LAST YEAR — A new year is upon us and a whole new slate of films are eagerly awaiting us in 2018. But before we jump into what we’re looking forward to in the year to come, let’s take a look back at the best of 2017.

2017 was a good year for movies in our opinion, and this list was a little harder to compile than we thought it would be. We decided to break up the movies into categories instead of just giving you a list of our five favorites.

Without further ado, here is the best of movies in 2017:

The guilty pleasure

Travis: “Spider-Man: Homecoming”

I know, I know — not only is this another superhero movie, but it’s another remake of an already repeated franchise.

So first, remember that this category is guilty pleasure. And second, remember that part where Peter Parker is making a video on his phone and Ant-Man grows three stories high in the background and then Spidey runs off screen before flying across to the other side. Oh man, that still cracks me up.

Thank you Sony for playing nice with Marvel, and thank you director Jon Watts for casting a high-school-aged kid to play a kid in high school. Also, was that not the best closing credit scene of any Marvel movie?

John: “It”

I’ll give it to Travis, I was a big fan of “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” but when it comes to guilty pleasure movies, I have to give it to “It.”

The movie is scary, funny, touching, poignant and just downright good. The child actors are fantastic and their chemistry leaps off the screen. As an avid fan of the book, I can confidently say the movie is a worthy companion that captures the spirit, scares and adolescent fears of growing up and facing things you don’t understand. This is a film I look forward to owning and watching regularly. Maybe this makes me a creepy guy, but that’s why “It” is my guilty pleasure of 2017.

"It" is rated R for violence/horror, bloody images, and for language.

The crowd-pleaser

John: “Baby Driver”

For me, “Baby Driver” is probably the “coolest” movie I’ve ever seen and I was smiling ear to ear throughout the entire thing. The music, the action, the editing, the foreshadowing — all of it was nothing short of brilliant. Edgar Wright brought his "A" game here and if he is snubbed at the Academy Awards for a best director nomination like he was at the Golden Globes, I may lose my mind.

There are small nuances and details to this film that take it from impressive to utterly jaw-dropping filmmaking. How Wright managed to do half of what he did in this film I’ll never understand, and that’s why it stands as the ultimate crowd pleaser for me of 2017.

"Baby Driver" is rated R for violence and language.

Travis: “Coco”

How do fantastic movies end up with terrible trailers?

It wasn’t just me, was it? I really wanted to look forward to this movie, but every time a new trailer or commercial was released my heart would sink and I’d worry Pixar’s best days were behind them.

But then Miguel sang that song, and I started telling myself I wasn’t going to cry, and the family learned an important lesson … yes, it’s formulaic, and yes, you see the emotional moments coming from a mile away, but it doesn’t matter because sometimes the formula is exactly correct. That is the case with “Coco,” and in my opinion, this was the real crowd-pleaser of 2017.

Biggest disappointment

Travis: “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2”

A few years back I might have chosen the first “Guardians of the Galaxy” as the best surprise of 2014. I didn’t believe a totally CG trigger-happy raccoon and his talking tree friend were going to work for an entire movie, and I definitely didn’t believe Dave Bautista would be the charismatic, comedian he turned out to be. But there it was. I was surprised. “Guardians 1” was possibly the most fun I had in theaters in 2014.

But “Guardians 2” was just more of the same. And you know, for the first 10 or 15 minutes I was OK with that. But then there was another unnecessary nod to the original and another painfully telegraphed punchline, and then another wink to the audience. You could practically hear director James Gunn in the writing room saying, “Let’s also do this part like the first one. Audiences loved the original.”

I still really like the characters, and I’m excited to see the team join up with the Avengers this summer, but hopefully, Gunn has some new ideas before “Guardians of the Galaxy 3.”

