Revised Overall Ratings of 2018 Films

1. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse-100%

2. Halloween 2018-100%

3. Won't You Be My Neighbor?-100%

4. BlacKkKlansman-99%

5. Incredibles 2-99%

6. Avengers: Infinity War-98%

7. Mission: Impossible - Fallout-96%

8. The Mule-96%

9. Bumblebee-91%

10. Ralph Breaks the Internet-90%

11. Creed II-90%

12. Bohemian Rhapsody-89%

13. Solo: A Star Wars Story-88%

14. A Quiet Place-87%
15. Deadpool 2-87%

16. Black Panther-87%

17. A Star Is Born 2018-84%

18. Ant-Man and the Wasp-84%

19. Ready Player One-82%

20. Aquaman-81%

21. Bad Times at the El Royale-78%

22. Sicario: Day of the Soldado-75%

23. Ocean's 8-74%

24. Isle of Dogs-74%

25. Game Night-72%

26. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald-69%

27. Venom-65%

28. Thoroughbreds-65%

29. Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again-65%

30. The Predator-62%

31. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom-61%

The Mule

The Mule is Clint Eastwood's latest effort as both director and actor, wherein he plays a man based on a real life person who became a drug mule in his 80s. As Eastwood drives around across the United States delivering drugs for a cartel, the DEA tries to figure out who this new mule is, with Bradley Cooper and Michael Pena as the agents in charge. This is one of Eastwood's best performances mainly due to how he uses his real voice rather than the gruff tough voice he's always given in many of his other performances. The story isn't something new but with Eastwood's direction, it's told really well and can even understand the decisions that the main character makes even when not agreeing to them. Even as the opening few minutes are a bit slow, the pacing improves once we get to Eastwood becoming a mule. One could see The Mule as a proto road trip film due to the constant traveling that Earl Strode, Eastwood's character, does and the many places one sees are truly breathtaking as the cinematography takes you in. Something I would have loved to see more of is the cartel's initial reaction to the fact that a man in his 80s wants to move their drugs, though how they feel about him after a few of his runs is appreciated. One standout scene is when Eastwood talks with Cooper's DEA agent about how one shouldn't put their job over family as he has done in his life which comes back around when Earl is arrested and reminds the drug agent what he told him and why he did what he did. Over all: 100%

2018 top list so far:
1. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

2. Halloween 2018

3. Won't You Be My Neighbor?/BlacKkKlansman (tie)

4. Incredibles 2

5. Avengers: Infinity War

6. Mission: Impossible - Fallout

7. The Mule

8. Bumblebee

9. Ralph Breaks the Internet

10. Creed II

11. Bohemian Rhapsody

12. Solo: A Star Wars Story

13. A Quiet Place
14. Deadpool 2

15. Black Panther

16. A Star Is Born 2018

17. Ant-Man and the Wasp

18. Ready Player One

19. Aquaman

20. Bad Times at the El Royale

21. Sicario: Day of the Soldado

22. Ocean's 8

23. Isle of Dogs

24. Game Night

25. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

26. Venom

27. Thoroughbreds

28. Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again

29. The Predator

30. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

Bumblebee

A prequel to the previous five installments in the Transformers film series, Bumblebee is set in the 1980s, centers entirely around Bumblebee, and is the first film not directed by Michael Bay but he does return as a producer. The Autobot lands on Earth and when fighting a Decepticon ends up losing his voice and memories as he befriends a young girl who takes him in. As Bumblebee remembers his mission Optimus Prime instructed him, more Decepticons arrive and trick the American military in helping them find their opposing combatant. With Travis Knight taking over as director and the first film in the series written by a woman, this entry has a fresh new look that doesn't't try too much with explosions or overuse of CGI as well as a better written story with well developed characters that don't feel too over the top and with girls over sexualized as before. As it takes place in the 80s not only are there countless references to the period and lots of music used, a lot of the Transformers have their original designs from when they were first introduced rather than what they looked like in the previous films. Though some of that does hurt as it relies too much on music to remind us when it's set and some of the designs look a bit boxy. The performances from the live action actors like Hailee Steinfeld, John Cena, and John Ortiz and the voice acting from Dylan O'Brien, Angela Bassett, and others are all really good, though Cena acts a bit over the top at times and feels more like he would be better in the Bay directed films. One thing that hurts this entry is that its attempt at being a slower paced film compared to the last films means that it can take forever for something significant to happen even with the shorter running time, but the scenes where Bumblebee and Steinfeld's Charlie are bonding are mostly really fun and sweet and remind some of films like The Iron Giant. Over all: 100%

