Whether it was a smash box office hit or a small niche film, each passing year brought a film that set students into a frenzy of who saw it first and who can keep the spoilers to themselves. For seniors, the last four years in Hollywood have provided some of the biggest hits of all time, all of which have certainly had their impact on every student. Here is an exploration of the most talked about films at Redwood over the past four years. 

Get Out

Released in February  2017, famous comedian Jordan Peele made his legendary directorial debut with the horror film “Get Out.” “Get Out” tells the story of a black man visiting his white girlfriend’s family for the weekend who

finds out that the family members are racist millionaires who make money by implanting the brains of older white people into young black bodies. Including enough terrifying horror sequences to be talked about nonstop by students, the film also provoked serious conversations about race in America. 

IT

Seven months later in September  2017, the hit movie adaption of author Stephen King’s “IT” quickly became the highest grossing horror film of all time. The film follows a group of kids known as the Losers Club as they face off against Pennywise, an evil, supernatural clown. Students ran to crowded theaters to catch some of the clown-filled horror and generally loved what they watched. The classic red balloons featured prominently in the film began popping up around campus and the surrounding neighborhoods, further feeding the frenzy. The film’s combination of teenage comedy and terrifying horror elements made “IT” the perfect fall film to see.

Black Panther

The next year, in November  of 2018, Marvel Studios released the mega hit “Black Panther” into theaters across the globe. The superhero flick focuses on a young man named T’challa who must take over his deceased father’s role as king of hidden African nation Wakanda. T’challa must also take on the mantle of a crime-fighting superhero named Black Panther. The film features a killer soundtrack filled with songs by popular artists such as Kendrick Lamar and The Weeknd, and contains heart pumping action sequences that were heavily discussed amongst even the most casual of superhero fans. When walking through the hallways, students of all ages could be seen crossing their arms in an X formation and hitting their chests to copy the greeting used frequently in the groundbreaking film. While “Black Panther” had its lasting impacts, nothing could prepare Redwood for Marvel Studios’ next film released only a year later.

Avengers: Endgame

Smashing into theaters in April of 2019, Marvel Studios’  “Avengers: Endgame” rapidly became the highest grossing movie of all time, raking in almost $3 billion at the global box office. The movie acted as the last chapter in a 23-film superhero franchise spanning more than 10 years and making over $20 billion dollars. “Endgame” brought together more than 30 audience-favorite Avengers to face their biggest threat yet: the evil titan Thanos and his gauntlet of Infinity Stones capable of wiping out the entire universe. The film was packed with groundbreaking plot twists and students would do anything to avoid hearing spoilers. I  even witnessed a group of students sprinting out of the library during lunch because a classmate had made a prediction about a character’s untimely death. “Endgame” provided enough jaw dropping twists and revelations to be debated for hours and certainly became one of many students’ favorite films.