Among the glut of animated cartoons, superhero flicks and rebooted franchises, success has been great for some and fleeting for most, be it critically or financially. Here is our list and review of what we feel were the best and worst of 2016.

From a near bankrupt comic book producer in the Late 90s, to one of the biggest brands of the 2010s, Marvel continues to grow from strength to strength with a legacy that is actively re-shaping modern cinema. Beginning with The X-Men and Spiderman Trilogies in the 2000s, to their in-house produced movies that go under the mantel of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the 2010s, Captain America Civil War is an example of popcorn entertainment done exceedingly well. Civil War is an ‘event movie’ that is heavy on action and visual effects, while maintaining a solid focus on telling a coherent, character driven story. 8/10

At the other end of the sci-fi spectrum comes Arrival. Somewhat mis-marketed as just another alien invasion movie, this very quiet and slow paced sci-fi/drama is the latest in a short line of minimalist/hard science fiction pieces that follows in the footsteps of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Contact, Interstellar and Gravity. This drama that looks at the science of language and communication can be considered as your antidote for the CGI spectacles of Independence Day 2, and other similar features. 7.5/10

You simply cannot keep the Star Trek fandom happy. After dying a slow and painful death at the beginning of the Naughtees with the last of the Next Generation movies and a cancelled TV show, a soft reboot of the brand re-introduced the franchise to a wider, younger and hipper audience at the end of the decade. Since then the franchise has been critiqued for not being “Star Trek enough” and too action orientated. So what was Paramount’s solution? Get the director from Furious 7 to take over the reigns. And you know what? Strangely it worked. Penned by self confessed 'Treky' Simon Pegg, Beyond celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the franchise by not only paying homage to the cancelled television show Star Trek: Enterprise, but it also injects some more (relatively) modern sensibilities directly into the fabric of its story with contributions from 90s hip hop icons Public Enemy and The Beastie Boys. 7.5/10

10 Cloverfield Lane is the sequel everyone was waiting for, but no one expected to get. A sharp departure from the 2008 big budget, found footage, monster flick Cloverfield, Cloverfield 2 (aka 10 Cloverfield Lane) is an indie styled horror that is more Hitchcock and less Godzilla. This re-adaptation of an earlier script concerning three survivors trapped in a fallout shelter following a chemical attack, is a tense and nail biting psychological thriller… that takes a bazaar and controversial left turn in its final 10 minutes, a turn that indicates the direction the Cloverfield franchise may be taking in the near future for perhaps decades to come. 7.5/10

Genre: Thriller/Horror/Sci-Fi

Bad Language: Moderate

Sex and Nudity: None

Violence: Moderate/Strong 

Very similar to 10 Cloverfield Lane, is the highly derivative horror flick Don’t Breathe. Again, several young and beautiful  adults are trapped in a single location, armed with nothing but their wits to escape in this critically acclaimed feature. Although Don’t Breathe lacks originality (it is essentially an inferior remake of David Fincher’s Panic Room but with a stronger horror aesthetic), it remains sharp and energetic in its delivery, while at times unflinchingly brutal. 6.5/10

Genre: Horror

Sex and Nudity: Non-Explicit Sexual Assault 

Violence: Very Strong

The original 1996 Independence Day (ID4) is a personal favorite of mine. After somehow obtaining tickets to the European Premier the thrill of the experience that included seeing Jeff Goldblum in person (he’s a really tall dude) and various other A and B List celebrities, clouded my view of what was essentially a mediocre story. But it was a mediocre story that set the benchmark for every big budget 'end of the world' alien science-fiction movie that followed. Unfortunately instead of developing the long overdue sequel to 1994’s Stargate, Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich decided to soft-reboot a franchise nobody asked for. Not only is ID4 R a weak feature in terms of script and story, it also feels somewhat dated. Yes, it is set in 2016, but it also feels like a relic from the 1990s, pre-installed with all the post millennial fears from that period. 5/10

Genre: Sci-Fi/Action

Bad Language: Mild

Sex and Nudity: None

Violence: Moderate

Continuing the theme of franchise followup features no one asked for is the Ghostbusters hard reboot. Although not as bad as the internet makes it out to be, it is far from good. Tonally, Ghostbusters uses the abysmal Ghostbusters 2, and the somewhat better cartoon series, as a jump off point for this very silly fantasy comedy. Gone is the grounded and horror comedy feel of the original with its at times understated humor, and in are fart jokes, man bashing and some uncomfortably fluorescent neon colored specters that altogether underscore the disappointing fact that the makers of this film failed to understand what made the original 1984 feature so great. Sometimes when it comes to comedy and fantasy set in the 'real world', less is more. 4/10

Genre: Fantasy/Comedy

Bad Language: Mild

Sex and Nudity: Numerous Verbal References 

Violence: Moderate Fantastical

Ever since Christopher Nolan handed over the creative reigns of the DC cinematic franchise back to its owners, Warner Bros and DC have been in a perpetual mess, unable to duplicate the critical success of the excellent The Dark Knight Trilogy. Although Suicide Squad, with all of its amateurish editing and story telling issues, has still oddly managed to partially redeem the studio’s efforts to develop a cinematic universe on par with Marvel, it, like its other two entries: Man of Steel and Batman vs Superman, have been critically mauled. And to be fair, the critics *coughs Rottentomatoes* are pretty much correct with their take down of all of DC’s efforts thus far. How is it possible for a movie with the title “Batman vs Superman”, to be this boring? 'Dark' may work for a solo Batman movie akin to what Christopher Nolan has produced, but when it comes to flying aliens that shoot lasers out of their eyes, some commonsense is required for how to handle a movie featuring Superman. For the Justice League superheroes, bar Batman, dark and gritty realism is far from appropriate. 4/10

Genre: Superhero/Action/Fantasy

Bad Language: Moderate/Strong

Sex and Nudity: None

Violence: Very Strong Fantastical