2015 was an impressive year for blockbuster movies. Old franchises returned and many people flocked to the cinema to see them. We saw many Box Office records broken as more people paid to watch movies in the cinema than in 2014. 2016 arguably looks to be an even bigger year. Here is our top 10 most anticipated movies of 2016.
10) Star Trek Beyond
Star Trek Beyond is 10 on our list. The reason it’s not higher is because the debut trailer received mixed reactions from actual Star Trek fans. However, the previous two films in the rebooted series were highly entertaining. Into Darkness may have borrowed too much from Wrath of Khan, but it was still very enjoyable.
Star Trek Beyond still retains the great cast the other films had and adds Idris Elba as the main villain. We also get a new director with Justin Lin who directed the decent Fast and the Furious movies. This movie may not feel like traditional “Star Trek”, but there’s a chance the movie could be dumb fun like Fast and Furious or Guardians of the Galaxy.
9) Assassin’s Creed
Historically, video game movies are really bad. Really bad might be too soft, let’s just say I’m thinking of a word that rhymes with hit and we’ll leave it at that. However, Assassin’s Creed might have a chance of being actually good and this is thanks to the cast.
Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard are two of the finest actors in Hollywood today. Not to mention the movie also stars Jeremy Irons too. A great cast like that means the acting of this film should be believable and powerful. The only thing preventing this film from being higher on the list is that we’ve yet to see a trailer yet. The script better stay true to the games as well. Hollywood usually butchers video games by changing everything.
8) Warcraft
Another video game movie makes our list. This time though, we have seen a trailer for Warcraft and it looks pretty decent. Again, the story might not win an Academy Award, but there is potential that this film can deliver great action. If it can be as entertaining as Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, that would be a great achievement.
Unlike Assassin’s Creed though, one thing this movie suffers from is actual star power. Ben Foster and Paula Patton have been in several movies, but they have yet to reach “household name” status. The action, visual effects and brand power of the Warcraft name could make this movie successful though.
7) Independence Day: Resurgence
This film could be 2016’s version of Jurassic World. Jurassic World was the best sequel for Jurassic Park as it didn’t take itself too seriously. Jurassic World delivered because it was just a popcorn satisfying film. Independence Day: Resurgence could also be in the same breath as it’s a sequel based on a popcorn flick people loved back in 1996.
The only missing puzzle in this sequel is Will Smith. However, Smith was asking for way too much money. The film does retain some of the original cast as we have Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman back. The latest trailer also received positive reactions online. As long as this movie is entertaining, it should be able to satisfy the masses.
6) Deadpool
This is the first time the popular character stars in a movie. We are not counting that character that appeared in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. That character was not Deadpool! This new movie looks like it stays true to the comic books and this is one reason people are liking it so far.
The charm of Deadpool is that he’s unlike any other comic book character. Ant-Man was a fun superhero movie, but this movie could even be more humorous. It is also one of the few superhero movies to be rated R. We can be sure to see lots of violence and rude humor. If this is done right, Deadpool could be everyone’s favorite comic book movie.
5) X-Men: Apocalypse
X-Men: Days of Future Past was arguably the best film in the entire series. X-Men: Apocalypse looks to be even bigger and better. Apocalypse has always been the X-Men’s biggest threat and the stakes have never been higher. The ’80s setting could also set this movie apart from other comic book movies that are usually set in the present day.
This movie also has a lot of fresh new names and doesn’t focus on Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine. As great as Jackman is as Wolverine, it’s refreshing that this film will concentrate on other characters. This movie is also directed by Bryan Singer and he’s always delivered. Oscar Issac impressed in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and he could deliver an even better performance as Apocalypse.
4) Suicide Squad
Many comic book movies that are out are based on superheroes. This movie is the opposite of The Avengers as we now get a group of super-villains. This film created a lot of buzz when the first trailer came out months ago. Lots of people wanted to see the first live-action adaptation of Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) and Jared Leto’s version of The Joker.
This film also boasts an impressive cast. Apart from the two actors mentioned above, there’s also Will Smith, Amanda Waller, Cara Delevingne and more. Too bad Tom Hardy was unavailable to commit to this film or else the cast would have been more star-studded. Still, the cast alone could make this movie great. The villain aspect means it will feel different from other movies too.
3) Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Star Wars: The Force Awakens delivered and rekindled many peoples’ love for the Star Wars franchise. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story could potentially be just as awesome. Much like Suicide Squad, this movie has a great cast that could carry the movie. Academy Award nominee Felicity Jones is the main lead and she’s supported by Forest Whitaker, Mads Mikkelsen, Donnie Yen, Alan Tudyk and more. That is a great list of actors!
Not to mention this film is set just before A New Hope. We will see the original Stormtroopers and Darth Vader is still alive and kicking during this time period. It will be cool to see if they chuck in a Darth Vader cameo somewhere.
2) Captain America: Civil War
Captain America: The Winter Soldier is the MCU’s equivalent of The Dark Knight (2008). It is the best movie from the MCU and Civil War could be just as good. However, Civil War brings in Iron Man and pretty much every MCU character not named Thor and Hulk. Despite bringing in many Marvel characters, it’s great to see that the movie will still be focused on Captain America.
The biggest drawcard for this film though is the introduction of Marvel’s Spider-Man played by Tom Holland. This is the first time that Marvel has had some type of creative control for the character in a movie. Hopefully they do the character justice as the Spider-Man character has been lost in the shuffle recently thanks to Sony not handling him right.
1) Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Captain America: Civil War looks great, but we’ve seen Iron Man and Captain America star in many films already. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice feels bigger as this is the first time we are seeing Batman and Superman star in one movie before. It also marks the first movie version of Wonder Woman too. To a lesser extent, it also gives us the first movie version of Doomsday as well.
The reason this movie is number one is because Batman and Superman are the two biggest names in comics books. Seeing these two characters face off in their own movie has never been done before in a scale this large. We’ve only seen them fight or team up in animated movies only.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice also sets up the stage for the Justice League and other DC movies that are left to come. Warner Bros. execs have also hyped up that Ben Affleck is the “definitive Batman” so the hype has never gotten bigger than this.
