The Best Movies of 2023 So Far

It feels like just a few weeks ago we were counting down the top movies of 2022. Nope — 2023 is already half over. How did that happen? Where did half the year go so quickly? It was just here; now it’s vanished. I guess time flies when all you do every day is sit at a computer writing about movies.

With summer solstice officially in the rear view — but before we look ahead to the fall’s major blockbusters and awards contenders — let’s take one more look back at the best movies of the year so far. It’s been a half-year filled with superheroes, hitmen, crusading archaeologists, guardians of the galaxy, killer sentient dolls, infinity pools, aging women rooting for Tom Brady, Magic Mike’s last dance, bears strung out on nose candy, dinosaurs trying to eat Adam Driver, dungeons and/or dragons, Italian plumbers saving mushroom kingdoms from giant turtles, and a couple dozen additional titles of varying interest and quality. As a great man standing in front of a muscle car once said: The Movies.

Here are my picks for the 10 best films of the year so far, ranked in order of personal preference. If you missed them in theaters, you’ll definitely want to catch up with all of them on home video (most are already available to rent; a few can even already be streamed) before we reconvene here in December for the final list of the year’s top films.