So last month I wrote about some of the Indie movies that premiered in the Sundance Festival and since I don’t want people thinking that I’m an elitist that only watches Indie movies, I completely changed gears this month and wrote about some of the Hollywood blockbusters movies premiering in 2017. I find it hilarious that practically every single movie on this list is a sequel, a remake/reboot or the next hero up in the Marvel/DC Universe. Because, why take a chance when you have a sure thing, right?
To make things more interesting I divided the movies in three categories: Low Expectations - Movies that I feel like might suck but I would still check them out anyway, Wildcards - Movies that have great potential but will probably suck and disappoint me and High Expectations - Movies that I’m sure they will be good. Just remembering that none of these movies were released yet and I’m writing this based on the trailers I watched, the previous released movies [since most of them are sequels], who is directing/writing/acting and the online buzz these movies are having.
Low Expectations
Alien: Covenant - May 19
I have slightly higher hopes for this movie than for the other ones in the ‘Low expectations’ category because the original director, Ridley Scott, is back and he has shown us that he can make a good Alien movie before. I think if Covenant avoids the obvious pitfalls of Prometheus [less focused on the Engineers and more focused on the Aliens] it will do great but, on the other hand, the last good Alien movie was the sequel Aliens from 1986! So this will probably be another waste of my time and that is why I am trying to keep my expectations low, very low.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales - May 26
I couldn’t understand why Johnny Depp would agree to do another one of these awful movies but then, I read about his financial situation and I totally understood why. Anyway, I thought the the first one was kind of funny but the sequels were absolutely terrible. The stakes are high here for Depp, if the new pirates movie flops or is just meh, that will probably mark the end of Depp's movie star status. That make things a little bit more interesting but I have zero expectations. I will probably check it out if the reviews are positive but I’m not really interested on it.
Thor: Ragnarok - Nov. 3
The third Thor stand alone movie looks like a redemption from the two very boring movies that Marvel gave to us in the past but, I have a feeling that it will be just another filler in the Marvel Universe. I am not a fan of the demigod superhero and I did not miss him at all in Civil War last year and even with the additions of Hulk and Dr Strange to the movie I am still not convinced it will be a fun to watch it.
Justice League - Nov. 17
DC and Warner Brothers have massively failed to deliver good movies of their Super heroes universe. Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad may have made lots of money but they are terrible, terrible movies. I would say that Suicide Squad is probably one of the worst movies I have ever watched. So even with all the buzz and marketing for this flick, I have zero expectations this will be good. I will give it a chance but it will be the last one. I mean, if this is as bad as the other DC flicks I am done with their movies.
Wild Cards
Ghost in the Shell - Mar. 31
This movie is based on a Anime of the same name and it is a huge question mark for me. The movie is already being blamed to have whitewashed the main character which was supposed to be Japanese but instead is played by the very white Scarlett Johansson. Political correctness apart, I’m not sure if the movie will be as intellectually challenging as the anime is but the trailer looks good with a lot of action and great special effects I just don’t think these two elements are enough to make a good movie but I will definitely check it out.
Wonder Woman - June 2
I really, really want to like this one but, due to the bad track record of the DC Universe movies I am very skeptical about this flick. Wonder Woman was the only good thing from Batman v Superman and Gal Gadot made a good job playing the warrior princess of the Amazonian people. The stand alone movie will tell Wonder Woman origin story, the trailer show us a lot of action and some humor too. I hope DC get their act together and release a great movie but the odds are against them, we will see.
High Expectations
Logan - Mar. 3
X-Men has been a very hit or miss franchise, but I really think that Logan will be a success story. The trailer looks really good and It made me very excited to watch the movie. Wolverine will finally get a rated R movie and we will finally see the character the way every fan always wanted him to be, a berserk person. The wolverine we saw so far in the X-Men movies is way too nice and not really close to what he is in the comic books. So I think a more adult approach is the right way to go with this movie especially after the massive success of Deadpool proved that superhero movies don’t need to be marketed only for kids. I am sure that this flick will be the appropriate sendoff for Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, he deserves it!
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - May 5
Press play on your Awesome Mix volume 2 and buckle up because the Guardians are back! The first Guardians of the Galaxy movie was a huge surprise for me, I never thought I would like a movie with a talking raccoon and a walking tree that only says the same three words but, the movie was amazingly fun, had a gorgeous look, an awesome soundtrack and a lot of funny moments. The sequel seems to have all these elements again but bigger and bolder so bring on the crazy sci-fi chaos, I am more than ready for it!
Spider-Man: Homecoming - July 7
So the Spider-Man franchise is being reboot again but, the difference this time is that Marvel has control of it. The first taste of this new era under Marvel administration was in Civil War and boy, was Spidey the best thing of that movie or what? Seriously I am so stoked to see this movie, it is not even funny! Tom Holland is the perfect Peter Parker and Michael Keaton will definitely bring the house down as the Vulture. The trailer is really good, funny and shows plenty of action. I know I am sounding like a massive Marvel fanboy here but Spidey is the only superhero that I care about and after so many disappointing movies [I am looking at you, Andrew Garfield] it looks like they will finally get it right!
Blade Runner 2049 - Oct.
Harrison Ford is set to reply another iconic character of his career, the replicant hunter Rick Deckard. Blade Runner 2049 will take place thirty years after the events of the original 1982 Blade Runner. According to the trailer the movie will follow the new Blade Runner officer played by Ryan Goslin. I was not interested at all about this movie until I found out that Denis Villeneuve would be in charge of directing it. Villeneuve is one of my favorite directors in Hollywood right now and because he is involved with this project I have high expectations for it even though he has a lot to live up to since the original one is such a classic.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi - Dec. 15
This is probably the most anticipated movie of the year, the stakes are really high here. The J.J. Abrams reboot of this beloved franchise in 2015 was great and now the new director, Rian Johnson, has a whole new set of awesome characters to play with. I really like Johnson he is not afraid to take risks and that is one of the things that makes me very excited about this movie. He wrote and directed the flick Looper which is great and also directed what is probably the best TV episode ever - Breaking bad’s Ozymandias. Also I am sure that Disney will not drop the ball with this one and when December arrives we will be presented with a very fun and entertaining movie of this saga that will make billions of dollars in the box office. I can’t wait!