There is nothing quite like the movies. I love sitting in a dark theater with an irresponsibly large bucket of popcorn and a fountain drink that will all but ensure I will be wishing for a bathroom break well before the film ends. And I absolutely adore movies that make me fall in love with ships – either romantic or platonic. Movies that make me fall in love not just with the characters but with their relationships with each other. Below are our picks for best movie ships of the year.
Maurice and His Wife: Beauty and the Beast
“How does a moment last forever?
How can a story never die?
It is love we must hold onto.
Never easy, but we try.”
Maurice
It is rather odd that this would make the list, given that Maurice’s wife was barely shown and wasn’t even given a name in this year’s Beauty and the Beast. This certainly isn’t the ship that one would expect to be the most memorable in the film. But for me, though we only saw one side of the relationship, it absolutely stole the show.
As one might expect, Maurice’s love for his lost wife was a small subplot. However, Kevin Kline brought such subtle sincerity and sorrow to the role that his performance was impossible to forget. His song “How Does a Moment Last Forever” absolutely broke my heart. In it, he conveyed such depth of feeling and immeasurable grief that one could completely imagine the love he had lost. Frankly, not even the titular ship in this retelling of one of my all-time favorite Disney movies came close to topping that moment.
Baby Groot and the Team: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
“Out of the way, dumber smaller Groot!”
Drax
Family relationships were at the heart of Guardians of the Galaxy 2. Peter and Ego. Peter and Yondu. Gamora and Nebula. Every single member of the team and Baby Groot. None of them are particularly good parents, but their love for their little tree toddler was clear.
While every member of the Guardians was protective and caring towards Groot, I was most moved when seeing Drax and Groot together. Drax is such a brusque, blunt character, it is sometimes easy to forget the loss he has endured. Of course, the movie doesn’t shy away from reminding the audience that his wife and child were murdered. However, in the end, when Drax cradled Baby Groot against his shoulder to sleep, one could so clearly see the father he had once been in that small, simple moment. I didn’t cry. I just…got something in my eye, is all.
Kumail Nanjiani and Emily Gordon: The Big Sick
“So, if I…if I yelled out, like, “You’re amazing in bed!” That’d be a heckle?”
“Yeah. It would be an accurate heckle.”
Emily and Kumail
One wouldn’t think a medically induced coma would be the setup for one of the best love stories of the year. But The Big Sick proved that a terrifying, mysterious medical condition can be the setup for a fantastic romantic comedy. The story was based on the real-life relationship between Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon, and showed that laughter can always be found in even the most tragic of circumstances.
It is an unconventional love story – Emily is unconscious for the majority of the movie. But there is something just so endearing in the moments between the two before she falls ill. It is in the little moments that you fall in love with these two as they fall in love with each other. This move was strangely delightful, given the drama inherent in the premise, and these two are easily one of the best ships of the year.
Professor Charles Xavier, Logan, and Laura Kinney: Logan
“You are dying. You want to die.”
“How do you know?”
“Charles told me.”
“What else did he tell you?”
“To not let you.”
Laura and Logan
This wasn’t the typical comic book movie, but it was the perfect finale for a character we have followed for 17 years. Even when the movie scripts have failed to live up to his potential, Hugh Jackman has always played Logan perfectly. Gruff, yet caring. Unbreakable, yet tortured. He’s always been the best there is at what he does, and what he does isn’t very nice.
Logan showed a very different side of that character. He is no longer the best. Logan is, in fact, struggling to survive. He is still a natural loner (by the inevitable passage of time if not inclination). But he has genuine love and affection for Charles Xavier – the man who took him in many years before and made him realize he wasn’t an animal.
The bond between Professor Xavier and Logan was almost the best part of the film. It was genuinely heartbreaking in the end, to think that Charles might have believed Logan had turned against him, after all. But ultimately it was eclipsed by the relationship between Logan and his daughter, Laura. It wasn’t a bond or a relationship he wanted, to be sure. But like him, she is the best there is at what she does – and she will have her own share of ghosts to carry. His ending may be hers one day.
I won’t pretend that the ending didn’t break my heart. I also admit that I will miss seeing Hugh Jackman play Wolverine in future movies. But this movie was the perfect way to let him go, and in the end, the relationship between Xavier, Logan, and Laura was everything I never knew I wanted from a Wolverine film.
Diana of Themescira and Steve Trevor: Wonder Woman
“She was right. My mother was right. She said the world of men do not deserve you. They don’t deserve our help.”
“It’s…it’s not about deserve. Maybe…maybe we don’t. But it’s not about that. It’s about what you believe. You don’t think I get it, after what I’ve seen out there? You don’t think I wish I could tell you that it was one bad guy to blame? It’s not! We’re all to blame!”
“I’m not!”
“But maybe I am!”
Diana and Steve
Without question, this is the best ship of the year. Wonder Woman is a good movie, but it was the relationship between Diana and Steve that absolutely stole my heart. Though I have been a huge DC fan for most of my life, I have never really had an OTP for Diana. (I certainly don’t ship her and Superman together.) This move irrevocably stole my heart for Wondertrev, and I will accept no substitutes.
It is a testament to how good the actors are together – and their chemistry – that some of the best shipping moments were ad-libbed by the two of them. In particular, the entire scene on the boat was complete magic. Every moment between them was phenomenal, making it impossible not to ship them together. Steve’s last words to Diana – “I wish we had more time. I love you!” – absolutely gutted me.
With Flashpoint planned for the upcoming Flash movie, my only hope is that they find a way to bring Steve back for future movies. A Wonder Woman sequel will be great. A Wonder Woman sequel with Diana and Steve together again? Even better.