Box office breakdown: Summer 2018 in review

It’s hard to believe it, but another summer movie season has already come and gone at the box office. Although this probably doesn’t come as much of a surprise, the biggest winner of the summer was “Avengers: Infinity War,” wrapping up a decade of buildup and letting the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s ultimate villain, Thanos, take center stage.

“Infinity War” made a boatload of money — over $2 billion worldwide, to be precise. Domestically, though, it couldn’t *quite* touch “Black Panther’s” insanely impressive $700 million. “Black Panther’s” exciting reign at the box office is a topic worthy of an article all on its own, and the film clearly resonated with audiences.

“Infinity War” is my personal favorite movie of the year so far, simply because it was such a joy to see all these characters we’ve fallen in love with in one big movie together. I figure most people have heard about the ending already, but just in case, spoiler alert! I loved that they actually let Thanos snap with the gauntlet, even if I’m 100 percent sure that those characters who disappeared are coming back. In fact, that’s my one little gripe about the film; the deaths are well-acted, particularly the scene with Spider-Man and Tony. But I know these deaths aren’t going to stick, which guts their impact just a little. However, I’m waiting to pass judgement on that until I see part 2 next year, because I have a feeling some of the original Avengers will be called to make some devastating sacrifices in order to bring back the characters who crumbled into dust.

While “Infinity War” was the biggest film of the summer, there were quite a few nice, smaller surprises along the way. I actually enjoyed “Deadpool 2” a lot more than the original; I liked the story more, I laughed at the jokes more, and Josh Brolin was awesome as time-traveling soldier Cable (Brolin wins the award for this summer’s biggest overachiever, as he also did an awesome job playing Thanos). And speaking of awesome, “Mission Impossible – Fallout” was fantastic, and is one of the best action flicks I’ve seen in a long time. I always forget about that franchise, and then it always comes back and amazes me. It was definitely a must-see this summer.

I was sad to see “Solo: A Star Wars Story” under-perform, because it really was a fun movie, despite all the drama behind the scenes. Sure, it didn’t carry the same narrative weight or emotion as “The Last Jedi,” but it’s an entertaining heist flick, and it deserved to make more money than it did. Overall, I’ve been very pleased with what Disney has done with the Star Wars franchise, and now it seems like an insanely long wait until Episode IX. I still think Disney should have held “Solo” until late fall this year, but we’ll never know how that might have played out differently at the box office.

“Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” didn’t receive glowing reviews from critics, but I had a lot of fun watching that movie. Dinosaurs on the big screen always make me smile.

Although I didn’t see any films this summer that I disliked, I was a bit disappointed in a couple of films I was really looking forward to: “Incredibles 2” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp.” Granted, I still had fun watching these movies, and I was glad I saw them in the theater. But at least for me, neither one of them *quite* lived up to their predecessors. I know others who really loved them, though, and I’d still recommend them.

The last film I saw this summer was “Christopher Robin,” and I thought it was a perfect note to end on. Disney’s live-action Winnie the Pooh adaptation was a lovely little tale about rediscovering joy in life, and it felt like an incredibly relevant and timely message. The importance of kindness, friendship, and compassion is a lesson that needs to be shared as often as possible.

And…that’s it! There are a couple other films that were released this summer that I’d like to catch on DVD but I probably won’t be back at the theater until late fall. I hope everyone had a great time at the movies this summer, and I’d love to hear your favorites and least favorites! Here’s my quick list — what’s yours?

• Favorite movie: Avengers: Infinity War
• Least favorite movie: Incredibles 2 (I’m really sorry, Pixar! I promise, I didn’t hate this movie!)
• Best scene: Thor arriving on the battlefield in Wakanda
• Best soundtrack: Solo: A Star Wars Story
• Best laughs: Deadpool 2
• Best special effects: Infinity War
• Best character: Thanos
• Least favorite character: The villain in Incredibles 2
• Most suspenseful: Mission Impossible – Fallout
• Best surprise: Christopher Robin

 

Movie review: Dinosaurs face uncertain future in ‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’

Although bringing dinosaurs back from extinction sounds really cool, in reality this would probably be a terrible idea. It would be an especially bad idea to create an amusement park filled with these dinosaurs and open it to the public.

However, that didn’t exactly stop the creators of the original Jurassic Park, OR the creators of the even more dangerous Jurassic World. In the new movie “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,” people seemed to have finally learned the lesson that making a dinosaur theme park with real dinosaurs is a bad plan; however, dinosaurs still exist in this new world and now we have to deal with the aftermath.

