Top 20 Most-Loved Titles of 2023
2023 was truly a year of famine and feast for film. Union strikes left Hollywood lots empty and film stars left to entertain themselves on their childrens' TikTok accounts in lieu of any filming or promo work.
Despite this, the summer saw the public return to IRL cinemas with gusto, thanks to the two-headed beast that was 'Barbenheimer'. The year ended strong, with relative calm restored on all fronts, and plenty of talk about new classics, career bests, and gold statuettes.
How does Criticker make the top films of 2023 list?
As every year, these aren't the films of 2023 that have the highest average rating by all users. At Criticker, we just love stats, so why not dive into the numbers and make this list as accurate as possible.
This list of top 20 most-loved titles of 2023 is the movies which the highest percentage of users rated in their top 20% of all time.
Also, make sure to check out the 10 Most-Hated Movies of 2023!
20. Bottoms
Love Percentage: 21.93%
Emma Seligman hits all the high school comedy tropes in this modern twist on a classic. Two hapless students set up an elaborate ruse to get close to the hottest cheerleaders in the school. They get in over their head, but will they come good in the end?
"Dark, irreverent, and raunchy, this satirical teen sex comedy is as outrageous as it is hysterical. It’s a lot like “Heathers,” but gay." screenzealot
19. John Wick: Chapter 4
Love Percentage: 23.26%
We join Keanu Reeves as John Wick for the fourth time as he gets closer to The High Table. He's causing trouble in the dark underworld everywhere from Paris to Tokyo, fighting for his freedom.
"This gave me everything I needed. Every action scene is memorable, it's shot incredibly well [...]. This is just top-tier action movie." Obdurate
18. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One
Love Percentage: 23.95%
There's a super-weapon that could have catastrophic global consequences if Ethan Hunt doesn't get his hands on it before a certain mysterious enemy does. But Hunt also has to grapple with this past and weigh up his commitment to the mission.
"It's an absolute masterclass in tension. Despite its lengthy running time, nary a moment feels wasted and it's never anything but riveting." luord
17. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Love Percentage: 24.93%
The fate of the Guardians is at stake in the third installment of this Marvel franchise. So, Peter, Groot and the gang do what they do best, working together to save the universe.
"Cried three times, laughed even more." Kuroel
16. BlackBerry
Love Percentage: 25.63%
Whether you were a BBM addict or you're too young to have been part of the BlackBerry generation, this chaotic business biopic will carry you along through the rise and fall of the iconic Millennial smart phone.
"This Canadian "The Social Network" delivers consistent funnies and a compelling, kinetic story." TheRealJ_Ro
15. Nimona
Love Percentage: 28.85%
A shapeshifting teenager with a mischevious streak might not be your ideal choice to help prove your innocence, but Nimona is the only hope for Ballister the knight who's been framed for a crime.
"Loads of fun, excellent representation, well done animation. Would be the animation of the year without a certain superhero movie..." Kavu
14. May December
Love Percentage: 33.17%
Watch stress levels reach breaking point for a couple hosting an actress researching for a film role telling the story of their past, including their notorious romance that played out in public twenty years earlier.
"Great dissonant score and gestural performances that highlight the pitch black core leaking between the lines here." deaddilly
13. Roter Himmel
Love Percentage: 34.34%
A forest fire provides the backdrop for a tense holiday with friends in this German drama. A writer among them is preoccupied with finishing his novel but a mysterious houseguest disrupts his plans.
"So precise, restrained and evidently funny in such subtle ways." moraesfelipe
12. Fallen Leaves
Love Percentage: 38.96%
Love starts to bloom between two down-on-their-luck strangers in Helsinki. They must overcome unfortunate misundderstandings, thankless jobs, alcoholism and more, but it's all less bleak than it sounds.
"Kaurismäki is the master of deadpan tragicomedy. A lot of great laughs and deep sadness, mixed with impeccable framing." Bown
11. Oppenheimer
Love Percentage: 39.61%
One half of the great mismatched pairing that was the cinema event of the year, this biopic tells the grim story of how the atomic bomb came to be and how that affects the world we live in now.
