10 Best Movies of 2017 Released So Far

We are only two weeks away from 2018. And now is the best time to recollect some of the best movies of 2017 made so far. The art house and multiplex have already witnessed some sensational hits. After 350+ days of the year, moviegoers can now sit back and decide on their favorite flicks from around the year and create their own bucket list.

If you want to skip the tedious task of sifting through titles, we can tell you of easier ways. For example, you can simply browse the top IMDb titles of 2017. However, we will help you a little further by giving an insight into the top 10 movies of 2017 that we have seen so far. Hopefully, this will help you decide which movie you'd like to watch first.

Top 10 Movies to Watch in 2017

Before you start reading our list of the best movies of 2017, there are a few things that we would like you to know. The movies ranked on our list do not expressly conform to all “regular dynamics.” These are more “out of the heart” choices than anything else. And of course, views expressed are personal! Still, we think all of the following movies are worth watching since they all bring something new to the table.

The Lost City of Z

Before The Lost City of Z, James Gray already had an audience of his own – with movies like The Immigrant and Two Lovers. In many ways, it was a brave step for someone like Gray. He moved his cinematic vision far outside New York City and moved deep into the heart of Amazon. The movie is based on a 2009 novel by David Grann.

The shift in geography bore zero impact on Gray’s cinematic mastery. You will love the way the movie follows Percy Fawcett’s repeated exploration of a historic South American civilization. Portrayed to glass-cutting perfection by Charlie Hunnam, Fawcett is the center of this empathetic drama.

An astounding adventure, The Lost City of Z is also a tale of a man’s quest to discover a new environment and escape the intolerance of his times. The scene where a modern man surrenders to Nature and its older inhabitants is wholesomely executed.

I Called Him Morgan

Something terrible happened in a New York City nightclub on February 18, 1972. A wife shot her husband from close range – and the man died. Lee Morgan was a big name in the jazz scene of the century before that fateful night. When Kasper Collin decided to make a documentary pitched around the lives of Lee and his wife Helen, he knew it wouldn’t be easy.

But Kasper dug deep. He used archival footage and fresh interviews galore. The most important thing was the tape-recorded interview that Helen gave in 1996. It was shot just a month before her death. You get an insider’s peep into the lives of Lee and Helen. The love, the combustion, and the hate in this gripping story – it’s all too “in your face” to ignore.

The sorrowful equation that led to the ultimate crime has been shown at each stage of its development. There’s abandonment, betrayal, drug abuse, and everything else that life offers.

The Killing of a Sacred Deer

No “best movies of 2017” list should end without this dark comedy on misery. Expertly articulated by Colin Farrell, The Killing of a Sacred Deer is the stark reality that has the power to shake all of us. Farrell is a surgeon by the name of Steven. He meets a teenager named Martin and develops a secret friendship with him. The reason for their friendship is not immediately clear though.

That friendship brings complications in the domestic lives of Steven, Anna, and their children. You will be shocked to find out the revelations that come out of the friendship. There’s a poetic tale about crime and punishment. It also reminds us of the consequences of not taking responsibility for our actions.

The character of the movie is defined by the mechanical gimmicks of Kidman (the wife), Farrell, and Keoghan. The dialogues around civil niceties are at once swift and nice.

Okja

Ookja is one of the most exhilarant human-animal relationship movies you have ever seen. A young girl in South Korea is deeply bonded with her genetically enhanced super-pig, Okja. Here is what you can expect to find in this movie:

• A blistering critique of the food-for-profit industry;
• A wacky comedy about the transcending of social and cultural boundaries;
• A brilliant adventure of chases and kidnapping;
• Special performances by Tilda Swinton and Jake Gyllenhaal.

Apart from these, you get a spectacular scene shot in the Times Square. Furthermore, there is an epic (nearly holocaust-like) scene from inside the slaughterhouse. This movie will tell you about the idiosyncrasies of life and how boundaries can be breached.

People like Hayao Miyazaki and Steven Spielberg can be proud of the kind of work Okja represents. The plot unwinds when the heroine sets out to reclaim the creature from the industry that created it. And that is a treat to watch.

I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore

Watching I Don’t Feel at Home In This World Anymore will remind you of many things. You will remember how most other films build a bridge between screen and reality. You will relate to how small things in our mundane everyday lives make such a huge difference.

