It took a while, but I’m finally ready to unveil my movie power rankings for 2017, which will be updated as I continue to watch more films throughout the year. With this list, you can briefly glimpse my favorite movies of any given year and how they compare.
Below are my rankings so far, with some of them linked to either a written review or Cinemaholics podcast episode.
How these rankings work:
I don’t rank movies the way someone would grade a test. A “B” grade doesn’t mean the movie got “answers” wrong or something like that. I judge the quality of the movie based on a combination of audience appeal, technical achievement, and cultural relevance. If a movie receives an “A” or “A-,” that means I consider the film a must-see, even if you’re not a fan of the genre. “B” grades are handed out to films I believe carry a lot of appeal for moviegoers who are usually big fans of the genre or subject matter (this is why a lot of superhero films tend to fit in this range). “C” grades are bigger gambles for these fans, and so on. If a movie you love or enjoy has a low rating, consider it a blessing that you’ve connected with a film unable to reach as large an audience for whatever reason, at least from my perspective.
2017 Movies I’ve Seen, Ranked:
- Baby Driver (June 28) | Grade: A
- Bad Genius (November 15) | Grade: A
- Lady Bird (November 3) | Grade: A
- The Florida Project (October 6) | Grade: A
- Blade Runner 2049 (October 6) | Grade: A
- Call Me By Your Name (November 24) | Grade: A
- The Student (April 14) | Grade: A
- Coco (November 22) | Grade: A-
- Get Out (February 24) | Grade: A-
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi (December 15) | Grade: A-
- The Big Sick (July 14) | Grade: A-
- A Quiet Passion (April 14) | Grade: A-
- Colossal (April 7) | Grade: A-
- The Shape of Water (December 1) | Grade: A-
- Columbus (August 4) | Grade: A-
- Lady Macbeth (July 14) | Grade: A-
- A Ghost Story (July 7) | Grade: A-
- I Am Not Your Negro (February 3) | Grade: A-
- Stronger (September 22) | Grade: A-
- Good Time (August 11) | Grade: A-
- Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri (November 10) | Grade: A-
- Dunkirk (July 13) | Grade: A-
- The Lost City of Z (April 14) | Grade: A-
- John Wick: Chapter 2 (February 10) | Grade: A-
- The Salesman (February 2) | Grade: A-
- The Beguiled (June 23) | Grade: A-
- Mudbound (November 17) | Grade: B+
- Detroit (August 4) | Grade: B+
- Brigsby Bear (July 28) | Grade: B+
- I, Tonya (December 8) | Grade: B+
- Wind River (August 4) | Grade: B+
- The Post (December 22) | Grade: B+
- Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond (November 17) | Grade: B+
- Spider-Man: Homecoming (July 7) | Grade: B+
- Okja (June 28) | Grade: B+
- Logan (March 3) | Grade: B+
- War for the Planet of the Apes (July 14) | Grade: B+
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (May 5) | Grade: B+
- Battle of the Sexes (September 22) | Grade: B+
- The Little Hours (January 19) | Grade: B+
- Kingsman: The Golden Circle (September 22) | Grade: B+
- Thor: Ragnarok (Nov 3) | Grade: B+
- Logan Lucky (August 18) | Grade: B+
- mother! (September 15) | Grade: B+
- Your Name (April 7) | Grade: B+
- Brawl in Cell Block 99 (October 6) | Grade: B+
- Mr. Roosevelt (October 27) | Grade: B+
- The Foreigner (October 13) | Grade: B+
- The Incredible Jessica James (January 27) | Grade: B+
- The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) (October 13) | Grade: B
- The Disaster Artist (December 1) | Grade: B
- Last Flag Flying (November 3) | Grade: B
- American Made (September 29) | Grade: B
- Wonder Woman (June 2) | Grade: B
- Free Fire (April 6) | Grade: B
- Ingrid Goes West (August 11) | Grade: B
- Only the Brave (October 14) | Grade: B
- It Comes At Night (June 9) | Grade: B
- Batman & Bill (May 6) | Grade: B
- Raw (March 10) | Grade: B
- Cars 3 (June 16) | Grade: B
- Alien: Covenant (May 19) | Grade: B
- Captain Underpants (June 2) | Grade: B
- Get Me Roger Stone (April 23) | Grade: B
- Annabelle: Creation (August 11) | Grade: B
- The Belko Experiment (March 17) | Grade: B
- Personal Shopper (March 10) | Grade: B
- All the Money in the World (December 25) | Grade: B
- Saving Capitalism (November 21) | Grade: B
- It (September 8) | Grade: B
- Kong: Skull Island (March 10) | Grade: B
- The Lovers (May 5) | Grade: B
- The Discovery (March 31) | Grade: B
- Sandy Wexler (April 14) | Grade: B
- I Don’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore (February 24) | Grade: B-
- Darkest Hour (Nov 22) | Grade: B-
- The Man Who Invented Christmas (November 22) | Grade: B-
- The Lego Batman Movie (February 10) | Grade: B-
- Atomic Blonde (July 28) | Grade: B-
- The Fate of the Furious (April 14) | Grade: B-
- Teen Titans: The Judas Contract (April 4) | Grade: B-
- Life (April 21) | Grade: B-
- The Greatest Showman (December 20) | Grade: B-
- Murder on the Orient Express (November 10) | Grade: B-
- Rough Night (June 16) | Grade: B-
- Power Rangers (April 21) | Grade: B-
- Shot Caller (July 13) | Grade: C+
- Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (December 20) | Grade C+
- Landline (July 21) | Grade: C+
- To the Bone (July 14) | Grade: C+
- Happy Death Day (October 13) | Grade: C+
- The Boss Baby (March 31) | Grade: C+
- Death Note (August 25) | Grade: C+
- Roman J. Israel, Esq. (November 17) | Grade: C+
- King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (May 12) | Grade: C+
- Fist Fight (February 17)| Grade: C+
- Dean (June 2) | Grade: C
- Justice League (November 17) | Grade: C
- Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (July 21) | Grade: C
- Split (January 20) | Grade: C
- Beauty and the Beast (March 17) | Grade: C
- The Dark Tower (August 4) | Grade: C
- The Great Wall (February 17) | Grade: C
- Ghost in the Shell (March 31) | Grade: C
- The Mummy (June 9) | Grade: C-
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (May 26) | Grade: D+
- The Circle (April 28) | Grade: D+
- Transformers: The Last Knight (June 23) | Grade: F