15 Most Anticipated Movies In 2016

2016 is finally here and as you cool off from Star Wars fever there are several films to look forward to this new year. 2015 presented us with record-breaking films such as Jurassic World but mainly Star Wars: The Force Awakens and action blockbusters with Mad Max: Fury Road. This year looks to be an even bigger year full of comic book movies, returning franchises as well as original offerings. This is our picks of the top 15 most anticipated movie of 2016.

15. Bourne 5 (July 29th)

Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon reunite to bring Jason Bourne back. Additional cast members include Alicia Vikander and Tommy Lee Jones. We don’t know much about the film as of yet but we do know that Greengrass knows how to make a good Bourne film and we can’t wait for it.

14. The Nice Guys (May 20th)

Shane Black directs this action comedy starring Russell Crowe as a LA detective buddying up with rookie cop Ryan Gosling, investigating the suicide of a fading porn star. We know this would be an exciting buddy cop movie as shown from Shane Black’s famous Lethal Weapon. The trailer looked hilarious and we’re looking forward to the comedy sides of Ryan Gosling and Russel Crowe which looks to be a great team-up.

13. Star Trek Beyond (July 22nd)

When the first trailer dropped last month it got unnoticed due to the Star Wars frenzy, but those who caught it had mixed reactions. However, the first two films directed by J.J. Abrams were great and highly entertaining. With Abrams off the director seat, Fast and Furious director Justin Lin takes on this third movie. Star Trek Beyond still retains its strong cast including Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana and Simon Pegg. The film also adds Idris Elba as the villain and Kingsman’s Sofia Boutella. We can tell from the trailer that this would be a very fun Star Trek outing.

12. Assassin’s Creed (December 21st)

Video game movie adaptations have mostly been disappointing.  Assassin’s Creed looks like an exception because of its cast and its story. Michael Fassbender is the lead in this film with Marion Cotillard and Jeremy Irons. A great cast like this should mean the acting should be powerful. Players of the video game franchise know that the story is very interesting, so we hope that it stays true the material with story and script. Video game movies end up poor due to being altered too much.

11. Ghostbusters (July 18th)

Does Ghostbusters need a reboot? Probably not but if we are, this looks like the perfect way to do it. An all female lead of great comedic actresses and Bridesmaids & Spy director Paul Feig. Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon (who both are brilliant in Saturday Night Live) are our Ghostbusters. It doesn’t get more promising than this, this will be very enjoyable to watch.

10. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (November 18th)

A movie based on a textbook owned by Harry Potter. Interesting. Four-time Harry Potter director David Yates and Harry Potter series producer David Heyman brings the wizarding world back. Not to mention the screenplay has been written by none other than J.K. Rowling. You just know that this film will be great and successful. The film will show us how wizarding life was in 1920s New York starring Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander. We hope to be wowed in this magical journey once again when Fantastic Beasts arrives later this year.

9. Doctor Strange (November 4th)

Marvel and Benedict Cumberbatch, any film that both are linked with we’re sold. Marvel Studios bring the mystical and magical side of the MCU with Doctor Strange directed by Scott Derrickson. Neurosurgeon Stephen Strange discovers a world of magic after surviving a car crash that gives him powers. Benedict Cumberbatch looks brilliant as Doctor Strange from first official photos released and we cannot wait to see this side of Cumberbatch and the MCU.

8. Finding Dory (June 17th)

It’s been nearly 13 years since we saw Nemo, Marlin and Dory and now they’re finally back this year in Finding Dory. We go through a journey through the ocean once more in search of Dory’s family. Ellen DeGeneres is back to voice the forgetful Dory with Albert Brooks also reprising his role as Marlin. Finding Nemo grabbed many hearts and was highly successful so we don’t expect that this film won’t have a huge audience. Pixar hardly disappoints with their features, we sure hope it won’t be any different this summer where we remember to just keep swimming.

7. The Jungle Book (April 15th)

Disney’s live-action version of The Jungle Book helmed by Jon Favereau looks to be a visual masterpiece from the first trailer released, showing realistic CGI of the animals we all knew from our childhood and the jungle scenery. This has a stellar cast of beloved actors such as Billy Murray as Baloo, Ben Kingsley as Bagheera and Scarlett Johanson as Kaa. This film looks to be loved by children as well as adults as watch Mowgli’s journey in the jungle.

