Movies to look forward to in 2022

2022 looks like a good year for movies. At least it could be a blockbuster year. We have three MCU movies: Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, Thor: Love and Thunder, and hopefully, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. (There have been filming delays, so who knows?)

I see the potential for three movies this year to break all-time box office records. In October we get the new Spider-Man animation, which could break records, then in November Wakanda Forever and then in December Avatar 2. 

And besides these tent-pole movies, there are bound to be a handful of unexpectedly good movies that no one’s heard about.

Morbius January 28 PG-13 (1h 48m) Action | Adventure | Drama | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller Plot: Biochemist Michael Morbius tries to cure himself of a rare blood disease, but he inadvertently infects himself with a form of vampirism instead. Director: Daniel Espinosa Stars: Jared Leto, Adria Arjona, Jared Harris, Michael KeatonThoughts: I’ll be honest, I’m not impressed so far with the trailers.

Moonfall February 4 (2hours) Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Sci-Fi Plot: In Moonfall, a mysterious force knocks the Moon from its orbit around Earth and sends it hurtling on a collision course with life as we know it. With mere weeks before impact and the world on the brink of annihilation, NASA executive and former astronaut Jo Fowler is convinced she has the key to saving us all – but only one astronaut from her past, Brian Harper and a conspiracy theorist K.C. Houseman believe her. These unlikely heroes will mount an impossible last-ditch mission into space, leaving behind everyone they love, only to find out that our Moon is not what we think it is. Director: Roland Emmerich Stars: Halle Berry, Patrick Wilson, John Bradley, Michael PeñaThoughts: Theres’ no way around it, this movie is going to be ridiculously awful. The only hope is that it’s fun and ridiculously awful.

Death on the Nile February 11 (1h 7min) Crime | Drama | Mystery Plot: While on vacation on the Nile, Hercule Poirot must investigate the murder of a young heiress. Director: Kenneth Branagh Stars: Kenneth Branagh, Gal Gadot, Tom Bateman, Rose LeslieThoughts: Meh.

Catwoman: Hunted February 11 PG-13 Animation | Action | Sci-Fi Plot: Follows Catwoman in an attempt to steal a priceless jewel. This puts her squarely in the crosshairs of both a powerful consortium of villains, Interpol and Batwoman. Director: Shinsuke Terasawa Stars: Stephanie Beatriz, Elizabeth Gillies, Lauren Cohan, Jonathan BanksTrailer on YouTubeThoughts: Looks intriguing. I like the style of animation.

Uncharted February 18 Action | Adventure Plot: The story is a prequel to the games, starring Holland as a younger Drake, showing us details of how he came to meet and befriend Sully. Director: Ruben Fleischer Stars: Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg, Sophia Ali, Antonio BanderasThoughts: This just looks stupid.

The Batman March 4 (2h 13 min) Action | Crime | Drama | Mystery Plot: In his second year of fighting crime, Batman uncovers corruption in Gotham City that connects to his own family while facing a serial killer known as the Riddler. Director: Matt Reeves Stars: Robert Pattinson, Peter Sarsgaard, Andy Serkis, Zoë KravitzThoughts: This could go either way. One positive of having another Batman is that DC has about enough reboots of this character to create Batman Multiverse movie now.

Downton Abbey: A New Era March 18 Drama | Romance Plot: Follow-up to the 2019 feature film in which the Crawley family and Downton staff received a royal visit from the King and Queen of Great Britain. Director: Simon Curtis Stars: Maggie Smith, Michelle Dockery, Tuppence Middleton, Laura HaddockThoughts: I still need to see the previous Downton Abbey movie. By all accounts, it was a fan-pleaser.

The Lost City March 25 Action | Comedy Plot: A reclusive romance novelist on a book tour with her cover model gets swept up in a kidnapping attempt that lands them both in a cutthroat jungle adventure. Directors: Aaron Nee | Adam Nee Stars: Sandra Bullock, Brad Pitt, Daniel Radcliffe, Channing TatumThoughts: Looks like a lighthearted, fun, movie.

