Every year I love seeing Spotify Wrapped and top movies of 2023 posted everywhere. There’s something about learning what people I know enjoyed that tickles my brain in just the right way. And on top of collecting my stats for the year, I love movies. If I wasn’t going into writing, I’d be going into the movie business. I love seeing things come to life on the screen and how movies can get you to feel in just two hours. I wanted to see what my trends were in terms of how many movies I watched each month, what sorts of things I watched when, and what I thought of the banger movies that were projected to release this year. My 2023 reviews come to a close with my favorite movies of 2023.
*Disclaimer: not all of these released this year. I spent a lot of time watching things I’d simply missed out on, so keep that in mind 🙂
10. Lemonade Mouth
As a child, I loved Disney Channel movies. And, somehow, I missed out on some of the most pivotal ones (*cough cough* High School Musical *cough cough). So, when my roommate last summer found out I hadn’t seen Lemonade Mouth, she immediately sat me down and made me watch it. And Disney had no right making this a banger like it was. The songs were amazing and the cast was super likeable. It’s one of those movies that, if I had seen it as a kid, it would have defined my entire life for a while.
9. Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
When a Dungeons and Dragons movie was announced, I knew it was going to be something I fell in love with. In the last few years I’ve gotten super into tabletop games and consuming as many people playing them as possible (check out my recap of D20 campaigns for the year here!) so I know the game inside and out. And let me tell you the team on this movie did their research. I was able to tell what spells were being cast and when, character classes and features felt like they came right off the character sheet, and all of it felt right. The entire movie I was geeking out and in awe of how accurate it all was while keeping it simple enough for my mom, who know nothing about the game, to understand what was happening as well as the limits. It didn’t get enough love with the initial release but this movie is one of my favorite adaptations I’ve ever seen.
8. Nimona
Just like any other list, this one had to have at least one movie that was a little niche. Nimona is that. It’s an adaptation of a comic, which I’d never heard of until it was trending on TikTok, and I fell in love with this movie instantly. The characters are lovable and the representation is unmatched. It’s one of those movies that seems like it’s for kids but also has some hard-hitting messages throughout. PLEASE go watch this. It’s worth it.
7. As Above, So Below
Wild. That’s what this movie was. A couple friends recommended we watch a few horror movies one night, and this one had me scared like never before. I don’t know if it was the found footage aspect or just having zero clue what was around every corner that had me more freaked out, but the movie did a great job. The characters were crazy unlikable, but I didn’t want them going through these crazy events, which almost made them likeable? It’s weird. I also love media that doesn’t give you all the answers and leaves you guessing, which I think As Above, So Below did a great job of doing.
6. The Super Mario Movie
2023 was the year of video game movies and the Mario movie set it up right. The soundtrack was filled with songs from the initial games, there were easter eggs in the background all the time, and references that Mario lovers know were sprinkled in perfectly. While I was initially disappointed with Chris Pratt’s Mario voice, I think he did a nice job along with the rest of the cast. But also, Jack Black carried. I’m going to be singing “Peaches” for the rest of my life.
5. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
Suzanne Collins, my beloved, you did it once again. This expansion on the Hunger Games universe did so much successfully that I’m waiting for another installment of literally any character. The only way the movie could have been improved is my including more of the details from the book, Mockingjay style and giving us a part one and part two. There were a few small changes from book to screen that surprised me, but worked really well within the timeframe. I’m also a sucker for a soundtrack that uses similar notes and phrases from previous films. Getting this insane background on Snow singlehandedly punched me back into my dystopian phase from sixth grade.
4. Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse
The original Spiderverse movie was good, but this one was insane. Even the artistic choices made this movie stand out against the crowd of superhero movies. Giving each character a different style was ridiculously cool. The plot was engaging and interesting while also having some really funny and serious beats when needed. I found myself smiling throughout the entire thing. Sony, please don’t mess this up with the final movie. I need this to be a banger series.
3. Everything, Everywhere, All at Once
This one comes as no surprise to me, making it into my top three. When I first watched it, early in the year, I felt the switch flip in the back of my brain. Once again, a seemingly funny movie holds a really deep message about familial bonds and relationships. As I’ve said a million times before, even the technical stuff had me blown away. The lighting and costume/makeup design was impressive, the soundtrack gave me goosebumps, and all there leads were perfect. Put this one in the list of movies that made me viciously cry.
2. The Barbie Movie
These top two spots were very hard to decide between. Really – I see them both as my number one movie of the year. But I can’t express how much this movie means to me. My exact notes were: “Perfection. Absolute perfection. An amazing kids movie. An even better emotional-20-year-old movie. Cried twice. Definitely recommend.” A beautiful story and message hidden behind a children’s toy.
1. Five Nights at Freddy’s
I have waited ten years to be able to say the Five Nights at Freddy’s movie is perfection. I am an expert in FNAF lore and video games having had close to hundreds of hours of research and gameplay under my belt. I mean – I literally have a 100+ slide presentation on the story behind the games. This year, this franchise took over my life and the movie could not have been better. I was losing my mind over every little detail from the midnight motorist t-shirt seen for maybe ten minutes to the “It’s Me” written on the mirror. This also easily was my best theater experience of the year. I went with a group of friends, where we sat in the third row because the theater was packed. Not a single empty seat. People cheered, laughed, screamed. I even cried. This is a movie by fans, for fans. The FNAF movie drastically changed the movie industry for video game adaptations and I cannot wait to see what jumpscares me next.
And now, I can rest. I have completed my compiling of everything I watched this year. That is, until next year where I get to do it all over again (yippee!). If this is your first recap of mine, be sure to check out everything else I reflected on below. 2023 was a wild time in terms of all media and I love introducing people to new things. Until next year!
Payton Klaer 
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