It is that time again when we look at the year ahead of us and arbitrarily rank the 10 movies about which we are most excited.

I do this every year and every year it is fun to see which ones turn out to be good and which ones end up sucking. 2015 was a good year for blockbusters and returning franchises getting a reboot or long awaited sequel and this year looks to be no different. This year is an exciting time for comic book fans as DC throws its hat in the mix proper with two in-continuity films up against Marvel’s two. Add in Fox with two offerings of their own and you have a year that may reach saturation point. Whether or not you are into super hero/comic book movies, this year will be a real test for the genre’s critical mass. Regardless of how it turns out it will be interesting to see how it all plays out. For me, the throughline for this year’s list is less about movies I just can’t wait for and more about movies about which I am curious. As always, sound off in the comments if you agree or disagree or want to chime in with your own list. As always, posters and trailers are included when possible.

 

10. Star Trek Beyond (7/22)

I was a very big fan of JJ Abrams Star Trek reboot and not nearly as much of a fan of his follow up, Star Trek Into Darkness. Now we have the third installment written by Simon Pegg and directed by Fast and the Furious alum Justin Lin. The first trailer hasn’t really done a lot for me but I am an enormous fan of Pegg and his writing so I am willing to give this the benefit of the doubt. Lin is a reliable director for both over the top action and more character driven films like Better Luck Tomorrow so I think he is more than capable of turning in good work here. I am pretty optimistic here but whether or not it will feel like Star Trek remains to be seen.

9. Deadpool (2/12)

I have some pretty complex emotions regarding Deadpool. On the one hand it is a character that I have loved since his very first appearance and on the other he is a character that can really get away from writers if they don’t strike the right balance in tone and execution. So far the trailers have looked like they are going to get it right but this is a character and movie that could go off the rails really easily. Then there is the fact that pretty much any non-Singer or Vaughn X-Men movie has been a shit show. I really hope that Deadpool nails it, I really want this to pan out. Thankfully we don’t have to wait very long to find out.

8.Ghostbusters (7/15)

Here we have another film that I am unsure about. The original Ghostbusters is one of my favorite movies in history. I saw it opening night and watched it roughly 50 times the first month it was out on video. Any potential remake or reboot would make me nervous. Paul Feig at the helm with a solid cast makes me feel a bit better. I was somewhat concerned about Melissa McCarthy given that she can veer into a schtick I don’t particularly care for but her work with Feig has been rock solid and last year’s Spy made me feel a lot better. Given Feig’s track record I have no reason to believe that this will be anything less than awesome but it is Ghostbusters so it is going to be hard not to worry until we at least get a trailer.

 

7.Suicide Squad (8/5)

Suicide Squad will be the first non-Snyder entry into the DCEU and it is helmed by David Ayer, a director I personally love. The direction that the film appears to take some of the characters, not the least of whom is the Joker, has been the subject of much debate and I am very eager to see how this one shakes out. It feels like a bit of a ballsy move for DC to offer up a villain team before we have a firmly established Justice League but that is not necessarily bad. DC is trying to do things  differently than Marvel and it is to be hoped that the change in approach will help keep all these movies from getting stale. This one is a big question mark but I really hope Ayer pulls it off.

6. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (3/25)

Dawn of Justice has really played with my emotions. I dug Man of Steel and I am generally a fan of Zack Snyder but holy shit does this movie look like it is going to be a mess. The first trailer had me pretty excited but the release of the second trailer hit the brakes on that in a major way. I hope that this can pan out but it looks like way too much is being crammed in here and I am afraid that it will be unable to develop its characters in any meaningful way because there are just so damn many of them. I have no problems with casting choices in this one, although I don’t really like what I have seen from Jesse Eisenberg so far. Hopefully his Luthor will have some layers that we haven’t seen yet. This releases 10 days after my birthday and it would be great if it kicked a ton of ass. My fingers are crossed even as they are trembling.

5. X-Men Apocalypse (5/27)

I often forget about how much I love the X-Men. There were some dark years for the franchise and, as I mentioned, the side stories haven’t really panned out so well. Against the backdrop of how well Marvel has done and it is easy to forget that the X-Men movies directed by Bryan Singer (and Matthew Vaughn) have been awesome. I have to keep reminding myself, also, that X-Men trailers are usually pretty shitty. I spent a great deal of the runs up to both First Class and Days of Future Past thinking that they would be terrible and then I loved them both. So when I see costumes that I think look bad or trailers that don’t excite me, I have to remember back to the past two efforts and remind myself that it will probably turn out well in the end.

4. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (12/16)

After how much I loved the Force Awakens it might seem weird that this one is at number four but the whole side story business is still an unknown quantity and the fact that Rogue One is a prequel to the original trilogy makes it a little more dicey. Director Gareth Edwards did a great job with Monsters and I liked Godzilla well enough that his involvement here makes me feel a bit better. A strong cast further bolsters the appeal. I just hope that as much care has been taken with Rogue One as was with the Force Awakens. It would be a shame to follow up such a strong effort with something that doesn’t measure up.

 

3. Doctor Strange (11/4)

A movie a long time coming, Doctor Strange will open up a whole new section of the Marvel Universe and I am pretty excited to see what they do with it. I have always liked Doctor Strange even if I am not an expert but I have always felt like this movie is a no brainer for Marvel. With solid casting in Benedict Cumberbatch, Tilda Swinton, Rachel McAdams, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Mads Mikkelsen and horror/sci-fi director Scott Derrickson I am pretty confident that Doctor Strange will give us something we haven’t seen before from Marvel. This looks to be a continuation of Marvel’s strategy from Phase 2 in which they make movies in different genres as opposed to just the same super hero movie over and over.  I suspect this will also bring us another Infinity Stone which is pretty cool in and of itself.

 

2. Captain America: Civil War (5/6)

The first Phase 3 movie, Civil War is mining comic inspired paydirt and has a ton going for it. This is another movie that is so jam packed with characters it seems like it should be another Avengers film as opposed to a Captain America stand alone. What separates this from Batman v Superman, however, is that with exception of Black Panther and Spider-man, these aren’t going to be newly introduced characters. So it will have less of a burden on it than the DC effort. Sure, it is possible that the Russo brothers will fumble it but after Captain America: Winter Soldier I highly doubt that they will. I am really excited to see how this all plays out and how Spidey fits in. And the trailer kicks ass.

 

1. Hail, Caesar! (2/5)

Pretty much any time the Coen Brothers have a new film out I am going to be excited. For me, they are the most consistent team working in film today. Here, they are giving us a period piece taking place in Hollywood of the 1950s with a cast that includes George Clooney, Scarlett Johannson, Ralph Fiennes, Tilda Swinton, Josh Brolin, Channing Tatum, and Jonah Hill. It even has Dolph ‘I Must Break You’ Lundgren. Honestly the cast and the Coens are enough for it to be my most anticipated of the year but the trailer also looks amazing. It is kind of weird that it is releasing in February but regardless of when it is coming out it look great.

So that is that. If you want to talk or debate the comments are open and don’t forget to leave your own list as well!