Abel Ndooka
LOS ANGELES. – This year sees the return of Superman, Avatar and Bridget Jones, along with new films from Bong Joon-ho, Paul Thomas Anderson and Ryan Coogler.
So, here are some of the major films to look for this year:
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING
Could The Final Reckoning be the final Mission: Impossible film?
The action-espionage series began back in 1996, and its star, Tom Cruise, is now 62, so it might be time for him to stop running through cities and hanging onto the side of planes in mid-air.
On the other hand, maybe that subtitle is just a snappier alternative to its wordy working title, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two.
The previous film in the series, Dead Reckoning Part One, was a box-office disappointment in 2023, so Cruise and his writer-director, Christopher McQuarrie, may prefer audiences to think of this one as a stand-alone blockbuster rather than the second half of an ongoing story.
Either way, Ethan Hunt and his gang (played by Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg and Hayley Atwell) will be racing around the world, dodging explosions and assassins, in their attempt to foil a dastardly AI known as the Entity. (NB)
Releases May
FRANKENSTEIN
Guillermo del Toro was making great elevated horror films before anyone called them that, going back to Cronos in 1993.
In Frankenstein, he brings his distinctive vision to the ultimate horror story, Mary Shelley’s enduring Gothic tale of Dr Victor Frankenstein’s scientific ambition, his monster’s humanity and the quest for immortality.
Oscar Isaac plays Frankenstein, who has a mad, demonic look in his eyes, and Jacob Elordi is the monster.
The film’s period look is true to Shelley’s 1818 novel with nods to the lab in the classic 1931 Frankenstein movie.
The project has been simmering in various incarnations since 2008 and in Del Toro’s mind for much longer.
“Frankenstein to me is the pinnacle of everything, and part of me wants to do a version of it, part of me has for more than 25 years chickened out of making it,” he said in 2016. In a world full of Frankenstein movies, there’s none I’d rather see than del Toro’s. (CJ)
Releases this year
SUPERMAN
Both of Hollywood’s major superhero film studios are relaunching in 2025.
Marvel is having a soft reboot, in that its stories will focus on a new group of characters, but will be set in the same fictional universe as all of its previous films.
But DC is wiping the slate clean, which means that Henry Cavill’s Superman, Ben Affleck’s Batman, Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman and the rest will be nowhere to be seen.
That’s probably for the best. James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy, The Suicide Squad) is overseeing the new DC Universe, which suggests that it might have a bit more light and humour than the last few DC efforts.
Gunn has also directed the first film set in this new universe: Superman. David Corenswet (Twisters) is the latest actor to play the Man of Steel, Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvellous Mrs Maisel) is playing Lois Lane, and Nicholas Hoult is the evil Lex Luthor. The trailer also promises that we’ll see several other DC superheroes – not to mention Krypto the Superdog. (NB)
Releases July
THE FANTASTIC FOUR
Marvel’s superhero films never quite regained their momentum after Avengers: Endgame came out in 2019. In 2023, the studio suffered two outright flops, The Marvels and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
And in 2024, the only Marvel film was Deadpool & Wolverine – and that one made a point of using characters from other studios, rather than from Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe. But Marvel is hoping to bounce back with three potential blockbusters in 2025.
In February, there’s Captain America: Brave New World, with Anthony Mackie as the new Captain America and Harrison Ford as the Red Hulk. In May, there’s Thunderbolts, which teams up various supporting characters and anti-heroes, including Florence Pugh’s Yelena and Sebastian Stan’s Bucky.
But Marvel’s most feverishly anticipated offering is The Fantastic Four: First Steps, with Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby. This retro-futuristic sci-fi caper is set in the 1960s, when Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s original comic was launched, so it should look different from any other Marvel film. Anyway, it can only be an improvement on the last Fantastic Four film, from 2015, which was one of the greatest debacles in the history of superhero cinema. (NB)
Releases July
Online Reporter
