2012 Movie Predictions
—by Nathan on March 12, 2012—
More movies. Getting tired of me yet? Well, seeing as how this (supposedly) is the year the whole world ends, I (supposedly) won't be bothering you for much longer. But that's a big "if." This blog will be different. Instead of telling you what I think about movies I've seen before, I am going to tell you my opinions of movies that I wanna see this year. Sound new? Yes. Exciting? Hope so. My only worry is the screaming mob of people that will come after me if I'm proven wrong. Anyway, I am going to share what I think will be some of the best movies of this year and why I think so.
THE DARK KNIGHT RISES: Yes, I have to do this first. This is the #1 movie I want to see this year. Heck, I even want to see it opening day. By time I see it, I'll have waited at least three and a half years since the Dark Knight. I am ecstatic. Coming out July 20th, the Dark Knight Rises is the last film in Christopher Nolan's spellbinding Batman trilogy. Sad, I know, but hopefully he'll do well. The trailers I've seen have been awesome. After the end of the last film, Batman is being hunted. He's taken the brunt of the chaos, anarchy, and blood the Joker created in the last film. In comes Bane. Now, I don't know what his motives are, but I hope they're a little different than the Joker's. Basically, the Joker was hired by mobs to kill Batman. That didn't work out so well, since the Joker pretty much had his own agenda, so why make the same mistake twice? Played by Tom Hardy (who's Eames from Nolan's Inception), Bane looks to be more the brawn than brains type villain, though they can't just make him stupid. Also, Anne Hathaway appears in what looks to be a main female role, with a possibility of being Catwoman. Also, Joseph Gordon Levitt (Arthur from Inception) looks to be a cop. I've heard rumors of him being a possible Robin. In this case, I really hope not. If anything, Nolan's Batman is a character who's depended on himself. He allies, sure, like police commissioner James Gordon (Gary Oldman), Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), and his butler Alfred Pennyworth (Michael Caine), but he doesn't need a sidekick. Batman's a solo guy. We'll see. So, that's really all I know about the story. My prediction? I can't really bad-mouth Nolan or the Batman franchise. The Dark Knight is my favorite movie of all time, so I reallyreallyreallyreally hope this will be good. Oftentimes, writers mess up the last novels or movies of a series or trilogy. I think Nolan can do this one justice. The darkness of Gotham is still intact. And there seems to be no rest for the good guys, despite the harsh killing spree of the Joker's. So, I think this will be awesome. Best movie of the year.
THE AVENGERS: Again, a movie I've been waiting for for some time, though not as long as Batman. Basically, Marvel movies have been building up to this. Iron Man. Captain America. Thor. The Incredible Hulk. Hawkeye. The Black Widow. They are the Avengers. And it hits theaters May 4th. Thor's adopted brother Loki, Norse god of mischief, returns. His plan is to conquer the earth. With the help of minions (and I have no idea what or who they are), he seems bent on seeing this plan fulfilled. That's when S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) starts the Avengers Iniative. Pulling together Iron Man (Robert Downy Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), The Hulk/Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), and the Black Widow (Scarlet Johansson), Fury wants to make a team to stop Loki. Unfortunately, it seems like the team will have to work together in order to accomplish this, but it also seems they don't have a "team" dynamic. The Hulk is obvious. Big and green, he's used to charging into situations, pummeling first and asking questions later. He's more like a beast without a leash. Not really a team player. In Iron 2, Tony Stark was told by Fury he could be a "consultant." Maybe a little bitterness there. Cap has to come to grips with waking up in the present world, 70 years ahead of his time. Practically everyone he knows is dead and the world has changed dramatically. Thor's hot-headed. Though he learned a lesson in his own movie, his short fuse could still come into play. As for Hawkeye and Black Widow, they're already working for Fury. They seem good. I've seen scenes where Avengers members fight each other, so this might be an issue. Marvel's been preparing this for a while. I'm pretty sure it'll be great...Batman'll be better, though.
