OPINION: The Year So Far

By Chris Luckett

Every year, I generally see a little over a hundred movies. I usually hit “50” sometime around autumn, as I watch two movies every three weeks or so for most of the year (before ramping up the frequency around awards season, when I catch up on any acclaimed movies I missed as well as Oscar hopefuls).

Yesterday, I saw my fiftieth movie of 2013. Since my “Best of the Year” lists always look remarkably different when they’re finished than they do around their ultimate halfway point, it’s always interesting to stop and take stock of the year so far. This year, I’m sharing that, by revealing my ranked order of the 2013 movies I’ve seen so far.

For the record, I have not yet seen Before Midnight, Blue Jasmine, The Butler, The Conjuring, Enough Said, Fast & Furious 6, Frances Ha, Fruitvale Station, The Heat, Man of Steel, Monsters University, Short Term 12, Sound City, The Spectacular Now, The Wolverine, or The World’s End (though I plan to).

Twenty-thirteen still holds a number of heavy-hitters, from awards fare like 12 Years a Slave and Inside Llewyn Davis to sure-fire box office hits like Catching Fire and Thor: The Dark World. For now, though, this is what I’ve thought of 2013.

1. Gravity (5/5)

2. Rush (4.5/5)

3. The To-Do List (4.5/5)

4. Spring Breakers (4.5/5)

5. The Place Beyond the Pines (4.5/5)

6. Elysium (4.5/5)

7. Much Ado About Nothing (4/5)

8. Star Trek Into Darkness (4/5)

9. Now You See Me (4/5)

10. Insidious, Chapter 2 (4/5)

11. We’re the Millers (4/5)

12. Iron Man 3 (4/5)

13. Prisoners (4/5)

14. The Company You Keep (4/5)

15. Mud (4/5)

16. The Hangover, Part III (3.5/5)

17. Oz the Great and Powerful (3.5/5)

18. Oblivion (3.5/5)

19. The Great Gatsby (3.5/5)

20. Don Jon (3.5/5)

21. World War Z (3.5/5)

22. 42 (3.5/5)

23. Snitch (3.5/5)

24. This is the End (3/5)

25. RED 2 (3/5)

26. The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (3/5)

27. Side Effects (3/5)

28. Despicable Me 2 (2.5/5)

29. Olympus Has Fallen (2.5/5)

30. The Croods (2.5/5)

31. Jack the Giant Slayer (2.5/5)

32. Nothing Left to Fear (2.5/5)

33. To the Wonder (2.5/5)

34. The Call (2.5/5)

35. After Earth (2/5)

36. A Good Day to Die Hard (2/5)

37. Trance (2/5)

38. Pacific Rim (2/5)

39. Escape from Planet Earth (2/5)

40. The Big Wedding (2/5)

41. Epic (2/5)

42. The Purge (2/5)

43. Evil Dead (1.5/5)

44. Identity Thief (1.5/5)

45. Safe Haven (1/5)

46. G.I. Joe: Retaliation (0.5/5)

47. 21 & Over (0.5/5)

48. Pain & Gain (0.5/5)

49. Movie 43 (0.5/5)

50. Riddick (0/5)