What Movies Should You See This Year?
When you’re a student, picking which movies to see is one of the most important choices you can make about your free time. Movies are ungodly expensive – so being selective about what you’ll see is necessary. According to a 2016 report by the Motion Picture Association of America, you, the average person, go to the movies around five times per year. You want each movie trip to be worth it.
Going to the movies on opening weekend is worth it – if the movie is good, and if others are seeing it. It’s worth loving characters and sharing them with a hundred complete strangers. How many hands were held when Han Solo died? How many friendships formed at Deadpool showings, started by rounds and rounds of one-liners?
Here’s a list of six upcoming films for the school year. Expect all of them to be worth your time during their opening weekends. We hope that student moviegoers can see these films this year. (Especially, if they can persuade a House Dean to pay for a film showing or two.)
It Release Date: September 8, 2017 Directed by Andy Muschietti
Plot Summary: Using red balloons, an ancient clown kidnaps and terrorizes a group of kids in a small town.
Why You Should See It: It positions itself as a high-quality horror film. It – the film, not the pronoun – looks menacing enough that it should be an instant sell for any horror fan. But horror fans should note how different It looks compared to its counterparts. Other horror films tend to stick to the tropes of the genre, but, It addresses social issues like bullying and poor parenting. Additionally, It’s cinematographers vary their shots in eye-catching ways. Like Get Out, It is at the cross-section of quality and horror. It could become a modern must-see.
See This If You Like: Moonrise Kingdom, E.T., American Horror Story
Kingsman: The Golden Circle Release date: September 22, 2017
Plot Summary: In the sequel to the 2014 film Kingsman: The Secret Service, a group of British spies known as the Kingsman work with their American counterparts – the Statesman – to save the world from a villain.
Why You Should See It: Check this out if you’re into funny action movies. The first Kingsman film had lots of fast-paced brawls spaced out by well-crafted jokes. Expect the sequel to replicate this formula even better given its higher budget and dazzling cast including Taron Edgerton, Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Halle Berry, Channing Tatum and Pedro Pascal.
See This If You Like: John Wick, Deadpool, Channing Tatum, Halle Berry
Blade Runner 2049 Release Date: October 6, 2017
Plot Summary: In 2049, Los Angeles is inhabited by two classes of citizens: humans and their android servants. Occasionally, androids boldly pretend to be human, and must be hunted by police officers known as Blade Runners. In this sequel, a Blade Runner named K (Ryan Gosling) must track down a missing officer named Deckard (Harrison Ford).
Why You Should See It: Blade Runner and its sequel explore the concept of what makes something human. Is an android human? Does an android dream of electric sheep? If that concept or if Westworld intrigued you, then this is a philosophical action film for your taste. A word of caution: You may want to check out the classic first film before watching Blade Runner 2049.
See This If You Like: The Matrix, District 9, Inception, Blade Runner or any Ridley Scott film
Justice League Release Date: November 17, 2017 Directed by Zack Snyder
Plot Summary: To defend against an alien invasion, Batman and Wonder Woman travel the globe in search of other heroes strong enough to save Earth.
Why You Should See It: To see the return of Wonder Woman. Aside from Star Wars, this is probably going to be the most discussed, well-attended movie of 2017, and by virtue of that, one of the year’s best theater experiences. And, with the inclusion of Ezra Miller as the Flash, there’s the possibility that this movie could be as comedic as Wonder Woman. Based on the trailers and the success of Wonder Woman, there’s strong reason to believe DC Films has found a way to meld their gritty tone with their funny side.
See This If You Like: Wonder Woman
Star Wars: The Last Jedi Release Date: December 15, 2017
Plot Summary: Having found the missing Luke Skywalker, Rey begins her training in the Force in order to help the Resistance fight Kylo Ren and the First Order.
Why You Should See It: With The Force Awakens and Rogue One, Disney and Lucasfilm have earned enough trust that their Star Wars films are exciting, family-friendly blockbusters. Moreover, it’s a reasonable assumption that this sequel will expand the stories of popular background characters from Episode VII, including Finn, Poe Dameron, Kylo Ren – and Princess Leia.
See This If You Like: The Karate Kid, Star Wars, Rogue One, Logan
Avengers: Infinity War, Directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo
No official trailer publicly released
Plot Summary: The Marvel Cinematic Universe reaches its climax when an intergalactic conqueror named Thanos threatens the universe. To stop Thanos, the fractioning Avengers must reunite.
Why You Should See It: You already know about the Marvel movies – and you’ve probably liked at least some of them. The MCU films have been building toward this movie since Avengers 1 (waaay back in 2008). This is essentially the consequential MCU film of the moment. While other ones like Black Panther and Thor: Ragnarok will be entertaining, Infinity War is going to have a pantheon of heroes affect the main plot of the MCU.
See This If You Like: Any Marvel movie; staying in the loop
What’s Your Take? Given scarcity of resources, what films are your must-sees? If you could only recommend 6 films this year, what would your list be? And what do you think of our list? Any independent films you think should be included?