SCI-FI | 10 Most Anticipated Films - 2018 Edition!
2017 certainly proved to be an interesting year for Sci-Fi films, with some major successes, some major failures and everything in between. Now it’s time to look at the new slate of films approaching us in 2018 to figure out what’s worth seeing in the next twelve months.
'Alita: Battle Angel'
Based on the Japanese comic and anime of the same name, this science fiction action film is directed by Robert Rodriguez and is produced by James Cameron, who has been working on bringing this live action film to the big screen since the 1990s. Starring Rosa Salazar in the title role of Alita - a cyborg, and supported by a strong cast of Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly and Ed Skrein, the film will follow the story of Alita as she endeavours to discover who she is in a world dominated by technology, which is often misused to gain power.
PROS: Excellent source material in both the original Japanese comic and anime.
CONS: There is a very poor track history in Western live-action adaptations of Japanese animated works.
'Solo: A Star Wars Story'
This is going to be the second of the 'Star Wars Stories', following the 2016 film, 'Rogue One'. Solo will look at the early life and adventures of Han Solo before he met Luke Skywalker - an event that would change his life.
The film is directed by Ron Howard and stars Alden Ehrenreich as Solo, with a supporting cast of Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover (as a young Lando Calrissian), Thandie Newton and Paul Bettany.
With a space-western theme, the film will explore the early adventures of Han Solo and Chewbacca aboard the Millennium Falcon, including their first encounter with Lando Calrissian. With no trailer and minimal promotional material available, its unclear what fans can expect from the plot, but fans of the franchise should be excited anyway.
PROS: Everybody loves Han Solo, don’t they?
CONS: A troubled production with the original directors removed at the end of filming and Howard brought in to replace them, it sounds like the film could be in trouble.
'Annihilation'
An adaptation of the book by Jeff VanderMeer, 'Annihilation' is one part of the author's 'Southern Reach' book trilogy.
Starring Natalie Portman, with supporting actorsJennifer Jason Leigh and Oscar Isaac, this film is described as a combination of science fiction, fantasy, action and horror. It depicts a group of soldiers and scientists investigating a mysterious environmental disaster zone and the dangers they face in doing so. Directed by Alex Garland ('Ex Machina' 2015), the trailer promises a spectacular adventure and a lot of action.
PROS: Portman leads what looks to be a good cast based on an acclaimed novel.
CONS: Producers' concerns that the film might be “too intellectual” and “too complicated”.
'Bumblebee'
The first spin-off from the successful 'Transformers' film franchise has caught a lot of fans off guard. After initially being reported as the 6th film in the 'Transformers' series, the studio eventually revealed 'Bumblebee' would be a spin-off focussing on the adventures of the small yellow Autobot, famous for transforming into a yellow Volkswagen Beetle.
Set in 1987, twenty years before the events of the first 'Transformers' film, the film follows Bumblebee as he takes refuge in a small beach town junkyard in California. Starring John Cena (of pro-wrestling fame) and Hailee Steinfeld as the teenage girl who discovers Bumblebee, this is the first 'Transformers' film not to be directed by Michael Bay.
PROS: Bumblebee has been a consistently popular character in the 'Transformers' Universe.
CONS: The last 'Transformers' film performed poorly - both critically and at the box office. Could this mean failure for 'Bumblebee'?
Fan art by KadirDaysal.
'Pacific Rim: Uprising'
The sequel to the 2013 science fiction action film, 'Pacific Rim: Uprising' is set ten years after the events of the original. The Jaeger program (which constructs the giant robots) has developed into a powerful global defence force. It becomes clear that the Kaiju (monsters of the first film) have returned, and the best and the brightest pilots are called up to be the next generation of heroes to fight the returning enemy.
