The 15 best films of 2016, according to Rotten Tomatoes

It's been another great year for movies.

Even when the rest of civilisation seems to be collapsing, the movie world is stronger than ever, and despite the all-engrossing horror of 2016, it managed to churn out some real treats at the pictures. We've had a look through the top rated movies on Rotten Tomatoes to see what people thought stood out this year, and the results were actually quite surprising. The list is not simply a case of which movies got the highest ratings, but an average worked out by Rotten Tomatoes based on the ratings critics gave the movies and how many reviews each movie received. So you may be surprised to find that Rogue One: A Star Wars Story isn't in the top 15, or Deadpool, 10 Cloverfield Lane, or Moana. So take this list with a pinch of salt and maybe use it as an opportunity to see some highly rated films that might have dipped under the radar.

15. Embrace of the Serpent

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vS73P3hZvPA   What's it about? The story of the relationship between Karamakate, an Amazonian shaman and last survivor of his people, and two scientists who work together over the course of 40 years to search the Amazon for a sacred healing plant. The critics said... "Unique and intoxicating, an art movie that grips like a thriller." - Tom Huddleston, Time Out "It is gripping, challenging, engrossing stuff, beginning to end. Seriously, what a film." - Tom Long, Detroit News

14. Don't Think Twice

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RFTpObS95U What's it about? When a member of a popular New York City improv troupe gets a huge break, the rest of the group - all best friends - start to realise that not everyone is going to make it after all. The critics said... "It has more laughs than any big-studio comedy I've seen this year, but it's dead serious about the difficulty of creating something collectively in a world where everyone's chasing the spotlight." - J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader "A surprising, bitingly honest drama entwining strands of blood, sweat and jokes." - Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

13. Things to Come

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-xbvt7qdHQ What's it about? A philosophy teacher soldiers through the death of her mother, getting fired from her job, and dealing with a husband who is cheating on her. The critics said... "Suffused with wry humour, vulnerability and radiant warmth, Huppert's performance captures that delicate period in life during which resignation morphs into graceful, even grateful, acceptance." - Ann Hornaday, Washington Post "Complementing Hansen-Love's deft writing and direction, Huppert transforms what might have been an unsympathetic role into a character who embodies universal anxieties, desires, weaknesses, and virtues." - Peter Keough, Boston Globe

12. Captain America: Civil War

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkTybqcX-Yo What's it about? Political interference in the Avengers' activities causes a rift between former allies Captain America and Iron Man. The critics said... "A comic book extravaganza that's enhanced by wit and audacity, not to mention the sort of action that only mountains of money can buy." - Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal "Civil War reminds us it's OK to enjoy a few laughs, even while diabolical villains plot doom, outraged citizens demand accountability and your best pal mistrusts you." - Peter Howell, Toronto Star

11. Sing Street

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m15TDPeCjM8 What's it about? A boy growing up in Dublin during the 1980s escapes his strained family life by starting a band to impress the mysterious girl he likes. The critics said... "A delightful coming-of-age tale that both celebrates young love and laments how quickly the fire of youth can be snuffed out." - Rupert Hawksley, Daily Telegraph "Just as with Once and Begin Again, Sing Street will make you laugh, cry and leave you humming its songs for days." - Olly Richards, Empire Magazine

10. Manchester by the Sea

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsVoD0pTge0 What's it about? An uncle is forced to take care of his teenage nephew after the boy's father dies. The critics said... "As pleasurable a viewing experience as a film about death could hope to be." - Simran Hans, Sight and Sound "Manchester by the Sea is an affecting examination of the grieving process, brought to life through strong direction and compelling performances." - Sandy Schaefer, ScreenRant

9. Kubo and the Two Strings

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfApAsZKKcg What's it about? A young boy named Kubo must locate a magical suit of armour worn by his late father in order to defeat a vengeful spirit from the past. The critics said... "Arrives as cherishable proof that it is still possible, amid heightened commercial imperatives, for digimators to push for reflective, affecting art." - Mike McCahill, Guardian "Filmgoers who've suffered through a summer of superheroes, supervillains and sequels/snarky reboots, we now have something that genuinely casts a spell on viewers." - David Fear, Rolling Stone