"Nolan’s masterpiece. [...] I was captivated for three hours. Career bests from Murphy, Blunt, Downey Jr. Beautiful, haunting, philosophic." jthusky
10. The Boy and the Heron
Love Percentage: 39.88%
The beautiful visuals are held up with a captivating story in this anime that's sure to be a new classic. It explores grief, loss, and life through the eyes of Mahito as he moves from Tokyo to the countryside during WWII.
"A film that certainly captures the rarified fantastical majesty that only Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli are capable of." Zangin
9. Anatomy of a Fall
Love Percentage: 40.22%
Settle in to your seat on the jury in this French courtroom drama. The only witness in this trial is a blind boy, who is caught in the middle as his mother is accused of his father's murder.
"Utterly fantastic courtroom drama with all kinds of ambiguities and it keeps us guessing, as it's very unpredictable." SHOCKULAR
8. Past Lives
Love Percentage: 42.67%
This is writer and director Celine Song's first feature film. It follows two school friends in Seoul who are separated as one emigrates to North America. Years pass and they reconnect, eventually meeting up in New York. Is it destiny?
"Transcendent, haunting, beautiful, hopelessly romantic and devastating. Such an interesting and poignant way to look at the what-ifs of life." jacobclark12
7. Killers of the Flower Moon
Love Percentage: 44.54%
The history of the Osage Nation in the 1920s as told by Scorsese; it's an American tragedy told on an epic scale. Mollie (Lily Gladstone) and Ernest (Leonardo DiCaprio) are the viewers' guides through the beauty and the ugliness of this story.
"Collossal and beautiful. De Niro’s King Hale is as nasty of a movie villain as you’ll ever come across, but this is DiCaprio and Gladstone's film, who are both superb." Okkervil
6. Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie
Love Percentage: 44.87%
Michael J. Fox was one of the faces of the 80s, a cultural touchpoint and a loveable personality. His documentary is a very honest and open look at his life, past and present, living with Parkinson's.
"Fox puts himself out there for the world to see. It's sad yet uplifting. I'm happy this movie exists." matthagen
5. The Holdovers
Love Percentage: 47.46%
A prep school at Christmas in the 1970s is the setting for this new Payne-Giametti story that's full of little details and big feelings. Can this grumpy teacher make it through the holidays stuck at school with his downhearted students.
"From the restrained opening credits, I knew I was falling in love. The Holdovers feels like the movie Payne was destined for; it’s richly slow, funny, endearing..." Filligan
4. Godzilla Minus One
Love Percentage: 51.01%
A new tale for an age-old franchise, this Godzilla story tackles one man's own internal monsters as well as the giant one monster that's stomping around Tokyo causing destruction and terror.
"Really, really good. Characters I care about and a terrifying monster and a compelling drama in post war Japan and a great score and and and... It's terrific." difontaine
3. The Zone of Interest
Love Percentage: 56.52%
One of history's most brutal and painful episodes is shown (or more accurately, not shown) in this story of one family trying to build an idyllic home life... in the grounds of the Auschwitz concentration camp.
"Glazer's innovative approach leaves violence to the audience's imagination, creating a chilling impact." NBP
2. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Love Percentage: 58.15%
Can Miles, the teenage Spider-Man from Brooklyn, join forces with the Spider Society and save the Multiverse? This film's blend of animation styles and lightening-fast storytelling takes you on a ride as your find out!
"Oh, so we can till have good super hero movies." jarobmul
"It's overwhelming in a good way, and slows down when it needs to. A benchmark in animation and filmmaking in general." XakkMaster
1. Poor Things
Love Percentage: 67.39%
Emma Stone is Bella, a woman who's brought back to life and finds herself navigating her new world with an insatiable curiosity and independence. This new film from noted director Yorgos Lanthimos is the most loved movie of 2023 for Criticker users. It's set to win big this awards season thanks to the epic photography, hilarious script and impressive lead performances.
"Laughed all the way through, and was engrossed by the vividness and singularity of this bizarre world. Emma Stone gives one of the year’s finest performances." JLFM
"Cinema as a work of art. [...] Couldn't get enough of it." bowfinger
What will the best films of 2024 be?
Thanks to you, Criticker is a thriving community of film fans and this year in particular, we want to thank all of you for supporting us and making this site what it is. Keep rating, reviewing and discovering new recommendations in 2024, there's more changes from us to come and we can't wait to show you.
Images from TMDb.