The Amazing 2012 Movie Preview !!!

Even before the year has begun I'm in a position where I can predict what films will end up on my top 10 list for the year's end. I'm primarily drawn to quality studio blockbuster films that are shot anywhere from 1 to 3 years ahead of their release date, so I'm able to see at an early stage what's been filmed, by whom, and what it's all about. The first thing I look for is the director; if a great director stays true to form then chances are it will rank highly in that year. Secondly it's the story or the premise that holds the appeal; if a movie has a killer concept, done well, then it's got a good chance of impressing me. If you've got a great concept delivered by a first class director...and both are as good as they can be...then the movie is likely to blow my mind. For example, I could tell in January 2010 that Inception had the potential to be amazing from the presence of Christopher Nolan and the high concept plot.

So as I look forward into 2011 I once again anticipate the blockbusters that have the potential to impress me. And unfortunately, there isn't a great deal to truly look forward to. Only Zack Snyder's March release Suckerpunch, with it's mindbending 'Alice In Wonderland with machine guns' concept, has me excited and geeking out with anticipation. But little else. A new Harry Potter, a new Pirates of the Caribbean, a new Twilight and a new Transformers; these are not things I expect to be any more than solid summer entertainment. Of course there's Green Lantern, Thor and Captain America this summer, but their directors rarely produce exceptional work, so there's little reason they'll start doing so now. Perhaps Matthew Vaughn's X-Men: First Class has a shot if interfering studio Fox keeps it's grubby paws out of things...but that's asking a lot. So come 31st December 2011 it'll be smaller, less prominent movies that will be claiming the quality top spots for the year.

2012 though appears to be a different matter altogether.

Instead of the 1.5 movies I'm jazzed to see this year, 2012 has at least 10 big budget studio extravaganzas that I can't wait to see and a ton more that hold more potential than the remainder of this year combined. Years like this come along perhaps once a decade. 1989 was one where a new Indy, Star Trek, Batman, Ghostbusters, Lethal Weapon, James Bond and Back To The Future all hit along with new films from Ridley Scott and James Cameron (although most of them turned out to be disappointments). A better example is 2005 where movies from Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Tim Burton, Peter Jackson, Christopher Nolan, Robert Rodriguez and Joss Whedon all hit home runs with classics.

So, to share my excitement, I'd thought I'd share these films with you.

1/ The Dark Knight Rises. I didn't think Christopher Nolan could top Batman Begins...but he did in 2008 with the intelligent, absorbing The Dark Knight. Even without Heath Ledger's presence as The Joker, the third and final part of Nolan's trilogy has the greatest potential to be number one of 2012. Out 20th July 2012.

2/ The Hobbit - Part 1. Peter Jackson returning to Middle Earth...what could be better than that? Although this story doesn't pack the weight of The Lord Of The Rings, I trust Jackson will have me wrapped around his little finger with this prequel tale of Hobbits, Dwarfs and Dragons. Out 14th December 2012.

3/ Superman - Man Of Steel. Take one script by superhero king David Goyer, produced by genius Christopher Nolan and directed by Watchmen/300 helmer Zack Snyder. There is no bad here. Out Christmas 2012.

4/ Star Trek 2 - If this sequel to the stunning 2008 reboot matches the quality and entertainment levels of the original, this will be right up there. Hopefully original director JJ Abrams will announce he's on board in the next couple of months for a return voyage. Out 29th June 2012.

5/ Prometheus. Ridley Scott returns to science fiction after 30 years with a film that has it's roots as an Alien prequel. There's the Fox interference factor to consider along with the fact that the last time Scott had a cool movie concept in development, he himself blanded it down into the tepid Robin Hood. But if Scott's doing space stuff again, he'll get me in a movie theatre, no problem. Out 9th March 2012.

6/ Bond 23. Daniel Craig is an exceptional James Bond. It's a shame that Quantum Of Solace was spoiled by a first time action director who misjudged the editing of the set pieces. The new Bond has Road To Perdition's Sam Mendes in charge...perhaps the classiest director given the reign of this franchise...EVER! Out November 2012.

