The Most Paused Movie Moments Of 2018
One of the things that makes home movie viewing so great is the ability to pause a film in order to go to the bathroom, get a snack, or take care of some kind of household disaster without missing a moment of the movie. But sometimes, you need to pause a movie because you need to take another look at a hidden Easter egg, marvel at a cool moment, take a break from some tension, or rewatch a really cool scene.
The biggest movies of the year had some pretty amazing moments, and we've devoured hours of blockbuster excellence in order to experience the best of the best. Here are some of the most epic movie moments from 2018 that are either pause-worthy in order to take it all in, or deserve a rewind to watch again. Warning, many spoilers are ahead!
Black Panther - The Kick
T'Challa's (Chadwick Boseman) little sister Shuri (Letitia Wright) is an engineering genius. So when she shows off all the technical gadgets that she's invented to help her big brother be the Black Panther, there are definitely a bunch of moments when you might want to pause and examine each invention a little more closely.
But the most rewind-worthy moment comes toward the end of the scene when T'Challa is checking out his new Black Panther suits. At first, Shuri implores him to give the suit a kick, and it goes flying. But as Shuri explains, the suit has absorbed the kinetic energy left by T'Challa's kick, and the suit glows purple with its building strength. When Shuri asks him to attack again, he does and T'Challa goes flying, bounced back by what amounts to a mannequin. Shuri and the audience erupt in laughter at the sight of the great Black Panther leveled by a skintight suit. It's a moment that's definitely worth a rewatch.
Avengers: Infinity War - The Snap
Nobody saw it coming, really. Watching Avengers: Infinity War, it's hard to say if anyone really believed that Thanos was going to succeed in his plot to wipe out half of the population of the galaxy. But once he got all six Infinity Stones into that gauntlet, all bets were off.
After the snap, the dusting begins. First to go is Bucky, as he reaches out to his friend with a heart-breaking, "Steve?" On Earth, Falcon, Black Panther, Scarlet Witch, and Groot, follow. Out in space, Mantis, Drax, Star-Lord, and Doctor Strange bite the dust. But the most crushing dusting has got to be that of Spider-Man, whose pleading with Tony Stark is absolutely tragic. The scene might be too depressing to watch again, so you might just need to pause to take a breather. Hopefully we'll find out soon enough if our favorite Avengers are saved when Avengers: Endgame hits theaters.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom - The Saddest Death
There are a few pretty awesome pause-worthy moments in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, this year's sequel to 2015's reboot of the Jurassic Park franchise. This new movie introduced another scary dinosaur hybrid, the Indoraptor, which, when it's finally revealed, deserves a good pause just so we can get a good look at it. Jurassic World created a T-Rex-like dino with raptor DNA called Indominus Rex, but this film's antagonist is a much smaller version that features the agility of a raptor. Then there's the moment early in the movie when the mosasaurus, that giant, gator-like dino, flies out of the lagoon and swallows a guy hanging from a helicopter.
But Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom's most pause-worthy moment comes around the middle of the film, when Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard), Owen (Chris Pratt), and their gang are trying to evacuate the remaining dinos from Isla Nublar before a volcano eruption kills them all. But the bigger dinosaurs move more slowly, and one unlucky Brachiosaurus doesn't make it off the island. In the saddest moment of the movie, the poor guy is engulfed in smoke, and we hear a final, heart-breaking bellow from the beast before he collapses inside the cloud of ash. It deserves a pause just so we can get in a moment of mourning and recover the sad loss before moving on to more action.
Deadpool 2 - The X-Men
For "technically" being a part of the X-Men franchise, there are surprisingly few X-Men characters in the first Deadpool movie. Sure, Colossus is a co-star, and the movie takes place within the same world, given Deadpool's (Ryan Reynolds) visit to the mansion owned by Professor Charles Xavier. The first Deadpool even threw in a gag that "none of the other X-Men were home" when he drops by.
