A common trend amongst critics on the Internet nowadays is to create some sort of list composed of what they viewed were the best films that were released in the year prior. I’ve done this myself on Facebook over the past few years, but something I haven’t seen too much of is people talking about the films they are excited to see at the beginning of the year and cannot wait for them to be released. For 2016, I have decided to do just that!
Now before I get into the list I just want to emphasize that this is my own personal list of movies that I’m looking forward to, and I know for a fact that there are certain picks here that not everyone I know is optimistic about, and that’s perfectly fine. I’m just putting out there what I am anticipating and if I do happen to be wrong about how they are going to pan out then you can wail on me all you want once they actually come out.
Also keep in mind that I don’t know about every movie that’s going to come out ahead of time. Last year, movies that made my top 10 like Creed and Ex Machina came out of nowhere for me and it’s possible that some really great stuff will hit theaters without me knowing about it. If you have any recommendations of stuff you know about that didn’t make the list then by all means let me know about them as well.
Now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk about some upcoming movies!
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
The world of Harry Potter and Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry returns to the big screen with a new spin off story based on the adventures of Newt Scamander and his bestiary of all the amazing creatures that inhabit the world of J.K. Rowling’s bestselling series! Much like many others, the Harry Potter series made a huge impact on me growing up and kept me interested in reading well into my later years, so of course I’m looking forward to something extra from a series that means so much to me. In fact, look forward to April where I will begin reviewing every Harry Potter film in the series once a month leading up to Fantastic Beasts in November. Really excited for it so be sure to tune in!
- X-Men: Apocalypse
Anyone who read my series of Marvel Madness reviews last year on Facebook will know that I am a huge X-Men fan, so of course I’m looking forward to this next epic installment of the series with director Bryan Singer once again at the helm! Now there have been a few instalments of the series that haven’t always hit their mark, but Bryan has proven at this point that he can still make a great X-Men film with Days of Future Past. Sure his take on Superman wasn’t very hot, but this still looks to be giving us something truly epic and I have every faith in Oscar Isaac as our all-powerful villain!
- 10 Cloverfield Lane
I have to be completely honest here, I wasn’t really that big a fan of the original Cloverfield when it came out eight years ago. So, why am I excited for this one you ask? Because we know absolutely nothing about it! Yes, when that trailer dropped a couple of weeks ago with the announcement that this sequel was coming out in MARCH, everyone including myself was completely shocked! In this age of the Internet where we basically know about every major studio release that is happening until about 2020, an announcement like this is borderline mythical! Sure, it might turn out to not be a very good film, but nonetheless I am excited that I get to go into this movie knowing nothing about it and having a fresh new experience! Here’s hoping that this actually lives up to the hype this time!
- Finding Dory
Pixar’s latest sequel which will hopefully swim its way into our hearts this summer is definitely something to be excited about! Now, I don’t really think that this sequel is necessary, honestly, I would have preferred it if Pixar had decided to release Incredibles 2 before this. That being said, it is going to be quite the experience to see this characters after more than a decade since the original film and I sincerely hope that they are able to pull off a Toy Story 3 with this one and not a…ugh…Cars 2…yeah. Still, it’s Pixar, and they have shown that they can make good sequels in the past so of course I’m excited!
- Kubo and the Two Strings
The next stop-motion animated film from Focus and Laika Studios, the creative minds behind Coraline, The Boxtrolls, and one of my recent favorites ParaNorman! Much like 10 Cloverfield Lane this is a production that we know next to nothing about outside of the fact that is going to be based in part on Japanese folklore. As someone who views stop-motion as a highly underrated art form that deserves more recognition I will always give my support to films like this and I have no doubt in my mind that this studio will once again deliver the heart, soul, and passion that goes into every single second of animation to fans like myself!
- Captain America: Civil War
Of course, the latest installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe would make the list, was there ever any doubt!? Seriously though, this is one of the most important story arcs in comic history and the fine folks at Disney and Marvel studios haven’t let me down yet as they know how to portray their characters effectively and deliver what comic books fans have always wanted. If nothing else, it will be very interesting to see how big a role characters like Spider-Man and Black Panther have to play here and even though the cast isn’t as big as it was in the comics, I’m still confident that this studio can pull off a solid adaptation the best way they can. Plus, I want to see Captain America slap Tony Stark in the face with his shield! Yes, I’m on the Cap’s team!
- Deadpool
Bit of a confession to make here: I hate Valentine’s Day. I really do! Out of all the highly commercialized crap that we have to put up with on certain days of the year, the lovey-dovey nightmare that is Valentine’s Day is the one that irritates me the most. This year however, I have something that will make it a lot better: finally seeing Deadpool kick some ass on the big screen as he was always intended to do! Not much to say here except that the trailers have been amazing, Ryan Reynolds has excellent comedic timing, and I’m excited to see a hard R superhero movie in the vein of Kick Ass come to life right before my eyes! It’s Deadpool, and I can’t wait!
- The Witch: A New England Folklore
Every year there always seems to be a horror film that I hear some major buzz about that ends up delivering on all fronts, and this year, it looks like that movie is going to end up being The Witch. This is another example of a film that I know very little about and once again, I can’t wait to see what it will be like in theaters. I’ve heard rumors that this is something that is majorly unnerving and that is probably the highest compliment that a horror film can get from anyone. I hope I can rank this one alongside The Babadook and It Follows as one of the better horror films I’ve seen recently and I’m hoping to have the wits completely scared out of me! Speaking of horror…
- Rob Zombie’s 31
After contributing to Rob’s crowdfunding effort for this film and hearing all of the buzz from the Sundance Film Festival, you can bet that this is the horror film I’m looking forward to the most! I know some people have had major problems with Rob’s films in the past which is completely understandable, I still believe that he has it in him to great another genuinely disturbing and visceral horror film in the vein of The Devil’s Rejects, another one of my personal favorites. Here’s hoping it arrives just in time for Halloween as it would be the perfect birthday gift!
- Suicide Squad
Yes you read that correctly, the film I am looking forward to the most this year is the second DC live action film we are getting, Suicide Squad! Why is that you may ask? Well, to say that I am a big fan of the Batman rogues gallery would be the understatement of the millennium and I am so excited to finally some of my favorite Batman villains come to life on the big screen in a dark and intense new way! I for one am loving the trailers that we’ve gotten so far and while DC has disappointed me in the past, I am still interested to see how they are going to set up their new universe and if this movie works, then I will be more than happy to see DC become healthy competition in this brave new world of comic book films! Seriously though, don’t let me down guys!
Well, that’s all I got for now. Join me next time where I will be starting a new segment where I will talk about some overlooked film that I feel deserve more attention, and the first of those will be a tale where two children find out what happens when you steal Kevin Bacon’s car! Look forward to it guys, and take care! 😉
Next Review: Overlooked Awesomeness!-Cop Car
Other films I am anticipating/interested in/dreading but still intrigued by:
Star Wars: Rogue One, Doctor Strange, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Independence Day: Resurgence, Star Trek: Beyond, Ghostbusters, Zootopia, Moana, Green Room, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows.
The Collective Critic 