Epic Heroes & Animated Chaos

Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu

2026 · ⭐7.1

Best Movies of 2026 So Far We are barely halfway through 2026, and the cinematic landscape is already littered with triumphs, surprises, and a few genuine masterpieces. This year has defied the conventional wisdom of the summer blockbuster slump, delivering a slate of films that range from intimate, gut-wrenching dramas to visually stunning epics that redefine what is possible on screen. As a critic who has sat through the good, the bad, and the painfully mediocre, I can say with confidence that 2026 is shaping up to be a banner year for storytelling. The following list represents the absolute best movies of 2026 so far. These are the films you need to see, the conversations you need to be a part of, and the experiences that will linger long after the credits roll. The Odyssey Genre: Epic Historical Drama / Sci-Fi Director: Christopher Nolan Let’s start with the elephant in the room, or rather, the Trojan Horse. Christopher Nolan has done it again, but this time, he has done something entirely different. The Odyssey is not a literal adaptation of Homer’s epic poem, but a radical, time-bending interpretation that treats the journey of Odysseus as a metaphor for deep-space exploration. Nolan, fresh off the atomic weight of Oppenheimer, turns his lens to the vastness of the cosmos. The film follows a crew of astronauts on a generation ship who begin to experience distortions in time and memory that mirror the trials of the ancient hero. Visually, it is staggering. The sequence depicting the encounter with the Cyclops is a masterclass in tension, using silence and scale in a way that makes IMAX feel small. The cast, led by a haunted and brilliant Cillian Murphy as Odysseus, is flawless. But the real star is Hoyte van Hoytema’s cinematography, which captures the loneliness of space with a painterly, almost mythic quality. It is dense, philosophical, and demands a second viewing, but for those willing to take the journey, The Odyssey is the most intellectually thrilling film of the year. Disclosure Day Genre: Political Thriller / Cyberpunk Director: Bong Joon-ho After winning the world over with Parasite, Bong Joon-ho returns with a razor-sharp, darkly comedic thriller that feels ripped from tomorrow’s headlines. Disclosure Day is set in a near-future where every citizen’s personal data—financial history, medical records, private messages—is set to be made public on a single day, "Disclosure Day," ostensibly to end corruption. The film follows a low-level government data analyst who discovers the system has a fatal flaw, or perhaps a deliberate backdoor, that will destroy only the lives of the poor and middle class. Bong masterfully juggles multiple storylines, weaving a conspiracy that involves a disgraced journalist, a tech billionaire with a god complex, and a mother trying to protect her daughter’s future. The tone is volatile, shifting from slapstick office satire to bone-chilling horror in the span of a single scene. The climax, set inside a server farm that looks like a cathedral, is a breathtaking piece of cinema. Disclosure Day is a furious, funny, and terrifying warning about the price of transparency. Moana Genre: Animated Musical / Adventure Director: Dana Ledoux Miller This is not a remake. This is a continuation, and it is every bit as magical as the original. Moana, now a young chieftainess, must navigate the political waters of her growing island nation while a new threat emerges from the deep: a spectral island that consumes the color from the ocean. The animation is a quantum leap forward. The water in this film has a personality, a texture, and a weight that is nothing short of revolutionary. The songs, by a new team led by Opetaia Foa’i and Emily Bear, are instant classics. The new villain, the Keeper of the Monochrome, is a genuinely tragic figure, voiced with chilling elegance by Cate Blanchett. But the heart of the film remains the relationship between Moana and Maui. Dwayne Johnson brings even more depth to the demigod this time, exploring his insecurities about being forgotten. Moana is a visual feast, a musical triumph, and a powerful story about growing up and the responsibility of leadership. It is the best animated film of the year, hands down. Backrooms Genre: Psychological Horror / Found Footage Director: Jane Schoenbrun The internet legend of the Backrooms has finally received a feature-length treatment, and it is nothing like the jump-scare heavy fan films you might expect. Jane Schoenbrun, who gave us the devastating We're All Going to the World's Fair, has crafted a slow-burn existential nightmare. The film follows a group of urban explorers who discover a glitch in reality that leads them into the endless, yellowed, fluorescent labyrinth. But Schoenbrun is less interested in the monsters that lurk in the dark than in the psychological decay of the characters. The horror is in the liminality, the crushing boredom, and the slow realization that the space itself is a sentient, hungry thing. The film uses a mix of high-definition digital and degraded VHS footage to create a deeply unsettling texture. There is a thirty-minute sequence where a character simply walks down a corridor that never ends, and it is more terrifying than any monster. Backrooms is not for the faint of heart or those looking for a quick thrill. It is a meditative, art-house horror film that will burrow into your subconscious and stay there. Obsession Genre: Psychological Thriller / Romance Director: Emerald Fennell Emerald Fennell, the queen of the uncomfortable, returns with a film that makes Promising Young Woman look like a gentle comedy. Obsession is a story of artistic fixation set in the world of high-end perfume making. Rosamund Pike plays a reclusive, legendary perfumer who takes on a young, ambitious apprentice, played by a mesmerizingcailee Spaeny. The perfume house is a sensory overload of color and texture, but the relationship quickly curdles into a toxic dance of manipulation and desire. Fennell uses the sense of smell as a narrative device in a way that is truly innovative; the audience can almost feel the cloying sweetness of a scent that is meant to be a trap. The film is a dark, twisted