Top 10 Most Anticipated Films of 2017

With 2017 officially here, I felt it only seemed appropriate to share the ten films I'm most looking forward to. Keep in mind all of these are blockbusters because as of this point in time I don't know much else about any other 2017 releases. I've also decided to nix the "Most Underwhelming/Biggest Disappointments" list of the year from now on because it's simply too negative.

Top 10 Most Anticipated Films of 2017

10. Kong: Skull Island 

Kong Skull Island's trailers have been awesome. I'm loving the 60's Vietnam vibe meshed with a Kong monster movie. Not to mention the stellar cast including Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, and John Goodman. If this is nearly as great as the trailers it should be a fun cinematic experience that's supposedly going to build to a confrontation between Kong and Godzilla.

9. Justice League

I would be lying if I said I had no reservations about Justice League. While the sizzle reel trailer released at last year's San Diego Comic Con was admirably awesome, it seemed to lean a little heavily on humor and I'm not saying the DCEU can't be lighthearted but I'm not sure that will work for all these characters. I've been burned out by Warner Bros and DC three times with Man Of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Suicide Squad , all of which had some pretty awesome trailers but turned out to be disappointments. If there's one beacon that restored my faith in Zack Snyder though it was definitely the Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice- Ultimate Edition which was a huge improvement of the theatrical release and an indicator Batman v. Superman suffered from studio meddling more than anything. So I included it on this list because I'm very cautiously optimistic about the Justice League and the picture above was more than enough to get me excited.

8. The LEGO Batman Movie

The LEGO Movie was one of the biggest surprises of 2014 and Will Arnett's LEGO Batman was a standout supporting character so Warner Bros. knew what they were doing when they green-lit this spin-off. The trailers for this have been hilarious and I'm hoping Warner Bros. can duplicate the success of The LEGO Movie with this animated entry that looks to poke fun at Batman's various cinematic incarnations over the years.

7. Kingsman: The Golden Circle

Kingsman: The Secret Service was another film that really surprised me and I still enjoy to this day so it's no shock that I included it's sequel on this list. Director Matthew Vaughn is returning and the cast is gaining some interesting additions as the Kingsman visit the American spy agency with the likes of Channing Tatum, Jeff Bridges, Halle Berry, and Julianne Moore.

6. Logan

This is an example of a positive result from Deadpool's massive success. As the market floods with comic book adaptations and more superhero blockbusters, differentiation is needed to keep people interested and Logan looks to be the Wolverine film we've always wanted, an R-rated road trip movie that has the look and feel of a Western and is adapting Old Man Logan. Also Hugh Jackman has been Wolverine for seventeen years now and this is supposedly his last go at the character so my hopes are high for a nice send-off that's not high on spectacle but true to character.

5. Thor: Ragnarok

Speaking of road trip movies, Thor Ragnarok is supposed to be a space road trip movie pairing Thor and the Hulk. It's borrowing from the Planet Hulk storyline and will probably have a lot of the build up for Avengers: Infinity War. While I haven't been a huge fan of Thor's previous two outings, I will say a fresh unique talent perks my attention as Taika Watiti will be taking the reigns as director. Watiti has an interesting filmography and put together a hilarious short of everything Thor was up to during the events of Captain America: Civil War. It was recently officially revealed Doctor Strange would be making an appearance and it will mark Loki's return to the MCU. I'm stoked.

4. Wonder Woman

While I did say earlier I've been burned out by DC three times, Wonder Woman currently stands apart as Patty Jenkins will offer fresh directorial vision, Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman was a highlight of Batman v. Superman, and the trailers have this have been AWESOME. Sure, it's kinda riffing on the idea behind Captain America: The First Avenger by placing Wonder Woman in a far removed time. However, World War I is rarely explored in film as opposed to World War II and I'm curious to see what Jenkins does with Wonder Woman. I'm crossing my fingers it will change DC's path and lead the way for a multitude of great films.

3. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

I loved Guardians of the Galaxy. It was different from everything else Marvel had put out to that point and is an incredibly fun space opera. But what excites me most about Vol. 2 is returning for more adventures with these awesome characters. Oh, and Baby Groot of course. 

2. Spider-Man: Homecoming

I was ecstatic when Sony agreed to share the rights to Spider-Man with Marvel Studios and initiate a joint ownership of sorts for the character. It was always annoying that Spider-Man was restricted from interacting with any of the Avengers or the larger Marvel universe and finally seeing him trade blows with Avengers in Civil War's standout sequence was amazing thanks to Tom Holland's excellent comedic timing and line delivery. They did an excellent job recasting the web-slinger. But beyond the fact that we can have a standalone Spider-Man film inside Marvel's Cinematic Universe, it's awesome to have an actor that's actually young Peter Parker and I'm excited to see Jon Watts explore the struggles of balancing high school and fighting crimes because that's something that previous Spider-Man films glossed over and kinda sped past graduating the character fairly early on.

1. Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Would this even be my list if Episode VIII didn't top my list? I'm excited to return to the lives of these new characters that we stole our hearts in The Force Awakens, continue the ongoing Star Wars saga, and finally see some of this older Luke Skywalker in action. I'm also curious to see how Leia's character will be handled considering Carrie Fisher's recent passing and hope to see a nice send-off for the character deserving of her legacy.