Worst2First: My Ten Most Anticipated Movies of 2016

Worst2First: My Ten Most Anticipated Movies of 2016

As the year 2015 draws to a close, it's time to look at the movies that will grace the big screen in 2016.  There's several movies that show a lot of promise - "Alice Through the Looking Glass," "Now You See Me 2," "The Conjuring 2" and more, but there are ten films that I am most excited to see, and here they are...Worst2First.

**There will be no spoilers since, you know, the films aren't actually released yet.

Also, the release dates are subject to change.**

#10

Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice

Release Date: March 25

For a comic book movie geek as myself, even I find it surprising to find this so low on my list.  However, it's because it seems that this film has everything wrong going for it from the start.  From the casting to the story, to the effects and the cameos, this feels like a muddled mess.

First the casting.  Ben Affleck as Batman?  I seriously don't see it.  Plus he tries his Christian Bale best to make his voice as gruff and growling as possible, which is almost as laughable as Bane's accent in "The Dark Knight Rises."  Then there's the odd choice of Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor...with hair!  I don't get it.

Then there's the story.  From what I've gathered, people are wary of Superman's superhuman powers, and Batman is sent to bring him down, plus it might have something to do with Superman causing some death for Batman accidentally?  Then there's Lex's whole plan on bringing Zod back to life maybe?  And then Wonder Woman appears during a battle with what looks to be Doomsday, or maybe Darkseid?  

Speaking of Doomsseid (I just combined the names), he looks like a terrible SyFy CGI creature.  For a film boasting such promise, you'd think they'd do better with the effects.

Finally the cameos.  DC is trying desperately hard to make this the next "Avengers" it's not even funny.  Along with Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, there's Aquaman and rumors of The Flash, Cyborg, and even Robin.  The film seems bloated already, and with all these appearances, it's prepared to burst.

#9

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Release Date:  February 5

 

A list wouldn't be complete without a zombie movie, and this one looks like it'll be a big hit.  Based off a book by the same name, the film takes Jane Austen's classic novel and includes...well...zombies.  So instead of girls trying to climb the socialite ladder and falling for the dapper Mr. Darcy, they'll be brandishing swords, knives and other weapons in order to take out the undead.  Now that's something I can get into.

#8

Finding Dory

Release Date:  June 17

Back in 2003, Pixar released "Finding Nemo" to critical and audience acclaim.  The story had it all - heart, comedy, adventure, drama.  The breakout star of the film was Dory, the lovable blue fish with a severe memory problem.

Now the cast is back, 13 years later, with "Finding Dory," centering around Dory's search for her family.  It looks like it'll be another hit like its original, as long as Pixar follows the same formula.

#7

Star Trek Beyond

Release Date:  July 22

Not much is really known about this newest trek with Kirk and the gang, but the trailer looks like it'll be another epic action/adventure.  Gone is the direction of J.J. Abrams, but that doesn't mean the film will have any less impact, as Justin Lin (best known for directing "Fast & Furious," "Fast Five" and "Fast & Furious 6") is now at the helm, and he's known for big budget action.  Plus all the original cast is back, along with the ever amazing Idris Elba.

#6

 

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

 Release Date:  November 18

From "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling comes her newest series in what will more than likely be another massive hit, this time starring Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne, Colin Farrell, Jon Voight, Ron Pearlman and Ezra Miller.  This film takes place seventy years before Harry Potter, and centers around Newt Scamander, who accidentally unleashes a plethora of magical beasts that threaten the already volatile relations between wizards and No-Maj (non-magical people).  It looks like magic is about to hit the big screen again.

#5

Independence Day: Resurgence

Release Date:  June 24

Twenty years after the original, "Resurgence" takes a gamble in hoping that those who went to see the first blockbuster will return, and bring in the new viewers who've only witnessed the original on DVD.  Roland Emmerich returns to the director's chair, and Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum and Judd Hirch return, but notably absent is the original film's star, Will Smith.  

This sequel centers around another alien attack, while Earth uses the technology garnered from the first attack in hopes of destroying the aliens once and for all.  Like I said, this is a gamble, and it'll either soar, or flop.

#4

Deadpool

Release Date:  February 12

The Merc with a Mouth finally gets his due after that abysmal "Origins: Wolverine" outing where they take his most trademarked effect and silences it.  This time, Ryan Reynolds gets to relish in all the sarcastic, nasty, raunchy dialogue as well as epic R-rated action.  This won't be a superhero movie for the kiddies, which is right down my alley.

#3

Suicide Squad

Release Date:  August 5

Forget "Batman vs. Superman," this is the DC hero movie we're looking forward to - and it isn't even about heroes!  The mysterious Amanda Waller (Viola Davis, in another great role) decides to recruit several supervillains in a mysterious operation which will grant them clemency if they succeed. 

This film is heralded for the return of The Joker, this time played by Oscar winner Jared Leto.  It's also the first film of DC villain Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), another fan favorite.  We know we'll see a lot of Quinn as she's enlisted along with Deadshot (Will Smith), Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman), Boomerang (Jai Courtney) and others, but for all the promotional posters, The Joker isn't with the group.  What is his role in this whole story?  And with Batman (Ben Affleck) making an appearance, how will it affect the film?  Lots of burning questions to what will undoubtedly be one of the most anticipated films of the year.

#2

X-Men: Apocalypse

Release Date:  May 27

The "X-Men" franchise has been hit-and-miss, but under the brilliant direction of Bryan Singer, the last two films ("First Class" and "Days of Future Pass") have been critically acclaimed and audiences loved them.  Touted as the final film in his "new" X-Men trilogy, "Apocalypse" centers around the comic series' most villainous evil - the first ever mutant, one who is immortal and harvests several powers.  I've been dying to see Apocalypse on the big screen, and he looks as good as ever.  Plus the "First Class" cast is back to battle the big bad, along with young versions of Jean Grey, Cyclops, Storm, Angel and Nightcrawler, plus favorites Psyloche and Jubilee.  It's going to be a no-holds-barred action film that will be just as good - if not better - than all previous X-Men films.

#1

Captain America: Civil War

Release Date: May 6

Heralded as "Avengers"-lite, "Civil War" focuses on the most iconic series in the comic's history, where superheroes were at war with one another over the Superhero Registration Act.  While it doesn't seem it'll be done exactly the same here, it'll still pit some of the most powerful Avengers against each other, with Iron Man and his crew battling Captain America and his team.

"Civil War" reunites Avengers stars Iron Man, Captain America, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, War Machine, Vision, and Falcon as well as other Marvel superheroes Ant-Man and Winter Soldier and the much anticipated Black Panther and Spider-Man, and as sides are being taken, epic battles will take place as they also have to protect the world from the likes of Crossbones and Zemo.  It's gonna be another knockout film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for sure, and will show DC how it's really done.

So are you as excited as I am for 2016?