The 18 most exciting movies coming in 2018
These are the must-see flicks of this year
The 18 most exciting movies coming in 2018
It’s early yet, but 2018 already looks stacked from a movie-going perspective. As well as the requisite Marvel and Star Wars flicks there are plenty of other big franchise releases already announced, plus a fair few lesser-known-but-probably-more-interesting movies too. Luckily for you, we’ve collected all of the biggest hitters here.
1) BLACK PANTHER (9 FEBRUARY)
After his debut in Captain America: Civil War, Black Panther gets his very own starring role in film from Creed director Ryan Coogler. Black Panther sees the hero return to his mystical home kingdom of Wakanda as its new ruler, but a battle that begins there seems like it could have effects on the wider Marvel universe – especially with Avengers: Infinity War up next.
2) DEATH WISH (2 MARCH)
Bruce Willis has starred in more than a few awesome action flicks in his career, and Death Wish could be another one to add to that list. It’s a remake of the 1974 film of the same name, but this version from Eli Roth shakes up the formula a bit. Willis plays a doctor from Chicago whose family is shattered during a home invasion, triggering an insatiable vigilante urge. Looks intense – albeit with Willis adding just the right kind of understated smirk to the violence.
3) A WRINKLE IN TIME (9 MARCH)
Disney’s A Wrinkle in Time looks like a family-friendly adventure with a stacked roster of talent onboard. The film follows a young girl in search of her missing astrophysicist father, who seems to be trapped elsewhere in the universe – and she learns to use some serious time-folding magic to find her way there. This cast has everyone from Oprah Winfrey and Mindy Kaling to Chris Pine and Zach Galifinakis, so we’ve got high hopes.
04) ANNIHILATION (12 MARCH)
After Ex Machina, we’re down for whatever direct Alex Garland want to put in front of our eyes – and Annihilation looks plenty tempting. Natalie Portman stars as a biologist whose husband is seriously injured in an insane-looking biological phenomenon, and she’ll lead a team of women to discover exactly what the hell that growing bubble-thing is… and what’s inside of it.
05) TOMB RAIDER (16 MARCH)
This franchise reboot is inspired by the excellent video game, erm, reboot from a few years back, providing a fresh origin story for Lara Croft. Alicia Vikander, who was utterly memorable in Ex Machina, takes the lead role and, with the likes of Dominic West, Walton Goggins, and Nick Frost also onboard, we’ve got plenty of reasons to give it a shot.
06) PACIFIC RIM UPRISING (23 MARCH)
Guillermo del Toro’s original Pacific Rim was a slightly underrated delight, but it made so much money in China that we’ve now got a sequel to look forward to. John Boyega (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) is always a plus and the Jaeger mech designs are pretty neat – although we’re a little worried that Uprising is going to shift the giant-monsters-and-anime tribute tone of the original into dumb, Michael Bay’s Transformers territory.
07) ISLE OF DOGS (23 MARCH)
We didn’t need the trailer to tell us that Isle of Dogs hails from Wes Anderson. It looks incredibly charming, of course, telling the story of a time in the future when Japan quarantines its dogs to an island full of trash after a canine flu spreads through the nation. Anderson has called on a truly extensive list of collaborators to provide voices here, from Bill Murray and Edward Norton to Bryan Cranston, Jeff Goldblum, and Scarlett Johansson.
08) READY PLAYER ONE (30 MARCH)
Ernest Cline’s book tends to spark a real love/hate reaction, but with Steven Spielberg behind the camera, the film version of Ready Player One looks absolutely dazzling. As the trailer suggests, it’s about future in which people turn to their VR headsets for any sort of happiness, entertainment, competition or, well, life. And it’s loaded with pop-culture references, ranging from the Batmobile, Lara Croft, and Chun-Li to Duke Nukem, The Iron Giant, and Gandalf.
9) AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR (4 MAY)
Phase Three of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe has spread far and wide, and now they’re all set to assemble in Avengers: Infinity War. It’s been building up to this for years, as the galactic Thanos attempts to wield all of the Infinity Stones, and The Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy amass to battle the threat. One more, final Avengers flick will follow in 2019, but expect serious ramifications on the MCU from this one, as the rather serious first trailer suggests.
10) DEADPOOL 2 (18 MAY)
If the teaser – which includes only mere seconds of actual movie footage – is any indication, then Deadpool certainly won’t be losing its trademark edge or weirdness in its second outing. And that’s a very good thing, since that’s what makes the X-Men offshoot such a deliciously delightful big-screen watch.
11) SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY (25 MAY)
Well, Rogue One landed well, so we obviously have high hopes for the next standalone Star Wars flick, Solo: A Star Wars Story. As you might expect, it’s the origin story of Han Solo (portrayed by young Alden Ehrenreich), and we’ll likely see how the beloved Rebel smuggler teamed up with Chewbacca, crossed paths with Lando Calrissian – played by Donald Glover – and acquired the Millennium Falcon.
12) JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM (7 JUNE)
What’s the only thing scarier than an island overrun by violent dinosaurs? An island overrun by violent dinosaurs that also has an enormous volcano erupting hot lava all over it. That’s the premise of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, now that the franchise is back in action after Jurassic World’s enormous box office tally.
13) OCEAN’S 8 (8 JUNE)
Wait, wasn’t the last one Ocean’s Thirteen? It’s true – but Ocean’s 8 isn’t simply another sequel in the ensemble heist/comedy series. Instead, it’s a gender-flipped soft reboot of sorts, starring Sandra Bullock as Danny Ocean’s distant sister who decides to assemble a crew to rob New York City’s ritzy Met Gala.
14) INCREDIBLES 2 (15 JUNE)
Now here’s a Pixar sequel we’re actually looking forward to (unlike Cars 3). It’s been 14 years since the original Incredibles film, but Incredibles 2 seemingly picks up right where the first flick left off, with little Jack-Jack showcasing some budding powers of his own. With original director Brad Bird both writing and directing this sequel, we have high hopes that it’ll be more Toy Story 3 and less Monsters University. Or Cars 2, for that matter.
15) ANT-MAN AND THE WASP (6 JULY)
While we were bummed to see Edgar Wright punted from the project before filming, Marvel’s Ant-Man was a pretty entertaining, albeit smaller-stakes entry in the MCU – and with this one releasing right after Avengers: Infinity War, there might be more on the line for this oddball hero. And heroine, too – as the title suggests and the end of the last movie teased, The Wasp joins Ant-Man in the fight, with Evangeline Lilly taking the classic comic role.
16) X-MEN: DARK PHOENIX (2 NOVEMBER)
X-Men: The Last Stand is the rare anomaly in the core X-Men film franchise in that it’s hot garbage – but in a post-Days of Future Past film timeline, they have the ability to try to adapt the legendary “Dark Phoenix Saga” comic arc again. And that’s exactly what they’re doing. Due out in November, X-Men: Dark Phoenix portrays Jean Grey’s turn as the titular heroine, as her overwhelming powers take control and the mutant team has to fight their ally to save the world.
17) FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was a solid spinoff from the Harry Potter series, even if it didn’t quite hit the same heights – but now writer J.K. Rowling and director David Yates will have a chance to build from that origin tale with The Crimes of Grindelwald. The titular Gellert Grindelwald is the Johnny Depp-played villain revealed at the end of the first flick, and we’ll see Newt Scamander team up with a young Albus Dumbledore to try and defeat the dark wizarding threat.
18) BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY (25 DECEMBER)
It was supposed to be Sacha Baron Cohen in the role as legendary Queen singer Freddie Mercury, but wow, Mr. Robot himself Rami Malek looks stone-cold brilliant in this first teaser shot from the flick. Bohemian Rhapsody focuses on the first 15 years of the band, from their founding all the way up to their Live Aid performance in 1985.
