Apologies for skipping last week. I went out of town unexpectedly and this post took longer than I planned on to write.
With that out of the way, I wanted to take a minute and look at what’s ahead in 2016.
If you know me, you know I love movies. I see at least one a month on average, and 2016 is packed with some great ones. So here’s a list of the ones I’m looking forward to.
February
Deadpool
February 12
Superhero movies have always straddled an adult and young audience. While most of them still aren’t appropriate for younger viewers, adults have been craving for a full-blown adult foray into the comic book universe. Enter Deadpool, Ryan Reynolds’ latest attempt at a superhero movie.
I’ll admit that I don’t know a whole lot about Deadpool as a character beyond the fact that his portrayal in X-Men Origins: Wolverine was entirely wrong, which adds to my interest of this film. Can they right that wrong? It sure seems like Reynolds is doing his best to make that happen.
So far, the marketing has been smart and intriguing. It definitely makes me excited to check this film out Valentine’s Day weekend. I mean, it’s not like I had other plans.
March
Zootopia
March 4
Disney Animation seems to be in a pattern of animated musical followed by animated comedy. While this may be a step away from Walt Disney’s conception that music is a key part of storytelling, it’s managed to allow some intriguing stories that would not otherwise exist, like Wreck It Ralph.
I know very little about Zootopia, but what I’ve seen captures Disney’s unique ability to create a beautiful world. The clips they’ve shown so far also show a good mix of humor, so here’s hoping for another classic.
The Divergent Series: Allegiant
March 18
Divergent was a book I really enjoyed because it investigated core concepts of our personalities and portrayed them in a unique perspective. The movie, however, didn’t focus on this aspect much and suffered.
It’s sequel, Insurgent, strayed further from the source material but was a better film because of it, if still not all that original.
Now we’re at the final book of a trilogy, once again being split into two films. I enjoyed the final novel and it’s almost more of a sequel than direct continuation. That allows these final two films to do something a bit different, so, while I will probably not see this one in theaters, I’ll check it out when it’s in Redbox.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
March 25
Yes, it made the list. I’ve been pretty vocal that I don’t expect a lot from this movie as there is still a bad taste in my mouth after Man of Steel.
Make no mistake, I’m sure I’ll go to see it, so I hope it will be a well crafted tale that makes me want to invest in DC’s new cinematic world.
My skepticism will remain until I see it, though, because studios that try to quickly build a movie universe don’t usually do it well (see Amazing Spider-man 2).
Still, there’s a chance Warner Bros. and DC will do this well and I’ll hold out hope that they’ll prove me wrong and that this isn’t simply an attempt to quickly catch up to Marvel.
April
The Jungle Book
April 15
The shear fact that Disney can now make live action movies of their animated classics is astounding and shows how far computers have come.
Cinderella was a lot of fun. It was familiar to the animated film of the same name, but told it’s own story. I expect The Jungle Book to be the same. While it was never my favorite Disney Classic, it’s still a classic and to see it come to life under Jon Favreau and an all star cast will be great.
Ratchet & Clank
April 29
When I first bought a PlayStation, I was immediately drawn to Ratchet & Clank. (1) Their subtitles were full of puns and (2) they looked like you were playing a Pixar movie.
Beyond those two things, the game is a lot of fun and the writing was always well done. The Future trilogy on PS3 had a great storyline that spanned the galaxy.
Now we get the movie based on the game with the same writers and same cast. It’ll be a bit of a “retelling” of the original game’s story, but I’m sure it’ll still be a great adventure filled with charm and whit.
May
Captain America: Civil War
May 6
The last Captain America movie was an astounding success that turned the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) on its head. Now it looks like Civil War is set to do the same thing.
Winter Soldier worked so well with a large cast because it kept Cap at the center and wrapped the supporting cast around him. If Civil War does the same - as the trailers point towards - then we’re in for another great film.
Not only that, though, this film will set forth the tone of Phase 3 and pave the way to Infinity War. It will also introduce us to the MCU’s version of Spider-Man and Black Panther. Finally, it may be the first time we see one of our heros not make it out of the film alive.
X-Men: Apocalypse
May 27
Days of Future Past had everything of greatness, yet it felt like it missed somehow.
Don’t get me wrong. It was a fun film and I enjoyed it, but something wasn’t quite right.
