Top 10 Best Films of 2011

Well, we’ve just got through all of those films which I just couldn’t stand. Now to move onto the films I just couldn’t help but love. These are the films that I thought to be the best of those released in 2011.

Now excuse me whilst I gush.

10. Source Code

This was probably the biggest surprise of the year for me. I just went into it thinking that it looked like it would turn out to be alright, but whilst watching it I realised it was amazing. Source Code turned out to be an extremely intelligent science fiction film which shows what we would do in order to save people we don’t even know.

Sure, at times it did seem like he was forced to do everything, but most of the time his actions seemed to be ultimately altruistic and, being one of the few people in the world who believes altruism can exist, I found this refreshing.

The only reason this film isn’t higher on the list is because the ending was a bit too cheerful and ‘Disney, but the film did do things that other films don’t do nowadays. In fact, just thinking about all of the slow reveals of this film still gets me excited. Source Code is definitely a film you should watch.

9. Paul

Earlier today I was talking about how The Big Bang Theory just gets geek humour and geek culture wrong. I know a lot of people love that show, but this is just my opinion. Paul, on the other hand, gets it all right.

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are just hilarious in this film, and them being the British geek comedy icons it seems perfect that they should be in a film full of references from Star Wars to Aliens and even subtle references to things such as the comic series Invincible. And it all seems right. In addition to these references we also have a great plot with some pretty good twists and amazing acting.

If you like Spaced I’m almost certain you’d love this film. The humour is quite similar and somehow it actually worked when exporting it to the US.

 8. The Inbetweeners Movie

If you didn’t watch the series or if you just don’t like it I doubt you’d like this film. This film is filled with vulgar and sexual humour that only the Inbetweeners cast seems to be able to carry off. But that’s why I loved this film: I loved the series. I’m sure that maybe newcomers could watch the film because it actually does a good job to introduce the characters to the audience and give them a new story that doesn’t require complete knowledge of the series to understand.

Of course, loving the series doesn’t just make it a good film. The film is just funny as hell. Jokes come thick and fast and it’s great to see these social outcasts try and find love, or a quick shag, out in Greece. The acting is great and the script is perfect. I’m sure that if you wanted to see this film you already have. If you haven’t then give it a try, but it might not be to your tastes.

7. Cowboys & Aliens

I don’t get why this film was so badly reviewed. It might just be the premise of Western meets science fiction. Personally I loved the film. How couldn’t I? How couldn’t anyone?

This film is just fun from beginning to the end. It has a great cast, especially its leads Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford (who’s still got it, by the way), and they just make you care about the characters with their amazing acting. Not only this but we have interesting new aliens  with motives that we have to try and put together.

The film also utilises practical effects as well as CGI to make the film feel as real as possible and it does. You could honestly believe this took place. And of course the film is filled with tragedy, but also high points to create a complex story. Cowboys &Aliens is probably one of the best Westerns I’ve seen as well as one of the best science fiction movies.

6. True Grit

From a science fiction Western to a normal Western. True Grit was the only proper Western I watched this year, alongside Cowboys & Aliens and Rango. Whilst the former is one of the best Westerns I have ever seen, True Grit is the best Western I have ever seen. OK, to be fair, I haven’t seen many, but this film makes me want to see more.

The Coen Brothers continue to show that they are great at telling stories through both their characters and the visuals. You just have to look at some of the locations or people and know their story. True Grit was beautifully directed, but that wasn’t the thing that really made me love the film. It was the characterisations.

I cared about every single character. All of them. Even the side characters who had one scene. Everyone was acted so well and characterised perfectly. Hailee Steinfeld was perfect, Jeff Bridges was perfect, Matt Damon was perfect, Josh Brolin was perfect. Everyone.

5. Arthur Christmas

Aardman, you utter geniuses. You do it time and time again. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bad film from them and this is probably my favourite of theirs. Yes, I know, Chicken Run is great and Curse of the Were-Rabbit was amazing, but Arthur Christmas was just better. Never before has a film meant for kids, let alone for Christmas, made me laugh and emote as much as this film did. In fact, I was laughing so much I had to try and stop myself just so I could tell what was going on next.

