Mid Year Report: The best movies so far this year

We take a look back at the best movies of 2018 so far.

Annihilation

Leaning heavily into the "science" part of sci-fi - a distressingly rare thing in modern cinematic sci-fi - this thriller was instantly hailed as a modern classic. With its all-star, all-female cast the movie was a deep, mind-bending, visually dazzling and challenging movie that proved there's a place for cerebral alien movies alongside all the zippy, wise-cracking galactic frivolity. You didn't even have to go to the cinema to see it, as Netflix nabbed the screening rights. And though we'd dearly have loved to experience it on the big screen the fact you can watch it right now means there's no excuse to miss it.

The Incredibles 2

We were super-excited about the long-awaited return of our favourite super-family and boy, did this super-sequel satisfy. Picking up right where the first one left off, the action starts fast and fun and intensifies from there. The visual appeal of its retro-futuristic world remains high and the action set-pieces are brilliantly inventive visual spectacles - Elastigirl's high octane motorcycle chase will leave you cheering in your seat.
But its real trick is that it gives equal emphasis to saving the day as it does to our heroes' family life. An empowering and fun family film that's coated with that old Pixar magic.

Hereditary

Do we inherit trauma? Can we outrun the darkness left behind by our loved ones? Those are the lofty, unsettling questions posed by Hereditary, one of the scariest films in recent memory. With an astonishing and heartbreaking performance from Toni Collette, Hereditary is the kind of under-your-skin horror that barrels past "scary" and ends up somewhere far more upsetting. Aside from its horrific violence and deeply chilling genre tropes, Ari Aster's debut feature transcends its genre by creating monstrous terror out of the very real – and very recognisable – human emotions of grief and loss. Not for the faint-hearted.

Lady Bird

This utterly charming, coming-of-age dramedy perfectly captures that feeling of teenage angst as well as the awkward transitional phase people go through as they find their place in the world and work out who they are, were and want to become. Saoirse Ronan shines in the lead role but really, the breakout star of the movie is its writer/director Greta Gerwig, whose light directorial touch never compromises the substance of her story. It's one of the great debuts and we can't wait to see what she does next.

Deadpool 2

Rude, crude and -spoiler alert - in the nude, Deadpool 2 was the rare sequel that was better than its predecessor. Taking aim at itself as often as it does rival superheroes and superhero tropes, Deadpool 2 is a roller-coaster ride of comedy-based, super antics. Local lad Julian Dennison burns up the screen as the central figure of the movie, but it's Ryan Reynolds' cheeky sass that keeps the whole thing together. It's not worthy, or important, or serious. But it's entertaining as heck and left us laughing into our popcorn.