We at The Pop Break love movies. What we don’t agree on is which movies we loved most in 2018. Across the 29 writers surveyed for this year’s Top 10 list, 53 different movies received votes. Some, like Avengers: Infinity War were almost universal. Others, like Paddington 2 or The Hate U Give received only a few votes. Of our film editor, Marisa Carpico’s votes, only one made the final list (Support the Girls, Netizens, Suspiria and Bad Times at the El Royale were left out in the cold).

Still, we did manage to put together a Top 10. From the year’s most talked about horror movies and genre-redefining comic book movies to trippy, personal meditations on grief our Top 10 proves 2018 was a banner year for film and gives 2019 a lot to live up to.

10. Mandy

With Nic Cage, any movie he appears in is immediately met with the rabid speculation of, “is it a good one this time?” Featuring some of the most psychedelic visuals in recent film memory (especially for a major production), and an incredibly violent plot, Mandy is a visceral, cerebral, devastating film that requires multiple viewings to let the full experience sink in.

Where do we even begin when we talk about Mandy? Is it the demonic biker cult, the Black Skulls? Is it the reclusive setting and substance-riddled lives of Red (Cage) and Mandy (Andrea Riseborough)? Is it the prolific and unabashed drug use? In a way, it’s all of these: the reason Mandy has so much appeal is because it is so vastly different from what your average movie-goer is ready to deal with in a theater setting.

In addition to the disorienting, violently colorful setting, the soundtrack (the final work by Icelandic composer, Johann Johannsson) contributes to the hair-raising, overwhelming feel of the film; the viewer is drawn inexorably closer to the explosive, extremely violent acts carried out by almost everyone involved.

At the end of the day, what draws people to Mandy is that it is a truly unique work in today’s film era: a risk taken, boundaries pushed, and Nic Cage in his element. This is not a movie for viewing with the family around the fireside: this is a mental effort, an investment. You bought the ticket so in you go. Much like the sayings of the elder LSD users of previous generations, you’re either on the bus or off. Mandy is a chaotic bus ride through the dark recesses of the human psyche and not for the faint of heart, but if you can stomach it, the film will be one of the most rewarding viewing experiences of the last decade.

-Andrew Howie

9. Hereditary

Hype is a tricky thing, and when you hear of something that is being lauded as one of the scariest and best horror film in years, people tend to scoff at it. Hereditary doesn’t just live up to that hype, it surpasses it. Director Ari Aster crafts one of the most enthralling films I’ve seen in years, and each time I’ve watched it (which is about five times at this point), I notice new things and have trouble sleeping afterwards.

Much like Get Out last year, Hereditary scares the ever-loving crap out of you in subtle ways, relying on atmosphere, performances and hard-to-see hints that take more than one viewing to even notice. THAT is what makes a terrifying movie, as I couldn’t help myself from thinking about this film and only this film days after seeing it—so much so that I needed to drag my best friend to see it just so she could experience what I experienced (and I’m not quite sure I’ve been forgiven for that).

Toni Collette is a force, making you really feel for her and her family during their trying time of loss. With her mother dead, you’re made to believe she is inheriting some sort of entity from her. However, each twist and turn surprises you, scares you and makes you say, “Oh My God” and “What the Hell”? Some would say Collette overacts, yet I feel her performance is perfectly acted, breaking down more and more as the film progresses. Twenty minutes in, I believed this woman would win a Best Actress Oscar, which I still do, even if the Golden Globes completely ignored her. Alex Wolff is also fantastic, playing a scared teenager that has to put up with his failing family.

What else can I say without spoiling the movie (and trust me, I don’t want to do that if you haven’t seen it)? Hereditary is, to me, a perfect film, perfectly balancing everything I’ve highlighted. Six months after its release, I still think about it and if I hear a tongue click, I freeze up.

-Tommy Tracy

8. Halloween

I saw Halloween: Resurrection in the theater back in 2002. Up until this point, Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) had been the epitome of the final girl. She had survived Michael Myers three times, managing to evade him for 20 years after that fateful night in 1978 and finally killing him in 1998. Resurrection destroyed it all by killing Laurie in a way that she would never ever have died. They made her death thoughtless and sloppy, leaving the fans with a sour taste in their mouths.

Now, 16 years later, the fans were given the best gift ever with the return of Laurie Strode and a final fight that she deserved: Halloween 2018 is a love letter to the fans.

Taking place 40 years after the original film, and completely erasing the subsequent sequels, we get to see a more realistic take on how that night has negatively affected Laurie these past several decades. Though an emotional wreck, Laurie is mentally strong and prepared for what she believes is the inevitable escape that Michael will, once again, make to kill her once and for all.