7/ The Wolverine. I didn't think I'd get remotely excited about a sequel to 2008 uber-shitfest X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but the creative team of writer Christopher McQuarrie (The Usual Suspects) and director Darron Aronofsky (Black Swan) has huge potential to subvert the superhero genre. Hopefully Fox will keep their noses out. Out June 2012.

8/ Jack The Giant Killer. The concept isn't that enticing but this big budget fantasy from Warner Bros is directed from X-Men / Superman Returns legend Bryan Singer. When it comes to storytelling, the man's a master. Out 1st March 2012.

9/ The Avengers. Joss Whedon being back in the movie writer/directors chair for the first time since 2005's Serenity is reason alone to put this on a 'most anticipated' list. But this being Marvel Studio's mega-gamble superhero team up, it has a concept never before attempted in movies. Out 4th May 2012.

10/ John Carter Of Mars. Wall-E's Andrew Stanton might be an untried talent on a live action film but he sure knows how to tell a story visually. This Edgar Burroughs adaptation has the full weight of Pixar's creative team behind it, which has to be one of the surest bets in Hollywood ever. Out 8th June 2012.

The next bunch of movies are a slightly riskier proposition, but still hold a huge deal of must-see potential:-

11/ Spider-man. Although Sam Raimi is no longer involved, this reboot of the Spidey franchise has Marc Webb as director, who did a fantastic job with 500 Days Of Summer. With a cast that includes talent like Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Martin Sheen, Sally Field and Dennis Learey, this should be a winner. Out 4th July 2012.

12/ Battleship. The downside of this is that it's derived from the board game of the same name. Everything else looks rosie such as director Peter (The Kingdom) Berg's involvement, a huge scale alien invasion plot and a massive $200 million budget. Out 18th May 2012.

13/ Dredd. I thought Hollywood wouldn't dare adapt my favorite comic hero into a movie again after Stallone 1995 frack-up Judge Dredd, but here we are with a grittier, more faithful attempt with the brilliant Karl Urban as the chisel jawed lawman. Director Pete Travis is solid so anticipation for this is riding mainly on concept. Out Spring 2012.

14/ Gravity. Take an acclaimed director in Alfonso Curon, add a tense plot about a space station heading towards disaster, and mega movie stars with real acting ability like Sandra Bullock and George Clooney and you've got an intriguing high concept, science fiction thriller. Out Fall 2012.

15/ Dark Shadows. Yet another teaming of Johnny Depp and Tim Burton, this is a reinterpretation of the vampire centric 1970's soap opera. Although Alice In Wonderland misfired, you'd be mad to write off Burton & Depp after so many hits. Out Summer 2012.

16/ Total Recall. A remake of the classic 1990 Paul Verhoevan action classic, this version stars Colin Farrell and is directed by Underworld's Len Wiseman. Rumours are it's closer to the Philip K Dick novel and a little more Earthbound than it's Schwarznegger starring predecessor. Out Summer 2012.

17/ Abraham Lincoln - Vampire Hunter. Director Timur Bekmambetov's first English language feature since 2008 hit Wanted, this will hopefully be as crazy and inventive as the title sounds and as the Nightwatch director's talent promises. Out 22nd June 2012.

On top of these you've got a bunch of potential must-see blockbusters, if the creative teams can ready them in time for 2012 and if their studios will greenlight them in time.

18/ At The Mountains Of Madness. The upside of Guilermo Del Toro leaving the Hobbit is that he should get to direct his dream project, an adaptation of Lovecraft's classic. With a huge budget and James Cameron producing, this should be exceptional.

29/ The Man From Uncle. Yet another reteaming of Steven Soderburgh and George Clooney this would be a remake of the classic 60's spy series. If it has a fraction of the wit and style of the Ocean's series then it will be great.

20/ Moscow. With Star Trek and Unstoppable, Chris Pine has proven himself a strong leading man. With Moscow he's taking over the CIA analyst role of Jack Ryan from Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford and Ben Affleck.

