The Best Action Movies Of 2023 So Far
The year 2022 was a good year for action movies. Whether watching African warrior women kick butt in "The Woman King" or two Indian heroes single-handedly launch a revolution in "RRR," moviegoers had no shortage of action films to choose from. In fact, not one but three action-packed films managed to get Oscar nominations for best picture, and of course "Everything, Everywhere, All at Once" took home the highest trophy.
Naturally, this means that there's a pretty high bar set for 2023. Luckily, the year is already off to a great start, as far as action movies are concerned. In addition to several franchises that have continued to deliver top-notch entertainment, 2023 has also brought us some surprises, such as a martial arts wedding-crasher movie and a crowd-pleasing fantasy based on a tabletop game. Plus, we would be remiss not to mention a hilarious film about a certain woodland creature high on drugs. Below we have compiled the best action that 2023 cinema has to offer so far.
John Wick: Chapter 4
"John Wick: Chapter 4" is the highest-rated movie in the "John Wick" franchise, maintaining a Tomatometer score well over 90%. This is impressive because it's almost unheard of for a fourquel to be considered the best of the bunch.
The film has a simple plot: a hitman (Keanu Reeves) ends up on the hit list of basically every other assassin in the world. But what sets this movie apart is the execution (no pun intended). With a wink at the audience, "John Wick: Chapter 4" taps into the campiness of straight-to-DVD action movies. Yet unlike those films, "John Wick: Chapter 4" is so hypnotic to watch that it's no wonder it made $427 million at the box office. Sites like In Session Film have also noted that the movie is loaded with nods to classic films such as "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Kill Bill." Director Chad Stahelski was previously a stuntman, and only a stuntman could choreograph such dazzling and creative fight sequences.
Ever since the first film, the "John Wick" franchise has been changing the game for action movies, and even in its fourth installment, it's pushing the boundaries of the genre. "John Wick: Chapter 4" is daring enough to ask why a gritty action movie can't also be bursting with bright, neon colors. Who says that combat can't be elegant like dancing? Who says it can't also be funny as hell? If any of those things strike your fancy, then "John Wick: Chapter 4" is definitely your jam.
- Starring: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, George Georgiou
- Director: Chad Stahelski
- Runtime: 149 minutes
- Rating: R
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%
Cocaine Bear
In the history of self-explanatory movie titles, it doesn't get any more straightforward than "Cocaine Bear" (with the possible exception of "Snakes on a Plane"). The plot is exactly what it sounds like: a bear high on cocaine goes on a blood-soaked rampage. That may not exactly be highbrow cinema, but if the wild premise is all you need to have a rollicking good time, then it will only take a small dosage of this movie to send you flying high.
This movie is well aware that it is campy and stupid, and director Elizabeth Banks gleefully embraces that. Amazingly, this project attracted many actors known for much more serious projects, such as Margo Martindale from "The Americans" and Ray Liotta from "Goodfellas." Every one of these performers is clearly enjoying themselves here, and the fun is infectious. Even if there are too many characters to keep track of, says Eye For Film, that hardly matters, because the bear is the real star — you may soon find yourself cheering for it.
"Cocaine Bear" is arguably more of a comedy than an action film, but who's complaining? It's not every day that you get to watch a frenzied bear chase after an ambulance and dismember people.
- Starring: Keri Russell, Alden Ehrenreich, O'Shea Jackson Jr.
- Director: Elizabeth Banks
- Runtime: 95 minutes
- Rating: R
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 67%
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
"Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" may be the lowest-rated Indiana Jones movie on Rotten Tomatoes, but that's still not too shabby. It's also worth noting that the film has a much higher audience score than "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." Here, Indy (Harrison Ford) must don his fedora once more to stop Nazi scientist Jürgen Voller (Mads Mikkelsen) from getting his hands on the titular Dial of Destiny.
