Sunday, January 3, 2016

2016 Most Anticipated Movies


Oh boy, 2016. The year of sequels, hopes, dreams, and heroes fighting each other. But, hey, what else is new, am I right? This'll also be the year that the cinema takes all my money, because there are seven movies that I definitely will see, and a couple here and there that are on my radar that I'm considering. They might be my "Redbox movies" of the year. But, overall, it's a pretty hype year.

I don't really want to go in order of premiere, but rather, my excitement! We'll start at the bottom of the list, with an unpopular opinion! :D

I'm sure it'll be a fun, and one of the few good, Disney sequels, but Finding Dory just isn't jumping out at me as a movie that I really need to see. I mean, I'm not as repulsed by it as I am by the trailer for Zootopia, but I'm just not interested in the goings-on of Martin, Nemo, and Dory anymore. Finding Nemo was a great movie, and it did what it set out to do in showing the power of family and friendship. It doesn't require a sequel for me. Incredibles requires a sequel.

Star Trek Beyond is another movie that I know they're going to try hard with, but, it'll be hard to match how great Star Trek Into Darkness was back from 2013. I love the new cast and I think they work great together, but, it just seems a little too much like the original series. I want to see more of them in space, that was what was so exciting about the previous two rebooted movies. Heck, that was what also made "Wrath of Khan" so darn exciting. The "coldness of space," as Khan would say.

My feelings on Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them are mixed. On one hand, it'll be very interesting to see the return of some good ol' wizardry on the big screen. On the other hand, I have really no idea what it's about. Which is good. Going in blind to a movie can often lead to a better experience. But still, nothing about it is really peaking my interest besides seeing the magic we've all come to know and love back to life, and in a different, older setting that should provide for some fun adventure. I'm just hoping there aren't too many winks and nods at the original series, that's something Hollywood has done a lot of lately that can often cloud the movie.

I'll just go ahead and say that none of the new Disney live-action movies look appealing and I'm far past the point of caring when it comes to Young Adult novels turning into movies, so, there are none of those that I'm looking forward to. Many of the reboots (like the Ghostbusters reboot or the long-past-overdue-sequels) are also ones that just seem "meh".

One movie I'm really, really hoping isn't just "meh" is Suicide Squad. There have been dozens of good films with bad guys at the forefront, and some of these characters in this film are DC's best at that. I don't think they can mess this up too bad, though. Superman can be pretty easy to goof up, especially when your company has done so well at the "gritty" superhero thing before. Plus they have some amazing actors on their roster, and while I'm still not completely on board with the look of Jared Leto's Joker, I think Margot Robbie and Will Smith's respective Harley and Deadshot will be enough to carry the film.

From time to time, I'll just forget that Star Wars: Rogue One exists, then I remember and get pretty hyped. It's based on the mission where the Rebels steal the Death Star plans, that sounds awesome! It'll be our first live-action "Star Wars" movie that isn't about Jedi, too, nor an episodic one. But this is something I've always wanted to see, be it in novel or television form, so to be getting it as a full movie is pretty exciting. This is also a great way to incorporate some of the material from Star Wars: Rebels, the TV series. I haven't watched said series, but I've heard good things, and that there may eventually be elements of that to find their way onto the big-screen.

Another movie that just keeps flying right beneath my radar that I think will be pretty good is Dr. Strange, staring Benedict Cumberbatch as the titular character. I mentioned magic before, and this is Marvel's first large step with magic. We've seen it on the television series and in the "Thor" films, but not to the extent where it will be the focus. Having Stephen Strange appearing in the MCU will also open up several doors for Marvel. Inter-dimensional doors...

Look, just bring the Fantastic Four over here so we can save their franchise, please.

Oh, hey, look at that, a segue, I'm taking it: X-Men: Apocalypse looks awesome! Literally, Oscar Isaac's Apocalypse looks awesome! The new entry to "X-Men" franchise looks like it'll be a very fun ride, and the first movie since "First Class" to entirely feature our new cast. Which, as of now is five years old.


Out of all the people I've talked with about this next movie, I seem to be the least excited about this movie. At least in concept. That of course, is Captain America: Civil War. Sure, I would like to see Black Panther throw down with Winter Soldier, and Captain America is long past the point where he should've punched Tony Stark in the face. But...

Gah. It's the title, I'm telling you. If they would just call this movie Captain America: Fallen Son I would be FINE. But it's the idea that we're using some parts of "Civil War" is what throws me off. I'm sure Spider-Man's entry into the MCU will be fun. I'm sure getting to see Ant-Man among the Avengers will be fine. But we don't need a full-scale super hero war going on here. There's no reason Captain America can't just talk his way diplomatically out of this. Thunderbolt Ross is not HYDRA, so Cap has no reason to be on the run. And if Thunderbolt Ross does pursue Cap first? Then the heroes should go after him

But, I'll also play Devil's advocate here. Because that last trailer for Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice had me. It had me in its clutches...and then we saw another character show up, and it was a surprise I really wanted to wait to see in the movie. That's why we see the movies. Now, I'm still very excited for this movie, I think it'll be much better than Man of Steel and has the potential to exceed every other comic book movie of the year. But, DC is on thin ice with everyone. If this movie is only average, they're in big trouble. It's sad to say, but it almost feels as if this film has to be perfect, and that's a shame. But it'll be an even bigger shame if they don't take care of their property in a meaningful way. Still, so far, it looks good, and there were those rumors that it got a standing ovation at an earlier showing. We shall see. 

I have no worries about Deadpool, though. No complaints from any of the trailers. Okay, that's a lie, I have one: that it'll be a little too adult. Not that the jokes will go too far, but, I don't want the director to think, "Oh Deadpool says what he wants and makes stupid jokes and it's funny" because that's not entirely the case. One of the struggles with adapting Deadpool, or a character similar, is that there is always so much going on in his mind that actually makes for some of the funniest material he has. So it isn't always what we hear, technically. Some of the stuff he thinks would be weird for him to say. And Deadpool, don't forgot, is still something of a good guy. In the comics, at least, one of his biggest dreams was to become an Avenger, be with the good guys and pal around with Captain America. Still, the trailers look fantastic, and Deadpool looks fantastic. 

However, I have to say...I'm easily most excited for Assassin's Creed.  We haven't gotten much on the film except a few photos of Fassbender as Aguilar and then a brief description telling us when the historical setting will take place (15th Century Spain) and that we have a new character to the franchise. That is what excites me, that we are getting new lore to an already rich series like this one. Sure, there are opportunities for some in-jokes. After all, this game may very well be set in such a way that Ezio makes an appearance. That'd be cool, but if he isn't in the movie I won't complain. I know that I should probably hamper my expectations given that this is a video-game movie and they don't exactly have a good record, yet I can't do that. This series is ripe for cinematic experience, and some of the best story elements in the game feel like a movie! The present day stuff plays out like a natural story in the Ezio trilogy. 

There may have been some movies that I missed out on, but, these are the ones that I really want to see--and maybe not so much--from this year. I hope this year will be a great one, I really do. It's basically the year we've all been waiting for for quite a while now, so let's hope it doesn't let us down! 


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