Movies of 2016

It's probably doesn't have a lot of rewatch value, but sometimes that's okay. As it is, the film does an incredible job of remaining taut and suspenseful throughout its runtime and serves as a clever and completely different sequel to the original Cloverfield.

A movie that will probably prove to be the next step in the evolution of comic book movies, Deadpool brings R-Rated, raunchy comedy to superhero films which lifts up an otherwise forgettable script.

Civil War has innumerable things going for it - introduction of several great new characters, a plotline that seems as if it's what Avengers 2 should've been, and continues several storylines set up in acclaimed Cap sequel The Winter Soldier. Unfortunately, it's ultimately hampered by an ending where nearly every storyline is left with a definite "To Be Continued" placard.

While flawed in some very key areas - including a shockingly poor interpretation of one of its titular characters, as well as a campy, obnoxious version of Lex Luthor - Zack Snyder's attempted superhero epic reaches higher than most superhero movies have in years. Otherwise executed marvelously in nearly every way - acting, art design, cinematography, score, fight choreography and more - the successes of the film lift it above the flaws of its script to place it as one of my favorite films of the year so far.

Despite several very good movies, the X-Men series has never really felt like the true, comic book interpretations of its star characters. Apocalypse begins to right that wrong; meshing some of the best of First Class with the promise of the 1990s heyday of X-Men. Its cliched and uninteresting villain ultimately holds the movie back from greatness.

It's a solid disney movie, checking all of the boxes you'd expect for a quality children's film. But it lacks a certain uniqueness and tries a bit too hard to be culturally current.

While still featuring several of the unfortunate tropes that have plagued DC Animated Movies in recent years, JLvTT offers just enough cleverness and heart to make it one of the better in Superhero direct-to-video movies.

A noticeable improvement over its predecessor, Into Darkness, Star Trek Beyond puts the Star Trek franchises squarely in the category of marvelous well-executed blockbusters. However, while it works for the film, there'll always be a part of me that wishes the Star Trek series could be a little more Gene Roddenberry philosophy, and a little less Mission: Impossible style simplistic action movie.

The long awaited animated adaptation of the classic Batman story finds itself hampered by an at best completely unnecessary and often downright gratuitous original prologue. Press stop after the first 30 minutes, and you're looking at a very bad film. Skip the first 30 minutes, and it's everything you hope it would be.

Probably the greatest sin these "New52" style DC animated movies commit is being wholly mediocre. There's nothing offensively bad about Bad Blood, but it squanders great characters and storylines in favor of needless but seemingly obligatory action sequences.

As of this writing, the worst film I've seen of 2016. While it features of bevy of likable characters and genuinely clever concept, the film seems to have been torn to shreds in the editing room, leaving a rudderless, disjointed film that - while fun at times - can be in no way considered good.