This is the sequel we deserved in 2002. This was the fight we should’ve been given. This was the Laurie Strode that we had all fallen in love with. This was the brutal and emotionless Michael we grew up fearing. Despite the fact that I do love several of the sequels after the original film, I have been okay with them disappearing for the purpose of Halloween 2018 because we were given so many Easter Eggs paying tribute to the fallen sequels that it felt like they weren’t really gone.

As a die-hard Halloween fan, my expectations for this film were high and it didn’t disappoint. Halloween 2018 was everything I had hoped it would be and then some, easily slipping it to the top of my favorite films of the year. I would be okay if they ended the story of Laurie vs Michael with this film, but I won’t be disappointed if they continue to deliver at this caliber.

-Ann Hale

7. A Star is Born

When compiling the list of movies I was most hyped about for 2018, Bradley Cooper’s adaptation of A Star is Born was nowhere near it. In all honesty, I had passing interest in the film, and only saw it in theaters at request of my wife.

Walking out of theaters, I could say that A Star is Born is not only one of my favorite films of 2018, but is my pick to take the Oscar for Best Picture home (I reserve the right to change my mind though!).

The film masterfully adapts the classic Hollywood and thrusts it into the modern music world. Lady Gaga is an absolute revelation as Ally, while Bradley Cooper gives what will most likely be his best performance ever. The duo’s onscreen chemistry is absolutely intoxicating — which makes the tragedy of the film that much more devastating.

Then there’s the music. Oh, the music. The original music here is top notch. While “The Shallows” or “I’ll Never Love Again” will snag an Oscar, Globe, and/or Grammy — it’s Cooper’s whiskey soaked country rock that hooked me. But in total, this movie’s soundtrack is hands down one of the best and most complete of the year.

This is a must-see film, that I can’t wait to watch again.

-Bill Bodkin

6. Mission: Impossible — Fallout

It’s easy to get swept up by Ethan Hunt’s death-defying stunts. That’s just the Mission: Impossible brand. Send Tom Cruise into a HALO jump, I’m there. Put him in a helicopter and shut off the engine, I’m there. Same answer to buzzing around Paris. We could talk about the action sequences ad nauseum.

Every time a new M:I movie is released, you’re sure to find dozens of Top 10 lists of Cruise’s best stunts and not much else. No one’s writing about the best political moments, best lines of dialogue, or even the performances around Cruise.

Fallout goes beyond the set-piece stigma attached to the franchise, adding to the mythos of Hunt and Cruise himself with a top-notch supporting crew.

Director Christopher McQuarrie weaponizes action like few others. Through these obsessive, near-impossible stunts we peer into Hunt’s past and the titular fallout of his character. Hunt’s past actions and negligence in the pursuit of justice are not done with him, and the world may soon pay for it.<

The stakes are not just about Hunt’s survival but the world’s due to a Thanos-esque villain. It’s a movie about our breaking points and identity crises in a faithless world. If that takes pushing Tom Cruise out of a plane at 25,000 feet for people to see it, inject it in my veins.

This isn’t just one of the best movies of the year, but one for the decade.

-Sean Cordy

5. Annihilation

For much of its runtime, Alex Garland’s Annihilation feels like you’re experiencing a dream. After a brief prologue set in the “real world,” we enter Area X and what unfolds on our screens feels wholly new and unusual. On a visual level, this is a bold but not entirely unfamiliar sci-fi terrain, with the production team choosing to slightly alter real-world objects and animals, instead of creating an entirely new area. This works — some of the imagery is frightening, some of it is oddly soothing, but it all feels like a breath of fresh air, and is beautifully captured by DP Rob Hardy.

But the beauty (and horror) is more than surface level. Annihilation takes its story into bizarre, often terrifying directions, with some plot elements and themes being so existentially traumatizing that you don’t even process it until well after it ends. Garland, working loosely off a novel by Jeff VanderMeer, has created some of the most memorable scares of the year (in this very good year for horror). There are at least three sequences that stand out as 2018’s most memorable, but what makes them so effective is that it’s not just what you see on screen that scares you. There are some troubling ideas about our purpose on Earth, and what makes us human, being explored through the gory imagery and frights.

This also serves as yet another example of how Natalie Portman remains the most interesting actress of her generation. She constantly takes new, interesting roles that feel like risky decisions, but allow her the opportunity to work with exciting voices and talented costars. And, here, she’s surrounded by the immensely talented Tessa Thompson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and a steal-scening Gina Rodriguez in what feels like a new cult-classic.

