Most Anticipated Films of 2016

It is 2016!!! And with a new year comes more films for film fans across the globe  to get excited about. Those who may have been hoping for the death of the comic book franchise are set to disappointed with a considerable number of both old and new comic book properties to get films. The Coen brothers are making their return, and of course there are plenty of sequels to come, with some new stories from franchises we know and love. 2015 was quite the year in terms of the Box Office, but 2016’s offerings could very well give 2015 a very good run for its money. Lots to be enjoyed, with hopefully some great gems.

I know a lot of Oscar type movies like The Hateful Eight, Creed, The Revenant, The Big Short and others are all out in January in the UK, but I am counting these as 2015 films and as such they will not be featured here. Also I do have some honourable mentions:

Bourne 5, I can’t quite get excited because there isn’t much to go on, as we haven’t had a trailer yet, but Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass reuniting should mean some more greatness from this franchise, with the likes of the very talented Alicia Vikander joining the cast.

Fantastic Beasts, I really enjoyed the Harry Potter films and the expansion of this world is very intriguing, with Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne in the lead, with David Yates at the helm, it looks like more magical fun from the wizarding world.

Passengers, a film with Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence, directed by The Imitation Game’s Morten Tyldum. Don’t know much more about it than that, but the stars as well as the director of my favourite film of 2014, yes please!

The Nice Guys, Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling, two very good actors, in a comedy directed by Shane Black. The trailer was extremely funny so sign me up please!

With all that said and done, I give you my top ten most anticipated movies of 2016 starting with:

10. Finding Dory

The long awaited sequel to 2003’s Finding Nemo, in which the focus turns on the lovable but forgetful Dory, voiced by the awesome Ellen DeGeneres, as she goes in search of her family. Last year Pixar triumphed with Inside Out, and while some of their sequels haven’t always delivered, hope remains that this can match the quality of the 2003 hit, which definitely ranks among Pixar’s best.

Release date: 29th July 

9. Hail Caesar!

The next film by the Coen brothers looks set to be extremely entertaining. focusing on 1950s Hollywood and the production of a film incidentally called Hail Caesar! With a very large and very talented cast that includes George Clooney, Ralph Fiennes, Scarlett Johansson, Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, and Josh Brolin. It promises that eccentric, but brilliant humour that the Coens are so good at, with a very interesting and unique story among the many sequels we will get this year.

Release date: 4th March

8. X Men Apocalypse

The climax of the trilogy that started with 2011’s First Class, then continued with the brilliant Days of Future Past and will end with Apocalypse. No one knows this franchise better than Bryan Singer, and with primarily the First Class cast as well as younger versions of popular mutants such as Jean Grey, Storm, Cyclops, and Nightcrawler facing off against the incredibly powerful Apocalypse played by Oscar Isaac.  It promises to be an even bigger spectacle than Days of Future Past was, even without Mr Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, with a very impressive and large cast.

Release Date: 19th May

7. Doctor Strange

The second helping of Marvel that we will be treated to, and unprecedented territory as we venture into the world of magic with Dr Stephen Strange, who will be portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch, along with a decent cast including Chiwetel Ejiofor. With the director of Sinister Scott Derrickson at the helm, this could be a very interesting and very different kind of film from Marvel.

Release date: 28th October

6. Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice

DC’s icons are going head to head, with two of the biggest ever superhero characters fighting. After 2013’s Man of Steel, this along with Suicide Squad will kickstart the DC universe at long last. Ben Affleck looks great as Batman despite the naysayers, Gal Gadot looked sweet as Wonder Woman, but the latest trailer did reveal A BIT too much. That being said, it’s still on this list because of the aforementioned fact that Batman and Superman are gonna kick the shit out of each other, and that is AWESOME! I just hope certain things such as Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor works, cos I am not 100% convinced.

Release date: 25th March

5. Star Trek: Beyond

The third film in this rebooted version of the Star Trek franchise. Unsurprisingly since he went off to make Star Wars, JJ Abrams is not directing this instalment. The captain’s chair is now occupied by Justin Lin of Fast and Furious fame. While the new trailer does promise lots of action, it does have the feel of Fast and Furious in space. Which is not necessarily a bad thing, but with all of the same cast back and Idris Elba as the villain, this does have a lot of promise.

Release date: 22nd July

4.  Deadpool

The Merc with a Mouth is getting the proper big screen treatment. With the plethora of superhero films we have had in recent years, we have not had one that looks set to be as violent and as vulgar as Deadpool is looking set to be, and all the better for it! Ryan Reynolds is back as the titular character and from the trailers and various promotional material we have seen, this could well prove to be an absolute smash, and a very bloody one at that!

Release date: February 12th

3. Rogue One: A Star Wars story

The first Star Wars anthology movie that is set somewhere before the events of the first Star Wars movie, in which a band of rebels, led by Felicity Jones, set out to steal the plans for the first Death Star. Not much is known beyond this, except for the fact that Godzilla’s Gareth Edwards is in the director’s chair. 2015’s The Force Awakens reinvigorated the franchise, and has recently passed the one billion dollar mark at the global box office, and counting.

Release date: 16th December 

2. Captain America: Civil War

2014’s The Winter Soldier was for me, the best movie the MCU has given us so far, and with the Russo brothers back directing this follow-up, yes give it to me. The story focuses on the Superhero Registration Act (or Sokovia Accords as per the trailer) and a divide between the heroes with Captain America and Iron Man on opposite sides of the spectrum. With Cap being against the act, and Iron Man being for it, it promises an epic clash between arguable the two most popular Avengers. The trailer that was released teased some very interesting set pieces, and some cool action sequences, including our first look at Black Panther. The film looks set to be a big movie for Marvel, and the launch of Phase 3 of their Universe, with some possible big ramifications going forward.

Release date: 29th April

 

1. Suicide Squad

Those who know me well will know that I am a big fan of Marvel and their cinematic universe, but it’s this story from the new DC universe that has me the most excited and earns the title of my most anticipated movie of 2016! As director David Ayer put it: it’s not your usual good vs evil that we so often see in comic book movies. This time it’s bad vs evil, and that is an unprecedented premise for the superhero genre. In addition, the film has a top cast, including Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Will Smith as Deadshot, Cara Delevigne as the magical Enchantress and Jared Leto as a new incarnation of the Joker. The trailer that was dropped at Comic Con last year was awesome, with a very eerie and sinister tone to it, and I just get the feeling this could be DC’s answer to the Guardians of the Galaxy, except with a lot less humour, but hopefully the same amount of awesomeness that Guardians had.

Release date: August 5th