Films to look forward in 2013

2013 is bound to be a big year in film. Sequels to some of the biggest movies of the last ten years are being released, classics like Jurassic Park and The Little Mermaid are coming back to theaters to show their undying strength in the conscious of the culture, and the action genre is desperately trying to catch up with a post-Avengers industry. Adaptations to recent novels like Warm Bodies and The Host are on their way as well, showing the outright stubbornness of the teen supernatural subgenre, and fans of J.R.R Tolkien are going to see if The Hobbit can be truly extended to three films, when The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug enters its place in the middle of the series at the end of the year. With so many big releases coming, one has to wonder what they should be looking forward to the most. For those wondering that, well, I can’t hold the final opinion, but I can offer a choice few suggestions that deserve to be kept in mind. Without further ado, these are the top 10 films I’m most looking forward to in 2013.

10. Jurassic Park 3-D

This year, Steven Spielberg’s classic cautionary tale of man paying for its disregard of nature turns 20 years old. To celebrate this milestone, the movie will be rereleased allowing everyone to experience the way it was meant to-in front of a gigantic screen being surrounded by T-Rex roars on massive stereos. Those who love this film should be excited for this, especially if you were too young to see it in its initial theatrical run. The only issue is the fact that they’re pointlessly putting it in 3-D. Why is this still a thing? 3-D is a dumb, money gouging gimmick, and has been ever since James Cameron literally pickpocketed $2 billion from the movie going public with 2009’s Avatar. Jurassic Park is already an awesome movie, and its effects are still mindblowing to this day, you don’t have to slap the words 3-D on the title to get people to see it again! Despite this utterly pointless “addition” however, this is still a good film to look forward to reliving in theaters. Definitely keep this one on your film going list when it comes out this April.

9. Thor: The Dark World

With the year of The Avengers finally over, the second wave of Marvel films are now on their way. Among them is the second solo outing of the Nordic God of Thunder Thor, in Thor: The Dark World. In this sequel to the 2011, Thor , reprised by Chris Hemsworth, must battle a new enemy known as the Dark Elves and their king Malekith, in order to save the universe from an even greater, as of yet unrevealed evil. The original Thor was arguably the weakest of the original Avengers build up films, due to its using too much goofy humor at the expense of Thor’s foreigner status on Earth, and its lack of attention towards the more interesting elements like Asgard and his relationship to his brother, the God of Mischief Loki.  A film more focused on the Nordic characters and a giant story was what the original needed to be, but judging from Dark World’s premise, it’s making the adjustments the proper adjustments. If Thor: The Dark World is capable of being the epic fantasy it needs to be, then this could be the improvement The God of Thunder needs. We’ll find out if they do it right when Thor: The Dark World comes to theaters in November.

8. Frozen

After a series of flukes with their CGI films, Disney has finally hit a stride, with 2010’s Tangled and last year’s Wreck it Ralph being critical darlings and massive financial successes, their first of these in making a CGI film without the assistance of Pixar.  Frozen, based off a story by author Hans Christian Anderson,  hopes to keep this streak going, starring the voice of Kristen Bell as Anna, a girl cursed by her evil sister the Snow Queen and must travel the land to break the curse, and must face various obstacles the Queen places in her ways. This seems to be rather standard Disney fare, but after seeing the prowess in CG the company has gained after Wreck it Ralph wowed audiences, it’s hard not to be excited to see what they’re going to do next. Fans of Disney’s recent work should definitely see this when it comes out in November.

7. Pacific Rim   

And from the director of Hellboy and Pan’s Labryinth comes Giant Robots. Guillermo del Toro directs this giant monster flick, and dear oh me, what a giant monster flick it looks to be. This movie’s trailers show nothing but absolute spectacle, with grand effects and some of the most impressive character designs to be seen in an action film for a long time. This movie seems as though it wants nothing less than to be the ultimate monster battle film, and is well on its to gaining that title. This looks like the movie that should have been made ever since CGI started to actually look half-decent. If nothing else, the movie should hopefully be at least a good time. Check it out when it comes to theaters in July.

6. The World’s End

Fans of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, get excited. Director of those films, Edgar Wright, is reuniting with star Simon Pegg, star and co-writer of both of those, to make this apocalypse comedy. With the rather strange premise of friends trying to reach a tavern and facing the end of the world, this sounds like it’s going to be completely insane. And the completely insane is something that Wright and Pegg are extremely talented in. This should be a romp, and will hopefully reach the levels of fantastic humor that their previous films have. Get ready for the crazy when it comes to the US in October.

5. Much Ado About Nothing

……So the director of The Avengers is adapting one of Shakespeare’s most well-known plays…..this is either going to be a masterpiece or a complete disaster…. Either way, I’m on board! Expect it for a June release.