21/ Ghostbusters III. Even though the first sequel was a shoddy, unimaginative affair it's still pretty enjoyable. Probably THE most anticipated sequel at the moment, it's all dependant on Bill Murray giving the script a thumbs up. It would see the old crew passing the baton over to a new team, thus setting up a new franchise.

22/ XXX 3 - The Return Of Xander Cage. Vin Diesel and director Rob Cohen return to the franchise that tried to give the world a more streetwise super spy. Both previous movies are far from perfect but they're solid action fare.

23/ One Thousand A.E. This one features rising megastar Jaden Smith in a science fiction epic from M Night Shyamalan. A few years ago that would be reason to get excited, but after the abysmal The Happening and the imperfect Airbender, who knows what this'll turn out like.

24/ World War Z. Monsters Ball and Quantum Of Solace's Marc Forster is behind this adaptation of the epic zombie tale told from different personal accounts, including Mr Brad Pitt.

25/ Die Hard 5. Bruce Willis says it's going to happen and there's a script doing the rounds called Die Hard 24/7, but whether this installment reaches cinemas by 2012, if at all, is any ones guess.

26/ Expendables 2. The sequel to last years action hit is racing forward apace with Statham confirming the desire for a 2012 release. Bruce Willis will most likely be the villain, Van Damme is on board for the sequel and there's a rumour Arnie may turn up for more action now he's out of political office.

As if that wasn't enough, here are a load of movies that WILL reach the screens in 2012 but will likely be relegated to second tier status in the quality stakes, although many are likely to go on to make tons of cash.

27/ Men In Black III. Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith return 10 years after the weak sequel to the 1997 sci-fi, comedy classic. Director Barry Sonnenfeld is returning too but he's not done anything of note since the 90's. Keep your fingers crossed kids. Out 25th May 2012.

28/ The Bourne Legacy. Director Tony Gilroy has a strong pedigree having written the last couple of Bourne movies and directed awards nominated flicks like Duplicity and Michael Clayton. But this sequel is a HUGE gamble as it doesn't feature Matt Damon as Bourne. Hmmmm. Out 3rd August 2012.

29/ GI Joe 2. The first movie should have been a glorious turd, but it turned out to be a big, colourful bundle of dumb fun. The sequel should out in summer 2012, this time without original director Stephen Sommers at the helm. Yey? Out Summer 2012.

30/ Ghost Rider 2 - Spirit Of Vengeance. Under normal circumstances I wouldn't be interested in a sequel to Nicholas Cage's original superhero clustercuss. But this is being directed by Crank's Nevildine and Taylor, a perfect fit for the wacky flaming-skull biker concept. Out 17th February 2012.

31/ Yellow Submarine. Yet another mocap movie from former genius Robert Zemekis. This remake will be jammed to the rafters with groovy Beatles tunes and employing less realistic characters than the creepy dead eyed CGI zombies seen in Beowulf and Polar Express should make this a step back in the right direction for the Back To The Future director. Out Fall 2012.

On top of that we've got sequels Wrath Of The Titans, Ice Age 4, Monsters Inc 2, Madagascar 3, Twilight 4: Breaking Dawn Part 1 and the return of Kate Beckinsale in Underworld 4. If you're partial to a bit of Buz Lurhman, then you've got his adaptation of The Great Gatsby starring Leonardo Di Caprio and Carey Mulligan to look forward to, plus a feature length version of Tim Burton's Frankenweenie, McG's big budget fantasy adventure Ouija, Keanu Reeves period actioner 47 Ronin, Disney's animated Native American epic Brave, TV remake 21 Jump Street with Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill, Chuck Russell's Arabian Knights with Anthony Hopkins, Luc Besson's orbital prison thriller Lockout with Guy Pearce, Unversal's animated Dr Seuss movie The Loraxand Ang Li's unfilmable film fantasy Life Of Pi.

When you start adding in the lower budget films like indie productions, potential Oscar winning dramas, small comedies and niche entertainment, the potential for 2012 is off the scale. Of course, just like 1989 Hollywood may just mess the whole thing up and deliver a bunch of half arse crap. But the chances are 2012 is gonna rock!