But Deadpool 2 takes it a bit further and adds a fun cameo bit. When Colossus brings a severely injured Wade back to the X mansion, Wade remarks again at the lack of X-Men characters willing to make an appearance in his knock off X-Men movie. "You think the studio would throw us a bone. They can't just dust off one of the famous X-Men? What about that putz with the giant pigeon wings? What do those do anyway, huh? Carry him three feet off the ground and snatch up the nearest muffin crumb?" As he yammers on, a room behind him reveals a whole bunch of X-Men. The fun gag is worth a pause just so we can check out who's in the room: Xavier (James McAvoy), Beast (Nicholas Hoult), Quicksilver (Evan Peters), Cyclops (Tye Sheridan), Storm (Alexandra Shipp), and Nightcrawler (Kodi Smit-McPhee).
Mission: Impossible - Fallout - The HALO Jump
The latest installment in the Mission: Impossible franchise features some of the most intense action sequences in movie history. The biggest and most talked-about has got to be the HALO (High Altitude Low Opening) jump star Tom Cruise takes from a plane flying 25,000 feet in the air.
The details behind what it took to capture the jump on film are absolutely insane. Watching this behind the scenes video, you learn that Cruise is the first actor to perform such a stunt, which is saying a lot about his willingness to capture authenticity. He and the crew took over 100 jumps to get the scene just right, every jump required at least 20 minutes of oxygen prep, and since the shot used in the movie happens at sunset, they only had one chance a day to actually shoot the scene. It's pause-worthy just because how stunning the whole thing is, and because once you watch it, you simply have to know how it was done.
Ant-Man and The Wasp - Luis' Story
Marvel's Ant-Man and the Wasp, much like the first Ant-Man movie, provides some of the funniest moments of the franchise. The whole thing is filled with light-hearted and hilarious moments that counter the more dire and serious aspects of the Marvel Universe.
When Luis (Michael Pena) gets captured by Sonny Burch, he's given a truth serum and forced to divulge all he knows about Scott Lang, a.k.a. Ant-Man (Paul Rudd). But this is Luis, Scott's blunt yet hilarious best friend, so when he's given a truth serum you can bet he's going to tell you everything. Luis' story goes all the way back to when he and Scott met in prison, complete with enormous curly wig, then through his relationships with Hope (Evangeline Lilly). The whole thing doubled down in its humor by having both Rudd and Lilly reenact Luis' story as their own characters using overemphasized gestures and heightened reactions. The whole scene is definitely the funniest sequence in the film, one that you'll probably want to rewatch.
Solo: A Star Wars Story - Maul's Reveal
Throughout the Star Wars prequel Solo: A Star Wars story, Emilia Clarke's Qi'ra and Paul Bettany's Dryden Vos make references to a higher criminal organization known as Crimson Dawn. During the climax of the film, Qi'ra slays Dryden, and abandons the love of her life, Han Solo. It's at that point that she pledges allegiance to Crimson Dawn via hologram, and a familiar face pops up in the holographic communication device: Darth Maul.
It was a moment that left audience members collectively gasping... but also asking, "How?" Casual Star Wars movie viewers will recall that Darth Maul met his end at the hands of Obi-Wan Kenobi during The Phantom Menace. But fans of the animated series Clone Wars and Rebels know that Maul survived his fall and became a crime boss who runs the organization known as the Shadow Collective, which in turn runs Crimson Dawn. Solo takes place a couple of decades after The Phantom Menace. Maul's reveal is definitely a pausable moment, if only for fans to try and figure out if they're really seeing who they think they're seeing, and work out the timeline of how the former Sith lord turned crime boss ended up there.
Venom - The Kiss
Tom Hardy's Venom was truly one of the weirdest movie experiences of the year, and very much one of the most bizarre Marvel-inspired movies that has ever existed. Fans can't seem to decide if it was amazing or awful, intentionally, campy bad or just bad all around. But it does feature one of the most talked-about moments of the cinematic year: the Eddie Brock and Venom makeout session.
Was it really between Eddie and Venom? Was it between Eddie and Anne? All we know is, when Venom is inhabiting the body of Eddie's ex-girlfriend Anne (Michelle Williams), Venom leans in for a deep and intense full-tongue kiss. The moment definitely looks like Venom and Eddie are making out even if the symbiote is inhabiting a female body. And considering that Venom is in charge whenever it's inhabiting someone, it certainly seems like it was Venom who made the call to go in deep. Pucker up.
