2023 has been a year that has been full of some great movies as well as those that were a disappointment. Now that we are in 2024, we can look back on 2023 and decide which movies were our favorites. 

GHS students and staff have picked a few movies that have made it into the list of best movies of 2023 including Barbie, Oppenheimer, Spiderman Across the Spider Verse, Saltburn, Godzila Minus one, Wonka, John Wick Chapter 4, and Leave the World Behind. 

Oppenheimer was one of the biggest movies of 2023, and it was centered around the man who built the atomic bombs that dropped on Japan in 1945. The movie follows Robert Oppenheimer’s thinking and life while he was building the atomic bomb. 

Students liked the movie because of its unique complexity and how different it was from your average movie, but there are certain complaints about the length of the movie. “The overall movie was good, but the 3 hour length is what threw me off,” junior David Dahlman said. 

Some students liked the movie because of the nuke. “My favorite movie in 2023 was Oppenheimer, and I liked it because of the nuke scene, which was my favorite scene in the entire movie,” junior Nolan Wozniak said. 

Junior Solomon Madson also shares the same thoughts: “I liked Oppenheimer because things blew up,” he said. 

Other students liked Oppenheimer due to its visual and auditory effects. “The visuals and the filmography incorporated into the film were amazing, and the audio (especially the explosion scene) was incredible in theaters,” sophomore Camden Schilling said. 

Barbie was another movie that came out in 2023, and was also one of the best rated movies of the year. Barbie takes place in Barbieland, where everything is seemingly perfect, but once Barbie and Ken get a chance to see the real world, they are presented with some issues that humans have to deal with, and it affects Barbie and Ken in different ways. 

Students liked Barbie because of the message that the movie conveyed. “The movie had a really good message and it connected to childhood and the real world really well,” sophomore Lyla Gibson said. 

Other students liked the movie because it was better than the other movies they watched. “I watched a few movies in 2023, but Barbie would probably be the best one if I had to choose,” sophomore Alyssa Petersen said. 

Another movie which was highly anticipated in 2023 was Spiderman, across the Spider Verse, which is the second movie in its series. Spiderman across the Spider Verse is about Miles Morales, the main character, being thrown into the vast multiverse. He encounters other spider people who are tasked with protecting the Multiverse. 

Students liked Spiderman because of how it was  animated and the overall plot of the movie. “My favorite movie was Spiderman Across the Spider Verse because of its animation style and how it was just generally fun to watch,” junior Carly Antczak said. 

The next movie that was chosen by students is Saltburn, which is a movie about a student, Felix, who is worried about his fellow classmate, Oliver’s, living situation, Felix eventually invites Oliver over to his estate, but a series of horrifying events happen and Oliver is caught in the midst of all of it.  

Students liked Saltburn due to popular actors that played roles in the movie. “I liked Saltburn because of Jacob Elordi, and also because I liked the overall plot of the movie. I was a unique horror movie and worth the watch,” sophomore Sofia Linares said. 

The next movie builds upon one of the most iconic series’ ever, Godzilla. Godzilla Minus One was a movie which took place in Japan post world war 2, and it follows the life of a former kamikaze pilot who landed on a base in hopes of escaping having to die, but ends up confronting Godzilla who destroys the base and kills all his fellow soldiers. A few years later, Godzilla has made his way into the main Islands of Japan, and a group of Private Citizens, along with the soldier, devise a plan to stop him, since the military can’t. 

Students liked Godzilla Minus One due to its great plot, and the message that was in the movie, “it brought Godzilla back into the movie theatre in an amazing way by being based off of the original 1954 movie and like the original movie, it brought a message about a survivor’s guilt, alongside devastation. Godzilla was also at his best in this movie in my opinion with how he was used, though there was a large gap in his appearances from when he completely destroyed the city, and when he got attacked by the Japanese navy,” freshman Xavier Marquez said. 

John Wick Chapter 4 is another movie on the list, and it follows John Wick who is out to clear his name against the High Table who have put a bounty on him. Students liked this movie because of its overall positive aspects, “it was an ending to a awesome movie franchise, and has set a standard for movies to come in the future,” senior Noah Huffman said. 

Wonka was a highly anticipated movie, especially by younger audiences. Wonka follows the story of Willy Wonka, but in his younger years as a chocolatier, and shows the audience how Wonka developed as a person. Teacher Andrew Muszytowski liked Wonka because he saw it with his grandkids. “I chose Wonka because I went to watch it with my grandkids and they loved it,” teacher Andrew Muszytowksi said. 

Our last movie on the list is Leave the World Behind. This movie was about a family who experiences the gradual destruction of society, as phones and electronics falter, the US falls into civil war. The family, who is renting out a house for vacation, are met by two strangers who are the owners of the house, a father and a daughter. 

Students liked this movie because of the unique plot and structure of the movie, “I thought Leave The World Behind was interesting and had a really chaotic but entertaining plot,” senior Elliana Cruz said. 

These were GHS students and staff favorite movies of 2023, they all range in uniqueness and are different in many ways.