not give many ideas as to where this series is going to go but I personally think that’s a good thing. Because one of the best things about J.K. Rowling as a writer is that she always does a fantastic job of world-building and that translated well into what was her first major screenplay. Watching this film, you truly are immersed in this wizarding world just as you were with the Potter films, so much so that you’re left wanting to see more. Sure, the whole ‘five films’ thing still seems a bit daunting but if they keep the same cast and crew working on all four of the sequels, I think we’re in good hands.
Speaking of ‘Cinematic Universes’, here’s a film that hit all the right notes…
Captain America: Civil War started off Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the best way possible. Seriously, this film hit the frigging mark so damn well! And that’s impressive considering that it’s inspired by a generally polarizing storyline. The main source material in question is Civil War, a seven-part miniseries produced from 2006 to 2007 and written by Mark Millar (Kick-Ass) in which the heroes of the Marvel Universe find themselves on opposite sides of a new Registration Act that is meant to inflict greater governmental control over them. While it was a commercial success, many felt that it was a mediocre story. So, what did the film do to counter-act this? Simple! It wasn’t a direct adaptation. Instead, screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely base the entire conflict around the established lore of the MCU. The controversial government act, referred to here as the ‘Sokovia Accords’, is effectively built up by everything that’s happened so far in the franchise, namely all the incidents that the Avengers were involved in that caused massive collateral damage (e.g. the Battle of New York in Avengers, the Washington D.C. ‘SHIELD incident’ in Winter Soldier, etc.). Even better, the conflict that emerges between ‘Pro-Accords’ Iron Man and ‘Non-Accords’ Captain America is far better balanced compared to the comics, where it was much more one-sided and Iron Man came off more as a villain. Thankfully, that’s not the case here as the conflict gives both Tony Stark and Steve Rogers’ sides legit arguments to stand on. And that’s kind of the cool thing about this film; it doesn’t need a main villain. The main conflict stems between the Avengers who either agree with the Accords or don’t. What follows is a highly engaging moral conflict in which neither side is trying to eliminate the other the same way that their villains try to eliminate them on a regular basis.
Now, there is a villain, for the record, in the form of Helmut Zemo (Daniel Bruhl). Instead of being the scientist/swordsman that he is in the comics, the film re-envisions him as a colonel from Sokovia who lost his family during the events of Age of Ultron (“And the Avengers? They went home…”). Zemo has been regarded as one of the best villains of the MCU, a series that, as we all know, has gotten tons of flak for its villains over the years. Though I’ll admit that, at first, I felt that he was the weakest link of the film. The main reason why was because he is barely in the film, only appearing here and there to mess things up for the Avengers. However, as I said before, the great thing about Civil War, like its primary predecessor Captain America: The Winter Soldier, is that it didn’t really need a ‘villain’ character. In the case of Winter Soldier, HYDRA, in general, were the main antagonists of the story. And with Civil War, the excellently written conflict between the Avengers made up for any shortcomings with Zemo. But, upon re-watch, I’ll admit that I did warm up to the character. I mean, if you really think about it, he’s the most successful MCU villain to date. Sure, he is imprisoned at the end of the film but he did sort of succeed in regards to his plot to turn the Avengers against each other. Again, like how the entire film is the culmination of everything that’s happened so far in the MCU, Zemo is a prime example of the Avengers’ actions coming back to haunt them. Now, granted, I’m not saying that I prefer MCU villains to be like Zemo in terms of them not being in the film that much but I will admit that he is one of the better MCU villains.
