/Film's 28 Favorite Movies Of 2017 So Far

Over the past few weeks, the /Film team has assembled personal lists of their favorite movies of the year so far, a look at where we stand halfway through the year. But those lists were also ballots, votes for one final article – a complete list of the entire site's favorite movies of 2017 so far.

Of those six ballots (and 60 possible slots) contributed by Peter Sciretta, Jacob Hall, Ethan Anderton, Jack Giroux, Hoai-Tran Bui, and Ben Pearson, 28 films were named. And that brings us to the grand finale: the 28 best movies /Film has seen in the first half of this year.

A few quick notes.

First, the order of the list was determined by awarding points for each movie based on its place in a personal top 10. A film in the number one slot would receive 1o points, a film in the number two slot would receive 9 points, and so on. Ties were broken by additional discussion and a second round of voting.

Second, there are some great movies on this list that only one or two members of the staff have had a chance to see. This is part of the fun of mid-year lists like this – it gives everyone a little bit of homework to do. However, we like our scoring system because it means that a movie one person loved carries more weight in the final ranking than a movie that several people only liked.

...the real reason this movie makes the list is that it's one of the few comedies I've seen recently that actually had me laughing out loud all the way through. Film is subjective, but comedies may be the most subjective genre of them all, so your mileage may vary. But I'm admittedly difficult to please when it comes to comedies, so the fact that this movie had me cracking up throughout says a lot. The writing and the performances – which range from deadpan to completely outrageous – are top notch, and though the film flails a bit near the end, it's still well worth checking out. -Ben Pearson

This is a nonlinear and nasty little thriller that's precise and airtight. Not a second gets wasted in Oren Uziel's first film. Each scene goes backwards into the past fast with momentum and suspense while defining every character. None of them are what they appear to be at first glance, either. Uziel and his cast make some familiar archetypes three-dimensional. The major characters have personality and their own motives, fears, and desires. Each character in Uziel's ensemble story feels substantial enough that they could be the star of their own story. -Jack Giroux

Score: 1

Colorful, energetic, and filled with non-stop action and visual creativity, Kong: Skull Island is the kind of movie that makes us a believer in the Warner Bros.' giant monster universe.

People are either going to love this movie or hate it, and if this movie were simply described to me by a friend or colleague, I might count myself in the latter group. But after experiencing this movie at Sundance, I found myself strangely entranced by this slow burn of a supernatural rumination on time and the legacy we leave behind. -Ethan Anderton

Movie shootouts tend to be fast and elegant affairs, with one or two heroic characters blitzing their way through an army of foes and walking away mostly unscathed. What Ben Wheatley's bleakly hilarious Free Fire suggests is that gunfights are actually wild, chaotic, sloppy, and full of people who can't hit the broad side of a barn. Set entirely in a warehouse where an arms deal goes horribly wrong, the film is essentially a screwball comedy with firearms: a large cast of oddball characters (and a few straightforward foils for them to bounce off) yell and scream and exchange bullets for 90 minutes, sometimes swapping allegiances and always being wholly unreasonable. It's a pitch-black hoot, a movie whose extreme violence is treated with the levity of a Three Stooges adventure. -Jacob Hall

Movies about demonic possession are a dime a dozen, so you'd be forgiven for thinking that Oz Perkins's The Blackcoat's Daughter was just another run-of-the-mill horror flick. But it's not. Oh, no. Deliberately paced and vague in character and intent, this slow-burning monster of a movie slowly reveals its cards one at a time, leading to a finale that completes the puzzle and leaves your jaw hanging on the floor with its pure audaciousness. There are scarier horror movies you'll see in 2017. Bloodier ones. Funnier ones. But few will top how The Blackcoat's Daughter inverts its own genre, turns it inside out and creates something so majestically twisted that you can't believe what you're seeing. This is a horror movie that truly rewards your patience. -Jacob Hall

