Forget about all the things we were promised to have in 2015 by Back to the Future. 2015 seems to be our year for the movies, us geeks and nerds, that is. I do hope that no one is insulted by my use of the terms geek and nerd. Those are badges that I wear proudly and mean no harm by them. Cinematically in the coming year, I think there’s something for each of us. We welcome several new tales, plus various tried and true installments on very popular franchises. A lot of the studios are still being very hush-hush about details on some of the films. I’ve gleaned what I can from different sources, and I now present the movies that will quicken the pulse of most any avid reader of Amazing Stories Mag.
I’ll start with the biggie. Star Wars: The Force Awakens. What can I say? By now we’ve all seen the teaser/trailer for this long anticipated film. And yes, it looks amazing! As long as Jar Jar stays out of this one, I think we’ll all be just fine. And how cool is that light saber?
Avengers: Age of Ultron. Another biggie. A huge star-studded cast with Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Joss Whedon directing. The android, Ultron, spawned from Tony Stark’s laboratory, has naught but destruction on his mind. Several new characters are in this one: Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, and Vision. Should be a crowd-pleaser.
Taking a step back from the more grandiose films, I submit for your approval Tomorrowland. Britt Robertson plays a teenager who finds a magic pin which sends her into another reality. This adventurous story has Robertson teaming up with George Clooney, who plays an antisocial inventor. Directed by Brad Bird, most noted for his animated film, The Iron Giant, sticks to a 1950s brand of sci-fi for this outing as well.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 is scheduled for a late fall release. Any of you that have read the books know what’s going to happen. I’m not a big fan of this franchise myself, but don’t deride those who are. It is the last film role for the late Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Another big blockbuster on tap for 2015 is Jurassic World. Chris Pratt stars with Vincent D’Onofrio and Bryce Dallas Howard. In this installment the theme park that never opened in the first movie has been running for a couple of years. You can guess the rest.
I grew up on James Bond movies, so I have to include Spectre, the 24th installment for the franchise. It features Daniel Craig returning as everyone’s favorite spy. There has been a lot of buzz about the introduction of new Bond characters. Always worth a watch. Bond is a guilty pleasure for me, a bit of fun.
I have to mention the new Pixar movie coming out early summer, Inside Out. While not truly a genre of film that fits into our reader’s sort, it does have an interesting premise. Watching the film, you get to see inside the head of a young girl, where all her emotions are competing with each other. Directed by Pete Docter, the same man who also directed Monsters Inc. and Up. Definitely worth a look.
Mad Max: Fury Road is slated to premiere in mid-May this year. I’ll be in London and I kind of hope that it’s premiering there around the same time. I’d really like to be near the red carpet for this one. I’m a big fan of all the Mad Max films. Tom Hardy is Max and Charlize Theron is his companion, Furiosa (I wonder how long it took them to come up with that name!). The post-apocalyptic future never looked so good.
The Martian stars Matt Damon as an astronaut who’s marooned on Mars. It’s based on Andy Weir’s bestselling novel. Directed by Ridley Scott (we all know what that means).
Who is not excited for Terminator Genisys? Arnold is back as the cyborg. I wonder what great one-liner he’ll have in this latest installment.
Crimson Peak will appeal to all the Gothic romance and horror fans. Directed by Guillermo Del Toro, you can bet it will be bloody, visually stunning, and full of twists and turns. Stars Jessica Chastain and Tom Hiddleston as husband and wife.
Another entry from the Marvel Universe is Ant-Man, starring quirky Paul Rudd. This should be an interesting addition to the Marvel family of pictures. As we’ve seen recently, even the oddest of superheroes can have a huge following. Ant-Man certainly qualifies.
Cinderella comes to us from Director Kenneth Branagh, with a star-studded cast. Some might ask why I’m even including this film, but the story of Cinderella – in all its versions – has always been a favorite fairy tale of mine, and who wouldn’t want to see Helena Bonham Carter as the fairy godmother. Branagh has said in the press that this version is a bit more feminist, that of course it will please Cinderella to find love but she will not be defined by whether or not she actually does. Fairy tales do come true.
Fantastic Four. Need I say more?
Pan. This is an enchanting prequel to Peter Pan? Do we actually need a prequel to Peter Pan? Hopefully it will erase the memory of Hook.
Chappie. I have to admit I had never even heard of this one. Due out in early March, from the director of District 9 and Elysium, comes the tale of a fully artificially intelligent robot who had been shanghaied by gangsters.
Ex Machina. Again, was not familiar with this film, but it really sounds interesting. It’s the tale of an A.I. woman who is being fought over by two men, both of whom might just be in for more than they bargained. Seems to be the year for A.I.
And last, but certainly not least, comes a live-action film based on a cartoon that promises to be truly, truly outrageous. Have I given it away? That’s right! Jem and the Holograms. The pink-haired songstress is back. It stars Aubrey Peeples, Juliette Lewis, and Molly Ringwald, directed by Jon M. Chu of the Step Up movies fame. I can foresee this providing young girls, and probably a few young guys, with cosplay ideas in the near future. Anyone who remembers Jem will truly, truly want to see this flick.
That about wraps it up for now. I’m sure there will be more information and stunning trailers for these and additional movies in the near future for the list of “must sees” for 2015.
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