8. Hunt for the Wilderpeople

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPaU4Gymt3E What's it about? A national manhunt is ordered for a rebellious kid and his foster uncle who go missing in the wild New Zealand bush. The critics said... "In the hands of director Taika Waititi, who mixes sentimentality with spiky, even absurdist humour, it's a remarkable treat." - Max Weiss, Baltimore Magazine "This might be the best kids' movie since Up." - Tom Huddleston, Time Out

7. Finding Dory

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tkLUap7oGQ What's it about? The friendly but forgetful blue tang fish begins a search for her long-lost parents, and everyone learns a few things about the real meaning of family along the way. The critics said... "The best sequel made by Pixar Animation Studios without the word "toy" in the title." - Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy "There are few dud jokes, if any, in a script directed with vaudevillian verve by Andrew Stanton, the human pilot fish behind Nemo and Wall-E who also wrote Toy Stories one to three and Monsters, Inc." - Nigel Andrews, Financial Times

6. Love & Friendship

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSMNHKqrCOo What's it about? Lady Susan Vernon takes up temporary residence at her in-laws' estate and, while there, is determined to be a matchmaker for her daughter Frederica - and herself too, naturally. The critics said... "This is the zingiest Austen adaptation you'll ever see, with the usual pastel palette and slow decorum abandoned in favour of acid colours and acid remarks, which keep the audience in stitches." - Kate Muir, The Times "Love & Friendship is quick, clever and delightful, very funny and hugely entertaining." - Liz Braun, Toronto Sun

5. The Jungle Book

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtR9tqPa48s What's it about? After a threat from the tiger Shere Khan forces him to flee the jungle, a man-cub named Mowgli embarks on a journey of self discovery with the help of panther, Bagheera, and free spirited bear, Baloo. The critics said... "By the time its evolution is complete, The Jungle Book has proven itself a minor Darwinian miracle, perhaps the oddest of all species: a movie nearly devoid of human beings, yet one bursting with humanity." - Christopher Orr, The Atlantic "It's the very rare remake that's actually better than the original. The Jungle Book is that rarity." - Claudia Puig, Asahi Shimbun

4. Moonlight

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23amIZMeFN0 What's it about? A timeless story of human connection and self-discovery, Moonlight chronicles the life of a young black man from childhood to adulthood as he struggles to find his place in the world while growing up in a rough neighbourhood of Miami. The critics said... "A perfect film, one that exemplifies not only the formal and aesthetic capabilities of a medium at its most visually rich, but a capacity for empathy and compassion." - Ann Hornaday, Washington Post "Moonlight is gorgeous and yet bleak, uplifting and yet sobering, exhilarating but also grounded in some unshakable realities." - Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times

3. Arrival

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMgyWT075KY What's it about? A linguist is recruited by the military to assist in translating alien communications. The critics said... "The revelation here is [the director, Denis] Villeneuve, who expands on the symphonic pacing showcased last year in the drug war drama Sicario. Even though the concept of Arrival is far-out fiction, Villeneuve treats it with no less detail or urgency." - Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle "Those expecting a whiz-bang film should be prepared for a more cerebral and emotional experience, admirable for its ambition and tone, if not wholly satisfying in its payoff." - Brian Lowry, CNN.com

2. Hell or High Water

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uzw4wkHtEt4 What's it about? A divorced father and his ex-con older brother resort to a desperate scheme in order to save their family's ranch in West Texas. The critics said... "A smartly crafted heist thriller that quietly peels back the layers from its macho male characters to reveal the pain and tenderness inside." - Kate Muir, The Times "Taut, tense and burnished by Jeff Bridges at his best. This is a deceptively simple tale of Texan cops and robbers that drags the Old West into the modern age." - Jimi Famurewa, Empire Magazine

1. Zootropolis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCDQRy1od30 What's it about? In a city of anthropomorphic animals, a rookie bunny cop and a cynical con artist fox must work together to uncover a conspiracy. The critics said... "The animation is first rate - fur is rendered so realistically that it could trigger an allergy at 50 paces - but it is the writing that elevates the picture." - Wendy Ide, The Guardian "Just relish the zingy jokes and in-jokes; a slow-burn dialogue scene with sloths that's an instant classic; the elastic character animation; and the pacy, racy disrespect for PC of all hues and flavours." - Nigel Andrews, Financial Times