“Jurassic World” was a surprise mega-hit in the summer of 2015, bringing the Jurassic Park franchise roaring back to the box office and earning $1.7 billion worldwide. Although not *quite* as critically beloved as the original “Jurassic Park,” the financial success of “Jurassic World” ensured that we’d be getting a sequel.

“Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” is sitting at 50 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, and while some of the criticisms are fair, I personally enjoyed the heck out of this movie. Although the trailers for this one initially didn’t grab me as much as the trailers for “Jurassic World,” I had a blast watching this (well, at least the parts where I wasn’t terrified; the Jurassic Park series has never been the most relaxing franchise). 😉

The basic story involves former Jurassic World operations manager Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) trying to save the dinosaurs left on the island, which is in danger of being destroyed by a volcano. Raptor wrangler Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) reluctantly agrees to help her, and they join a rescue mission financed by Benjamin Lockwood, the former partner of Jurassic Park mastermind John Hammond. Of course, there are other forces working behind the scenes, and the rescue op turns into something more sinister.

“Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” actually feels like two different movies. The first part feels a lot like “Jurassic World,” with an adventure on the island and the famous scene from the trailers of all the dinosaurs running from the exploding volcano. The second half of the film plays surprisingly more like a horror flick. Without giving away too many spoilers, most of the action takes place in a mansion, utilizing the sense of claustrophobic terror to great effect.

I will never complain about seeing Chris Pratt in a dinosaur movie, and his raptor from the previous film, Blue, is definitely a scene-stealer (baby raptor flashbacks = adorable). While Claire gets more to do in this film, her character still doesn’t have as much depth as I would have liked, and the character feels a little inconsistent between films. It also might have been nice to have some more nuance in the villain characters.

Portions of the plot do stretch plausibility, and I’m sure other reviewers/bloggers have already covered that in depth. Again, many of those criticisms are valid. However, sometimes I just like going to the theater and enjoying a fun summer blockbuster with a big bucket of popcorn, and that’s what this movie did for me. I just had fun watching the dinosaurs and returning to this world. And no matter how many times it happens, it’s always great to see the T-Rex arrive to save the day (I think the T-Rex is actually my favorite character in the franchise at this point). 😉

I also appreciated that they touched on some deeper issues (though I wish they would have spent more time delving into these — and included more of Jeff Goldblum’s Dr. Ian Malcolm). Was it ever ethical to bring back dinosaurs in the first place? What should we do with dinosaurs now that they are here? Do they pose a threat to the survival of modern life? Should we let them go extinct again, or is it now our responsibility to treat them as a regular endangered species?

It seems like it’s a dangerous idea to just let the dinosaurs roam free, but neither does it feel right to let the creatures suffer and die. I didn’t expect to cry during this movie, but there’s a shot *minor spoiler alert!* of the characters having to leave a dinosaur behind on the island, when it’s clearly terrified and trying frantically to escape. That scene really got to me.

With “Jurassic World” opening to $150 million, it’s almost guaranteed we’re getting a sequel. I would like them to take a different approach and have the next (and possibly final?) “Jurassic Park” film go for more of a post-apocalyptic “Planet of the Apes” feel, like now these dinosaurs are back in the wild and our planet has changed forever. I’m placing my bets on the title being “Jurassic World: Extinction,” and it could be a great way to wrap up the franchise.

Entertainment year in review: My top five of 2015

At the end of year, I normally put together a top 10 list of my favorite entertainment items. When I first started blogging, I just did five items, mostly because I was still figuring this whole blogging thing out, 😉 but I later bumped it up to 10 because I had a hard time narrowing my list down. This year, however, I decided to drop it back down to five again. It wasn’t necessarily that I couldn’t find 10 things I liked; it was just that unlike the past couple years, there weren’t 10 items that clearly stood out.

