The Best Movies of 2023 (So Far)

We’re now halfway into 2023, and so far, it’s been an impressive year for movies. 

The biggest and best films in the first six months of the year have ranged from drama to suspense to action to superhero films to remakes of Disney classics that drove people to the theaters. The box office saw some major triumphs with The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Creed III, while critically acclaimed films like Air, The Little Mermaid, and Beau Is Afraid have all the makings of becoming award-show darlings. 

Movie fans have been well-fed so far this year, but ranking the best releases at the halfway point can have its challenges. The earlier months tend to be slower in terms of new releases as the action-packed blockbusters usually drop at the peak of summer, while the Oscar-fodder titles arrive later in the year, closer to award szn. But movie studios delivered, already giving us three massive franchises that became trilogies like Guardians of the Galaxy, Creed, and Ant-Man, while directors M. Night Shyamalan and Ben Affleck delivered some quality entertainment. 

Director: Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic
Starring: Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key, Seth Rogen
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Where to Watch: In theaters

The Super Mario Bros. Movie is about as low stakes as it gets. If you played even a few Mario video games growing up, then this film will be a perfectly fun ride. Does it have its issues? Of course it does, I’d be naive to say otherwise. But an animated movie that stars Chris Pratt as a semi-superhero plumber can’t really be looked at with too critical of an eye. It hits on plenty of nostalgia points with Easter eggs throughout and a very clever early scene that features Mario and Luigi running around the streets of Brooklyn with the screen scrolling by as an homage to early Super Mario games. 

Hardly anchored by a stellar plot or script, The Super Mario Bros. Movie intentionally keeps things as simple as possible and relies on things that the Nintendo audience is already familiar with. We spend time with all the characters we love, we see Mario get a firsthand lesson from Princess Peach on power-ups, and we get to race down Rainbow Road. 

On top of all that, the movie was a hit at the box office, recently becoming the third-biggest animated movie of all time, tallying over $1.2 billion at the domestic and international levels, according to the Hollywood Reporter. In its opening weekend alone (albeit an extended Easter weekend), it racked up $377 million globally, making it the most successful debut of 2023. —Ben Felderstein

Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Starring: Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge, Rupert Grint
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Where to Watch: Peacock

After a few years in the wilderness in the late 2000s, the last stretch of M. Night Shyamalan movies has once more proved the director is unequivocally back in his bag. The best of these late-period films is Knock at the Cabin, a taut thriller about the end of the world. While a family (Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge, and Kristen Cui) vacations at a woodland cabin, they’re held hostage by a quartet of people (led by Dave Bautista) who believe the end of the world is only days away. The only way to prevent it is for the family to sacrifice one of their own. 

The interior of the cabin is excellent for Shyamalan’s staging, which quickly and aptly delivers on that tension-bound premise. As the camera closes in around the two groups, you can feel the walls closing in around everyone as the movie actively interrogates the reality of the question it poses: Are the four lying? 

Even if someone dies, would it make a difference? Is it worth destroying your family to save the world? These thorny questions don’t have clear-cut answers, which makes Cabin endlessly fascinating to sit with throughout its runtime. It’s also here where Bautista elevates his craft, cementing himself as a capably compelling leading man; how he uses his hulking size to juxtapose his calm demeanor and provide Cabin with some of its most impactful moments, resulting in what’s (for now) the year’s best thriller. —William Goodman

Director: Ari Aster
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Patti LuPone, Nathan Lane, Amy Ryan
Distributed by: A24
Where to Watch: In theaters

Beau is Afraid isn’t for everyone. At times, Ari Aster’s three-hour Homerian/Freudian epic feels as if it was conceived and engineered to annoy and frustrate its audience. And yet, that proverbial middle finger is part of its appeal to unabashed sickos such as myself. Beau is bravado filmmaking at its finest, with Aster filling the frame with a seemingly endless array of ideas. You cannot call Beau boring—and it never wants for ambition or scale. 

Regardless of your feelings about the story, there’s no denying Aster's audacious and technical mastery, which creates a surrealistic world that’s a captivating, effective satire in the first half before descending into a nightmare hellscape that evokes feelings of After Hours and Albert Brooks films. That’s to say nothing of Aster’s titular Beau, Joaquin Phoenix, who is the stabilizing anchor amongst the chaos. An absolute trip—in every sense of the word—you can’t help but respect it, even if you don’t like it. —William Goodman

Director: Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley
Starring: Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page, Hugh Grant
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures

Where to Watch: Paramount+

If you saw 2018’s Game Night, you knew writer/director duo Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley had the goods. Game Night is the last great mid-budget studio comedy, and it provided Rachel McAdams with one of the single best line readings of the last decade. The comedic chops of their latest project, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, were never in doubt. The action elements? Well, those were a bit more of a dedicated question. It turns out, they’ve got a good handle on those, too. 