Guillermo del Toro has stepped down from directing and is now one of the producers on this film. New director Steven S. DeKnight is formerly known as the creator of the TV series 'Spartacus'. Leading the cast this time are new characters played by John Boyega (who 'Star Wars' fans may know as Finn) and Scott Eastwood (Clint Eastwood's son) as well as cast members returning from the original film including Charlie Day, Burn Gorman and Rinko Kikuchi.
'Pacific Rim: Uprising' promises to be a lavish and dramatic science fiction action film guaranteed to please its audience.
PROS: Giant robots always provide great SF action.
CONS: Can the giant robots be brought to the big screen successfully without looking like something from 'Power Rangers'?
'Ready Player One'
Based on the 2011 science fiction novel by Ernest Cline, 'Ready Player One' looks at a future Earth where more and more people are disappearing into a virtual world known as the “Oasis”. People prefer to interact with each other via the computer characters they control in the Oasis, having less and less to do with the real world.
The film will feature cameos from other iconic fictional characters like the Iron Giant, Freddy Krueger ('Nightmare on Elm Street') , Duke Nukem (90s computer game of the same name) and even the Delorian from 'Back to the Future'.
The trailer promises a rollercoaster ride through both the real world and Oasis virtual world. Starring Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn and Simon Pegg, with Steven Spielberg in the Director's chair, it is sure to be an entertaining film.
PROS: Popular source material and one of the greatest directors of all time.
CONS: A lot of CGI, which can be rather hit and miss.
'Jurassic Park: Fallen Kingdom'
This is the fifth in the series of 'Jurassic Park' films - the direct sequel to 'Jurassic World', starring Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard reprising their roles from the previous film.
Set four years later, the sequel sees Claire Dearing (Howard) and Owen Grady (Pratt) return to the what’s left of the Jurassic World theme park, trying to save the surviving dinosaurs from death after a volcano erupts on the island. Fans will notices a slight shift in tone in this film, as the humans actively protect the dinosaurs from a new extinction threatening them. Once again, the trailer promises a film that is filled with action, excitement and danger.
PROS: Everybody loves Chris Pratt.
CONS: Is the premise of this film strong enough to entertain the audience?
'Mortal Engines'
Yet another adaptation of a popular novel, with the film based author Philip Reeve's work. 'Mortal Engines' is set in a futuristic, steampunk version of London that is now a giant machine on wheels, travelling around a hostile world that is running out of resources and striving to survive.
The film is an American/New Zealand co-production directed by Christian Rivers and written by writing team Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Peter Jackson - the team that brought 'Lord of the Rings' and 'The Hobbit' films to the big screen. Details of the film are still sketchy, but it is said to star Hugo Weaving, Hera Hilmar and Robert Sheehan.
PROS: Interesting concept.
CONS: Perhaps too confusing to audiences.
'Maze Runner: The Death Cure'
This film has to count as one of the most anticipated on this list for the simple reason that it was expected to be released in 2017, but production was shut down in 2016 when star Dylan O’Brien suffered a serious on-set accident. Production resumed nearly a year later.
'The Death Cure' will conclude the 'Maze Runner' series, set in a post-apocalyptic world where a group of young adventurers attempt to discover the nature of the disease that has wiped out much of humanity. The film promises much action that will hopefully make it well worth the wait.
PROS: It will be great to see this film series completed after such a troubled production.
CONS: Will it have the appeal to bring in a broader audience? Will it live up to the hype?
'Replicas'
'Replicas' is an upcoming American science fiction thriller film directed by Jeffrey Nachmanoff and written by Chad St. John. The film tells the story of a biologist who violates all possible laws and principles in order to bring life back to members of his family, who died in a car accident.
The film stars Keanu Reeves, Alice Eve, and Thomas Middleditch, and is scheduled to be released on June 15 2018 by Entertainment Studios. It sounds like a very interesting premise, possibly akin to Stephen King's 'Pet Semetary'. If you enjoyed that cult classic, this one may be for you.
PROS: New and hopefully original fiction.
CONS: Similar to films that have shown before, so it might struggle to set itself apart from the rest.
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