Do You Have Angst?: 2016 Movie Nerdgasm

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

2016 Movie Nerdgasm

This is a great time to be a fan of comic books, science fiction, and fantasy. Technology is finally at the point where it is, more or less, affordable to make movies and television shows based on our favorite stories. This year is going to push me and my fellow nerds into getting another job just to see everything that looks even halfway good. I often buy tickets in advance for 15-25 friends to see these types of films, and I fear I’m going to have to be selective because there are so many (though that’s a great problem to have!).

Considering the growing number of superhero movies and television shows, I believe viewers expectations are going to be higher than ever. Personally, I’m an easy going fanboy. Make a halfway decent attempt to entertain me, and you’ve got my money. Muck around with continuity a little and I won’t lose too much sleep. Completely change characters and I'm not as forgiving. (Ahem, Deadpool in the first Wolverine movie, or the neck-breaking Superman...yeah.) I think there is also a danger of oversaturation. Will this year finally pop the balloon, or are there enough great movies and shows coming to keep it going? I’m hoping the latter.

There will definitely be a lot of changes, especially in the superhero genre, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I look at it like this. There have been a lot of different artists, writers and movies all presenting a different take on the Batman character. You can love the campy 1960s television show just as much as you love Michael Keaton or Christian Bale’s versions.  Similarly, I love the 90s television show The Flash for what it was, and the new show for what it is. If 2016 isn’t cookie cutter, if they are unique enough with good scripts, we’re going to have a lot of fun!

I’m splitting this post in two. Below are my thoughts on the movies I’m going to see this year, and the next post will be television. Let’s go!

Deadpool: February 12, 2016 - I laughed more than I should at the first preview (I may have been intoxicated). If they can keep that momentum going with a good enough story, this is going to be awesome. (Can I have a Colossus movie now, too!?)



Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice: March 25, 2016 After watching the Superman v Batman Dawn of etc etc trailer, did anyone else walk away thinking “I can’t wait for the Wonder Woman movie!”? Otherwise, I reserve judgement, and hope for the best. Here is my favorite preview of the upcoming film :)



Captain America: Civil War: May 6, 2016 Civil War (or Avengers 3.5) marks the start of Phase 3 - I’m excited and bittersweet about this film. The comics were great but so rough. I have faith in Marvel, they continue to make everything work. According to Buzzfeed, the worst Marvel movie is Iron Man 2. I really wish I could make a $600 million dollar mistake. I digress. Civil War is the first film kicking off Phase 3, and I’ll be there!



X-Men: Apocalypse: May 27, 2016 I grew up a huge X-Men fan. I thought the first two movies were fresh when there were less superhero films being made. Now I worry that this upcoming retcon in a secular universe may be a little overdone. I was too critical of Days of Future Past because they were based on the first X-Men comics I read. I think tackling Apocalypse as a villain is ambitious. He was always one of those too-powerful bad guys, and that’s going to be hard to produce on screen. That said, everyone in the sneak looks fantastic, so I’m hopeful. I’d really like to see the X-Men fit back into the Marvel Universe like they are doing with Spider-Man.



Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: June 6th, 2015 TNMT drinking game: Any time Megan Fox is in the movie to be pretty instead of being April O’Neil reporter, Cristi and I drink. We got hammered during the first film. Go Megan!!!



Warcraft: June 10th, 2016: “Let me tell you about my days raiding in vanilla WoW…” <insert old man wheeze>. My friends are concerned that it’s too late. They have a crazy amount of material to pull from, and a fan base that is both knowledgeable of that history and critical of mistakes. It’s going to be a challenge to present a solid story, make those fans happy, and throw in a few things gamers will recognize that non-players might not without losing either audience.



Independence Day: Resurgence: June 24th, 2016 This preview gave my lovely and beautiful wife goosebumps. We watch the first one as a tradition every 4th of July, it’s a fun alien invasion romp, and I have no doubt the sequel will be as well.



Ghostbusters 3: July 15th, 2016  I read lots of posts bitching about the pics, and that’s after seeing, what, like a dozen photos? stfu! I say give this a chance!



Star Trek Beyond: July 22nd, 2016: I was so pumped when I watched the trailer! The Enterprise getting torn apart by those ships! Scotty almost flying off the edge of a cliff! That transporter trick with Kirk and the hot alien! Hell yeah! And then, I read those highly critical posts by Trekkies as to why this looked more like Fast and Furious and less like a serious, thought provoking addition to the Star Trek franchise. Ahem. Yes. I completely agree. I also refute any evidence that I’ve shown the fun...inappropriately misdirected trailer to all of my friends. (You can find it here! Shhhh!)



Suicide Squad: August 5, 2016 It’s my understanding that this will fit into the DC movie-verse continuity. I’m really glad it’s not just a one-off. The preview is put together well, and tells me that they have a LOT of characters to juggle. While I hope it’s good, the one thing I can guarantee is a lot of cosplay will come from this film!

This link is to a cool image that let's you compare characters from the comics with those in the movie!

Underworld 5: October 21st, 2016 Kate Beckinsale



Doctor Strange: November 4, 2016 Marvel doesn’t shy away from anything, do they? This time they are tackling magic. If they can do this, I have no doubt they can make an exciting superhero movie about SPAM. (Not comparing Dr. Strange to everyone’s favorite canned meat, I’m comparing Marvel’s ability to make their audience suspend disbelief.) At least they’ve got the right actor for it. The early pics of Cumberbatch are A-MA-ZING! Check out more on Entertainment Weekly!



Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: November 18th, 2016 Why not? Give us more from the world of Harry Potter. The teaser looks fun!



Rogue One: A Star Wars Story: December 16, 2016 After The Force Awakens, I’m hungry for more Star Wars. Rogue One is about the rebels who stole the plans for the Death Star, and I’m really looking forward to seeing how they tackle their first film that isn’t a part of the main story. I’d be really surprised if this is successful as The Force Awakens which is why they often ask my opinion on these things. o.O



I would be remiss in not listing these, and I’m sure there are a few I’ll be seeing.
Gods of Egypt February 26th
The Divergent Series: Allegiant March 18th
The Jungle Book April 15th
The Huntsman: Winter's War April 22nd
Alice Through the Looking Glass May 27th
Tarzan July 1st  (For some reason my wife is looking forward to this one)

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