A Quiet Place - The Final Confrontation
Through its use of sound, or lack thereof, A Quiet Place became one of the most innovative horror films in years. John Krasinski's directorial debut told the story of a family struggling to survive after a race of alien invaders take over the planet. The creatures use sound to find their prey, so being absolutely quiet is essential to survival. The lack of sound in much of the film makes the suspenseful moments even more intense and allows the tension to build.
But the most pause-worthy moment comes right at the end, when the mother Evelyn (Emily Blunt) and her deaf daughter Regen (Millicent Simonds) face off against the creatures one final time. Regen realizes her cochlear implant can be altered to emit a high-pitched sound that wounds the creatures. Upon doing so, the one hunting them opens up its face to reveal the inner workings of the alien beast. Until that point, the creatures had been mostly in shadow, but this close look provides the best detail of the entire movie. It's a shot you'd definitely want to pause just to get a good look... before Evelyn blows its head off.
Bohemian Rhapsody - Live Aid
If you love Queen, than you probably loved Bohemian Rhapsody. Each of its musical numbers told the story of Freddie Mercury (Rami Malek) and the band while offering up some of our favorite rock songs as musical tribute. Any of the musical moments in this film are rewind-worthy, particularly the recording session of "Bohemian Rhapsody" itself, featuring a cameo from Mike Myers.
But the most epic scene in the entire movie is definitely the closing sequence, which revolves around the band's decision to perform at Live Aid, a giant charity concert that took place simultaneously in London and Philadelphia in 1985. The movie pretty much recreates Queen's entire performance, and Malek has said he considers the concert the most important scene in the film, telling CinemaBlend, "It is the culmination of what the trials and tribulations were that got them there in the first place, and they still have something monumental to overcome. So I think if you look at this film, a lot of it is about overcoming adversity and challenging every aspect of yourself and your friends."
Halloween - Karen's Big Moment
This year's Halloween is technically a direct sequel to the 1978 original, even though there have been another six movies between them. This retconning of the series brings back Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode and adds a daughter named Karen, played by Judy Greer, and a granddaughter named Allyson, played by Andi Matichak. The story follows the return of Michael Myers, a.k.a. "The Shape," as he escapes from a prison transport and heads out on a killing spree on the hunt for Laurie.
Jamie Lee Curtis plays Laurie, now in her 60s, with a world-weariness and severe PTSD, and she certainly has some moments of badassery in the movie. But the moment many fans are talking about has more to do with the usually sweet Judy Greer. Though Laurie's daughter was taken from her at an early age, Karen comes through for her in a clutch moment, picking up a gun and shooting Michael at a key moment when all seems lost. It's a moment that made the audience cheer in excitement, not only because the good guys were getting ahead, but because Karen seemed destined to step up. Of shooting the scene, Greer told Vulture, "I certainly felt like, 'Oh, if this works it will totally kick all the ass!'"
The Meg - The Bigger Meg
The level of ridiculousness in The Meg reaches pretty epic proportions, but despite being pretty goofy, the movie is still a whole lot of fun. Jason Statham stars as a guy trying to capture and kill a really big shark, and that's about the entire premise. All of the Jaws references in the world can't bring The Meg up to that movie's level, but it makes up for what it lacks just by going all the way.
The most epic scene in the entire movie comes about midway through, when the gang of shark hunters has captured the Meg and strung the creature up on their boat. Or at least, they think they've captured the Meg. It's at that point that an even bigger megalodon shark jumps out of the water, eats the smaller meg, and gets away. Had they been chasing the wrong meg all along? Had they no idea that this bigger meg existed? Either way, The Meg took a wackadoo premise and made it even crazier by making its massive villain even bigger.
Annihilation - The slithering intestines
Directed by Alex Garland, Annihilation has its fair share of pause-worthy moments. After all, the Shimmer is no place for the weak of heart. You'll definitely need a few seconds to recover after that shark-agator tries to murder Tessa Thompson, and when the skull-bear starts screaming like a woman, well, you'll need some time to consider if you're even going to watch this movie anymore.