I felt like this year, there were several franchise continuations that didn’t quite live up to their predecessors. “Age of Ultron,” “Spectre,” and “Mockingjay – Part 2” were all fun in their own ways (“Spectre” was probably my favorite of the three), but they didn’t achieve the heights of “The Avengers,” “Skyfall,” and “Catching Fire,” respectively. Interestingly, this might be the first year that only one of the movies from my beginning of 2015 “most anticipated” list ended up on my actual “best of the year” list (I bet you can’t guess what that movie is…). 😉 This year, there were several fun surprise break-out hits, and one highly anticipated movie that definitely lived up to the hype. So, here goes my list, counting down to my favorite film of the year…

Honorable mentions: Jurassic World and Cinderella

I know I’m already breaking my own rule to stick to just five. 😉 However, while these two movies didn’t make the top five, I still wanted to give them a shout-out. “Jurassic World” was a fun addition to the franchise and tried to recapture the spirit of the original 1993 film. Chris Pratt and his team of raptors were the highlight of the movie for me, though a stronger script probably would have landed this film higher on the list. I thought this year’s live action “Cinderella” was a sweet, charming fairy tale that managed to feel both fresh and traditional, updating a classic while not straying too far from the source material. I added both these to my movie collection this year.

5. The Martian

“The Martian” may be based on a fictional novel, but this film — which is a blend of “Gravity” and “Apollo 13” — feels all-too-real. Astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is abandoned on Mars after his crew mistakenly assumes he has died during an emergency evacuation. Watney has to figure out how to survive alone on Mars, unable to even communicate with Earth to let them know he is alive. While this is an inspiring survival story with gorgeous cinematography, it’s also surprisingly funny. Watney maintains his sense of humor and determination to survive even though the odds are stacked against him. I’ve read the book, and it’s really good too.

4. Daredevil

While most of the items on my end of the year round-up tend to be movies, I couldn’t leave off Netflix and Marvel’s excellent new superhero show “Daredevil.” This show was darker and grittier than we’re used to seeing from Marvel, but the character development and plot were excellent. Charlie Cox shines as blind lawyer Matt Murdock, who moonlights as a vigilante known as Daredevil. Vincent D’Onofrio also was great as the show’s surprisingly nuanced villain Wilson Fisk (a.k.a. the Kingpin). The character was capable of terrible cruelty towards those who betrayed him, but he also expressed a sense of sacrificial tenderness towards the woman he loved.

3. Mad Max: Fury Road

This film definitely wasn’t on my radar at the beginning of 2015, and I certainly wouldn’t have guessed that it would end up on my highlights of the year list. However, this turned out to be a rousing, thought-provoking action film. The plot is deceptively simple — it is, essentially, a two-hour post-apocalyptic car chase — and the title is deceptive, too. While it’s called “Mad Max,” the movie essentially belongs to Charlize Theron’s Furiosa, who dares to defy a dangerous warlord. It’s a dark, violent film, but there’s also plenty of hope.

2. Ant-Man

Technically, I think “Mad Max: Fury Road” is probably a better film than “Ant-Man,” but Marvel gets the sentimental vote here (I do love my Marvel movies). 😉 I didn’t initially have very high hopes for “Ant-Man”; a superhero who runs with ants seemed like a hard concept to pull off onscreen. However, I was pleasantly surprised by this movie and found I actually liked it better than “Age of Ultron.” Paul Rudd is likeable as everyman hero Scott Lang, who dons the Ant-Man suit after receiving training from the original Ant-Man, Hank Pym (Michael Douglas). The film has some great touches of humor, my favorite being the fight on the trainset, and Michael Peña provided some excellent comic relief as Lang’s best friend.

1. Star Wars: The Force Awakens

This comes, I’m sure, as a surprise to no one. 😉 It was my most anticipated film of the year, and I’m so happy I also get to list it as my favorite. There was so much pressure riding on this film, and I was very excited but also very nervous. Thankfully, the movie lived up to the hype, and it turned out to be the perfect blend of old and new, paying homage to the original trilogy while also introducing great new characters. I had a chance to watch it in IMAX over the holidays, and I liked it even more after a second viewing. Sitting in that darkened theater, watching the space battles and lightsaber fights play out on screen, I felt like a little kid again. It was magical.

Hits, misses and plenty of surprises: Summer 2015 in review

The summer movie wrap-up is probably my favorite blog to write each year. Summer blockbuster season is my favorite time at the box office, and it’s always fun to look back over the summer and review the hits and misses. While there are always a few surprises, I have to admit that this year, pretty much all my predictions were a bust. 😉 The movie I thought would be the biggest blockbuster of the summer as well as my personal favorite — “Avengers: Age of Ultron” — actually turned out to be neither. Instead, “Jurassic World” was the biggest blockbuster, breaking records set by the first Avengers movie. I was also surprised to find my favorite movies of the summer were “Mad Max: Fury Road” and “Ant-Man.”

