By: William Holloway
As 2023 proceeds (at a pace faster than I can even perceive), it could do us some good to figure out what we plan to do this year. I’m not talking about school or work schedules, vacations, or even personal improvements. No, of course I am referring to movies based on comic books (and some actual movies too), the only thing that really matters.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – May 5th
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has had some major peaks and valleys quality-wise lately.
However, do I really need to tell you that James Gunn’s Guardians franchise is something special?
I adored the first two, as they managed to stand particularly above other more middling superhero films and this one looks to deliver by following up on previous plot points left open (and made all the more glaring by the in-universe time gap of at least 5 years). This is the last MCU project I am looking forward to at the moment, and if it doesn’t deliver I may give up on the whole thing.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – June 2nd
I can’t help but be unhealthily excited for this as a lifelong fan of the wall-crawler. The sequel to 2018s out of nowhere hit Into the Spiderverse pledges to be even more Amazing, Spectacular, Superior, Ultimate, and other descriptors used for the web head.
This time featuring appearances from even more versions of the character (including two of my favourites) as we witness the full scope of the Spider Verse.
We also get a fairly underused comic villain in a starring role as an antagonist with The Spot along with the 2099 spidey variant from the future. The unique art style looks stunning as ever and I can’t wait to see where they take Miles Morales as the protagonist going forward.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts – June 9th
Hear me out, The Transformers are cool. Come on, alien robots engaged in a never-ending war that disguise as human vehicles and feature developed characters on both sides? What’s not to love!
Detaching the Micheal Bay films from your view, the franchise has remained unique and endearingly creative for quite some time now.
And with the live action films being totally rebooted with 2018’s Bumblebee, the series can ditch the cluttered and unfocused mess that was the films and character designs Micheal Bay was involved with and move on to a faithful yet distinct direction for the franchise. The upcoming film features characters from the “Beast Era” which are some of the franchises best, alongside a more traditional group of heroes and a totally distinct cabal of villains. While I am still cautiously optimistic, I lean more towards optimism rather than cautiousness.
The Flash – June 16th
A reboot of the live action DC universe? Sign me up. Despite the… actions of the lead (and the fact that due to the multiversal premise they are essentially in the film twice) it looks like the finished product will be very exciting especially with the return of Micheal Keaton’s Batman. It truly looks like it will bring things full circle on Zach Snyder’s… “artistic liberties” and usher in the new era of James Gunn’s DC universe, the future of DC in movies looks bright.
Oppenheimer – July 21st
It’s a Christopher Nolan movie about the guy who made the atomic bomb, I don’t need to convince you of anything. Odds are you already have tickets.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem – August 4th
Why does this look as good as it does?
With a star studded cast, a Spiderverse inspired art style, and usage of trailer music from A Tribe Called Quest, I am amazed at how many times I have rewatched this trailer.
Directed by and featuring Seth Rogan (who also stars in the aforementioned Mario movie), this movie focuses on a younger depiction of the TMNT as they get in over their heads and must deal with a number of malicious mutated madmen. While the art style is very obviously reminiscent of Spiderverse, it sets itself apart with less of a strictly comic appearance and more like random messy doodles that make the world seem grittier yet also extremely fun. I cannot wait to catch this in theatres as it looks like a shell of a time.
Blue Beetle – August 18th
Blue Beetle is a pretty cool character; a teen with a fun personality bonded to a no-nonsense technological alien suit that looks like a scarab. It’s kinda like if Spider-Man had Iron Man’s nanotech suit that he could also talk to. The recent trailer we’ve seen looks pretty good, and I have faith that this character will be done justice.