2017 for movies is going to be colossal

2017 for movies is going to be colossal

by rick olivares

How do you follow up 2016 as an epic year for movies? There was Deadpool, Captain America: Civil War, Rogue One, Arrival, Finding Dory, Moana, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Jackie, La La Land, Doctor Strange, and The Witch are but a few that competed for viewers’ attention and big bucks. There were big hits, pleasant surprises, and massive duds (even if they did make a lot of money).

And while the jury is out for 2017, there’s a lot we’re looking forward to watch. The calendar alone is stuffed with blockbusters that will make going to the theaters something that needs some serious planning lest you miss out on them.

Here’s what we’re looking forward to this 2017.

January

Resident Evil – The one that brought back the zombie genre. Supposedly the end of this sci-fi zombie series. Not something I’d be upset about if I miss it but would like to see how they wrap this up.

February 2

John Wick Chapter 2 – There’s life for Keanu Reeves after Bill and Ted and the Matrix trilogy. As retired hitman John Wick, he was a hit (sorry for the bad pun). Now what on Earth could convince John Wick to come out of retirement after he came out seeking revenge last time?

Lego Batman – Possibly the best Batman flick since the end of the Christopher Nolan series. But Batman busts a blood vessel cracking wise.

The Great Wall – Not sure how this will work. The Great Wall of China was built to keep out monsters? Am lumping this in the same vein as the Rob Bowman film from 2002, “Reign of Fire” where dragons decimate the world.

March

Logan – Hugh Jackman’s swan song as Wolverine. I’d love to see how director James Mangold works on the comic book story “Old Man Logan” that revitalized the character. Must see! Jackman owned the character.

Kong: Skull Island – How many King Kong’s must we have? I have seen every iteration since the 1933 Merian Cooper and Ernest Schoesdsack starrer to the 1976 remake that introduced us to Jessica Lange to Peter Jackson’s version in 2005. Every time, filmmakers try to make it bigger than ever. But this is a different plot. Let’s see. And am looking forward to the return of these huge monster slugfests as we know King Kong vs. Godzilla is a few years away.

Beauty & the Beast - Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, Ian McKellen, and Emma Thompson in one film! All eyes will be on Emma Watson though as she seeks to break out of her Hermione Granger role in the Harry Potter films.

Power Rangers – The reboot of a beloved franchise. Looking forward to this.

Ghost in the Shell – Am prepared for this visual spectacular that could be the heir to the Matrix. While I loved the manga series, I will go into this with some trepidation as to its interpretation by English director Rupert Sander whose film, “Snow White and the Huntsman” was met by mixed reviews.

April

The Fate of the Furious – Vin Diesel is back. This time as a bad guy. I wonder why the filmmakers decided to tinker with this franchise after the last one was a fitting end for the series as well as the late Paul Walker. Will go see it nevertheless.

May

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 – What do they do for an encore? The first film was a mega surprise hit. While I have always been a fan of the comic book version the film was just so much better. Hope there’s no sophomore jinx.

Alien: Covenant – I have always loved this series. Maybe except for the third Alien film. So looking forward to this.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales – The fifth installment. Truthfully, I think that after the first and outstanding film, this one has gone south. But maybe that’s just me. Captain Jack Sparrow is always entertaining, bad plot or not.

June

Wonder Woman – Who isn’t looking forward to this? The first of a so-called trilogy of period pieces that bring the Amazon warrior princess to life. And Gal Gadot is just so captivating. Hope this does better than Man of Steel, BvS, and Suicide Squad that were never quite good stories.

The Mummy – The Brendan Fraser films were fun. With Tom Cruise on board you know it will be intense. How long has Cruise been making films? He’s on his fourth decade. And still as intense as ever.

World War Z 2 – Okay, like John Wick, what could possibly happen to merit a sequel especially after the way they ended the first film. Am a sucker for zombie films, let’s see what happens.

Transformers: The Last Knight – A time travelling Transformers flick? Hmm. I though the previous one, Age of Extinction, was all right with Mark Wahlberg better in the human role after Shia LeBeouf overstayed his welcome. It’s the last Transformers film that Michael Bay will direct. So you know he will want to go out with a bang.

Despicable Me 3 – Who doesn’t love Gru and the minions?

July

Spider-Man: Homecoming – Tom Holland’s cameo in Captain America: Civil War was one heck of a preview for this next film, a reboot of the Spider-Man franchise. Now we get someone who sounds and looks like a teen Spider-Man; just the way we all know him. Plus, we get to see more of Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark; the birdman himself, Michael Keaton as the Vulture; and that really hot Marisa Tomei.

War for the Planet of the Apes – I have always loved this ever since it was a television series. ‘Nuff said.

Dunkirk – The Brits get their Saving Private Ryan. Love how cinema has gone back to World War II for all these terrific stories. And Christopher Nolan is directing it.

The Dark Tower – This isn’t an adaptation of Stephen King’s best-selling novel but a tale inspired by it. It’s got two intense actors in Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey and is directed by the up and coming Nikolaj Arcel.

October

Blade Runner 2049 – After 35 years this film gets a sequel. Not much is known about the plot but it will sure be interesting to see how this unfolds since the previous film was set in 2019.

Kingsman: The Golden Circle – I loved the comics and love the film version too. Surprise hit. Interesting to see how they follow up that first film.

Friday the 13^th Reboot – While I am not really a fan of these slasher flicks, I did watch this a long time ago. So I wonder how the reboot will stack up to the original.

November

Thor: Ragnarok – I have always been a fan of Thor in the comics and loved the first two films even if many didn’t like, The Dark World. Despite the title, I do not think that the Ragnarok storyline in the comics will be followed. But I know this will lead into the next Avengers film. Plus, Doctor Strange and the Hulk are in this.

Justice League – I loved these super teams as a kid and I still love them now, Here’s hoping DC doesn’t drop the ball with this one.

December

Star Wars Episode VIII – Looking forward to the First Order getting their revenge here.

So that’s 28 films! But there are more that will be flying under the radar. It’s going to be a colossal year for film viewing!