Most Anticipated Films of 2017

I'm a little bit later in compiling this list than I have been in years past, but fortunately only one film on it has already been released (and that was just last weekend).  No need to ramble on here, so without further ado, my most anticipated films of 2017 are:


Honorable Mention (in alphabetical order): Blade Runner 2049 (October 6), The Dark Tower (July 28), Ghost in the Shell (March 31), Justice League (November 17), Pitch Perfect 3 (December 22), Thor: Ragnarok (November 3)

10) John Wick: Chapter 2 (February 10) -This is an extremely last minute addition to my list this year.  I've been working on this post off and on for a couple of weeks now and in that time I finally had the chance to see the first John Wick and I really dug it.  I'm very excited to check out this sequel, but since it has already been released (last weekend), I couldn't bring myself to place it any higher on this list.  I may be caught up in the moment, but I did feel the need to include it here and bump Blade Runner 2049 to the Honorable Mention list.  Hopefully I can find the time to check this out this weekend.

9) Beauty and the Beast (2017) (March 17) - I really haven't been all that excited about any of Disney's live action adaptations of their animated classics, however for me, Beauty and the Beast is right at the top of my list of favorite animated Disney films along with Aladdin, The Lion King, and The Little Mermaid, that was the era of my youth after all.

8) War for the Planet of the Apes (July 14) - This will be the third film since the Planet of the Apes reboot a few years ago, and they've been really well done so far.  I grew up watching the originals and this updated take on the franchise has been a lot of fun so far.

7) Spider-Man: Homecoming (July 7) - The title is a little wonky, but a 'homecoming' of sorts is exactly what we're getting as this marks the first Spider-Man solo film to take place in the MCU thanks to the co-production deal that Sony and Marvel struck a couple of years ago.  Tom Holland proved to be an excellent Peter Parker/Spidey in last year's Captain America: Civil War and it will be interesting to see how he does carrying his own film.  Added bonus: Michael Keaton takes on the role of the villain in the guise of the Vulture.

6) Alien: Covenant (May 19) - Taking place after the events of 2012's Prometheus, this is the next installment in Ridley Scott's Alien franchise.  It looks to focus on the most intriguing aspect of Prometheus: Michael Fassbender's android David.  I also like the inclusion of Danny McBride and really hope that he has a Bill Paxton-like roll from Aliens.  That just seems like a good fit to me.  The trailer also appears to get back to what one would expect from an Alien film, which is very exciting.

5) Dunkirk (July 21) - A film from Christopher Nolan set during World War II?  Even after seeing just the trailer below, Dunkirk as about as much of a 'must see' in my book as it could be.  Boasting a cast that includes Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, and Mark Rylance certainly doesn't hurt either.  It'll be interesting to see a World War II film with a differing point of view (i.e. not America's).  

4) Logan (March 3) - Loosely based on the Old Man Logan story line by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven in the comics, Logan is (supposedly) Hugh Jackman's final turn as everyone's favorite Adamantium clawed, healing factor-laced mutant Wolverine.  This film is already getting a lot of advance praise and, after receiving an R rating, looks to be brutally violent, just the way Wolverine should be.  We also get Patrick Stewart reprising his long standing role as Professor X, and the introduction of X-23.  I really enjoyed director James Mangold's work on 2013's The Wolverine, and this looks like it could be even better.

3) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (May 5) - James Gunn's first turn with the Guardians of the Galaxy is one of my favorite films from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) so far, and if the trailer for Vol. 2 is any indication, we're in for another wonderfully fun ride.

2) Wonder Woman (June 2) - Gal Gadot's limited screen time as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman was the best thing about last year's Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice in my opinion. I'll admit, that having grown up with Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman, I questioned whether or not Gadot would be a good fit for the character when she was first announced in the role (my only previous exposure to her had been the Fast and the Furious films), but she won me over in BvS and the trailers for her solo film this summer look awesome.  The DC/WB track record hasn't been so hot thus far, but I am hoping that with script work from Allan Heinberg and Geoff Johns, with Patty Jenkins behind the camera, and the likes of Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright, and Connie Nielsen in front of it that things will change.  It appears as though we'll be getting a period piece/origin story similar to what Marvel did with Captain America: The First Avenger.  At least that's what I'm hoping for, and that could prove to be a winning combination.

1) Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (December 15) - It's too early for a trailer for this bad boy yet, but placing it at the top of my list (or is that bottom?) is really a no-brainer.  Episode VII - The Force Awakens was a wonderful extension of the Star Wars universe following the events of the original trilogy and it will be great to see what comes next for the likes of Rey, Finn, Poe, BB-8, and most importantly Luke Skywalker.  It will also be interesting to see how Leia is handled in the franchise moving forward after Carrie Fisher's passing in December.