The most surprising thing about The Disaster Artist is that it's not a joke. When it was revealed that James Franco would direct a movie about the making of the infamously terrible cult classic The Room and also star as the enigmatic and eccentric writer/director/actor Tommy Wiseau, everyone assumed it would be an ironic experiment. A gag. A trifle. Instead, this is a movie that is as soulful as it is hilarious, a comedy about a broken (and brokenhearted?) weirdo who immerses himself in his art, tears his soul to pieces to tell his story...and reveals that he has absolutely no talent. Like Tim Burton's 1994 masterpiece Ed Wood, The Disaster Artist is fascinated by failure and by the artists whose visions reach far beyond their grasp. Franco's Wiseau is hilarious, but he's also a despairing and vicious figure, a guy who earns your empathy in spite of his increasingly awful behavior and taste. He's the tragic monster of 2017 – the man who yearns to create and simply can't. -Jacob Hall

Marry a Studio Ghibli wilderness fantasy film with a Steven Spielberg childhood adventure movie, then inject it full of GMO steroids, and you've got Okja. The Bong Joon Ho-directed feature has mostly made headlines for the controversy it stirred up at the Cannes Film Festival for being a Netflix streaming-first release, but this movie is more than its troubled publicity. It's a madcap adventure about a girl and her superpig replete with fart jokes, cartoonish characters, and condemnation of capitalist greed. The wackiness may sound off-putting for people who were expecting a similarly somber follow-up to the grim sci-fi feature that was Bong's critically acclaimed film Snowpiercer, but I absolutely loved it. -Hoai-Tran Bui

A Cure for Wellness is a long and bold cinematic journey about a character who wants to devour somebody for his gain, like the big bad of the film, but ends up trying to save someone instead. Verbinski's message of how we consume each other doesn't get lost in the visual splendor. -Jack Giroux

You'll be hard-pressed to find a better coming-of-age movie in 2017 than Call Me By Your Name. That might seem bold with six months left in the year, but that's how damn good this summer romance is [...] What unfolds is a movie that is sexy, hilarious, and moving. Director Luca Guadagninodelivers a summer romance that is sultry and rich with stellar performances, including the best work Armie Hammer has ever done, and a supporting turn from Michael Stuhlbarg that comes out of nowhere to knock you on your ass. – Ethan Anderton

I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore is a mixture of buddy comedy (a dark, understated humor permeates the whole movie) and detective story, and the shocking bursts of violence that are interspersed throughout have a profound impact on these characters. Every bullet fired or broken bone means something, and in direct contrast with something like John Wick: Chapter 2, we feel every shot just as much as they do. It definitely has me excited to see what [Macon] Blair does next. -Ben Pearson

Kyle Mooney expands upon his awkward character persona that we've seen plenty of times on SNL, and this is just one of those indies you should be seeking out immediately. It's also one of those indies where the less you know, the better the viewing experience will be, so if you know little to nothing about this movie, try to keep it that way as best you can and see this later this month. -Ethan Anderton

If I have only one complaint about Ingrid Goes West it is that the story sticks to a formula that we've seen a hundred times before. Just as this adventure picks up you already have a good idea how this relationship will crash and burn. But even then, you won't expect where it takes Ingrid. Unlike other films playing at this year's Sundance Film Festival, Ingrid is able to balance the tonal shifts between black comedy and thriller. -Peter Sciretta

The less you know about Nacho Vigalondo's Colossal going in, the better off you'll be. Know that it's a giant monster movie starring Anne Hathaway and Jason Sudeikis. But also know that it's less interested in giant monsters and more interested in addiction, abusive relationships, toxic masculinity, and how we're willing to harm others when hiding behind the anonymity of an avatar. What begins as a quirky comedy with a giant monster soon evolves into a parable about living life right now. -Jacob Hall

A creature-feature-meets-indie-comedy already sounds like a recipe for greatness, but an unexpected socially conscious twist elevates Colossal to one of the most perceptive and inventive movies of the year. Colossal hits all the beats of a quirky indie rom-com in the first half of the film, and even the supernatural twist of the monster doesn't upset that status quo. But director Nacho Vigalondo pulls the rug out from under his audience with an unexpected antagonist that plays upon the expectations of "the nice guy." -Hoai-Tran Bui

Colossal mashes up the tropes of indie romantic comedies with Japanese monster movies and somehow comes out on the other side with a fantastic movie that has a lot to say about alcoholism, ambition, abusive relationships and more. It takes more than a few surprising turns which keep the indie side from feeling stale and the sci-fi side from feeling like it's only a gimmick. -Ethan Anderton

