There was certainly no shortage of fantastic films released in 2023 with plenty of releases that were well worth spending your hard-earned money to see on the big screen. This year’s list is wonderfully varied with some of the most anticipated films of the year but many films that surprised us.

Here are our picks for the Top 10 Movies of 2023.

10. Poor Things

The team of director Yorgos Lanthamos, writer Tony McNamara and star Emma Stone come together again and, just like The Favourite, Poor Things is a black comedy that you can’t help but laugh at. This fantastical Frankenstein-esque story is a wonderful tale of a woman’s self-discovery and sexual liberation with Emma Stone a marvel as Bella, completely deserving of all the praise coming her way, while Mark Ruffalo and Willem Dafoe are brilliant in their supporting roles. In a year filled with bold and unique films, this one still stands out and feels like something special.

– Ashley

9. John Wick: Chapter 4

How the John Wick franchise managed to get to four films and a TV show spin-off at this stage is amazing. It all started with a man wanting to get revenge for his dog. Even more shocking: at four films, this one just outdone the action again. With the bullet dancing and blocking now playing out like a ballet, the hand-to-hand combat between John and his enemies is as visceral as ever, even at nearly three hours — this is the best entry in the series with a combination of gut-punching moments, awe-dropping car scenes and a stellar finale for John and the series.

– Dylan

8. Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning: Part One


Is this going to be the final Mission Impossible film split into two? Who knows, but it seems like this could be Tom Cruise’s final run at Ethan Hunt in an adventure that’s got him facing off against an AI using someone from his past to do its dirty work. Are some of the narrative threads too meta? Sure. Can the script get a bit wonky? Sure. But damn if it isn’t a lot of fun, especially with the introduction of Hayley Atwell as Grace, who I can’t wait to see return for the second part. 

– Dylan

7. Talk to Me

The background to Talk to Me is so odd. It is a film in which the concept comes from the creator of Bluey, and the directors are first-timers from Australia who had previously done YouTube videos. It did well at Sundance, got picked up by A24, and became a global sensation. It’s well deserved, though, as the best horror film from 2023. Talk to Me has likeable characters, a fantastic cast and practical effects to impress any horror fan. At its heart, it’s a story of a young girl who misses her mother so much that she’s willing to play too much with something that shouldn’t be meddled with. 

– Dylan

6. Killers of the Flower Moon

I read the book on which Killers of the Flower Moon is based before seeing the film, yet I still couldn’t be prepared for how gripping and sad Martin Scorsese’s film would be. For some people, three hours on the horrors of how white men took colonization as a given and their right, but much like a lot of American history, it seems like a weak gut not to face the history that’s there, simply because it wasn’t talked about in schools. All the actors are at the top of their game, and anyone working with Scorsese gives their a-game as he’s a master of his craft, which he once again shows with one of 2023’s best films.

– Dylan

5. Suzume

You can describe Suzume as a film about a talking chair trying to chase down a magical cat with a young girl helping out. You can also describe it as a road trip, visiting and showing the destruction of natural disasters like the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. The truth is, of course, that both statements are true. Suzume is a lot more literal than the previous films from Makoto Shinkai. Where Your Name used the earthquake for a very fantastical love story, and Weathering With You is rather symbolic in how it talks about climate change; Suzume is telling a history of Japan. It’s a film showing the raw fury of nature and using that to show how it affects people like Suzume herself, but also the larger Japan and how a cultural event like the earthquake and tsunami in 2011 can infect a mass trauma. This black hole can grow in the middle of a town. It’s a beautiful film with fantastic animation, and although very funny, it’s the melancholy story that pulls at your heartstrings, making it one of the year’s best films.

– Dylan

4. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

After having a massive and lasting impact on the animation industry, the team behind Into The Spider-Verse returned with Across the Spider-Verse and experimented even further with what can be achieved in animation. Each frame is a piece of art, from the beautiful watercoloured world of Gwen Stacy to the stop-motion Lego Spider-Man world to the painstakingly animated agent of chaos Spider-Punk. All of this is in service of a stellar film filled with laughs, action and emotional moments befitting Spider-Man’s legacy. A film I’ll happily rewatch again and again.

– Ashley

3. Barbie

If it’s true that there was a shortage of pink paint due to its requirement for the production of Barbie, it was more than truly worth it. A fantastic comedy that explores the legacy and impact of Barbie while also addressing issues with feminism and toxic masculinity. Margot Robbie is great as Stereotypical Barbie with a nuanced performance while also having broad moments and great lines. Ryan Gosling is perfect as Ken, almost stealing the show with his love of horses and ability to beach. Filled with a great ensemble cast and with incredible production design, Barbie is a film you’re happy to see perform so successfully at the box office.

– Ashley

2. Past Lives

A beautiful drama that explores the nature of relationships with two childhood friends who reconnect after one immigrates to North America from Korea. Celine Song delivers a personal story that feels like a universal one but which never falls into the trap of being cliche or negative. Greta Lee, Teo Yoo and John Magaro all give amazing performances with so much of what is said in the film told in body language and almost silent shots. A film that breaks your heart in a good way.

– Ashley

1. Oppenheimer

The story of a bunch of physicists working out how to make the atomic bomb doesn’t sound like the most riveting potential movie, but here we are with Christopher Nolan again showing why he is one the best directors working today. Following the life of Robert Oppenheimer, played brilliantly by frequent Nolan collaborator Cillian Murphy, the story is told in a beautiful non-linear fashion with the juxtaposed story of Lewis Strauss’ Senate confirmation hearing for Secretary of Commerce. Despite playing with time, the story is always clear and always interesting. With one of the most stacked casts ever assembled, a wonderfully fitting Ludwig Göransson score and mind-blowing visual effects headlined by the Trinity Test, this could be considered Nolan’s best work to date.

– Ashley