I mean, this film basically has it all in terms of the things that we love about the MCU. It has arguably some of the best action sequences in the entire franchise. We already got plenty of that from the Russo brothers’ last MCU film, Winter Soldier, but this shows that they’re continuing to hone their skills when it comes to directing action. Case in point, the big airport battle between Team Cap and Team Iron Man is epic in every sense of the word. And, of course, this film is full of great MCU humor. In fact, I was kind of surprised to find that the film was funnier than anticipated given the serious nature of the plot. But, even though I’m sure that this will bring out that argument that ‘Marvel films are too goofy’, this film proves that argument wrong. That’s because these films legitimately do a good job of balancing comedy with drama. Still, from the scene where Bucky and Sam wait in the car while Cap gets their equipment from Sharon Carter (Bucky: “Can you move your seat up?” Falcon: “No!” (their nods of approval when Steve kisses Sharon are priceless)) to all the funny reactions to when Ant-Man grows to enormous size during the airport battle (Tony: “Okay, anybody on our side hiding any shocking and fantastic abilities they'd like to disclose? I'm open to suggestions.”), it just goes to show that the MCU knows how to do good humor. The returning cast is great as always while the newcomers prove to be some of the film’s biggest standouts. Chadwick Boseman brings a great amount of class to the role of Wakandan prince T’Challa AKA the badass warrior Black Panther. And even as someone who still loves what Andrew Garfield brought to the role of Spider-Man and was rather disappointed that Marvel and Sony didn’t just let the Amazing films continue under the supervision of Kevin Feige and his team, thereby allowing for Garfield’s Spidey to join the MCU, I won’t lie… Tom Holland is frigging amazing as our new Spidey. Case in point, “you ever see that really old movie, Empire Strikes Back?”
And now, let’s conclude with the ending because, let me tell you, the ending to this film is epic. As Cap and Bucky make it to Siberia to confront Zemo at an old HYDRA facility, Tony joins up with them as well, having now learned the truth about Zemo’s plans. Going in, they all assume that Zemo was going there to revive the other super-soldiers who were programmed like Bucky. But, when they confront him, they find that he’s killed the other ‘Winter Soldiers’ and instead shows them what I like to call his ‘ace in the hole’. All throughout the film, we’ve seen him ask specifically for ‘Mission Report: December 16, 1991’ and it is here where we finally see this fabled mission report. It is a video of a mission that Bucky went on, while under HYDRA’s control, to intercept a car that was carrying super-soldier serum. And ‘who’ was in that car? Howard and Maria Stark; yes, Tony’s parents, who are swiftly killed by Bucky. And after realizing that even Cap knew about this, the two friends get into a major confrontation, which results in Cap disabling Tony’s suit, leaving with Bucky (whose robotic arm had been severed by Tony), and leaving his shield behind when Tony shouts that he doesn’t deserve it. I won’t lie… this may just be the best finale to any MCU film ever. It’s not a big ‘city battle’ like in previous MCU films; heck, that battle already happened in the form of the airport fight. Instead, it’s an intense and emotional smaller battle between two friends over a friendship-shattering reveal. And while I’ll admit that I did figure out this reveal going in, namely given that it was sort of set-up already in Winter Soldier during the big monologue from Zola, the big reveal still packs an emotional wallop, especially due to the moment where, after the video is done playing, Tony looks sullenly at Steve and asks ‘Did you know?’… Damn…
And so, at the end of the day, the one-two punch of Captain America: Civil War and Doctor Strange proves that no matter what happens to the superhero genre in the next few years, Marvel Studios is still going strong. Of course, when I say ‘no matter what happens’, I’m referring to that damn ‘superhero fatigue’ argument that refuses to go away no matter how good a superhero film turns out. I can tell that this argument impacted this year’s slate of superhero films quite a bit seeing how only 3 of them were well-received whereas the others received a far more polarizing reception, which makes me worried that this backlash will get even more prominent with the genre’s 2017 slate. But, through it all, Marvel Studios continues to assert themselves as the kings of the genre, showing once again why their method of developing a ‘cinematic universe’ has truly succeeded. Instead of rushing into things, they’ve taken their time to develop their characters and truly ‘expand’ their universe with each new film. Thus, Civil War, as I’ve made clear numerous times already, is the culmination of everything’s that happened in this series so far. And because we’ve become so attached to these characters thanks to their numerous appearances in these films, it makes this one of the most emotionally-charged superhero films to date. If I had to rank this amongst the franchise’s steadily-growing filmography, it’d land at the Number 2 spot, with Guardians of the Galaxy just barely edging it out at Number 1. It’s that frigging good. It also proves that directors Joe and Anthony Russo are very much capable of handling big superhero ensembles, hence why they’re the perfect choices to take over for Joss Whedon on the Avengers films with the upcoming Infinity War two-parter. Heck, the fact that they managed to keep this film as a Captain America story despite the large ensemble, which could’ve easily just made this Avengers 2.5, is even more impressive.