6. X-Men: Apocolypse (May 27th)

Bryan Singer takes the director’s seat once again after his brilliant return to the X-Men franchise with X-Men Days of Future Past and this looks like an even bigger film. The world’s first and most powerful mutant Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac) awakens after thousands of years and recruits Magneto & other mutants to create a new world order. Charles Xavier/Professor X (James McAvoy) with Raven/Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) lead a team of young X-Men, including Jean Grey and Cyclops, to help prevent Apocalypse from wiping mankind. Despite some mixed views on the look of Isaac as Apocalypse, this film looks promising with a huge cast of talented actors and a lot of action.

5. Deadpool (February 12th)

The Merc with a mouth is finally getting his own film with Ryan Reynolds starring as the hilarious, deadly anti-hero (We do not speak of X-Men Origins: Wolverine). It looks like this film stays true to its material and everyone is loving what they’re seeing so far. Getting a R rating is what it this character needs and this creates more excitement for this film. This could be the funniest Marvel movie and can hopefully boost Fox’s morale after the hugely disappointing Fantastic Four. We can’t wait for the moments  of him breaking the fourth wall and the rude humour. This is going one hell of a fun movie.

4. Suicide Squad (August 5th)

Suicide Squad is a new take on comic book movies as it focuses on a group of villains instead of heroes. Directed by David Ayer, this film has created a lot of buzz from their comic con trailer and their ensemble cast with Will Smith as Deadshot, Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, Margot Robbie playing Harley Quinn and Jared Leto as The Joker. Amander Waller creates a team of villains called Task Force X assigned to a secret government mission. This film looks so dark and gritty, we’re hoping to see some memorable performances here especially from Jared Leto, who has big shoes to fill from the late Heath Ledger, and Margot Robbie who looks to be the perfect casting for Harley Quinn.

3. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (December 16th)

Star Wars: The Force Awakens delivered and fans would love more and we’re getting it. Rogue One is a Star Wars Anthology movie set before the events of Episode IV: A New Hope, following a group of resistance fighters and their mission to steal the plans for the original Death Star. Directed by Gareth Edwards and starring Felicity Jones as the lead role, supported by Forest Whitaker, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk and more. We’re also hoping for a cheeky cameo from Darth Vader.

2. Captain America: Civil War (May 6th)

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is arguably one of the best or the best film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Civil War could be just as good. The Russo Brothers are back to direct this third Captain America film which initially is Avengers 2.5 since all of them are present, apart from Thor and Hulk. Members of the Avengers take sides when the government plans to regulate the team after the events from last year’s Age of Ultron, one team led by Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans) who’s against it, and the other led by Tony Stark/Iron Man (Tony Stark) who supports it. It’s even more exciting as we see the introduction of Black Panther (Chadwick Bosman) and MCU’s Spider-Man (Tom Holland). It’s going to be an emotional battle between friends and we can’t wait.

1. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (March 25th)

It’s Batman and Superman on the same screen for the first time, of course this was going to be the most anticipated movie. At first, there were many mixed views of Ben Affleck being cast as Batman for this film, but as we saw more footage from trailers, views became positive and we are very excited to see what Ben Affleck will bring. Following the events from 2013’s Man of Steel, Batman isn’t too fond of Superman and thinks he’s a threat and BOOM….Batman v Superman. Awesome. We also get to see the big screen debut of Wonder Woman played by Gal Gadot, who looks brilliant from what we’ve seen so far.  Henry Cavill returns as Superman in the film which sets the stage for 2017’s Justice League (hence Dawn of Justice), we’re all hyped to to see this, so this is a no brainer of it being one of the top grossing films of 2016.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Review

It’s finally here. Star Wars The Force Awakens is the next chapter in the Star Wars saga set 30 years after the events of Return of the Jedi. This has been the most anticipated movie of this year and so had very high expectations as J.J. Abrams brought in the old guard of the saga united with a new cast for a new generation of fans. From his previous films such as Star Trek and its sequel and Super 8, Abrams knows how to create great films, and he did it again. Star Wars The Force Awakens is one of the most entertaining films these past few years. Not just a great Star Wars movie but a great movie in general.

Newcomer Daisy Ridley stars as Rey, a scavenger on the desert planet of Jakku. She eventually runs into Finn played by John Boyega, a stormtrooper that was part of The First Order, which is the new division that replaced the old Empire, who decided to leave them because something inside doesn’t feel morally right with him anymore so he leaves. Rey and Finn start an adventure that leads them to Han Solo, with Harrison Ford reprising the role, who helps The Resistance locate Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill). While this is happening there’s a villain on the rise named Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) who has taken major inspiration from Darth Vader. He with The First Order also wants to find Luke Skywalker.

