Fellow Space Cadets, welcome to my first post of 2019. 2018 was quite a turbulent year in terms of politics and social issues across the globe. It was also a very mixed bag when it came to movies, much like 2017. For every Avengers: Infinity War, we ended up with something like The Predator. From January to December, we saw many movies of varying quality. We’ve seen some pretty lousy theatrical films, but we also saw a surprising amount of fantastic films that went straight to video like The Debt Collector. With a new year comes new possibilities and new movies. It’s time to put 2018 behind us and look to the horizon for what comes next. For movies, 2019 is going to be a big year. There are a lot of films coming out this year that I can’t wait to see. So, let’s take a peek into our crystal ball and have a gander at what’s in store for us.
Avengers: Endgame
Avengers: Infinity War represented a new era in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Not only was the film the result of ten years and 22 movies worth of Marvel movies, it was also the first Marvel film to really raise the stakes in an MCU movie. While it was funny at times, it was also a very dark film, especially in terms of its ending when Thanos snapped his fingers after successfully nabbing all the Infinity Stones. Avengers: Endgame is poised to take the MCU in a whole new direction while bringing the current state of the MCU to a conclusion. While the film is expected to undo a lot of the damage that Thanos did at the end of Infinity War, some of that damage is going to be permanent. Some characters will not return, while others will ride off into the sunset(hopefully). One way or another, things are going to be very different after this film’s conclusion.
Star Wars: Episode IX
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A year after the film’s release, The Last Jedi still sparks conversation. It is still a heavily divisive film that split the audience nearly completely in two. You had the side that hated the film, particularly in regards to Luke Skywalker, and then you had the side that loved the film and embraced its unpredictability and guts to take the films in a different direction. I was one of those that loved it. It’s not a perfect film by any means, but I think it did its job while subverting expectations of what a Star Wars movie should be. Episode IX, which will be released at the end of this year, will bring the Skywalker saga to an end, as it should. Whether you like the new trilogy or not, Episode IX is going to be one of the most important films in the franchise. Why? For one, Disney and Lucasfilm suffered their first failure in Solo: A Star Wars Story. It was the first Star Wars film to actually LOSE money. To say that any future Star Wars movie will depend on the success of Episode IX may seem like hyperbole, but if it were to flop, people will leave in droves. So, all eyes are going to be on this movie. As for where the story goes, it apparently will pick up one year after the events of The Last Jedi with Kylo Ren taking full control of the First Order and Rey becoming a Jedi Knight. It’s also going to bring a conclusion to the war between the Resistance and the First Order. I’m excited, mostly because if it’s successful, there will be new directions for the franchise to go.
Triple Threat
Director Jesse V. Johnson has had a pretty solid year in 2018 with the releases of Accident Man and The Debt Collector. Both films were absolutely fantastic especially with Scott Adkins in the lead. 2019 will again feature not just one, but two movies directed by Mr. Johnson that star Scott Adkins. Avengement which has yet to have a specific release date, should appear later this year, but the one I’m looking forward to the most is Triple Threat. The film not only stars Scott Adkins, but it also brings on board a number of other amazing action stars including Iko Uwais, Tony Jaa, Tiger Chen, as well as Jeeja Yanin, Michael Jai White and Michael Bisping. From the trailer alone, I can’t even begin to contain my excitement for this, especially now that we have a release date: March 22 in the United States, according to Martial Arts Action Cinema.
Ip Man 4
Scott Adkins is going to be busy this year. He’s got 4 movies coming out this year(hopefully): Triple Threat, Avengement, The Intergalactic Adventures of Max Cloud, and Ip Man 4. Ip Man 4 is one that I’ve been looking forward to since it was announced. There have been a surprising amount of movies about the famous Wing Chun master, Ip Man. I became an instant fan of the character when Donnie Yen first portrayed him back in 2008. That was over ten years ago. Apparently, Donnie Yen’s Ip Man will be taking on Scott Adkins in the new film. I can’t wait to see it because I’m such a huge fan of these movies. In fact, it was the original film that inspired me to take up Wing Chun in the first place. Not much is known about the plot, except that it does involve Bruce Lee. The action is being staged by the legendary Yuen Woo-Ping, who also did the fight sequences for Ip Man 3. I’m definitely excited for this one.
It: Chapter 2
I was kind of wary when the re-make of Stephen King’s It was released about a year and a half ago. I mean, I’m not saying the original mini-series that debuted back in 1990 was a classic or anything, but the new film had a lot to live up to, especially it’s portrayal of Pennywise The Clown. How could you top Tim Curry as the evil being that fed on the fears of children? You can’t. Nor did Bill Skarsgard try. He delivered his own take on the character which is just as good, if not more creepy than Curry’s portrayal. Not only was the villain fantastic, but the child actors involved did an amazing job. Now, the final chapter of It will be released in September and we have a very strong cast including James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, and Bill Hader. Last year was pretty strong for horror movies, and I’m hoping the same will happen for 2019.
Joker
Of all the comic-book movies being released this year, Joker is the one that intrigues me the most. Why? From what I’ve read, this film is not only a bit of an origin story for Batman’s most notorious villain, but it’s supposed to be a very different kind of film. People had issues with the way Jared Leto played the character in Suicide Squad. There wasn’t enough of him for me to pass judgment on, but trying to one-up Heath Ledger’s take on the character was going to be an uphill battle. Even Jack Nicholson’s version of the Joker was iconic. Joaquin Phoenix is an interesting choice to play the character, but I get a feeling that he’s going to do a fantastic job here. The overall plot is unknown at this point, but I’m sure we’ll get more details as the months go by. I’m keeping an eye this one, as it has the potential to either be one of the best comic-book movies ever, or one of the worst. There’s no way it could be worse than Batman and Robin, right? Right?
John Wick 3: Parabellum
Keanu Reeves is an interesting actor that has only gotten better with age, despite the fact that he doesn’t look his age. The John Wick films are some of the most intense and wild action movies to come out in the last decade. The first film had John Wick go after the Russian kids who killed his dog and stole his car. As a result, he waged a one-man war on the Russian mafia that was as epic as it was brutal. No fancy Kung-Fu here, just straight-up hardcore gun fighting and Jiu-Jitsu. The second film expanded the underworld of assassins even more and ended up with the entire organization going after John Wick. I don’t think they stand a chance. This new film is going to take things to a whole new level. I mean, how often are you going to see Keanu Reeves riding a horse through Times Square shooting people? Not very often, I would imagine.
While these films are just a small handful of films coming out in the next 12 months, I expect more will be announced and released as more information becomes available. While it definitely seems like I’m sticking to particular genres, I’m not necessarily going to turn aside a good drama, either. 2019 could be a very big year for movies, and some of the movies that I mentioned could bomb as well. However, there is no reward without risk and some of these films could be very risky. I’ve got my fingers crossed.