10. Justice League
Director: Zak Snyder Starring: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller Release Date: November 17, 2017 Yeah, I’m kinda interested in this one. BvS was a pile of piping-hot garbage (more thoughts on that in my “Top 5 Worst Films of 2016”), but I thought Man of Steel was all right, about as good as the first Thor film. The first trailer for Justice League suggests a lighter tone, which this universe desperately needs. I am concerned that Warner Bros. may overcompensate here, but hopefully Zak Snyder will be able to redeem himself this year. |
9. Kong: Skull Island
Director: Jordan Vogt-Roberts Starring: Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman Release Date: March 10, 2017 This one looks pretty awesome. I love the authentic 70s vibe that the trailers present, & I enjoyed 2014’s Godzilla. And with the stellar cast - John Goodman, Brie Larson, Tom Hiddleston, & of course, Samuel L., - this Kong reboot should be on everyone’s radar. I’m a little concerned about the tone, particularly the humor, as John C. Reilly seemed to ham it up a bit in the latest trailer. Nevertheless, I plan on purchasing a ticket for Kong: Skull Island this March. |
8. Kingsman 2: The Golden Circle
7. Dunkirk
Director: Christopher Nolan Starring: Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance, Kenneth Branagh Release Date: July 21, 2017 Nolan is one of my favorite directors working today, & his next film, Dunkirk, will be a must-see for me this year. It’ll be interesting to see a Nolan picture that likely won’t include any mind-bending plot device (see Inception, Interstellar, etc.) Nope, this one seems to be a straight-up war film, and I’m excited. |
6. War for the Planet of the Apes
Director: Matt Reeves Starring: Andy Serkis in a ping-pong ball suit, Woody Harrelson, Judy Greer, Steve Zahn Release Date: July 14, 2017 Who ever thought this franchise would rebound so well? Despite my disappointment in the film’s acronym, as WOTPOTA would be much easier to pronounce than WFTPOTA, that first full-length trailer looks amazing. The apes have clearly mastered horseback riding, so hats off to them… |
5. Spider-Man: Homecoming
Directors: Jon Watts, Enrique Segoviano Starring: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Michael Keaton, Robert Downey Jr. Release Date: July 7, 2017 I am guardedly optimistic about this movie. Tom Holland is doing great, I like the coming-of-age vibe, & the first trailer was pretty solid. However, this is the 2017 MCU film that I’m most apprehensive about, purely because of Sony’s involvement. While I’m sure that Kevin Feige & his people know what they’re doing here, if any film is gonna muck up the MCU, I feel it’s Spider-Man: Homecoming. Nevertheless, I’ll hopefully be present opening weekend to see the new Spider-Man’s antics. |
4. Logan
Director: James Mangold Starring: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart Release Date: March 3, 2017 Of course, the movie that shares my name will be pretty high on my list. The other solo Wolverine films are 90% trash (I dislike The Wolverine more than Origins, but that’s a discussion for another day…) but this may finally be the Wolverine film we want & need. I don’t read comics, but I understand that Fox will have a tough time adapting the Old Man Logan storyline, as they don’t own the characters required to pull it of. But that first trailer is cinematic perfection, & I hope that this movie lives up to the name of Logan. |
3. Thor: Ragnarok
Director: Taika Waititi Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Mark Ruffalo, Cate Blanchett Release Date: November 3, 2017 Taika Waititi, Ragnarok’s director, seems to be making all the right choices here. With Planet Hulk being used, such a great ensemble cast, & the film being described a buddy comedy, I’m already hyped for the conclusion of the Thor trilogy. I quite enjoyed the first Thor film, and I will happily admit that The Dark World is the worst the MCU has offered up to this point, but I think Marvel will really stick the landing this November. |
2. Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2
Director: James Gunn Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Vin Diesel, Dave the Barista Release Date: May 5, 2017 Wow. At this point, we’ve seen one teaser & one full-length trailer, and both are uproariously funny. On a side-note, was I the only one that got a darker vibe from the first half of that teaser, what with the pounding drums & the soundless clips? I may be alone here. While I love the first Guardians film, I think this could be even better, now that the team is already established. |
1. Star Wars: Episode VIII
Director: Rian Johnson Starring: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher Release Date: December 15, 2017 This was a no-brainer, right? We haven’t seen anything yet, very little info has leaked, and yet this will be the film to see in 2017. Despite some recent tragedies (RIP Carrie Fisher), I remain confident that Disney knows exactly what they’re doing here. One thing I’d love to see in Episode VIII, aside from overlapping Luke-Rey/Snoke-Ren training montages (a la Rocky IV), is more Force mysticism. Not midichlorians or any bogus like that, but more lore & ancient wisdom. Either way, I can hardly wait to see this film come December. |
Honorable Mentions!
- Wonder Woman
Director: Patty Jenkins Starring: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright, Dave Thewlis Release Date: June 2, 2017 Will this be the movie to save the DCEU? I’m sure many a Warner Bros. film exec. would sleep well knowing that they were leading into Justice League on a positive note. This one missed out on my Top 10, however, because of recent reports of troubles in production and the fact that Justice League has more characters that I’m personally invested in (looking at you, Batfleck!) |
- Baby Driver
Starring: Ansel Elgort, Lily James, Jon Hamm, Kevin Spacey
Release Date: August 11, 2017
This one missed the Top 10 only because I know next to nothing about it. If I remember right, it’s about the getaway driver in a bank heist...but who knows? I’m not gonna Google it, despite the fact that I could in the amount of time it’s taken me to type this sentence. I’m looking forward to this one because Edgar Wright is possibly my favorite director around today, & I’ll see anything he makes.
- World War Z 2
Starring: Brad Pitt
Release Date: June 9, 2017
Did you guys know this was coming out this year? I sure didn’t. Apparently it’s slated for June & everything. The first one was a surprise hit, & my dad inexplicably loves it. So sure, I’ll see this one. If it's released this year, which honestly, it probably won't be...
- John Wick: Chapter 2
Directors: Chad Stahelski, David Leitch Starring: Keanu Reeves, Ruby Rose, John Leguizamo, Ian McShane Release Date: February 10, 2017 This may very well be the first film I see of 2017, as it comes out February & January is typically a dumpster fire. Yeah, I liked the first John Wick enough to see this. It wasn’t anything special, just a solid action flick. All right, Keanu, you’ve got my money… |
Picture Credits!
images6.fanpop.com/image/photos/39700000/Justice-League-2017-Logo-justice-league-movie-39788395-939-756.jpg
Kong: Skull Island poster:
empireonline.media/jpg/70/0/0/1280/960/aspectfit/0/0/0/0/0/0/c/articles/582caf2a737b36a4184664b0/kong-skull-island-poster-2.jpg
Kingsman: The Golden Circle poster:
www.withanaccent.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/kingsman2_slice.jpg
Dunkirk poster:
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Poster for the War for the Planet of the Apes:
www.movienewz.com/img/films/war-for-the-planet-of-the-apes-poster.jpg
Spider-Man: Homecoming poster:
cdn.movieweb.com/img.site/PHi0yfyNNTf8lp_1_l.jpg
Logan poster:
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Thor: Ragnarok poster:
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Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 poster:
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Star Wars Episode VIII poster:
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Wonder Woman poster:
s3.birthmoviesdeath.com/images/made/Wonder-Woman-Poster_1200_1778_81_s.jpg
John Wick: Chapter 2 poster:
www.indiewire.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/john-wick-chapter-2-poster.jpg