We’ve reached a time in the year post-Barbenheimer and now that the movie phenomenon of the year is behind us it is time to look forward to my most anticipated films for the rest of 2023!
The Creator
From writer and director Gareth Edwards comes the original science fiction film The Creator. Edwards wrote the film with co-writer Chris Weitz who also wrote on Rogue One with Edwards. This lower-budget sci-fi film is Edwards’ first film since directing Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (hate that title) and it’s Edwards back to his guerilla filmmaking roots of small teams of people in remote areas in the world. According to Edwards a lot of filming was done with just a few people on set and filming in Indonesia, Nepal, Japan, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Thailand. If you missed Hans Zimmer not scoring Nolan’s Oppenheimer then I’m happy to tell you The Creator is scored by Zimmer.
Past Lives
Here’s a fun fact, A24 is the only film company at the moment that is allowed to make movies because they met the demands of the strikes. They also have what is apparently one of the best movies of the year coming out with Past Lives. It is the story of two childhood friends who reconnect after a year apart wondering what their lives would be like together… a real emotional heart-aching ride I’m sure.
The Marvels
Higher further faster it’s time for Marvel to become cool again and their best bet is the sequel to billion-dollar box office hit Captain Marvel. Fanboys will be hating online but people with common sense will probably love it. This time around Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers is joined by Teyonah Parris’ Monica Rambeau who you saw in Wandavision and Iman Vellani’s Kamala Khan who if you should watch in Ms Marvel. Ms Marvel which is arguably the best Disney+ Marvel series arrived on the streaming service but definitely hasn’t received the love it should’ve. Any sci-fi action film using Beastie Boys in its trailer or film is a hit, just look at J.J Abrams’ Star Trek.
The First Slam Dunk
Actually out now in different parts of the world The First Slam Dunk is based on a Manga and Anime series. The word from those who have seen it is that it is one of the best sports and animated movies of the year, which given the competition means a lot. The story follows a young boy named Ryota who is trying to accomplish the dream of his deceased older brother of becoming a basketball star.
Wish
In case you’ve been living under a rock I’m here to tell you that it’s Disney’s 100-year anniversary. Yes, 100 years of the mouse reigning over all who live in the land of film and TV. What is exciting about their upcoming film Wish, apart from Chris Pine as the villain! is the potential to really showcase the last 100 years of Disney revolutionising animated movies. The trailer alone is filled with Disney references created in a new art style for Disney’s animated films. Will it be a staple of the Disney Parks or never talked about again, only time will tell.
Gran Turismo
Yes, this film is on this list and yes the trailer doesn’t make it look good, great example of bad trailer making. However, Gran Turismo apart from being based on a kind of crazy true story is directed by District 9 director Neill Blomkamp, racing is going crazy around the world and it feels like just the type of movie that is made really well but goes under the radar. Early thoughts are saying that the film is surprisingly good and it wouldn’t surprise me if the film was a silent hit.
Next Goal Wins
Sticking with the true sports stories here and Taika Waititi is back to more grounded films with Next Goal Wins the true story of an American coach trying to make the American Somoa football team great! The film has been stuck in limbo for a while, especially after Armie Hammer had to be replaced for yep reasons but Waititi’s films in between larger blockbusters are similar to Christopher Nolan’s which is pretty spot on so expect a hilarious heartfelt hit.
Ferrari
Is it the year of sports movies or are sports movies just becoming better? Either way, Michael Mann’s Ferrari starring Adam Driver as Enzo Ferrari is expected to make waves at this year’s Venice Film Festival (excuse my pun Venice is a drowning city and you should read about what they are trying to do to fix that). The film follows the Ferrari family on the brink of bankruptcy and how one race changed the car company’s future.
Biosphere
Biosphere stars Mark Duplass and Sterling K. Brown as the last two men on Earth who have to save humanity. A film about life and male friendships that could be a great follow-up to male emotions in the Ken’s story arc in Barbie. There is also the fact that Mark Duplass in indie movies is always a great watch as well.
Rebel Moon
My favorite Zack Snyder work is the beginning of Man of Steel, the first 10 to 20 minutes is an amazing creation of science fiction. Rebel Moon was originally apparently meant to be Snyder’s idea for a Star Wars movie but never came to fruition. It is another original film that could ultimately be too much or gone too far like Snyder’s bolder ideas for the DCEU but nevertheless, it will still be a spectacle that we will hopefully be able to watch in cinemas and not just on Netflix.
Wonka
Okay, I want Wonka to succeed but I also don’t want it to do ridiculously well and its performance could shape a lot of the future of cinema. Original ideas are slowly diminishing and IP is king, as it always had been but with Barbie doing so well it sets a dangerous precedent for studios to create more films based on their previous films. Wonka, along with current strikes and cinema trying to recover after Covid could be the last rock to fall before the avalanche of unoriginal ideas. If anyone can pull it off it’s the director of Paddington and Paddington 2 (two of the greatest films of all time) Paul King.
And that’s it, the rest of the year will feature many films being delayed but hopefully none of these! There will also be some unknown hits and ones missed from this list but these are my top eleven (I thought it was ten if I’m being completely honest).