BEST MOVIES OF 2023 RANKED

Welcome to the best movies of 2023, where you can discover the latest films championed by the critics community! Every movie on the list is Certified Fresh, meaning they held on to a Tomatometer score of at least 75% after a minimum number of critics review — 40 for limited or streaming releases, 80 for wide theatrical releases, with five of those reviews coming from Top Critics.

The year started off strong with successive surprise genre hits in January, like M3GAN (from Blumhouse), Plane (starring Gerard Butler), Missing, and Infinity Pool (see the best horror movies of 2023). Notably, no wide release in February went Certified Fresh, plus we saw misfires from the normally reliable Steven Soderbergh (Magic Mike’s Last Dance) and Marvel Studios (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania).

Check back every week for the latest best new movies of 2023! —Alex Vo

HUESERA: THE BONE WOMAN
 99%

#1

Critics Consensus: A bone-chilling body horror, Huesera offers genre fans a twisted take on What to Expect When You’re Expecting.

Synopsis: Valeria’s joy at becoming a first-time mother is quickly taken away when she’s cursed by a sinister entity. As danger… [More]

Starring: Natalia Solián, Alfonso Dosal, Mayra Batalla, Mercedes Hernández

Directed By: Michelle Garza

FULL TIME
 98%

#2

Critics Consensus: Led by Laure Calamy’s gripping performance, Full Time serves as a sobering reminder that just staying financially afloat can sometimes feel like a white-knuckle thriller.

Synopsis: Single mother Julie (César award-winning actress Laure Calamy) works a grueling job as a head chambermaid in a five-star Parisian… [More]

Starring: Laure Calamy, Anne Suarez, Geneviève Mnich, Cyril Gueï

Directed By: Eric Gravel

SAINT OMER
 94%

#3

Critics Consensus: A gut-punching contemplation of a woman’s immigrant experience, Saint Omer puts a mother on the stand and the audience in the jury box to find humanity in the inhumane.

Synopsis: Saint-Omer court of law. Young novelist Rama attends the trial of Laurence Coly, a young woman accused of killing her… [More]

Starring: Kayije Kagame, Guslagie Malanga, Valérie Dréville, Ege Güner

Directed By: Alice Diop

ATTACHMENT
 94%

#4

Critics Consensus: A possession thriller that knows the devil’s in the details, Attachment scares some fresh angles out of a well-worn horror subgenre.

Synopsis: ATTACHMENT is a horror romance about Maja, a has-been actress in Denmark, who falls in love with Leah, a young,… [More]

Starring: Sofie Gråbøl, Josephine Park, Ellie Kendrick, David Dencik

Directed By: Gabriel Bier Gislason

AFTER LOVE
 94%

#5

Critics Consensus: After Love marks an impressively nuanced feature debut for writer-director Aleem Khan — and a brilliant showcase for Joanna Scanlan’s dramatic chops.

Synopsis: Set in the port town of Dover, Mary Hussain suddenly finds herself a widow following the unexpected death of her… [More]

Starring: Joanna Scanlan, Nathalie Richard, Talid Ariss, Nasser Memarzia

Directed By: Aleem Khan

M3GAN
 93%

#6

Critics Consensus: Unapologetically silly and all the more entertaining for it, M3GAN is the rare horror-comedy that delivers chuckles as effortlessly as chills.

Synopsis: M3GAN is a marvel of artificial intelligence, a life-like doll programmed to be a child’s greatest companion and a parent’s… [More]

Starring: Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, Ronny Chieng, Brian Jordan Alvarez

Directed By: Gerard Johnstone

JETHICA
 93%

#7

Critics Consensus: Packing a lot into its brief runtime, Jethica anchors its supernatural thrills with the serious story of a truly terrifying stalker.

Synopsis: Hiding out in New Mexico after a freak accident, Elena runs into Jessica, an old friend from high school. When… [More]

Starring: Callie Hernandez, Ashley Denise Robinson, Andy Faulkner, Will Madden

Directed By: Pete Ohs

JUNIPER
 93%

#8

Critics Consensus: Juniper‘s story offers few surprises — and it doesn’t need any, with Charlotte Rampling holding the viewer rapt from start to finish.

Synopsis: Ruth (Oscar nominee Charlotte Rampling) is a worldly former war correspondent now bored in retirement with a drinking problem and… [More]

Starring: Charlotte Rampling, Marton Csokas, George Ferrier, Edith Poor

Directed By: Matthew J. Saville

ALCARRÀS
 91%

#9

Critics Consensus: While it may lack a narrative punch, Alcarràs captures this rural world and its heritage with a gripping sense of nostalgia for things forever gone.