I’m still trying to decide how I ultimately feel about “Age of Ultron.” Like all Marvel movies, it was fun to watch, and I enjoyed seeing it in the theater. I really love these characters — and the actors who play them — and it’s always great to watch them onscreen. But this is the first Marvel movie in a long time I only watched once in theaters (I’m still not confessing how many times I saw one of my most-watched Marvel movies “Guardians of the Galaxy” in theaters 😉 but it was more than twice). I definitely want to watch “Age of Ultron” again when it’s released on DVD to see if my thoughts change. On first viewing, “Age of Ultron” doesn’t pack quite the same punch as the first Avengers team-up film. There’s a bit too much going on, and some subplots and characters don’t get quite enough development (i.e. the Hulk/Black Widow romance, the introduction of new heroes Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, Andy Serkis’ too-brief cameo appearance, etc.). Even though it made more money than Marvel’s other summer 2015 offering, “Ant-Man,” the latter felt like a better film.

The biggest surprise of the summer for me was “Mad Max: Fury Road.” With a 98 percent Rotten Tomatoes rating, the reboot of the classic ‘80s franchise is arguably the best movie of the summer. It’s a tense and thought-provoking action film with amazing visual effects, and while the strange post-apocalyptic setting takes a bit to get used to, the movie is a great ride. It’s also exciting to see an action movie with multiple nuanced roles for women, and though Mad Max (Tom Hardy) is the character whose name appears in the title, rebel leader Furiosa (Charlize Theron) is the star of the show.

I was also surprised by how much I enjoyed “Ant-Man.” Marvel’s long-delayed origin story created some negative pre-release buzz with the departure of original director Edgar Wright, but the movie turned out to be a fun, lighthearted treat. Paul Rudd is a great addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the Ant-Man, and the film makers found a way to make a hero whose powers are shrinking and running with ants look really cool. The clever action sequence that takes place on the miniature train set is one of my favorite movie scenes this summer. I’m definitely on board for an “Ant-Man” sequel.

“Jurassic World” was a bit hit with audiences and ended up as the biggest blockbuster of the summer. While I was surprised to see it break “The Avengers” box office tally, now ranking as the third highest-grossing film of all time, I think the movie did well because it played on nostalgia for the original 1993 film and captured a sense of magic the previous two sequels didn’t quite attain. A stronger script would have made this a better film, but it was fun and made for a good summer popcorn flick. It was great to see new (and old) dinosaurs, and Chris Pratt makes a strong case for why he should be hired for the Indiana Jones reboot, playing a motorcycle-riding raptor wrangler.

Tom Cruise’s “Rogue Nation” proved that even after almost 20 years and five films, the “Mission: Impossible” franchise isn’t running out of steam. This is a fun but smart spy thriller, and as far as I’m concerned, Cruise can keep making these films as long as he likes.

The biggest flop of the summer was undoubtedly the “Fantastic Four” reboot, with a cringe-worthy 8 percent Rotten Tomatoes score. We’ll never know whether the movie was doomed from the beginning or whether the studio’s tampering ruined what may have been a better film. It’s tough for fans who are still waiting for a definitive Fantastic Four movie. It will be interesting to see if Fox has another go at this or decides to let Marvel take back the rights and work the Fantastic Four into their overall cinematic universe.

So, what do you think? What was your favorite film of the summer? What was the biggest surprise? What was the biggest disappointment?

Sequels, prequels, reboots and remakes: When they work—and when they don’t

Although we’re still only halfway through July, it’s probably safe to say “Jurassic World” will likely end the summer as king of this year’s blockbuster season. It’s about a month since the movie’s release, and Chris Pratt and his team of dinosaurs don’t appear to be slowing down. In fact, the movie still topped the holiday weekend box office, which was good news for Universal but bad news for the high-profile new releases that weren’t able to break past it.

“Terminator Genisys” pulled in a little less than $45 million its opening week and only scored about 30 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Both are continuations of well-loved franchises, but were received very differently. “Genisys” also received less critical praise than its fellow 1980s action reboot of the summer, “Mad Max: Fury Road.” So, what’s the magic formula that determines what sequels, prequels, reboots and remakes succeed, and which ones flop?

