Tuesday 3 January 2017

My 11 Most Anticipated Films of 2017


January is upon us once again, and with the start of another calendar year comes the promise of another 12 months of exciting cinematic experiences to dive into.

2017 is set to be bigger and crazier than ever; more superheroes that you can swish a cape at are on the way with three Marvel, two DC and an X-Men film set to grace our screens throughout the year.

Don't worry, there's plenty of other movies to look forward to if lycra-clad men and mutants don't tickle your pickle; Star Wars, Fast and Furious, Alien, Pirates of the Caribbean, Power Rangers, Transformers, Kingsman, Pitch Perfect and Lego are all lining up releases in 2017 as well as an adaptation of Stephen King's The Dark Tower, an American remake of Ghost in the Shell, a reboot of Jumanji and a revival of Baywatch (which isn't on this list but I am super pumped to see for obvious reasons).

I always set myself the challenge of writing a quick list of what I'm looking forward to most, so detailed below is a set of 11 films I can't wait to see in 2017. Which films are you most excited to see in 2017? Let me know in the comments down below!

11) The Lego Batman Movie (March)


On the one hand, it's kinda depressing that the most exciting film featuring Batman in 2017 isn't Justice League; on the other hand, The Lego Batman Movie looks freaking awesome and I'm not even mad.

Following the success of 2014's The Lego Movie, Will Arnett will once again lend his voice to the Caped Crusader for a solo adventure that sees Michael Cera play Robin, Ralph Fiennes play Alfred, Zach Galifinakis as the Joker, Jenny Slate as Harley Quinn and Rosario Dawson as Barbara Gordon.

The teaser trailers for this thing have had me cackling like a demented hobo so it shouldn't come as any surprise that this film makes it onto my most anticipated films list. The irreverent tone and colourful visuals are exactly what Batman needs right now and I can't see this film being anything less than a slam dunk for Warner Brothers. Again, it looks about 1000x better than that Zack Snyder dross we're getting in November.

That dropped hip gets me every time


10) Kingsman: The Golden Circle (October)


After abandoning the X-Men and Kick-Ass franchises after one film, Matthew Vaughan will return in 2017 with his first sequel - Kingsman: The Golden Circle.

Following on from the runaway success of 2015's The Secret Service, The Golden Circle will see Taron Egerton, Colin Firth, Mark Strong and Sophie Cookson joined by a huge troop of American A-listers including Channing Tatum, Julianne Moore, Jeff Bridges and Halle Berry. Now that is a cast to salivate over - and I didn't even mention that Pedro Pascal, Vinnie Jones and Elton John are joining the fray also!

Other than that, we don't really know an awful lot about The Golden Circle. It was recently booted from northern summer to October so it sounds like production still has a way to go. Still, even if it's only half as good as the first movie, we'll be in for a right treat come the end of the year.

9) War for the Planet of the Apes (July)


The rebooted Planet of the Apes series has been quietly getting the job done over the last five years; 2011's Rise and 2014's Dawn have both been one of the most intelligent and thrilling blockbusters from their respective years - can this threequel keep the trend going? A recent trailer suggests yes and I'm going to remain quietly optimistic about this one.

Director Matt Reeves, who also helmed Cloverfield, Let Me In and executive produced 10 Cloverfield Lane, is a confident and competent filmmaker who did a brilliant job behind the camera on the last movie - and with an intriguing cast that brings together Judy Greer, Woody Harrelson and Steve Zahn, there is plenty to look forward to from the Apes series in 2017.

8) Blade Runner 2049 (October)


Denis Villeneuve is possibly my favourite director working today so hearing that his next project is the long-awaited sequel to Ridley Scott's classic neo-noir sci-fi Blade Runner was music to my ears.

The film, titled Blade Runner 2049, is set several decades after the first film and sees Harrison Ford return to the iconic role of Rick Deckard along with a raft of new additions that includes Ryan Gosling, Robin Wright, Jared Leto, Mackenzie Davis, Ana de Armas, Dave Bautista, Lennie James, and Barkhad Abdi.

While Villeneuve is handling the camera, Scott is serving as producer and also has a story credit on the film. Frequent Villeneuve collaborator Roger Deakins is also signed on as DP which can only mean one thing - that this film is going to be bloody gorgeous (and a recent teaser trailer certainly showed us some of that achingly beautiful cinematography). With all those exciting names attached, hopefully this will be one overdue sequel that has everything it needs to excel rather than flounder.

Archival footage of Trump's America circa 2017


7) Spider-man: Homecoming (July)



It's Groundhog Day! Or at least it feels like it is as we look to the future to see another Spider-man reboot cresting over the horizon.

But wait! Before you make for the exits, consider this - it's the same Spidey who popped up in Captain America: Civil War last year! That means he exists in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and can (and will) continue to appear alongside other Avengers - starting with none other than Robert Downey Jnr as Tony Stark...

