Everyone loves action movies – that’s a fact. The adrenaline rush of a well-edited and shot chase scene side-by-side with brutal fights that not only blow the brains out of enemies but out of us as viewers are probably why action movies storm to the top of many peoples watchlists.
The year 2019 has offered us a whole slew of good action flicks. Some made billions at the box office and others were simply good for passing the time while on a train ride or just chilling at home. Here are our top ten from the year!
10. ‘Godzilla: King of the Monsters’
There’s no way giant monsters fighting each other doesn’t fall under the action category. Godzilla sports not only breathtaking visuals that captivated millions of viewers since the franchise started but also a stellar score that elevated every single scene.
Although the sequel did not entirely live up to its predecessor from 2014, it made for a pretty fun action flick that long-time fans adored as it was chock full of fan-service.
Perhaps Godzilla vs. Kong will be the crossover of the year but we have to wait for a while before the next instalment arrives in theatres what with the unfortunate delays and lack of marketing.
9. ‘Zombieland: Double Tap’
Double Tap is the long-awaited sequel to the 2009 film – it’s a touch gory with zombies galore and that combination of genres makes for a thrilling joyride. This long-overdue successor is a fun-filled horror film that does not scare the kids off.
There’s little to no jump-scares which is a sight for sore eyes but there’s also very few heart-pounding zombie chases meaning that it doesn’t quite tick all of the boxes. Regardless, it makes for an entertaining movie if you just want to sit back and relax.
8. ‘Terminator: Dark Fate’
Another returning long-time franchise, Terminator: Dark Fate was a much-anticipated movie for this year. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton are back and suited up in glorious fashion, kicking ass and taking names with a slew of iconic catchphrases being thrown around like the kid they’re trying so hard to protect.
The previous installments of the series did not perform well at the box office or critically and so some would say this is the first Terminator follow-up movie that gave justice to the original films, although it’s somewhat divisive.
7. ‘Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw’
It might be an understatement to say that putting Hobbs and Shaw onto a top ten list is unpopular, but the hate doesn’t seem earned. Although, it does seem like we’re past having years with no Fast & Furious movies. The very first spin-off, Hobbs & Shaw, is quite different from the rest of the franchise but brings the same level of energy and fun.
The bulky trio, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Jason Statham and Idris Elba, all had a fair share of the spotlight on them. But the best thing about the movie is Vanessa Kirby. She needs to have her own action movie ASAP.
6. ‘Angel Has Fallen’
No one expected a sequel to this series, much less a third one, but this year gave us another round of bullet-filled action starring Gerard Butler. If the first and second movies hailed him as the hero, this time he’s a fugitive.
We’ve seen a lot of plots similar to this but we need to acknowledge that the action-packed scenes are satisfying as they can get. The story may get platonic at times but we’re here for the thrill of the chase and not the narrative.
5. ‘6 Underground’
The movie just came out this month on Netflix and it shook us when we found out that it’s a Michael Bay film. This time there’s no giant alien robots fighting or explosions galore, just Ryan Reynolds and his wolf pack of mercenaries kicking ass.
Imagine 20 minutes of car chases at the beginning of the movie – that’s more than an average person’s attention span but here we are, following every beat of the soundtrack to the hum of roaring engines. It’s truly phenomenal to behold.
4. ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’
In the aftermath of Avengers: Endgame, we saw Peter Parker cope with the loss of a father figure in Tony Stark. Using this as a weapon against him, Mysterio creates a mind-bending reality that leaves Parker at the edge of his life.
There are so many web-slinging action sequences that you can feel even in a two-dimensional screen. The visuals alone earn the adjective ‘amazing’ and, to add more fun in it, we get to travel around Europe rather than being stuck in New York City for the umpteenth time.
3. ‘Avengers: Endgame’
The end of a 10 year-long saga calls for an epic war battle and we got to see the heroes we grew up watching in the last decade stand up against the evil might of Thanos. Every MCU movie in the past ten years has been leading us to this momentous event and it did not disappoint.
The real action is not even in the movie, to be fair. It’s in the millions of fans running towards the cinema to secure a seat. If you did not run, stumble and get stomped all over as I did, then where’s the action?
2. ‘Alita: Battle Angel’
This movie surprisingly gave an outstanding performance in terms of visuals, storyline and action-packed sequences. James Cameron’s long gestating dream is finally brought to life in the form of a humanized alien robot named Alita.
Everyone seems to be utterly shocked on how much they enjoyed this movie. A sequel is still in talks and hopefully, we’ll get to see more of the futuristic fantasy world that this Japanese manga-based movie has to offer.
1. ‘John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum’
At this point, no one should be surprised that John Wick made it to the top of this year’s action movies. Every instalment just keeps on giving its best. With the addition of Halle Berry and her hounds, we’ll surely crave for more teeth-grinding action scenes.
The success of Parabellum warrants the fourth movie and we can’t wait to see what office supplies Mr. Wick will use next as his weapon.
Did your favorite action movie make it to our list? Share your own top 10 in the comments!