The new cast members to this saga are great additions. John Boyega displayed a lot of charisma and energy as Finn. You can tell that Boyega was excited to be a part of this as he gave a great performance. He transitioned from comic relief, which were hilarious moments, to drama with ease. Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron was instantly likable, he’s just an awesome guy and definitely the best pilot in the galaxy. Isaac brought charm and fun to his performance. However, he didn’t have enough screen time than we had hoped for when we first saw him.

The real stand-out is Daisy Ridley as Rey. She is such a breath of fresh air and is arguably the heart of this film. An excellent discovery of an unknown actress, being her first film, she is brilliant and her performance was so genuine bringing excitement and curiosity in her character which was a very well written and an individualized character. Daisy Ridley brought her name to this franchise very well making Rey one of the most beloved and best Star Wars characters as well as a very strong female lead character. The chemistry between Boyega and Ridley was electrifying and both proved to be the best people to continue this franchise.

Speaking of beloved characters, move aside R2-D2 because BB-8 is here and just perfect. Not only does he play a key role in this film, he’s also just as adorable and clever as we hoped. The film wisely incorporated fine humour with this character, his ability to emote so clearly is fantastic. Also, the fact that he’s a practical character makes everything that’s done with him incredibly entertaining.

It was such a delight to see the returning cast again. Harrison Ford as Han Solo was just great. He wasn’t just there as a cameo to kick in nostalgia for the fans, he had a very integral role in this film. He didn’t just play Han Solo how we all knew him since Return of the Jedi, he played an aged Han Solo who lived 30 years who’s now wiser and has had history; a very well developed character that plays true to what fans know and love about him. Similarly with Carrie Fisher returning as Princess Leia now General Leia, the scenes between Han and Leia were poignant and special, you can see that a lot has happened in the past 30 years as you can see a bit of remorse in their scenes. The scenes between Han and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew also reprising his role) were just brilliant and nostalgic. The banter between them is fresh and ridiculously funny and you feel their friendship again. Mark Hamill does well to project so many emotions in his performance.

Moving on to the villains, there was some skepticism on Kylo Ren and that he’ll just be another version of Darth Vader. That wasn’t the case. Adam Driver gave such an amazing performance as Kylo Ren making him a compelling villain, not only is he evil and intimidating, he is motivated, and you can see that very clearly and understand his actions and why he’s doing them. He’s human and is a character with emotional depth that you actually sort of care about which Driver did very well to display and not make him look one dimensional. Captain Phasma (Gwendoline Christie) had become a fan favourite before the release, due to her amazing look and that she’s the first female villain in the franchise. However, she was majorly underused in the film which was disappointing.

The Force Awakens is a visually stunning film, using practical effects whenever possible and also perfectly merging them with CGI. Abrams’s direction and visual style were stellar, as his camera movement in action scenes gave the audience a thrilling experience. Unlike the last six films, the action sequences here are lot more gritty and violent giving them more realism.

The film does do very well to respect their predecessors, however there were moments where scenes respecting the original trilogy wasn’t subtle enough and it was noticeable that the scenes were structurally similar. That isn’t enough to hinder one’s enjoyment watching the film but  it may distract some true hard fans.

Star Wars The Force Awakens shows how Star Wars is done- righting all the wrongs from the prequels, understanding what the fans want, bringing the franchise back to form. It’s everything that  was promised for a Star Wars film and even more, with returning beloved characters from the original trilogy and brilliant new characters all bringing heart and action, taking fans through an emotional journey. The Force Awakens is such an entertaining theatrical experience, launching a new generation of fans and characters while still paying nods to the old as well as making us want more of the new.

Rating: 9.4/10

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation Review

Tom Cruise is back with the fifth instalment of this thrilling franchise, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation. This is what’s great about the Mission Impossible films; Tom Cruise. Even after turning 53 (let that sink in) he does his own stunts in all his films, and he gives his all every time. It’s why this franchise has survived not only for nearly 20 years, but got better with every film. Director Chris McQuarrie had the daunting task of following Ghost Protocol, which was brilliantly directed by Brad Bird, and he gave possibly the best one yet. This film was full of action and beautifully shot sequences.