But the most disturbing moment in the entire film comes when the all-female expedition finds a camcorder belonging to a team of missing soldiers. When they play back the footage to see what happened to the troops, they watch as a deranged soldier (Oscar Isaac) takes out a gigantic knife and performs a nasty operation on his very-awake friend.
Isaac cuts a huge flap of skin and peels it back to reveal the man's guts, and to everyone's shock, this guy's intestines are slithering around like some sort of giant worm. The man's own organs have morphed into some sort of parasite, and the footage is so upsetting that the characters themselves actually press "stop" on the video camera. And trust us, you'll want to thank them for that.
Hereditary - The most shocking death in horror history
Written and directed by Ari Aster, Hereditary was maybe the scariest film of 2018, thanks to all the frightening scenes that made you press pause and check the ceiling for murderous moms. There are freaky reflections, some spontaneous combustion, and way too many old people without their clothes on. But of all the moments that will make you hit the pause button, there's no scene more unsettling than Charlie's death.
Played to eerie perfection by Milly Shapiro, Charlie is a little kid who enjoys girly activities like constantly clicking her tongue, making freaky dolls, and decapitating birds. She's also incredibly anti-social, so Charlie isn't too pleased when her mother (Toni Collette) forces her to attend a party with her older brother, Peter (Alex Wolff). The night only gets worse after she eats a slice of cake filled with nuts. Charlie is deathly allergic to the stuff, and as she goes into shock, Peter desperately tries to get her to the hospital.
As Peter tears down the road, Charlie gasps and struggles for air. She's so desperate that she sticks her head out the car window, hoping to breathe, and that's when Peter gets a little too close to a telephone pole. One moment, Charlie's head is on her shoulders. The next, it's lying on the side of the road. And everybody watching the film probably feels a lot like Peter: wide-eyed, horrified, and too scared to see the decapitated body in the backseat.
Hold the Dark - A one-sided showdown
There's nothing more exciting than a good movie gunfight, but the one-sided showdown from Hold the Dark isn't your typical Hollywood shootout. Directed by Jeremy Saulnier, this incredibly tense scene finds a group of ill-equipped cops facing a very angry man with a very big machine gun. His name is Cheeon (Julian Black Antelope), and he's not exactly a fan of the police. He's a man consumed with anger and darkness, and he's been waiting for this moment for a long, long time. So when the police roll into his icy little village — looking to arrest him and his friend for murder — he opens up his second story window and unleashes hell with an M60.
These small-town Alaskan cops have never faced this much firepower before. Cheeon has the high ground, and he keeps the cops pinned behind the cars with his unlimited amount of ammo. And anytime an officer tries to take a shot, Cheeon fills them full of lead. The entire scene is nothing but ice, blood, adrenaline, and fear. Bodies drop left and right, and the soundtrack is filled with screaming men as Cheeon shoots them over and over again. It's like watching a clip from Saving Private Ryan, and by the time the police put Cheeon down, we need to hit the pause button so we can slow down our heart rate and try to get our breath back.
Mandy - Getting ready for revenge
Red Miller is having a really bad day. He's been bound with barbed wire, stabbed in the gut, and forced to watch the love of his life get turned into toast. Now, after a vodka-fueled breakdown, the lumberjack wants revenge against the monsters who murdered Mandy. But before he can battle the Jesus freaks and Cenobite bikers who tore his world apart, he'll need to forge cinema's most heavy metal weapon.
Played by Nicolas Cage, Red is the hero of Panos Cosmatos' Mandy, and he's a dude with a dark and mysterious past. When he starts working on a weapon that's part axe and part spear, you get the feeling he's gone to war before. There's smoke and fire and molten steel — not to mention Red's burning rage — and when he's done hammering away, he picks up his hippie-killer in one of the most impressive shots of 2018. As our hero holds his glistening weapon, you'll have to press pause and revel in Red's badassery... and then prepare yourself for all the carnage to come.