Although box office figures may have come down in the US, there's no denying that 2017 has seen some incredible movies make their way through cinemas.
As well as our full list of the best of 2017, we also have the worst and the ones you may have missed throughout 2017 that are definitely worth checking out. As with every year, we've compiled our list based on films released in Ireland throughout the year, which is why you're seeing the likes of Moonlight, Get Out and La La Land in consideration.
On top of all that, we've also got a poll so you can vote on which of the entries should have made it to No.1.
If ever there has been a film that's divided people so thoroughly and fully, it's mother! How divisive are we talking here? It's so divisive that it ALSO features on our Worst Of 2017 list as well. mother! was only one of a handful of five-star reviews we gave out this year, so it seemed unfair to dismiss it from the Best Of 2017 list. So, with that in mind, we'll simply link you to the original review and let you decide for yourself.
There was the initial release, when people praised it as a beautiful reminder to Hollywood's luscious golden age of musicals. Then came the backlash and endless thinkpieces about what it got wrong about jazz, how Ryan Gosling's character was talking down to Emma Stone's throughout, and so on and so on. It's almost a year since La La Land has passed through cinemas, and it still holds some kind of resonance with people. It's still talked about, still picked over and referenced, and the beauty of it all still shines through on repeat viewings. Sure, it was schmaltzy and obvious, but who cares when it's this joyous?
8. JOHN WICK: CHAPTER TWO / WONDER WOMAN
Yes, we're breaking rules - but, to be fair, both of these films exist because of broken rules. Wonder Woman, by far, smashed through box-office records and helped give a shot of life to the ailing DC Expenaded Universe with Patty Jenkins' lush direction and Gal Gadot's star-making performance. Nobody's ever seen a comic-book blockbuster with a female lead in front of the camera and a female director behind it. John Wick: Chapter Two and any action sequel for that matter, quite honestly, has absolutely no business whatsover being this good. Blisteringly paced with some of the sharpest action choreography since John Woo's Hard-Boiled.
While it hasn't exactly been a bumper year for comedies, Death Of Stalin can stand tall as the best comedy of 2017 and one of the best political comedies of the past 50 years. Armando Iannucci's barbed, battery-acid drenched humour is in full effect throughout that swings between Carry On caper and jet-black comedy, all anchored by stellar ensemble performances from Jason Isaacs, Steve Buscemi, the unusually-cast-but-excellent-nonetheless Rupert Friend, and Simon Beale. On top of all this, you have a fascinating parable about the lengths people will go to convince themselves of a bad idea - made all the more potent in the era of Brexit and Trump.
6. WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES
Leaving aside the incredible technical prowess demonstrated through its its motion-capture and CGI artistry, War For The Planet Of The Apes offers an unusual take on post-apocalyptic dramas and their settings. How many in this specific subgenre have you watched where you'e actively rooting for the end of human civilisation? While Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes offered more in the sense of frustration of communication, War... had a far more pointed observation - simply, that it was time to start over and begin again somewhere else, away from what had failed so miserably. Andy Serkis' performance not only shined through CGI, but also complimented it in a way that hasn't been seen since. If this is to be the end of the trilogy, it'll go down as easily the best third-act yet created.
There's been endless arguments about the necessity of Blade Runner 2049, and while there's some convincing arguments, it can't be argued that the film wasn't made with care and diligence by Denis Villeneuve. You could see so clearly throughout the film that he'd agonised over every shot, every texture and every scene in the way that Ridley Scott did in 1982. Not only that, Harrison Ford gave one of his best performances in year as Deckard, fully embracing the nature of his character from the first and blending it with a totally new arc on the story. Likewise, Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch's score worked within the context of Vangelis' original, while adding some refreshing twists to it all. The real standout, of course, was Roger Deakins' breathtaking cinematography - which has to, HAS TO, win him an Oscar.
While there's obvious comparisons to be made between this and Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven or even George Stevens' Shane, Logan has its own story and mythology to service and does so with the same grace and elegance that Eastwood did. Nobody else could have played the role the way Hugh Jackman did, and it's a testament to his commitment that he saved his best for last with Logan. Dafne Keen, meanwhile, broke out as the relatively-mute X-23 and built a convincing, believable dynamic between the two. The real star of the cast, however, is Patrick Stewart. Although it's so often said that Stewart is one of the great Shakesperean actors of our time, his performance here is so human, raw and vulnerable that it becomes unbearable when the expected happens. By far, the best comic-book movie - if you could reasonably call it that - of 2017.
3. MOONLIGHT
Moonlight might have shocked many when it beat La La Land for the Best Picture Oscar last year (especially given that La La Land was accidentally announced initially...) but the praise and accolades this emotive drama received are totally deserved. Based on a semi-autobiographical play by Tarell Alvin McCraney, the film looks at three chapters of the childhood, teenage years and adulthood of Chiron as he comes to terms with his sexuality and learns what kind of man he wants to become.
Channeling Rod Serling and The Twilight Zone, Get Out's impact is still felt and has so firmly entrenched itself in popular culture since its release in February that it felt like the film's been out for years. What's more, Daniel Kaluuya's performance makes it more than just a straight-forward protagonist in a bad situation; it's imbued with the knowledge that while it may be a heightened way of dealing with racial issues, it's still very much relevant and prescient. The film's loaded with fascinating imagery too, from the use of stag heads as a reference to an outdated racial epithet to the fact that picking cotton eventually saves the central character, Get Out is wickedly intelligent and disturbingly funny in parts.
It seems odd that some of the more stuffier film critics are only now beginning to appreciate Christopher Nolan's talent when he's used them all in previous efforts. That said, they've never come together more harmoniously than they have here. From the opening scene right through the climax, Dunkirk is laden with oppressive dread and experiencing it in a cinema is a physical experience - the blasting sound design, Hans Zimmer's droning soundtrack, the scale and consequence of each setpiece, it pushes out from the screen and just drags you into it. More than that, the use of editing and dialogue - or lack thereof - to string the film together is captivating and makes for some breathtaking moments throughout.
