2019 Movie Preview
By: Nerd Club Podcast
Tags: Movies, Podcast, Film, Star Wars, Marvel

2019 Movie Preview

With 2018 in the books, it’s time we looked forward to a new year for movies. 2019 is set to be a monster year, with two of the biggest blockbusters of the decade arriving in Avengers: End Game and Star Wars: Episode IX. Trust us, those two are only the tip of the iceberg as well.

January

GLASS

M Night Shyamalan has almost become a self-referential meme at this point, with his career having as many twists as his movies. One thing’s for certain though: he’s been on somewhat of an under-the-radar hot streak with The Visit and Split. Now he returns to the world of The Horde (Split) to deliver a crossover with Unbreakable (2000), in what is sure to be an interesting movie in the very least.

Prediction: The fact that he took his time between Split and this has me cautiously optimistic about Glass.

Other notable releases in January:

The Kid Who Would Be King sees Joe Cornish return to the director’s chair for the first time since Attack The Block (2011), in what could be an early front runner for Biggest Surprise at next year’s Nerdies.

February

THE LEGO MOVIE 2: THE SECOND PART

The movie that shocked the world gets a well-deserved sequel this year, as The Lego Movie 2 hits theatres. The worrying part of this is that Phil Lord and Chris Miller are not back to direct, giving over control to Mike Mitchell, who seemingly hasn’t directed a good movie, and Trisha Gum, who hasn’t directed any at all.

Prediction: The fact that Miller and Lord contributed to the script should save this but it probably will be a poorer sequel nonetheless.

ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL

This movie is the least predictable movie of the entire year. Alita: Battle Angel has been a pet project for James Cameron for decades and with his name attached to the script, it has a heavyweight creative name behind it. The trouble comes from director Robert Rodriguez, who is wildly unpredictable. He’s given us as many solid, fun movies as he has absolute duds.

Prediction: Having read that Cameron has been paying close attention to this one has gotten my hopes up, but I’ve honestly got no idea what way this will go.

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: THE HIDDEN WORLD

The How to Train Your Dragon series is criminally underappreciated. With two incredible films already in the series, number 3 looks set to send the series out in style. The reason I have high hopes for this one stems from director Dean DeBlois, who was responsible for the first two movies in the series and will close out the trilogy himself, a rare occurrence in animated movies.

Prediction: This one will be a must-see.

March

CAPTAIN MARVEL

Carol Danvers arrives in the Marvel Cinematic Universe ready to give it a powerful dose of cosmic power, as well as its first female lead. Marvel will be hoping this can be their next Black Panther, featuring lead representation outside of the white male demographic. Though Wonder Woman may have gotten all the plaudits for that already.

Prediction: Fun entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that will settle somewhere in the middle in terms of quality.

US

One of my most-anticipated movies of 2019 comes in the form of Us, the second movie from up-and-coming director Jordan Peele. He’ll be looking to follow up the Oscar-nominated Get Out with another social-horror movie, which could cement him as one of the great horror directors working today. And with Lupita Nyong’o leading the movie, this one could be special.

Prediction: a polarising movie that gets a little preachy at times but is still a solid horror movie.

Other notable releases in March:

The first of three 2019 live action Disney movies is released in March, with Tim Burton’s Dumbo. This one boasts a solid cast and could be just what Burton needs to break the slump he’s been on for the past few years.

April

SHAZAM

David F. Sanberg shakes off the shackles of the horror genre and aims to follow in the footsteps of Sam Raimi and James Wan, as the next big horror-come-superhero director. This movie sees Zachary Levi take on the title role in a movie that looks like the superhero version of Tom Hanks’ Big. It’s a fun concept that could work really well and help push the Snyder years of the DC Universe further into the rear-view mirror.

Prediction: Fun-but-flawed movie with a similar tone to Aquaman.

HELLBOY

The trouble with this movie is two-fold: one, the previous two Hellboy movies have a strong fanbase that’s still a little sore from being denied a closing to the Guillermo Del Toro series; and two, director Neil Marshall is wildly inconsistent. Having seen early success in the low-budget horror genre, Marshall delivered a few duds, before quietly rebuilding his rep on TV, with two of the greatest episodes of Game of Thrones (Blackwater and Watchers On The Wall). While Stranger Things’ David Harbour is the actor saddled with the daunting task of following Ron Perlman as Hellboy himself.

Prediction: at best this movie will be a cult classic on the level of the excellent Dredd (2012). At worst, it could have a shot at winning Biggest Disappointment at next year’s Nerdies.

AVENGERS: ENDGAME

This is it. The end of an era. All signs point to this one being the last outing for the majority of the original Avengers, as they fight to save the lives of those lost in Infinity War. The story for this one is closely under wraps but set photos hint at this being a very different style to previous Avengers outings, which could be a good or a bad thing.

