It’s safe to say that we’ve been absolutely blessed with fantastic films in 2026, in what is perhaps the strongest year for cinema since, well, the pandemic. You can easily pinpoint the moment where the remakes, Marvel blockbusters and unnecessary sequels started overpowering and outshining great, original ideas, and for a short while it felt like there was no going back. That tide has well and truly turned, and boy have we been reaping the benefits. 2026 has been all about unique, powerful and exciting new stories taking centre stage across all genres. Today we’re taking a look at some of the best movies that came out in the first eight-ish months of the year, as well as a few of the worst.
THE BEST
THE ODYSSEY
You can’t write about the best films of the year without mentioning The Odyssey, a film of such epic proportions that you could argue is one of Christopher Nolan’s best movies, if not the best. Nolan’s nonlinear retelling of Homer’s 3,000 year old epic poem spans just under three hours as we see Matt Damon (Odysseus) and his crew attempt to make it home following the Battle of Troy. He is joined by a star-studded cast of Nolan favourites (Anne Hathaway, Josh Stewart, Elliot Page) and new faces (Tom Holland, Samantha Morton and the incredible John Leguizamo) as he comes to terms with the guilt and grief caused by the war in Troy. The journey home, as we know, is treacherous at best, with Odysseus and his crew facing giant warriors (the Laestrygonians), a cyclops (Polyphemus) and the undead on their travels. Damon plays the role of Odysseus so incredibly well, but it’s worth highlighting two of The Odyssey’s other standout performances: Samantha Morton as the captivating witch Circe (who turns Odysseus’ men into pigs), and Robert Pattinson as Antinous. While Morton reels you in with horror, Pattinson manages to make you hate Antinous and his cowardice with every fibre of your being. The Odyssey is the kind of movie people will still be talking about in 20, 30 years time; a film which is perfect in every way (including Ludwig Göransson’s magnum opus soundtrack) and which will undoubtedly sweep award shows next year.
OBSESSION
When it comes to unexpected breakout successes, Obsession is by far the most surprising box office smash hit this year. Curry Barker’s tense horror film was made on a budget of just $750k (just $249m less than The Odyssey), and has since become one of the most profitable films of all time, grossing $488m and counting as of August. Its premise is simple – boy likes girl, girl doesn’t like boy, boy makes a wish for girl to love him, girl becomes obsessed with boy on an unhinged scale. Inde Navarette shines as the absolutely mental Nikki, who becomes possessed after Michael Johnston’s Bear buys a One Wish Willow and wishes for Nikki to love him more than anything in the world. It unfolds pretty much how you think it would, and it’s a horror spectacle so rooted in reality that audiences around the world are still flocking to see it.
BACKROOMS
If there’s anything scarier than your classic horror movie, then it’s one where the horror is rooted in feelings, tensions and implications as opposed to jump scares and gory visuals. Backrooms largely falls under the former category, taking real world trauma and embedding it deep within the walls of the mysterious expanse the film depicts. Directed by Kane Parsons (20 years old at time of release), Backrooms is the most visually striking and eerie film of the year, with Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve respectively starring as furniture store owner Clark and his therapist Mary. Clark discovers the Backrooms in the basement of his store, unsuccessfully convincing Mary of its existence before convincing his only employee and her boyfriend to explore it with deadly consequences. As the movie explains, everything found in the Backrooms is a misremembered and skewed interpretation of something from the lives of the people who enter it, including a monstrous still life of Clark himself. As Clark explains, “the more it remembers something, the less it does”. We won’t spoil too much, but if you’re into horror which leans into the obscure, then Backrooms is the movie for you. No film has had us on the edge of our seats in suspense the way this one did.
