Goodbye 2012 and hello 2013! 2012 will go down as one of the most successful years in box office history, not just because of the increase in ticket prices or the 3D/IMAX upcharges, but because we got something that has been lacking in prior years, quality films! Yes, every year there are great movies but 2012 had so many amazing films and it looks like 2013 will do its best to continue the trend.
By now people have seen the numerous best films of 2012 lists that are out there. Our own Alex published his list earlier last week, which you can check out here. This list won’t dwell on 2012, but will instead look to the future and hopefully get you excited for 2013. These are the top 13 films I personally am excited for in 2013. Now that’s not to say these will be the best films of 2013 or the most profitable, because we just never know when a dark horse will emerge from the independent film realm until the festivals start.
Before we get to the list I wanted to do the Honorable Mentions for 2013. With so many potentially great films in 2013 it was hard to keep these off the list: Kick Ass 2, The Wolverine, Runner Runner, Fast and Furious 6, 42, Monsters University and last but certainly not least, Pain and Gain.
Now with those out of the way, lets get onto the 13 most anticipated films of 2013!
13. Anchorman: The Legend Continues – October 21st
How can one not get excited for a sequel to one of the greatest comedies and overly quoted films of the last 10 years. The news team will assemble one more time which was assumed to be an impossible task to do. There is some risk here with people comparing it to the original and 9 times out of 10 the sequel is never as good as the original. However I have high hopes for this film and feel that it might be able to “stay classy” one more time.
12. Now You See Me – June 7th
Now You See Me is probably a film that hasn’t yet made it on to many peoples radars yet, and I’m willing to bet not many people know about the film. In a nutshell, FBI agents track a team of illusionists who pull off bank heists during their performances and reward their audiences with the money. It is sort of like a mash up of Catch Me If You Can meets Oceans 11 with a sprinkle of Siegfried and Roy. The film has an amazing cast which features Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, Morgan Freeman, Dave Franco and Michael Caine. I would consider this film to be my long shot on the list because it could either be an amazing, fun film or it could be a disaster. Either way I’m looking forward to it in 2013.
11. Rush – September 20th
Not to be confused with the band or the video game series with the same name, Rush is the Formula One racing film Ron Howard has been working on for the past year now and has been tweeting pictures daily from the set. While there hasn’t been any footage shown for the film we know that the movie is based upon the 1976 Formula One season and the bitter rivalry between drivers James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Niki Lauda (Daniel Brühl). It has been awhile since we have had a great racing film, so it should be exciting to see what Howard brings to the screen with Rush.
10. Gangster Squad – January 11th
Gangster Squad was one of those films that was suppose to be released in 2012 but for one reason or another the studio decided to hold it back and wait before the release. The reason for the delay on this one was due to the Dark Knight Rises theater shooting that took place over the summer. There is supposedly a scene in the film where a few mobsters walk into a theater and shoot the place up. There were reports that this scene would be removed from the film, but I’m not sure if it was kept in or not. Regardless, the film looks kick ass and has the making of a fantastic mobster film. Not to mention guys might be able to convince the ladies to go see the film with them by dropping one name, Ryan Gosling.
9. Enders Game – November 1st
Probably the one film on the list that I am the least familiar with. All I really know about the film is that it is an adaptation to the very popular novel written by Orson Scott Card. The premise is quite simple. Aliens have been invading and attacking earth, so what better way to fight back then to allow our government to create child geniuses and train them to be soldiers and our strongest line of defense against the attacks. That alone peaks my interest and makes this a must see in 2013. I actually explained this film to a friend as being a mixture of The Hunger Games, the Bourne series and Hanna with the villain being aliens as opposed to government officials. Hopefully a trailer, or at least a teaser, is released soon for this film, I’m very curious to see what we are in for.
8. Elysium – August 9th
I’m not really sure where to begin with Neil Blomkamp‘s follow up film to District 9, but I’ll try. I saw the first footage for this film during the panel at SDCC’12. At that time some of the scenes were still unfinished and the SFX were still a work in progress. Putting that detail aside, I’m still a little hesitant about this film that stars Matt Damon. On one hand the story and premise is great and makes for a terrific film, but on the other, from the footage I saw, it seemed like the film could potentially be a mess. Again this was very early in post production and the clips were more of random scenes as oppose to an actual trailer. I still have high hopes for this film and curious to see if Blomkamp can captivate the audience once again just like with District 9. Will Elysium be up for a Academy Award? Probably not, but it looks like a potentially fun film.
