10 Most Essential Movies of 2018, Ranked

2018 was a big year for movies. Not just because of the major studio releases, which include some of the biggest superhero films, but also because it was a transitional year. With COVID far off the horizon, studios were still releasing their films theatrically, but streaming services were also making bold moves by attracting auteurs with promises of creative control and funding for their less commercial prospects.

The Academy Awards for the films of 2018 were indicative of the split between populist and arthouse fare, as well as serving as a battleground between streaming and studios. Some of the major winners came from streamers like Netflix, while huge blockbusters also managed to finally gain some serious recognition from the Academy. With such a wild mix between crowd-pleasing efforts and indie originals, 2018 had something to offer even the most discerning moviegoer. These are the ten most essential movies of the year.

10

‘Crazy Rich Asians’ (2018)

Directed by Jon M. Chu

While rom-coms have long since past their golden age of box office prevalence and domination, with the majority now being unceremoniously dropped on streaming services, there are still the occasional theatrical releases that make big waves with audiences. Crazy Rich Asians absolutely dominated the year it was released, and went on to become one of the highest grossing rom-coms of all time.

The film follows a Chinese-American woman (Constance Wu) who travels with her boyfriend (Henry Golding) to Singapore for a wedding, where she meets his family and discovers, as the title implies, they are crazy rich. She also has to contend with her boyfriend’s traditional mother (Michelle Yeoh), who does not approve of her. While the film was not without controversy, particularly in Asian countries where its casting choices were heavily scrutinized, it had a massive impact on its cast and crew, helping director Jon M. Chu become one of the highest grossing directors ever, and it remains an essential 21st century rom-com.

Crazy Rich Asians

Release Date

August 15, 2018

Runtime

121 Minutes

9

‘A Quiet Place’ (2018)

Directed by John Krasinski

Who would’ve thought that one of the biggest modern horror franchises would come from Jim from The Office? John Krasinski entered the world of genre filmmaking with a whisper thanks to the sound-hunting aliens at the heart of A Quiet Place. Krasinski directs and leads the film, alongside wife Emily Blunt, as parents trying to survive in the aftermath of a mass extermination event caused by sight impaired extra-terrestrials with extra-sensitive hearing.

The movie isn’t exactly airtight in terms of plot holes or contrivances, but Krasinski shows a knack for staging extremely suspenseful sequences, Blunt is fantastic as the shotgun-wielding matriarch and the creature design is fittingly scary. It all adds up to one of the best sci-fi horrors of the last ten years that spawned a decent sequel and a better prequel.

A Quiet Place

Release Date

April 3, 2018

Runtime

91 minutes

8

‘Black Panther’ (2018)

Directed by Ryan Coogler

In 2018, Marvel could essentially do no wrong in the eyes of their fans. They were releasing massive hit after massive hit and the year featured the first part of the finale to their Infinity Saga with Avengers: Infinity War. Even more effectual that year, though, was the release of Black Panther. Giving the spotlight to Chadwick Boseman’s T’CHalla under director Ryan Coogler, the superhero hit was a major milestone in representation and recognition for the MCU and the genre at large.

The movie overall has many of the same strengths and weaknesses of the MCU’s other films, but more important than those was the impact the film had on Black audiences seeing major representation in a genre that had been, with few exceptions, ignoring or relegating them to supporting roles. It also features another stellar performance from the late Boseman, who gave the character the same gravitas as he did for real-life heroes like Jackie Robinson and Thurgood Marshall, and one of the best villain castings of the MCU in Michael B. Jordan as Killmonger. With the legacy of Boseman behind it, as well as the legacy of being the first superhero film nominated for Best Picture, Black Panther’s place on the throne is assured.

7

‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ (2018)

Directed by Christopher McQuarrie

When it comes to popcorn escapism, few franchises have had as consistent a run as Mission: Impossible. From the original spy thriller to the upcoming The Final Reckoning, the franchise has found new and inventive ways to stay fresh and attract audiences. The addition of director Christopher McQuarrie, who did uncredited rewrites on Ghost Protocol and sat in the director’s chair starting with Rogue Nation, is one that has greatly contributed to the late stage success of the series.

McQuarrie’s second effort behind the camera for the franchise, Fallout, was one of the biggest action movies of 2018 and one of the best of the last twenty years. Tom Cruise continued to put his life, and ankle, on the line in a series of spectacular stunts, the highlight of which was the HALO jump. Between McQuarrie’s direction, Cruise’s dedication and Henry Cavill reloading his arms, Fallout has become a fan favorite in the action franchise.

