Some Of My Most Anticipated Movies Of 2017

Now with sucky 2016 out of the way, it’s time once again to look to the future and see what films will be dominating our cinema screens for the next 12 months.

While I’m sure I’ll end up seeing well over 100 films in 2017, below are just a few films that have me especially excited. Hopefully some of you might find them interesting too.

(And in case you’re wondering, they’re all 2017 UK releases!)

La la Land

Kicking off 2017 is a film that I am ridiculously excited for. If I’m honest, I haven’t been this excited for a film since I was a cherubic 9 year old waiting for the release for The Phantom Menace. With two super hot A-list actors, an amazing soundtrack that I’m listening to 24/7, and an incredible director, what more could you ask for?

Split

I love James McAvoy! He could have very easily done what countless other actors have done before him and only acted in mainstream films after his X-men success. But instead, outside of his portrayal of Charles Xavier, almost all his movies have been of the low budget, intimate kind. Films that give him a chance to truly stretch as an actor. Judging by the trailer, Split seems to be a perfect example of this.

The Founder

Talk about a comeback! Hard to believe the man spent 1998-2014 out in the acting “wilderness” until he made his comeback with Birdman. With 2 Oscar winning films now under his belt, Michael Keaton’s The Founder might be his attempt at going for the triple.

The Age of Shadows

Having already been released in several territories, The Age of Shadows has already received much critical acclaim and is currently sitting at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes off 21 reviews. Directed and written by Kim-Jee Woon (The Good, The Bad, The Weird), this cat-and-mouse game about Korean resistance fighters is one of my most anticipated films from the Far East.

I’m Not Here

One of the best actors of our generation, J.K Simmons has made an incredible career for himself as one of Hollywood’s most foremost character actors. It’s a shame he doesn’t have more leading roles, but 2017’s I’m Not Here seems to rectify this injustice as Simmons plays a man struggling with the tragic memories of his past to make sense of his present.

Annihilation

An adaptation of the 2014 book of the same name, what drew me to this movie wasn’t the science ficion theme or even the amazing cast (Natalie Portman, Gina Rodriguez, Oscar Issac.) Rather this film is being brought to the screen by the hand of Alex Garland. Fresh off his incredible achievement in 2015’s Ex Machina, I fully expect Garland to deliver another thought provoking classic.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2

Two words.

…

BABY GROOT!

The Death of Stalin

Armando Iannucci’s work finally returns to the silver screen after an 8 year break. One of the foremost writers of political satire, Iannucci’s previous film In the Loop was one of the best films of 2009; and his critically acclaimed work for Veep bodes well for this upcoming satire of Russian politics.

War For The Planet Of The Apes

The journey of Caesar for the past two Planet of the Apes movies has not only been some of the most emotional pieces of cinematic storytelling, but also showcased some of the best advancements of CGI/live-action integration. Judging by the title of this third installment, it seems we’ll finally be able to see the Human/Ape war and the beginnings of humanity’s fall.

The Wall

One location films such as Locke or Buried have always held a special interest to me. With an interesting military angle and 2 great actors (okay, one great actor and a wrestler!), it looks like The Wall will be a tense addition to the genre.

Saw:Legacy

I know the Saw movies have had its ups and downs, but this horror franchise has always impressed me with its incredible dedication to an intricate (and sometimes convoluted!) story line. I know this film might not be for everyone, but personally, I can’t wait to see what Billy and Jigsaw have in store this time!

Mute

While I had high hopes for Duncan Jones’ Warcraft, unfortunately the final result wasn’t quite enough to break the video game curse. But his return to small scale sci-fi seems like it might be a step in the right direction. According to Jones himself, the film will be a spiritual sequel to 2009’s Moon. That alone gets me very excited to see this Bladerunner-esque movie.

God Particle/ Cloverfield 3

For a while it was touch and go as to whether or not God Particle and Cloverfield 3 were the same movie. But once God Particle was removed from cinema schedules and Cloverfield 3 added, it was more or less confirmed.

Having a Twilight Zone type movie franchise, which allows small sci-fi projects to have a greater voice, is a stroke of genius (and in the case of 10 Cloverfield Lane, turned out to be very successful.)

Add to that a very accomplished cast consisting of David Oyelowe and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, God Particle is definitely one to watch.

 The Belko Experiment

I’m not even going to bother setting up this one. Based on the trailer this is going to be one of the most insane films of 2017!

Creed 2

Right now the release date is only tentatively set for November 2017. But since Creed placed in my top 12 movies of 2016, and with the expected return of Sylvester Stallone and Michael B. Jordan, this sequel has become one of my most looked forward to sequels of 2017.

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Photo Credits:

Twicopy, IMDB, ScreenDaily, Screencrush, Moviepilot, Cinefessions, Alchetron,  Irish Central, IMDB, Telegraph