A few days ago I released the back half of the 20 movies I am most excited about in 2023. If you haven’t read it yet and are curious about my choices, please click here to read more. With that said, 2023 will be a huge year for movies. Here are the 10 films I cannot wait to see when this year:
10. Knock at the Cabin (February 3rd)
Another M. Night Shyamalan movie and most likely another chance to be disappointed by trying to capture the lure he had with his films in the early 2000s.
I truly don’t know what it is about this movie but something about it just really grabs my attention. With the mysteriously dark tone of this movie, it seems like the antagonists truly don’t want to kill anyone in the family but they know what lies ahead if they don’t.
Also, with Dave Bautista playing the lead in this movie, how could you not be intrigued? Coming off an amazing performance in Glass Onion, I just can’t wait to see how he shines in this twisted thriller that poses the question, humanity or family?
9. Killers of the Flower Moon (May)
DiCaprio and Scorsese. Realistically, what more will it take for you to see this film when those two make movie magic? In case you aren’t sure what movies they have done together, here’s two that will convince you: The Wolf of Wall Street and Shutter Island. To further help make my case of why this movie should be more anticipated is that this movie is about members of the oil-wealthy Osage Nation who are murdered under mysterious circumstances in the 1920s.
I will state here that there is a chance this movie could get delayed because it is the only movie on this list that does not have a definitive release date. Nonetheless, you will see me at the movies the moment it’s released.
8. John Wick: Chapter 4 (March 24th)
The John Wick trilogy has become one of the greatest action trilogies of all time, and I still believe this series is vastly underrated. Everyone who has seen this movie and is an action junkie instantly falls in love with the badass, crafty, and mysterious John Wick, played by Keanu Reeves. On top of this, the fourth installment of this series is adding martial arts masters Donnie Yen and Hiroyuki Sanada. I believe this has the chance to be some of the best hand-to-hand combat we have ever seen in an action movie.
In this movie, we will most likely see John Wick going full force at the High Table, which was hinted at the end of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. This allows the viewers and fans to further dive into the dark, mysterious, and surprisingly organized assassin world of John Wick. If you haven’t seen the trailer yet, go watch it immediately to see why you should be amped up to see this movie in the spring.
7. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Pt. 1 (July 14th)
The summer blockbusters keep adding up, and the next one here is the seventh installment of Ethan Hunt, one of the greatest secret agents in the world. This series is coming off one of the best action movies I have ever seen in Mission: Impossible – Fallout and Tom Cruise’s highest grossing movie of his career in Top Gun: Maverick. There isn’t a full synopsis, but get ready for unreal stunts performed by Cruise himself, a great story, and an action-packed thriller that will most likely have you on the edge of your seats.
If you need a little extra motivation, go take a look at the behind the scenes of the stunts that have leaked so far, as well as the promos Tom Cruise has made for this movie.
I want this to be noticed more because Cruise is almost single-handedly bringing people back to movie theaters. With all of his insane marketing tactics, you can’t help but get excited to see what Ethan Hunt is going to do next.
6. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (June 2nd)
The sequel to, in my opinion, the greatest animated movie of all time, is about Miles Morales being reunited with Gwen Stacy and being sent across the Multiverse where he meets a team of variants of Spider-Man who are tasked with protecting its very existence. Oscar Isaac is set to star as the main antagonist, alongside Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfield, Shameik Moore, and Brian Tyree Henry.
This movie is rumored to have over 240 different Spider-Mans, which seems like an extremely difficult task to execute perfectly. I won’t lie when I say I have extremely high expectations for this movie due to how the first one performed and caught everyone by surprise.
Most importantly, I hope they can do the multiverse in a fun and different way because this concept is beginning to play itself out within the MCU itself. But no matter what, this will be enjoyable to watch alone, with your family, or with your friends.
5. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (May 5th)
The third and final installment of the MCU’s Guardian of the Galaxy franchise will be coming out this spring and I don’t know if I am ready for this. This movie continues off of Peter Quill’s loss of Gamora and how he rallies the team for a mission to save the galaxy again but this time, the team may not make it back.
This will also be James Gunn’s last movie for the MCU as he has recently taken over the DC movie universe, so you know he is pulling out all the stops for people to feel closure with this team. People could see this from the trailer alone, which already had me needing tissues.
This feels like not only the end for this franchise but also these characters. We know that these actors want to move on to other roles and branch out. Dave Bautista has made it known he is done as Drax after this, and Zoe Saldana would probably prefer not to be type-casted anymore and move onto other roles.