With the IMF team disavowed by the CIA, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is out in the cold as a new threat known as The Syndicate emerges, a sinister group of rogue spies who’s intent is to destabilise the global economy through terror attacks. Ethan goes covert with his team; Benji (Simon Pegg), Brandt (Jeremy Renner) and Luther (Ving Rhames), travelling across the world to track down The Syndicate. Joining forces with them is Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson), an ass-kicking renegade British agent who’s loyalties lean between Hunt and the Rogue Nation.

Tom Cruise’s devotion is conveyed through the brilliance of the film, and unsurprisingly so, as  he’s one of the most committed actors working today, not just in regards to his physical aspects of his films and performing death-defying stunts, but he always gives a stalwart performance every time he takes, and this one was no different. He nails the humour, drama and of course the action. In Ghost Protocol, he climbed the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa, and now he’s hanging off the side of an airborne plane. Older yet bolder, nothing can stop the daredevil that is Tom Cruise. He also does his own stunts during the thrilling motorcycle chase which was probably one of the best high-speed motorcycle chases ever on screen; it was so exhilarating.

Simon Pegg is brilliant as Benji- he allows them to have comic relief without compromising the tension in the espionage moments and the thrills in the action scenes exemplifying that he’s a viable part of this franchise. Jeremy Renner has his moments to shine, and it’s pleasing to see Ving Rhames back as Luther and has more screen time, as he only had a cameo in Ghost Protocol. He’s an original key member so it was nice to see his character’s and Hunt’s chemistry again. Alec Baldwin is also in this film as CIA chief Alan Hunley and he delivers as well.

Newcomer Rebecca Ferguson is the one to watch, she is just a total bad-ass. She plays an integral role in most of Cruise’s stunts. Ferguson is talented, sexy and lethal, flaunting her combat skills more than her beauty. She proves her mettle as a future action star by delivering a memorable breakthrough performance.

Now with all the previous Mission Impossible films, the biggest issue this series has had is crafting a compelling villain, Mission Impossible 3 had the best one with the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Ghost Protocol’s villain was weak and that was the worst aspect of that great movie. This film’s villain played by Sean Harris is very chilling, had motivation and was well acted. He wasn’t an incredible villain which is fine as it works for this movie as you’ll understand along with Hunt why he has to be stopped. Director McQuarrie did an impressive job in making the fifth film in this franchise, which is always a worry as, a total success. He raises the stakes and creates nail-biting tension. The action sequences from Cruise, literally, hanging off a plane to a Mexican style stand-off at the Vienna Opera to an underwater heist, and then transitioning to a high-octane motorcycle chase. It gets intense and keeps the audience excited throughout.

Mission Impossible Rogue Nation is a blend of the previous films but just even more action-packed and just better; and worth saying that it’s the best in the franchise. This film is an expertly crafted spectacle with stunning action set pieces, great performances and balanced blend of humour and suspense. This franchise is about missions being impossible, the real impossibility is that these films exceed expectations and just get better and better. Audience’s adrenaline would be rushed in every breathtaking stunt sequence and it’ll be worth every penny.

Rating: 9/10

Ant-Man Review

Ant-Man is the twelfth offering from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and, like Guardians of the Galaxy, it caused a lot of skepticism but also anticipation for the arrival of Earth’s tiniest hero. Despite fans scratching their heads upon the release of this film, it has definitely been the most surprising. Ant-Man is one of Marvel’s best standalone films. It was such an unexpected success. This is both action-packed and funny and director Peyton Reed done a great job bringing a tone that feels like an exciting heist film.

Paul Rudd stars as Scott Lang, an ex-con who wants to reform his ways and re-establish his relationship with his daughter. He’s recruited by the original Ant- Man, scientist Hank Pym, played by the brilliant Michael Douglas, to succeed him in the suit which has the ability, as hinted, to shrink to ant size. Along with his daughter Hope (Evangeline Lilly), he wants prevent his former protégé Darren Cross (Corey Stoll) from using his secretive shrinking technology as an instrument of war.

One of the reasons why this film worked is its spot-on casting. Paul Rudd is great as Scott Lang; naturally likable and has great comedic delivery, he gives it his all to his performance. Michael Douglas brings seriousness to the film but also there’s hints of playfulness to his character. You believe his motives and how he really cares for his daughter, Hope. Evangeline Lilly brings the emotions to the film as Hank’s daughter. T.I and Michael Peña are Lang’s criminal companions and are brilliant comic relief. Especially Michael Peña, as Luis, who shined in this film. He was terrific – everything he said had great timing and was funny, especially the scenes with Peña’s “he said, she said” monologues which were particularly memorable.

