The year 2016 saw the release of some of the most iconic and path breaking movies being released worldwide.
Following are the 50 best movies released:
Captain America: Civil War
The highest grossing flick of 2016, Captain America: Civil War was a successful conclusion to the trilogy of one of Marvel Universe’s favourite heroes, Captain America. The film’s central theme is the rift between the comics’ favourite characters, Captain America and Iron Man. The film was successful in every manner and included fantastic acting by the cast and a brilliant set of action scenes.
Deadpool
A Ryan Reynolds starrer, the movie is based on another Marvel Universe comic character, Deadpool, who first appeared in X-men: Wolverine movie franchise in 2009 as one of the characters. A great combination of both action and comedy, this film was the 9th highest grossing movie at the box office in 2016.
Zootopia
Another class animation by Walt Disney films, Zootopia, was the 4th highest grossing motion picture of 2016 and received many accolades in terms of Academy nominations and awards. The theme of the movie revolves around the teaming up of a rabbit police officer and a red fox con artist to uncover the mysterious disappearance of predatorous inhabitants of the metropolis.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
It was a boost to the moods for Harry Potter followers who thought the chronicles of wizards had ended. The movie is a prequel to Harry Potter series and is the first motion picture based on wizards to win an Academy award. The movie is centred around the protagonist, Newt Scamander who sets out on a quest to catch magical beasts under the very nose of muggles (non-wizarding people).
X-Men: Apocalypse
Another feature from the X-Men series, where the superhero mutants are out to save the world. The team gears up together to protect the world from a powerful and ancient mutant who awakens after a long slumber, aiming to wipe out the modern civilization. Though the movie did not receive much critical acclaim, it was still was loved by the fans.
La La land
A highly acclaimed musical romantic drama, La La Land was an at an Academy Award tie with Titanic and was nominated for the most number of categories at the Oscars. It was nominated for 11 out of the total and deservingly won 5. It is a beautiful love story revolving around Ryan Gosling as a jazz pianist and Emma Stone as an aspiring actress.
Arrival
Selected by the Academy as one of the ten best movies of 2016, it won an Academy Award for ‘Best Editing’. The film was hailed to be a statement film in all of the extra-terrestrial franchises. The film plot revolves around the U. S Army recruiting a linguist to communicate with the aliens who’ve landed on earth, to know why they came.
Hell, or High Water
A rather unusual name but a well-applauded film with numerous Oscar nominations. The motion project places itself around two brothers, who are on a trail of bank robberies to help save their family ranch, they are pursued by rangers from Texas.
Moonlight
Moonlight became the firsts in many aspects. The first to be hailed as an ‘all black film’, for its completely African-American cast, it is the first LGBT centric film to win accolades in the mainstream, it also, roots the first black women to win an Oscar for Editing and the first Muslim to win for acting. The movie isn’t just another film Afro-Americans but quite a distinguished one. The film talks about the different stages of the life of the protagonist and his struggles with his sexuality and identity.
Manchester by The Sea
A beautiful story of a man, who has been entrusted with the responsibility of caring for his nephew, after the death of his brother. It proved its credible worth by winning the Academy Award for best actor and best original screenplay at the Oscars.
Batman vs Superman
Though a Box Office disappointment and was severely critiqued for its screenplay and storyline, the film yet managed to couple up a few profits. The central battle shown between Batman and Superman awed the DC Universe fans.
Rogue One: Star Wars
The movie portrays an action filled, mission driven pursuit by a group of rebels who pursue to steal a super-weapon, but of course, to save the world from it eventually. It became the 2nd highest grossing motion picture of 2016.
Jackie
Revolving around the life of Jackie Kennedy as the ‘First Lady”, the movie traces her life after her husband, J. F Kennedy’s assassination. The film received many nominations from the Academy and Natalie Portman’s portrayal as Jackie in the play was applauded highly.
The Jungle Book
Inspired by the famous book by Rudyard Kipling, titled the same of collective stories and Walt Disney’s original animation movie, The Jungle Book was a commercial success all over the world. It retells a fantastic adventure film of a boy out on a path of self-discovery when Sherkhan(the antagonist) threatens him to leave the Jungle.
Passengers
An unusual romantic flick starring Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence, the movie is set in a spaceship. The protagonists are awakened from an induced hibernation, which was meant to transport people on the ship to a distant planet to colonise. The movie was highly acclaimed and nominated for Academy Awards.
Doctor Strange
The story revolves around a surgeon who learns the mystic arts to help himself and the world after his career receives a setback. The superhero character, portrayed wonderfully by Benedict Cumberbatch, received many acclaims
Moana
A Walt Disney animated feature film, which was released alongside Zootopia, the movie received acclaim and nominations for Best Animation. The movie sets around Moana, who is a strong-willed daughter of their village chief. She is chosen by the powers of the ‘Ocean’ to return back a mystical relic of a Goddess. She sets out on the look for the recipient demigod to return the ‘Heart of Te Fiti’ in order to save her people from disaster.
Hail, Caesar
This film is known for its elite star-cast including Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Scarlett Johnson, Channing Tatum, Ralph Fiennes and many more. A comedy, the film is about a fixer who works in Hollywood, he sets out to find, what actually happened to a cast member since they’d vanished during the filming of a Biblical epic movie.
Finding Dory
A sequel to the 2003 movie, ‘Finding Nemo’ the movie revolves around Dory, Nemo’s father’s amnesiac friend, who is out on the quest of finding her parents in the oceans of the world. The film had the biggest opening in North America and grossed over 1 billion becoming the 3rd largest grosser of 2016, marking commercial as well as critical success.
Sing Street
A musical comedy, the movie is about a boy who starts a band to impress a girl. It is a first in International co-production between the UK, USA, and Ireland. The film went was received positively by critics and got a nomination in the Academy as well.
Everybody wants some!
Dubbed as a ‘chill-pill’ comedy, it’s a movie about college baseball players in Texas. While it did not mark as a breakthrough in financial benefits, it was acclaimed greatly by the critics.
10, Cloverfield Lane
A spine-chilling psychological horror, the film received a pragmatic response from the critics and the audiences for its brilliant performances. The unique feature, of a third person narrative, is applaudable. The story revolves around a woman who, after a car accident, finds herself in an underground bunker with 2 other men, who insist that the earth’s surface has become inhabitable.
Silence
For period drama and history lovers, this film is a commendable creation focusing on Christian Catholicism. Two Jesuits from Portugal sets out to locate their mentor and spread Christianity in Japan during the time when suppression of Japanese Roman Catholics was on the high. It is considered as one of the best works of the writer, Scorcese and received a nomination for the Academy Awards.
Fences
Set in the 1950’s, the movie is about an Afro-American father, who raises his family while clinching with his life. The movie was nominated for many Academy Awards and Golden Globe. Denzel Washington’s work was praised highly.