-Matt Taylor

4. Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse

I don’t think even the most hardcore Spider-Man fans would argue that we haven’t seen enough of the web-slinger. In the last 16 years alone, we’ve had three Spider-Man films directed by Sam Raimi and featuring Tobey Maguire in the spidey suit, two Amazing Spider-Man films directed by Marc Webb with Andrew Garfield as Spidey, and three movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe directed by three different directors with Tom Holland as young Peter Parker. And that doesn’t even include the three animated television programs devoted to the friendly neighborhood hero.

Needless to say, I wasn’t exactly keen on rushing to the theater to catch yet another Spider-Man iteration after finding myself quite satisfied with Tom Holland’s charming portrayal in 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming and lovable bit part in this year’s Avengers: Infinity War. Yet, I went anyway – and it was the best decision I made in all of 2018.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse isn’t just the best animated adaptation we’ve seen of Spider-Man, and it’s not just the best adaption we’ve seen of the character period, but it’s one of the best superhero movies ever made. In it, we meet seven different Spider-People: Spider-Man voiced by Chris Pine, Peter B. Parker voiced by Jake Johnson, Miles Morales voiced by Shameik Moore, Spider-Gwen voiced by Hailee Steinfeld, Spider-Man Noir voiced by Nicolas Cage, Peni Parker voiced by Kimiko Glenn, and Spider-Ham voiced by John Mulaney. While the film primarily focuses on Miles Morales’s origin story, we really get to see six other origin stories—and surprisingly, each one is better than the one before it.

On paper, there’s no reason that a movie like Spider-Verse should work. The varying animation from each character’s corresponding universe looks and feels handcrafted. The moments when traditional comic book dialogue, thought bubbles, and reaction sounds are visually depicted on screen mark perhaps the first time since Scott Pilgrim vs. the World that a comic was so beautifully translated to film. Each brief glimpse into other universes within the Spider-verse rivals the rich and textured worlds of Star Wars, Middle Earth, Narnia, and Harry Potter’s wizarding world.

Most notably, in a time when half a dozen superhero movies come out a year–almost exclusively featuring a straight white man at the forefront–Spider-Verse depicts a world literally and figuratively rich with color. Miles Morales is a young black boy from Brooklyn with a black police officer father and Puerto Rican nurse mother. He listens to Chance the Rapper, he understands multiple languages, and he makes beautiful art with graffiti. Gwen Stacy, once a victim of her boyfriend’s mistake, is now the hero in her own universe. Peni Parker, a young, tech-y Japanese girl from the future, proves that Spider-Man could even be a woman of color and still slay villains. Hell, even this film’s villain Doc Ock, who is traditionally male, is given a gender flip.

Without even mentioning the incredible voice acting, truly memorable music and soundtrack choices, heartfelt moments, and hysterical dialogue, Into the Spider-Verse certainly speaks to people now in 2018. But even more importantly, this movie will continue to be relevant, timeless, and classic because of the message it imparts to its viewers: whether you’re a young kid from Queens, a slightly overweight divorcee drowning in your own existential dread, or even a pig, anyone can wear the mask. Even in our own universe, anyone is capable of being a hero.

-Kat Manos

3. A Quiet Place

I’m not exactly a huge horror fan. I don’t have an aversion to the genre. Most horror movie trailers just don’t interest me. This could be because of the films’ premises, but it could also be the tendency for horror movies to be gory. That’s not to say I dislike anything violent or R-rated. I was big fan of Hannibal when it was on TV. But the violence tied into the story (plus it was remarkable how the show got away with it).

That A Quiet Place is less about the gruesome visuals and more about suspense is its greatest asset. Instead of disgusting decapitations designed to shock, each moment is expertly crafted. The lack of talking is a major part of that. Some may say the fact that we see the creatures diminishes their scariness, but I disagree. The movie makes sure the monsters are just as terrifying as we imagined they would be.

I know some people say there are plot holes, and sure, even I think the ending has some. However, the overall experience outweighs any narrative inconsistencies. There are no perfect movies, and few, if any, movies without plot holes. This is still a huge achievement for John Krasinski, who directed, wrote, produced, and acted in the movie.

It’s a wonder that A Quiet Place even exists in its current form, when the writers admitted they thought of pitching it as a Cloverfield film. I can only imagine how dreadful it would’ve been to watch a unique film like this try to connect to a pre-existing series. It’s sort of a shame they have to make a sequel that will, in all likelihood, pale in comparison to its predecessor. At least we’ll still have the first movie.