The Lure is a Polish musical about two Mermaid besties working in a club. Yes, Agnieszka Smoczynska's movie is every bit as wild and incredible as it sounds. The mermaids, who usually eat men for dinner, are two friends paying a visit to a sometimes wondrous and joyful but mostly disappointing and grimy human world. It's a love story between the mermaids, not the human Srebrna (Marta Mazurek) with whom falls in love. They bring a lot of light to Smoczynska's sometimes comically mundane settings, which contrasts the simple with the extraordinary. Not for a second does Smoczynska make it hard to suspend one's disbelief watching a pair of mermaids sing in a club. She brings such an energy to the movie, too. The sequences in the club are some of my favorite of the year – full of life, excitement, and something different. The Lure is one violent and heartfelt musical. -Jack Giroux

While the original Guardians dealt with Star-Lord confronting the untimely death of his mother and how it continues to affect him decades later and light years away, this one focuses on the lack of a relationship that he had with his father, complete with an ensemble story surrounding it that has flares of The Empire Strikes Back, lacking a villain for most of the movie and a central goal or storyline to propel it forward. Those may sound like shortcomings, but for me, that's what makes Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 more engaging than the rest of the blockbuster fare out there. -Ethan Anderton

The body-switching story of Your Name at first toes the line between voyeurism and wonder, but it quickly becomes a wistful and surprisingly hilarious romance of two young people separated by distance, and — it turns out — time. I'm a sucker for time-travel movies that act as existential commentaries on love and life, and Your Name does that and more. The breathtaking animation is a reminder of the limitless capabilities of hand-drawn animation, and its details used to juxtapose the simple Japanese countryside with the bustling city feels like the film is drawn with a loving hand. -Hoai-Tran Bui

James Gray's adaptation of David Grann's novel is his most emotional work to date. Gray doesn't place emphasis on the madness in Percy Fawcett's long search for a lost city. The Lost City of Z isn't a story about a character reaching for greatness out of arrogance, but to explore the unexplored, seeking knowledge. There's a purity to Fawcett's quest in the Amazons, and a love for the place he shares with his son, Jack Fawcett (Tom Holland). Even though their journey doesn't end well, to put it lightly, Percy Fawcett and Gray see more than despair. I won't spoil it, but the final lines between Fawcett and his son are incredibly moving, say everything that needs to be said about Fawcett, and have stuck with me. The Lost City of Z is an epic with characters as rich as the arresting and lush shots. -Jack Giroux

Yes, this is a horror movie about a young vegetarian girl who goes to veterinary school and learns that she has a taste for human flesh, but it's not about eating other people. Raw is less interested in cannibalism and more interested in the loneliness that comes with being away from home for the first time, the isolation of finding yourself between cliques, those awkward moments when you try to evolve into a new person amongst those who don't know the old you, and the unpleasant ickiness of your early sexual encounters when you have no idea what the hell you're doing. Above all, it's about sisterhood and the complex feelings that drive siblings apart before bringing them together again. And yes, it's also full of extreme gore and body horror. -Jacob Hall

Julia Ducournau's debut sometimes finds the beautiful in the grotesque. Ducournau's bizarre and intimate story about cannibals is also a great story of two sisters. There are many highly effective stomach turning scenes – and terrific practical effects – but even when there's no cannibalism, the scenes between Justine (Garance Marillier) and Alexia (Ella Rumpf) are fantastic and surprising. Their relationship always feels real, as strange and as perverse as it gets. -Jack Giroux

I'm shocked that a staggering six credited writers were able to string together something that ultimately turned out so well, since we've seen tons of mega-budget movies fall to pieces with too many cooks in the kitchen. But under the guidance of producer Kevin Feige, director Jon Watts was able to wield Tom Holland's boyish charm like a weapon and create something fans have been waiting for since the 1960s: a Spider-Man movie with a spot-on portrayal of the webslinger at its center. -Ben Pearson

It Comes At Night depicts one of the most profound explorations of the inherent destructiveness of humanity I've ever seen. I would hesitate to call it a horror movie because it shies away from so many of the horror genre expectations in favor of showcasing small moments of human frailty and violence. The closest It Comes At Night comes to leaning into the horror genre is the palpable sense of dread that permeates the film, lending to the paranoia expressed by Joel Edgerton's patriarch. -Hoai-Tran Bui