Prediction: an emotional send-off to the original Avengers, but one that fails to reach the heights of Infinity War. Bring tissues.

Other notable releases in April:

The resurgence of Stephen King stories at the box office continues with Pet Sematary. Unfortunately, this one feels like it has flop written all over it.

May

POKEMON: DETECTIVE PIKACHU

Bonkers. Few words describe this movie better. Voiced by Ryan Reynolds, this isn’t the Pikachu you know and love from the animated series. Ash Ketchum is nowhere to be seen in this one and we have no idea whether we should be excited or panicking deep inside.

Prediction: literally no clue how this one will go, as director Rob Letterman seemingly only knows how to make mediocre animated movies (Shark Tale, Monsters Vs Aliens).

GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS

The king is back. Long live the king. 2014’s Godzilla was an incredibly polarising movie featuring stunning set pieces from Rogue One director Gareth Edwards, but it was also a movie which ultimately left people wanting more of the titular beast. This film is sure to correct that, as the legendary king of the monsters goes up against three iconic villains in the form of Rodan, Mothra and King Ghidorah.

Prediction: Director Michael Dougherty has me worried about this one, as his previous movie Krampus was simply a low-budget horror comedy, and a bang-average one at that. The lack of visual brilliance from Gareth Edwards could hurt this one.

Other notable releases in May:

Keanu Reeves returns in John Wick 3, which sees him getting hunted from all corners following the events of the second movie. This should be a solid third movie in the series. Also releasing in May is Aladdin, which has me more and more worried every time I see something new from it, and with Guy Ritchie behind the camera, we all know this one can go any way.

June

X-MEN: DARK PHOENIX

This movie should not be happening. It’s as simple as that. Following the Disney acquisition of Fox, Marvel’s merry mutants are set to be folded into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and possibly sooner than we think. So it’s hard to feel excited for, or to even care about this movie, which is a shame because it’s based on one of the most iconic X-Men stories of all time. The fact that we’ve to deal with the uninspiring choice of Simon Kinberg as director isn’t helping anyone’s hype level.

Prediction: This generation of X-Men should have ended with Logan. This movie is potentially frustratingly pointless, and not to mention bad as well.

MEN IN BLACK INTERNATIONAL

Thor Ragnarok’s Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson team up once again and this time they’re going global for Men In Black International. This is a series that up until now relied on the star power of Will Smith, so it will be interesting to see if the premise can live beyond that. Director F. Gary Gray is an interesting choice as he’s a lot grittier than the fun, polished style of the previous entries in the series. The trouble with this one is the fact the whole movie is based on a twist that’s so obvious it’s painful. So maybe don’t watch the trailers if you can help it.

Prediction: The chemistry of the two leads carries this one, but only just.

TOY STORY 4

The toys are back in town, and before you know it, they’re out of town again. Toy Story 3 was the perfect send off to these characters, so the road trip at the core of this movie better be damn good for them to risk the perfect record this series has enjoyed so far. Seeing as the original Toy Story is one of my top 5 films of all time, I am very excited and worried for this one.

Prediction: The weakest entry in the series but still a strong outing for the lovable toys.

Other notable releases in June:

Reboots of The Grudge and Child’s Play go head-to-head for the horror crown in June, a month where horror movies need to be exceptional to make any splash at the box office. I don’t see either of these being relevant at all.

July

SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME

The next generation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe begins… in a Sony movie. This movie picks up where Avengers: Endgame leaves off, which effectively ruins a large part of Endgame. We all knew the characters weren’t staying dead anyway though, right? Jake Gyllenhaal pops up as Mysterio in this one, as Tom Holland and friends go on a field trip throughout Europe. I have a feeling this will be solid, even though I’ve never been a big fan of Spidey outside of New York.

Prediction: more of the same magic that made Homecoming a very fun watch.

THE LION KING

Disney’s “live action” version of The Lion King will be massive at the box office this year. People flat out love the original and this is just about far enough removed from the first movie to get away with being an obvious cash grab. The all-star cast, including the return of James Earl Jones as Mufasa, has the hype off the charts for this one and with Jungle Book and Iron Man director Jon Favreau behind the lens, this is sure to be one of the biggest hits of the year.

Prediction: Should be Disney’s biggest movie this year not named Avengers: Endgame.

Other notable releases in July:

Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time In Hollywood boasts Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie and Kurt Russell, in a movie set in Hollywood around the time of the Charles Manson murders. This one will be boasting Oscar-credentials.

August

HOBBS & SHAW

The Rock and Jason Statham return as their characters from The Fast & The Furious series, but this time they’re the ones running the show. With Idris Elba throwing his weight around as the villain, this movie is sure to be both incredible fun and action-packed insanity all in one movie. The fact that Atomic Blonde and Deadpool 2 director David Leitch is behind the camera brings the action chops too.