Yep, baby-faced Brit Tom Holland is pulling on the red and blue lycra for his first solo outing as Spidey this year and will be joined by Iron Man. The latter might not play a huge role in the movie (most likely a glorified cameo) but Stark's appearance does validate Sony's decision to share with Marvel. Homecoming is all about bringing Peter Parker into the wider Marvel universe and starring alongside Stark means that people will turn out in droves to see this film.

Skipping the origin story (thank Christ), Homecoming sees Peter struggling to focus on his schoolwork after his brief foray into the world of superheroes in Civil War. In classic Spider-man style, he'll have to juggle studying for finals with locker romance and saving the day when the Vulture (played by Michael Keaton!) comes a-knocking.

I'm quietly optimistic about this one - surely Marvel won't bungle one of their most precious properties right? Not when C-grade characters like Ant-Man and Doctor Strange were such a riot. Still, audiences might not warm to the idea of ANOTHER Spider-man, particularly since it was only three short years ago that Andrew Garfield was doing battle with Electro in Times Square. These reboots man, they keep getting quicker and quicker - who has $50 on another Spidey reboot by next Christmas?

All kidding aside, this movie looks pretty cool. Holland is the right fit for Spidey, Downey is going to be a hoot, Keaton is back in the comicbook land and the young cast - Zendaya, Tony Revolori, Perth's Angourie Rice - sound promising. And that's even before mentioning that Donald Glover, Logan Marshall-Green and Jon Faverau are all in this movie too. Phew!



6) Baby Driver (August)

After vacating Ant-Man at the 11th hour, Edgar Wright has been ploughing ahead with his next project; a wholly original film that the English filmmaker has both written and directed. Baby Driver is another 2017 film that was recently bumped to the latter half of the year, hopefully securing it a slot in the schedule that will see it soar at the box office - that being said, Scott Pilgrim was Wright's last film not starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost and it tanked after opening in August.

Anyway, Baby Driver is an action comedy that sees a talented getaway driver (Ansel Elgort) who suffers from tinnitus coerced into working for a crime boss on a heist that is doomed to fail. Solid set-up, but wait until you here the rest of the cast - Lily James, Kevin Spacey, Jon Bernthal, Jon Hamm, Jaime Foxx and Eiza Gonzalez are all involved in some form or another. Whoever worked on casting for this film really needs a pay rise - Spacey and Hamm in the same film? Can our measly universe sustain such awesomeness? Won't existence just collapse in on itself in excitement?

5) Alien: Covenant (May)


It's been five years since the last Alien film but over 30 years since a truly excellent entry arrived in the form of 1986's Aliens. Ridley Scott, the forefather of the franchise, returns once again in 2017 for another crack at the series that made him famous with Alien: Covenant, a sequel to his muddled 2012 prequel (a prequel sequel? a presequel?) Prometheus.

A trailer that dropped last month gave us our first glimpse at Scott's latest film - lots of screaming, lots of squishy extraterrestrial monsters and lots and lots of blood. Plot details are a little thin on the ground at the this point but we do know this; Michael Fassbender returns to play a pivotal role as David, Noomi Rapace and Guy Pearce will return in some capacity and newcomers like Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, James Franco and Callie Hernandez and destined to become alien food before the credits roll (I assume).

Dominating the promo material so far is Katherine Waterston (from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them) as a character called Daniels; sporting a short hair cut and a tank top, her role looks decidedly Ripleyesque. Curiouser and curiouser...

The first two Alien films remain perennial favourites here at Feeling Fuzzier HQ and even Prometheus gets the occasional revisit; we've got our fingers crossed that Alien: Covenant is more like the original and less like Alien Cubed.

Seriously tho, this looks freaking terrifying. RIP whoever sits next to my flailing ass in the theatre.

4) Wonder Woman (June)


Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman; or as it is more commonly known, the one movie that DC can't afford to get wrong AT ALL COSTS.

Seriously though, there is a lot riding on this film being good. Not great, let's not get ahead of ourselves - it only has to be good. After Batman v Superman underwhelmed and Suicide Squad straight up SUCKED, it's all riding on Wonder Woman.

If it succeeds, DC will have bucked the trend and gone one for four. The bar sure ain't high - but given their current track record, I think it's justifiably so.

Gal Gadot reprises her role as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman and the plot will focus on Diana's efforts during the Great War. Easily the best part of Batman v Superman, Gadot has more than proven she fits the role - but can she headline a whole movie? The marketing campaign so far suggests lots of gorgeous visuals, from the luscious Amazonian haven where Diana lives to the muddy trenches of France. It also introduced us to Chris Pine's love interest Trevor and lots and lots of badass slo-mo action shots. Other than that, I'm not too sure what to think - I've certainly got all my fingers and toes crossed!

I've already written off Justice League (*shakes fist* SNYDER!) so instead I'm pulling for Wonder Woman. Please DC, just this once - give us a good movie. We deserve it; Wonder Woman deserves it.


3) Thor: Ragnarok (October)


The Thor series has easily been Marvel weakest so far - but that could be set to change in 2017 with Thor: Ragnarok rolling out in October.

