IAN BUNTING looks back at the best movies of 2017
(12) New Zealander Taika Waititi leads the Thor series in exciting new directions in arguably the funniest Marvel movie yet.
Chris Hemsworth gives a career-best performance as the God of Thunder and it’s wonderful getting to see Jeff Goldblum cut loose.
The colourful visuals are breathtaking and peak with an awe-inspiring, fiery finale.
(12) Gal Gadot rises to the challenge of helping to save the DC Cinematic Universe in Patty Jenkins’wildly entertaining crowd-pleaser.
Jenkins shows a sure hand when it comes to blending human beats with soaring set pieces, with humour, peril and an inspirational heroine combining to make Wonder Woman one of the finest comic book origin stories yet.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
(12) The latest episode of the sci-fi saga is one of its boldest and most surprising entries yet.
Mark Hamill is in career-best form as the returning Luke Skywalker and performances are strong all across the board.
The final third is outstanding as all of the parts come together and genuine shocks leave you reeling. This slick, scary and speedy thrill ride reboot is one of the best adaptation of Stephen King’s work.
Bill Skarsgard chills as evil clown Pennywise and the potty-mouthed young protagonists are the perfect mix of fear, fun and fury.
Tension and drawn-out scares are chosen over severed limbs and stalk-and-slash pursuits to give clowns a whole new bad name.
(12) Sure to leave a beaming smile on your face as you lap up its giddy joy and brilliance, La La Land is another, very different, musical-themed triumph for writer-director Damien Chazelle (Whiplash).
Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling share off-the-charts chemistry and the musical showpieces are astounding, with instantly catchy songs you’ll be humming for days. Spidey’s second reboot is Marvel’s webslinger’s finest movie outing since 2004’s classic Spider-Man 2.
Tom Holland’s charming, excitable lead tangles with high school life, romance and Michael Keaton’s manic-but-grounded antagonist The Vulture.
Jon Watts’dizzying camera work adds scale and peril and there are laughs aplenty courtesy of a riotous script. spades behind the camera and Ryan Gosling shines in a demanding role.
Harrison Ford adds old-school charisma and Sylvia Hoeks’ relentless enforcer makes for a chilling villainess. The score is haunting and hypnotic and vast landscapes lend the film a grandiose scale.
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