Yahoo Movies The best movies of 2023 and how to watch them
It's been a thrilling year at the pictures
What were the best movies of 2023? Barbie and or Oppenheimer are sure to be part of every film fan's list in 2023 after giving the global box office a huge boost this year, but looking beyond the Barbenheimer phenomenon, it's been another stellar year at the pictures.
Incredibly, the three highest-grossing movies of 2023 were not sequels or superhero movies for the first time in forever (The Super Mario Bros. Movie sits between the two aforementioned films in the 2023 charts), suggesting that Hollywood may be ready to deliver new ideas once again.
Our top ten list of the best movies of 2023 only features two sequels and one reboot, with the rest of the places taken by original movies, based on new scripts.
Read more: 2023
We asked Yahoo UK's contributors to share their favourite movies of 2023. An amazing 57 movies made the long list being, but ten rose to the top. These were our favourite movies of year.
Honourable mentions to the films that made the top 20: How To Have Sex, John Wick Chapter Four, Dream Scenario, Pearl, Tar, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3, Scrapper, Reality, Are You There God, It's Me Margaret, and Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour.
10 | Wonka
The idea of a prequel focused on the jaded chocolatier from Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory seemed no more than a cash grab at first, even star Timothée Chalamet was concerned that was the case. However, these fears were soon dispelled when the film was released and it proved it be a delightful, heart-warming musical full of catchy tunes and stunning choreography that makes it feel destined for the stage.
Given the film is helmed by Paddington director Paul King, who co-wrote it with his regular writing partner Simon Farnaby, and has the star power of Chalamet, perhaps we shouldn't have doubted.
Wonka is in cinemas now.
9 | Talk To Me
A24's Talk To Me was the horror event of 2023. The feature debut for YouTube pranksters Danny and Michael Philippou took cinemagoers on a journey to the gates of hell itself, via a cursed porcelain hand, riffing on themes of grief, families, addiction, and online sensationalism. In the age of CGI-heavy horror movies, Talk To Me was a gnarly jolt to the system, a commercial smash, and a sequel is already on the way.
8 | Rye Lane
Released with little fanfare in March this year, Raine Allen-Miller's smart, funny romcom Rye Lane was beloved by critics, and quickly found a much bigger audience on Disney+. Playing out over one frantic day in South London, the film sees two recently-dumped singletons thrown together and... well, you might think you can guess where it goes next, but it still manages to subvert expectations along the way.
Hilarious, heartfelt, and never predictable, Rye Lane is a true gem of a movie.
7 | Anatomy of a Fall
If the idea of a 'French courtroom drama' fills you with dread, put your reservations aside for Anatomy of a Fall, otherwise you'll be missing out on the best drama of the year. The film begins with the mysterious death of a man in a remote mountain chalet in France. Suspicion immediately falls on his German wife Sandra (Toni Erdmann's Sandra Hüller), and the film then traces the story of her trial from start to finish, examining the grey areas of their relationship, and the perspectives of their vision-impaired son Samuel. It's the sort of nuanced, thoughtful drama that Hollywood doesn't make any more. (And, for the subtitle averse, it's largely in English too.)
"A riveting search for an increasingly slippery truth, Justine Triet's Palme D'Or winner is a brilliantly enigmatic and suspenseful twist on the usual courtroom procedural," said Yahoo contributor Freda Cooper.
Anatomy of a Fall is in cinemas now will be released on digital soon.
6 | Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One was the biggest and boldest film in the series so far. Released just two weeks before the Barbenheimer phenomenon, Dead Reckoning failed to set the box office alight, but it remained a thrilling instalment in the franchise, proving that Tom Cruise is still the king of big screen entertainment.
From its opening set piece, right to the heart-stopping train top finale, Dead Reckoning was a thrill-ride from start to finish that left audiences breathless.
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One is available to rent or buy on digital.
5 | Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse
Animation is often a medium not taken seriously in the entertainment industry, but Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse proved exactly why that shouldn't be the case. The Sony superhero sequel to the acclaimed 2018 hit returns to protagonist Miles Morales as he traverses the multiverse to help stop a dangerous new villain, only for his fellow Spider-People to turn on him.
is creative and full of awe-inspiring animation, and it delivered a thought-provoking narrative of what it means to be a hero — something that made the film stand head and shoulders above the Marvel/DC fare that audiences have seen in recent years. A sequel, Beyond the Spider-Verse, is in the works.
Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse is available to rent or buy on digital.
4 | Killers of the Flower Moon
In 2023, acclaimed filmmaker Martin Scorsese admitted that he was coming to the end of his incredible career. The 81-year-old stated "I want to tell stories, and there's no more time." It's incredible then that he still has the energy and power to create a film with such stirring potency like Killers of the Flower Moon.
With an ensemble cast that includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro and Lily Gladstone, this powerful cautionary tale about American greed is a film from a filmmaker at the height of his powers, rather than one in his twilight years.
Killers of the Flower Moon is available to rent or buy on digital.
3 | Barbie
It was the unchallenged hit of the year that even created its own cultural phenomenon long before it came out thanks to sharing a release day with Oppenheimer. Greta Gerwig's Barbie is not just a movie about a toy, it's a fun yet relatable fable that pointed a mirror back on the audience and questioned the way in which women and girls are treated.
Full of hilarious quips, great actors and so much pink there was a worldwide shortage (or so the rumour said), Barbie proved to be a delightful trip to the cinema.
Barbie is available to rent or buy on digital.
2 | Past Lives
Celine Song's unassuming tale of lost love, friendship and the power of fate is an incredibly thoughtful and touching story. Based on the director's own experiences, the film follows Nora and her friendship with Hae-sung, who she knew when she was living in South Korea as a child, and the idea of what could have been had their lives been different.
The narrative is brought to stunning life by Greta Lee, Teo Yoo and John Magaro who play Nora, Hae-sung and Nora's husband Arthur, respectively. While Song's striking visuals and subtle writing makes the film dig deep into your heart and refuse to let go, moving you beyond measure by the time the credits roll.
Past Lives available to rent or buy on digital.
1 | Oppenheimer
Christopher Nolan's latest film was a reminder of the true horror of nuclear war, playing out over several time periods, occasionally in black and white. On paper, that doesn't sound too thrilling, but thanks to an incredibly starry ensemble cast, stunning score, impressive practical VFX, and a gripping tale of pride, science, and human hubris, Oppenheimer stood tall among 2023's best movies to be named Yahoo UK's film of 2023.
"Intimate, and yet epic, Nolan's richest work to date," said Yahoo contributor Steve O'Brien.
Oppenheimer is available to rent or buy on digital.
Thanks to: Paul Klein, Tom Parfitt, Mark Harrison, Jacqui Faiman, Steve O'Brien, Sofia Diogo Mateus, Ben Falk, Freda Cooper, and Tom Beasley
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Watch a trailer for Oppenheimer
