Every year, I do a Top (X) movies of the year, corresponding to the last two digits of the said year. Occasionally, movies are delayed, and that does throw off my list (Artemis Fowl was on my 2019 and 2020 version). My first one came out in 2018 and then my second list came out in, you guessed it, 2019.
But, this year My 20 Most Anticipated Movies of 2020 list was thrown quite off-track thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, so I figured I would redo my 2020 list with all the movies that are still left. Let's begin.
First off, here are the blockbusters that were on the list in December, but have been delayed to 2021.
Jungle Cruise - July 24th, 2020 to July 30th, 2021
Venom: Let There Be Carnage - October 2nd, 2020 to June 25th, 2021
Raya and the Last Dragon - November 25th, 2020 to March 12th, 2021
Ghostbusters: Afterlife - July 10th, 2020 to March 5th, 2021
The Eternals - November 6th, 2020 to February 12th, 2021.
So, that's five gaps I need to fill. I also rearranged the list, because as my knowledge grows, my interests and priorities change. And all the movies on here are very, very likely to be delayed or thrown onto streaming.
20. No Time to Die - November 25th
This new Bond flick, No Time to Die, is presumably a movie. I've seen one Bond movie (Casino Royale), so I have a little bit of interest in the franchise. It's just not a must-have movie for me, but the alternative was Tom & Jerry, so... there it is.
19. The Croods: A New Age - December 23rd
The Croods 2 jumped up one spot on my list, although I still have the same reservations. First off, it was delayed to the point of coming out 7 years after the first film, and the sequel gap can kill a film's box office (The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part, Godzilla: King of the Monsters).
Right now, there are no trailers, no plot details, or basically any confirmation that the film is still happening. I still think it won't happen, honestly. It's been delayed, canceled, restarted, and delayed as it is. At this point, it's about as likely as The New Mutants actually being good after all the reshoots.
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| So it did happen... neat. |
18. Enola Holmes - September 23rd
Recently taken off the schedule and placed onto Netflix, Enola Holmes is a nice movie about Sherlock Holmes' younger sister, Enola, played by Millie Bobby Brown. The film merely looks quaint, something to watch and then never think about again.
My one reason for wanting to watch this is that Henry Cavill is playing Sherlock Holmes. Henry Cavill has a lot of potential, so it's nice to see him get outside of the Superman suit.
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| Only here for Sherlock. |
17. Sonic the Hedgehog - February 14th
Hey! This movie already came out! Well, if it helps, I still haven't seen it yet so I'm counting it anyway. Sonic the Hedgehog is the second highest-grossing film of the year (Somehow). The film stars Jim Carry, James Marsden, and Ben Schwartz.
I have literally no interest in this. I'm not going to go see it just because it's a Sonic movie and I really love the character since I don't play video games. I'm seeing this for Jim Carrey. It feels like he hasn't been in a movie for ages.
So far, I've heard really good things about this. I've heard that it's funny, it looks good, and that it was good. I'll see it once theaters reopen in my area.
16. Bill & Ted Face the Music - August 28th
Being bumped down a spot on the list, Bill & Ted Face the Music is a movie I'm not particularly excited for. I'm not expecting a masterpiece. The first two films were, decidedly, not exercises in artistic expression and were instead a funny teen time travel comedy. But will the same old shtick be funny when the main characters are 50?
But if the film can capitalize on everyone loving Keanu Reeves, a successful IP, and be half as funny as the first one, well, it could go places. Or, it could be the washed-up sequel to a dumb 90s comedy that we would all expect. I hope it's the first one, we haven't had a good comedy in ages.
15. BIOS - October 2nd
BIOS is a movie about the last man on Earth, played by Tom Hanks, who builds a robot to keep his dog company after he dies. It's being directed by Miguel Sapochnik, who's mostly done a lot of TV work (Hardhome in Game of Thrones, widely considered to be one of the show's best episodes).
Since it's being released in Academy Award season, stars Tom Hanks in a potentially great dystopian sci-fi, and has a dog in it, this seems like a good film to start getting yourself hyped up for.
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| No images from the film yet, so here's an image of Tom Hanks. |
14. Free Guy - December 11th
Newly promoted is Ryan Reynolds' Free Guy. Right now, Free Guy looks like an okay but surprisingly enjoyable PG-13 action flick and potential franchise starter. It has an easy and timely concept (An NPC character realizes he's in a video game and fights users) and looks like dumb fun based on the trailers.
But, assuming that it is good, it looks like a very original, funny, inventive action-comedy, akin to The Truman Show+Wreck-It Ralph in terms of style. Going against it is the sheer amount of films coming out in December. You got West Side Story, Dune, and Top Gun: Maverick. I fear it may get lost in such a sea of anticipated movies.
13. West Side Story - December 18th
Bumped up a spot on the list is West Side Story, which is already priming for Oscar nominations. First of all, it's the end of the year musical. Second of all, a huge ensemble with a diverse cast. Third off, it's directed by Steven Spielberg, and everyone loves Steven Spielberg.
