My Most Anticipated Films of 2017

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As we make our way into the new year and 2016's teaser trailers for the releases of 2017 come closer to being actual films, it's time to start preparing for the big releases of this year. Here are the films which, based on their trailers, I am personally excited to see this year, in order from least to greatest. Hopefully these films prove to be as phenomenal as their trailers promise, and aren't just the product of some clever editing and captivating music. Also, please note that there are plenty of other films I am looking forward to, these are just the ones which I'll definitely be viewing on their opening release date.

Alien: Covenant



The grotesque yet beautiful art of H.R. Giger has endlessly fascinated me; it's a sort of repulsive combination of science fiction with twisted horror elements, a melding of man and machine, and Alien: Covenant seems to visually carry on this spirit as another predecessor of the original (and phenomenal) Alien film. The fact that Ridley Scott will be its director only serves to make me more excited for this film, which I hope offers more than the gore splashed throughout its dark and grimy trailer.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2



I'll confess that I've never been particularly well versed in the art of comic books, so when it comes to the films within the Marvel franchise I'm relying entirely on the knowledge I have based on the films which have been released. Bearing that in mind, Guardians of the Galaxy has, without a doubt, always been my favorite film in the Marvel universe (perhaps due in part to its ties to the rest of the movies being a little more relaxed which permits it to have more creativity and less restraint in its plot). So, naturally, I'm more than a little excited for the upcoming sequel, which promises the same sort of quick and witty humor that has been visible in the last film - and, probably, another phenomenal soundtrack.

Star Wars: Episode VIII



I feel as though my excitement for this release goes without saying, given my lifelong love for the Star Wars franchise (though my love for the infamous prequels has faded after I grew up and stopped viewing them with nostalgia goggles). Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens was my favorite film in the entire franchise and the new characters it introduced won me over immediately, so I'm eager to see what the next film in this new reboot has in store for them. I'm also especially excited because it was written and directed by Rian Johnson, the man behind Looper, a phenomenal (though admittedly flawed in terms of the logistics of time travel) science fiction movie which I highly recommend to anyone who hasn't seen it yet.

Blade Runner 2049



Blade Runner is a phenomenal movie. In fact, I would go as far as to say that Blade Runner is perhaps the best science fiction film I have ever seen, and Denis Villeneuve - one of my favorite directors of all time - is going to be responsible for this film's creation. Rather than remaking the classic, he's instead carrying the story further into the future, and while I have no idea what is in store for audiences I have enough faith in Villeneuve to confidently say that this will be yet another fantastic release from him.

A Cure for Wellness



Perhaps it's a little risky that the film I'm most excited for is the one which I know the least about, and it doesn't help that my excitement mostly comes from the bizarre visuals presented in its trailer which offer the sort of feast for the eyes that one may see in a photograph. While I have a complicated relationship with the work of Gore Verbinski, I can't help but be excited just from the strange premise hinted at through visual cues and fantastic slow sweeping shots of gorgeous landscapes and eerie long hallways of inmates at an asylum. I sincerely hope that Verbinski doesn't let me down again and follows through on releasing a film which promises to be simultaneously beautiful and horrifying.

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