THE HOBBIT: AN UNESPECTED JOURNEY: I can't really say how long I've been waiting for this one. The Hobbit is one of my favorite books ever. I guess I've always had an idea that they would do a movie...I've always expected one, but I never heard news until recently. With a projected release date for some time in December, the Hobbit is Peter Jackson's rendition of the Lord of the Rings prequel. Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), every day Hobbit of the Shire, lives in his quiet home in Bag End. His tranquility is interrupted by the wizard Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellan), who invites him on a journey that is rather unexpected (hence the sub-title...see how I worked it in there?). Accompanying these two are a bunch of Dwarves, thirteen in all. There's Dwalin, Balin, Kili, Fili, Dori, Nori, Ori, Oin, Gloin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, and Thorin Oakenshield. They want Bilbo to go with them and reclaim their kingdom in the Misty Mountains, of which Thorin is king. Along the way, Bilbo finds his sword Sting (which he later passes down to Frodo) and the Ring. That's all I'll say for now, as not to spoil the story. I've always seen this book to be lighter than the LOTR Trilogy. It seems like more of a fairy tale. From the rhyming of the Dwarves' names, to Bilbo's songs, it's carries with a light, fun tone. I don't know if or how the moviemakers would change that, but I hope they don't alter it too much. It's one of the main reasons I enjoy the book. Luckily, Andy Serkis returns as his portrayal of Gollum, which makes me very happy. Serkis' acting as the characters has made him one of my favorite actors and Gollum my favorite literary antagonist of all time. Though his role is not as big in the Hobbit as it is in the LOTR Trilogy, I'm fairly certain the "Riddles in the Dark" scene will be the best one of the film. Along with the fantasy adventure and fun nature, the Hobbit should be the epic of the year.
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: This movie I'm rather iffy about. Spider-Man is my favorite super-hero ever. He's funny, he's smart. The guy's awesome. The Sam Raimi trilogy is ranked as some of the my favorite Marvel movies ever. From what I've seen, with this movie, it looks like they're redoing an origin story, but going deeper. A recent preview I've seen suggests Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) looking into a mystery that surrounds his parents. That's really all I know so far. Also, it reintroduces Gwen Stacy as the main girlfriend, instead of Mary Jane. That, I don't really care about. If this movie is the beginning of another trilogy, I'm betting Gwen Stacy will end up-how can I put this lightly?-dead. That's what happens in the comics. Movies don't HAVE to follow comics, but we'll see what happens. The main nemesis seems to be Dr. Curt Connors, alias the Lizard. Now, I can't say that I didn't see this coming. Connors made appearances in the Raimi trilogy, so having him as the bad guy seems a little predictable. I know that this may be totally separate from the Raimi trilogy, but I still kinda saw it. Lizard WAS one of my choices for villains. My other would've been the Green Goblin, so it's nice I was proven wrong. While the Lizard should seems interesting, he's never really seemed to be one of Spidey's hardcore archenemies. The Raimi trilogy showed guys like the Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, and Venom. The Lizard may be one of Spider-Man's oldest opponents, but I still say other baddies have made a bigger impact. Maybe Kingpin (but he was used in Daredevil, so...) or somebody like that. I guess it really doesn't matter. My dad and I both agree that doing this relaunch type film is just a way to possibly insert Spidey into a future Avengers film. That would be really cool. Maybe this won't be so bad after all. I mean, Marvel rarely screws things up. I guess I have to wait til June. Still, I gotta say it...it won't be as good as Batman.
THE HUNGER GAMES: Scheduled for this month, the Hunger Games is the movie adaptation of the New York Times bestselling novel by Suzanne Collins. This movie takes place in a possible future, where America is divided into 13 Districts, District 13 having been destroyed after they rebelled years ago. To constantly keep the thought of this defeated rebellion fresh, the Capitol has an annual event known as the Hunger Games. Two tributes from each District, one girl and one boy, are randomly selected to compete in the Games. Twenty four kids enter...and only one leaves alive. So when Katniss Everdeen's (Jennifer Lawrence) twelve year old sister's name is chosen, it's understandable why Katniss would volunteer to take her place. The boy from her group is Peeta Mallark (Josh Hutcherson), who's a bread maker (get it? He's a bread maker named "Peeta," like "pita"? Ha, ha. Very droll, Mrs. Collins. Someone's trying too hard). Despite the fact that they'll have to kill each other, their mentor, the nearly always drunk Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson-ha ha!) concocts the ruse of them being in love (blah!). Apparently, he does his job a little too well, and the whole romance thing becomes integral to the plot. In the Games, Katniss is faced with the dangers that come not only from the other tributes, but what the actual experience and arena itself can bring on. The people in charge of the Games (the Gamemakers) are ruthless. In order to change things up, they can start fires, send monstrous Muttations after tributes...anything that will keep the Games from becoming monotonous. Taxed physically, emotionally, and mentally, Katniss has to use her hunting skills to keep her alive. And is Peeta friend or foe? Will he stick with the whole romance-ploy, or off her first chance he gets? Cause, like I said before, only one person can leave alive. I enjoyed the book, so I hope the movie is good as well. However, as I've seen with other films based off books (such as Eragon and The Lightning Thief), this tends not to be true. Still, I can always hope.
Those are really the main movies I would like to see this year. There are others that are coming out, but I think these will be the best. Fantasy. Hunting. Superheroes. LOTS of superheroes. That's the core of it. Heck, if the world does end this year, it's a pretty good year to go out on.