Best of 2017 – Best Scenes of 2017
For this list, I’m looking back at the best individual scenes from 2017. There were thousands to chose from, but these are the scenes that left the biggest impression on me. Whether it was a scene of masterful acting, exciting action, or a simple conversation, these were the best scenes of 2017.
Some of these choices will have clips attached to them so you can see the excellence for yourself.
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!
There, you’ve been warned.
10 – DECKARD AND THE BABY – THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS
- In a movie franchise built on ridiculous stunts and insanity, this one might take them all. Deckard (Jason Statham) is trying to protect Dom’s kid from henchmen on an enemy plane in while trying to keep the baby distracted from the violence and mayhem. This is an insanely fun scene, with Statam kicking ass and also having some funny one-liners with the baby. This scene is the best of the best in F Gary Gray’s spectacle.
9 – FINAL SHOT/CREDITS – CALL ME BY YOUR NAME
- Timothee Chalamet gives one of the very best performances of 2017 in Call Me By Your Name and the final shot is what seals it. In an uncut, wordless credit scene, we watch as Elio (Chalamet) stare at a fire right after his heart has just been shattered. It is a powerful scene and director Luca Guadagnino’s decision to end the movie with it and keep it uncut makes it truly special.
8 – “REMEMBER ME” REUNION – COCO
- Led by a beautiful, acoustic version of the film’s main song, this is one of the sweetest, heart-tugging scenes I’ve seen in recent memory. Fresh from his experience in the after-life, Miguel is attempting to make his great grandmother keep his great-great grandfather’s memory alive. Everyone can relate to this in some way and it is a song that makes you think about all your family members who have passed on.
7 – THE SACRIFICE – THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER
- Yogo Lorthimos’ weirdest film to date is a darkly funny and disturbing suburban nightmare, which culminates in a scene that will have your heart beating out of your chest. With his children poisoned by a vengeful teen and forced to sacrifice one of his family members, Dr. Steven Murphy (Colin Farrell) has no choice but to go through with the sacrifice. Instead of choosing who to kill, Murphy puts bags over his son, daughter, and wife’s head, tapes them to chairs, and then proceeds to put a bag over his head, grab a shotgun, spin in a number of circles and fire away. We don’t know who is going to get it and you are gripping your seat with every spin. In a movie full of unpredictable moments, this is the perfect finishing move.
6 – “9/11” – THE BIG SICK
- In a quick conversation, The Big Sick gave us the greatest comedy moment of 2017. While Kumail (Kumail Nanjiani) is caring for his ex-girlfriend in the hospital after she enters a coma, her parents show up to the hospital and tell him he isn’t needed anymore. Still wanting be there for his ex, Kumail continues to show up and after a few days, in an act of kindness, Terry (Ray Romano), the girl’s father, invites Kumail to have lunch with he and his wife. The conversation that ensues is uproarious, with Terry starting off the conversation talking about tuna and then asking Kumail, an Indian, about 9/11. Smart, hilarious, and the perfect amount of dark, this is a soon-to-be iconic quote.
5 – SHOT-BY-SHOT COMPARISON – THE DISASTER ARTIST
- The Disaster Artist is one of my favorite movies of the year with many great scenes. But my absolute favorite is the end, where we see a shot-by-shot comparison of The Room and The Disaster Artist. Showing a number of The Room‘s iconic moments and hitting them almost too perfectly, this showed the commitment director/star James Franco had to the project and it is a great homage to the film’s source material.
4 – OPENING HEIST – BABY DRIVER
- No film set it’s tone in their intro quite like Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver. In a scene that could act as a short film by itself, this gives us a full picture of what we are in for for the entire movie. This is a slick, cool, pulsating, kinetic scene with great music that finishes with a heart-racing chase scene. This is simply one of the coolest things I saw all year and one of the best things Edgar Wright has ever done.
3 – REY AND KYLO REN VS PRAETORIAN GUARDS – STAR WARS: EPISODE VIII – THE LAST JEDI
- I have my issues with The Last Jedi, but the best part of the film is easily the relationship between Rey and Kylo Ren and their peak scene shows the two foes coming together. After Snoke is killed at the hands of Ren, the two are attacked by a number of Praetorian guards and the two come together to kick some serious ass. Set against a blood red backdrop with Rian Johnson’s masterful way of shooting action, this scenes adds layers to the story, excitement to the movie, and yet another legendary battle in the Star Wars franchise.
2 – THE SUNKEN PLACE – GET OUT
- Jordan Peele’s Get Out is one of the best directorial debuts of the decade and the scene that proved this to me happened relatively early in the movie. After going out for a cigarette in the middle of the night, Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) is stopped by his girlfriend’s mom, Missy (Catherine Keener), and the two sit in Missy’s office for what appears to be a friendly conversation that turns tense real quick. Missy begins to hypnotize Chris and, in a move reminiscent of David Lynch, Chris is thrown into “the sunken place”, an out-of-body place deep within himself. This scene takes the film in a whole new direction and from then on, much like Chris, you have no idea what is going to come.
1 – NO MAN’S LAND – WONDER WOMAN
- No scene in 2017 made me feel the way I did as I was watching the No Man’s Land scene from Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman. Up until this scene, we only saw glimpses of what Diana (Gal Gadot) could do. She was still learning this new world she was in and was trying to understand how and why the war was the way it was. This was the first time we saw Wonder Woman. Not Diana, Wonder Woman. The shield wielding, head-banded hero who only wants to do good and save the world. This scene got every emotion in me going. It was inspiring, exciting, beautifully crafted, and just awe-inspiring. This is the greatest superhero intro scene ever made, and it’s not even close. This is the birth of a hero. This is the birth of an icon. This is the best scene of 2017.
What were your favorite scenes of 2017? Comment below or hit me up on Twitter and Instagram, @kevflix, or on Facebook by searching Kevflix.