7. This is the End– June 14th
A little over a week ago, a red band trailer for a comedy titled This is the End hit the web. Within minutes it was being talked about everywhere and people stating that it was one of the funniest trailers they have seen in a while. If you can get instant positive response for a comedy within minutes, then something is going right for a film. This is the End has damn near an all star comedy cast and when you put these guys together you know hilarity will ensue. I have probably watched this trailer a dozen times now and every time I can’t help but laugh and laugh and laugh. While this isn’t my top comedy for 2013, by the end of the year, it very well could be.
6. Thor: The Dark World – November 8th
A little higher on the list then I anticipated, but like I have been saying, 2013 is going to be a great year for films. There have been a ton of spy photos leaked from the set, but I really want to see some official stuff. I wouldn’t imagine us seeing much for the film until April or later, which kind of sucks. The film is said to be much darker and from numerous interviews with the cast we know that there will be a major death in the film that will have a huge impact on Thor. With this being the second Marvel film to come out in 2013, I would imagine this one will start turning the wheels for setting up The Avengers 2 and maybe even Guardians of the Galaxy. If you enjoyed traveling to Asgard in the first film, then pack your bags because the vast majority of the second one will be based in that realm more so than earth. It will be tough for Thor: The Dark World to outshine Iron Man 3 in 2013, but it could be done.
5. Star Trek Into Darkness– May 17th
This should really need no explanation. I am not a Star Trek fan at all, but the first film J.J. Abrams put out made me a believer in the franchise and got me excited for future installments. Now will I go back and watch the prior TV series or older films? Probably not, but Into Darkness looks freaking kick-ass and looks like Abrams was able to deliver one hell of a film once again. While there are still many mysteries surrounding the film, the teaser trailer has been out for a couple of weeks along with the 9 minute feature that was shown during The Hobbit IMAX screenings. I know there are rumors about Klingons and other famous villains and aliens from the series, so Trekkie fans should be in for a hell of a treat when the film releases. Guess now would be a good time to start talking about a third film, right?
4. Man of Steel – June 14th
Man of Steel is probably the film I have the highest expectations for and anything less will probably be a failure in my book. The reason for this is because Superman Returns was a terrible move and I still haven’t been able to sit through the entire film in one sitting. That being said, Zach Snyder and Co. have a huge void to fill and this reboot is suppose to be the kick start DC is looking for to springboard the Justice League film and create their superhero universe much like Marvel has done already. The trailers have so far been far from a disappointment, so things are looking good thus far and I’m really enjoying the darker tone they are taking with the film. Will this be the jumpstart DC is looking for? We will have to wait and see on June 14th.
3. The World’s End – October 25th
While I have had a few comedies on this list, hands down, Edgar Wright’s The World’s End takes the top spot in 2013. While the film is the third in the loosely based trilogy Blood and Ice Cream, it’s what Wright does best, put Simon Pegg and Nick Frost in an end of the world type situation and let them do what they do best. Sprinkle in some Martin Freeman and we have a winning combination! In case you are unfamiliar with the film, basically a group of friends try to complete an epic pub crawl that they failed at 20 so years ago. The goal is to make it to the final pub, The World’s End, only this time alcohol will be the least of their problems trying to complete this challenge, because you guessed it, the world is ending. So far Wright has yet to let me down with any of his films and both Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz are two of my all time favorite films so I have high expectations for the final one in the trilogy.
2. Pacific Rim – July 12th
By now everyone should have seen the trailer for Guillermo del Toro’s giant monsters vs giant robots film, Pacific Rim. I got a first look at the film during SDCC’12 and ever since then I have been hooked and can not wait for this film to come out. With a relatively no named cast headlining the film, it seems that del Toro wants the focus to be on the monsters and robots, which is perfectly fine by me. Now will this film appeal to the females? Probably not, but you never know, maybe your wife or girlfriend might be into robots and monsters! Regardless, the viral marketing is fueling people’s curiosity and July 12th is going to be one hell of a day for cinema.
1. Iron Man 3 – May 3rd
Should this be of any shock to our readers that my number one film for 2013 would be anything besides Iron Man 3? I know Iron Man 2 got a bad rep and many people consider it to be the worst film from Phase One, but they need to put that aside and get excited for the third film. Iron Man 3 will officially kick off Marvel’s Phase Two and will give us our first look as to what we can expect from the Marvel Universe in the future. If that alone doesn’t get you excited for the film then this will, The Mandarin! Fans have been screaming for The Mandarin to be in the Iron Man films ever since the first one came out and there was a nod to the 10 rings. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait for May 3rd!
So there you have it, my 13 most anticipated films for 2013. Is it perfect? Well to me, yes to others, probably not, but that is the beauty of having an opinion. We shall see how I did at the end of 2013, as I’m sure there will be some amazing films shown during the festivals this year that we don’t even know about as of yet.
Leave your comments below and let us know what films you are most anticipating for in 2013.
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