Buoyed by subtle performances (Joel Edgerton is especially good at quiet desperation), It Comes at Night manipulates cinematic language and geography to create the sense of a waking nightmare. It's sometimes tough to tell what's literal and what's not (note the ever-shifting aspect ratio), but that's not the point. The point is that the institutions we hold so dearly crumble when poked a little too hard. The things we fight for, the things we're willing to die for, are the first things to shatter when we betray ourselves. It Comes at Night is not a good time at the movies, but it's certainly not something you'll shake easily. -Jacob Hall

The bleakness of this post-apocalyptic tale gets right under my skin. In Trey Edward Shults' film, each character is hoping for the best. That rarely ever goes well in It Comes at Night, in which no monster is needed to create suspense or horror. A room full of well-intentioned humans is enough to create problems and fear. There's plenty of terror in It Comes at Night thanks to distrust and a killer virus, but it's human nature that turns out to be the real threat. -Jack Giroux

Wonder Woman is not a perfect movie, but it is a perfect movie for this time. It's an earnest and hopeful breath of fresh air in the midst of grim DC blockbusters and glib Marvel sequels. Director Patty Jenkins never sacrifices character for humor — though there is a healthy dose of both. Gal Gadot is a godsend as the compassionate, idealistic, and flawed Diana of Themyscira, whose fish out of water storyline never gets tired. And Chris Pine is a worthy foil to her as Steve Trevor, the battle-worn and slightly more cynical American spy who gets tasked with taking her into the thick of war to battle the god of war Ares... -Hoai-Tran Bui

With the disappointing taste of movies like Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad still fresh in our mouths, there was all the reason in the world to doubt that Wonder Woman would be the saving grace of the DC Extended Universe. But against all odds, that's exactly what director Patty Jenkins delivered: this is a rousing action movie with a soulful, compassionate character at its center who actually cares about saving people (which seems like a requisite for being a superhero, but you'd be surprised). -Ben Pearson

Patty Jenkins' superhero movie has a refreshing sense of optimism. Few superheroes are as admirable and as heroic as Diana Prince (Gal Gadot). Right from the beginning, she has a charisma and spirit that lights up every scene. Even though the final set piece is a little underwhelming, especially compared to the stellar "No Man's Land" sequence, Gadot, Jenkins, and all involved nail the scenes that count most, like the emotional payoffs. -Jack Giroux

Logan is arguably the most violent R-rated superhero movie ever made, but amid all of the head stabbings and dismemberment, it's also a moving conclusion for a character who has spent so many years broken, lonely, and helpless. It's a truly fitting send-off for one of superhero cinema's most iconic characters, and features one of the best final shots of any superhero movie to date. -Ben Pearson

As traditionally rugged as Wolverine has been as a character, Loganbroke him down to his most vulnerable state, and deconstructed audience and Western expectations of masculinity. I could go on about how Logan recontextualizes the superhero genre, how it comments on and expands the hero myth, and how the scene between Charles and Logan is one of the most heartbreaking X-Men moments in the franchise's history... -Hoai-Tran Bui

James Mangold's comic book movie is a completely satisfying standalone experience and farewell to a character we've watched for the last 16 years. There's sadness to the deeply flawed hero Mangold explores to the fullest in Logan. The fallen X-Man has probably killed more people than he can count – for a superhero who's saved the world a few times, he's had a terrible life. His pain is on full display in this film, a comic book movie that never sacrifices character for the sake of action or comedic relief. -Jack Giroux

This grizzled, jaded version of Wolverine makes for a compelling character in a world where mutants are dying off and he suddenly finds himself caring for a young girl who is basically his daughter, created from his own mutant DNA and gifted (or cursed) with her own healing powers and claws. This is a raw, stirring blockbuster that makes you care more about a superhero than you ever have before. Personally, I shed a surprising number of tears, despite already being mentally prepared for the possibility of this film's ultimate conclusion. -Ethan Anderton

The supporting cast, which includes Jamie Foxx, Jon Hamm, Eiza Gonzalez, and Jon Bernthal, are all varying degrees of good, but Elgort stands in the spotlight with Lily James, who plays his diner waitress love interest; this is their fairy tale, and it's one hell of a ride. Baby Driver is a toe-tapping heist movie that's meticulously edited to fit its soundtrack, resulting in a unique twist on a well-trod genre that's unlike anything you've ever seen before. -Ben Pearson