Not only is Kiwi hero Taika Waititi (y'know, the guy who brought us What We Do In the Shadows and Hunt for the Wilderpeople) serving as director, Ragnarok is also bringing Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner into the fray. That's right, this movie is about Thor, Loki and Hulk having wacky space adventures. How good does that sound?

That alone would be enough to get your mouth watering, but Marvel haven't stopped there. Oh no - this cast is going to blow your mortal mind.

Not only have they also added Cate Blanchett and Tessa Thompson to the mix, you've also got Sam Neill, Karl Urban and Jeff Goldblum mixing it up in there too. Excited yet?

What if I told you that Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Stephen Strange was also playing a major part? I'll let my gurl Anna illustrate on my behalf.


Seriously though, what a brilliant cast. Marvel are pulling out all the stops for Ragnarok. It's going to be ACE.

2) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (April)


Has it already been three years since the first Guardians movie? It feels like only yesterday that I had Awesome Mix Vol. 1 blaring out of my car stereo.

Oh, it was? My mistake...

James Gunn returns with a sequel to his wildly popular Guardians of the Galaxy this April (haha, suck it America - you have to wait until May like a bunch of losers) and if it's anything like the first film, we're in for a real treat. Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Dave Batista, Michael Rooker, Glenn Close and Karen Gillan are this time joined by Elizabeth Debicki, Sylvester Stallone, Kurt Russell and Pom Klementieff in a sprawling ensemble cast that beggars belief. Stallone and Russell in the same movie? What is this, some sort of unofficial Tango and Cash reunion?

Anyway, the recent trailer was a hoot and I can't wait to see what kind of wacky madcap adventures the gang get up to on this occasion. It just looks like a really fun time at the movies. Colourful characters, great music and lots of yucks. I can't really make it any plainer than that.

Plus, little baby Groot is more adorable than a bag of kittens wearing mittens. It's been proven. By science.

It's going to be good seeing these a-holes back in action


1) Star Wars Episode VIII (December)


Surprise! Who would have thought that a lifelong Star Wars fan such as myself would put the next Star Wars movie atop a list of my most anticipated movies in 2017? What a shocker!

Sarcasm aside, it shouldn't come as a huge plot twist that Star Wars Episode VIII (we don't yet have a subtitle) is here. The Force Awakens blew the hinges off every theatre in played in and that ending posed a lot questions - does Luke take the lightsaber from Rey's outstretched hand? Who is Snoke? Will Kylo Ren outgrow his emo phase? Will Chewie start to go grey around the temples? And will Finn and Poe's bromance blossom into something more...passionate? These are the questions that I need answering dammit!

Seriously though, how good is it going to be seeing Daisy Ridley and John Boyega back as Rey and Finn? They're walking bundles of fun and how they factor in to the larger story with Luke Skywalker and Kylo Ren is a big deal. The Force Awakens was the table setting; Rian Johnson's middle chapter is the real barometer of the lasting success of these Star Wars sequels.

Tragically, Episode VIII will also be Carrie Fisher's final onscreen performance after she passed away just a few weeks ago. How the film (and the sequel trilogy at large) is moulded to accommodate this development will undoubtedly be discussed at length - but how Carrie is remembered and honoured is the most important thing.

RIP Carrie

So there we have it, those are my most anticipated films for 2017. What are you most looking forward to in the next 12 months? Let me know in the comments down below. Thanks for reading.

12 comments:

  1. Nice list! There's a couple I haven't heard of, but I'm super excited for the rest! It definitely speaks volumes that Lego Batman is the Batman we're looking forward to, rather than Justice League Batman!
    I think my #1 would be your #1 too :)

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    1. Could it really be anything else haha - can't wait for The Last Jedi!

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  2. I have a few of these on my own muse see list! Star Wars, Thor, Spiderman, Guardians, Blade Runner, Alien and Lego Batman. This should be a good year for blockbusters.

    You're right, it is sad Lego Batman is more exciting than the Justice League.

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    1. Having now seen Lego Batman, it would take a miracle for Justice League to top that.

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  3. I'm super excited for all of these films, but Baby Driver. I've never heard of it before. I'm afraid Wonder Woman is going to be a huge disappointment like most of DC Comics movies though.

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    1. I'm there day one for anything Wright puts out. Can't wait for that one :)

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  4. Your list definitely has a certain bent to it!

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    1. What are you trying to say? ;) In all seriousness, I really only track larger films so far in advance - anything smaller usually swims onto the radar closer to the release date.

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  5. Great list! Excited for most of these as well.

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  6. I have no faith in any DCEU movies left. I'm gonna be shocked if either Wonder Woman or Justice League are good. Keeping my fingers crossed for Blade Runner movie, the cast is amazing and hopefully Gosling manages to be good here and not plays with two facial expressions he used throughout the trailer

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    1. That trailer looked pretty slick - fingers crossed Villeneuve comes through.

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