This has already been a year of great movies; Logan, Guardians of the Galaxy 2, and Wonder Woman are just a few of the standouts that had us lining up outside the theater. But there's still so much to look forward to in 2017. Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Justice League, Blade Runner 2049... the list goes on. In fact, the list is below. In an attempt to get you sincerely HYPED for the coming months, the GR+ team have picked the most exciting upcoming movies to put on your 2017 must-watch list.
We’ve got everything from the Marvel and DC cinematic universes (Thor: Ragnarok), to the sequels and reboots you won’t want to miss (Jumanji). They’re all below in chronological order so you know which to get excited for first, and we’ll be keeping this list up to date with any new information or release date changes, so make sure you check back throughout the year. Read on and enjoy.
Looking for the best movies of the year (so far)? Here you go...
Blade Runner 2049
Release date: October 6, 2017
Blade Runner defies sequelization. The power of its ending, with Deckard haunted by ambiguous implications about the nature of modern humanity, gains power from the fact that we don’t know what happens next. That’s on top of its nature as a showcase for the filmmaking technology of 1982; nothing else looked like Blade Runner’s mad mix of set design, models, and trick photography. Many imitators have tried, none have succeeded. Yet if anyone was going to carry the story of Ridley Scott’s weary world and its synthetic people struggling for the right to live, Denis Villeneuve is the man for the job. His nightmarish thriller Enemy, the sober alien contact film Arrival, and his penchant for human tension exemplified by Sicario demonstrate how he can capture the Blade Runner tone. The rest depends on a brilliant script and better editing - Ridley Scott spent 25 years tinkering with the original - and whether or not Edward James Olmos shows up with that jaunty hat again. Anthony Agnello
Read more: Everything you need to know about Blade Runner 2049
Thor: Ragnarok
Release date: November 3, 2017 (US)/October 24, 2017 (UK)
After Thor’s visions during Age of Ultron, it’s fair to assume that Asgard is in danger. The plot of Thor: Ragnarok is a heavily guarded so it’s tricky to glean what it’s about, but we do know that Cate Blanchett is playing Hela, the Norse goddess of death and the villain of the piece. However, given that Jeff Goldblum will be playing the Grandmaster, a being with cosmic powers who enjoys toying with others as if they’re pieces on a chessboard, maybe Hela will be having her strings pulled from behind the scenes. He could also be responsible for the appearance of the Hulk, although I hope his meddling doesn’t interfere with the bromance I want to blossom between Thor and the green muscleman. Tom Hiddleston’s Loki will also be around (of course), and we could be seeing a dash of espionage considering he was disguised as Odin in the post-credits scene for Thor: The Dark World. Zoe Delahunty-Light
Read more: Everything you need to know about Thor: Ragnarok
Justice League
Release date: November 17, 2017
The DC Extended Universe has… not gotten off to the best start. Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Suicide Squad all raked in beaucoup bucks, but fell flat with critics. While the DCEU is often criticized for being too dark and grim, our first peeks at Justice League have us hopeful that this could be the film that rights the ship. Batman's sourpuss, old ‘n’ grumpy personality feels more like a crotchety grandpa we can't help but love, while Flash is happy to crack jokes as often as he cracks the sound barrier. Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot were two of the highlights of Dawn of Justice, so the more time we get to spend with them, the better. And hey, it looks like Aquaman is going to be a legitimately cool guy thanks to Jason Momoa (AKA Khal Drogo)'s intimidating presence. We've been burned before, but Justice League has us ready to give loving the DCEU another chance. Sam Prell
Read more: Everything you need to know about Justice League
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Release date: December 15, 2017
Oh come on. Do I really need to tell you why you should be excited? Part of the reason the The Force Awakens is so brilliant is that - for the first time in 20 years - Star Wars fans had reason to speculate. Suddenly, we had unanswered questions: what happened to Luke? Why is Kylo Ren such an asshat? Who are Rey’s parents? (The answer to the last one better be Obi-wan Kenobi, or there will be trouble.) Star Wars 8 promises to answer some, if not all, of those questions, and hopefully, it’ll leave us with even more. You can expect a stack of new characters to replace the fallen, Luke kicking ass with his hopefully-honed Jedi skills, and frothing sexual tension between Finn and Poe. The Star Wars universe is suddenly more exciting than ever, and the nuanced talent of director Rian Johnson promises to breathe life, character and intrigue into a revitalised Star Wars universe. Matt Elliott
Read more: Everything you need to know about Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Jumanji
Release date: December 22, 2017
The original Jumanji is peak '90s: it stars the late, great Robin Williams, features tons of CG animals, and will forever remain in the hearts of kids who grew up watching it. That makes it ripe for a modern comeback in this sequel of the same name, featuring an enchanted, jungle-themed board game that can warp reality to really suck in its players. Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson stars as Dr. Smolder Bravestone, the macho Indiana Jones-esque lead, joined by Moose Finbar (Kevin Hart), Ruby Roundhouse (Karen Gillan), and Professor Shelly Oberon (Jack Black). Whereas the first Jumanji chronicled the chaos of the game's world invading our own, this continuation (which should pay homage to the original film and the children's book it's based on) appears to feature the reverse, where the players have been transported into the tropical board game. Expect hectic, family-friendly adventure with a hearty dose of danger mixed in. Lucas Sullivan
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