As a new season comes, there are, of course, many new and great movies that come as well. With so many new releases, it might be hard to pick which ones might be actually worth seeing. These are some of the most anticipated movies of the fall, from the films with the big budgets to the smaller films that have received a lot of buzz from critics.

The Big Budgets

Doctor Strange – November 4

Doctor Strange is the last superhero movie of the year and is probably the most intriguing superhero movie of the year. This origin story is about Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), a surgeon who, after an accident, loses his ability to use his hands, making him unable to continue his career. He then gets the help from The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton), who, in turn, gives him powers that are unlike anything that has been shown in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Strange is known to be able to travel between different dimensions, making this film an interesting and exciting watch this November. Watch the trailer

Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them – PG-13, November 18

After thinking that there would be no more Wizarding World on the big screen, J.K. Rowling surprised everyone by announcing that she would be the screenwriter of a new story that takes place in the magical world. Set as a prequel and a spin-off of the Harry Potter franchise, Fantastic Beasts follows Newt Scamander in 1926, as he travels to America with a suitcase full of magical creatures. However, crisis strikes as the creatures escape and run rampant in New York City. Watch the trailer

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story­ ­­­­– December 16

A spin-off of the Star Wars franchise, Rouge One will be a stand-alone film taking place between the events of Episode III and Episode IV, during the building of the Death Star. Felicity Jones stars as Jyn Erso, a recruit of the Rebel Alliance, who is enlisted to steal plans to the Death Star. Since it is a part of the Star Wars franchise, there has not been many big possible spoilers. However, because of the giant success of The Force Awakens, there will be no surprise if this will be another hit for the epic saga. Watch the trailer

The Adaptations

The Girl on the Train – R, October 7

Based on the novel The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins, this film adaptation is about Rachel Watson (Emily Blunt), a woman who commutes on the train every day, where she often stares outside the window, staring at a house where Megan (Haley Bennett) and Scott Hipwell (Luke Evans) live. She begins to fantasize about their “perfect” lives. One day, however, she sees something horrific, which causes her to drink too much. The next day, she wakes up, hungover and covered in wounds, and discovers that Megan Hipwell has gone missing. This thriller received a lot of praise as a novel, which puts some pressure on this movie. However, with an intriguing cast, the film might be a good adaption in the making. Watch the trailer

Assassin’s Creed – December 21

After multiple sequels and huge amounts of praise, Assassin’s Creed is being adapted from its video game counterpart. Michael Fassbender stars as Callum Lynch, who is saved from death row by Abstergo Industries and, thus, is thrown into the Animus Project, which can make people live the memories of their ancestors. Lynch is transported to the Spanish Inquisition into the body Aguilar de Nerha. When Lynch discovers that Nerha is an assassin from a secret society, Lynch uses his skills to try to defeat Abstergo Industries, who turn out to be the enemy of the society of Assassins. While video game films have a bad reputation, Assassin’s Creed does have an impressive cast, and an interesting trailer, so there’s anticipation that this could be the first great video game movie. Watch the trailer

A Monster Calls­ – PG-13, December 23

A Monster Calls is another book-to-movie adaptation and is written by the author of the original novel, Patrick Ness. This fantasy film follows a young teenager named Conor O’Malley (Lewis MacDougall), who is struggling to handle the fact that his mother (Felicity Jones) has cancer. One night, he begins to have strange dreams of a monster (voiced by Liam Neeson), which is in a shape of a giant tree. This monster begins to tell Conor strange stories in order to help him cope with his grief. After receiving acclaim and awards as a book, it’s no wonder that the film would also receive some anticipation. Hopefully, with its great casting and its stunning visuals (and the fact that the screenplay was written by the author himself), A Monster Calls will prove to be a fantastic adaptation. Watch the trailer

The Potential Award Contenders

Loving – PG-13, November 4

Loving has already received praise, as it premiered at Cannes and received a standing ovation. Its trailer is heartbreaking enough, as it shows the heartbreaking true story of Richard Loving (Joel Edgerton) and Mildred Jeter (Ruth Negga), an interracial married couple from the 1950s. However, because they got married in Virginia, their marriage broke the law, as people from two different races were not allowed to be married at that time in history. It follows their story, as they fought for their marriage all the way to Supreme Court. Watch the trailer

Moana – November 23

Even after the enormous success of Zootopia earlier this year, Disney is attempting to possibly top it with Moana, a film based on the Mangarevan god, Maui. The film follows Moana (Auli’I Cravalho), who attempts to fulfill a prophecy by traveling to the Realm of Monsters. She partners with the Maui (Dwayne Johnson), as she journeys to save her family. The film has already received praise for using a Polynesian actress for the first time to play the titular character and because of the fact that while Moana is a princess, she will have the tropes of a hero, making her one of the few female heroes of Disney. Watch the trailer

Fences – December 25

Fences is a film about a former baseball player, Troy Maxon (Denzel Washington) and his wife, Rose Maxon, as they face many struggles during the 1950s in Pittsburgh. This film has so many signs of success that it’s almost overwhelming how high expectations will most likely be for this film. First, it is the film adaptation of the play of the same name, Fences, which won both the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play for the writer, August Wilson. Wilson is also the one who wrote the screenplay of the film. Additionally, this is Washington and Davis’s second time playing Troy and Rose Maxon, where both of them received Tony Awards for their work on the revival of the play in 2010. With all of these prestigious awards, it’s no wonder that this movie could be a big contender for the biggest awards in film.

The Plots are Vague, but They’re Promising

The Accountant – R, October 14

From the trailers alone, there’s a lot of intrigue for this film. It’s about Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck), a math genius with a serious case of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, who is an accountant at a corporate office by day and by night an accountant for criminals. With a mysterious, yet enticing plot and a great cast, including J. K. Simmons and Anna Kendrick, this could prove to be a great thriller with a more original concept. Affleck also looks like a great casting choice for the main character, as he is seen to be a great action star, yet also an absent individual throughout the trailer. Watch the trailer

Arrival – November 11

The basics of the film seem like every other alien sci-fi film, but, there are aspects to this that might propel it to be more original than many other films of the same nature. Arrival begins as one might expect: 12 alien ships land on earth, so, of course, the military sends people, including linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams), to enter the ship in order to make contact with possible aliens. What makes this interesting is the fact that the film focuses on the language aspect of the contact rather than immediately fighting the aliens. The trailer looks sleek and understated, so this sci-fi film might be one to pay attention to. Watch the trailer

Passengers – December 21

Little has been said about this sci-fi film, but it does boast a great cast including Jennifer Lawrence, playing Aurora Dunn, and Chris Pratt, playing Jim Preston. What has been said is that the film is about Aurora and Jim, who were awakened from their induced comas 90 years early during a 120-year journey to another planet. Together, they must save the other inhabitants of the ship, who are also in danger because of the malfunction. The director of Passengers also directed the critically-acclaimed film, The Imitation Game, which also got him an Oscar nomination. With great actors and a praised director, this could be a great and unique concept for a sci-fi film that might just be a hit.