2024 is on the way out, and our team is looking ahead to the films we’re most excited about in the New Year!
Hard to believe, but we’re already staring down the barrel of a New Year. 2024 had plenty of surprises (including misfires), but 2025 is looking stacked all around. As always, we’ve tasked our team with breaking down the five films they’re most excited to see in the upcoming year.
Jordan
Jurassic World Rebirth – Aside from Star Wars, few franchises have me seated as quickly as Jurassic Park/World. I’m a sucker for dinos in action and I’m eager to see where they take the franchise without a bunch of familiar characters around. It also helps that I love Gareth Edwards and am excited to see him back to his monster movie roots. While it’s easy to look at this quick turn around film as a cash grab, it’s got the potential to surprise people.
28 Years Later – Despite being a well-documented horror weenie, 28 Days Later has been among my favorite movies since it was released. It’s impressive style and story kicked off my love of the zombie genre and I’ve been eagerly awaiting this since it was announced. Not only bringing back the original director/writer, but returning to familiar characters? I’m sold.
Thunderbolts* – There’s something about a Marvel team-up that I’ve been missing in the theaters. It’s been a while since the last Avengers flicks, and while we’ve seen some pairs/trios here and there, it’ll be nice to have a full team of “heroes” to root for. Couple that with how incredibly fun the trailers have felt, and I think Thunderbolts* will stand out.
Avatar: Fire & Ash – I’ve been on board the Avatar hype train since the first film released in 2009. For a while, it seemed like I was the only one carrying the torch of The Way of Water, but considering its box office domination, it seems others shared my love. As such, I’m very excited to get back to Pandora with Fire & Ash. Not having to wait over a decade to see what happens next is nice, and with all the new aspects of Pandora delved into, it will be great to see where the larger plot/war ends up going. Plus, we all know it’s going to be ridiculously gorgeous.
Superman – I’m a DC fan over Marvel at heart, though the films have had a tough time over the years. There’s a lot of new hope in what James Gunn can bring to the table with his new DCU, and I can’t wait to see Superman soar on the big screen once again.
Honorable Mentions: Mortal Kombat 2, Captain America: Brave New World, Mickey 17, From the World of John Wick: Ballerina, Wicked
Becky
Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning – Ever since I finally got into the Mission Impossible films (sometime around Ghost Protocol) and discovered I really like them, I’ve been kinda hooked on the Mission Impossible film series. So of course, with this being billed as the final entry, or at least the final entry with Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt, I can’t miss that. This also gives me one last chance to see if they actually kill Hunt off because I have a hard time imagining him walking off into the sunset after everything he’s done.
From the World of John Wick: Ballerina – I’m glad we’re getting more films in the world of John Wick. The entire concept is so fascinating to me that I don’t think I’ll ever get enough. It will be refreshing though to experience this world from the perspective of someone other than John Wick (with all due respect to Keanu Reeves), I’m excited to see this Ballerina character in action.
Saw XI – Once Saw X proved the franchise was alive and well, there was no chance I was going to miss Saw XI. I don’t know what it will be about (though I can take a guess) and to be honest I really don’t care, I just know I’m going to be grossed out and weirded out in the best way possible and really isn’t that why most go to see a Saw film?
Mortal Kombat 2 – In 2025 it will have been four long years since the first Mortal Kombat film proved that it is possible to adapt the game and have the film be really good. At last the story is going to continue with Mortal Kombat 2 and I for one can’t wait to see what they’ve got in store for us. As long as they stick to what made the first film work, I think this sequel will rock.
Wicked: For Good – Having recently seen Part One in theaters I can state with absolute certainty that THIS is the film I’m looking forward to the most next year. As Part One was easily the best film of 2024, I have no trouble believing that Part Two will blow everything else out of the water. I do hate that we have to wait all the way until November 2025 though, that feels like an eternity from now.
