I think it's fairly obvious to you guys now that I am a movie buff and while 2012 has been a great year for movies I am eagerly looking forward to next year. So similarly to my last list here are my most anticipated films of 2013
Number 10: Oz: The Great and Powerful
The Wizard of Oz is a classic fairy tale. I dare you to find me a person over the age of 5 who hasn't seen the original film. There have been plenty of sequels and spin offs to this popular film and this one is no exception. This time around we get to learn about how the titular Wizard came to power. The initial trailer only gives us a brief look but it should be interesting to see how several characters including the Wicked Witch of the West and the titular Wizard.
Numbers 9&8: Thor: The Dark World and Catching Fire
The reason I've grouped these two films together is that I am equally excited about both of them and we have very little information regarding the two. The Hunger Games really surprised me this year and I am interested to see what direction the story will go in next. I am also equally excited for Thor: The Dark World. It'll be interesting to see how the character has changed after the events of The Avengers. Not much else to say aside from the fact that these two movies are probably gonna be awesome.
Number 7: Oblivion
To say that Tom Cruise is not one of my favorite actors is an understatement. To say that I am sucker for a good science fiction story however would describe me to a tee. Directed by Joseph Kosinski, who directed Tron: Legacy (a severely underrated film in my opinion), what we see in this trailer is a post apocalyptic Earth that has been seemingly destroyed by aliens. There does appear to be a larger conspiracy at work however. I find it interesting that another film starring Will Smith and his son, After Earth, has a similar plot. If you're wondering why I'm not including that film, it's being directed by M. Night Shamalamadingdong. No I do not care that I got his name wrong. He deserves that much after ruining The Last Airbender movie. (God help us all if he makes another)
Number 6: The World's End
At long last the Blood and Ice Cream Trilogy is coming to an end. Again while we don't have a trailer I am really hyped for this film. It's been almost six years since Hot Fuzz and I am excited to see what Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Edgar Wright have up their sleeves for the final installment in this trilogy. Most likely lots of blood and someone eating an ice cream cone.
Number 5: Pacific Rim
THIS IS HOW YOU DO GIANT ROBOT FILMS MICHAEL BAY! Now that that's out of the way I can honestly say I am looking forward to Guillermo Del Toro's take on the giant monster genre. There are still many details under wraps but the fact that they got Ellen McLain, the voice of GLaDOS from the Portal series, to play the robot AI is a huge plus in my book.
Number 4: The Hobbit The Desolation of Smaug
I know the first film has been barely out for a month but I am so excited for the next chapter in Bilbo Baggins journey. With the promise of a big fire breathing dragon this movie is surely going to be awesome.
Number 3: Man of Steel
It's finally nice to see Superman get some time in the limelight after Batman has been hogging it for a while. While I do have my reservations about this installment I'm still excited to see Superman on the big screen especially after the bore fest that was Superman: Returns.
Number 2: Iron Man 3
While we may not know how Thor is recovering after the events of The Avengers it looks like Tony Stark is not in the best of places. Also it appears that revealing your secret identity wasn't such a great idea. Jokes aside though I am excited for the next chapter in the Iron Man film series, the aftermath of The Avengers, and more importantly the build up to The Avengers 2.
Before we get to number 1 I'd like to share an honorable mention.
HONORBALE MENTION: Jurassic Park in 3D
I know the 3D fad is getting kind of old and redundant but dinosaurs in 3D. DINOSAURS. IN. 3D. There has never been a more awesome combination since the invention of the Reese's Peanut Butter cup. All joking aside though Jurassic Park is one of my favorite films and I can't wait to finally see it on the big screen.
And now for number one.
Number One: Star Trek Into Darkness
I loved the 2009 reboot of the Star Trek film series. I immediately wanted a sequel to the film. After three long years my wait is over and I honestly can't wait. The films looks like it's going to take everything good about the first film and multiply it by 100. Also I have watched the first episode of Sherlock since my analysis of the first trailer and I am more excited to see how Benedict Cumberbatch portrays our still unknown villain.
