Top 10 Anticipated Movies of 2020

Hello again, dear reader! 

The year has just begun, and there are plenty of movies in the horizon that I am extremely pumped for. The case often is that many of the year’s best movies aren’t on my radar until I happen upon them, but there are always those which I look forward to for a year or more in advance. These are most usually franchise sequels or movies by my favorite directors, and those are the movie types this list will mostly consist of; I anticipate them, because there is more to know about them at this point than many other movies. 

Let’s get to it! 

10. No Time To Die 

I wouldn’t describe myself as a huge James Bond fan; the movies of this franchise are rarely top notch cinema. But I do like the series: a majority of 007 movies are very entertaining, with a select few being truly awesome. I have enjoyed Daniel Craig in the role quite a lot (he’s my third favorite Bond after Sean Connery and Pierce Brosnan), and the trailer for No Time To Die looks quite promising. What really pushes No Time To Die all the way to my top 10 is the fact that Cary Joji Fukunaga of True Detective fame is directing, and his action work is phenomenal. It also doesn’t hurt that Rami Malek, one of the greatest actors in his generation, is playing the villain. Here’s hoping for an above-average Bond flick to give Daniel Craig the sendoff he deserves! 

9. BIOS 

I don’t know much about BIOS, a sci-fi movie coming this October, because much hasn’t been revealed yet. What I do know is that Miguel Sapochnik, one of the most skillful directors whose work I have ever come across (he directed most of Game Of Thrones’ most impressive and intricate battle sequences), is sitting behind the director’s chair. And that America’s most beloved actor, Tom Hanks, is starring. Add to that an intriguing premise about a robot on a post-apocalyptic earth, and a supporting cast that includes Skeet Ulrich and Caleb Landry Jones, and my expectations are quite high. 

8. Bill & Ted Face The Music 

1989’s time travel comedy Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure is close to my heart – its less popular 1991 sequel was also quite funny. The fact that it’s getting a sequel after all these years is cool. The fact that Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter are replacing their roles is even cooler. The fact that many additional familiar faces, such as Ted’s father (Hal Landon Jr.) and Death (William Sadler) are returning, while many modern-day comedy masters such as Beck Bennett of Saturday Night Live and Anthony Carrigan of HBO’s Barry are joining the cast is just the icing on the cake. This film will be sure to provide its share of callbacks and laughs, so I am looking forward to a most excellent sequel! 

7. Black Widow 

I was skeptical of the Marvel Cinematic Universe doing more movies after Avengers: Endgame – why continue after such a perfect ending? But then I saw last year’s Spider-Man: Far From Home, and realized that there’s nothing wrong with them making more movies if they stay decent and entertaining. After all, there’s a myriad of stories left to adapt in the comic book world of Marvel. And so I find myself very much looking forward to the solo film of Natasha Romanoff a.k.a. Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), one of the most interesting and likable characters in the MCU. The trailer for this film looked promising, and David Harbour playing the villain can’t hurt the movie’s chances of success either. 

6. The Call Of The Wild 

I am currently reading Jack London's classic novel The Call Of The Wild, which I was inspired to read right after seeing the trailer for this February release. Having been to the Yukon myself, I have amazing experiences of the beautiful nature of that area, and by the looks of the trailer, they seem to translate very well into this visually impressive-looking piece. Add to that the fact that you have Harrison Ford himself playing the lead role, with Karen Gillan and Bradley Whitford among others also in the cast, and there you have the potential for a truly stunning movie. Here’s hoping it delivers! 

5. The Many Saints Of Newark

HBO’s mafia drama The Sopranos is one of the greatest television shows ever made. Fans of the series hold it as a sacred work, and might be cynical of a prequel movie being added to the Sopranos universe. But once one finds out that the series’ iconic writer David Chase and long-time director Alan Taylor are reprising their jobs, the plot will look at the upbringing of Tony Soprano while his father Johnny ruled the streets in Newark, and the cast includes Ray Liotta, Vera Farmiga, Corey Stoll, Leslie Odom Jr., Jon Bernthal (I swear I’m not making this up) and James Gandolfini’s own son Michael as the young Tony – I’d guess there is no other way for a Sopranos fan to react than with sheer excitement. That’s what I’m feeling for sure! 