But more than just being a fun action movie with great comedic beats, Honor Among Thieves manages to capture a Guardians of the Galaxy-like spirit of found family amongst its decidedly charming leads (Chris Pine and Michelle Rodriguez are likably entertaining in this, and it gives a lot of emotional depth to Rodriguez in particular). More than that, the movie feels what it’s like to capture an actual D&D campaign, down to the big-name character who only appears for a segment to help the heroes and the inherent situational improv that’s made the game such a mainstay for decades. We’d be so lucky to have other IP-franchise titles be this fun. — William Goodman

Director: Rob Marshall
Starring: Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer-King, Daveed Diggs, Awkwafina, Jacob Tremblay, Javier Bardem, Melissa McCarthy
Distributed by: Walt Disney Pictures
Where to Watch: In theaters

Disney seems intent on bringing the classics out of the vault and flipping them into live-action films to cater to a whole new generation. Their latest attempt at this is The Little Mermaid. The highly-anticipated film is already doing well at the domestic box office, despite the opposition. Whether you’re a traditionalist or simply don’t like change, the new take on this under the sea story might make you reconsider. It’s refreshing and fun, emotional and nostalgic, all in the best ways. The casting is impressive, as well as diverse and multicultural to reflect the world we live in. While Melissa McCarthy and Daveed Diggs were phenomenal in their roles, it is no exaggeration when I say Halle Bailey was born to be Ariel. 

No one else was better suited to play the Disney princess—whose key characteristic is her voice—as much as Bailey is. There’s an air of innocence about her in this role, which paired with Ariel’s curiosity, her defiance against her father and her love for Prince Eric make her a fully fleshed out young woman, not just a helpless princess. The mermaid’s goal was never to simply marry a prince—her goal was always to have the freedom to see more of the world than the one she was born into. Falling in love with Eric was simply an addendum. 

The results of turning our childhood favorites into live-action have been almost insulting at times (I try to forget Aladdin), but The Little Mermaid was done well and may be good enough to revisit over and over again. — Karla Rodriguez

Director: Chad Stahelski
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Bill Skarsgård, Laurence Fishburne, Lance Reddick
Distributed by: Lionsgate
Where to Watch: VOD

When a film series like John Wick goes on as long as it has, there comes an eventual problem with escalation. How do you continue to raise the stakes without retreading what’s come before? Much like the protagonist at its center, John Wick: Chapter 4 addresses this problem head-on, realizing there’s only so much you can do before giving a series an ending. As such, Chapter 4 has a deep sense of finality, as the movie is decidedly interested in providing a conclusion for its titular character. 

Chapter 4 feels more propulsive than prior installments while ratcheting up the stakes and the setpieces. The first two-thirds of the film plays like a remixed version of the first three movies before diving headfirst into a final hour that manages to outdo itself time and time again. Chapter 4 is the series at its very best, with bravado filmmaking that cements the franchise as one of our best action epics and a worthy contender to the litany of Asian action epics that serve as the gold standard for the genre. It’s no shock there’s already discussion of another installment. But Lionsgate would be wise to learn a lesson from this franchise and let sleeping dogs lie. — William Goodman

Director: Michael B. Jordan
Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Jonathan Majors, Tessa Thompson, Florian Munteanu
Distributed by: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Warner Bros. Pictures
Where to Watch: VOD

I watched Creed III a few times in a theater ahead of its release, and every time it was over, I felt better than I did when I walked in. As a fan of the entire franchise, I was both excited and nervous at the thought of Michael B. Jordan taking over as director (and doing so without Sylvester Stallone’s guidance this time around). Starring in and directing a film is not an easy feat for anyone, but Jordan’s debut behind the camera was a valiant effort. Creed III, the third installment in the Creed franchise and another addition to the Rocky universe, served up all the emotions, tension, and aggression that a quality sports film requires in order to qualify as being worthy of a watch. 

While most of the movie was a build-up to the impressive (and slightly rushed) anime-inspired final fight scene, Jordan spent most of the runtime expanding the characters, giving us a backstory into Adonis’ upbringing and setting up his new rivalry with his childhood friend, Damian (Jonathan Majors). As an actor, Jordan also delivered the most emotional depth in III, while also building a world for this franchise outside of Philadelphia and without Stallone (he's still a producer on the project) at its center. I have said this before, but the movie was so captivating from beginning to end that I didn’t notice the actor’s absence until halfway through the movie. 

Majors was an incredible addition as Adonis’ opponent, and it felt like the actor’s performance encouraged everyone around him to step up their game. Tessa Thompson and Jordan’s chemistry as Bianca and Adonis continued to be a highlight in III, as they both faced life together as parents and post-retirement. There are so many ways this story can go, and I’m thrilled to see where they take it from here.  —Karla Rodriguez

Director: James Gunn
Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Will Poulter
Distributed by: Walt Disney Studios
Where to Watch: In theaters

Success is the greatest equalizer. It’s hard to imagine Guardians of the Galaxy as anything but a massive hit in the wake of its success, but at the time of its release in 2014, it was the biggest swing of Marvel’s history. A talking raccoon who partners with a talking tree? A film led by a supporting cast member of an NBC sitcom? The deck was stacked against the James Gunn-written and directed project from the jump—only for him to prove everyone wrong. 

Almost a decade later, Gunn’s conclusive third entry in the (now) franchise comes with a cavalcade of accolades. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the best MCU film since Endgame, caps off the series as the best trilogy in the MCU, and positions a CGI raccoon played by Bradley Cooper as the deeply affecting emotional core. Sweetly satisfying, Vol. 3 is weighty in ways the MCU has outright rejected in recent years, showing a profoundly relatable group who are afraid to show just how much they need one another. In a galaxy full of out-of-this-world ideas, that’s an inherently humanistic theme that makes Vol. 3 such a home run—and makes the naysayers feel like fools for ever doubting this series. — William Goodman

Director: Ben Affleck
Starring: Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Viola Davis, Chris Tucker, Jason Bateman
Distributed by: Amazon Studios
Where to Watch: Prime Video

It doesn’t happen often but there are certain films where it’s noticeable that the filmmakers and stars behind them genuinely believe in it. Air falls into that category. The film, which follows how Nike signed the most important sneaker deal in history with Michael Jordan, is clearly a passion project for both director Ben Affleck and its star Matt Damon. Their enthusiasm and commitment to telling a good story rubbed off on everyone else who was involved, and they delivered a movie that hits various sections of our culture, from sneakers, to sports, to business and beyond. 

The script, written by Alex Convery, was even more enriched when the focus shifted from a movie about a sneaker deal to one that was anchored by Deloris Jordan’s devotion to ensuring that her son was properly compensated as the star she knew he would become. Sonny Vaccaro, played by Damon, also had the foresight to know how monumental Jordan would be to the sport before he ever stepped foot on an NBA basketball court. 

The dance between Vaccaro and Deloris, both driven by their belief in the young basketball star, to ensure that both Nike and Jordan came out victorious in the deal was a delight. Nike CEO Phil Knight, played by Affleck, wasn’t as present in the film as expected but Jordan made sure his mother and Nike executive Howard White (Chris Tucker) were both included in the film as they were central to making the deal a reality. Damon, Davis, and Tucker were also supported by incredible performances by Chris Messina as sports agent David Falk and Jason Bateman as Nike exec Rob Strasser.

Air is not the explosive, action-packed blockbuster film that tends to land in our top spots but it hit all the right notes as the cast and Affleck as director delivered tension, drama, heart, humor, fantastic storytelling, and stellar performances all around. —Karla Rodriguez

Director:  Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson
Starring: Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Brian Tyree Henry, Jake Johnson, Issa Rae, Daniel Kaluuya, Mahershala Ali, Oscar Isaac
Distributed by: Sony Pictures
Where to Watch: In theaters

In 2018, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse came out and completely changed the way the world viewed animated movies. Now, five years later the sequel has arrived and completely one-upped its predecessor in a way that I frankly did not know was possible. 

Clearly spelled out by the name of the film, Across The Spider-Verse, spends the better part of two hours and 16 minutes traversing the multiverse with Miles Morales, Gwen Stacy, Spider-Woman, Spider-Punk, and countless other Spider-variants. 

Throughout the history of Spider-Man, the character has been one of the more moral-conscious heroes we’ve ever come across, and this movie takes the complexities of being Spider-Man (or any Spider-hero) and turns them up to a whole new level. We are pretty familiar with the multiverse now, whether it be through the Spider-Verse or the number of times its been explored in the MCU. But this particular movie uses it in a brand-new way. It’s not about what else is out there; it’s about what is right in front of you and how important it is to hold onto that. 

Every scene in this film feels earned. The character depth that has been created by its directors (Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson) is honestly astounding. They take traditional superhero tropes that have been almost force-fed to us at this point and give them a refreshing twist, while still making it feel natural for a Spider-Man storyline. Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Oscar Isaac, Daniel Kaluuya, and nearly every actor who touched this project truly elevated their characters.

A lot of the time when movies leave off on cliffhangers, you can leave the theater feeling disappointed or seeking closure, but Across the Spider-Verse earned its cliffhanger just about as well as it could have. The ending to this movie was brilliant, and there’s no reason to believe that the conclusion to the story coming next March won’t be just as brilliant. — Ben Felderstein