With Rogue One capping off a pretty decent year of science fiction on the big screen,
can 2017 do any better?
Welcome to The Final Frontier as I take a month-by-month look at the most anticipated
films for 2017.
JANUARY Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (January
27, 2017) A relatively weak offering to start the year
but this one clearly has its fans, as this is the sixth and – as the name implies – the
final installment in the Resident Evil film series.
Picking up immediately after the events in Resident Evil: Retribution, this film sees
humanity is on its last legs in Washington D.C.
As the only survivor of what was meant to be humanity’s final stand against the undead
hordes, Alice must return to where the nightmare began – Raccoon City.
FEBRUARY The LEGO Batman Movie (10 Feb)
Following the massive success of The LEGO Movie, the self-described leading man of that
ensemble – LEGO Batman – stars in his own big-screen adventure.
But there are big changes brewing in Gotham, and if he wants to save the city from The
Joker’s hostile takeover, Batman may have to drop the lone vigilante thing, try to work
with others and maybe, just maybe, learn to lighten up.
I have preferred the original teaser trailers for this over the full trailer, nevertheless,
I have high hopes for this one.
MARCH Logan (3 Mar)
Following X-Men Origins: Wolverine in 2009 and The Wolverine in 2013, Logan is the third
solo outing for the Wolverine from the X-Men film series and is the final time we will
see Hugh Jackman in a role that he has well and truly made his own.
The standalone Wolverine films have arguably never reached the greatest heights of the
best X-Men films but Logan looks like it might be the send off that the Wolverine deserves.
I am truly buzzing for this one.
Power Rangers (24 Mar)
Saban’s Power Rangers (a big screen reboot of the Power Rangers franchise) follows five
ordinary high school kids who must become something extraordinary when they learn that
their small town of Angel Grove – and the world – is on the verge of being obliterated
by an alien threat.
I’m not quite sure about this one.
I missed the Power Rangers craze in school so associate this franchise with cheese and
camp, but if they managed to make Batman edgy and cool then maybe they can do the same with
the Power Rangers.
Alternatively, this could very easily go down the Fantastic Four route of disappointment…
Life (24 Mar) Due to open on the same weekend is, Life,
starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Ryan Reynolds.
In this science fiction horror, the six-member crew of the International Space Station is
tasked with studying a sample from Mars that may be the first proof of extra-terrestrial
life, but which proves to be more intelligent than expected.
Ghost in the Shell (March 31, 2017) Based on the internationally-acclaimed sci-fi
anime, “GHOST IN THE SHELL” follows the Major, a special ops, one-of-a-kind human-cyborg
hybrid, who leads the elite task force Section 9.
Devoted to stopping the most dangerous criminals and extremists, Section 9 is faced with an
enemy whose singular goal is to wipe out Hanka Robotic’s advancements in cyber technology.
Although Scarlet Johansson’s casting as The Major has drawn criticism for its apparent
‘whitewashing’ of the series, I think she is a great actress and look forward to
seeing her in this adaptation.
APRIL The Circle (28 Apr)
Starring Emma Watson and Tom Hanks, The Circle is based on the 2013 novel of the same name
by Dave Eggers and has generated some early buzz.
Emma Watson plays Mae, who joins the world’s largest tech and social media company, Faceb…
I mean The Circle.
As she rises through the ranks she is encouraged by the company’s founder to live her life
with complete transparency.
But no one is really safe when everyone is watching.
MAY Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (5 May)
Set two months after the first film, this sequel to 2014’s hugely successful Guardians
of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 continues the team's adventures as they traverse the outer reaches
of the cosmos to unravel the mysteries of Peter Quill's true parentage.
When the original film came out, the Guardians were pretty much unknowns, but a superb marketing
campaign supported a quality film, and now Guardians volume 2 is one of the biggest highlights
in 2017.
Alien: Covenant (19 May) Bound for a remote planet on the far side
of the galaxy, the crew of the colony ship Covenant discovers what they think is an uncharted
paradise, but is actually a dark, dangerous world — whose sole inhabitant is the “synthetic”
David, survivor of the doomed Prometheus expedition.
This sequel to the 2012 film Prometheus, is the second instalment in the Alien prequel
series and is directed by Ridley Scott himself.
JUNE Wonder Woman (June 2, 2017)
Although DC hasn’t quite managed to find Marvel’s magic ingredients, this fourth
instalment in the DC Extended Universe is highly anticipated, especially because many
consider Wonder Woman to be the best thing about Batman versus Superman.
So surely an entire movie with her can only be a hit?
Fingers are crossed.
This is an origin movie, which will show us how the Amazonian Princess Diana became the
superhero warrior princess, and her eventual quest to fight for our world amid the chaos
of World War I.
The Mummy (9 June) Yet another reboot, and yet another attempt
to build a universe following the lead of the Marvel Universe.
In this case, this reboot of the Mummy franchise is also the first instalment in the Universal
Monsters shared universe.
Other monsters within this universe will include Van Helsing, the Invisible Man and Frankenstein’s
monster.
