Worst2First: My Most Anticipated Films of Fall 2021

Worst2First:
My Most Anticipated Films of Fall 2021

It's been awhile since I've been able to do this! With 2020 being marred by the Covid-19 virus, it effectively canceled any big-budget films from being seen and pushed back to 2021. Even though now the Delta Variant is running rampant, it seems that it hasn't halted the major films from being released to theaters nationwide - at least for now.

So here are my top ten most anticipated films for Fall 2021 (September, October & November):
Obviously, dates are subject to change...

**THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS**

#10

No Time to Die

October 8

I don't know if its franchise fatigue or being tired of it being pushed back over and over, but my excitement for the latest James Bond film has waned over the last two years (it was originally supposed to be released in November 2019 before being postponed multiple times), but I'm still excited to see how Daniel Craig will finish out his stint as the classic super spy. It seems to be your traditional Bond-style story as he traverses the world in search of a diabolical madman (this time played by Oscar winner Rami Malek) before he unleashes a weapon that will kill millions. The story will also center around another 007 agent, this time a woman played by Lashana Lynch, who could take the Bond mantle in the future. We'll see if this can live up to Craig's other great Bond films like "Skyfall" and "Casino Royale," or if it'll fizzle out like "Quantum of Solace" or "Spectre."

#9

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings


September 3

The MCU is taking some of its biggest risks yet in the 2021 fall season, first with "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings." Shang-Chi is not a well-known superhero like Iron Man, Captain America, or Thor, and it'll be interesting to see how he will fare in the international marketplace. Newcomer Simu Liu plays the titular hero, a man who has extraordinary martial arts capabilities and whose family runs the ten rings organization, led by his villainous father Wenwu, who are bent on world domination at any cost. The trailers keep giving me "Mortal Kombat" vibes (probably due to the blue and gold colors being used in reference to the powerful rings), and there's still not a lot known about the concept of the film, which adds a sense of excitement that might not otherwise have been there.

#8

Lamb

October 8

Leave it to A24 to deliver something completely original, creepy, and atmospheric all in its trailer alone. "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" star Noomi Rapace stars as Maria, a woman who is grieving the loss of her child along with her husband, when they witness a lamb giving birth. Maria specifically seems drawn to this little lamb, and she starts treating it like it's her own child. I can't even begin to imagine how this will all turn out, and it makes me absolutely excited to see what twists and turns await in a film like this.

#7

The French Dispatch

October 22

Wes Anderson is a true movie auteur, a man unparalleled in his unique ability to tell a story, a director who transcends time and delivers something that's awe-inspiring in every fashion. As with every Wes Anderson film, it's hard to try to describe what it is, but essentially "The French Dispatch" is a love letter to journalists set at an outpost of an American newspaper in a fictional 20th-century French city, as described by Wikipedia. It focuses on three stories that are all unique and varied, with a Wes Anderson-known ensemble cast including Bill Murray, Benicio del Toro, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand, Timothee Chalamet, Saoirse Ronan, Adrien Brody, Jeffrey Wright, Elisabeth Moss, Owen Wilson, Christoph Waltz, Liev Schreiber, Willam Dafoe and more, and looks to be just as quirky and original as anything Wes Anderson has ever graced the screen with.

#6

Eternals

November 5

Along with "Shang-Chi," "Eternals" will be the most ambitious unknown in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to date. The Eternals in the comics are a group of superheroes who've existed for thousands of years, but never interfered with human conflicts, unless it involved Deviants - evil counterparts of the Eternals that have arrived due to the infamous snap in "Infinity War" and again in "Endgame." Not much is known about these eternal heroes in the general populous, so it'll be interesting to see how they're accepted into the MCU. The film does boast a strong cast including Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Brian Tyree Henry, Lauren Ridloff, Barry Keoghan and Kit Harrington, and behind the camera is Oscar-winning director Chloe Zhao, so the pedigree is off the charts. I'm excited to see where they go here, and I hope that it'll be a big success.

#5

Dear Evan Hansen

September 24

If there's a movie that's needed now more than ever, it's "Dear Evan Hansen." Based on the award-winning musical, the film version follows Evan Hansen (played by Ben Platt, who also played the role in the musical), a loner with Social Anxiety Disorder who writes letters to himself. When a fellow classmate finds one of his letters, he takes it home with him, and then he kills himself. Believing the letter Evan wrote to himself was written by Connor, his family welcomes Evan in and he wants to do the right thing, but keeps finding himself being pulled into lies that comforts those around him. Featuring music by "The Greatest Showman" writers Pasek and Paul, and with a stellar cast and important message about not being alone in a world of isolation, "Dear Evan Hansen" will bring out the waterworks in everyone.

#4

Last Night in Soho

October 29

Edgar Wright is a genius both in directing and writing ("Baby Driver" is solid proof of that), so when he dips his hands into the psychological thriller pond, expect greatness. "Last Night in Soho" centers around Eloise (Thomasin McKenzie, one of the most underrated newer talents out there), a fashion designer who finds herself transported to 1960s London where she lives in the body of her idol, a singer named Sandy (Anya Taylor-Joy, who looks as amazing as ever). Not everything is as it seems, however, and Eloise finds her life in danger as the world of the past and present begins to blur. I'm super excited to see this film and it's one where the anticipation has only made my excitement grow.

#3

Venom: Let There Be Carnage

October 15

Tom Hardy perfectly encapsulated the character of Eddie Brock (especially after the abysmal Topher Grace) and made Venom his own. He isn't your polished superhero, but rather - as Venom puts it - a loser. Yet Venom found his perfect symbiote with Brock, and the two have lived in (mostly) harmony since Brock laid down the ground rules of no eating people unless they're bad. In hopes of re-vitalizing his journalistic career, he interviews serial killer Cletus Kasady, who bites him and has the Venom symbiote inside him, turning him into an unstoppable killing machine known as Carnage. This looks to be on par with the original film with exciting action, hilarious dialogue, and hopefully a R-rating to showcase Carnage's true diabolical nature.

#2

Dune

October 22

The original 1984 "Dune" was a visionary marvel of its time, based on the classic 1965 novel by Frank Herbert. No one dared remake the film until Denis Villeneuve, and the final product looks nothing short of spectacular, and you'd expect nothing less from the director of "Prisoners," "Arrival," and "Blade Runner 2049." According to Wikipedia, Dune is set in the "far future of humanity, where Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaacs) accepts stewardship of the dangerous desert planet Dune, home of the most valuable substance in the universe that grants long human life and superhuman levels of thought." Of course, everyone wants a piece of this, so war is the inevitable outcome. "Dune" looks to be a vast, sweeping visual marvel led by Isaacs alongside Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Dave Bautista, Jason Momoa, and Charlotte Rampling, and I would expect nothing less from Villeneuve.

#1

Halloween Kills

October 15

Ever since 1978, "Halloween" and Halloween have been synonymous, a beautifully bloody pas-de-deux of good and evil, a delicate dance of the macabre. In 2018 the "Halloween" franchise underwent another timeline change, eliminating all the sequels after the John Carpenter classic, and "Halloween Kills" takes place right after the ending of that film. Jamie Lee Curtis - the OG Scream Queen - returns to the role that made her famous as Laurie Strode, now a war-weary grandmother who is anything but fragile, as she joins her daughter, granddaughter, and the citizens of Haddonfield as they band together to take down the monster Michael Myers once and for all (although, since there's a third film called "Halloween Ends" coming next year, I doubt that'll happen). Look for more blood, more screams, and more good times as Myers continues his unending bloody kill spree until he once again comes face to face with his worst enemy - Laurie Strode - for another battle of the ages.