Prediction: the guilty-pleasure train rolls on as The Fast & The Furious continues to prove doubters wrong.

THE NEW MUTANTS

This movie is a heartbreaker for the X-Men fan in me. Not only does it boast the cinematic debut of my second-favourite X-man, Cannonball, but it seems to have an interesting concept at its core: a superhero movie that’s actually a horror film. The number of delays mixed with a large number of reshoots, including the strange addition of an entirely new character in said reshoots, makes this sound like a total clusterf**k. Marvel’s imminent dismantling of the universe makes this just as irrelevant as Dark Phoenix.

Prediction: I feel bad for the cast of this one, especially Game of Thrones’ Maisie Williams, Stranger Things’ Charlie Heaton, and Split’s Anya Taylor-Joy. The only fancy swag they’ll be wearing this award season will be to pick up some Razzies.

September

IT: CHAPTER 2

I love IT. The book is one of my favourite novels of all time. The original movie was a favorite of mine growing up, haunting my nightmares for years. And 2017’s IT: Chapter 1 was everything I wanted the movie to be. It featured a fantastic young cast, a performance from Bill Skarsgard as Pennywise that quickly killed any negative comparison with Tim Curry’s iconic turn as the horrific clown. With James McEvoy, Jessica Chastain and Bill Hader joining the cast for the sequel, I’m incredibly excited for this one.

Prediction: A strong second chapter to compliment the first, making two movies that combine to be the best Stephen King adaptation of all time.

October

JOKER

Comedy director Todd Phillips brings a new version of The Clown Prince of Crime to life, with Jaoquin Phoenix being the latest actor to don the iconic make up and purple suit. Seeing as the most recent version of the Joker was Jared Leto’s turn in Suicide Squad, Phoenix just needs to be pretty good to be liked by fans. The fact that this one is disconnected from DC’s shared universe means it could have room to breathe, and manage to do something special.

Prediction: Martin Scorcese has been involved with this movie for as long as it has been in existence, so this one could very well surprise.

Other notable releases in October:

Zombieland Too finally gets released in October, ten years after its predecessor. Hype for the series hasn’t lasted this long unfortunately, and though the writers went on to write two Deadpool movies, the director has been inconsistent, including 2018’s messy Venom. I’m just not sure anyone cares about this series anymore. I’ll be happy if they prove me wrong though.

November

TERMINATOR 6

How are they still releasing Terminator movies with Arnold Schwarzenegger? This one even sees the return of Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor. The hopeful elements of this movie though come with the fact that James Cameron has been much more involved this time around, and that Deadpool’s Tim Miller is behind the lens as director. I’ve frankly given up caring about getting excited about this series though.

Prediction: Another unnecessarily convoluted entry in the series.

Other notable releases in November:

November is riddled with absolute punts in the form of a Charlies Angels reboot, a prequel to Kingsman titled The Great Game and a movie adaptation of video game Sonic The Hedgehog. Any of these movies could be good in their own right, in particular Kingsman, as it has a trustworthy director in the form of the Matthew Vaughan. Unfortunately, they’re all just trying to avoid the family juggernaut releasing in November: Frozen 2.

December

JUMANJI 3

Are the people who make Jumanji complete masochists? They’ve decided to release at the same time as a Star Wars movie again? The previous Jumanji movie was a complete shock both quality-wise and box-office-success-wise, and I don’t think anyone predicted this sequel happening. With The Rock, Kevin Hart, Jack Black and Karen Gillen all returning, and with Jake Kasdan once again directing, this movie is sure to be just as fun as the last one.

Prediction: The cast carry this one and make it just as much fun as the previous entry.

STAR WARS: EPISODE IX

The big one has arrived. JJ Abrams is back in the director’s chair. The fate of Rey, Kylo Ren, Finn and Poe Dameron will be revealed. The 9th episode in the iconic series should see these characters go on hiatus for at least a while, even if they manage to survive past the end. So expect fireworks. The fact that fans have been aggressively outspoken about their dislike for The Last Jedi means the stakes are high for Disney with this one. Star Wars fans could stomach the prequels because they had George Lucas running the show, but if Disney delivers two unsatisfactory entries in the saga in a row, Star Wars will not be in a good place.

Prediction: JJ gives the fans just what they want and Star Wars gets one of the strongest entries of the modern era.

2019 Movies In Review

2019 has the potential to be an all-time great year for movies, with a mix of heavy-hitters in the form of Avengers: End Game and Star Wars: Episode IX. With so many second-tier movies ready to step up, there can’t help but be more to love than hate. One thing is definitely for sure. We’ll have plenty to discuss this year on the Nerd Club podcast.

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