Perhaps that was the lack of a centralized villain in Trask. If that’s the case, then this next installment looks to rectify that by finally introducing us to one of the most popular and powerful villains in the X-Men universe.
To add to that, he’s being played by Oscar Isaac who is now riding the high of the ever-popular Poe Dameron from The Force Awakens.
This appears to be the final chapter of a three-part “prequal” trilogy as many of the actors’ commitments are up with this film. How the film chooses to handle that fact will be interesting. As long as it’s better than The Last Stand, it can’t be too bad, right?
June
Finding Dory
June 17
When I was at Ohio State, I wound up at a showing of Finding Nemo with some friends. I don’t remember why we went, but I remember falling instantly in love with the film. We laughed a lot and got the feels as we should.
Now Finding Dory is looking to continue that experience.
Pixar sequels are a bit hit-of-miss. The Toy Story sequels have been unique and independently worthy of greatness, but Cars 2’s attempt to be different left it without some of the magic. Which way with this movie go?
I’m hoping it’s for the former. Ellen Degeneres certainly will keep us laughing, and I’m hoping we won’t retread too much of the first movie but will get to experience a story unique and touching in its own right.
July
Star Trek Beyond
July 22
I loved Star Trek long before I got into Star Wars and it holds a special place in my heart. The 2009 reboot scratched an itch after a hiatus from movies and TV. Star Trek Into Darkness left me upset that the film makers didn’t understand what makes Star Trek Star Trek.
Now J.J. Abrams isn’t directing, so there’s a chance for something different to happen, but the first trailer makes it seem like this is just another action movie using the Star Trek characters as pieces on some chessboard we’ve played on before.
Simon Pegg said he didn’t like the first trailer, so I’m going to hope that the final movie takes us back to what Star Trek is really about: science fiction taking a look at modern issues in a philisophical way, focusing on the relationship of Kirk, Spock and McCoy.
August
Suicide Squad
August 5
As unexpected as it is, I’m actually more excited for this movie than Batman v Superman, especially after the latest trailer.
This just seems like a fun movie with some actors having a blast playing villains. Even what little we’ve seen of Jared Leto’s Joker looks like a different take akin to Mark Hammil’s version from Batman: The Animated Series, and I appreciate that because he looks fun to watch.
Suicide Squad is set to be the ultimate antihero movie that seems to know exactly what it wants to be and isn’t afraid to be just that.
Pete’s Dragon
August 12
We’ve seen nothing of this film yet. That may be a good thing. Or maybe it’s not.
I love the original movie and this remake seems to be more of a true “remake” than last year’s Cinderella or this year’s The Jungle Book.
If they do this well, pay hommage to all the right parts and correct the parts that should be corrected, it’ll be great.
On the other hand, it may also become a distant memory to the film it’s based on.
November
Doctor Strange
November 4
I recall first hearing that Marvel was producing a film called Thor and thinking, “No way that will work.” That was right after I saw my first MCU film, Iron Man 2, and loved it (it was my first Marvel movie, I had nothing to compare it to, so forgive my lack of judgement).
They proved me wrong and Thor was a good film.
Then came Guardians of the Galaxy in Phase 2. A new concept for the MCU. Would it do well? Would it flop?
Doctor Strange seems to be the wildcard of Phase 3. Will moviegoers lock on to a new side of the MCU with a new hero? Time will tell, but with Benedict Cumberbatch in the lead, I’m really hopeful and excited to see what they come up with.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
November 18
In a world where franchises don’t stay gone for too long without getting a new sequel or reboot, I was hoping Warner Bros. would leave the Harry Potter franchise alone. It was such a feat to accomplish what they did and the movies deserved to remain a cinematic triumph.
To learn that J.K. Rowling would herself write the script for a new trilogy that is entirely detached from the previous eight films interested me, and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them seems more akin to what Lucasfilm is doing with the Star Wars Stories films, which is a good thing.
December
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
December 16
Speaking of Star Wars Stories, it’s time to find out just what those films can mean. The Star Wars universe has a long history of being very expansive and intricate, so fans are hungry to learn more.
The idea to explore how the Rebels first gathered the plans to the Death Star and the events leading right into A New Hope is brilliant. It’s a tale that will feel familiar but entirely new at the same time.
With Disney overseeing Lucasfilm as they’ve done with Marvel, I’m very hopeful that this film can be unique and familiar at the same time.