On a brighter note, Guardians of the Galaxy is arguably the best movie that the MCU has made and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was a strong sequel. I believe that Vol. 3 could make this one of the greatest superhero trilogies of all time.
On top of all of this, we will finally be introduced to Adam Warlock, played by Will Poulter, a character that Marvel fans have been waiting to see in the MCU. I can’t wait to cry, laugh, and be blown away in the theaters with all of you on opening night.
4. Barbie (July 21st)
Greta Gerwig’s Barbie has been on every movie-lovers’ radar for over the past year. Barbie is about Barbie basically having an existential crisis.
This movie is LOADED with talent, starting with Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken, but it doesn’t stop there. This movie also has Will Ferrell, Helen Mirren, Simu Liu, Kate McKinnon, and Michael Cera. While we haven’t seen too much about this movie, there has certainly been a ton of hype and this could be the first successful blockbuster comedy we have seen hit theaters in a while.
Additionally, all of the first looks we have seen for the characters gives me more hope of this being a spectacle with its bright, vibrant colors, and the spot-on costume design. Even if you hate Barbies themselves, this movie is still meant for everyone.
3. Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania (February 17th)
I am going to say this now, and I don’t care if anyone disagrees with me: This movie will single-handedly save the MCU and suck people right back into the franchise that had everyone hooked for 10 years. The reason is the introduction of the greatest villain the MCU has seen: Kang, who is played by Jonathan Majors. MCU fans received a little taste of how amazing Majors is in Loki when he showed up as He Who Remains.
Even Kevin Feige himself is more than ready to put the MCU on Majors’s back (this is a real thing that Feige has said). I believe this movie will set up a villain that we will see all the way up to the next Avengers movie and set a great tone for Phase 5.
To give Ant-Man some love, I have always thought the series contains some of the more underrated movies in this timeline. They are always laugh-out-loud funny (mainly due to Michael Peña), and there are some creative action sequences with the Pym technology shrinking and growing things (this sounds cooler when you see it instead of saying it).
This will be the best superhero movie to see since Avengers: Endgame, so you better see it opening night or risk having it spoiled the moment you open your phone.
2. Dune: Part Two (November 3rd)
Dune had sci-fi fans on watch with all of the hype, and some critics are calling it one of the greatest movies of all-time and thinking that this could top Lord of the Rings as the greatest sci-fi/fantasy series of all-time.
I thought the first one really put them on the track to do so. Even though it paced fairly slow, the acting, story, and visuals were beyond fantastic and really paved the way for this franchise.
My biggest issue with the first one is that I wish they would have made it as a standalone. Dune was clearly made for a sequel, which forced it to be too drawn out at times.
Nonetheless, here is the one reason why I am beyond excited for this movie and why I believe it will be a smashing hit: Dennis Villeneuve. This man simply can’t make a bad film. Every movie he has ever released is nothing less than a masterpiece. He has directed movies such as Prisoners, Blade Runner 2049, and Arrival. Villeneuve directed the first movie of this franchise and clearly has some hold over the cast.
I cannot think of a single weak actor in the movie, and everyone is perfect for their roles. With Villeneuve as the director and Florence Pugh, Austin Butler, and Christopher Walken joining an already stacked cast, this is a must-see movie theater experience.
1. Oppenheimer (July 21st)
My most anticipated movie to see in 2023 is none other than Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, a movie about American scientist Robert Oppenheimer and the creation of the atomic bomb.
But, where do I even begin with this movie? How about we start with one of the best casts that has ever been assembled in a movie. Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr, Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, Gary Oldman, Kenneth Branagh, Rami Malek, Jack Quaid, Casey Affleck, and Josh Peck are all slated to appear. That’s right, Josh fucking Peck is in it. This is the biggest cast that Nolan has ever worked with, and it’s so unreal that it became a trend for movie lovers on Twitter. Because of that, this movie has been on EVERYONE’S radar for over a year.
Oppenheimer will take place over the span of 43 years. I am intrigued by how Nolan can cover this much ground in a 2-and-a-half hour movie, but I have faith in him. I think something underrated about Nolan is that he uses practical sets and builds everything himself. He hardly ever uses CGI, and it shows in work like the cornfield in Interstellar, or the actual rotating hallway he built for Inception.
I also believe this movie will bring people back to the theaters to see dramas. The last couple years, people have really only gone to see movies they felt they HAD to go see in theaters because it would be better. This will help bring things back to pre-pandemic, and there is no doubt in my mind I will be seeing this opening night.
As I said before, 2023 is packed with movies, and I wish I could have fit them all on here. If you enjoyed what you read here, please keep checking in for movie reviews and more about the latest in pop culture.
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