I love movies (Perhaps more than I should with my college student budget). What I've found over my years in school, however, is that a good time at the multiplex with friends is worth the (exorbitantly overpriced) admission.
2018 has, in my humble opinion, gotten off to a tremendous start in terms of quality film. Between the brilliant "Black Panther", "Ready Player One", and my personal favorite of the year, "A Quiet Place", I've had something to watch for just about every month this year.
Thankfully, things show no sign of slowing down, with a slate of great-looking movies on tap. Keep in mind, however, that there are likely to be great movies that come out of nowhere, just as did "Quiet Place".
"Avengers: Infinity War" (April 27)
The (beginning of the) grand finale. Over 20 movies have formed the Marvel Cinematic Universe, whose unprecedented success has been emulated often and, yet, is still unparalleled. This will be a tough one to watch if you haven't seen the movies that have come before, but if you have, expect an emotional punch. After all, Marvel has to kill off at least one of its characters for once, right? RIGHT?
"Deadpool 2" (May 18)
He's back and as sassy as ever. I didn't need a single bit of marketing to be sold on a second "Deadpool" movie. The first kept me in stitches and, yet, they come out with an epic promo featuring Ryan Reynolds' title character doing a Bob Ross segment through the fourth wall. Honestly, I'd watch a movie full of that whole bit, but I think the final product (also featuring Josh Brolin as Cable and POTENTIALLY the X-Force) will be just fine, as well.
"Solo: A Star Wars Story" (May 25)
There have been rumors of turmoil behind the scenes of this one. They are probably credible to some degree, seeing as the original directors, Phil Lord and Chris Miller, were fired and replaced with (the, nonetheless, very talented) Ron Howard. I still have some faith in this one, though. With a talented cast that includes Alden Ehrenreich, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover, and Woody Harrelson, among others and Howard at the helm, we might still have a quality film on our hands. And how could you not believe in a movie that looks set to maximize Chewbacca's screen time?
"The Incredibles 2" (June 15)
Nearly 14 years ago, Pixar proved that it can pretty much do anything and made one of the better superhero movies of this century in "The Incredibles". The movie followed Bob Parr and his wife, Helen, as they tried to balance parenthood, superhero retirement, deranged fans, and life in the modern office. Now, we look set to get a sequel that plays out in a Mr. Mom-style, with Bob taking on the household responsibilities while Helen saves the world. You better believe I'll be there to revisit one of the better movies of my childhood.
"Mission Impossible - Fallout" (July 27)
I know very little about this film other than this: 1. I haven't disliked a "Mission Impossible" film that I've seen, 2. you probably will be just fine watching it even if you haven't seen any of the others, 3. this better be good — they wouldn't let Henry Cavill shave his mustache from this movie for Justice League reshoots (and, thus, we got plastic-looking Superman), and 4. Henry Cavill looks like a heavyweight boxer in the above GIF, which is just... Awesome.
"Venom" (October 5)
I have a lot of concerns about this movie, seeing as the trailer was very generic and contained zero shots of Tom Hardy in the Venom suit. That being said... Tom Hardy is playing Venom. So it's worth a shot.
"Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald" (November 16)
Though I am a devout "Harry Potter" fan, I was rather indifferent to the first "Fantastic Beasts" installment. I had faith, though, that it would eventually lead to the Dumbledore vs. Grindelwald storyline that J.K. Rowling had so richly laid the ground for in the final "Harry Potter" book, and here's the proof that I was right. The above GIF of our new, young Dumbledore, Jude Law, dancing is not from the movie, but I'll probably be dancing the same way if he pulls off the role. Plus, we get to see Hogwarts again!
"Creed 2" (November 21)
"Creed" was great, both as a "Rocky" sequel and as its own thing. "Creed 2"... Has been given a release date and that's really all that seems to be concrete about it, other than the fact that the story MAY revolve around Adonis fighting the son of Ivan Drago, who killed his father in the ring. Again, I have my concerns with this one (particularly surrounding the fact that Ryan Coogler is gone, as well as the many social media posts of Sylvester Stallone), but I also trust the acting of Michael B. Jordan and I love Stallone as Rocky.
"Aquaman" (December 21)
So far, Patty Jenkins' "Wonder Woman" has been the only truly strong entry in the DC Films Universe (sorry, "Man of Steel"). Now we get the chance to see James Wan, another prolific director, best known for his work on horror films, take a stab at one of DC's most oft-ridiculed characters. This could be the turning point for this iteration of these DC heroes, or it could be the place where they continue downhill. I am hoping for the former and I have faith in Wan.