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore April 15 Adventure | Family | Fantasy Plot: The third installment of the ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ series which follows the adventures of Newt Scamander. Director: David Yates Stars: Alison Sudol, Mads Mikkelsen, Jude Law, Katherine WaterstonThoughts: None of the Fantastic Beasts movies have really moved the needle much for me. I’m not expecting much out of this one. Plus, they’ve waited too long between movies. I don’t remember everything about the plots and characters from the previous movies and I don’t care to watch them again. When you have a series of movies like this they should come out every year.

The Bad Guys April 22 Certificate PG Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Crime | Family Plot: Mr. Wolf, Mr. Snake, Mr. Piranha, Mr. Shark and Ms. Tarantula hatch a plot to pull off the ultimate heist. Director: Pierre Perifel Stars: Sam Rockwell, Awkwafina, Anthony Ramos, Marc MaronThoughts: I’m looking forward to this.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness May 6 Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Horror | Sci-Fi Plot: Sequel to the 2016 Marvel film ‘Doctor Strange’. Director: Sam Raimi Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Rachel McAdams, Xochitl GomezTrailer on YouTubeThoughts: Wow… Wow, wow, wow.

Top Gun: Maverick May 27 PG-13 Action | Drama Plot: After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete Mitchell is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him. Director: Joseph Kosinski Stars: Tom Cruise, Jennifer Connelly, Miles Teller, Jean Louisa KellyThoughts: I hope this doesn’t ruin some good old memories.

John Wick: Chapter 4 May 27 Action | Crime | Thriller Director: Chad Stahelski Stars: Keanu Reeves, Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgård, Laurence FishburneThoughts: The previous three John Wick movies have gone from great to really good, to pretty good. Hopefully this one bucks the trend. Worst case scenario, it’ll be decent.

Jurassic World: Dominion June 10 Certificate PG-13 Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi | Thriller Plot: unknown. Director: Colin Trevorrow Stars: Daniella Pineda, Bryce Dallas Howard, Chris Pratt, Sam NeillThoughts: I can’t wait to see Sam Neill back in the Jurassic Universe.

Lightyear June 17 Animation | Action | Adventure | Drama | Family | Sci-Fi Plot: The story of Buzz Lightyear and his adventures to infinity and beyond. Director: Angus MacLane Stars: Chris EvansTrailer on YouTubeThoughts: Can’t wait! This will be a smash!

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts June 24 Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi Plot: Reportedly based on the ‘Transformers’ spinoff ‘Beast Wars’ which feature robots that transform into robotic animals. Director: Steven Caple Jr. Stars: Ron Perlman, Anthony Ramos, Luna Lauren Velez, Peter CullenThoughts: Whatever. I’ll see it, because it’s my job. I haven’t enjoyed a Transformers movie in over a decade now.

Minions: The Rise of Gru July 1 PG (1h 30min)  Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Crime | Family | Sci-Fi Plot: The untold story of one twelve-year-old’s dream to become the world’s greatest supervillain. Directors: Kyle Balda | Brad Ableson | Jonathan del Val Stars: Steve Carell, Pierre Coffin, Taraji P. Henson, Jean-Claude Van DammeThoughts: Always good stuff. Looking forward to it. I wonder who Jean-Claude Van Damme will voice. That should be good.

Thor: Love and Thunder July 8 Action | Adventure | Fantasy Plot: The sequel to Thor: Ragnarok and the fourth movie in the Thor saga. Director: Taika Waititi Stars: Natalie Portman, Taika Waititi, Karen Gillan, Matt DamonThoughts: Yes, more Thor!

Nope July 22 Horror Plot: Unknown Director: Jordan Peele Stars: Keke Palmer, Steven Yeun, Daniel Kaluuya, Michael WincottThoughts: No idea what this is about, but no doubt it will be good.

Black Adam July 29 Action | Fantasy | Sci-Fi Plot unknown. A spin-off from ‘Shazam!’ centering on the film’s anti-hero, Black Adam. Director: Jaume Collet-Serra Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Sarah Shahi, Pierce Brosnan, Noah CentineoThoughts: Not often I’m excited to see any DC movie. Please let this one be good.

