#5 - The Amazing Spider-Man 2
The future of Sam Raimi's Spider-Man film franchise collapsed in 2010, paving the way for a reboot two years later with a new cast, crew and storyline. Andrew Garfield took the helm as the titular superhero and faced off against Rhys Ifan's The Lizard; many were left underwhelmed by its plot holes and unanswered questions, but the sequel promises to continue the narrative as Peter faces off against even badder foes who also connect to his troubled past. The Rhino, Electro and Green Goblin appear as main villains, which has raised unfavourable comparisons to Spider-Man 3 but it's been promised that they'll be used and balanced correctly. If this works out, the film looks to be an action packed superhero hit with a storyline that's actually got me very interested.
#4 - RoboCop
Remaking a classic cult film is never gonna end well - Hollywood surely braced themselves for overwhelming backlash when it was announced that a remake of the 1987 classic RoboCop was in the works, originally due for 2011. The film was then been pushed back multiple times, ending up with a final release date of February 2014, with the official trailer debuting just three months back; reception was mixed, and fans of the original were far from impressed. It may be my wishful thinking, but the film to me looks like a solid and new interpretation of the character with a welcome focus on the human within. Some of it looks very cliché, but I'm still excited to see how it pans out.
#3 - Interstellar
Even though the official teaser trailer cropped up just last month, Christopher Nolan's Interstellar remains light years away and won't arrive in cinemas until November. The first film by Nolan following his superb Batman trilogy, Interstellar's plot details are being kept tightly secured by Warner Bros. to generate interest; all we know is that a team of scientists encounter a wormhole within the depths of space. The trailer itself was just as vague, hinting at the themes of the movie instead of focusing on any narrative content. Though there's not a lot for me to judge at this stage, I'm a huge fan of Nolan, and I'm very keen to see what surprises he has in store this time.
#2 - Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Rise of the Planet of the Apes was a surprise success back in 2011, earning nearly $500 million worldwide and reigniting interest in the popular franchise. A lot of work has gone into the sequel in the past three years, and this time the premise is entirely different. James Franco and most of the original cast are gone - the film is set many years after its predecessor, where the deadly virus has wiped out most of the human race and left apes to dominate the planet. Caesar leads the new civilisation, who must all soon face up against a team of human survivors lead by Gary Oldman. I thoroughly enjoyed the first film and the premise of this sequel sounds even more exciting - let's hope it stays that way.
#1 - Godzilla
I won't claim to be a huge Godzilla nut - I've not seen any of the Japanese films, which I understand makes me an uncultured faggot. Perhaps my reputation is further tarnished when I say I have seen the terribly crappy 1998 American film by Roland Emmerich. A Godzilla film has not since been produced by a US studio, until now - come May 2014, the classic movie monster will hopefully be done justice when Gareth Edwards (Monsters, 2010) brings him to life once again. Last month's trailer showed some terrified characters, including Aaron Taylor Johnson and Bryan Cranston, as they face off against the monster and all its destruction. Following this tense sequence, the monster is shown in a cloud of debris, turning its gargantuan head and emitting that earth shattering classic roar. Featuring the biggest interpretation of the creature yet and some spectacular looking set pieces, Godzilla should hopefully be one of the biggest films of the summer and will erase all memories of that foul 1998 film. Good riddance.
Thanks for reading! Happy New Year!
