The Best Movie Releases From 2023… So Far
With “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” setting box office records grossing over $1.9 billion combined, 2023 has been a boom for movies ranging from horror to adventure. With the vastly varying genres of movies 2023 has offered so far, critics and fans reveal their favorites.
In January, the year opened with two big horror hits, “M3GAN” and “Infinity Pool”. Critics applaud “M3GAN” for its blend of horror and comedy, straying away from the classic horror movie cliches. This creates a new refreshing feel for fans who are bored by the typical horror movie experience. As for “Infinity Pool”, fans loved the philosophical and intriguing meanings behind each scene, which appealed to those who love oddness and madness within a movie.
During the months of February and March, Marvel fans were anticipating the movie “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” while horror fans anticipated “Scream VI”. While Marvel fans had mixed reviews of “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania”, most fans loved it because it set up the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s future. “Scream Vl” became another box office hit for Paramount+ because it kept originality within the “Scream” franchise and expanded its concept with new rules and locations.
“The Super Mario Bros. Movie” and “The Little Mermaid” were released in April and May. Older Nintendo fans were nostalgic after the release of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” because of its earlier game references. Without a doubt, fans loved the live-action version of “The Little Mermaid” because it brought diversity to Disney with Halle Bailey playing the lead role of Ariel, becoming an inspiration for young black girls.
Summer, of course, had big hits such as “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse", “Barbie”, and “Oppenheimer”. Critics praised “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" because of its new style of animation, bringing its comic book aspect to life. Fans loved it because it presented such relatable, diverse, and compassionate characters. Its high action and comedic storyline attracted fans ranging from 5-50. “Barbie”, as expected, was the biggest hit of the summer. Fans and critics were smitten with the Barbie movie because the film presented themes of women’s empowerment, self-discovery, and the patriarchal system. There were other aspects of the film that fans loved as well such as the soundtrack and diversity. As for “Oppenheimer”, critics were delighted to see the amazing visuals the movie presented. Fans were fascinated with the movie because it was based on a true story about the creation of the atomic bomb during World War II.
Within the first months of fall, the release of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” and “The Nun II” in August and September sent fans and critics into a frenzy. “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” was immediately popular among younger audiences because of how relatable the characters were. Fans loved how the characters were actually behaving as teenagers rather than adults, as in past movies in the franchise. Critics enjoyed “The Nun II” because of its improvement from the first movie. It was more intense and gorier, which hooked horror fans.
As 2023 is nearing its end, fans anticipate more movies such as: “Wonka”, “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes”, “The Marvels” and more to keep this cinematic boom going leading into Oscar season.