As alluded to in my first movie post, 2018 is the year of the sequel. (For better or worse.) Hear my thoughts on sequels, spin-offs, and my most anticipated movies of the year, including mysterious sci-fi thrillers and remarkable true stories.
Everyone and their mom is getting a sequel in 2018. Or a spin-off. Or a remake. Check it out:
- You want superhero sequels? Deadpool 2. Ant-Man 2. We’re getting another Spider-Man movie, and it’s not even the sequel to Homecoming (that comes out July 2019). The super sequels I’m most looking forward to? The Incredibles 2 and Avengers: Infinity War.
- How about these blockbuster follow-ups? Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Pacific Rim: Uprising. Fantastic Beasts 2. We’re getting The Purge 4, Mission: Impossible 6, and Ocean’s 8. (Quick, get me a 5 and a 7 and I’ll have a straight.)
- How about third movies that nobody really asked for? Hotel Transylvania 3 and Johnny English 3 come to mind.
- Let’s talk remakes. Mulan. Tomb Raider. The Predator. Seuss’ The Grinch. Halloween. Two years after The Jungle Book (2016) came out as a remake of The Jungle Book (1967), we’re getting a Mowgli movie. You can’t see them, but my eyes are rolling and sinking in some Indian river.
- Oh you want spin-offs? Bumblebee (that’s Transformers, not tuna). Solo: A Star Wars Story. Venom (will we see Spider-Man yet again? Don’t care, I love Venom.). Creed II is the sequel to a spin-off. (A really good spin-off, I might add.)
- Heck, even Mary Poppins is returning over 50 (!) years later.
All these follow-ups, reboots, and spin-offs are enough for me to say Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again—which, coincidentally, is also a sequel coming out this year.
Of course, I should reiterate: I do love a good sequel. (Of my five favorite movies of 2017, three were either sequels or spin-offs.) More specifically, I appreciate filmmakers who bring us fantastic storytelling even within the familiar. These bright lights focus on bringing us something new whether within a standalone story or the ninth episode in some franchise tentpole. (Yes, Star Wars: Episode IX comes out next year. Yes, I’m terribly excited.)
In an often turgid sea of sequels and spin-offs, here are five movies that I’m excited to see:
5. Black Klansman (TBA)
Truth really is stranger than fiction. Case in point: Here’s a story about an African-American police officer in Colorado who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan in the 1970’s. I’m curious about the “why” and “how,” but here’s what I do know: this is a Spike Lee joint based on a memoir entitled—well, Black Klansman. Also, the movie is produced by Jordan Peele (Get Out) and stars John David Washington—the son of Denzel Washington and a former undrafted free agent with the St. Louis Rams. Oh, and Adam Driver. This looks promising.
4. Untitled Cloverfield Sequel (April 20)
What is it about the Cloverfield franchise that I enjoy? Besides the clever thrills, it’s sort of an anti-franchise. The disconnected plots (?). The often vague and unusual promotional strategies. (We don’t have a trailer or name for this movie yet and we’re just months from release.) The “mystery box” philosophy of producer J.J. Abrams on full display (or concealment, I should say). Everything gets spoiled in the trailers these days. For once, let’s enjoy the mystery of not knowing.
3. Widows (November 16)
After a heist gone wrong, four women attempt to finish what their husbands could not. The premise alone intrigues, but let me add that Widows comes courtesy of writer/director Steve McQueen of 12 Years a Slave fame. Throw in an all-star cast including Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Daniel Kaluuya, Liam Neeson, Colin Farrell, and Robert Duvall, and Widows could steal Oscar gold in 2019.
2. Annihilation (February 23)
This sci-fi film is based on Jeff VanderMeer’s book of the same name, which was one of the more enjoyable and enigmatic novels I read last year. The plot? A team of four women (no, this is not Widows) enters a mysterious, abandoned area to uncover its mysteries. Rather quickly, their goal changes from exploration to survival.
How about this cast: Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez, Tessa Thompson, and Oscar Isaac. But beyond that, this film comes courtesy of writer/director Alex Garland, who also penned and directed Ex Machina and wrote 28 Days Later (both films I liked). I’m ready and I’m not. Bring on the beautiful weirdness of the untamed unknown.
1. First Man (October 12)
Up to this point, director Damien Chazelle has done no wrong. His last two films (Whiplash, La La Land) are in my upper echelon of cinematic treasures, featuring some refreshingly daring and confident filmmaking. Since Chazelle has consistently shot for the moon in his films, it’s no surprise that in his 4th movie, he does so literally.
First Man will tell the story of NASA in the 1960’s and Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon. While the cast certainly looks stellar—Claire Foy, Jason Clarke, and Ryan Gosling as Armstrong—I’m most interested in seeing how Chazelle takes a traditional-sounding biopic and infuses it with his characteristic verve and panache. Succeed or fail, the results should be scintillating.
Ah yes—Honorable mentions go to Ready Player One (Mar 30) and Avengers: Infinity War (May 4). See, I’m not sequeled or superheroed out. 🙂
Want to browse what’s coming out this year? Check out my favorite movie release calendar here. Tell me what 2018 movies you’re looking forward to in the comments—including the sequels!
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