However there were flaws in this film, the beginning felt slightly rushed and the villain which was the main flaw. Corey Stoll is a talented actor, as seen House of Cards, and he does a solid job playing Darren Cross/Yellowjacket. It’s been the same with other Marvel films; the villain always lacks in character development. But Cross’ alter-ego Yellowjacket gave exciting action sequences which were one of the highlights of the film, the action was very creative; transitioning from ant size to human size and from humour to tension.

Visually, the film is stunning to look at. The CGI effects were executed well in giving a fun visual treatment and it’s one of the few films that’s satisfying in 3D.

This is the funniest film Marvel has produced, it was hardly ever thought that a film about a man shrinking to ant size would be made, insane as it sounds, and the film poked fun at that which was brilliant, it’s difficult to respect its subject matter and make fun of it and it was done really well. Due to a great cast, in-tune director and an enjoyable plot, Ant-Man succeeds just like Guardians of the Galaxy did and brilliantly so. The tie-ins to the MCU were enough to keep it cohesive and didn’t rely on them too much to keep the story going. Despite its bumpy opening and not so memorable villain, Ant-Man was a great, entertaining, standalone Marvel film with strong performances, thrilling action scenes, a well-told story and was just genuinely funny.

Rating: 8.5/10

Jurassic World Review

How can one top Jurassic Park? One of the most successful and iconic films of the 1990s. It’s not easy and let me tell you, Jurassic World most certainly did not, which is obvious, however it was a worthy sequel to the 90s blockbuster. 22 years has passed since the events of Jurassic Park. John Hammond’s dream is realised in Jurassic World, a fully operational theme park predominantly focused on artificially created dinosaurs. The film centres around brothers Zach (Nick Robinson) and Grey Mitchell (Tye Simpkins), who fly to the park to visit their aunt, Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard), who is the operations manager of Jurassic World. The biologically engineering company InGen created a new genetically engineered hybrid dinosaur called Indominus Rex — what could go wrong? Everything, of course. They seek the help of the park’s Velociraptor trainer Owen Grady, played by Chris Pratt, to save the day. This has all the action you expect from a good blockbuster with great special effects. It’s what you expect from a monster movie and that’s what this is.

I had high expectations watching this because I loved Jurassic Park, so when John Williams’ famous Jurassic Park theme came on I was filled with nostalgia and was 4 again. However, this film didn’t fully exceed my expectations – it wasn’t a great film but it  certainly wasn’t terrible either. This was a good summer popcorn flick with the suspense and clichés. Jurassic World is fun and cathartic, it pays enough homage to the original to keep fans scrambling to register them and enough action to keep the new and younger viewers entertained.

The performances in the film overall was pleasant, Pratt and Dallace Howard played their roles fairly well, and the two brothers also admirably suited to their characters. However just the characters were quite one-dimensional and cartoonish; Bryce Dallas Howard is the really uptight, detached business woman who needs everything scheduled and wears high heels, which leads me to the most impressive element of Jurassic World- how Bryce Dallas Howard managed to majestically sprint through the forests throughout the action, refusing to let go of those Sam Edelman heels, it amazed us all. Chris Pratt is the macho trainer who understands the dinosaurs and takes charge, and Vincent D’Onofrio’s character, Hoskins, the shifty security force leader, who wants to weaponize the dinosaurs. The film just lacked the pivotal balance of character development, which is purely down to the writing of the film. The dialogue was disappointing and occasionally made us laugh from its corniness.

Now, there was some comic relief in the film,  and Jake Johnson did well in providing them. Some of the comedic parts were rather funny, however what didn’t work was when there was a real moment that completely failed at being a real moment because people watching it were laughing as it was executed as cheesy and cringy, it thus became accidental comic relief, especially the last line which was laughable. Aside from that, the film was certainly enjoyable and entertaining.

Despite the flaws of the script there was a lot of entertainment in this film. Director Colin Trevorrow did well crafting a sequel to a flawless classic as well as introducing a new generation of cinema-goers to this franchise. As a summer blockbuster, this will be top this year, for sure, since it’s now the highest opening of all time. With a decent cast, stunning effects and just enough nostalgia to tickle the hair on your arms, Jurassic World is a really fun summer film.

Rating: 7.8/10