Synopsis: In a small village in Catalonia, the peach farmers of the Solé family spend every summer together picking fruit from… [More]

Starring: Berta Pipó, Jordi Pujol Dolcet, Anna Otin, Xènia Roset

Directed By: Carla Simón

EMILY
 89%

#10

Critics Consensus: With a bracingly irreverent approach to its story and Emma Mackey bringing Brontë vibrantly to life, Emily is a biopic that manages to feel true while taking entertaining creative liberties.

Synopsis: EMILY imagines Emily Brontë’s own Gothic story that inspired her seminal novel, “Wuthering Heights.” Haunted by the death of her… [More]

Starring: Emma Mackey, Fionn Whitehead, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Alexandra Dowling

Directed By: Frances O’Connor

INFINITY POOL
 87%

#11

Critics Consensus: Turbulent waters even for strong swimmers, Infinity Pool provides a visceral all-inclusive retreat of Cronenbergian perversion for those wanting to escape commercial sundries.

Synopsis: While staying at an isolated island resort, James (Alexander Skarsgård) and Em (Cleopatra Coleman) are enjoying a perfect vacation of… [More]

Starring: Alexander Skarsgård, Mia Goth, Cleopatra Coleman, Thomas Kretschmann

Directed By: Brandon Cronenberg

MISSING
 87%

#12

Critics Consensus: Missing can strain credulity in its efforts to keep the audience guessing, but a fast pace and relatable fears keep this twisty techno-thriller from completely losing its way.

Synopsis: When her mother (Nia Long) disappears while on vacation in Colombia with her new boyfriend, June’s (Storm Reid) search for… [More]

Starring: Storm Reid, Joaquim de Almeida, Ken Leung, Amy Landecker

Directed By: Will Merrick, Nicholas D. Johnson

OF AN AGE
 87%

#13

Critics Consensus: While it may not belong in the upper ranks of cinematic queer love stories, Of an Age is a moving romance elevated by powerhouse performances.

Synopsis: OF AN AGE is set in the summer of 1999 as a 17-year-old Serbian born, Australian amateur ballroom dancer experiences… [More]

Starring: Elias Anton, Thom Green, Hattie Hook, Jack Kenny

Directed By: Goran Stolevski

SICK
 86%

#14

Critics Consensus: Smart, self-aware, and all too timely, this slasher co-written by Kevin Williamson is Sick in all the best ways.

Synopsis: As the pandemic steadily brings the world to a halt, Parker and her best friend Miri decide to quarantine at… [More]

Starring: Gideon Adlon, Dylan Sprayberry, Bethlehem Million, Jane Adams

Directed By: John Hyams

PACIFICTION
 86%

#15

Critics Consensus: Narratively sparse and visually vast, Pacifiction is a tsunami of a political thriller that philosophically rewards those willing to weather it.

Synopsis: On the French Polynesian island of Tahiti, the High Commissioner of the Republic and French government official DE ROLLER is… [More]

Starring: Benoît Magimel, Pahoa Mahagafanau, Matahi Pambrun, Marc Susini

Directed By: Albert Serra

LINOLEUM
 79%

#16

Critics Consensus: A solid showcase for Jim Gaffigan as well as a sneakily ambitious dramedy, Linoleum adds another impressive entry to writer-director Colin West’s filmography.

Synopsis: Cameron Edwin (Jim Gaffigan), the host of a failing children’s science TV show called “Above & Beyond”, has always had… [More]

Starring: Jim Gaffigan, Rhea Seehorn, Katelyn Nacon, Gabriel Rush

Directed By: Colin West

THE OFFERING
 79%

#17

Critics Consensus: Within the outline of its fairly standard story, The Offering puts a unique — and often genuinely scary — spin on demonic possession horror tropes.

Synopsis: In the wake of a young Jewish girl’s disappearance, the son of a Hasidic funeral director returns home with his… [More]

Starring: Nick Blood, Emm Wiseman, Allan Corduner, Paul Kaye

Directed By: Oliver Park

PLANE
 77%

#18

Critics Consensus: Plane charts a standard action-adventure course with its cruising altitude just a few miles above Direct-to-Video — but with Gerard Butler in the cockpit, thriller enthusiasts will still find this a fun flight.

Synopsis: In the white-knuckle action movie PLANE, pilot Brodie Torrance (Gerard Butler) saves his passengers from a lightning strike by making… [More]

Starring: Gerard Butler, Mike Colter, Yoson An, Daniella Pineda

Directed By: Jean-François Richet