The Best and Worst Films of 2016 So Far

We’re halfway through 2016, so here’s a rundown of the best and worst cinema has given us this year, starting with the gems…

In at Number 5, The Jungle Book: Jon Favreau’s adaptation of a Disney classic is a joy of fear and wonder. State-of-the-art special effects meet good old-fashioned adventure in this interpretation that promises to become the definitive Jungle Book for a whole new generation. Newcomer Neel Sethi commands the screen as Mowgli and holds his own fantastically against a voice cast starring Ben Kingsley, Bill Murray and Idris Elba: a real treat!

At Number 4, Captain America: Civil War, Marvel Studio’s colourful contrast to the gloom of ‘Batman v Superman’. Our favourite heroes come to a head when the world gets a bit fed up with their constant city-levelling antics, and the film, too, avoids the usual third-act world-busting boredom. For all the mighty clashes and bombastic battles, it’s the character moments that push Civil War into the stratosphere. It’s a proper summer blockbuster.

Number 3 is 10 Cloverfield Lane, a startling directorial debut from Danny Trachtenberg. A sort of mutant spin-off from J.J. Abrams original found footage sci-fi, 10 Cloverfield Lane is essentially a three-hander bunker drama. With standout turns from John Goodman as a creepy patriarch and Mary Elizabeth Winstead as the innocent (but far from helpless) prisoner, it’s a cinematic puzzle box that gives a firm middle finger to spoon-fed blockbusters.

In at Number 2 is Room: surrounded by awards’ buzz (and rightly so), Lenny Abrahamson’s film follows the life of Joy, a mother trapped in the confines of a single, tiny space, in which her son, Jack, creates an entire universe. Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay are tremendously affecting with an unbelievable lightness of touch, the cinematography and music simultaneously beautiful and restrained. It is life-affirming, awe-inspiring storytelling with the most human of hearts.

And, the Number 1 best film released in UK cinemas this year so far: ‘Son of Saul’, Laszlo Nemes’ incredible journey into the darkest heart of the holocaust. With a camera permanently fixed to the face of Saul – a Jewish prisoner forced to work in the hellish landscape of the concentration camps – Nemes’ film looks evil in the face and refuses to flinch. It’s the kind of film that reminds us of a crucial function of cinema, and why we will always need it.

And now, from the sublime to the stinkers…

At Number 5 is The Forest: poor Natalie Dormer is stranded in the wasteland of this latest in a long line of ‘nothing’ films; mainstream horror fare that enters one ear and leaves the other with little impact or injury imparted on the way. With a yucky touristy feel and a finale that features the terrifying presence of power-bar wrappers, it’s a lazy and predictable bore.

Number 4 snuck in right at the very last second: Gods of Egypt is many things (unintentionally racist, noisily directed, badly written, atrociously acted), but on top of those, it gave us imagery we never expected (nor wanted) to endure, such as Geoffrey Rush pulling the sun over the horizon of a flat Earth, mid-battle with a space worm, and Gerard Butler fighting Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in glitzy Power Ranger armour.

In at Number 3 is Dirty Grandpa a film described by one critic as “a film that you shouldn’t see while you’re still alive”, and described by yours truly as having “levels of casual racism, homophobia and chauvinism the likes of which make the cast of The Inbetweeners look like Tumblr-loving social justice warriors”. Zac Efron looks embarrassed, everyone else just turned up for the cheque, but, sadly, Robert De Niro looks like he’s genuinely having fun. 

Number 2 sees another entry from Gerard “I’m going to bellow every line like there’s a needle of testosterone stuck in my arse” Butler: London Has Fallen. This concrete-headed sequel to 2013’s action smash-hit is so thuddingly inept in almost every conceivable area that its rampant xenophobia is the least of its problems. It’s too thick to be offensive and too clumsy to be entertaining.

And, at Number 1, the worst film of 2016 so far is the old reliable from Garry Marshall; Mother’s Day. This greetings card full of vomit takes place in a fantasy version of Atlanta with no black people and no recognisable human emotions, either. I spent every minute waiting for the racist grandma to stop shrieking, Julia Roberts to stop smiling grotesquely, and for Timothy Olyphant to reprise his role as Agent 47 in Hitman and put everyone (including the audience) out of their misery.