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SCI-FI | 10 Highly Anticipated Films in 2017

With Science Fiction one of the most popular film genres of today, we bring you the ten most anticipated films the studios have in store for us this year.



10. ‘The Space Between Us’

‘The Space Between Us’ is an original effort starring Asa Butterfield (‘Hugo’, ‘Enders Game’) as a teen who has spent his life on a colony on Mars. Britt Robertson (‘The Longest Ride’ and ‘Tomorrowland’) stars as a teenager living on Earth, who communicates with Asa’s character via the internet. The film follows the journey of Asa’s character as he travels to Earth (at great personal risk) to find other people, the girl he loves, and his father.


Going by the trailers, this film looks more like a melancholy Romantic Drama than a proper Science Fiction film, presumably aimed at teens and young adults - not that there is anything wrong with either of these points. The film features a strong supporting cast including Gary Oldman and Carla Gugino, so we expect audiences won’t be left disappointed.


PROS: Strong cast, visual effects.


CONS: It looks to be very melancholy, and might not be suited for a broader audience.

Released in cinemas 10th February in the U.K. and 2nd March in Australia.


9. ‘Life’


Starring Ryan Reynolds, Rebecca Ferguson and Jake Gyllenhaal, ‘Life’ is another original film to be released in the first quarter. The aforementioned cast play a team of astronauts working on the International Space Station, who are studying a sample from Mars proving that extra-terrestrial life exists.


The trailer certainly promises action and adventure, but films like this have been done before; the whole ‘scientists caught unawares by intelligent life’ story arc is very common in the SF genre, and told to varying degrees of success over the years, so the challenge for the filmmakers here is to create something that is somehow unique. Let’s hope this is the case, as it would be a pity for such a great cast to go to waste.


PROS: Cast and visual effects.


CONS: A common story, so it may struggle to set itself apart from its similar predecessors.


Released in cinemas 23rd March in Australia, and 24th in the U.K.


8. ‘Ghost in the Shell’


‘Ghost in the Shell’ is the live-action adaptation of the classic Japanese anime film and television series. Set in the not-too-distant future, this film explores a world of cyborgs, androids and cyber-espionage. Scarlett Johanssen plays The Major - a cybernetically enhanced woman working for a government agency, who fights crime and terrorism, and must face the mysterious nature of her own identity by unravelling her employers’ true motivations.


Western Anime fans are already eager to see this film, but it will have to find a wider audience to guarantee box office success.


PROS: Excellent source material to draw upon, and Johanssen - one of Hollywood’s biggest stars at the moment.


CONS: Historically speaking, only few Western adaptations of Anime/Manga titles have achieved great success and longevity.


Released in cinemas 30th March in Australia, and 31st in the U.K.

7. ‘The Circle’


The film seemingly appeared out of the blue with little marketing and promotion to its name, which is strange as it features Tom Hanks and Emma Watson - both two of the biggest names in film today.


Based on a book of the same name, the film looks at a world where conformity is expected of those in power, and people who fail to conform place themselves in grave danger; ‘The Circle’ could easily be considered a ‘1984’ or ‘Brave New World’ of the 21st Century.


Once again, we’ve seen plenty of films like this before, but we hope the cast will be able to pull it off and make this a stand-out film in its genre.


PROPS: Great cast, and plenty of action.


CONS: Many other films have been set in dystopian futures, so it remains to be seen how this one will set itself apart.


Released in cinemas 28th April in the U.K. and 4th May in Australia.


6. ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’


The follow-up to 2014’s surprise hit ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’, ‘Vol.2’ sees the return of Star Lord (Chris Pratt) and his crew of renegade space adventurers. The sequel will explore the origins of Star Lord’s mysterious father, and if the trailer is anything to go by, it promises to be another classic adventure full of action, space combat and plenty of laughs.


We can’t wait for this one.


PROS: A returning cast, and following on from an excellent original.


CONS: Can it live up to previous success?


Released in cinemas 25th April in Australia, and 28th in the U.K.


5. ‘Alien Covenant’


‘Alien Covenant’ is the sequel to ‘Prometheus’ - Ridley Scott’s prequel to his original ‘Alien’ film released in 1979. (Sequel to a prequel? Yeah, we know.)


