Search found 1 match: Andrew Niccol

I'm more excited about than the quantity of big production science-fiction films being released than the quality of most of the films; the odds are that at least one or two of them will be great. I wonder if Hollywood's willingness to green-light all of them is partially a reaction to the success of Avatar at the end of 2009.

Star Trek and Catching Fire
Will probably both be enjoyably mediocre; as good as you can get with big Hollywood money and a PG-13 rating. I doubt they'll differ quality-wise that much from their predecessors, which means I'd rather see Star Trek, but they both have some talented people involved, and I'm sure I'll see and like both. I'm just not expecting anything really great.

Ender's Game and World War Z
I'd consider those two my most "anticipated", but only because I love both the books. And I have to say, I'm concerned by what's going on with both pictures. With World War Z, everything appears to have gone wrong during production, they claim to be aiming for a PG-13 rating, and they seem to have completely departed from the original idea of the book. With Ender's Game, it's more an unsupported feeling of dread. If either of them stick to the plots (or at least the themes and tones) of the originals, they might make something amazing. But it seems more likely that they'll decide to neuter the stories to appeal to a broader audience, squeezing as much money out as possible. I can't really rely on the directors of Quantum of Solace or X-Men Origins: Wolverine for artistic integrity.

Gravity
I consider Children of Men to be one of the greatest science-fiction movies ever made, so I can't wait for Gravity. Not that I wouldn't already be excited about an isolated thriller set entirely in space. If had to bet on any of these films being a masterpiece for the genre, that would be it. I have a few qualms about it being so heavily CGI and having Sandra Bullock carry the film, but on the other hand, that might turn out really well. Can't wait for some visuals to come out and see what the effects team has been working on.

Pacific Rim and Elysium
I've really enjoyed Blomkamp's and del Toro's work in the past, and Pacific Rim and Elysium both look cool, so I'm looking forward to them. Pacific Rim might be more prone to genre fan wankery, but I'm not totally opposed to that.

Oblivion and After Earth
I bet Oblivion and After Earth will both have a nice sci-fi aesthetic. Beyond that, I can also guarantee that After Earth can't possibly be worse than M. Night Shyamalan's last few movies, but I can guarantee that about any film on this list. They're Tom Cruise and Will Smith vehicles above anything else, but I hope they turn out to be fun.

RoboCop
Might be just another sci-fi sequel, but it has some awesome names attached, so I'll make my way to the theater.

The Europa Report
Actually the first time I've heard of it, but the concept sounds awesome.

Beyond those, I'd also like to add that movies coming out this year include Riddick (Sep 6; David Twohy), and a handful of very different takes on the alien invasion tale: Escape From Planet Earth (Feb 14; Cal Brunker), Dark Skies (Feb 22; Scott Stewart), The Host (Mar 29; Andrew Niccol), and The World's End (Oct 25; Edgar Wright). In short:

Riddick
Pass.

Escape From Planet Earth
When it's on Netflix and I'm bored.

Dark Skies
Scott Stewart? Ugh, pass.

The Host
Stephanie Meyer? Ugh, pa- Oh wait, Andrew Niccol? Maybe if it gets good reviews.

The World's End
Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, AND Martin Freeman? GOD YES PLEASE.