It’s hard for me to explain what I love about this film other than it is completely hilarious. Of course, every time that I tell people to see this film I am met with a look of scepticism, but this film is an absolute treat and will, hopefully, become a Christmas classic.

Oh, and being British and seeing a Co-Op in a film is like seeing the Somerfield in Hot Fuzz.

4. X-Men: First Class

When I first saw the trailers to this film I wasn’t really that up for it. I didn’t think either the main actors looked like they would be either Professor X or Magneto. How wrong I was.

X-Men: First Class is probably one of the smartest superhero films out there. Less concerned with showing us a group of superheroes stopping a villain from destroying a city, First Class is more concerned with averting the entire Cuban Missile Crisis. Seeing as I already love Cold War history this just spoke to me in ways you couldn’t imagine. It deals with the entire situation with such grace and finesse that it is hard not to love it.

With this on top of all the 60s imagery and fun and likeable new characters it is safe to say that First Class is one of the best superhero movies out there. Though it might mess with the continuity of the films a little it still all works and comes out rather nicely to create one of the more intelligent films of the year.

3. Kung Fu Panda 2

What? So what if Kung Fu Panda 2 is so high on this list, if at all? I loved this film. It was just fun from the outset and has GARY FUCKING OLDMAN in it as the main villain. What isn’t to love?

Talking of Gary Oldman, his character of Shen is probably one of the most complex villains I have ever seen, he wants vengeance but also realises his actions are not right. He wants to do good, but is so stuck in his evil ways that he can’t help himself but continue. He shows weakness, but is still threatening. On top of this the ending is possibly one of my favourites in all of cinematic history. I discuss the ending in my review of the film, but I advise you watch Kung Fu Panda 2 yourself.

Oh, and the film starts with the genocide of an entire race. I’m so glad kids films have started to stop talking down to kids, because this really created a lot of dramatic tension and helped flesh out the main character, Po.

2. Black Swan

This film was just beautiful. It was fantastically directed, extremely well acted and had an amazing plot. I really don’t want to spoil the film for anyone because this is a film everyone should watch. You might think it doesn’t look like your cup of tea, but it is. 

I found myself loving every moment of this film and when it came to its ending I was overcome with emotion. I think that there will be people out there who will cry at how bittersweet it is. This film is a dramatic psychological thriller at its very best and it is probably close to absolute perfection.

However, I did have this as my number 1 film of 2011 for a long, long time. But what film knocked it off the gold medal spot? Well, I honestly think most people will be surprised and not agree with me, but I loved this film. It’s:

1.  The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn

I was shocked recently to find out there a quite a few people who don’t like Tintin, but his adventures with Snowy, and sometimes Captain Haddock and Professor Calculus, were a big part of my childhood. I read the comics and watched the TV show. Actually, I own the TV show on DVD. I still love it. So when I heard there was a Tintin film coming out I couldn’t be any more excited. And look at those people working on it. Just look!

Turns out my excitement was totally justified, because this film is great. This is probably not only the greatest use of motion capture I’ve ever seen in a film but also the greatest use of 3D to build both atmosphere and have the pokey-out fun 3D offers. The film takes place all over the world on increasingly larger locations, going from a small street in Belgium to a chase scene involving cars, boats, running and riding on falling buildings. There’s a scene within the mind of Captain Haddock of a battle between pirates that is simply stunning and it isn’t just there to be pretty but serves a point in the plot. But this isn’t the best scene. The film ends by defeating the villain in a duel with cranes. You get that? A CRANE DUEL!

OK, I’m getting a bit out of hand there, but this film is just one of the greatest films out there. Not a minute of this beautiful film is wasted. Everything slots in perfectly. I know I have a bias towards it, but I care not. It is simply perfect and is just amazing. Watch it as soon as you can because it doesn’t matter if you did or didn’t like Tintin before, this film will give you a different view on him. This is just how an adventure film should be done. I... I just love this film.

Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)

Kung Fu Panda, which came out in 2008, was your basic story of clumsy oaf discovers he is destined for greatness and goes on a journey that will eventually end up with him defeating the big bad guy. It had animals, it was greatly animated, had some great voice work and it was absolutely hilarious. Not only that, but Kung Fu Panda was the sort of film that whilst it didn’t leave itself open for a sequel it would obviously create one. So, three years later in 2011 we can now feast our eyes on Kung Fu Panda 2, and it is everything you want it to be and more!

Introducing a new villain, Shen (Gary Oldman), we see that Po (Jack Black) now has to face a bigger threat than the previous villain, as Shen not only wished to take over all of China, but also bring about the end of Kung Fu. And so, Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) sends Bo and the Furious Five – Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Crane (David Cross), Viper (Lucy Liu) and Monkey (Jackie Chan) – to stop Shen.

Oh, and did I mention the entire animated cast are animals?

Within the first film, it has to be said that the fact that they were animals didn’t really matter much. It allowed for some gags, such as Mantis being the size of his action figure, and some kung fu moves that no man could do because he has limbs. However, the fact that they were animals still didn’t really mean anything. However, this time we have jokes about their certain species, such as Mantis saying he never knew his father because his mother ate him. This also leads to some amazing visuals, such as Shen unfurling his tail (him being a peacock and all) as well as some very funny but heart-warming moments between Po and his father, Ping, who is a goose.

The plot takes twists and turns through rather complex narrative, be it Po discovering he was adopted, the constant searching Po has to do to discover where he came from, and the motives of the villain. In fact, Shen is possibly one of the most complex villains ever seen in cinema. He suffers from Bond villain syndrome, discussing his plans before killing his enemies, but he still brings a great amount of threat and yet also seems extremely weak at the same time, having to resort to the use of cannons to destroy his enemies.

In fact, one of the most interesting moments in the film (SPOILERS!!!) is when Shen and Po have their final fight and Po gives Shen the choice to redeem himself. Shen almost appears to accept defeat when he continues to fight until his own creation, a cannon, begins to fall on him. Shen has time to move away, but instead, in a shot that lasts maybe a second, he looks at the cannon with defeat, closes his eyes and accepts his death. It is truly a powerful climax to the film that is definitely Oscar worthy. (END OF SPOILERS!!!)

Overall, the plot is fantastic. However, the plot is helped quite a bit by the comedy and action that takes place within the movie. This sequel ups the ante and gives us a wide variety of action sequences, initially showing how far Po has come along in his training as well as showing how his fighting technique flows so well with his friends. Not only this, but it also shows that, while Shen may use cannons to defeat his enemies, he is still a formidable foe when hand to hand combat is involved. At times the fighting can be somewhat slapstick, but this is in keeping with the theme of the film. The fighting also sometimes feels like a Looney Tunes cartoon, which gives a breath of nostalgia to those who used to watch the cartoons.

The film is also a masterpiece of comedy. On more than one occasion the audience found themselves laughing, be it at a visual gag or a straight up joke. On either end this film is comedic gold.

The animation is also fantastic. If you liked the animation of the first film then the animation in this film is exactly the same. However, some segments of the film are not the 3D digital animation we see in other similar animated titles. The film uses 2D animation for flashback segments which look into Po’s tragic past. These segments look beautiful, and I can’t help but wish for the filmmakers to create a film using that art style.

On the subject of the animation, the 3D, on this very rare occasion, actually added a lot to the film. The textures of the world and the characters were brought out in such fantastic detail that the film was beautiful to look at. In no instance was the 3D blurry or in your face. At times some things did pop out of the screen towards you, but not in the “poking you in the eye” sense. I found myself blinking when I saw dough balls flying at me. The film had many chances to have a spear or a stick poke me in the face, but never took that opportunity, which I commend as it is tiresome to see films do this.

Overall, this film is an utter masterpiece and one of the few occurrences, such as with Spider-Man 2, where the sequel is far superior to the original. Not to say that the original wasn’t good, but Kung Fu Panda 2 was far more engaging, far more heart-pounding and far more fun than the original. With a narrative that flowed perfectly, Kung Fu Panda 2 will most probably become one of my favourite films of 2011. Go see it now!

Final Verdict: 10/10