Details for this film are still scarce, but the trailer would indicate that it will filled with suspense, horror, and - wait for it - the return of the classic ‘xenomorph’ alien designed by HR Giger that has terrified audiences for the last thirty-eight years.


Some viewers were disappointed with ‘Prometheus’, but with the promised return of the original ‘alien’, this film is guaranteed to be a success.


PROS: The return of Giger’s xenomorph.


CONS: Hopefully Scott has learned an important lesson from the considerable ‘failure’ of ‘Prometheus’.


Released in cinemas 18th May in Australia, and 19th in the U.K.

4. ‘War for the Planet of the Apes’


It seems hard to believe, but this is the ninth film in this long running series. Although the original 1968 ‘Planet of the Apes’ film starring Charlton Heston and its follow-on films struggled both at the Box Office and critically (despite their cult following in later years), the ‘new’ additions to the franchise released in the 21st century have had great success in both areas. As ‘War’ joins the saga, it looks promising of providing another incredible tale.


Andy Serkis (Gollum in ‘Lord of the Rings’ and ‘The Hobbit’) returns as Caesar, and is joined by Hollywood bigwigs Woody Harrelson, Steve Zahn and Judy Greer for star power. With Matt Reeves returning as Director (directing the last film), it would seem that the franchise is in safe hands.


PROS: Part of a successful and long-lasting franchise, and big star line-up.


CONS: The third film in any trilogy is rarely the best.


Released in cinemas on 13th July in Australia, and 14th in the U.K.



3. ‘Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets’

‘Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets’ could be considered a bit of a risky venture. There’s simply not much original Science Fiction making it to the big screen these days, with this film an adaptation of a comic-book series.


Starring Cara Delevingne (best known for ‘Suicide Squad’ and ‘Paper Towns’) and Dane Dehaan (‘Chronicle’ and ‘The Amazing Spider Man 2’), the trailer appears to promise stunning visuals; however, it is hard to decipher the semblance of a coherent storyline.


With any luck, it will forge itself as a standout film in the genre, and not another ‘Jupiter Ascending’.


PROS: Stunning visuals.


CONS: The trailer offers little divulgence of a clear storyline, which has us worried.


Released in cinemas on 21st July in Australia, and 4th August in the U.K.

2. ‘Blade Runner 2049’


Unlike most of the sequels listed here, ‘Blade Runner 2049’ is the follow-up to an original film that was not so much a blockbuster as it is now a cult classic.

‘Blade Runner’, directed by Ridley Scott back in 1982, was based on the Philip K. Dick short story ‘Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?’ which depicts a futuristic world where artificial humans (replicants) are used as a large part of the work force, and rogue replicants are hunted down by Blade Runners. Harrison Ford played Blade Runner Rick Deckard in he original, and returns in this sequel, joined by new cast members Ryan Gosling, Robin Wright and Jared Leto.

Scott has handed the director’s chair over to Denis Villeneuve for this film, whose films to date include 2016’s ‘Arrival’ and ‘Sicario’ in 2015.

Details about this film are extremely sketchy at the moment, but since this is set in 2049 (the original set in 2019), what is certain is that a lot of things have changed in the world of the Replicants.

PROS: A great cast, and a reliable director.

CONS: It’s been a really long time since the original, and the original director has been replaced.


Released in cinemas 5th October in Australia, and 6th October in the U.K.


1. ‘Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi’

This is, of course, the most anticipated Science Fiction epic of 2017. With the film’s title ‘The Last Jedi’ announced only a few weeks ago, and following the immense success of ‘Rogue One’, millions of people around the world are already awaiting this film’s release.


However, the untimely death of one of the film’s stars, Carrie Fisher, at the end of 2016 will make watching this film an emotional experience for many, especially as this will be her last performance as the beloved Princess Leia. Hopefully the film will reach the high benchmark of action and adventure set by ‘The Force Awakens’ and ‘Rogue One’ – we expect nothing less.

PROS: It’s another ‘Star Wars’ film!

CONS: It’s another ‘Star Wars’ film!

No trailer yet available.

Released in cinemas on 15th December worldwide.

What did you think of our list? Let us know your thoughts HERE.


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