By: Langdon Kessner ‘17
Arts and Life Editor
- Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi – An obvious choice, but with good reason, lately I have been getting info on which country has the best shows on netflix and I’ve found amazing results. No film this year will receive as much hype or scrutiny as this will. Everybody saw Episode VII, so what’s the next one going to be? I really wish I had more to say, but it’s Star Wars, what else is there to say? If you’re one of the very few who has never seen Star Wars, check it out and see what all the fuss is about.
- Blade Runner 2049 – It has been, what, 30 years since the first Blade Runner? That is enough time for a sequel. You can say you’re tired of them, and I would even agree. But at least it has Ryan Gosling and they brought back Harrison Ford. It is also Blade Runner, one of the best science-fiction films of all-time. The film is being directed by Denis Villenueve, director of Prisoners (2013), Sicario (2015), and Arrival (2016). All three of those films are excellent, and given the clout with Blade Runner, this is definitely one to keep an eye on.
- Guardians of the Galaxy – Vol. 2 – I try not to watch trailers mostly because they have a tendency to spoil surprises, but I caved when I saw the trailer for this. It looked funny, exciting and a reminder of why the first film was so great. Hopefully, this will branch out and be different like all great sequels should do.
- Alien: Covenant – A kinda sequel to Prometheus, which was a kinda sequel to Alien. Again, like Blade Runner, it’s been 30 years since the original and sequels are still unwelcome. But, like Blade Runner, there is a variety of possibilities of what these films could be. The tone appears to be more horror-based and scarier, which makes for a refreshing change of pace.
- War for the Planet of the Apes – As ridiculous as the premise is, these films have done a surprisingly nice job of balancing science-fiction action with compelling drama–and with apes, no less. But when played by Andy Serkis, it’s hard to complain. The first film was a fun origin story, and the second film led to some darker routes that implied bigger and better events to come. I get it, enough with the sequels, but these films tell great stories with some smart allegories that is found in all of the best science-fiction.
Leave a Reply