fairy tale about the cost of genius and the danger of wanting something too badly. The final act is a fever dream of revenge and transformation that will leave you breathless. Pike delivers a career-best performance, creating a villain who is both monstrous and pitiful. Obsession is a feast for the senses and a knife to the heart. Supergirl Genre: Superhero / Cosmic Fantasy Director: James Gunn James Gunn has done the impossible: he has made a Superman movie without Superman. Supergirl, starring the luminous Milly Alcock, is a sprawling, cosmic rock opera that redefines what a DC film can be. Picking up after the events of The Flash, Kara Zor-El crash-lands on Earth, a traumatized survivor of Krypton's destruction, only to discover she is being hunted by a cosmic entity that feeds on hope. Gunn leans hard into the weird, pulling from the classic John Byrne run and the more recent Tom King stories. The action is inventive, the soundtrack is killer (expect a needle-drop involving a deep cut from The Clash that will make you cheer), and the humor is perfectly balanced with genuine pathos. Alcock captures the alien loneliness of Supergirl perfectly, playing her as a fierce, awkward, and deeply empathetic warrior. The supporting cast, including a scene-stealing Krypto the Superdog, is fantastic. Supergirl is everything a superhero movie should be: fun, emotional, and visually spectacular. It is the shot of adrenaline the genre needed. Minions & Monsters Genre: Animated Comedy / Fantasy Director: Kyle Balda You might be skeptical. Another Minions movie? But hear me out. Minions & Monsters is a glorious, unhinged parody of Dungeons & Dragons and high-fantasy epics. When Gru is away on a mission, the Minions find a mysterious board game in the attic. When they roll the dice, they are physically transported into a chaotic fantasy realm where Kevin is a barbarian, Bob is a wizard (who only knows the spell "fireball" and uses it constantly), and Stuart is a rogue who is terrible at being sneaky. The animation is vibrant and hilarious, and the voice cast is packed with surprising cameos, including a bored dragon voiced by Matt Berry. The film is genuinely laugh-out-loud funny, but it also has a surprising amount of heart. It is a story about friendship and teamwork, told through the lens of absolute, beautiful stupidity. It is the funniest movie of the year, and a reminder that sometimes, you just need to watch yellow creatures hit a goblin with a stick. Toy Story 5 Genre: Animated Drama / Adventure Director: Tim Allen (voice of Buzz) and Josh Cooley How do you follow a perfect ending? Toy Story 5 answers that question by asking a new one: What happens when the toys are forgotten? The film jumps forward several generations. Bonnie is grown up, and the toys have been boxed up in an attic for decades. When a new family moves in, Woody and the gang are discovered, but they are old, worn, and broken. The film is a meditation on obsolescence, legacy, and the fear of being thrown away. It is surprisingly dark for a Pixar film, dealing with themes of abandonment and the passage of time. The animation is breathtakingly realistic, capturing the wear and tear on the toys with heartbreaking detail. The emotional climax, involving a final journey to a landfill that doubles as a purgatory for forgotten playthings, is one of the most powerful sequences in the entire series. Toy Story 5 is not the movie we knew we needed, but it is the one we deserved. It is a mature, poignant, and ultimately hopeful conclusion to the greatest animated saga ever made. Scary Movie Genre: Horror Comedy / Meta-Satire Director: Radio Silence (Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett) The Scary Movie franchise is back, and it is finally funny again. After years of low-brow spoofs, the team behind Ready or Not and Scream 2022 has rebooted the series with a sharp, modern sensibility. This new Scary Movie doesn't just parody horror tropes; it deconstructs the entire landscape of "elevated horror" from the past decade. It takes aim at everything from A24's slow-burn art films to the "elevated horror" of Hereditary and The Witch, and even takes a few shots at the TikTok "ghost hunter" trend. The cast is a perfect ensemble of comedic talent, including a hilarious turn from Rachel Sennott as the "final girl" who is annoyingly self-aware. The gags are rapid-fire, the scares are surprisingly effective, and the social commentary is biting. The sequence parodying the dinner table scene from Hereditary is a masterclass in comedic timing and respect for the source material. Scary Movie is back, baby, and it is the smartest, funniest horror comedy in years. Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu Genre: Sci-Fi / Western / Adventure Director: Jon Favreau This is the film that Star Wars fans have been waiting for. Jon Favreau takes the beloved Disney+ series to the big screen, and the result is a lean, mean, and emotionally resonant adventure that feels like a classic Kurosawa samurai film. The plot is simple: Mando and Grogu are hired to deliver a mysterious package to the edge of the galaxy, but they are pursued by a remnant Imperial faction wielding a terrifying new weapon. The film expands the scope of the series exponentially. The action sequences are massive, including a breathtaking chase through an asteroid field and a lightsaber duel that rivals the best of the original trilogy. But the heart of the film is the relationship between the stoic bounty hunter and the little green creature. Pedro Pascal’s performance, even under the helmet, is more nuanced than ever. And Grogu? He steals every scene, as always. The film also introduces a new, compelling villain in the form of a Moff who uses dark science to control a pack of wild rancors. It is a crowd-pleaser in the best sense of the word, a film that honors the legacy of Star Wars while charting a bold new path. It is pure, unadulterated joy. This year has been a gift. From the cosmic depths of The Odyssey to the dusty plains of The Mandalorian and Grogu, 2026 has proven that cinema is not dead. It is evolving, challenging, and thrilling us in ways we never expected. Go see these movies. Support them. Talk about them. This is what the magic of the movies is all about.