THE INVITE
You know a concept is strong when filmmakers around the world are lining up to make their own version of it. That’s the case with Olivia Wilde-helmed adult comedy flick The Invite, which is not the first, not the second, but the FIFTH international remake of Cesc Gay’s Spanish film The People Upstairs. It had previously been remade in Italy, Switzerland, France and South Korea, with the Netherlands and Belgium releasing a joint effort in 2027. Wilde directs and stars in this alongside Penelope Cruz, Edward Norton and the brilliant Seth Rogen, who delivers a career-best performance as the unbothered-yet-on edge Joe. It’s 100 minutes of awkward sexual tension, painful revelations and some of the year’s best blocking and camera work. For couples of a certain age, some of it is all too relatable, which can be taken as both a good and a bad thing. The mid-film bait and switch elevates the discomfort to another level, with Cruz and Norton revealed to be swingers. Rogen and Wilde’s initial distaste for their upstairs neighbours turns into fascination, followed by lust, anger, grief and – eventually – acceptance. The entire movie is set in one apartment, and yet it doesn’t feel restricted by its surroundings. You won’t see a funnier movie this year.
I SWEAR
If this year’s BAFTA controversy taught us anything, then it’s that we still have a long way to go before Tourette Syndrome is understood and accepted for what it is. During the award ceremony, the real life subject of I Swear – John Richardson – inadvertently shouted slurs while two Black actors gave an acceptance speech. As you know, this is an uncontrollable aspect of Tourette’s, something John can do absolutely nothing about. And yet the backlash he received – particularly in the United States – was unprecedented. This is why a movie like I Swear is so, so important. The true story of John’s life is an absolutely powerful presentation of the trials and tribulations Tourette’s Syndrome puts a person through, with Robert Aramayo doing such a fantastic job of bringing John’s life to the big screen. We see it all, from the outbursts and trouble at home, to the people who lift him up and the eventual difference John makes by helping other people like him. I Swear is a one of a kind movie which is sure to make you shed at least one tear.
THE WORST
MICHAEL
Look, maybe we’re being a bit harsh here, but in a year where original ideas have reigned supreme, a biopic about perhaps the most documented singer in history just feels absolutely unnecessary. Michael is a by numbers biopic of a man who most certainly did not do things by numbers, and yet it couldn’t feel more bland, basic and mild. This is partly due to the fact that its story abruptly ends in 1988, five years before the first allegations and lawsuits came to light. Had an NDA not prevented filmmakers from using the scenes they filmed about the allegations, we may have seen a more nuanced and interesting take on his life. Instead, we’re left with what is pretty much just a greatest hits of his career and the quirks which made him a star. Jafaar Jackson (yes, related) does a good job of portraying his uncle, but beyond the classic expectations of a biopic (and a cameo from Robbie Williams in monkey form), Michael does little to excite.
ICE CREAM MAN
Ice Cream Man is the single worst movie we’ve seen in a long time. Nothing even comes close. On paper, the premise is simple: an ice cream man turns kids into zombie-like murderers. You’d think this is the kind of premise easily fleshed out and expanded upon, and yet Eli Roth still manages to screw up the bare minimum by adding an unresolved necromancer storyline as context for the titular character’s demonic actions. The acting from every single person in this film is horrendously poor (Ari Millen’s ice cream man is mute, which might be for the better), with shoddy writing and multiple AI generated sequences serving as the only real horror in this 90 minute display of senseless violence and gore for the sake of gore.
In a year which has been so strong for horror (Backrooms, Obsession, Hokum), Ice Cream Man is a stain on the genre. Eli Roth is a stain on the genre, so it’s no wonder that he had to start his own media company in order to even get this disaster made. The bar for Ice Cream Man was already in hell, and unfortunately that is also where it stays. The ice cream truck in the movie should have had Golden Raspberry as a flavour, because the Razzie’s is where it belongs.
CITIZEN VIGILANTE
We haven’t seen this one, but the reviews speak for themselves. Billed as Armie Hammer’s big comeback, Citizen Vigilante is essentially nothing more than a fascist wet dream passion piece. It’s also the latest disaster in Uwe Boll’s comically bad filmography. The plot revolves around Hammer travelling through Europe murdering criminals, all of whom are conveniently foreign. It’s full of fascist dog whistles, right wing propaganda and enough racism to make Elon Musk excited. In fact, Musk even shared the entire film on his Twitter profile for all to see. And by all, we mean the bot farms that populate the platform he destroyed. Citizen Vigilante would have been the absolute worst movie to come out this year, but the previously mentioned Ice Cream Man pips Uwe Boll’s fascist fantasy to second place. But hey, at least Armie Hammer can start dusting off his tuxedo for awards season, because the Golden Raspberry’s are going to love this.
