Written by: Caleb Tiedemann (’25)
With Oscar nominations released and the award ceremony around the corner, it is time for another yearly review of the ups and downs of the entertainment industry that is known as Hollywood. 2023 was both a very serious and silly year for film. With films like Cocaine Bear and Five Nights at Freddy’s being released the B-movie representation was present. Marvel released two critically panned and theatrically bombing films in the form of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and The Marvels. Their third, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, managed to defy expectations but mostly due to the quality of the Guardians movies. James Gunn, as usual, pours heart, soul, and humor into his films and Vol. 3 was no different. With these critical flops appearing almost back-to-back and continuing off of the superhero flops from 2022, Marvel is slowly treading water but losing energy. DC seems to be in a very similar boat with 2023 being the final nail in the coffin for the DCEU before James Gunn does a creative overhaul. A sequel to Shazam! came out and though I found some personal enjoyment in the movie, many other fans did not, resulting in a flop for DC. The Flash was also released and was mostly disliked for its convoluted storyline and ugly visuals (both of which I can confirm to be true). The final flatulent note of the DCEU came in the form of Aquaman: The Lost Kingdom, a film of muddled messages and ideas, inconsistent humor, generic storytelling, and the almost universally disliked Amber Heard. But it was not just the superhero franchises that suffered, there were many sendoffs to beloved franchises aside from the previously mentioned ones. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny was met with very mixed reviews among fans and critics and it provided me with one of the most disappointing, dumbest, plot-hole-ridden, and truly revolting portrayals of modern storytelling that disguised itself as an Indiana Jones film. Poor 80-year-old Harrison Ford is dragged through a terribly written movie that has none of the adventure, character, and heart that the originals contain. Apparently, my feelings were similar to those of others as it drastically underperformed. In other news the pen-ultimate two-parter of the Mission: Impossible franchise came out to fans such as myself who have been watching Tom Cruise do insanely crazy stunts for the past decade. Another send-off came in the form of John Wick: Chapter 4, the well-deserved and intense action film to put the beloved franchise to rest. One of the biggest upsides of this year came from the release of films helmed by popular and beloved directors. M. Night Shyamalan, the beloved horror/thriller director, released Knock at the Cabin, a tense and wonderfully acted film that dealt with familial love and sacrifice in an unconventional and heart-wrenching way. David Fincher released his assassin-led drama The Killer which explored more of the downtime between each job and was received with mixed reactions. Famed director Martin Scorsese released The Killers of the Flower Moon, a brilliant period piece about the horrors the Osage Native-American nation experienced at the hands of greedy and evil white colonizers. The biggest and best releases came around the middle of the year starting with Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Across the Spider-Verse was a beautiful, emotional, and well-done film that touches upon a lot of heavier issues than expected and draws so much heart from its main ensemble. But, the undoubted magnum opus from this year is “Barbenheimer.” These two movies that managed to shake the entire internet up by the vast differences of their subject matter. Christopher Nolan’s epic boasts a talented cast of characters, rushing to create the first atomic bomb. As they get closer and closer to succeeding the weight of what they are doing sets in and the aftereffects shock the entire world. With one of the best endings, stellar pacing, and an around amazing cast, Oppenheimer was a true treat and is definitely worth the awards it is receiving. Barbie, on the other hand, did not meet my expectations in the same way. It was still a very fun movie and I am very aware that I am not considered the target audience. The movie boasts a colorful ensemble of characters and heart and seeks to define questions surrounding womanhood and femininity. Though I do think the morals are a bit clunky, and the writers bit off more than they could chew in terms of the message they sought to convey, I would be foolish to deny Barbie’s cultural impact. This year was another great one for movies as we got a wide variety from all across the film-making spectrum. The summer blockbuster season has never been more ominous and exciting and with independent and unique films coming into the limelight, it seems that Marvel and DC are being pushed back to the shadows. Alas, who knows what the future holds? One thing I can say is that 2024 already has a good roster of films to look forward to! ★