So that's that. I still have a couple more films to see before I talk about which films wowed me this year but I can't wait for next year.
With 2012 coming to a close I'd figure it would be a good idea to look to next year to see what games are coming out. Now some of you may be wondering why I'm not doing a top 10 of the games that I thought were the best of 2012. Well to be honest this year was kind of lackluster when it came to gaming. All I can really think about are Assassin's Creed III, Borderlands 2, Fall of CYbertron and couple of HD compilations. With that out of the way let's start with number 10.
Number 10: Deadpool
Ah nothing like the good ol' merc with a mouth to start off a top ten. I've recently fallen in love with the new run of Deadpool that Marvel's currently running. I'll go into detail some time later but let me just say this: Deadpool vs. Zombie presidents. What I also really like is that this game is being made by High Moon Studios, the guys behind the recent Transformers games (Dark of the Moon non-withstanding) and also Darkwatch, an old PS2 favorite of mine. While High Moon Studios hasn't exactly made a hack and slash game I'm pretty sure they'll do Deadpool justice.
Number 9: Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time
The Sly Cooper franchise is very near and dear to my heart. The first game was literally one of the first games I ever got for my PS2. While I was skeptical when I learned that Sanzaru games would be developing the game, considering that they have a spotty track record, when I played the demo that came with The Ratchet and Clank Collection, my fears were mostly alleviated. The Sly franchise is in safe hands and I can't wait to step back into the shoes of my favorite Thievius Raccoonus.
Number 8: Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
The Metal Gear franchise is my favorite franchise ever. I admit that seeing a Metal Gear hack and slash game isn't exactly my idea of the next biggest game in the franchise but seeing as it's being developed by Platinum Games I'm willing to give it a shot.
Number 7: South Park The Stick of Truth
Nothing like South Park to shock the masses. While the series has taken potshots at various video games such as Guitar Hero and World of Warcraft, this is the first time the series has actually been adapted to a video game.
Let me rephrase that. This is the first time the series has been adapted PROPERLY. The graphics look like you are literally playing an episode of the series. The humor is offensive as always and I personally think that a classic RPG gameplay style is the way to go.
Number 6: Metro Last Light
I recently bought The THQ Humble Bundle. I got to play a bunch of games I've missed out on such as Darksiders and Saints Row. When I played Metro 2033 I entered a post apocalyptic world that seemed the most grounded in reality in all of gaming. Any time you head out onto the surface you need to wear a gas mask so you don't breath in harmful toxins. Your gas mask isn't foolproof however as you are on the constant search for filters. I haven't finished it but I have already fallen in love with the game. You can bet that I'll be back when Last Light comes out.
Number 5: Castlevania Lords of Shadow 2
I've never played any Castlvania games prior to the first Lords of Shadow game. When I heard that Hideo Kojima (the main man behind the Metal Gear franchise) would be working on Lords of Shadow I decided to check it out. While Lords of Shadow may have polarized longtime fans of the Castlevania series I personally liked it. It was a fun game with a pretty cool story. I can't wait to see what happens next in the series.
Number 4: Metal Gear Solid Ground Zeroes
Now there's the Metal Gear I know and love. This would've been higher on the list but given the long development time for almost every Metal Gear game I can't be sure this game is even going to come out in 2013. Still Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker was one of my favorite games (and maybe even my favorite in the whole series) and I'd love to see what happens next to Big Boss and all the other characters introduced in that game.
Number 3: The Last of US
Naughty Dog has never let me down in the past whether it be Crash Bandicoot, Jak and Daxter, or Uncharted. I'm really glad that we're seeing a lot of new franchises emerging this day and age. While the zombie apocalypse isn't exactly new ground in gaming, I am dying to see Naughty Dog's take on it given their reputation for strong stories and characters.