First off, I did enjoy watching “Terminator Genisys” in theaters. While it won’t make my “best in 2015” list at the end of the year, I thought it was a fun summer popcorn flick. I liked seeing Arnold Schwarzenegger back in action as the Terminator, and it was good to see Emilia Clarke in a strong female action role. The Rotten Tomatoes score of 27 percent seems a bit too harsh (audiences scored it 68 percent). However, I did enjoy “Jurassic World” more, and perhaps “Terminator Genisys” just wasn’t able to build up as much buzz.

There’s no one magic formula that guarantees box office success—sometimes great films slip under the radar, and sometimes so-so films pull in hundreds of millions of dollars. While critical reviews don’t always make or break a movie, they can help—or hurt. The negative reviews for “Terminator Genisys” probably hurt the film’s box office take, while the glowing reviews for “Mad Max: Fury Road” resulted in some valuable word of mouth advertising (the movie’s 98 percent Rotten Tomatoes rating made me extra motivated to catch this in theaters).

Second, when it comes to reboots, which “Jurassic World” essentially is, don’t underestimate the power of nostalgia. This movie, more than any of the other sequels in the franchise, threw nods to fans of the original film. You have to be careful that these nods are seen as a tribute to, rather than a rip-off of a previous movie. Audiences don’t want a rehash of the original; they want to see something new that still makes them feel the same way the old movie felt.

Third, the wider your appeal, the more money you’ll probably make. “Jurassic World” appeals more to families, and parents + kids equals more ticket sales. Though both “Jurassic World” and “Terminator Genisys” were rated PG-13, the original Terminator films were rated R and aren’t as known to kids who are pressuring their parents to take them to the theater. “Jurassic World” also has plenty of tie-in toys to offer.

Sequels, prequels, reboots and remakes are tricky. In May, “Age of Ultron” took some flak from fans for not living up to its potential. Later on this summer, “Mission Impossible – Rogue Nation” and “Fantastic Four” will be tested, the former to see if it can top its very solid predecessor “Ghost Protocol” and the latter to see if it can breathe new life into an ailing franchise. People sometimes look down on sequels and remakes, but “Mad Max: Fury Road” and others like it prove these types of films don’t have to be bad.

So, what’s your favorite sequel/reboot of the summer? What are your thoughts on sequels, remakes, etc. in general?

A (belated) movie review: ‘Jurassic World’

I meant to post a review of “Jurassic World” a lot sooner, but I promise, I have a good excuse. I got married earlier this month and just got back from a honeymoon trip to Alaska, so I decided it was time to stop procrastinating and just go ahead and write the review. I did actually end up seeing this movie the week it came out (I’m such a movie geek that I rounded up my bridesmaids and took them to a Thursday night sneak preview showing since the ceremony was actually the weekend “Jurassic World” was released). 😉

The film earned a respectable Rotten Tomatoes rating—about 70 percent—but the big surprise was just how strongly this movie has performed in theaters. Although I figured the movie would do well, I originally didn’t think it could beat “Avengers: Age of Ultron” for highest-grossing movie of the summer. I certainly didn’t expect it to beat the first Avengers movie for biggest opening weekend of all time—to the tune of $208.8 million. It’s definitely a box office success, but how does it compare to the other films in the series?

There’s a saying that those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it, and such is the case with the operators of Jurassic World, a brand-new theme park built on the ruins of Jurassic Park. In the original 1993 film, cloned dinosaurs escape from their paddocks and wreak havoc on the theme park. This time, a genetically modified dinosaur called Indominus rex (who thought creating this creature was a good idea?) becomes too clever and ends up destroying the rebuilt park and countless other dinosaurs. Park operations manager Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard), her two nephews and raptor wrangler Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) are caught in the aftermath.

First off, there’s still no topping the first “Jurassic Park” movie, which remains the best in the franchise. Critics have already commented that the plot, script and characters in the new movie aren’t as strong as the original film. That being said, I had a lot of fun watching this movie, and I think it’s the best of the sequels. The stars of the film are, unsurprisingly, the dinosaurs. Indominus rex does not disappoint, and contributes to plenty of nail-biting moments (in the theater, I will admit to jumping out of my seat a few times). I also liked the use of the velociraptors in this movie, and their tentative trust of Chris Pratt’s character. An animal like the velociraptor certainly can’t be tamed, and I appreciated the movie’s respect of the fact Pratt could train but never completely control these powerful predators.

