Flickering Myth get excited for the year ahead of us…
After a fairly below-average year at the cinema last year, we here at Flickering Myth are feeling rather hopeful for 2017. There are some fantastic films lined up; including a load of comic book movies, the return of Christopher Nolan and King Kong, a new Alien film and a War for the Planet of the Apes. There’s even a new Blade Runner film! Wait… King Kong, Alien, Planet of the Apes, Blade Runner… are we sure this isn’t 1987?..
Twenty-one of our writers voted for a whopping forty-seven movies, with a very tight final top ten. Last year Captain America: Civil War topped our most anticipated movies beating out Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Deadpool and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. It’s probably fair to say that at least three of those movies delivered, but we’ll let you decide which ones. In one funny note, Assassin’s Creed was ninth on our list for 2016, but ended up being one of the biggest flops of the year that no one saw.
Following on from their dismal 2016, can DC bounce back with Justice League and Wonder Woman, or will Marvel reign supreme once again? Or will the eighth installment of a galaxy far, far away take the top spot? Let’s find out.
10. John Wick: Chapter 2 (38 votes)
Many people were surprised by the Keanu Reeves starring John Wick when it was released in 2014. Seeing as it starred the oft-mocked Reeves with an exceptionally generic trailer, most were just expecting another straight-to-DVD bit of fluff that was out of your mind the minute the credits rolled. But in actuality, John Wick was a great and fun action film that never took itself too seriously. It found an audience, and enough of an audience among Flickering Myth writers that its sequel – John Wick: Chapter 2 – has made it into the Top 10 beating off eleventh position by just one point. It even topped one of our writer’s lists as their most anticipated movie of the entire year! With a new director at the helm, it will be interesting to see if John Wick: Chapter 2 captures the essence of the first film and capture lightning in a bottle again.
9. Alien: Covenant (54 votes)
It’s pretty impressive how much Ridley Scott has turned the franchise ship around following the very divisive Prometheus. Those who enjoyed the movie were excited for a sequel, but those who hated it (myself included) couldn’t think of anything worse. But when the movie was changed from Prometheus 2 to Alien: Covenant and the first poster and trailer revealed the iconic Xenomorph, it turned a few heads. The first trailer (oddly released on Christmas Day) impressed audiences and Scott’s trip back into the Alien universe is tickling a lot of people’s nostalgia bones. It’s a shame this movie railroaded Neill Blomkamp’s Alien 5 (read all about that here), but we’ll see if this new entry is worth keeping Ripley and Hicks off screen for a little while longer.
8. Dunkirk (56 votes)
Christopher Nolan returns to cinema screens this year with Dunkirk, a historical epic featuring an all-star cast (including Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance, Kenneth Branagh, James D’Arcy and One Direction’s Harry Styles) that has whetted the appetite of film lovers everywhere. Really the only thing going against Nolan and Dunkirk at this point is the power of hype. He has become a director where his films feel like events, and this can lead to a downfall – Interstellar being a great example. The trailers for Dunkirk, however, have led people to believe this won’t be a let down at all. Unlike John Wick: Chapter Two and Alien: Covenant, Dunkirk is a movie that didn’t top anyone’s list but did get enough votes to push it into the top 10. With that said, it’s also the ONLY movie on our list that isn’t a sequel or part of a franchise. Something to mull over…
7. Spider-Man: Homecoming (60 votes)
And speaking of sequels, it’s three times a charm with the third attempt at a Spider-Man franchise hitting screens this year with Spider-Man: Homecoming. Tom Holland takes center stage this time in a film after his debut last year in Captain America: Civil War, and it has been compared to the John Hughes movies of the 1980s – accompanied with the decade’s icon Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark. Comic book fans were really excited to see the webslinger be a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Holland’s fantastic portrayal of Peter Parker has made people very excited to see his first solo outing. The first trailer might not have impressed everyone – especially those who are sick of seeing team-up movies – but everyone’s favourite wall crawler topped three of our writer’s lists (including my own). With Ghostbusters flopping last year and MIB23 hitting a wall, Sony Pictures will be hoping that Spider-Man: Homecoming can launch a franchise they can hang their hat on for the next few years.
6. Thor: Ragnarok (62 votes)
Just missing out on a top five spot is Thor: Ragnarok, directed by What We Do in the Shadows helmer Taika Waititi. It’s interesting to note that Thor: Ragnarok didn’t make it into the top 10 list from Fandango, but Chris Hemsworth’s latest adventure as the God of Thunder has gotten us here at Flickering Myth very excited. It could just be because Waititi is such an interesting choice for director given his back catalogue of films, but it could also be because the cast of the film is so damn impressive. As if it wasn’t enough having Hemsworth, Tom Hiddelston and Mark Ruffalo, you’ve also got Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange, Cate Blanchett as Hela, Jeff Goldblum as Taskmaster, Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie and Karl Urban as Skurge. Not to mention a promised duel between Thor and Hulk, and the pay off to those strange baths Hemsworth took in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Thor: The Dark World was very low down when we ranked the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so it will be interesting to see if Thor: Ragnarok can spark some interest in the franchise again.