Critics such as Brian Tallerico from Roger Ebert agree that Ford is easily the best part of the film. The veteran actor is definitely not phoning in his performance; he puts great care into concluding his character's arc in a satisfying way. The film is a fitting swan song for the legendary archaeologist. Indy's fears that the world no longer needs people like him are cleverly woven throughout the movie. Plus, the detail about his son Mutt (Shia LaBeouf) dying offscreen is a nice touch that adds a twinge of bittersweetness to the entire movie.
If you're feeling nostalgic about the original trilogy, then this movie will certainly deliver, right down to the musical cues drawn from the first films. True, the movie may rely too much on CGI effects (the de-aging of Indy during the prologue is especially distracting), and it may not be quite what fans hoped. Still, it's hard to stay mad at a movie where you get to see Indiana Jones jump from a plane and outrun a subway train on horseback.
- Starring: Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen
- Director: James Mangold
- Runtime: 134 minutes
- Rating: PG-13
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 69%
Extraction 2
This Netflix action movie sequel boasts a Rotten Tomatoes score even higher than the original. Written by Joe Russo — a major contributor to the Marvel Cinematic Universe — and starring Chris Hemsworth, this film combines the intense fight sequences of "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" with the over-the-top antics of "Thor: Ragnarok." In "Extraction 2," mercenary Tyler Rake (Hemsworth) has just barely recovered from his scrape with death at the end of the first film. However, when he learns that his ex-wife's sister (Tinatin Dalakishvili) and her children have been wrongfully sent to prison, Tyler comes out of retirement to bust them out and protect them from the hitmen on their tail. Although there's not too much time for character development here, the movie is buoyed by Hemsworth's winning charisma.
Usually when critics say a film has "nonstop action," they're exaggerating, but here it's not such a stretch. Once "Extraction 2" gets rolling, it gives fans one intense fight scene after another. Action fans get to see Tyler slamming bad guys' faces down on a moving treadmill and hurling punches with his arms wreathed in flames. A particular highlight is the train sequence, which appears to be filmed in one continuous shot. The stylized action has led The Chicago Sun-Times to compare it to the "John Wick" franchise. While "Extraction 2" is not quite as well-crafted as "John Wick," its fight scenes are almost as creative with their choreography.
- Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Golshifteh Farahani, Adam Bessa
- Director: Sam Hargrave
- Runtime: 122 minutes
- Rating: R
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 79%
Fast X
"Fast & Furious" fans had better buckle up, because "Fast X" is sure to give them a wild ...
Nope, we're going to resist the urge to make any car-related puns. Even without the aid of jokes, there is plenty to be said for this movie. Like the previous films in the franchise, "Fast X" continues to deliver exciting and over-the-top car chases, including one sequence where Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) drives a car over the top of an exploding dam. Plus, it offers plenty of cameos of returning characters from earlier in the franchise. Fans will be excited to see Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) clash again with Cipher (Charlize Theron), as well as watch Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) form a grudging alliance with his former enemy. The whole gang's here for the tenth movie.
Viewers such as Wenlei Ma from News.com.au have pointed out that "Fast X" throws around the word "family" an awful lot for a franchise where Dom Toretto keeps coming out of retirement for "one last ride." This movie may not please the critics, but gives fans exactly what they want: plenty of vehicular thrills with the characters they love. And there's one thing all the critics seem to agree on — Jason Momoa is perfect as a theatrical, mustache-twirling villain. Momoa may be just what the "Fast & Furious" franchise needs to give it a jump-start. (Sorry, we couldn't resist that one.)
- Starring: Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jason Statham
- Director: Louis Leterrier
- Runtime: 141 minutes
- Rating: PG-13
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 57%
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
"Transformers: Rise of the Beasts" may not be the best "Transformers" installment, but you could certainly do a lot worse than this action-packed flick. Set in 1994, before any of Michael Bay's "Transformers" movies, "Rise of the Beasts" follows Noah (Anthony Ramos) and Elena (Dominique Fishback) as they team up with the Autobots and the Maximals to stop the world-devouring Unicron (not to be confused with the one-horned magical creature).
