Top 5: Anticipated Movies of 2016 5. X-Men Apocalypse The last (probably? maybe?) installment of the young X-Men trilogy finally brings out the team’s fiercest foe, besides Magneto, Apocalypse. And he kind of looks like Ivan Ooze from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers – in fairness Apocalypse does look better in the trailer than he did in the still images shared. The X-Men films quality seems to be at an all time high after Days of Future Past set the world right – however there seems to be something off in this entry. I think these films are strongest when there is a small cast (X-men, The Wolverine) and easily suffer under the weight of too many mutants (X-Men Last Stand, X-Men Origins: Wolverine)…and Apocalypse has a lot of characters – Apocalypse himself, 4 horseman (where…*sigh* Magneto is a villain again), the previous class, the new generation people actually like and more cameos than Stan Lee appearances. Director Bryan Singer has shown an affinity for the series and hopefully he can deliver one more time. 4. Star Trek Beyond The trailer showcases the rebooted Star Trek universe seems to understand that is more of an action series than a sci-fi…and that’s great. The crew appear to find themselves on BattleWorld and must team up with a rag-tag group of misfits in order to defeat an overwhelming enemy. It might not be an original plot, but it is an original Star Trek movie and after the disaster of Star Trek Into Darkness cribbing from previous films it will be a welcomed change of pace. Star Trek might not see the mainstream success of other rebooted sci-fi universes on this list but it still deserves the chance to stand on its own merits for what it is today. 3. Deadpool A film no one thought would be made, except for Ryan Reynolds. Through sheer force of will it seems like the actor and Deadpool-nerd himself finally managed to convince the studio to make the movie fans have demanded. Funny, gory, R-rated and self-referential in the best possible way Deadpool looks to be a perfect recreation of the best parts of the comics on the big screen. Each piece of marketing, usually spearheaded by Reynolds himself showcases that the team knows what makes Deadpool tick and they aren’t afraid to hold back to please everyone. Expect lots of surprised parents when they take their kids to see this superhero film. 2. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story We know the cast members, we know the mission and we know the universe but everything else seems to be a mystery right now. I’d rather the Star Wars stories focus on the events post Battle of Endor (or Return of the Jedi for the non-nerds reading) but at this point am just excited for more Star Wars. Episode VII was exactly what fans needed to springboard a new franchise, if a little derivative of what came before it – Rogue One will be the first true test of the intellectual property and I feel is actually a gamble to see if the casual movie goer can follow the jumping timeline. 1. Captain America: Civil War ‘nuff said. Holy Shit that trailer is perfect. The Russo Brothers turned in the best story driven content for the MCU, Captain America: The Winter Solider and are returning to a playground they know and love – but now with more toys to play with.. It appears they are borrowing the best parts of Civil War from the comics and focusing on a leaner story where either side makes a viable argument for being in this fight. Civil War will set the stage for the MCU Phase III and potentially be a huge turning point for the franchise. The last line in the trailer, hits me in the feels every time I watch it – this could be the first time in the MCU that there is a truly compelling foe for our heroes to face – eachother. Level Up, Friends!