This film sees an ancient queen – thought to be safely entombed in a crypt – whose
destiny was unjustly taken from her awakened in the current day, bringing with her malevolence
grown over millennia and terrors that defy human comprehension.
Transformers: The Last Knight (23 Jun) Plot details for Transformers: The Last Knight
are unknown at this time, and frankly that’s because it really doesn’t matter what the
plot is because we know exactly what we’ll get with this Michael Bay franchise: mindless
nonsense with not a drop of care for characterisation.
In fact, I implore you NOT to go see this movie so this beloved franchise can be burned
and raised from the ashes by someone who truly loved the cartoon series.
Oh this just in, Breaking News, it’s actually been cancelled so nothing to see here ladies
and gentlemen…
…and the money you save can instead be used to see:
Despicable Me 3 (30 Jun)
After two successful entries and a spin-off prequel that also did well, Despicable Me
3 is one of the most anticipated films of the year.
Interestingly, the minions are missing in this trailer, which is good news to me as
they have been milked a great deal leading to oversaturation.
Nevertheless, this sequel looks to capture the spirit of the earlier films as Dru battles
Balthazar Bratt, a former child star who grows up to become obsessed with the character he
played in the '80s…
JULY Spider-man: Homecoming (7 July)
A young Peter Parker navigates his newfound identity as the web-slinging superhero.
Yes; we have yet another reboot for Spider-Man but there is some hope this time as an early
outing for this new Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War proved to be very promising.
Let’s hope they keep the story clean and simple and don’t fall into the trap of multiple
villains once again.
War for the Planet of the Apes (14 July) Picking up from where Dawn of the Planet of
the Apes left off, this sequel shows Caesar preparing his community for the impending
war against humanity that will determine the fate of their species and Earth's future.
But don’t expect a full resolution in this third part of the rebooted series, as the
fourth Planet of the Apes film is already being planned.
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (21 Jul)
Being a fan of the brilliant The Fifth Element, I have high hopes for Luc Besson’s Valerien
and the City of a Thousand Planets, which is an adaptation of the French science fiction
comics series Valérian and Laureline.
The movie will follow Valerian, along with his partner Laureline, who are special operatives
for the government of the human territories charged with maintaining order throughout
the galactic empire.
The Dark Tower (28 Jul) Gunslinger Roland Deschain roams an Old-West
style landscape searching for a dark tower he hopes can preserve his dying world.
This film is based on a series of novels of the same name by Stephen King.
But rather than an adaptation, it will be a sequel of sorts, following the ending of
The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower.
So I guess I better start reading those 7 novels then.
We then have a lull in August and September, followed by…
OCTOBER Blade Runner 2049 (6 Oct)
Thirty years after the events of the first film, a new Blade Runner, LAPD officer K,
unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what’s left of society
into chaos.
K’s discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard, a former LAPD blade runner who
has been missing for 30 years.
I never thought I’d see a Blade Runner sequel in my lifetime and I am in two minds about
it.
On the on hand, why mess with a perfect self-contained film by filming a sequel.
But on the other, it’s Blade Runner, one of the best and most iconic science fiction
movies of all time!
What’s more exciting to see than that world brought to life again…
I just hope it lives up to the original’s greatness.
2017 Cloverfield Movie (27 Oct) Originally referred to as God Particle, 2017
Cloverfield Movie is, unsurprisingly, the third instalment in the Cloverfield franchise
and is produced by JJ Abrams.
It is a low budget science fiction thriller in which a team of astronauts aboard a space
station find themselves alone after the Earth disappears.
To be honest, I’m not sure if there is a deeper link between the films in the Cloverfield
universe, other than that they take place in the same universe at similar times, but
it is rumoured that there will be a Cloverfield film every year so I guess I’ll have time
to figure it out.
The first two films were great and the premise of this third film is intriguing…
NOVEMBER Thor Ragnarok: November 3, 2017
Thor must confront the gods to the gods when Asgard is threatened with Ragnarok, the Norse
apocalypse.
The film takes places after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 and Spider-Man: Homecoming and
before Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War.
There is no official trailer yet so here’s a snippet from Thor’s holiday during the
events of Captain America: Civil War.
Justice League (17 Nov) After years of build-up we finally have DC’s
answer to Marvel’s Avengers: Justice League.
Fuelled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s selfless act,
Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater
enemy.
Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to find and recruit a team of metahumans to
stand against this newly awakened threat.
But is it already too late for Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash to save
the planet.
DECEMBER Star Wars Episode VIII (15 Dec)
With The Force Awakens in December 2015 and Rogue One this year, Disney pretty much owns
December in the theatres, and 2017’s follow-up to The Force Awakens will no doubt continue
their imperious march evey onwards.
And deservedly so, Disney has shown that the franchise is in great hands so let’s hope
the Episode 8 keeps The Force going strong.
And with the terrible news that Carrie Fisher is no longer with us, there will be just that
extra little poignancy to the film…
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