Edgar Wright brings his signature flair for visual comedy and action in full force in Baby Driver, resulting in a stunning and nearly over-stimulating joy of a movie. Though Wright does again demonstrate his penchant for focusing on wacky (white, male) outsider protagonists, giving his female characters the short stick — poor Lily James really does deserve more — it doesn't deter Baby Driverfrom creating a truly enjoyable experience. Baby Driver has an infectious love for music and cinema that is hard to ignore. -Hoai-Tran Bui

Taking the familiar story of a man forced into crime only to desperately want out of the game when his debt is paid, Wright has crafted a movie that makes the most out of the film's soundtrack by creating a hypnotizing and harmonious blend of music and visuals. It's a musical without all the singing and dancing, though the choreography of the chase scenes and action is so meticulous that they may as well be song and dance numbers. -Ethan Anderton

Edgar Wright has crafted a simple plot packed with character, invigorating song choices, and propulsive style. Like Wright's previous work, the jokes often have as many layers as the characters do. -Jack Giroux

Best described as "Heat re-imagined as a jukebox musical," Edgar Wright's Baby Driver is nothing short of joyful. The parts are familiar, but the build is unique – a "one last job" crime movie set to a killer soundtrack the informs the pace and rhythm of everything you're seeing on screen. Watching car chases and action scenes (and even mundane conversations) move to the beat of whatever is playing on the soundtrack never gets old and a game cast ensures that their archetypal characters stand out beyond the tropes they're inverting. -Jacob Hall

For a movie about super-intelligent simians, this blockbuster has more humanity in these ape characters than many films do in the entirety of their cast roster. The stunning visual effects by Weta Digital combined with the incredible motion-capture performances by Andy Serkis and the rest of his ape crew make for a blockbuster that is even more emotionally engaging than it is action-packed. -Ethan Anderton

This is a mythical, Biblical film that grapples with some big themes, but it never loses its way in all of that ambition; it remains grounded by its empathetic approach to storytelling, and its anti-war message and condemnation of toxic masculinity is a vital thing for our country to experience right now. And hey, Academy: just give Andy Serkis his damn Oscar already. -Ben Pearson

The first John Wick was fun, but John Wick: Chapter 2 does everything a great sequel should do: it deepens our understanding of the protagonist, addresses the consequences of the events of the first movie, expands the franchise's mythology, and takes the action to the next level with inventive, jaw-dropping sequences that made me suppress the urge to pump my fist with excitement in the theater. -Ben Pearson

John Wick was already a tightly wound and stylish thriller, but John Wick: Chapter 2 takes the explosive Keanu Reeves action vehicle to another level. A higher body count, a complex assassination plot, and more sleekly choreographed gun-fu fights that are times balletic, other times the sheer raw power of Reeves — all make John Wick: Chapter 2 a worthy sequel to one of the most exhilarating action films of the decade. – Hoai-Tran Bui

There has never been an action movie series quite like John Wick. The emphasis here isn't just on the bonebreaking, head-exploding action (of which there is plenty). Just as much time is spent building a complex world of assassins and secret organizations that operate by arcane rules and regulations. Just as much time is spent transforming every single character on screen into someone we understand, love, or loathe. Even those who exist simply to supply helpful exposition are brimming with personality. -Jacob Hall

The color choices, the costumes, the sets, and an actor with his own presence, Mr. Keanu Reeves, all make for one beautiful movie. John Wick: Chapter 2 is an action movie shot and structured with grace and stars a hero who doesn't waste any time on exposition or tangential subplots. -Jack Giroux

Get Out has no right to work as well as it does, but those elements come together in a maniacal, violent, and hilarious clockwork to create an experience so singular and unforgettable that I haven't stopped thinking about it since I saw it. It's a film of such stunning depth that I feel unqualified to even write about it. But I can't stop talking about it. -Jacob Hall

There isn't a movie that's more relevant or timely than this chilling thriller that takes tension and ramps it up to 11. Get Out is suspenseful, haunting, and proves spectacularly that horror doesn't have to be just a mindless assembly of jump scares, blood, ghosts, monsters and the occasional flash of nudity. Horror can be thoughtful, provocative, and full of subtext, and Get Out is all of those things and then some. -Ethan Anderton

