Best movies of 2023, according to Rotten Tomatoes

Chris Tilly
A basketball scene from The First Slam Dunk.

The First Slam Dunk and Shayda head up the list of 2023’s best reviewed movies, according to Rotten Tomatoes.

Barbie and The Super Mario Bros. Movie are the most successful movies of 2023, grossing more than $2.8 billion between them.

The critics love Barbie, the film scoring 88% on aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. While they were less keen on Mario, with the animated adaptation managing a score of 59%.

Neither film made it onto the Rotten Tomatoes list, however – and nor did the acclaimed likes of Oppenheimer and Killers of the Flower Moon. The best reviewed films of the year as follows…

Best movies of 2023, according to Rotten Tomatoes

The following are the top ranked movies among critics, according to Rotten Tomatoes.

  1. The First Slam Dunk – 100%
  2. Shayda – 100%
  3. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret – 99%
  4. Fallen Leaves – 98%
  5. Rye Lane – 98%
  6. Joyland – 98%
  7. Monster – 98%
  8. The Beasts – 98%
  9. Full Time – 98%
  10. Aloners – 98%
  11. The Innocent – 98%
  12. Klondike – 98%
  13. Past Lives – 97%
  14. Blackberry – 97%
  15. Return to Seoul – 97%
  16. A Thousand and One – 97%
  17. Huesera: The Bone Man – 97%
  18. The Boy and the Heron – 97%
  19. Fremont – 97%
  20. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem – 96%
  21. The Holdovers – 96%
  22. Anatomy of a Fall – 96%
  23. Suzume – 96%
  24. Birth/Rebirth – 96%
  25. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar – 96%

Oppenheimer – the hot favorite for Best Picture at next year’s Academy Awards – is further down the list, with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 93%. Which puts Christopher Nolan’s movie in 50th position. While its nearest rival for the Oscar – Killers of the Flower Moon – is just below that, on 92%.

What are The First Slam Dunk and Shayda?

The First Slam Dunk and Shayda are the only movies to manage perfect 100% scores in 2023.

The First Slam Dunk is a sporting anime based on the hugely popular manga of the same name. The Rotten Tomatoes ‘Critical Consensus’ states: “A heart-pumping, breathtaking, wonderfully crafted manga adaptation, The First Slam Dunk shoots and scores.”

Shayda is an Australian drama about immigration, inspired by writer-director Noora Niasari’s own childhood. The RT ‘Critical Consensus’ says: “An understated yet impactful story of female empowerment, Shayda establishes first-time feature filmmaker Noora Niasari as a remarkably assured talent.”

We’ll update this list with new movies as-and-when they get released and reviewed. For more TV & Movies coverage, hit the hubs below:

Avatar 3 | Batman: The Brave And The Bold | Beetlejuice 2 | Blade | Deadpool 3 | Dune 2 | Gladiator 2 | Mission: Impossible 8 | Mortal Kombat 2 | Beyond the Spider-Verse | Superman: Legacy | Thunderbolts | Venom 3 | Wicked | 1923 Season 2 | Citadel Season 2 | Daredevil: Born Again | Euphoria Season 3 | Severance Season 2 | Stranger Things Season 5 | The Last of Us Season 2 | The Mandalorian Season 4 | The Penguin | The Sandman Season 2 | The White Lotus Season 3 | Wednesday Season 2 | Yellowjackets Season 3