2018 top list so far:
1. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

2. Halloween 2018

3. Won't You Be My Neighbor?/BlacKkKlansman (tie)

4. Incredibles 2

5. Avengers: Infinity War

6. Mission: Impossible - Fallout

7. Bumblebee

8. Ralph Breaks the Internet

9. Creed II

10. Bohemian Rhapsody

11. Solo: A Star Wars Story

12. A Quiet Place
13. Deadpool 2

14. Black Panther

15. A Star Is Born 2018

16. Ant-Man and the Wasp

17. Ready Player One

18. Aquaman

19. Bad Times at the El Royale

20. Sicario: Day of the Soldado

21. Ocean's 8

22. Isle of Dogs

23. Game Night

24. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

25. Venom

26. Thoroughbreds

27. Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again

28. The Predator

29. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

Batman/The Flash: The Button

Told in four issues, two on Batman's series and the other two in the Flash's, Batman/The Flash: The Button is a storyline in which the two heroes investigate who has tampered with their universe and how it involves a blood stained button and the Reverse Flash. The artwork is some of the best I've seen, though one thing I found unnecessary is the constant lightning that Flash gives off when he's not doing anything. When Batman and Flash travel through the time stream and witness events from the past they don't recognize was an amazing moment to look at. While the writing is really good, the use of narration boxes to tell us obvious things about Batman, Flash, and other info can be very annoying. Even if you haven't read what's been going on up to this event, the comic does give you enough information to better understand it. The shot of Bruce Wayne looking at the Bat Signal and not going into action because of what his Flashpoint father told him is epic in its simplicity. Over all: 100%
Top list so far for 2nd set of comics:
1. Free Comic Book Day 2018: James Bond 007-VARGR
2. Free Comic Book Day 2018 Invader Zim: Floopsy Bloops Shmoopsy
3. Batman/The Flash: The Button
4. The Adventures of Superman Vol. 1 #500
5. The Unworthy Thor (2016-2017) #1
6. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #5
7. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #6
8. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #4
9. Thor: God of Thunder Vol. 1 #1
10. Wonder Woman Free Comic Book Day 2017 Special Edition (2017-) issue #1
11. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #2
12. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #1
13. Incredible Hulk (1999-2007) #92: Planet Hulk Part One
14. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #3
15. Wonder Woman (2006-2011) #1
16. The Astonishing Ant-Man (2015-2016) #1
17. Star Wars: Rogue One Adaptation #1
18. Tate's Not At Comic Con Local Indy Anthology #8

Aquaman

Having appeared in a small cameo in Dawn of Justice and then becoming part of the main cast of Justice League, Aquaman sees the aquatic DC superhero in his first ever solo film. It sees Aquaman having to find an ancient and powerful artifact so as to defeat his younger brother, Orm, from leading Atlantean forces against the surface with the help of his mentor Vulko and his eventual love interest Mera. If this film succeeds in anything is showing how awesome of a character Aquaman is that the 1970s Super Friends show ruined. Jason Momoa shows both the strength and vulnerability of a strong character with a tragic backstory. Director James Wan envisioned the film as a throwback to 70s and 80s adventure films which shows in its camera work, action scenes, and cinematography. The best thing that this entry has going for it is Black Manta's comic accurate suit being able to look badass and awesome with the black suit and large helmet. Its effects are mostly very good, especially with all of the scenes that take place underwater and in Atlantis despite not always looking perfect. The story doesn't really offer anything new and some of it is very hard to follow, but is still fun to watch. While Amber Heard gives a really good performance as Mera, the chemistry between her and Momoa needed a lot more work. A big issue is that, much like the past DCEU films, its long running time does hinder it due to the plot going from one big issue to another. I consider the moment where Aquaman confronts a leviathan to get to the ancient trident as the signature scene of the film as it shows the film's most emotional moment. Over all: 95%

