Movies are one of the few things left in this world that can bring all different kinds of people together. Of course, some movies are not without controversy. One thing is for certain: Americans are huge movies fans. As Hollywood movie studios have increased budgets over the last few decades, we have been able to witness many visually spectacular films. “Avatar The Way of Water”, “Avengers: Endgame” “Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens”, “Fast X” and “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” all had a production budget over 300 Million dollars. All of those movies made more than double the cost to make. Unfortunately, not every movie fairs as well. Just because you spend more money, doesn’t necessarily mean the movie is better. For instance, “Wonder Woman 1984” had a production budget of 200 million dollars and just made a little over 166 Million dollars worldwide.

Criteria

Here, I’ve compiled a list of the years’ most intriguing movies thus far. Of course, we still have 4 months left in the year and surely more great movies are set to release during that time. This list is a combination of movies that I have seen and can highly recommend, as well one movie I am dying to see which is critically acclaimed. Every other movie on this list I have watched and thoroughly enjoyed to the max. For the sake of quality, I did not include any movies from the horror genre. This was due to the fact that the genre as a whole is very love or hate. Even amongst horror fans, some people say a movie made them laugh, while others say it was terrifying. Often people lie and are scared, but ironically don’t want to admit it. Hilarious when you think about it. Anyway, here is a list of 2023’s “Must-See” movies!

• Air

  “Air” starring Ben Affleck and Matt Damon follows the epic make or break moment for Nike. The film focuses on the quest for landing the biggest sports star ever Michael Jordan. Sunny Vaccaro played by Matt Damon is insistent that the company can land Jordan as the brand’s signature athlete despite Jordan’s team and everyone else stating otherwise. Without revealing any spoilers to those who haven’t seen it, it’s an incredible journey that many wouldn’t have known took place. I found this movie fascinating and perhaps my most enjoyable watch of the year. Highly recommend watching “Air” whether you are a basketball fan or not, It’s that good.

• Super Mario Bros

  “Super Mario Bros” is exceptional for a few reasons. It’s family friendly yet not childish, so viewers of all ages can enjoy the movie. As someone who’s played Mario Kart like millions upon millions of people, this is a perfect videogame adaptation. Many movies have failed when attempting to turn a videogame into a movie, even Mario failed back in 1993 with their first try of “Super Mario Bros”. Other notable failures include “Assassins’ Creed”, “Need for Speed”, “Mortal Kombat” and many more. “Super Mario Bros” (2023) is a fun adventure that satisfies fans of the old games, new, and the average kid who just loves fun movies.

• Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 3

  “Guardians” is not for the faint of heart. This movie is an exceptional finale to the series (at least it looks that way). As always there are laughs to be had and a ton of action, this movie in particular has some truly heartbreaking scenes that can be a tough watch. I am a firm believer that part of the makeup of a great film is that it causes the viewer to feel something. “Guardians Vol. 3” did just that, we learn the origin story of Rocket Raccoon and it’s filled with trauma both for their character and viewer alike. Considering all of this and how the plot plays out I deem this movie a “Must Watch” for all.

• Barbie

  I know there is a lot of noise on both sides that is really hard to avoid about this movie. Some people will complain it’s too political, others will say it’s an empowering feminist masterpiece and so on. I want you to know that the movie is what you make it. I for one just watched this film for what it was (my wife dragged me there). To my surprise the movie was actually quite good. Lots of comedy and I think a lot of people confuse it to be a movie for little girls. There’s a lot of concepts and dialogue that is simply not geared towards children. Not saying the movie is inappropriate however it’s definitely catered towards teenagers and adults. Concepts of the patriarchy and individualism are at the forefront. At the end of the day the movie is what you make it, I for one took away at the end especially, that humans live a very intense life and have so many different strong emotions and hardships that are felt throughout that life. It really makes you think.

• Peter Pan and Wendy

  This is one of my favorite movies of the year. What stands out to me about this film is the relationship between Captain Hook and Peter Pan. Maybe I missed it in previous adaptations, but I learned a lot more about how Hook truly misses Pan and how he couldn’t hold on to his childhood like Peter. Hook left Neverland because he missed his Mom dearly and by the time he came back to Neverland he had changed and Peter did not accept him as his friend anymore. I don’t care what Peter Pan super fans say but I think this movie is great and worth a watch.

• Dungeons & Dragons Honor Among Thieves

  Here’s a good movie for all the nerds out there including myself. Although I didn’t play Dungeons & Dragons growing up, I am a big fan of the genre as a whole. This is yet another great adaptation of a game turned into a movie that was widely beloved by moviegoers.

• Oppenheimer

  Here’s the one movie I have yet to see at the time of me writing this article. “Oppenheimer” is a smash hit at the box office and for good reason. This movie focuses on the creation of the design and creation of the atomic bomb. Really honing in on the deep discussions that took place into the morality of unleashing such a weapon and how its creation would change the world forever.

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