I’m only seeing The Hulk because Ang Lee directed it. I figured that, with him at the helm, just maybe it’ll have some substance beyond the special effects. From a marketing standpoint, actually showing “The Hulk” in the commercials was a major blunder. That’s like showing the money shot before a porno scene.
In other, more promising movies…
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (July 2, 2003): I usually find the premise of such movies more interesting than the actual movies (Terminator, Alien, The Matrix). I was really looking forward to this one, until it became clear that it was just another Save-John-Connor episode. The trailer is probably better than the movie.
The Matrix: Revolutions (November 5, 2003): Duh. But I think a prequel (or a series of prequels) would be a great addition. Hopefully we won’t have to wait a quarter-century, like Star Wars fans did.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (December 17, 2003): I’ll give 100 bucks to anyone who finds me a Sauron costume before Halloween.
Troy (May 21, 2004): “The Trojan War, as depicted in “The Iliad,” the epic Greek poem by Homer.” I dunno. This should be an interesting epic.
The Day After Tomorrow (May 28, 2004): “This movie takes a big-budget, special-effects-filled look at what the world would look like if the greenhouse effect and global warming continued at such levels that they resulted in worldwide catastrophe and disaster.”
Why do I get the feeling this will be another B-movie like Outbreak and Deep Impact? In any case, it could be rather good, as long as it doesn’t turn out to be a heavy-handed environmentalist lecture.
Hellboy (May 28, 2004): “When a Nazi mystical experiment goes awry in 1944, the target of a wizard’s spell, the child of Satan, Hellboy, is wrenched from his home, and adopted by the U.S. agents who intercept his arrival. Raised as a force of good, Hellboy grows up to be a full-fledged demon in the form of a man, complete with fierce red skin, a tail, a giant armored glove, and two large circles where his horns should be (if they ever grow back, Hellboy is quick to break them off).”
This movie sets off my B-movie alert, but we’ll see.
I, Robot (July 16, 2004): “Set in a far future Earth (2050 A.D.) where robots are common assistants and workers for their human owners, this is the story of “robotophobic” police Detective Del Spooner’s (Smith) investigation into the murder of Dr. Miles Hogenmiller, who works at U.S. Robotics, in which a robot, Sonny (Tudyk), appears to be implicated, even though that would mean the robot had violated the Laws of Robotics, which is apparently impossible. It seems impossible because… if robots can break those laws, there’s nothing to stop them from taking over the world, as humans have grown to become completely dependent upon their robots. Or maybe… they already have?”
Sounds good, but if Will Smith is starring, then it can only be so good.
Alexander the Great (November, 2004): Oliver Stone!
Alien 5 (In Development): There isn’t even a script yet, but I love the series. Maybe in this one the marines invade the Alien planet (or vice-versa)? With this series, as well as Terminator, depicting the broader story seems a lot more compelling than the sort of confined episodes we’ve seen so far. However, I realize the studios would much rather milk the franchise with more They’re-After-Ripley/John Connor-Again episodes.
Van Helsing (May 7, 2004): “Set in the late 19th century, monster hunter Dr. Abraham Van Helsing is summoned to a mysterious land in East Europe to vanquish evil forces… evil forces with names like Count Dracula, the Wolf Man, and Frankenstein’s Monster.”
Eh. The crossing of franchises is titilating, much like Alien Vs Predator and Freddy Vs Jason (ugh).
Star Wars, Episode III (May 25, 2005): Pfft. The only people who are eagerly awaiting this movie are the Lucas-obsessed losers who somehow convinced themselves that the first two prequels were good.
Superman (Summer 2005): Please. We already have a new Superman, and his name is Neo.
Terminator 4 (In Development): It should be better than Terminator 3, as by this point there should be a full-fledged battle between the humans and the machines. A prequel would be more interesting, but Terminator 3 will ineptly cover that ground.
I’m sure there are better, more obscure movies coming out, but they typically don’t get any buzz in advance. If I missed anything particularly interesting, lemme know.
Aliens: Interesting. was unaware of this in development. However there has been a decent series of books on the Aliens v. Predator. Dark look at the world and the Aliens impact. I think there is a good opportunity for a prequel as well. I’d like to know how and where they originated.
Alien vs Predator…ugh. I knew someone would suggest that. Should have said this up front: None of the predator movies were good for anything besides special effects eye candy. As for a prequel and where the aliens originated, I think that’s best explored without having Predator involved.
One slight correction: Ang Lee is a male. From Taiwan.
Whoops…you’re right. I read that somewhere a long time ago, but forgot.
Just because some people like the first two Star Wars prequels does not mean they are obsessed losers.
lol…you just keep trying to convince yourself of that.
Just because some people like the
first two Star Wars prequels does
not mean they are obsessed losers.
There are more important things
than what films you like.
And, Episode 2 is better than
Episode 1. Thanks.