6

‘The Favourite’ (2018)

Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos

Yorgos Lanthimos’ absurd period film The Favourite gave audiences in 2018 a wickedly funny dark comedy of English royalty behaving badly by focusing on the power dynamics of three women in the Queendom of Anne. Olivia Colman was given all the flowers for her tempestuous performance as Queen Anne, while Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz are equally acid-tongued as cousins vying for dominance over the Queen’s affections.

They are a perfect triptych of performances, which are elevated by Lanthimos’ signature dry tone. It’s an essential period film that isn’t concerned with historical fidelity and revels in the eroticism of its love triangle and the manipulative machinations of the three women. Lanthimos would reteam with Stone for the equally lauded Poor Things and Kinds of Kindness, and the collaboration continues with the upcoming Bugonia.

The Favourite

Release Date

November 23, 2018

Runtime

120 minutes

5

‘BlacKkKlansman’ (2018)

Directed by Spike Lee

BlacKkKlansman was an incendiary return to form for Spike Lee, whose most recent films had struggled to recapture the passion and fury that had characterized the director’s earlier work. By dramatizing the life of Ron Stallworth, a Black police officer who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan by impersonating a White man over the phone, Lee found a potent story that meshed well with his blunt force tactics for social commentary.

The movie proved timely in its themes, coming in the aftermath of the White supremacist rallies in Charlottesville, North Carolina, as well as being released the same year as the shameless Oscar bait Green Book. It also made a star out of John David Washington and earned Lee some long overdue awards recognition, winning him his first Oscar for his work on the screenplay.

4

‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

Directed by Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey and Rodney Rothman

In a year filled with great superhero movies, the far and away best of 2018 was the animated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Focusing on alternate universe Spider-Man Miles Morales, the movie rejuvenated the superhero formula thanks to its irreverent post-modern storytelling style and dazzling blend of animation. By combining CGI animation with traditional hand-drawn techniques, the film is as close to a living comic book as possible.

With Morales as the emotional anchor, the movie also introduces a host of other Spider-Heroes and a gallery of iconic villains but manages to avoid ever feeling overstuffed by giving each character their individual moments to shine. It walks a webline between honoring the long legacy of its characters while also forging a new path ahead that opens a portal to a world of story possibilities. It’s an action movie masterpiece and one of the best superhero movies ever made.

3

‘Sorry to Bother You’ (2018)

Directed by Boots Riley

One of the most overlooked films of 2018 is also one of the best social satires to come out in the last decade. Boots Riley’s directorial debut Sorry to Bother Your combines magical realism with an anti-capitalist message to make one of the most stirringly original American films of the 2010s.

LaKeith Stanfield plays a telemarketer who finds success when he uses a “white voice” to connect with his callers. As he rises through the corporate ranks, he’s torn between his financial success and engaging in social activism. All of that leads up to one of the wildest mid-film twists that should be enjoyed unspoiled. Riley’s satire certainly won’t be for every taste, but its ambitions put it miles ahead of the blander Hollywood products produced in the same year.

Sorry to Bother You

Release Date

July 13, 2018

Runtime

112 Minutes

Director

Boots Riley

2

‘Hereditary’ (2018)

Directed by Ari Aster

2018 marked the debut of another singular creative voice with Ari Aster’s debut film Hereditary. Mixing familial drama with cult horror, Aster crafted an unsettling story that gets under the viewer’s skin and refuses to leave. Toni Collete gave an Oscar-worthy performance as the emotionally broken matriarch trying like hell to hold her family together in the wake of tragedy. That Collete was completely overlooked by major awards groups remains a massive injustice that highlighted their genre bias.

The rest of the cast is equally compelling, with Gabriel Byrne as the distant father, Alex Wolff as the rebellious teen and Milly Shapiro as the enigmatic youngest child. Along with the performances, the film features a tremendously shocking death scene that sets the rest of it on a course for absolute destruction. Hereditary is the best horror film in a decade filled with amazing horror films, and it hasn’t lost an ounce of its effectiveness.

1

‘Roma’ (2018)

Directed by Alfonso Cuarón

Roma is Alfonso Cuarón’s devastating portrait of a family in Mexico City in the early 70s, as well as the inner life of their live-in housekeeper, and is the director’s most personal film to date that aches with emotion. A semi-autobiographical depiction of the director’s own upbringing, it focuses on Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio), the maid for an upper-middle class family, whose life is upended by an unexpected pregnancy.

Cleo must navigate her own uncertain future as the family itself is thrown into turmoil over the father’s infidelity, along with the turbulence of the real-life El Halconazo massacre that violently interrupts their lives. The film is a true masterpiece by Cuaron in a career filled with great movies. It earned the director his second Academy Award and rightly should have won Best Picture, but its emotional legacy will outlast its awards recognition.

Roma

Release Date

December 14, 2018

Runtime

135 minutes

Director

Alfonso Cuarón