Guns 3: Alias Billy the Kid August 5 Western Plot: Third installment of the ‘Young Guns’ film franchise. Director: Emilio Estevez Stars: Christian Slater, Emilio Estevez, Lou Diamond PhillipsThoughts: First I’ve heard of this. I’m looking forward to seeing where they go with it. Emilio is a talented writer/director. I have faith that he’ll make something entertaining.

Samaritan August 26 PG-13 Action | Drama | Fantasy | Sci-Fi Plot: A young boy learns that a superhero who was thought to have gone missing after an epic battle twenty years ago may in fact still be around. Director: Julius Avery Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Martin Starr, Dascha Polanco, Pilou AsbækThoughts: I hope this is one of those under-the-radar good movies.

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish September 23 Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy Plot: Puss in Boots discovers that his passion for adventure has taken its toll: he has burned through eight of his nine lives. Puss sets out on an epic journey to find the mythical Last Wish and restore his nine lives. Directors: Joel Crawford | Januel Mercado Stars: Antonio Banderas, Chris Miller, Miguel Gabriel, Kaley Alyssa FlanaganThoughts: I know my sister will be excited to see this.

Mission: Impossible 7 September 30 Action | Adventure | Thriller Plot: Seventh entry in the long-running Mission: Impossible series. Director: Christopher McQuarrie Stars: Cary Elwes, Rebecca Ferguson, Tom Cruise, Vanessa KirbyThoughts: You know, the Mission Impossible franchise doesn’t get the love it deserves. There were a few bombs in there, but the past three movies have been fantastic. If you compare the ratings to other movies in other franchises only the MCU performs better.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – Part One October 7 Animation | Action | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Sci-Fi Plot: Miles Morales returns for the next chapter of the Oscar®-winning Spider-Verse saga, an epic adventure that will transport Brooklyn’s full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man across the Multiverse to join forces with Gwen Stacy and a new team of Spider-People to face off with a villain more powerful than anything they have ever encountered. Directors: Joaquim Dos Santos | Kemp Powers | Justin K. Thompson Stars: Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Oscar Isaac, Issa RaeThoughts: This will smash records. I hope it’s on par with the quality of the first Spider-Man animated movie.

Halloween Ends October 14 Horror | Thriller Plot: The saga of Michael Myers and Laurie Strode comes to a spine-chilling climax in this final installment of the franchise. Director: David Gordon Green Stars: Jamie Lee Curtis, Kyle Richards, Andi Matichak, Nick CastleThoughs: This is the spin-chilling climax? Yeah, right.

The Flash November 4 Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Sci-Fi Plot: unknown. Feature film based on the comic book superhero, The Flash. Director: Andy Muschietti Stars: Ben Affleck, Michael Keaton, Michael Shannon, Ezra MillerThoughts: DC is really brave. They’re rebooting Batman, but Affleck is back as Batman in this movie. How’s that even make sense.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever November 11 Action | Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller Plot: A sequel that will continue to explore the incomparable world of Wakanda and all the rich and varied characters introduced in the 2018 film. Director: Ryan Coogler Stars: Martin Freeman, Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong’o, Angela BassettThoughts: Get ready for some box office records to get broken.

Creed III November 25 Drama | Sport Plot: Third installment of the ‘Creed’ franchise. Director: Michael B. Jordan Stars: Michael B. Jordan, Tessa Thompson, Jonathan Majors, Phylicia RashadThoughts: I’ll have to go back and watch the first two now. Maybe I’ll start with the first Rocky movie and watch the entire franchise.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom December 16 Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Sci-Fi Plot: Sequel to the 2018 film ‘Aquaman.’ Director: James Wan Stars: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Nicole Kidman, Jason Momoa, Amber HeardThoughts: Meh. The first Aquaman movie was all over the map.

Avatar 2 December 16 Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi | Thriller Plot: Jake Sully lives with his newfound family formed on the planet of Pandora. Once a familiar threat returns to finish what was previously started, Jake must work with Neytiri and the army of the Na’vi race to protect their planet. Director: James Cameron Stars: Michelle Yeoh, Kate Winslet, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney WeaverThoughts: Those box office records that Wakanda Forever just broke will get re-broken.