-Aaron Sarnecky

2. Black Panther

“He looks like me.” Whenever I (social worker by day, staff writer by night) asked the children of color I work with why they love Black Panther so much, I invariably received some form of that answer. Representation matters, and 2018 reaffirmed that irrefutable fact in so many ways. Black Panther demonstrates that a superhero film created by and starring people of color can not only be a tremendous financial and critical success, but also inspire people who too rarely see themselves depicted in film in a positive light. Other than Wonder Woman, no comic book movie has ever had such social and personal significance for a population underrepresented in the genre. In that sense, Black Panther is just as much a cultural phenomenon as it is a work of art.

But Black Panther is also an incredible motion picture. The Afrofuturistic world of Wakanda feels just as fully-realized as the greatest locations of science fiction and fantasy, with just as much character and vibrancy as Middle Earth, Hogwarts, and Tatooine. The different tribes, the mix of technology and cultural traditions, the politics—each element perfectly complements the next to create a world that will resonate with audiences for years to come. And within that world, the characters bring the kingdom to life.

Chadwick Boseman takes T’Challa and his heroic alter ego to new heights following the character’s strong introduction in Captain America: Civil War. Struggling to balance his responsibilities to his people and the plight of people around the world, T’Challa must weigh his nation’s historically isolationist policies against the needs of a growing global community. More than a reflection of today’s political debates, T’Challa’s internal conflict is an incredible source of drama as he must contend with the disparate views of his allies and enemies.

Black Panther also stars an incredible cast of badass women who often steal the spotlight from the new king. Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o), Okoye (Danai Gurira), and Shuri (Letitia Wright) are not just a 21^st century version of Charlie’s Angels. These women are tremendously skilled, possess unique abilities, and display their own histories and values, which they are not afraid to share with their king. T’Challa may represent Wakanda’s soul, but the women in his life make up the kingdom’s muscle, brain, and heart.

Of course, any discussion of this film without mention of Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) would be incomplete. But what else is there to say about the antagonist that has not already been said? Killmonger is one of the greatest antagonists in the history of cinema and the best comic book “villain” since Heath Ledger’s Joker. I put villain in quotation marks because of just how complex and justified Killmonger is. The character’s final scene is arguably the most powerful moment in the movie and will undoubtedly be recognized as an iconic scene for decades to come.

Black Panther is not just one of the top films of 2018. Ryan Coogler’s epic addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe is one of the best films of the 21^st century and a true work of art that will resonate with audiences for generations.

-Josh Sarnecky

1. Avengers: Infinity War

Infinity War should not work.

Marvel should not be able to adapt one of their most iconic and complicated comic events and create a coherent story about this many characters—a majority of them having never met. Thanos should not be a compelling villain with an empathetic background and a clear ideology. One studio should not be able to set up an event film over the course of ten years and not only deliver on fans’ expectations, but surpass them.

But it worked. God damn, did it work.

Infinity War was everything we wanted and so much more. The character interactions felt organic even though most of these heroes and villains had been written completely separately up until now. Not only did the Russo Brothers, Kevin Feige, Christopher Markus, and Stephen McFeely write the hell out of this thing, but these actors ARE their characters. Chris Evans IS Steve Rogers. Robert Downey Jr. IS Tony Stark. Chris Hemsworth IS Thor. After years of practice, their performances have becomes effortless. They delivered on the promise of the Cinematic Universe.

And the action was top notch. Here are some highlights. Doctor Strange summoned The Crimson Bands of Cyttorak. Thanos lifted The Incredible Hulk over his shoulders and slammed him into the ground. Spider-Man swung through the streets of midtown for the first time in four years. Captain America caught Proxima Midnight’s spear out of midair. Bucky dual wielded a machine gun and Rocket Raccoon. Scarlett Witch threw Proxima Midnight into a giant buzz saw. Tony Stark trapped Thanos under his foot, transformed his hand into an anvil, and gave Thanos a haymaker that would kill anyone else. And then there was Thor’s Wakanda entrance.

Most importantly, there were consequences. Our expectations were subverted in a way that felt natural and satisfying. In what’s probably the most painful moment of the year, Starlord punched Thanos in the face and doomed half the universe.

And yeah, there is no way Marvel effectively erased three of their most lucrative franchises in Spider-Man, Black Panther, and the Guardians of the Galaxy, but the quest to reverse The Snap and bring back our ashed Avengers will require sacrifices. Infinity War changed the course of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a way that fills me with both dread and excitement.

Endgame can’t come soon enough.

-Matt Kelly

Methodology: Five points were awarded for each critic’s #1 pick; four were awarded for the #2 pick, 3 for the #3 pick, etc. In the event that a critic did not rank their list, their choices were given an equal weight of 3.