My Top Ten Most Anticipated Movies Summer 2017

In 2014 I proclaimed Dawn of the Planet of the Apes my favorite film of that year, and I stand by that now. This franchise has taken a pretty ridiculous premise and transformed it through riveting storytelling, spectacular motion capture and computer-generated work, and excellent action cinematography. It is the best case scenario of the "Hollywood reboot". This may very well be the end of Caesar's story, as the all-out warfare with a new villain (Woody Harrelson) and his army promises plenty of death and devastation. We're inching ever closer to the Planet of the Apes as seen in the classic films of the 60s and 70s, and I can't wait to see what happens with these characters next.

This WWII epic hasn't built up the wave of buzz like some of Christopher Nolan's other projects have in the past. But frankly, the man hasn't missed yet, and Warner Bros. is pretty much willing to give him a massive budget to make whatever he wants at this point. While anyone who paid some attention in history class will know the outcome of Dunkirk, the events surrounding the evacuation have the potential for an excellent and very intense war film. With Nolan's incredible behind-the-scenes team all returning and actors like Tom Hardy, Mark Rylance, Kenneth Branagh, and er... Harry Styles (?) making up the cast, I think we're in for a treat.

Say what you will about Guy Richie, the man's take on Arthurian legend is certainly won't leave his quirky style on the curb. While Game of Thrones has thrived on the small screen, we haven't seen a satisfying medieval fantasy film for a long time (The Hobbit trilogy ultimately proved quite underwhelming). I'm not really expecting that this King Arthur tentpole will connect with audiences, but it would be really cool if it did. Heck, another classic public domain character, Tarzan, churned out big bucks against all odds last summer. At the very least, I can't wait to see the promised big sword battles, sorcery, and Ritchie weirdness very soon.

After Kingsman: The Golden Circle moved from June to September, I was looking for another popcorn-style frenetic action film to fill the void. Baby Driver looks to be that movie. Since Edgar Wright was busy *almost* shaking up the Marvel formula (but ultimately losing to the big guns at Disney), this will be his first release since 2014's The World's End. The international trailers in particular really capture Wright's remarkable editing style, and the way action and music mingle with each other provides a very unique and entertaining tone. Heck, maybe Ansel Elgort will pick up a new fan from this one. Maybe.

It's been a long time since I've heard anything positive about this project. I guess the poster went over pretty well. Sony's adaptation of the Stephen King [insert genre here and it's probably that in some way) series is supposed to drop in under three months, and we have yet to see a trailer. There are a lot of unfortunate signs that the studio know that they have a dud on their hands and are trying to keep costs down wherever they can. But the fact The Dark Tower might be a big ol' turd can't stop my anticipation. This one could fall flat on its face, and I'm still very excited to see this take on such a difficult property. Of course, we'll have to see if it actually comes out this summer.

David Leitch's follow-up to John Wick received positive if not phenomenal reviews out of South by Southwest, and if the trailers are any indication the film will be delivering the stylish action and style in spades. The neon colors, electronic soundtrack, and gorgeously violent one-takes are all here, and it's great to see Charlize Theron get a prominent action film of her own following her superb performance as Furiousa. I think it's possible Atomic Blonde becoming a word-of-mouth hit, and Leitch will be fine either way, considering he has Deadpool 2 next on the docket.

I was one of those people who was super stoked about Prometheus back in 2012, only to feel like I got burned big time by its nonsensical plot. Covenant is being sold more as a traditional Alien prequel but with Prometheus' stunning visual backdrops and effects, and I'm willing to risk the "fool me twice" mantra and give Ridley Scott another chance to draw me back into his world. Katherine Waterson is a good choice to fill in the shoes of Sigourney Weaver (the characters are different in-universe but seem VERY similar). And of course, Michael Fassbender will be back for more android shenanigans. Mostly I'm hoping Covenant brings the horror back to the forefront of the franchise, so I can see just how scary xenomorphs can be.

We finally get the John Hughes-esque interpretation of Spider-Man everyone was waiting for, woo-hoo! Tom Holland's first turn as the webslinger in his small Civil War role was a ton of fun, and it's great to see my favorite Marvel superhero playing in the same sandbox as the Avengers. I didn't watch the spoiler-y, poorly received second trailer, but word of it contributed to my concern that this film will by-and-large follow the traditional origin story tropes with only a fresh coat of paint. It will be interesting to see if Spidey sticks the landing, and I'm at least excited to see Peter Parker, Flash Thompson, and Liz Allan sit in Saturday detention and learn how alike their problems really are.

Mid-June sees the release of the most genuine attempt yet by Universal to create a shared monster universe (sorry,Dracula Untold). Starring Tom Cruise, Sofia Boutella and friends, the marketing for this one differentiates itself by playing up the horror aspect as compared to the swashbuckling nature of the previous, Brendan Frasier-led trilogy. Even though it's based on a classic Hollywood property, The Mummy does seem like one of the more unique offerings of the summer.

Six years after the lukewarm On Stranger Tides, we are getting the fifth (and supposedly final) film in Disney's juggernaut franchise. This time around we are getting Javier Bardem and another ghastly undead army out for a vengeance against Captain Jack Sparrow. While it appears younger actors Brenton Thwaites and Kaya Scodelario are essentially playing discount versions of Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann, those characters will be back as well. Pirates 5 does not appear like it will be iterating on the formidable franchise, but hopefully it can return to the straightforward but colorful storytelling that made this unlikely franchise such a hit in the first place.