4. Iron Man 3

The third film in Marvel Comic’s Iron Man series, this movie looks bigger and better than both of the previous entries. Robert Downey Jr. returns as Tony Stark, the Iron Man, and must face a new menace known as the Mandarin, who threatens to destroy both the world and Tony’s personal life. The focus seems to be getting back to the characterization of Stark, which was one of the great strengths of the original film, whereas Iron Man 2 was more intent on comic book action.  With Iron Man 2’s strong cast returning and Oscar winning actor Ben Kingsley playing the Mandarin, the acting department seems handled, and with Director Shane Black, writer of hits like Lethal Weapon and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, inheriting the series from Jon Farvraeu, it seems like the film will have a healthy balance of new and familiar ideas. This looks to be simply brilliant, and should be when it hits theaters in May.

3. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Peter Jackson definitely took a risky move trying to adapt J.R.R Tolkien’s The Hobbit, turning what was originally a children’s adventure story into a three hour film epic, but with Unexpected Journey, he seems to have come out mostly a winner. Taking that same book, which is thinner than any volume of The Lord of the Rings mind you, and turning it into THREE movies, all three hours? That’s just insane! However, Unexpected Journey’s high quality does create a lot of confidence for the next two films.  The ball is in Smaug’s court now, and there is a lot riding on this being a good movie. If it turns out that all the additions to extend the story of The Hobbit were not a strong idea on Jackson’s part, this will be the movie that gets the worst of it. With so much riding on this movie, it’s hard not to be excited to see what will be done. No matter what, the audience can expect strong acting from the likes of Ian Mckellen and Martin Freeman, and the action scenes will likely be as grand and epic as they have always been. Fantasy fans, get ready for a whole year of pre-release jitters, because we’re not seeing this baby till December.

2. Star Trek into Darkness

As a huge fan of the multiple Star Trek TV series, and a lover of most of the Star Trek films, this is a no brainer for me to put so high on the list. Though I have yet to see J.J Abrams’ 2009 Trek film, and have heard nothing but mixed reactions about it, the trailers for this movie…..what can be said? This movie looks epic, action packed, filled with character drama, and even looks to make references to Star Trek II, arguably the best of the original films. And that’s not even looking at the fact that the villain is being played by one of the best up and coming actors of the decade, Benedict Cumberbatch, best known as Sherlock Holmes from the recent BBC incarnation of the series (Which, to digress for a moment, is far superior to Guy Ritchie’s films with Robert Downey Jr.). And while not much of the plot, rather none of it, has been revealed this still looks like one of the strongest pure Science Fiction films that have come out in a long while, and has been showing itself as a giant and intense experience. This movie by all rights had better be awesome. This needs to be on any action or sci fi fans viewing list for when its released in May.

1. From Up on Poppy Hill 

 From Up on Poppy Hill is an animated Japanese drama that was released officially last year. It is the story of a young girl named Umi Matsuzuki, living in 1960s Japan meets a school journalist named Shun Kazama and together they try to preserve a school clubhouse at risk of being demolished by the chairman of their high school.

…….I’m very aware of how dreadfully boring this sounds. However, the reason this is at the top of my list can be surmised in one brief statement- Studio Ghibli.  No two words can compel me to see a movie more than seeing the name of Studio Ghibli planted over the title. Ghibli, best known for their headlining director Hayao Miyazaki, have made some of the greatest animated films ever, like the action packed fantasy epic Princess Mononoke and the fun, and the slice of life adventure of Kiki’s Delivery Service. With most of the studio’s film consistently having great visuals and animation, along with strong scripts and unforgettable characters, even a movie with a premise as drawl as this one should one is worth most of someone’s anticipation. Poppy Hill is directed by Goro Miyazaki, son of the formerly mentioned Hayao, and is his second film, his first being the lackluster Tales From Earthsea, which was rather underwhelming for Ghibli. However, with reviews from countries who have seen the film being extremely positive, Goro’s questionable record should not turn away audiences, especially animation enthusiasts. If you enjoy animation, drama, and a likely heartwarming experience, do not hesitate to see this film when Disney brings it stateside in March. And if you have not seen a Studio Ghibli film, go watch one. Any of them. It’s likely an experience you will not regret.

And with that, those are the 10 films I’m most looking this year. If any of these are your list, then I can’t wait to see you at the theater, and if some aren’t, well, I hope I got you interested in a title you haven’t heard of, or at least got you to take a second look at film you haven’t thought much of. 2013 is looking to be an unbelievable year for film, and hopefully it will meet, and possibly exceed, the expectations that have been set upon it.