Number 2: Grand Theft Auto V
Nothing like randomly stealing cars and killing people. That's the Grand Theft Auto way. I've been a huge fan of Rockstar Game's recent games such as Red Dead Redemption and L.A. Noire. I really can't wait for the newest iteration of the GTA series. With many features being toted such as three playable protagonists (or antagonists given the nature of the GTA games) and an open world larger than Red Dead Redemption and GTA IV being toted I honestly can't wait for this to come out
Number 1: BioShock Infinite
When this game was introduced two years ago I was instantly hyped. It's not very often where you get a game that places as much importance on story as gameplay. It has been a painful wait for this game as it has been constantly delayed over and over again but the wait is almost over. Just three more months and I can finally play what may be the best game of next year.
Wow, I didn't expect to be doing this again so soon. Anyways, yeah the new trailer for Man of Steel is out much earlier than I expected so let's watch it and see what I think.
Alright we start with Clark lying down in water for some reason while a younger Clark is comforted by his mom. I know a lot of people complained about the teaser being more evocative of an Aquaman movie and quite frankly this trailer isn't helping with Ma Kent telling Clark to think of an ocean. We then see the aftermath of Clark saving a bus from falling into an ocean. Pa Kent tells Clark that he should keep his powers a secret. When Clark asks if he should have let them die, Pa Kent responds maybe. Wow. Pa Kent you are a dick. We get a nice shot of Clark in the Fortress of Solitude as he finally dons the cape and takes off. We get our usual high paced adrenaline ending but this one is more somber. We see images of Metropolis being destroyed, Superman's parents embracing him, our first look at General Zod, and more action pieces. The trailer ends with Superman saying that Dick Kent (that's his name now) thought the world would reject him and that we wouldn't be ready for this. As Superman asks Lois Lane what she thinks the trailer closes.
This is not exactly what I had in mind for the next Man of Steel trailer. I know Warner Bros. is taking a darker approach but this is freaking Superman. If you want dark go with Batman. I'm not saying I oppose a darker and edgier Superman, just give me some optimism dammit.
While I am excited for this film, this trailer isn't making me any more excited than I already was. Let's hope as we get closer that things will brighten up.
Finally we have a trailer for the new Star Trek movie that isn't three frames. This movie is one of my most anticipated films of next year so it finally feels nice to have a trailer I can watch over and over again while waiting. But enough of my rambling let's take a look at the trailer.
So we start off with some nice panning shots of a futuristic city. I'm guessing there's some kind of funeral going on or another important Federation event. All the while our unknown villain is narrating about how Earth isn't safe and he's going to have revenge. We then cut to what I can only describe as a pyramid made out of Twizzlers and Kirk and Bones running from said pyramid. This is followed by a shot of the character being played by Alice Eve who I can only assume is going to be a love interest for Kirk. But then again when isn't a female character a love interest for Kirk. We get a brief glimpse of an action scene and it certainly is impressive. I wonder if those are Klingons that the bad guy is beating up. We could really use some Klingons in this movie seeing as all their scenes in the 2009 movie were deleted. We finally get a nice shot of the villain played by Benedict Cumberbatch.(That is such an awesome name) We start to ramp up as the trailer goes into the usual adrenaline paced ending as it shows various scenes from the movie such as Spock going into a volcano, the Enterprise rising out of an ocean, various people in distress, Kirk beating up Cumberbatch, the love interest screaming for some reason, and other shots of various crew mates. Our final shot shows everyone in horror as some buildings blow up and the Enterprise (or a ship that looks a lot like it) crashes into water. It all comes full circle.
So what do I think? Not bad. The teaser doesn't give away much of the plot and shows a lot of impressive scenes. My favorite parts where the aforementioned volcano scene and one scene where Cumberbatch swings a chain gun against his attackers. It's pretty safe to say that I'm hyped for this film.(As if I wasn't already) I really can't wait to see the extended preview in front of The Hobbit.
Hello and Welcome to the Robotic Cinematic. My name is Evan, the author of this blog. I'll be posting here about movies and TV shows I've recently seen, games I've recently played, toys I've purchased, and food I have eaten. So stick around and let the Robotic Cinematic begin.