At one point, we start losing hope, and there is a hint of despondency. That is when the cast decides to fight back. A series of comedy, action, and a heavy-hearted struggle ensues. In the center of this story is a character named Ruth, whose house is targeted by burglars. She sets out for retribution by partnering with her martial-arts neighbor Tony.

The quest leads to a pitch-black comedy where two persons fight odds as they come. Director Macon Blair strikes the right balance between the absurdist and the realist forms of narration. After a certain stage, the movie becomes a tale about combatting the despairs of existentialism.

Marjorie Prime

Sometime back, Jordan Harrison had written a play that was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. Michael Almereyda adapted the play into what is easily the most moving cinema of the year. While the concept itself was a little utopic, Michael was profound in execution.

The setting is a home by the sea. You see Marjorie spending her last days in conversation with the holographic projection of her deceased husband. Juxtaposed with her struggle is the tale of her daughter and son in law’s struggles with the old lady’s health. Tess and John find their marital life delicately placed.

In the conversations between Marjorie and her late husband, Michael unearths a can of familial dynamics on humanity and hope. The movie also displays an intriguing set of inputs about the layers of human memory. It shows us how to tune our mnemonic priorities to comfort us with only the most convenient type of information.

Columbus

In a year filled with high-octane action and simpleton tales of reality, Columbus is a realistic girl-meets-boy tale. The plot itself is not much about the romance of the protagonists. It is more about the hidden ties that form between disparate souls without either of them knowing.

Jin and Casey (played by John Cho and Haley Lu Richardson) meet in Columbus. Jin is here to tend to his architect father – who is not in great health at the moment. Casey has paused her dreams to come home and help her addict mother to recover. Conversations between the two start about local architecture and swings into subjects like obligations, family, and personal ambition.

It is difficult to believe that Columbus is the first piece of work by director Kogonada. There are astounding beauty and precision in the tale. It sees universality even through difference. Actors Cho and Richardson share a chemistry of certitude. The way their chemistry interacts with both hope and melancholy is the summum bonum of Columbus.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

At the time of writing, over 92,000 viewers have rated Star Wars: The Last Jedi on IMDb. The movie has scored a solid 8.0 out of 10 so far! And yet the entire experience of the movie can be summed up with a line by Luke Skywalker: “Isn’t going to be the way you think.”

The movie draws loose parallels to “Empire Strikes Back.” But, you will not feel that it is the same story cloned. We must not tell you what happens of the reunions between some of our favorite characters.

For one, every time Carrie Fisher came on screen, all of us gushed with awe. It is difficult to believe there will not be another movie with Carrie Fisher in it. The space battles are the best that we have ever seen. We won’t spoil it any further. Go watch the movie if you haven’t already. This is definitely one of the best movies of 2017 - when it comes to ambitious sci-fi projects.

Dunkirk

When Christopher Nolan makes a movie, all of us watch. In Dunkirk, he furthers his own immersive art to give all of us a dip into reality. The World War II panned out bloody in the beaches of Dunkirk, France. The movie itself goes back and forth between perspectives and time frames.

The complete shooting is in 70mm IMAX. Perhaps that is why the pictures are so vividly different from most other things we have seen. There is not much space for the nuances of the character of background in this wartime tale by famed director. Instead, it makes us stand in the middle of infantrymen facing incoming gunfire.

You see sacrifice, cowardice, exceptional bravery, and heroism – all in overlap in Dunkirk. The club between the micro and macro aspects of life as we see it in Dunkirk tells us a different kind of realistic story altogether. Out and out, another Nolan Classic.

Lady Macbeth

Someone made a phenomenally large feature debut in 2017. While not many people noticed, William Oldroyd’s Lady Macbeth shook the ground. It is not actually an adaptation of Shakespeare’s play. It is based on Nikolai Leskov’s novel, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk District.

Florence Pugh plays a young woman, Katherine. Kath was sold into marriage to a much older landlord. The landlord was nasty, his father more so. The union between the two gestates horror and chill right up to the end. Despite the Shakespearean annotation in the title, the movie follows a different kind of storytelling.

Among the best feminist dramas, Lady Macbeth seeks to explore gender in the ugly contest of history. Katherine makes desperate attempts toward her own liberation. From the outside, the film looks pretty refined. You see the grotesque only when the ferocious facets unfold.

Final Words

So, that is that. We have ranked the best movies of 2017 so far based on our personal preference and the overall score of each movie. Let us know which one was your favorite.

Was there some deserving movie that we missed out on? Let us know in the comments section below. Here’s hoping that 2018 has even better movies to offer.