4. Halloween Kills 

I am a fan of the Halloween franchise to a point of it being confusing even for myself. Sure, the franchise has its low-points (thinking about 2002’s Halloween: Resurrection makes me feel very upset), but a majority of the sequels have held up incredibly well, especially considering how the slasher genre is famous for holding the crown in disappointing sequels. The original Halloween from 1978 is a horror masterpiece, and many of the other films have been surprisingly decent, especially 2018’s reboot which was a delight of epic proportions for me. So the upcoming Halloween Kills, which is a straight sequel to said reboot, has me very excited. I can’t help but love this franchise for its perfect soundtrack, compelling antagonist Michael Myers and constant reinvention of itself – and with this new film there’s even more to be excited about since Jamie Lee Curtis is once again reprising her role as Laurie Strode, which is always a good thing. I sure do hope that this film once again holds up to the franchise’s (mostly) impressive track record! 

3. Top Gun: Maverick 

1986’s Top Gun has a very special place in my heart. It is perhaps my favorite action film of all time, and I have watched close to 10 times without ever getting sick of it. Despite the overall silliness in many of its aspects, Top Gun has always managed to adrenalize me unlike no other movie with its cool energy, great action sequences, epic soundtrack and Tom Cruise being Tom Cruise. This sequel has been long in the making, and when the trailer finally dropped, it had me hypnotized. Judging by the trailer, this sequel will balance between staying true to the original’s style and legacy, while also fitting the plot into today’s standards and taking main character Maverick’s (Cruise) aging into account. I believe this is the right way to go, and I can’t wait to experience this ride down the danger zone. 

2. Tenet 

Christopher Nolan is many things: a visionary, an artist, an expert storyteller, more or less of a personal hero to me. Every single movie of his has been great by my standards, and his constant mastering of different genres and groundbreaking stories is just amazing. So just the fact that Tenet is a Christopher Nolan movie guarantees it a spot in this top 10. But there’s also the fact that Tenet is being described as “An action epic revolving around international espionage, time travel, and evolution”. And that the trailer for Tenet looks mind-bendingly great. And that the film’s star-studded cast features John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Kenneth Branagh and of course Nolan’s go-to supporting actor Michael Caine. So it’s safe to say that I will be at the cinema watching this piece on its opening day. 

And number one... 

1. Dune

Frank Herbert’s Dune (1965) is one of the greatest books I have ever read – truly the Lord Of The Rings of the science fiction genre. It has long had the reputation of being a story that can’t be adapted to film, due to its world being so uniquely described, complex, and impossible to capture or recreate. My favorite director David Lynch tried with his 1984 adaptation, which generated a generally negative response; I actually liked the film quite a bit, but it definitely had its flaws and wasn’t the perfect adaptation that Herbert’s book deserves. 

Insert Denis Villeneuve. The French director has made some of the most ambitious and acclaimed science fiction films of the 2010s, and has been clear that he believes to have what it takes to face the ultimate directorial challenge of bringing Dune to life. And judging from early information, the film’s massive budget and Villeneuve’s confidence, I’m inclined to agree that this has the potential to be exactly what Lynch’s valiant effort failed to be. 

Oh, and then there’s the fact that the cast for Dune is basically a list of the world’s greatest actors. I’m serious. Timothée Chalamet is playing the lead role. Oscar-winner Javier Bardem is cast as Stilgar, a role of which he has said he would pay just to get to play it. Rebecca Ferguson, Jason Momoa, Oscar Isaac, Zendaya, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård and so very many others are also playing major roles. So there’s that. 

Tune in next week for my list on the greatest movies of the 2010's!