And finally, we’ve come to my Number 1 pick; my favorite film from 2016. There were plenty of great films this year, many of which we’ve addressed already on this list, but what took my Number 1 spot? Well, that honor goes to a film that comes from the franchise that spawned my Number 1 favorite film from 2009. That’s right, we’re talking about the Kelvin era…
I’ve made it clear in the past that I’m a huge fan of director J.J. Abrams’ two Star Trek films; the 2009 Star Trek reboot and its 2013 sequel, Star Trek Into Darkness. However, when it comes to Trek fans, I’m clearly in the minority on that one, especially in regards to the latter following the whole Khan controversy. Thus, there was a lot of pressure on the third installment in this newly designated ‘Kelvin’-era series to be more Trek-y in nature. And because J.J. was busy working on another sci-fi film that starts with the word Star, AKA Star Wars: The Force Awakens, they had to find a new director. And find one they did in director Justin Lin. Sure, this may have been seen by the purists as them bringing ‘yet another action director’ into the franchise but Lin’s work on the Fast and Furious franchise did give him solid credentials in terms of directing. Plus, he did note that he is a fan of the franchise, so that’s always a plus. I mean, I guess it’s a better situation than it was with J.J., who admitted he’s more of a Star Wars fan, but let’s not get into that any further, now, shall we? They also brought in series star Simon Pegg, AKA ‘Scotty’, to co-write the screenplay, another great move given Pegg’s work on Edgar Wright’s Cornetto Trilogy. But, once again, things didn’t go too smoothly at first for the film prior to its release. The first trailer was absolutely lambasted by Trek fans for once again looking more like an action film than a Star Trek film. It also probably didn’t help that marketing on the film was almost non-existent for a few months afterward. Thankfully, the second trailer was better-received and upon release, the film received the typically positive reviews that the Kelvin era films have been getting. And, for the most part, it looks like it did succeed with long-time Trek fans, at least more so than the previous films. After all, the plot, in which Kirk and the Enterprise crew are stranded on a remote alien planet named Altamid after their ship is destroyed, is very much reminiscent of something you’d see on an episode of The Original Series.
However, with that said, part of me wonders if this film really will manage to win over every single hardcore fan of the franchise. That’s because, if you really look at it, despite having a much more Trek-y plot, this is still a J.J.-era Trek film. It’s still very much an action-oriented story through and through which, from what I can tell, is one of the major problems that longtime fans have had with these films; the fact that their plots are more action-based than they are cerebral-based. But, as someone who absolutely loves the Kelvin era films… this film just hit all the right notes for me. The action sequences in this film are incredible. Sure, Lin does bring a more ‘rapid edit’ shooting style to these action sequences compared to what J.J. did with his two films but it still works incredibly well. The returning cast is once again fantastic. They were perfectly cast in their respective roles, to begin with, and one of the best parts about these newer Trek films, in general, has been the great camaraderie between them, and this film continued that tradition perfectly. There are the many hilarious scenes involving Spock and McCoy, who find themselves paired together while on Altamid. There’s my personal favorite moment in the entire film when Spock reveals that the necklace he gave Uhura contains a radioactive mineral that can be used to locate her and everyone just looks at him wondering why he gave his girlfriend radioactive jewelry that can be used as a tracking device (“That was not my intention!”). And you know that big scene at the end where the crew takes on the enemy swarm and destroys them by using the song ‘Sabotage’ by Beastie Boys? I know some people felt that this sequence was stupid but, personally, I loved it, if mainly because it ties back perfectly to the first film, where the song was used during the scene where young Kirk steals his stepfather’s car. Let’s just say that when Kirk, after hearing the first few beats of the song, grins, and remarks “That’s a good choice”, I had a big smile on my face. Now you know why I felt that the use of the song in the first trailer wasn’t ‘out-of-place’; it’s a key part of the Kelvin era.
