2016’s drawing to a close and it’s time to look onto the big movies, a.k.a. blockbusters, that could make a splash in 2017.
2016 hasn’t been one of the best year as far as blockbusters have been concerned. We have had the odd gem: Deadpool, Captain America: Civil War, Doctor Strange, Star Trek Beyond, but most of the big movies to come out this year have been disappointing. So I’m hoping that 2017 will be much better. Here’s what I think you should look out for next year.
The Lego Batman Movie
This isn’t just another superhero movie. It comes with a twist, it’s all in Lego. If you saw Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s The Lego Movie, then you’d understand why I’m so looking forward to this ‘block’buster. Firstly, Will Arnett’s Batman was hilarious in the previous Lego movie, and I can’t wait to see what they do with the character in his own film. Arnett’s version of Batman is silly, twisted, solitary, deluded, odd, funny… Everything that the real Batman is, just turned up to eleventy-stupid. I have my fingers firmly crossed that The Lego Batman Movie will be the brilliantly ludicrous movie I need it to be. UK release date: 10th February, 2017.
Logan
If all goes well, then this superhero movie will be unlike any other. Firstly, it’ll be Hugh Jackman’s last turn as Wolverine. Secondly, it’ll be R-rated (thank you Deadpool). And finally, James Mangold and Hugh Jackman have drawn inspiration from Mark Millar’s incredible graphic novel, Wolverine: Old Man Logan. Good news all-round. And if Logan’s trailer is anything to go by, it’ll be more like a post-apocalyptic western, with Wolverine thrown in. Perfect. UK release date: 2nd March, 2017.
Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast was one of my favourite films growing up, and when I heard that Disney were going to do a live adaptation of the movie, I was a bit nervous. However, after having seen Emma Watson as Belle in the latest trailer, and seeing how faithful they were going to be to the original, I’m now very excited to see the final product. The only thing I’m not too sure about is Ewan McGregor’s terrible French accent as Lumiere. UK release date: 17th March, 2017.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
OK, so this is going to be a big one for me. I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am for this movie, and now that we’ve finally been given a proper look at the movie, thanks to the recently released teaser trailer, I’m literally on tenterhooks. I can’t wait to see the Guardians back in action, and the fact that James Gunn managed to get my favourite actor of all time, Kurt Russell, to play Peter Quill’s dad (Ego the Living Planet) made me want to see it even more, if that were possible. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 could even end up being Marvel’s best movie yet! UK release date: 28th April, 2017.
Wonder Woman
DC has beaten Marvel to the punch in making the first female lead superhero movie, and after having seen the trailers, I really can’t wait to see Wonder Woman in action in her own solo movie. Gal Gadot’s Amazonian princess stole the show in Batman v Superman, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what she can do in this movie. It’ll be set during World War I, which is a brilliant setting for such an important superhero, and is being directed by Patty Jenkins, who’ll also be the first woman to direct a superhero movie. There’s a lot riding on this one and I really want it to be good. UK release date: 2nd June, 2017.
Spider-Man: Homecoming
Spider-Man: Homecoming concept art
Yep, another superhero movie. Sorry about that, but I was sold on Spider-Man: Homecoming the minute I saw Tom Holland as everybody’s favourite wall-crawler in Captain America: Civil War. He basically stole the show, despite only being in a fraction of the movie. Then I heard Jon Watts describe Homecoming as a John Hughes type high-school drama, just with a superhero thrown in. Add Michael Keaton as The Vulture into the mix, and this movie sounds like a real winner. UK release date: 7th July, 2017.
War for the Planet of the Apes
The revamped Planet of the Apes franchise has been surprisingly good. Both movies have exceeded expectations and Andy Serkis has been incredible as Caesar. His performances have warranted at least an Oscar nomination, but unfortunately the Academy doesn’t seem to take motion-capture seriously, which is a great shame. War of the Planet of the Apes promises to be just as good as, if not better than, the previous movies. Let’s hope for 2017’s sake, it is. UK release date: 14th July, 2017.
Thor: Ragnarok
Getting Taika Waititi onboard to direct Thor’s third movie was a very good decision on Marvel’s behalf. I was already a huge fan of his, and then I saw Hunt for the Wilderpeople, which is looking like will end up being my favourite movie of 2016, and I’m now incredibly excited to see Thor’s next film, which is a new experience for me. The Thor movies have been among Marvel’s lesser offerings, despite Chris Hemsworth’s brilliant turn as the superhero God. Hopefully Ragnarok will change things. UK release date: 27th October, 2017.
Justice League
Yes, despite Batman v Superman: Bore of Justice and Suicide Squad, I’m still looking forward to seeing what Zack Snyder has in store of us in his upcoming DC Comics movie. I really enjoyed Ben Affleck as Batman and Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, and the addition of Ezra Miller as The Flash will hopefully give the film the levity it so desperately needs. However, I am also very worried about this movie. Snyder’s track record isn’t good, but I’m an optimist, and I want all movies to be good, so I’m excited for this movie, even if my excitement ends up being for nothing. UK release date: 17th November, 2017.
Coco
Producer Darla K. Anderson and director Lee Unkrich of COCO
Disney Pixar never fail to disappoint, however they have made some subpar movies in recent year. 2017 will see them make the third installment in the Cars franchise, which I have zero interest in, but they’re also going to be releasing another movie called Coco, which will be based around the Mexican holiday Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead in English), and I love the idea of those talented people at Pixar tackling this interesting event. The possibilities are endless, and it’ll be helmed by Lee Unkrich who gave us Toy Story 3. UK release date: 8th December, 2017.
Star Wars: Episode VIII
Let’s round off the year in style with what promises to be one of the most epic of blockbusters, Star Wars: Episode VIII. If you are not looking forward to this movie, then I’m not sure what to say. If J.J. Abrams’ The Force Awakens didn’t make you fall in love with Star Wars all over again, then I’m not sure what will. Rian Johnson’s in the hot-seat this time, and I couldn’t think of a better director to take over from Abrams. The Force Awakens left me asking so many questions, and hopefully Episode VIII will answer a few of them. We’ll also get to hear Mark Hamill say a few lines as Luke Skywalker in this one! Star Wars: Episode VIII is hands down my most anticipated movie of 2017. UK release date: 15th December, 2017.
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