Usually year on year, this list is fairly hard to compile however I must admit, I was fairly surprised at how easy it was to come up with this Top 5 List. Of course, “Best” film is just an opinion so there’s really no need to lambast me with criticisms for leaving some films in or some films out. Either way it’d be great to know what your opinion is. So without further adieu, I present my favourite films of 2009:
5 - Ponyo
An animated adventure centered on a 5-year-old boy and his relationship with a goldfish princess who longs to become human.
From the inspirational director Hayao Miyazaki comes yet another animated masterpiece. It’s so refreshing that in a day and age where Ice Age and Up tend to rule the box offices that there’s still a place for amazing Studio Ghibli animated films. This eco-orientated film is a stunning piece of art that really does bring a smile to the face no matter what age group you are. Not only does this film bring about a great message to it’s audiences, Miyazaki manages to draw in it’s audiences and make them really connect with the onscreen characters over a relatively short 103 minutes. Either way this is probably my favourite feel good film of the year.
4 - The Hurt Locker
Forced to play a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse in the chaos of war, an elite Army bomb squad unit must come together in a city where everyone is a potential enemy and every object could be a deadly bomb.
What may look like your run of the mill action/suspense/thriller movie will have you leaving this film with a real connection to the three main protagonists of the film. An incredible onscreen performance by Jeremy Renner who plays the cowboy bomb disposal technician with underlying psychological issues is met with an enticing storyline that leaves you gripped to your seat wondering where the film will turn. I won’t spoil the scene but it leads to an absolute heart wrenching scene with an Iraqi boy that’ll make you feel like as if you were in Baghdad itself.
3 - Star Trek
A chronicle of the early days of James T. Kirk and his fellow USS Enterprise crew members.
Let me just preface this by saying that no, I am not a Star Trek fanboy, in fact I am firmly rooted in the Star Wars camp. Yet this film was easily the second most anticipated film I was looking forward to seeing in 2009 and it definitely lived up to it’s expectations. Say what you will about the predictability of high budget Hollywood films such as this, but it took a massive change from the 2002 flop that was Nemesis. With a refreshing origins story, J. J. Abrams has really pushed forward the Star Trek franchise onto a new and younger generation. This turned out to be a surprisingly beautiful film despite perhaps the over-use of lens flare in the cinematography but either way, my jaw literally dropped open at the sight of the giant ship Narada emerging from a black hole. Also a massive mention has to go to Michael Giacchino for probably the most phenomenal soundtracks of the year.
2 - District 9
An extraterrestrial race forced to live in slum-like conditions on Earth suddenly finds a kindred spirit in a government agent who is exposed to their biotechnology.
I must admit, I’d actually heard very very little about this film going into the cinema to see it (much like The Hurt Locker) and what I saw was cinema genius. Every little thing about this movie is so well thought out not only from the very well documented undertones of racial prejudice and social divides but also from a technical standpoint. The pacing in this film is something that all film directors should be looking at, there were moments where the film was nice and narrative, moments where the thrilling action came in, but at no point during the film did you think that it wasn’t going anywhere or that there was a part left unexplained or too heavily emphasised. Sharlto Copley has to take the awards next year for his incredible ability in conveying the rose as the tormentor of “The Prawns” to his brilliant re-birth. No stops were taken in ensuring a very real experience to what is essentially a science fiction about prawn like aliens.
1 - Avatar
A paraplegic marine dispatched to the moon Pandora on a unique mission becomes torn between following his orders and protecting the world he feels is his home.
Say what you will about the plotline, but Avatar definitely deserves to be at the top of the list this year even if it’s on sheer visual quality alone. What I’ve said time and time again, you have to see this film on an IMAX screen and in 3D. You just cannot settle for anything less. From the very first scene, you’re left being sucked into the film feeling like as if you’re on Pandora itself. The film is almost 3 hours of engrossing visual effects that you will never have seen the likes of before. The true legacy that this film will leave behind is that it has changed movie making history. This half a billion mammoth of a project that’s spanned 15 years in the making, has revolutionised not only the way technology creates such amazing cinematography but also how directors direct their cameras. Much of the film’s Sure the plotline may have been a little cliched and if anything, runs way too close to the likes of Pocahontas (1995) and the likes of Call Me Joe (1957) but that doesn’t mean to say that it’s a bad story. I think all the hype about it having a bad plotline is simply because the visual effects are so stunning that there’s high expectation for the plot to be “just as stunning”. The casting in this film was almost perfect. Sigourney Weaver as the tough lead scientist should definitely get an award for best supporting actress. Much has been made of Zoe Saldana’s performance as the heroine of the Na’vi people yet I think just as much credit should go to Sam Worthington as his role as the protagonist of the story. Stephen Lang, the face of evil, definitely deserves recognition in what was a very Apocalyse Now vietnam war general-esque role in the film. All in all, this is an absolute must see film.
Most Disappointing Films of 2009
Just thought I may as well throw in my two cents over what I thought was either over hyped or just a plain bad film:
- Dragon Ball: Evolution
- Fighting
- All About Steve
And there you have it, with 2009 now fading in the memory, here’s to 2010 and hopefully a fantastic year for film (that said, Karate Kid looks to be going the way of Dragon Ball =[ ).
(All plot summaries are from their respective IMDB pages)
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