I've never seen the original West Side Story. I said I would and got through six minutes of tough guy finger-snapping and didn't watch anymore.
12. Artemis Fowl - June 12th
Artemis Fowl was #10 on my last list. Since then, a new trailer has been released, and, sure enough, Disney completely, utterly, disastrously destroyed a potential franchise. Apparently, they weren't taking notes when A Wrinkle in Time flopped, because wow. This looks like the absolute worst trash fire of a movie I've ever seen.
I mean, A Wrinkle in Time stuck to the plot of the book, albeit switching out the religious metaphors that endeared it for a more contemporary female empowerment/Black history month message, but that's that movie's problem.
This movie's problem is literally everything. They have taken Artemis Fowl and put it through the shredder. But hey, who am I to judge? It hasn't come out yet. But, it's going to be terrible. Movies that stray from the books are always bad. I mean, Twilight was a terrible movie and got four sequels! Four! Just for staying really close to the book!
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| LEGOs? Really? Artemis Fowl, a criminal mastermind, would find such things beneath him. |
11. Top Gun: Maverick - December 23rd
Bumped down a spot is Top Gun: Maverick. Right now, it looks like a completely adequate movie. The first Top Gun was merely okay. It was fine for what it was. This one could go two ways - the middling cash grab you'd expect, or a sleek action movie and proper sequel. My bet's on the latter.
You see, in the past decade, studios have gotten a lot better at forging sequels to 80s and 90s films, mostly because original films are dying and IPs are all that matter now. This will most likely be pretty good, but I plan on seeing a different movie in December.
10. Scoob! - May 15th
Released last week, the animated reboot of the Scooby-Doo franchise, Scoob! is intended to be the first movie in the Hannah-Barbera Cinematic Universe, which, sadly, is not a joke. But, the animation looks good, and we're due for a Scooby-Doo reboot.
Perhaps the worst thing about this movie is that Matthew Lilliard is not voicing Shaggy. The new one sounds like an imposter. Also, the death of Fred's ascot is one of the greatest tragedies since Darth Plaguies the Wise. And story-wise, it should be more so about the gang than trying to introduce the Blue Falcon, because who cares about the Blue Falcon? People who were kids when the show came out are, like, fifty, and probably not watching a silly kids' movie.
9. Mulan - August 21st
This remake of Mulan looks interesting, contrary to my knee-jerk reaction that it would suck due to a lack of songs and Mushu. But then The Lion King came out, and I realized a shot-for-shot remake isn't the best path to go. So, I'm excited about this solely on how cool the movie looks. Definitely designed to be seen on the big screen.
In the trailers, the cinematography has been nothing short of excellent, and the art direction, set design, and action sequences all look amazing. It's kind of bad to have a Disney remake on my "Most Anticipated" list, but this one does actually look pretty dope.
8. Soul - November 20th
Pixar's Soul is going to be a great movie. Why? It was marketed as being in-line with all-time greats like Up, Inside Out, and Coco, some of the best-animated films to ever come out, and all sharing a common theme: Being critically acclaimed, fundamentally challenging, fun, and heartfelt movies that make people cry. And, based off the trailers, this looks to be that.
It's also Pixar's first movie to star a black man, who, through an unfortunate man-hole related accident, turns into an Inside Out character reject. This seems to be the frontrunner for the Acadamy Award for Best Animated Feature.
However, am I excited about it? Yeah. Am I excited to watch it? Nah. This is interesting because while I think it'll be amazing, I don't feel like I'll enjoy it. All the scenes in the real world look dazzling and amazing, like snippets of someone's actual life. All the scenes in the soul world feel like a cartoon beneath what Soul could be. And the soul voiced by Tina Fey worries me. She's fell flat in every trailer we've gotten.
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| Not gonna lie, I would've preferred a movie just about a guy realizing playing the piano can't be his purpose in life without all of the soul stuff. |
7. A Quiet Place Part II - September 4th
For some reason, A Quiet Place Part II was #14 on my previous list. Oh well, because I am super stoked for this film. A Quiet Place was one of the best films of 2018, as well as one of the best horror films I've ever seen (Out of, like, 10).
From the early reactions we got from before this film was delayed (Like what happened to Mulan), this film is on par with the first, world-building in all the right ways, still scary, still tense, and still silent. And that sounds pretty dope.
And we need more Cillian Murphy in movies, just as a general rule of thumb.
6. Wonder Woman 1984 - October 2nd
Wonder Woman 1984 was supposed to come out last year in November but was delayed so Disney could have their year (Endgame, Toy Story 4, Frozen II, Lion King, TROS, etc.) while all the other studies moved their big hits like WW84 and Top Gun: Maverick to this year. What a cruel twist of irony that those films should be delayed again, but alas, here we are.
