It's the beginning of a new year, which means it's time to look ahead to what movies we are getting this year. Similar to my post last year, I'm using the IMDB "Coming Soon" page, based on what information is currently available. Release dates will change, new things will be announced, but as of today this list is current.
January
Much like last year, there is nothing jumping out at me. Although Split was a pleasant surprise when it came out. I'm hoping something like this shows up again.
February
This is an easy one. Black Panther is one of my tops for the year, so it easily wins out for February. While it looks like it might fall into the trap of being a by-the-numbers Marvel first solo film, the action looks amazing.
An honorable mention goes to Annihilation. When the trailer came out last year, I was immediately hooked, and I've already gotten impatient and started on the book. A semi-honorable mention goes to the untitled Cloverfield movie, but I also included that last year and it got pushed back. So no official spot this year.
March
This might be a controversial pick, but I'm going with Pacific Rim Uprising. I quite enjoyed the original, and I'm looking forward to this. Will it be great? I don't know. Will it have giant robots fighting giant monsters? Yes. And that's what I want!
Honorable mention goes to A Wrinkle in Time. I don't remember exactly what this book was about, but I do remember loving it as a kid. I've been meaning to go back and re-read it, so this might be the motivation I need. I know a lot of people are looking forward to Ready Player One but it hasn't grabbed me.
April
This one is close, but I'm going to give the edge to The New Mutants. I love that Fox has been trying some new stuff with their comic book movies (see Deadpool and Logan). And although this looks kind of like a generic horror movie, I like that they are giving it a try. Plus I have really liked Anya Taylor Joy's performances (The Witch, Morgan, Split).
A close second goes to A Quiet Place. I hadn't even heard of this before I started working on this list, but it looks truly scary.
May
May is an easy one for me. Marvel has been building up to Avengers Infinity War for a long time, and it's finally here. This is easily the movie I'm most looking forward to for 2018. I can't wait to see how Marvel wraps up this phase of the MCU and sets up the future.
I suppose honorable mention has to go to Solo: A Star Wars Story. From the time they were announced, I've been very "meh" on these spin off stories of the characters from the original Star Wars trilogy (this goes for you too, Obi-Wan). I'll definitely see this, but it's not a story I'm begging for.
June
Another easy month. I loved the original Deadpool and I can't wait for the sequel. Ryan Reynolds clearly loves this character, and it shows in the movie. He may be channeling a bit of himself, but it works.
July
This is another close month for me. As long as Marvel keeps giving us good movies, I'll keep watching them. Sure, Ant-Man wasn't the best of the MCU, but it was fine. Hopefully they continue the trend of largely giving us a better movie with the sequel in Ant-Man and the Wasp.
Honorable mention for the month goes to Alita: Battle Angel. The first time I saw the trailer (at home, on a laptop), I wasn't sure what I felt. When I saw it on a movie screen, I was a little more excited. I think if they go over the top with the animated look instead of trying to make things look too "real" this could really work.
August
This is another weak month in my opinion. The most notable movies coming out appear to be remakes of Preadator and Scarface. I said we didn't need remakes of IT and Flatliners last year I was half right. Maybe one of these two will do something good?
September
I don't know much about the movies coming out this month. There are a couple of intriguing things coming out, however. I'll give the nod to The Darkest Minds. From IMDB's description: "After a disease kills 98% of America's children, the surviving 2% develop superpowers and are placed in internment camps. A 16-year-old girl escapes her camp and joins a group of other teens on the run from the government."
An honorable mention to The House with the Clock in its Walls. Again, I can only go off the description "A young orphan named Lewis Barnavelt aids his magical uncle in locating a clock with the power to bring about the end of the world."
October
We're getting late in the year where we don't know a lot of what will ultimately come out. But what we do know is Sony is making a Venom film, and it wins the top spot for October at this point.
November
I'm not really looking forward to X-Men: Dark Phoenix but I'm going to give it the nod over the Fantastic Beasts sequel. I think this could be the end of the current run of X-Men movies. Although X-Men Apocalypse did OK at the box office, it wasn't great. I think Fox had a nice run, and had some nice casting with Michael Fassbender and James McEvoy, but I think they've tried to force Jennifer Lawrence's Mystique character into too much of a lead. Maybe it's me but it feels forced.
December
And finally December. What a letdown after getting Star Wars The Last Jedi in 2017. I have to go with Aquaman here. Jason Momoa did a nice job with the character in Justice League but there was a bit too much of a "bro" tone for me. This is a personal thing, and maybe I'll get over it.
So there we have it. At this point, it's not looking quite as amazing as last year, but there will be some surprises. Last year Wonder Woman was a surprise for me (I really wanted it to be good, but after Batman V Superman and Suicide Squad I was ready for a mediocre-to-OK movie). And there will be some things totally not on my radar that turn out to be amazing (Get Out came out of nowhere, I didn't even hear of The Shape of Water until the trailer came out).
What do you think? Did I nail it with these, or did I totally miss something that you're looking forward to? Leave us a comment with your most anticipated movies!