It looks to be an interesting year for sci-fi and fantasy films next year.
Den of Geek lists the 10 Sci-Fi Films to Look Forward to in 2013 and from the list those that have caught my fancy include:
- Cloud Atlas
- Elysium
- Ender's Game
- Oblivion
- Robot & Frank
Although there's no guarantee that all 10 films highly-anticipated by Den of Geek will be shown here in the P.I., there's the likelihood that the abovementioned films might just get the greenlight ... except maybe for Robot & Frank. Cloud Atlas trailers have been aired in some cinemas and given that it's a Tom Hanks-starrer, the likelihood of being shown locally is huge. Elysium, from those responsible for the surprise hit District 9, stars Matt Damon while Oblivion has Tom Cruise playing the lead so both flicks are likely to see the light of day here in the Land of the Morning Sun. That leaves Robot & Frank as the most likely candidate of not getting the nod of local movie distributors.
From the fantasy field, there's no doubt that the first installment of The Hobbit will be brought over but as to when it'll be aired that's going to be the question. The Hobbit, like its predecessor The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, were released in the U.S. during the Christmas season. Here in the P.I., they were released January as a result of the Manila Film Festival. Unless distributors opt for an earlier release date, The Hobbit will most likely hit the big screen on January 2013 so that makes it one of the early movies to catch next year.
But the one fantasy film which I hope will be shown here will be the Sam Raimi-directed Oz: The Great and Powerful, an origins tale about small-time magician Oscar Diggs, otherwise known in the L. Frank Baum books as The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, who gets whisked away to the Marvelous Land of Oz where he is revered as a Great Wizard. From the official movie site:
"Disney's fantastical adventure "Oz The Great and Powerful," directed by Sam Raimi, imagines the origins of L. Frank Baum's beloved character, the Wizard of Oz™. When Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he's hit the jackpot—fame and fortune are his for the taking—that is until he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone's been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity—and even a bit of wizardry—Oscar transforms himself not only into the great and powerful Wizard of Oz™ but into a better man as well."
Hopefully, interest for this flick builds up so that it hits the big screen hereabouts. Otherwise, I will have to get creative in getting my hands on a DVD copy when it becomes available.
I've not yet read or watched the Hunger Games Trilogy but the second installment of the series, Catching Fire, will be hitting the cinemas sometime inn November 2013. Another movie that'll be on my lookout list will be the reboot (again) of Superman -- Man of Steel -- which will have British actor Henry Cavill donning the blue and red S suit. There's also G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Iron Man 3, and The Wolverine to look forward to.
How about you, what movies are you anticipating next year?
