Movies Still to Look Forward to in 2016 – Doctor Strange, Rogue One

I won’t be the first person to tell you that the summer movie season this year was a pretty big let-down. Last year’s offerings included Mad Max: Fury Road, Inside Out and Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, so it was always going to be difficult for 2016 to measure up. There were a few heavy hitters here and there, most notably Captain America: Civil War, but Suicide Squad ushered out the summer superhero line up with more of a whimper than a bang. The year is far from over, though, a lot can happen in three months, especially in regards to movies. We can expect a lot more prestige pictures with awards season approaching, and there are even some promising blockbusters coming our way for the winter. Here are the 2016 movies coming out that you still have to look forward to (in order of UK release date).

 

I, Daniel Blake – October 21

Ken Loach truly is a gift, the director’s been making hard-hitting social realism for over fifty years and is still producing relevant work. His most recent offering, I, Daniel Blake won the Palme d’Or at Cannes this year (making Loach one of only a select few directors to win the award twice), and will surely be an awards contender come January. The story of a man forced into retirement and the bureaucratic red tape he must get through in order to claim a sickness benefit is heart wrenchingly close to home for a lot of people. Loach has been a champion for the British working class for many years and this is his bread and butter.

I wouldn’t go into this one expecting an entertaining thrill ride, but if you’re familiar with Loach’s work, then you know there is a certain guarantee of quality. If you’re not overly familiar with the director then don’t worry, his films are hugely accessible for a British audience. If you’ve ever had trouble making ends meet, been messed around by the Department of Work and Pensions or if you just know what it means to be a hard-working Brit, then this film will surely speak to you.

 

Doctor Strange – October 25

One could argue that the market is overly saturated with superhero movies and it’s a fair point. The story of brilliant neurosurgeon turned Sorcerer Supreme Stephen Strange will be the sixth studio superhero movie released this year. That puts us on an average of one comic book film every two months. The genre seems to have gone the way of the American Western in the mid-20^th Century, they’re being consistently churned out because we keep paying to see them.

The superhero bubble will inevitably burst, but let’s just enjoy the ride until that day comes. Marvel’s marketing for the fourteenth instalment in their cinematic universe has carried a startling uniqueness that serves the supernatural premise of the film itself. The most recent trailer took some pointers from Dead Island and playfully ran in reverse, toying with spacetime and expertly crafting a magical aura that builds intrigue to those unfamiliar with the character. Marvel are going all in with what could be a drastic departure from the established MCU formula and we even get it two weeks before the US. We should expect nothing less than an enjoyable two hour distraction, we may even be in for a refreshing take on conventional superhero movies.

 

Arrival – November 11

What is there to look forward to about yet another sci-fi film detailing aliens arriving on planet Earth? I’ll tell you what, the brilliant Denis Villeneuve. The French-Canadian auteur has turned a lot of heads over the last few years with back-to-back critical successes. The helmsman of Prisoners, Enemy and Sicario is also working on the highly-anticipated Blade Runner 2049, the sequel to the 1982 cult classic, cementing himself as one of cinema’s great contemporary genre filmmakers.

Arrival seems to continue Villeneuve’s hot streak, heralding ample acclaim from critics and presenting itself as a truly monolithic picture. The ambiguity of the marketing and a cast including Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker is cause for excitement, it’s almost impossible to waste so much talent. We won’t know the full details of the plot until it hits the cinemas, and I for one can’t wait to see what this film contains beneath its seemingly generic premise. This is looking like yet another triumph from the wonderfully talented director.

 

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them – November 18

One for the Harry Potter faithful, talks of an adaptation of J. K. Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them had been going on for what felt like forever. It’s been five years since the HP series has ventured into cinema and it seems like Warner Bros. are finally cashing in on the cinematic universe craze. Expected to be the first part of a planned trilogy, Fantastic Beasts will explore the more fantastical side of Rowling’s creation. Rather than focussing on human relationships and stories within a world in which magic is real, the emphasis looks to be placed on the magic and the creatures themselves. This new approach could be a welcome refresher for the franchise and potentially take it in a completely different direction.

There is yet more cause for excitement in that this will mark Rowling’s first foray into screenwriting. She has forged an unbreakable legacy, having generated more revenue than any other author in history, but who says she can’t try something new? Many fans are eager to see the person responsible for Harry Potter to finally have a hand in a film adaptation’s script beyond merely being a consultant. Get ready for the Harry Potter craze to be revived in full force.

 

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – December 16

Easily the most anticipated film of 2016, Rogue One gives us all what has now become a yearly Star Wars fix. Disney are definitely aiming to make the word “prequel” less traumatic in relation to the franchise. We all know the premise at this point, this is the story of the team that stole the original Death Star plans, thus leading to the events of Star Wars Episode IV. From what we’ve seen in the trailer, the tone of the film is looking to be something new for Star Wars. For a series of films with “war” in the title, we’ve never fully seen a movie made in the style of a war film.

This is where Rogue One comes in, it’s being sold as a story of conflict between the Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Empire, an ongoing war between soldiers. There are stakes involved here that go beyond a lone saviour who is destined to bring balance to the galaxy. Expect a darker turn for Star Wars here, with more of an emphasis on loss of life, large-scale ground battles and maybe even a couple of main characters dying. Oh, and Darth Vader’s in it as well, if you needed anything else to convince you to buy a ticket.

 

Assassin’s Creed – December 21

Given the placing of this project’s release, it’s most likely destined to be swallowed up by the Star Wars machine, but there’s always that chance that it could break the streak of bad video game movies. The long-awaited adaptation of the hugely popular Assassin’s Creed franchise feels a little late, as interest in the games has waned somewhat in recent times, but the inclusion of Michael Fassbender gives it some serious credit. Fassbender isn’t huge on blockbusters, recently speaking about how he wasn’t fond of his acting in the X-Men films, so the script for the AC movie must have had some kind of appeal.

All we really know so far is that the historical sequences of the film will be entirely in Spanish. This is a genuine and welcome change of pace that is a bold move by the studio. It has always been laughable in historical blockbusters set in foreign lands to see actors speaking English, often without even attempting an accent. I’d say we should remain optimistic about this movie, if the action is done well it could at least be good fun. And if it doesn’t deliver, you can always watch Rogue One again.

 

Passengers – December 23

Rounding up our list is what essentially looks like a hybrid of Moon and Wall-E but with gorgeous Hollywood stars. Led by Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence, Passengers details the interactions between two people who are prematurely awoken from hypersleep in deep space, the only problem is that they’re still 90 years away from their destination. There are thousands of others on the ship, so whether or not Pratt and Lawrence will be carrying the entire film is unclear at this point. What we do know is that they haven’t entirely been told the truth about the purpose of their trip.

Science fiction films often benefit from being secretive about their plots beforehand, as twists are as heavily established within the genre as eggs are with bacon. No doubt the illusive nature of the marketing and the appeal of the leads will push this film to be a success. I’m looking forward to seeing what is brought to the table here, even if it’s just for the affable charm and charisma of Chris Pratt.

All in all, 2016 looks to have some strong showings in store for us. There’s the flash and spectacle of the winter blockbusters, as well as a collection of more grounded dramas. Most of the primary Oscar buzz movies sadly won’t be seeing general release in the UK until early 2017, hence the exclusion of films such as Manchester by the Sea, La La Land, Moonlight, The Founder and various others. Although that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as we can expect to kick of 2017 with some truly great work. For now though, let’s enjoy what we have left of this year, because it still has some lustre.