The animal-themed designs featured here are a bit more organic and considerably more appealing than the character designs from previous films. Likewise, the new settings of this film — ranging from a Brooklyn Latinx community to the Peruvian wilderness – help take the "Transformers" franchise into new territory. This action movie also has some surprisingly intimate scenes, most of them involving Noah's younger brother Kris (Dean Scott Vazquez) who has sickle-cell disease. The AU Review says that Ramos and Fishback bring plenty of personality to their characters, even if they aren't given much to do. Meanwhile, the Autobots and Maximals feature the voice talents of Pete Davidson, Ron Perlman, and Michelle Yeoh. The fight scenes offer all the mechanical carnage you could want from a "Transformers" movie, even if the movie's prequel status means that you already know the planet will turn out okay.
Fans of the previous "Transformers" movies will love this new film, though the unindoctrinated should probably stick with "Bumblebee."
- Starring: Anthony Ramos, Dominique Fishback, Luna Lauren Velez
- Director: Steven Caple Jr.
- Runtime: 127 minutes
- Rating: PG-13
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 54%
The Flash
"The Flash" may only be hovering around 65% on Rotten Tomatoes, but it's certainly a step up from "Black Adam" and some of the other most recent outings in the DC Extended Universe. "The Flash" at least makes an effort to shake up the status quo of the DCEU by introducing the multiverse. When Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) discovers he can travel back in time, he attempts to go back and change the tragic fate of his parents, and along the way, he stumbles upon an alternate timeline and unleashes chaos in his wake. In this universe, Batman is played once more by Michael Keaton, while Sasha Calle takes up the mantle of Supergirl just in time to replace an exiting Henry Cavill. There's even a cameo of Nicolas Cage as Superman, in a sly reference to a canceled film project (per Variety). While these possibilities aren't nearly as inventive or awe-inspiring as some contemporary multiverse movies, it's at least a step in the right direction.
The Irish Times points out that the climax of "The Flash" relies way too much on embarrassing CGI and doesn't look quite real. Still, Keaton's Caped Crusader is way more entertaining than Ben Affleck's brooding Batman, which is a huge plus. "The Flash" is a hilarious and self-aware addition to the DCEU, so long as you don't think too hard about the time travel science.
- Starring: Ezra Miller, Michael Keaton, Sasha Calle
- Director: Andy Muschietti
- Runtime: 144 minutes
- Rating: PG-13
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 65%
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
By the time "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" arrived in theaters, superhero fatigue was beginning to settle in. Phase 5 of the MCU had already ended one trilogy with a whimper, so fans had reason to fear that the last "Guardians of the Galaxy" film would also be a letdown. Rest assured, it is not. In the third and final film of the trilogy, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) and the other Guardians rally around Rocket Racoon (Bradley Cooper) as they face the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji), the cosmic eugenicist who experimented on Rocket. In this film, Rocket is just as central to the story as Quill, though James Gunn has shared in an interview with Total Film (via GamesRadar) that he intended for Rocket to be the hero of the trilogy all along. Unfortunately, Rocket spends most of the movie bedridden, but his intense backstory more than compensates for that.
"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" manages to walk the line between comic and tragic, and neither one of these seems out of place. Admittedly, says the San Diego Reader, the movie might be trying to do too many things at once, if only because Gunn feels he owes it to fans to give these characters a satisfying conclusion. Still, "Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3" gets it right where it matters most: its humor and heart. This may be the last Gunn movie in the MCU before he leaves for DC, but it's not a bad way to go.
- Starring: Chris Pratt, Chukwudi Iwuji, Bradley Cooper
- Director: James Gunn
- Runtime: 150 minutes
- Rating: PG-13
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 82%
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Movies based on board games do not have a good track record. Just look at "Battleship" or "Ultramarines: A Warhammer 40,000 Movie." However, "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves" sets a new bar for board game movies (even though Dungeons & Dragons is technically a tabletop game instead).