2018 top list so far:
1. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

2. Halloween 2018

3. Won't You Be My Neighbor?/BlacKkKlansman (tie)

4. Incredibles 2

5. Avengers: Infinity War

6. Mission: Impossible - Fallout

7. Ralph Breaks the Internet

8. Creed II

9. Bohemian Rhapsody

10. Solo: A Star Wars Story

11. A Quiet Place
12. Deadpool 2

13. Black Panther

14. A Star Is Born 2018

15. Ant-Man and the Wasp

16. Ready Player One

17. Aquaman

18. Bad Times at the El Royale

19. Sicario: Day of the Soldado

20. Ocean's 8

21. Isle of Dogs

22. Game Night

23. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

24. Venom

25. Thoroughbreds

26. Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again

27. The Predator

28. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Yet another attempt by Sony at creating another cinematic universe based on Spider-Man, this one succeeds at the many attempts Venom is trying to do and the Amazing Spider-Man films failed at. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is an animated take on the superhero that isn't afraid to pull any punches when it comes to the many darker themes dealing with the genre. Set in a universe wherein an older Spider-Man is killed fighting the Kingpin whose attempt at traveling to other universes causes chaos, all the while teenager Miles Molares is bitten by another spider and gains his own powers. Being a fan of the diseased hero, Miles meets an alternate Spider-Man who teaches him how to be a hero as they team up with other versions of the wall crawler to stop Kingpin from attempting another universe jump. The film is nonstop fun while telling a very compelling story that keeps true with the comic books and its characters. With Phil Lord and Christopher Miller working on the film, it has that feeling of fast paced comedy and well done character chemistry that they always employ. Every single actor is perfectly cast and all provide amazing performances, with especial noteworthy going to Shameik Moore as Miles, Jake Johnson as the disheveled alternate Peter Parker, John Mulaney as the Looney Tunes esque Spider-Ham, and Nicolas Cage as a 1930s film noir Spider-Man. The animation is very unique in that it's done in the same exact way as a comic book with editing and sound effects matching that style, especially with how the animation is done differently for each Spider-Man to match the look of where they came from. Like many films today, Spider-Verse employs a lot of well known songs every so often that really fit where they play, while giving us a very kickass score. A unique aspect that makes this animated film different from most is that even when it's being quick, the pace is very slow but in a way that lets you enjoy each scene that's shown. Much like many superhero films, this also has an ending and post credit scene that hints at further films and are done in a way that's natural and not forced, with the post credit scene being one of the funniest that homages Spider-Man's history. My two biggest complaints are Kingpin's design making him way too big compared to everyone else, especially his head, and the sound that always accompanies Prowler as I can't tell if it's some kind of theme or a noise he's making. Over all: 100%

2018 top list so far:
1. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

2. Halloween 2018

3. Won't You Be My Neighbor?/BlacKkKlansman (tie)

4. Incredibles 2

5. Avengers: Infinity War

6. Mission: Impossible - Fallout

7. Ralph Breaks the Internet

8. Creed II

9. Bohemian Rhapsody

10. Solo: A Star Wars Story

11. A Quiet Place
12. Deadpool 2

13. Black Panther

14. A Star Is Born 2018

15. Ant-Man and the Wasp

16. Ready Player One

17. Bad Times at the El Royale

18. Sicario: Day of the Soldado

19. Ocean's 8

20. Isle of Dogs

21. Game Night

22. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

23. Venom

24. Thoroughbreds

25. Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again

26. The Predator

27. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

Creed II

The eighth film in the Rocky franchise, Creed II sees Adonis Creed becoming the boxing champ of the world thanks to Rocky's training and leading a loving life with his girlfriend then wife Bianca. As everything goes right for him, including learning of Bianca's pregnancy, he now has to face his demons as Viktor Creed, father of the man who killed his in Rocky IV, challenges Adonis for his title. While Creed II is pretty much your standard boxing and sports film that does what the past films in the series have done, it does it all quite well and very believable. The direction is done pretty similar to the first Creed which is noticeable due to change in directors and hardly noticeable. Everyone returning from past films and the new actors to this entry all provide very powerful performances, with special mention going to Sylvester Stallone, Michael B. Jordan, and Dolph Lundgren playing Ivan Drago in a more nuanced and often times tragic performance. Stallone not only returns playing Rocky but is back to writing to the series he started and, while some stereotypical moments are kept, he still manages a way to keep it fresh. While it was obvious that the first fight between the two sons wasn't going to go in Adonis's favor, it was still exiting and the second, along with the training from both, is the best part of the film as you feel every punch that Creed delivers to not only win but also honor his father. Over all: 100%

2018 top list so far:
1. Halloween 2018

2. Won't You Be My Neighbor?/BlacKkKlansman (tie)

3. Incredibles 2

4. Avengers: Infinity War

5. Mission: Impossible - Fallout

6. Ralph Breaks the Internet

7. Creed II

8. Bohemian Rhapsody

9. Solo: A Star Wars Story

10. A Quiet Place
11. Deadpool 2

12. Black Panther

13. A Star Is Born 2018

14. Ant-Man and the Wasp

15. Ready Player One

16. Bad Times at the El Royale

17. Sicario: Day of the Soldado

18. Ocean's 8

19. Isle of Dogs

20. Game Night

21. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

22. Venom

23. Thoroughbreds

24. Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again

25. The Predator

26. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom