2008 Movies In Review: The Best

Now that we’ve gotten through 2008 Movies In Review: The Worst, let’s end the year on a high note with the best movies of 2008! These films are the cream of the crop this year, and should be on everyone’s must-see/must-own list.

2nd Runners-Up: 4 Stars

While the film was not as good as some claimed (and probably would not have done the business it did if Heath Ledger hadn’t passed away earlier in 2008) and the secondary storyline wasn’t given it’s entire due, Dark Knight (2008) was still a definite must-see this year.

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Jodie Foster in a fish-out-of-water role and Gerard Butler as her imaginary hero was enough to get us into Nim’s Island (2008) and keep us there – but it was the loveable critters that abound through the film that really helped make this family film extraordinary.

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Spawning pre-movie drink parties and adored by women, Sex And The City (2008) proved not only that HBO television series live on after they are cancelled, but that women moviegoers are a major factor even during the mainly guy-oriented summer months.

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Stiller, Black and Robert Downey Jr. in blackface proved they are comedy gold in this past summer’s Tropic Thunder (2008), but it was a supporting cast that included Nick Nolte and a hilarious Tom Cruise that very nearly stole the show completely.

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Timur Bekmambetov finally delivered on the promise of Day Watch with the high-octane Wanted (2008), where we discovered James McAvoy isn’t half bad as an action star – and shoot-em-up Angelina Jolie is the ultimate action heroine – even putting the computerized Lara Croft to shame.

1st Runner-Up: 4.5 stars

Jon Favreau’s started our summer out right, and everything else was hard-pressed to keep up. Not only did the film make Robert Downey Jr. the comeback king of the 2008 summer (even beating out Indiana Jones), the film was a mind-blowing special effects extravaganza that managed to keep the viewer focused on the storyline even while the impressive fireworks were happening on-screen.

The Cream Of The Crop: 5 stars

We tend to reserve 5 star ratings (a perfect score) for films that we enjoyed so much we don’t think there is any reall room for improvement. 5 star movies are as good as it gets – and are few and far between. This year, that perfect score was only given to one film: WALL-E (2008), Pixar’s computerized vision that blew us away with it’s wonderful storyline, bits of comic genius and adorable creations.

So there you have it: the best films we’ve found so far for 2008! Do these top your list too, or do you think we’re way off base? Leave a comment and let us know!