This movie is directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, who also directed "Game Night" and co-wrote "Spider-Man: Homecoming." It follows the thieves Edgin (Chris Pine) and Holga (Michelle Rodriguez) as they assemble a team to steal a magical treasure that Edgin hopes will allow him to bring his wife back from the dead. Critics such as BBC say that it's refreshing to see a movie from the sword and sorcery genre that doesn't take itself quite as seriously as "The Lord of the Rings" or "Game of Thrones." "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves" cleverly imbues the genre with plenty of comedy and elements of a heist movie. Pine is perfectly cast as a lovable smartass, while Regé-Jean Page is hilarious precisely because he plays it all straight.
The experience of watching the film is almost like playing an actual game of Dungeons & Dragons, says Lainey Gossip, right down to the side quests within side quests and that awkward moment when all players involved need to sit down and figure out their plan. Luckily, the film is also accessible to folks who don't know the difference between a d8 and a d20.
- Starring: Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page
- Director: John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein
- Runtime: 134 minutes
- Rating: PG-13
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%
Polite Society
If you ever wondered what "Crazy Rich Asians" would look like if Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) had gone around kicking butt, then "Polite Society" is the answer to your prayers. Ria Khan (Priya Kansara) wants nothing more than to be a stuntwoman, but her sister Lena (Ritu Arya) has more modest ambitions: marry a man from a wealthy British-Indian family. However, once Ria meets her sister's fiance (Akshay Khanna) and his controlling mother (Nimra Bucha), she decides to use her martial arts skills to not only save her sister from an unhappy marriage but also prevent Lena from settling down and abandoning her dreams.
"Polite Society" has an important (if not very subtle) message of female empowerment, but more importantly, it's loads of fun to watch Ria punch her would-be in-laws. It's impossible not to love Kansara's character, and Bucha is magnetic in the role of the headstrong and often hypocritical mother-in-law. The playful martial art sequences will appeal to fans of Bollywood action movies and "Everything, Everywhere, All at Once." In fact, the film gives plenty of nods to other beloved movies from the action genre, such as "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" and "The Matrix." While some of the tropes and character archetypes in "Polite Society" may feel familiar to viewers, says Sight and Sound, the film carves out a space for itself with the way it delightfully smashes together comedy and martial arts.
- Starring: Priya Kansara, Ritu Arya, Nimra Bucha
- Director: Nida Manzoor
- Runtime: 104 minutes
- Rating: PG-13
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Quite possibly the best action movie of 2023 so far is actually an animated film. "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" is the longest American animated film to date, but you will hardly notice, because it flies by so fast.
In this sequel, Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) struggles to find a work-life balance as Spider-Man, but he bites off more than he can chew when he tries to help the Spider Society stop a universe-hopping villain called the Spot (Jason Schwartzman). This movie elevates Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld) to the role of co-protagonist, but you never once feel that the two are competing for attention in the film. Throw in a bunch of new Spider-People — including an unflappable anarchist named Spider-Punk (Daniel Kaluuya) and a pregnant, motorcycle-riding Spider-Woman (Issa Rae) — and comic book fans will be in heaven. From Mumbattan to Nueva York, the world of the Spider-Verse is gorgeous. In terms of action, the movie has plenty to offer, ranging from portal-jumping battles to the coolest fight sequence on a space elevator that you will ever see. The movie is so dazzling that not even the cliffhanger is enough to tarnish this masterpiece.
Just like the first film, the sequel once again pushes the boundaries of animation — not just technologically, but also by expanding the kind of stories that animation can tell. Other animation studios could learn a thing or two from watching "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse." For that matter, the MCU and the DCEU should be paying attention.
- Starring: Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Brian Tyree Henry
- Director: Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson
- Runtime: 140 minutes
- Rating: PG
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%