John: “Justice League”

This one is tricky for me. “Batman v Superman” came out a few years back and I had lost all hope for the DC franchise. Then “Wonder Woman” came out this year and I was blown away by it. Everything about that movie worked for me, and my hopes for a decent “Justice League” were slightly up again. Then I remembered Zack Snyder was at the helm and those expectations dropped. Then Joss Whedon came on board and they went up a little even though I wasn’t a fan of “The Avengers” or its embarrassing sequel.

Finally, the movie came out and I was just left saying, “Meh.” It wasn’t terrible and I quite enjoyed the moments with the heroes hanging out in Bruce Wayne’s basement, but that couldn’t make up for one of the worst villains in recent memory and the CGI mustache removal on Henry Cavill. It really could have been great and just wasn’t.

Biggest Surprise

John: “Thor: Ragnarok”

Let me list for you some things I’d rather do than watch “Thor” or “Thor: The Dark World” in no particular order: get stung by a bee, stub my toe on a door jam, lose my wallet, pass a kidney stone.

OK, not the last one, but it’s not far behind. Suffice it to say, I do not like those movies at all. I think they have no heart, no comprehension of entertainment and are just overall messes. With that said, I was curious about “Thor: Ragnarok” but not at all excited. The only thing that gave me a glimmer of hope was the fact Taika Waititi was behind it, and I love his movies. So I went into the theater, geared up for whatever may come my way, and ended up watching the funniest movie of 2017. I even went back to see it again.

I love this movie and it was without a doubt my biggest and most pleasant surprise of 2017.

Travis: “Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond”

I should note before we get too far into this — I didn’t totally love this documentary. It was interesting for sure, but I don’t know that I’d actively recommend it to my friends or family.

Still, “biggest surprise” seems like a totally appropriate description of my experience with “Jim & Andy.” I had no idea Jim Carrey went all crazy-go-nuts to play the part of Andy Kaufman.

Watching Milos Forman try to deal with Carrey, while Kaufman’s family members spoke to Carrey as if he were channeling the late actor’s ghost was kind of mesmerizing. But at the same time, if I had to watch one more minute of Carrey playing Kaufman playing Tony Clifton, I was going to say out loud, “I can’t take one more minute of watching Carrey play Kaufman playing Tony Clifton.”

Best overall

John: “Dunkirk”

If anyone knows me at all or has ever read my articles, then it comes as no surprise that “Dunkirk” is my pick for best film of 2017. I have a really unhealthy obsession with Christopher Nolan and I’m not afraid to admit it. With all of that in mind, however, it’s not because Nolan made “Dunkirk” that I think it’s the best film of the year, it’s simply because, in my opinion, it is.

“Dunkirk” is a revolutionary film that takes storytelling to a whole new level while painting a historical picture with expert strokes and masterful patience. If you have not seen the film, it is hard to describe, but believe me when I say it is a masterpiece that will be regarded as one of the greatest films about World War II to ever be made and will be studied in film schools from now until the end of time.

Travis: “Blade Runner 2049”

Here’s the thing — I don’t actually disagree with John. “Dunkirk” was an achievement in filmmaking, and I wish it luck in its run for Best Picture. And for those of you pulling for “A Ghost Story” this year, I’m sympathetic to your cause as well.

With that said, “Blade Runner 2049” was simply the best science-fiction and best sequel to any movie I’ve seen in years. “2049” is a movie that only asks philosophical questions because they forward the protagonist’s journey. “2049” only touches on very relevant, tech-based ethical questions because they’re a reality in the Blade Runner universe. We’ve all seen the many, many movies that put concept before story, and we’ve walked away shaking our heads. We’ve also seen sequels that add nothing to their original chapters.

“Blade Runner 2049” walks a very dangerous tightrope while juggling high concepts and flaming sequel bowling pins, and it gracefully steps on to the other side as a worthy addition to one of the most beloved sci-fi movies of all times.

"Blade Runner 2049" is rated R for violence, some sexuality, nudity and language.

What do you think was the best movie of 2017? Let us know in the comments.

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