Anyone who had seen a few episodes of the Comedy Central series Key & Peele knew Jordan Peele was a stand-out writer and performer, but I don't think anyone could have foreseen just how good Get Out was going to be. Peele's social horror thriller became a full-blown sensation earlier this year, and for good reason: it's a movie that explores what it means to be black in America right now, and takes down the faux modern liberalism that would lead people to say things like "I would have voted for Obama for a third term if I could have." -Ben Pearson

Get Out brings discomfort with race and privilege to the forefront, turning racial microaggressions into tangible plot points. Get Out is a densely layered film that gives you a richer experience every time you watch it — whether you're unpacking the significance of the cotton in the chair, or the dead deer that appears at the beginning of the film. It's almost genius in the way Get Out plays with our expectations of horror tropes and turns them into social commentary — which leads to one of the most gasp-inducing twists near the end of the film. -Hoai-Tran Bui

This is an antidote to filmmaking-by-committee. It's a personal, moving story that left me feeling rejuvenated about the potential of film to tell impactful and vital stories, and although it deals with some heavy subject matter, the comedy and abundance of charisma from everyone involved left me walking out of the theater on a joyous high. The Big Sick contains an absolutely perfect mixture of heartbreak and hilarity, and I truly think our country would be a better place if everyone who lived here watched it. -Ben Pearson

Romantic comedies are a dime a dozen, and most of them aren't even worth that 10-cent piece when all is said and done. But every now and then, a romantic comedy comes along that breaks the mold and gives us an endearing, original and wonderful story to latch on to. The Big Sick is the kind of original, genuine romantic comedy that all other movies of its kind wish they could be. The premise described in its simplest terms wouldn't be out of place as a synopsis for a Nicholas Sparks romance, but in the hands of producer Judd Apatow, director Michael Showalter and writers Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon, it's so much more special and entertaining than that. -Ethan Anderton

Even as The Big Sick is recognizable and painfully human in every single frame, it's hilarious. Even as The Big Sick tackles race and religion and breaking from family tradition to pursue your heart's desires, it feels universal. This is the kind of movie so gentle and good-natured that it sneaks up and blindsides you with unexpected power and grace. -Jacob Hall

The Big Sick is funny and heartwarming without falling victim to the emotional manipulation that runs rampant in love stories revolving around sickness. The Big Sick is also an unprecedented American romantic-comedy with a Muslim Pakistani-American man at its center, deftly exploring his family's cultural roots as well as his place as an outsider of two worlds. Nanjiani's ruminations on his childhood in both Pakistan and America spoke to my experiences as an Asian-American, and gives me hope for more smart and earnest cross-cultural films like The Big Sick. -Hoai-Tran Bui

10. Colossal

9. A Ghost Story

8. Baby Driver

7. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

6. Brigsby Bear

5. Call Me By Your Name

4. War for the Planet of the Apes

3. Logan

2. The Big Sick

1. Get Out

10. Colossal

9. John Wick: Chapter 2

8. Logan

7. Okja

6. Get Out

5. Baby Driver

4. It Comes at Night

3. Wonder Woman

2. The Big Sick

1. Your Name

10. Shimmer Lake

9. Baby Driver

8. Wonder Woman

7. Raw

6. A Cure For Wellness

5. It Comes at Night

4. Logan

3. The Lure

2. John Wick: Chapter 2

1. The Lost City of Z

10. It Comes at Night

9. Free Fire

8. The Blackcoat's Daughter

7. The Disaster Artist

6. Colossal

5. Baby Driver

4. Raw

3. John Wick: Chapter 2

2. The Big Sick

1. Get Out

10. The Little Hours

9. Logan

8. John Wick: Chapter 2

7. Baby Driver

6. Spider-Man: Homecoming

5. I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore

4. Wonder Woman

3. Get Out

2. War for the Planet of the Apes

1. The Big Sick

10. Kong: Skull Island

9. Brigsby Bear

8. Logan

7. Baby Driver

6. John Wick: Chapter 2

5. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

4. Ingrid Goes West

3. Spider-Man Homecoming

2. The Big Sick

1. War for the Planet of the Apes