Not all movies are disappointing. Most of the time, films continue to surprise us, even after six years of reviewing them nearly every day. We give everything a fair chance to change our minds. Today, we're bringing you our list of movies from 2018 that did just that, the most surprising films of the year. They aren't necessarily the best of the best, but we went into them with low expectations and they exceeded our expectations more than any others.
Here's our list of the TOP 10 MOST SURPRISING MOVIES OF 2018! Do you agree with this list? Which movies surprised you last year?
10.
"Uncle Drew" - Making a movie based off a brand mascot sounded like a horrible idea. "Uncle Drew" ran the risk of being little more than an extended one-joke commercial, but luckily, it doesn't fall into that trap. Director Charles Stone III had the good sense to fill the supporting cast with talented comedians who could bring the humor above and beyond old guys showing up young basketball players. Plus, the story has a lot of heart at its core, and despite its flaws, we wound up liking it overall.
9.
"Game Night" - We weren't
dreading watching "Game Night," but we entered the theater with cautious optimism that it could be enjoyable given the talented cast involved. Unfortunately, we're all too aware that many R-rated comedies have caused us an immense amount of suffering over the years. To our surprise, "Game Night" is good, like,
really good, and it wound up being one of the best comedies of the year.
8.
"The House with a Clock in Its Walls" - The trailer for "The House with a Clock in Its Walls" never grabbed us. Considering that it's directed by Eli Roth, who is known more for making torture porn than family films, we expected the worst. We were shocked when this wound up being a wonderfully fun family adventure. Sure, it has some cheesiness, and yes, it has its fair share of silly moments, but it exceeded every expectation we had and then some. We think this is an excellent way for young people tests the waters and dip their big toe in the bloody pool of the horror genre before diving in head-first. Give this one a chance!
7.
"The Spy Who Dumped Me" - Here's another comedy with a shoddy trailer. Combine that with its last-minute embargo to hide some bad critical reviews, and we certainly didn't expect much. We didn't expect to laugh as much as we did while watching this movie. The chemistry between Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon is fantastic, and they play very well off of one other. Sure, there are a few eye-rolling gags here and there, but these moments were far outweighed by genuine laughs and a lot of fun, action-packed, ultra-violent-but-hilarious scenes.
6.
"Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" - In a world that we thought was only big enough for one Spider-Man, screenplay writer Phil Lord proved there's room for plenty more given the right story. Did we need another Spider-Man movie in 2018? Hell no, but we're sure glad we got one because "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" was not only the best animated movie of 2018, it was one of the best 2018 movies
period. We absolutely adored this movie and its colorful presentation full of tenderness, love, bravery, jokes, and laughs. This one shattered our expectations ten-fold.
5.
"Den of Thieves" - January is usually a dumping ground for terrible movies, and lately, films that star Gerard Butler haven't exactly been a sign of quality. Combine these two factors, and it's usually an indication you're about to watch a dumb, schlocky action flick. To some extent, "Den of Thieves" fits this description to the tee, but it also managed to be an entertaining, action-packed heist film with an engaging story that may have a few problems but provided us with quite an enjoyable viewing experience. In fact, we wouldn't mind revisiting this movie at some point.
4.
"Alpha" - When a movie gets pushed back multiple times throughout the year, and when a production company suddenly changes a film's marketing approach drastically, it's rarely a good sign. "Alpha" shatters both of these notions by being a genuinely good adventure film about the domestication of the dog and a young man's coming-of-age journey into adulthood. The only people who didn't know what to do with this picture was the marketing team, who hid its greatness just like they hid the fact it was subtitled (which we loved!). It's a shame more people didn't see it, and we hope it gets decent pick-up on the streaming and home video markets.
3.
"Instant Family" - We have had some less than stellar experiences with Mark Wahlberg-led family comedies considering the "Daddy's Home" series missed the mark with us. When we saw the trailer for "Instant Family," we audibly groaned in the theater. The only saving grace this film had going for it was Rose Byrne, an underappreciated comedic talent who can elevate any movie but isn't always enough to save something. Shockingly, this turned out to be a funny, heartfelt dramedy that had us both laughing and crying from start to finish. Wahlberg and Byrne both rise to the occasion, and the film boasts a funny supporting cast as well. We're amazed by how much we liked this film and urge everyone to see it!
2.
"Smallfoot" - On the surface, "Smallfoot" appeared to be a throwaway kids movie that simply flipped the bigfoot legend on its head. What it turned out to be was so much more. It offers a powerful message to young people about questioning the status quo, and it tries to get kids to understand that even though things are the way they are right now, that doesn't mean they have to be that way forever. It looks at the dangers of propaganda and shows that no matter what noble justification, lies in the name of personal safety are detrimental to the growth of society. We had no clue that a movie about a Yeti who lives at high altitudes could be so ~*deep~*!
1.
"Blockers" - Trailers are unavoidable when you go to the movies as much as we do. It wasn't just that the trailer for "Blockers" didn't grab us, it was that it actually
repelled us. It looked
so stupid and appeared to have a very regressive message. Needless to say, we had the lowest of low expectations for this one. We were stunned, floored, and flabbergasted when this film turned out to be a remarkably smart comedy that offers a satirical indictment of societal gender roles. It offers an empowering look at how young women can embrace their agency and their sexuality and shows that women actually
want to have sex, a thing that society mistakenly only deems appropriate for young men. "Blockers" is not just great, it's
excellent. Well done to director Kay Cannon, and writers Brian and Jim Kehoe!
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