Donovan’s Top 5 Anticipated Movies of 2017

5. Wonder Woman

So far, the DCEU has been a large point of conversation and debate. Last year’s Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad left fans and critics divided; both films suffered from mediocre reviews and complaints of weak stories. 2017’s Wonder Woman has the chance to be a monumental turning point for the DCEU. I’ve been shocked at what we’ve seen from the few Wonder Woman trailers that have been released. The movie looks beautifully shot, and seems to have a much more grounded story. Most will agree that Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman was a highlight of BvS. Therefore, just the idea of getting an entire movie following her sounds awesome. We’re only three films into the DCEU so there’s more than enough time for them to get a good coherent story going, and now would be a perfect time.

4. War for the Planet of the Apes

In a world where Hollywood is recycling and trying to revamp old franchises every month, it’s rare that we get an amazing “prequel” or “Spinoff” film, but the new Planet of the Apes movies have been just that. Personally, I feel as though these movies are beyond underrated. They’ve managed to take an old IP and give it a new spin, and I’ll be honest with you: I think these new movies are the best of the entire franchise. And we’ll get to see the series potentially wrap up this July with War for the Planet of the Apes. I have high expectations for this film, but I have no doubt that it’ll meet them. Andy Serkis and Matt Reeves have managed to get me completely invested in the lives and fate of a group of primates. If this flick is good, the Planet of the Apes reboot series will go down as one of the best trilogies in recent history. Best believe I’ll be sitting in the front row, rooting for the demise of humanity this July.

3. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

James Gunn’s 2014 sci-fi adventure flick was one that had no right to be great, and is one that most audiences wasn’t really looking forward to, but my god, it’s one of the best comic book movies to date. This was when I completely bought into the MCU and realized that Marvel really has something special going on. As of now, we only have one trailer for the film, and I loved it. All of our favorite characters are back with new and fun adventures. The relationship between Rocket Raccoon and Groot already looks promising. I’m sure the banter and scenes between just the two of them will be worth the price of admission. I can’t wait to see what new stories and songs James Gunn and company has in store.

2. Spider-Man: Homecoming

For as long as I can remember, Spider-Man has been my favorite superhero and I’ve always found his stories the most entertaining. Unfortunately, we haven’t had a fantastic Spidey flick since 2004’s Spider-Man 2. Seeing Sony and Marvel Studios come together to get web head appear in Captain America: Civil War, was downright awesome. I was blown away with Tom Hollands portrayal of Spider-Man and couldn’t wait to see more. The night that trailer dropped… I almost lost my mind. I was loving every second of it. The cast, the villain, the dialogue, it all seems to be coming together just right. I’ve sat back and watched that trailer an embarrassing amount of times. This looks like the Spider-Man we deserve. It was only a year ago, that I never thought we would see the webslinger make his way to the MCU, and that Peter Parker would be doomed to get rebooted by Sony every decade until the end of time. But it’s happening!

1. Star Wars: Episode VIII

Where do I even start? Star Wars is without a doubt my favorite film franchise, I can’t get enough of it. There’s an endless amount of reasons I’m nearly dying to see Episode 8, so let’s get into them. I love these new characters. Rey, Finn, Poe, and Kylo; I loved what J.J. Abrams did with them in The Force Awakens and I need to see where they go next. We’re finally going to learn about Rey’s lineage, something that’s been a point of arguments since literally the day Episode 7 was released. Personally, I’m a fan of the Rey is Obi-Wans granddaughter theory. It makes a lot of sense and would be a very poetic way to move the story forward. Other than Rey, my favorite part of the new trilogy is Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren. The amount of depth they were able to give that character in one movie is something to be applauded. I also feel as though this Ben Solo is what Anakin should’ve been like in Episode III. A young Jedi that is emotionally torn between the light in the dark, and shows some sincere struggle. The fate of Luke Skywalker is also a huge point of interest in this next film. It’s obvious that he’ll be training Rey in the ways of the force, but what’s going to happen to him? I have a bad feeling that Mark Hamill’s iconic Jedi isn’t going to make it out of this new trilogy alive. It’s been a reoccurrence in the Star Wars saga that the master is killed.

A key reason that Episode 8 is my most important movie of this year is Carrie Fishers final outing as Princess/General Leia Organa. Leia has always been my favorite character in the galaxy, and it was heartbreaking to wake up to the news she had passed. She had finished all her work on the movie before she died so she’ll be able to gift us with her legendary talent one last time. On a lighter note, Star Wars is in a league of its own. The Star Wars December releases are becoming a nationwide event. The anticipation will build up every year to the big Star Wars film, in the heart of the holiday season. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about Star Wars Episode VIII, and I couldn’t possibly be more excited for the awesomeness that lies ahead.

If you want to talk to me about anything in the movie world, you can find me on twitter @Donimals_