Last year was a great one at the movies; there was something for everyone and quality to be found at both the art house and the multiplex. That quantity of good movies made top 10 lists especially difficult, showing why the Best Picture race seems so open right now. Opinions will vary, but if you're looking to see which 2018 movies received the most acclaim, Rotten Tomatoes has released its list of the best-reviewed movies of 2018. Take a look.
1. Black Panther2. Mission: Impossible - Fallout3. BlacKkKlansman4. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse5. A Star is Born6. A Quiet Place7. Paddington 28. Incredibles 29. Eighth Grade10. Won't You Be My Neighbor
If you only saw movies off this list in 2018, you still would have had a great year at that movies. This list is about what you would expect while also still having a few surprises on it if you only pay attention to the biggest movies.
Coming in at number 1 is, of course, Black Panther. Ryan Coogler's film wasn't only an unprecedented smash hit at the box office and a cultural phenomenon, it was a critical darling like arguably no superhero film before it and quite deserving of Rotten Tomatoes' Golden Tomato Award.
There's a reason that there are lists of sequels better than the original, and that's because it is not the norm. So for Mission: Impossible Fallout, the sixth film in a series, to be one of the best reviewed movies of the year is truly awesome, and that trend looks like it could continue with the recent news that director Christopher McQuarrie will be choosing to accept this mission twice more for Mission: Impossible 7 and 8.
It is also very cool to see director Spike Lee back in critics' favor with the hilarious, biting and relevant BlacKkKlansman. As far as Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is concerned, we here at CinemaBlend have made our thoughts on that animated masterpiece pretty clearly known. It made its way to our top 10 lists and it was our number 1 movie of the year with everyone who saw it giving it five stars. Clearly we were not alone in our opinion based on its presence on Rotten Tomatoes' list.
A Quiet Place and A Star is Born were both critical darlings and the latter is a major contender in the Oscar race. These films both announced up and coming directors in a big way and they also delivered in spades at the box office.
Perhaps coming as a surprise to some, given its box office that was far less than it deserved, is Paddington 2. The family film managed to top its predecessor, which earned a 98% on the Tomatometer with a sterling and incredibly rare 100%. Maybe Paddington 2 has now shown up on enough lists like this one that people will seek it out. At number 8 is Incredibles 2, which is now Pixar's most successful film, and its reviews justify that success.
Rounding out the top 10 are two films that are smaller than the majority of movies on this list, but no less deserving given their reception among critics. Eighth Grade and Won't You Be My Neighbor resonated with critics and the people who saw them generally loved these sweet stories. It is also cool to see Won't You Be My Neighbor, a documentary, make the list of the year's best-reviewed films.
If you looked at this list and were wondering where is Roma, fear not, this list is for the best-reviewed wide release movies of 2018. To qualify as a wide release, a movie had to be in at least 600 theaters. To see where movies like Roma and Can You Ever Forgive Me? landed, check out Rotten Tomatoes' list of best-reviewed limited release movies of 2018.
So if you haven't caught all of these movies, check them out, they come highly recommended. And to see what movies might land on this list next year, take a look at our 2019 release schedule.