But the actual movie. Wonder Woman was, in my opinion, just an okay movie. Sure, it broke the glass wall and barriers and whatnot, but it was basically just a regular superhero origin story combined with an entertaining period piece. Wonder Woman 1984 looks like a fun movie. Taking place in the 80s, as all things do nowadays, we get Steve Trevor back... somehow... and get to follow along with Wonder Woman as she fights the villainous Cheetah and Maxwell Lord. And that sounds good to me. Whether this can capture the same level of success that Wonder Woman enjoyed will be the main question, though.
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| The CGI in the trailers is terrible, which is surprisingly in-line with the rest of the DCEU. |
5. Black Widow - November 6th
Black Widow was not a movie I was particularly excited about. It looked okay, just to pass the time until we got to The Eternals, Shang-Chi, and Doctor Strange 2. But, wouldn't you know it, now I have to wait to see those films. It's fine, I'm pretty patient, but Black Widow is just a placeholder in my book.
And, funny enough, I would not go to this film to see Black Widow. I would be going to see Taskmaster, who looks totally dope right now, and David Harbour's Red Guardians, who's been stealing the show in every trailer. And to see the set-up for bigger movies.
Because to not release this in 2016 makes no sense. Why now? Well, I think Kevin Feige has a plan here. there have already been several film theories about it, but here's what I'm thinking: Secret Avengers, Dark Avengers, and a definite passing on of the torch to Yelena Belova.
4. Godzilla vs. Kong - November 20th
Sadly, there is absolutely no way Godzilla vs. Kong is not delayed to next year. It was actually positioned to be a huge blockbuster this year, but then they moved Black Widow to come out two weeks before, No Time to Die two weeks after, and Soul the week of. And considering all three of those would be potential billion dollar (Or close) movies in a regular year, and that Godzilla: King of the Monsters flopped, then Godzilla vs. Kong is gonna flee.
But, Godzilla vs. Kong does look pretty cool right now, even though we don't have any trailers. It swapped out the unknown, unlikable cast of King of the Monsters for more promising characters like Alexander Skarsgard as a geologist and Brian Tyree Henry. Just give us the epicness of Godzilla and the spectacle of Skull Island and we should be good.
3. Tenet - July 17th
Christopher Nolan's Tenet is looking very dope. Right now it stands to be the first blockbuster of the summer season, assuming everything reopens by July. That's a fun bit of trivia.
But Tenet. Dude, Tenet looks amazing. One trailer has been released so far, and I'm just more confused than I was before! It looks like time travel, but it's not. So what do I know? Well, it's a spy movie about an agent tasked with preventing WWIII, and that's about it. It stars John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Kenneth Branaugh, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Michael Caine.
But Christopher Nolan makes amazing movies. Every film in The Dark Knight Trilogy is perfect, The Prestige was a mystery right up to the very end, Inception was mind-bending, Interstellar was just the best film ever, and Dunkirk was very well edited. I'm excited.
2. Hamilton - July 3rd
Announced a few days ago (It actually inspired the list) is the filmed version of Hamilton, which, for all you non-musical-theatre nerds out there, is Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical adaptation of the life of founding father Alexander Hamilton, which is notable for it's casting of black and minority actors as old dead white people, a hip hop soundtrack, critical acclaim, and the most Tony nominations with 16 noms, and the second-most wins with 11 (Behind The Producers).
So, aside from all of the technical jargon, the soundtrack of Hamilton is genius, with only three-ish bad songs (But that's debatable). Since Hamilton is a famous Broadway musical, it's hard to get tickets to it and thus is very exciting for all of us fans out there. So that's nice.
But I have a theory about this. The Academy announced that streaming films will be eligible for Oscars this year, and Disney yanked Hamilton from it's original October 2021 release date to debut an entire year ahead of schedule on Disney+. It's a draw for Disney+ as well as a potential Oscar nom? Will Lin-Manuel Miranda finally become an EGOT?
1. Dune - December 18th
When I first wrote the list back in December of 2019, I had no idea what dune was. It was #18 on my list... but now I do, having finished the book recently. And man, let me tell you: Dune is going to be dope. This is up there in hype levels like Infinity War and The Force Awakens.
Dune was supposed to be this year's big fantasy epic, the next Star Wars or Aquaman, so it's nice that WB can see this movie pulling a billion. Second off, it directed by Denis Villeneuve, whose past two films, Arrival and Blade Runner 2049, are very much in-line with the world of Dune. Sci-fi but all sci.
And for the plot, it's about Paul Atreides, the son of Duke Leto Atreides, the latter of which is sent to govern over the sad planet Arrakis, also known as Dune, the only source for the spice melange, on which the universe runs. However, when a plot against his family is revealed, Paul must travel across the dunes of Arrakis, surviving the sandworms that inhabit it, and eventually he'll join the Fremen, the natives of Arrakis, and try to take back his planet.
It's going to be a visually stunning, acclaimed, epic sci-fi flick. Honestly, it's one flaw may be starting the decade with a bar set so high.
There you go, that's my revised list of movies.
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