Films to Look Forward to in 2016

2016 promises to be another great year for cinema. We’ll be getting the best of both worlds with more comic book/superhero action from Marvel & DC AND more Star Wars. That’s reason enough to be excited, and here are some films to look forward to in 2016:

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Warner Brothers is doing kind of the opposite of what Marvel did with their cinematic universe by using this film as the launch pad instead of having individual films to introduce and explore the various DC heroes. Despite their questioned approach and the highly scrutinized casting of Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman and Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, it looks promising from the trailers and will no doubt be a hit.

Captain America: Civil War

Inner conflict within the Avengers has been simmering, and now it comes to a boil. A lot will be at stake in this film and the MCU will be deeply affected by what occurs, no doubt.

Deadpool

Fox may have screwed up with their portrayal of Deadpool in the abomination that was Origins: Wolverine, but they seem to have righted that wrong by giving us an R rated film based on the popular anti-hero. It looks quite promising from the trailer too.

Demolition

Jean-Marc Vallée has proven himself to be an actor’s director, directing Matthew McConaughy and Jared Leto to Oscar nominated performances in Dallas Buyer’s Club (both of them won) and Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern to Oscar nominated performances in Wild. Both films are deeply personal and human too. Demolition looks to be a similar film with Jake Gyllenhaal in the lead role.

Doctor Strange

Although he’s a Marvel hero most are unfamiliar with, Ant-Man and Guardians of the Galaxy have proved that audiences are interested in seeing less talked about Marvel heroes on the silver screen too. With Scott Derrickson as director and Benedict Cumberbatch in the lead role, it’s sure to be an intriguing film in the MCU and another potential hit for Marvel.

Everybody Wants Some

It’s a spiritual sequel to Dazed and Confused from Richard Linklater, and it looks absolutely amazing!

Ghostbusters

Well, instead of a sequel, it’s a reboot of the classic 80’s comedy of the same name…a reboot that no one asked for. On top of that controversy, the all-female cast has been highly scrutinized, but it’s beside the point in the author’s humble opinion. They either should’ve gone with a sequel, one with a new generation of Ghostbusters that was once rumored, or left the franchise as is, the latter choice being the more preferable one. Who knows though, maybe it’ll be better than expected. Kristen Wiig is great and perhaps the new approach could work in the film’s favor.

Green Room

Jeremy Saulnier is one of the best low profile names in the industry. Murder Party is a true gem of a film, and Blue Ruin is a low-key and stellar revenge thriller. Green Room looks to be another great film from him thanks to an intriguing premise and a solid cast.

Independence Day: Resurgence

Sure the first isn’t a great film and might not hold up the best in certain aspects, but it’s still an enjoyable summer popcorn flick. This sequel looks to be more of the same.

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back

The first Jack Reacher is a fun, gripping crime thriller with Tom Cruise in the title role. Perhaps this sequel will be more of the same.

The Jungle Book

Although it’s been adapted many times in the past, this version will benefit from director Jon Favreau’s vision and an impressive cast.

Knight of Cups

Another Terrence Malick film that looks visually stunning and will likely polarize viewers. Can’t deny it has an impressive cast, though.

Neighbors 2

Neighbors was a great comedy with Zac Efron being funnier than anyone could’ve expected. Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne having to fight an all girl’s sorority that’s moved in next door with Efron’s help makes for a great premise and a comedy sequel that’s worth a watch.

The Nice Guys

Shane Black returns to the director’s chair with this dark crime/comedy film, one which he also wrote. It’s certainly worth a watch.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Adapted from the novel of the same name by Seth-Grahame- Smith, it could go either way. The quirky mashup of genres and material might not work as well as it did in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, although the mainstream does love zombies now, so it might be a slight commercial success.

The Purge 3

The Purge: Anarchy was a better than expected sequel, and a lot better than the first. With Frank Grillo returning, this is sure to be promising.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Another Star Wars film, yet it’s not a direct sequel to The Force Awakens. It’s a standalone film set in the same universe rather. Perhaps this will be a great start to the anthology films in the Star Wars franchise.

Sausage Party

An adult animated comedy courtesy of Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, James Franco and crew? It’s sure to be a lot of fun.

Snowden

Oliver Stone’s recent work has been spotty, but with Joseph Gordon-Levitt portraying a relevant and intriguing real life figure, it just might work.

Star Trek Beyond

While Justin Lin directing and almost the entire Star Trek fanbase already hating it based off of one short trailer doesn’t exactly inspire confidence, it might be better than most expect it to be. The previous two films directed by J.J. Abrams did a great job of reinvigorating the franchise which was honestly becoming a little stale, and perhaps this film will continue to keep the franchise relevant.

Suicide Squad

While a feature length film focused on a group of villains/anti-heroes is a risky endeavor, at least it’s something different. The little we’ve seen so far has been impressive, and with the talented David Ayer directing, it just might work.

X-Men: Apocalypse

The highly anticipated follow up to Days of Future Past, which retconned the series for the better. With Oscar Isaac as the film’s antagonist and yet another high stakes premise, this just might end up being the best superhero film of 2016.

Zoolander No. 2

A comedy sequel that actually looks funny and like it was made for the right reasons, unlike that one that came in 2014 with those two dumb guys. Also, talk about an impressive cast with a lot of cameos.