While most of the human characters aren’t as memorable as the main characters from “Jurassic Park,” Chris Pratt is the standout here. At this point, I think it’s safe to call Pratt a major movie star. After proving he can carry two back-to-back summer blockbusters, Pratt is likely to see his career continue to rise. Which makes me happy, because he’s a talented actor with a good sense of humor who seems like a genuinely nice person in real life. He plays this role a little more straight than his role as Star Lord in last summer’s “Guardians of the Galaxy,” and he pulls off “action hero” quite well. He’s gotten some teasing about this role being basically an “audition” for the Indiana Jones franchise, and I’d actually like to see him take on the iconic character, as long as it’s a continuation of the franchise and not a reboot (note to Hollywood: no remake of “Raiders of the Lost Ark”—EVER).

“Jurassic World” may not top the first film in the franchise, but it’s a fun popcorn thriller with some nice moments of nostalgia and nods to fans of the original film. It’s worth catching on the big screen.

2015 movie preview: My most anticipated upcoming films

Every January, I like to put together a list of my most anticipated films for that upcoming year. It’s fun to peek ahead, and it’s also fun to look back at that list at the end of the year, and see how many of my “most anticipated” actually ended up on my “best of the year” list.

This year, I narrowed my list down to my top 5, and interestingly, they all happen to be sequels. While normally I also like to include some original films with new concepts, the sequels coming out this year are unique in that many of them are high-pressure or high-risk. Will “Avengers: Age of Ultron” and “James Bond: Spectre” live up to their critically and commercially well-received sequels? Will “Jurassic World” prove to be a successful reboot of a well-loved franchise? And, perhaps the biggest risk of all, will J.J. Abrams be able to successfully continue the “Star Wars” legacy?

Here is a ranking of my top five most anticipated movies for 2015. I’d also love to hear what movies would make your list!

5. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2

“Mockingjay — Part 1” was a financial success, but didn’t rise to quite the same heights as its tense, masterfully-crafted predecessor, “Catching Fire.” “Part 1” felt more like a prelude to “Part 2,” coming out this November — and hopefully it will be a stronger film.

Many fans expressed frustration with the ending of “The Hunger Games” book trilogy, and it will be interesting to see how closely the film follows the book. The movie will undoubtedly be dark, featuring a difficult invasion of the Capitol and the loss of some beloved characters.

4. Jurassic World

“Jurassic Park” continues to be one of my favorite Steven Spielberg films. From the dinosaur special effects, which still hold up pretty well even today, to that soaring, iconic theme from John Williams, it’s a fun, crowd-pleasing classic. I was really skeptical about the reboot … until I saw the preview, and though I tried to resist at first, I finally had to admit that yes, the preview stirred those same feelings of excitement I had gotten while watching the first movie.

It also will be fun to see Chris Pratt in another action role, after “Guardians of the Galaxy” made him a breakout star.

3. “James Bond: Spectre”

The last Bond film, “Skyfall,” was an elegant, stylish spy thriller, and director Sam Mendes is back for the next installment in the Bond franchise. Daniel Craig has earned himself a place near the top of the “best Bonds,” and this could be his last outing. Fans hope the film’s title is a reference to the secret terrorist organization that has shown up in past Bond films.

While I’ll be sad to see Craig go, I’m keeping my fingers crossed for rumored Bond replacement Idris Elba.

2. “Avengers: Age of Ultron”

2012’s “The Avengers” is going to be a tough act to follow — a fact director Joss Whedon seems to be well aware of. He appears to be taking the Marvel sequel in a darker direction, having the team of dysfunctional superheroes create their own worst enemy: an artificially intelligent robot called “Ultron” with a frighteningly warped sense of justice.

Rumors about the plot are running rampant of course, including one that a major character could die in the film. I admire Whedon for his willingness to take a risk and give us a (presumably) darker film, but I hope he will be able to find a nice balance between this darker tone and the spirit of fun we’ve come to love about the Marvel films.

1. “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”

Most likely no one is surprised this movie ended up at the top of my “most anticipated” list. 😉 “Star Wars” has long been my favorite film franchise; “The Empire Strikes Back” is my all-time favorite movie, and the series has always occupied a special place in my heart. That’s why I’m thrilled — and terrified — that the saga is continuing this December.

I love what J.J. Abrams did for the “Star Trek” movie franchise, and I hope he can work his magic again with “Star Wars.” I loved the teaser trailer, and how it brought back the feel of the original series. I love that some of the original actors will appear in this film to pass the torch on to the next generation. This is certainly a risky project, but I hope it will be just as amazing as we all dream it will be. Here’s hoping “the force” is with J.J. Abrams and Disney this December! 😉