Chadwick Boseman is both the Black Panther and king of Wakanda. The last 365 days offered a wide range of cinematic choice whatever your taste – Young Post reviewers watched at least two films a week, and sometimes more. Some were magical, thanks to ever improving CGI and incredible acting; others were so painfully awful, we regretted the wasted three hours at the cinema. But that’s not going to stop us watching!
Here are 18 films we can’t wait to watch in 2018.
In recent years, with a few notable exceptions (Doctor Strange, Transformers: Age of Extinction) Hong Kong has been getting movies later than much of the rest of the world.
The best films of 2017
Sing it, girl!
That means that while reviews have been flying around the web, we’re still yet to see Pitch Perfect 3 (January 18), the third outing for the Barden Bellas with the promise of more instantly quotable come-backs and infectious earworms.
Wondering about time travel
We’re also excited to finally catch Wonderstruck (January 25), a mystery which simultaneously tells the stories of two runaway deaf children, set 50 years apart. Quite apart from the intriguing premise, this just looks beautiful.
Not your typical bull
There’s also animated release Ferdinand (February 15), the tale of a pacifist bull who refuses to partake in bullfighting, and has been nominated for two Golden Globes.
The return of the king
Next year looks like an amazing one for comics book lovers, with offerings from both Marvel and DC, and we cannot wait. First up is Black Panther (February 15), whose amazing first trailer was like the antithesis to #OscarsSoWhite; if the film is even one tenth as cool as the trailers, this could be the most thrilling, visually spectacular Marvel film so far.
Cool gauntlet, bro
Following that is the first half of Avengers: Infinity War (May 4), which, mixing characters from all the Marvel stories, sounds insane. Brilliant, but insane.
Small but mighty...annoying
Because good things come in threes, Marvel is releasing a third movie, Ant-Man and The Wasp, in July, which is set after the events of Captain America: Civil War but, if the first one is anything to go by, promises more laughs than the Steve Rogers storyline.
You need to hydrate
Not to be left out, and after releasing the second biggest film of the year (let’s not dwell on Justice League ... coulda woulda shoulda), there’s a DC Comics release due out towards the end of the year. Can Aquaman boost DC’s popularity the way Wonder Woman did? Or will we sigh, shake our heads and mark it up as another superhero disappointment?
Bows are all the rage in the jungle
While it’s easy to accuse filmmakers of lacking creativity when they reboot movie franchises, it doesn’t stop us getting excited about the remakes. (For the record, the all-female Ghostbusters was awesome.) The spring sees the new Tomb Raider (March 29) starring Oscar-winner Alicia Vikander. It promises plenty of action and, if the trailer is anything to go by, incredible special effects. Plus, Daniel Wu features; our Hong Kong pride overrunneth.
She only lied about being a thief
Speaking of all-female spinoffs, Ocean’s 8, starring some of the world’s most talented actresses (Oscar winners Cate Blanchett, Sandra Bullock, Anne Hathaway) is due out in the summer (June 14). The slick, sleek trailer has us fired up and anticipating sharp humour, impressive stunts and unexpected plot twists as either the 1960s original or noughties remake.
Elementary, my Gnome Watson
Four long-awaited sequels are due out in 2018. The first is Wreck-It Ralph 2 (March), the follow-up to the 2012 blockbuster about video games characters. Up next is Sherlock Gnomes (March 29), the 3D Computer animated follow-up to the brilliant, and hugely underrated 2011 release Gnomeo & Juliet which promises to be as witty as the first with voice performances from the likes of Maggie Smith and Michael Caine.
More Jack Jack please
It’s been a little longer since the original Incredibles was released in 2004, so we’re possibly even more excited about the follow-up (June 14).
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
But the longest awaited sequel is Mary Poppins Returns (Christmas 2018) – with the release of the original Mary Poppins way back in 1964, it’s surely one of the longest waits in film history.
Are they here yet?
Patience is less of a problem if you’re a fan of these next three franchises. Mission: Impossible 6 (July) comes three years after the last instalment. The sequel to 2013’s Pacific Rim, Pacific Rim Uprising (March 29), starring Star Wars’ John Boyega, promises more amazing sci-fi and monsters. Meanwhile, the second of J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter prequels, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (November) will be released only two years after its predecessor.
Big meets bigger
Finally, a pair of standalone films we’re pumped about,for very different reasons. Rampage (April 19), with its genetically modified giant gorilla may sound like yet another King Kong reboot, but it stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and we are prepared to forgive him almost anything (except Baywatch; there is no excuse).
Nothing a little ironing can't fix?
And last but definitely not least, Ava DuVernay’s fantasy epic, A Wrinkle in Time (March 22), starring Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon and Mindy Kaling looks set to make sci-fi accessible.
Happy viewing!