Another great thing about these films has been their solid emotional depth. From Kirk’s father’s sacrifice at the beginning of the first film to the scene where Kirk dies in Into Darkness (again, I don’t care if it’s a rehash of the same scene from Wrath of Khan: still gets me every time), these films have delivered some of the most emotional moments in recent film history. Admittedly, I can’t really say that Beyond had as much emotional depth to it compared to the previous two films but, still, there are some effective emotional moments in this film. A lot of them come courtesy of Spock, which in turn stems from the recent passing of the original Spock, Leonard Nimoy. Thus, in this film, Spock learns that Spock Prime has passed, which makes him uneasy about the reality that is mortality. If I had to pick the best emotional scene in the entire film, it’s when Spock, while hiding in a safe area on Altamid with Bones, reveals the emotional turmoil that he’s been feeling after learning of Spock Prime’s death and admits that he’s considering the possibility of leaving Starfleet after all this to take over Spock Prime’s job of ensuring the survival of the Vulcan race. This, as well as the scene near the end where Spock looks through Spock Prime’s possessions and finds a photo of the original Enterprise crew (which, let me tell you… goosebumps…), serves as a fitting tribute to arguably the most famous Trek cast member of all time. On that note, sadly, this also serves as the final film for Anton Yelchin (Chekov), who tragically passed away a few months before the film’s release. And while Chekov doesn’t get a Nimoy-style send-off given the nature of the plot, J.J. Abrams has confirmed that the role will not be recast.
Beyond also introduces two new additions to the cast. The first is Sofia Boutella as Jaylah, an alien scavenger/warrior who Kirk and co. meet on the alien planet. Simply put, Jaylah’s a badass; Boutella’s dance experience, as well as her breakout turn in 2015’s Kingsman: The Secret Service, contribute excellently to the character’s skills in combat. At the same time, she’s also a well-layered character, as it’s shown that her family was killed by the forces of the film’s main villain, Krall. On that note, Krall (Idris Elba) is another solid villain in this reboot series. Again, like what I said before about the emotional depth, admittedly I can’t say that Krall is as great of a villain compared to Nero and Khan from the previous two films. Still, that doesn’t mean that Krall isn’t a good villain. Elba does do an excellent job in the role, especially in terms of making him an intimidating threat to Kirk and his crew. Plus, he does get some interesting backstory. As Kirk and his crew discover, his real name is Balthazar Edison, the human captain of an old pre-Federation starship, the USS Franklin, that was subsequently used by the Enterprise crew in the present day to get off Altamid. When Edison and his crew were stranded on Altamid, he used the technology of the planet’s natives to keep them alive, which then turned them into monstrous, mutated aliens. It’s a solid characterization overall, as Krall/Edison seeks to destroy the Federation for, as he puts it, abandoning him in favor of uniting with those who once opposed them. Despite what I’ve said about the film still being an action-oriented Trek film, I think that this plot thread does bring some of the cerebral-ness that the hardcore fans were craving to the plot.
In conclusion, Star Trek Beyond is yet another fantastic entry in the franchise’s equally fantastic reboot series. I know that not a lot of Trek fans are big fans of the Kelvin era films but as for me, I absolutely adore them. The 2009 film is legitimately one of my Top 10 favorite films of all-time due to the experience of seeing it for the first time, how it was the film that got me into Star Trek in the first place and the fact that it was the first film that I truly purchased on home media, which was then followed up by me watching it numerous times on my old iPod touch. And like I’ve said before, I’ll defend Into Darkness come hell or high water (note: I’m not making a pun referring to this year’s Hell or High Water, which happened to star ‘Captain Kirk’ himself, Chris Pine). As for Beyond, it’s not my favorite of the series but I still love it for all the same reasons that I loved the first two films. And even with a change in director, Justin Lin did a fantastic job taking over for J.J. Thus, you can bet that I’m ‘beyond’ (hehe, sorry, I had to…) excited to see the next installment of the series, which will bring back a major character from the first film; Kirk’s father George (Chris Hemsworth). I think it’s safe to say that, given this reveal, the fourth film will be a time-travel story in some way, shape, or form. And while I understand why some may question the need to keep focusing on the plot thread of how Kirk is burdened by the legacy of his father’s sacrifice, especially after one of the key plot threads of this film was how Kirk has now outlived his father in years, I think that having Kirk Sr. be in the next film will bring a great closure to the phenomenal arc that Chris Pine’s Kirk has gone through throughout this entire series. And finally, for a Star Trek film that was released in the year of the franchise’s 50th anniversary, I think that this was an excellent representation of this iconic series.
And there you have it; my Top 12 Favorite Films of 2016. Once again, thanks for following alone with me on this epic four-part lookback on the films of 2016. Be sure to sound off in the comments below with your own favorite films from 2016, especially if they include a film that I didn’t mention on this list.