Honorable Mentions: Until Dawn, 28 Years Later, Captain America: Brave New World
Ryan
Until Dawn – Video game adaptations are always hit-or-miss, but as more and more hits like the Sonic franchise and the Mario movie have released than misses lately (what’s a Borderlands?) I’m hopeful that Until Dawn will prove worth our time and ticket price. The game itself is already basically a playable film, and director David F. Sandberg put some downright terrifying scenes in his Shazam movies, so we might be in for a real treat with this one!
The Minecraft Movie – This is definitely my “hear me out” pick, but… hear me out! There was never any way that a movie about Minecraft not made ten years ago was ever going to have the kind of impact that its producers are expecting, but the latest trailer gives me some hope that the writers, director and actors are all very aware exactly what kind of movie they’re making and are leaning into the silliness of it. This is a movie that I think is either going to be delightfully decent or hilariously bad, and either way I think it’ll be worth a watch.
Thunderbolts* – I’ve been falling out of love with the MCU lately, but the Thunderbolts trailers are really threatening to hook me back in! Something about this movie feels like pure Marvel Movie goofiness, which may turn off some but could be just what the franchise needs to bring back viewers for the next phase. I’m less sold on Brave New World but right now, I predict that Thunderbolts is gonna be a winner in my heart as well as many others’.
Superman – Unlike Jordan, I’m probably a Marvel fanboy above all, but Superman has always been one of my favorite heroes all the same. I’ve also been a James Gunn superfan since 2008’s Slither, so this movie has all the DNA to instantly become one of my favorites of the new year. Gunn’s definitely proven to me that he understands what makes these heroes work, and if he can develop even one-half of the emotional core for Superman that he achieved for Guardians of the Galaxy 3, then the DCU will be in good hands.
Fantastic Four: First Steps – This one is a movie that I’m a little more apprehensive about than others, but I’m keeping my hopes up! Pedro Pascal never fails to satisfy, the rest of the cast is strong, and the introduction of a major Marvel Comics antagonist into the MCU in Galactus is an interesting thread to pull on in the lead-up to Avengers: Doomsday. Plus, it’s set in the 1960’s, how fun is that?
Honorable Mentions: 28 Years Later, John Wick: Ballerina, M3GAN 2.0
Toaster
Captain America: Brave New World – The Cap movies in my opinion are some of the best of the MCU movies that have come out in the past several years, and the bits shown off in the trailer for Brave New World seem to promise another exciting movie with political twists and intrigue the Cap movies are known for, plus, Harrison Ford as Red Hulk? Hell yeah!
Superman – In James Gunn I trust. I have now probably watched this trailer at least 20 times, and I still get goosebumps every time. All the interviews, and anecdotes I’ve read and seen coming out about this movie make me feel like it’s in great hands. I truly got Christopher Reeves vibes off of Coreswet’s Clark, and every other character’s casting is spot on, from Krypto to Lois, Gunn has nailed his vibe, and I am 100000000% here for it.
Fantastic Four: First Steps – You can’t be a Marvel fan and not be excited, or at least curious about this movie, and I am both, the casting for this movie is excellent, and considering the Fantastic 4 is essentially Marvel royalty this is one movie that the house of the mouse has to get right, especially with the Russo brothers coming back to do the Doom, and Secret Wars ark, both stories the Richards family are huge parts of.
Soleb
Superman – After the recent trailer released for the film, who could argue that James Gunn’s direction for DC isn’t headed in the right direction. David Corenswet as Superman brings so many classic feelings back for me as a fan. There is a bit of a resemblance between Corneswet and Christopher Reeve and this return to form for the universe I think will make this the most interesting Superman film since Man of Steel.
Predator: Badlands – Dan Trachtenberg’s 2022 film Prey was a mega hit, though we haven’t really seen anything on the film yet, the coolest thing about this film is it will focus on a Predator as the main character! All previous Predator films always focus on a singular human or a group of humans being hunted. This time, we will be able to grow a connection with the Predator like never before!
28 Years Later – 23 years after the release of 28 Days Later, we have a new film in the series! All I can say is I can’t wait to see Cillian Murphy return to his original role in the film and see what will happen next!
Honorable Mentions: A Minecraft Movie, Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts
