I'm a big fan of Sci Fi movies, and I'm a huge fan of great war movies. Sometimes, those two genres meet. It's not always with spectacular results, if I'm honest, but I still end up looking forward to movies and shows that bring them together. I'm talking about movies like Dune and Starship Troopers, and TV shows like Battlestar Galactica and Silo. This is a list dedicated to movies like that. So grab your gear and let's get into the action.

Dune

There are a lot of things that make Dune one of the best science fiction stories of all time. War is a major theme throughout the whole series and certainly something the recent movies have focused on. The politics of war and various armies across the universe feature heavily.

Ender's Game

Despite a stellar cast, including Hailee Steinfeld, Harrison Ford, and Viola Davis, and rich source material from the original novel to draw on, Ender's Game was a critical and box office disappointment, some of which is because of some controversy surrounding the book's author. However, if you're like me and enjoy this kind of movie, about the young trainees in a futuristic army, you will certainly find things to like about the movie.

Avatar

I'll be the first to say that while many love Avatar, I am not among them. That said, it's a movie that definitely belongs on this list. It's about a military mission, though the critiques of the military are a little heavy-handed, and it's one of the biggest box office draws of all time, so whether I like it or not, I'm including it.

Star Trek

This one is a little tricky, as I'm sure fans of Star Trek will be immediately noting in their heads. The United Federation of Planets, and by extension the crew of the USS Enterprise, are primarily a political organization with a mission to promote peace. That said, the ship has a military-like hierarchy, and the crew often finds themselves battling hostile elements in the galaxy. So there are heavy military overtones in every Star Trek series and movie.

Firefly

Like some others on this list, Firefly is a bit of an edge case. While most of the crew of the spaceship Serenity are ex-military, the show itself doesn't have many of the elements of a futuristic army, more a rag-tag crew of space explorers. It's as much a space western in the style of Star Wars as anything else.

Halo

You knew this one had to be here. Halo, based on the video game of the same name, ran for two seasons on Paramount+ and was a moderate success, though it never reached the same popularity as the game it was based on.

Stargate SG-1

Stargate SG-1, which was a show that was born on the heals of the movie Stargate. It ran for 10 seasons, first on Showtime and later on Syfy.

Aliens

One of the most beloved sci-fi movies of all time, Aliens has some of the coolest military scenes featuring the crew of Marines on the mission with Ripley (Sigourney Weaver). One of the most iconic moments in the movie comes when the Marines all wake up from their long trip and Sgt. Apone says. "Another day in the core!"

Battlestar Galactica

The classic sci-fi show Battlestar Galactica is one of the best examples of a futuristic military, even if it's really just a small piece of what its space force used to be. Led by Admiral Adama (Edward James Olmos), the military members run the ship, and by default, the last of humankind, in partnership with civilian leadership.

Starship Troopers

Are you doing your part? There may be no more obvious movie to include on this list than the cult favorite Starship Troopers. The recruiting video alone puts it near the top of the list of movies about the military in the future, to say nothing of the political overtones and satire of the rest of the movie.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Parts 1 And 2

The Hunger Games didn't start with a military of the future as a key component, but it certainly ends with two militaries, both the revolutionaries and the army from The Capitol, in the final two movies of the original franchise. It's a great example of two different kinds of armies, as well.

Pacific Rim

I'm not the biggest fan of Kaiju movies, but I absolutely love Pacific Rim from director Guillermo del Toro. This is a bit of an edge case, because it's not really set in the distant future (the 2013 movie was actually set in 2020), the presence of a great military leader like Marshal Stacker Pentecost (Idris Elba) means it absolutely demands to be on this list. It's not like we have technology like the Mechas in the movie anyway, so it feels very futuristic.

The Terminator Franshise

Throughout the entire Terminator franchise, even when the movies aren't about the coming war between humans and machines, there are heavy military overtones, to say nothing of when we do see the actual war in some of the latter movies. The fourth movie, Terminator Salvation, is especially militaristic.

Doom

When I first saw 2005's Doom, based on the notorious video game from the '90s, I couldn't help but be reminded of Aliens in the way the futuristic Marines are portrayed as they travel to Mars to assist the UAC scientist after the attack. John "Reaper" Grimm and Sgt. Mahonin (Karl Urban and Dwyane Johnson, respectively) ooze the same kind of energy that Hicks and the other Marines in Aliens have.

Edge Of Tomorrow

Edge of Tomorrow seems to either be revered or ignored by film fans, but include me in the former. It's such a great sci-fi war movie. Led by Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt, the movie, though not set in the distant future, sees humanity's military come together to fight off invading aliens.

Star Wars

Obviously I had to include Star Wars here. Not only do we get to see the military apparatus of the Empire (and its successor) in all ten of the movies thus far released, but we also see the hierarchy of the Rebel Alliance. The scene at the end of the first movie, when Chewie doesn't get the medal that Han and Luke receive, but that he also deserves, is very much a military-looking ceremony as well.

And yeah, I will acknowledge that technically the movies are "a long time ago" and not in the future...but....c'mon.

Stargate

I'm a huge Kurt Russell fan, and while I loved Stargate when I first saw it, I did not expect it to spawn a franchise. Director and writer Roland Emmerich loves to make movies about futuristic armies, and Stargate is a perfect example of when he is at his best. It's a little cheesy, sure, but that's part of the charm of a good Emmerich popcorn flick.

Babylon 5

Set about 250 years in the future, Babylon 5 is one of those classic '90s TV shows that feels like it's adjacent to the Star Trek universe, but in this case, much more directly military-related. The titular space station is filled with both military personnel and civilians, but it was always the military plotlines that grabbed me the most.

Jupiter Ascending

2015's Jupiter Ascending, from writers and directors Lana and Lilly Wachowski, is a wild movie. It's kind of hard to explain, except to say that the protagonist, a soldier played by Channing Tatum, is part man and part...dog... is a great military character from the future.

Soldier

Kurt Russell and director Paul W. S. Anderson teamed up for 1998's Soldier, about a dystopian military project that turns orphans into killers for the military until things get really weird in the future. Yeah, it's a wild movie, and it was written by David Peoples, who also wrote Blade Runner and considered Soldier to be in the same universe. Yikes

Terra Nova

Terra Nova is a show that got canceled way too soon. It was a big-budget show that looked fantastic and told a super interesting story about a dystopian future that led humanity to open up a portal to another Earth. The military in the show, led by Commander Nathaniel Taylor (Stephen Lang) wasn't the focus, but played a huge role. It's just too bad we didn't get to see more, as the show was canceled after just 13 episodes.

Universal Soldier

Roland Emmerich's first big-budget Hollywood movie, Universal Soldier, has a ton of the DNA that the polarizing director would be known for throughout his career. It's a pretty ridiculous, over-the-top movie about soldiers in the future, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren as the primary soldiers.

SeaQuest DSV

The simplest way to describe SeaQuest DSV is to say it's Star Trek in a submarine. The cast was led by Jaws star Roy Scheider, and the show ran for three seasons in the mid-90s. It was a fun NBC show, and like Star Trek, it was exactly military, but the organization the sub crew represented was similar to the U.N. and acted in a very militaristic way. Though it took place in 2020, that was 25 years in the future when the show aired.

The Matrix Revolutions

The final Matrix movie in the original trilogy, The Matrix Revolutions, is when things really got militaristic. Throughout the whole series, there were always some aspects of a futuristic military, but the series really leans in with what I would consider the weakest movie of the franchise, but still a really fun movie.

Snowpiercer

Imagine living your whole life in the back of an endless train trip as 5th-class "citizens" of the last people on Earth. That's where we find our heroes in Snowpiercer, who are finally forced to take on the train's military when the horrible conditions bring them to a breaking point.

Andromeda

Set hundreds of years in the future, Andromeda was loosely based on work from Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, so as you would expect, it feels like his most famous show, but it also feels a little cheap. Like many shows about spaceships, it's not exactly military, but has a militaristic hierarchy..

The Tomorrow War

The Tomorrow War is a little tricky for this list. It's set in 2022, but it tells the story of time-traveling soldiers from the future. So it kinda counts, right? Sure, why not!

Silo

This is another tricky one, but it's such a great show, I had to include it. Common plays the head of security in Silo, and while they aren't strictly a military organization, they operate very much like one. They are also oppressive and scary, as the military is often shown to be in dystopian futures, like the one in Silo. So it works for me.

Farscape

Farscape is another example of a wild show that was born in the '90s. Though it was canceled after four seasons, cutting short the story, it had legions of fans who still love it today. The story was finally wrapped with a three-hour made-for-TV movie in 2007, called Farscape: Peacekeeper Wars.

The Chronicles of Riddick

Though The Chronicles of Riddick is actually a sequel to Pitch Black, it is far more militaristic in its style than the first movie in the series, which was more of a horror flick. Vin Diesel plays a former bounty hunter on the run from a crew of other hunters who operate very much like a military unit.

The Creator

2023's The Creator is a movie that not enough people have seen. Set in a near-ish future (2065), it stars John David Washington as Sergeant Joshua Taylor, who is part of a force helping to shut down all AI, which has turned against humanity. It's a complicated movie, but it looks amazing, and you should see it just for that.

Defiance

Dystopian futures are always a popular way for shows and movies to show what the future of the military looks like, and sometimes those shows feature rag-tag groups of veterans of a past war just trying to survive, as in Defiance. It's another show that didn't seem to get the kind of attention it deserved from the general public when it ran from 2013 to 2015 on Syfy.

Many actors have said that a villain is one of the most fun types of roles that you can play. Unfortunately, not every actor knows how to be menacing, or at least just not in a way that matches the tone or intent of their given story. The following are some of the most notable examples of movies and TV shows that might have benefited from searching a bit harder for the right person to play the enemy.

Lex Luthor (Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice)

There are few superhero movies as polarizing as 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but one thing most audiences agree about director Zack Snyder's crossover epic is that it misses the mark with Lex Luthor. It seems Academy Award nominee Jessie Eisenberg, who blamed himself for his role's poor reception, is trying more to be a clone of Heath Ledger's Joker without the makeup than portray a fitting take on Superman's archnemesis with his manic, almost childish, performance.

Walter Padick (The Dark Tower)

Some fans of Stephen King's acclaimed book series, The Dark Tower, have said that Academy Award winner Matthew McConaughey might have been a better fit to portray the heroic gunslinger, Roland, allowing Idris Elba to shine stronger as the demonic sorcerer Walter Padick instead. Of course, the casting is one of the least pivotal reasons why this 2017 adaptation from director Nikolaj Arcel received such horrid backlash.

Eddie Brock (Spider-Man 3)

On an episode of MovieFone’s Unscripted, Topher Grace admitted that he felt he was an unlikely choice to star in 2007's Spider-Man 3 as Eddie Brock, also known as Venom, given the character looks more like... well, Tom Hardy. What convinced him to take the part was director Sam Raimi's idea of depicting the photojournalist, who becomes attached to a symbiotic alien, as, essentially, Peter Parker's evil twin. With all due respect to the man behind the Evil Dead movies and to the former That '70s Show cast member, that might not have been the best call.

Gellert Grindelwald (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald)

While his presence alone is distracting enough, fans and critics alike thought Johnny Depp was too cartoonishly over-the-top as the villainous title role of the Harry Potter movie prequel, 2018's Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. The performance especially pales in comparison to Mads Mikkelsen, who succeeded the Oscar nominee in the part for Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore to greater acclaim.

Jafar (Aladdin)

I am not saying that no one else could play Jafar better than how Jonathan Freeman voiced the ruthless tyrant in the original 1992 classic Disney animated movie, Aladdin. However, I do believe that Marwan Kenzari is simply too reserved, too earnest, and not having enough fun with this iconic, dastardly role in Guy Ritchie's live-action remake from 2019.

Mr. Freeze (Batman & Robin)

I must admit, I actually think Arnold Schwarzenegger's shamelessly over-the-top performance and incessantly punny dialogue as the "coldhearted" Gotham criminal, Mr. Freeze, almost makes the reviled Batman & Robin worth watching. However, I would also agree that the 1997 DC flick offers a poor representation of the tragic character, especially after Batman: The Animated Series handled him to such wonderful acclaim a few years before.

Javert (Les Misérables)

With 2012's Les Misérables, director Tom Hooper did not just adapt Victor Hugo's novel, but the acclaimed, operatic stage musical it inspired. Perhaps if it had been a more traditionally dramatized version of the story instead, the Academy Award-winning non-singer Russell Crowe's casting as Inspector Javert would have been perfect.

Obadiah Stane (Iron Man)

This may be a hot take, but I believe 2008's otherwise terrific premiere installment of the Marvel Movies in order suffers from a third act that does not quite live up to its promises, and I think Obadiah Stane is to blame. As a longtime fan of Jeff Bridges, I hate to admit that the Academy Award winner's performance in Iron Man is not menacing or memorable enough to make an enduring impression or match Robert Downey Jr.'s fun, nuanced, and tone-setting performance as Tony Stark

Balem Abrasax (Jupiter Ascending)

There are many reasons why Lana and Lily Wachowski's 2015 sci-fi epic Jupiter Ascending ended up being a critical and commercial failure, and many critics cite Eddie Redmayne as a key reason. Even the Oscar winner himself agreed, while filming a video for GQ, that his over-the-top performance as Balem Abrasax, consisting of a gravelly whisper often interrupted by irritating screams, was "pretty bad."

Norman Bates (Psycho)

Gus Van Sant's 1998 remake of Alfred Hitchcock's classic film, Psycho, sees Vince Vaughn succeed Anthony Perkins in the role of disturbed motel manager Norman Bates. The actor was already an unlikely choice to play a murderer then, fresh off his hilarious performance in Swingers, and seems even more unlikely today after his many other iconic comedic roles.

The Joker (Suicide Squad)

For many, Jared Leto's Joker in Suicide Squad is the go-to example of a badly cast villain, but having seen his more subdued take on the Clown Prince of Crime in Zack Snyder's Justice League, I disagree that the Oscar winner was the wrong choice. I will agree that his performance in David Ayer's 2016 DC supervillain crossover is a misfire, but I also feel that this particular iteration of Batman's archnemesis fails mostly because of how the disparagingly rushed screenplay depicts him.

Dracula (Blade: Trinity)

I will say that I give credit to writer and director David S. Goyer for attempting to try something different when incorporating the most powerful vampire of all into the third installment of the Wesley Snipes-led Marvel movie franchise. However, Dominic Purcell just does not fit the bill as Dracula, aesthetically or otherwise, contributing substantially to the unremarkable legacy of Blade: Trinity.

Thomas Gabriel (Live Free Or Die Hard)

I remember hearing movie critic Richard Roeper, on an episode of Ebert & Roeper, say he would have rather seen Maggie Q, who plays a henchperson, take over the main villain role in Bruce Willis' fourth adventure as John McClane instead of Timothy Olyphant. As much as I enjoy the actor in almost everything he does, I cannot help but agree that he might have been a better henchperson than the mustache-twirling lead cyberterrorist in 2007's Live Free or Die Hard.

Ares (Wonder Woman)

I realize that casting David Thewlis as the God of War, disguised as the speaker for the peace Sir Patrick Morgan, was meant to be a misdirect, and I respect the intent. However, most people agree that the final act reveal was one of the weakest parts of 2017's Wonder Woman, which is otherwise considered one of the better installments of the DC Extended Universe.

Griffin (The Watcher)

In defense of Keanu Reeves, the actor told The Guardian he was tricked into starring in 2000's The Watcher, which he never found interesting, after a "friend" forged his signature onto a casting agreement and, since he had no evidence to prove it, he decided it would be easier to go through with it than getting sued. This explains his phoned-in performance in the panned serial killer drama as a menacing murderer, whom star James Spader probably would have handled much better instead of playing the hero.

Lex Luthor (Supergirl)

Forgive me, but I just find it so difficult to see Jon Cryer outside of his longtime role as Alan Harper on Two and a Half Men. Even with the shaved scalp and beard drastically altering his appearance, the Pretty in Pink actor is simply not very believable as the ruthless Lex Luthor on Supergirl and other installments of the Arrowverse.

Two-Face (Batman Forever)

Harvey "Two-Face" Dent may be an unstable psychopath, but he is not the cackling maniac that Tommy Lee Jones portrayed him as, as if he were trying to one-up Jim Carrey's scenery-chewing energy as The Riddler. It really makes you wonder why the otherwise brilliant Academy Award winner told the comedian that he "could not sanction [his] buffoonery" when he ultimately gives the more buffoonish performance in 1995's Batman Forever anyway.

Carlton "Riot" Drake (Venom)

Riz Ahmed is typically sensational in just about everything he does, from his Emmy-winning performance in The Night Of to his Oscar-nominated turn in Sound of Metal. However, he gives one of his most boring performances in 2018's Venom as Carlton Drake, a scientist who obsessively and insidiously leads a study of extraterrestrial symbiotes.

The White Death (Bullet Train)

Michael Shannon has played some fantastic antagonistic roles in the past, such as in Premium Rush and 99 Homes, and even in the otherwise polarizing Man of Steel. However, his attempt at playing an Eastern European criminal known as "The White Death" is almost too silly, even for a consciously silly action flick like Bullet Train.

Stanley Kowalski (A Streetcar Named Desire)

Perhaps it is a controversial choice to choose one of the great Marlon Brando's most praised performances as a miscast villain. However, the Tennessee Williams-penned play that inspired 1951's A Streetcar Named Desire is really about Blanche (Vivien Leigh), and you could argue that casting Stella's (Kim Hunter) abusive husband with one of Hollywood's most handsome and charismatic actors shifts the focus in the wrong direction.

Poppy Adams (Kingsman: The Golden Circle)

I would not say that Julianne Moore is necessarily bad in Kingsman: The Golden Circle, the 2017 sequel to Matthew Vaughn's hit comedic spy thriller. However, there is something about seeing her gleefully chewing the scenery as the unusually charming, but psychopathic, cartel leader, Poppy Adams, that still feels a bit off.

Rodney Alcala (Woman Of The Hour)

Star and director Anna Kendrick's Woman of the Hour is based on the true story of Rodney Alcala, a convicted serial killer whose charming personality and classic good looks earned him a win on The Dating Game. However, Daniel Zovatto not only looks barely anything like the guy, but also does not quite pull off the same charm when trying to court Cheryl Bradshaw (Kendrick) in the game show scenes. He is quite terrifying in depictions of his murder spree, though.

Blackheart (Ghost Rider)

Wes Bentley plays a strong, antagonistic force in the Yellowstone cast as Jamie Dutton, so I suppose the secret is casting him in more grounded, vindictive roles. However, he is not quite the right match for powerful, supernatural entities like Blackheart, whom he plays in 2007's Nicolas Cage-led Marvel movie, Ghost Rider.

Travis Marshall (Dexter)

In theory, Colin Hanks is a perfect choice for the big bad of Dexter's sixth season, Travis Marshall – a seemingly mild-mannered man driven to murder by religious fanatic, Prof. James Gellar (played by Edward James Olmos). However, the moment he realizes Gellar is a figment of his imagination and embraces his dark side is the moment the otherwise affable actor's performance as a sinister killer becomes a tragic misfire.

Miranda Tate/Talia Al Ghul (The Dark Knight Rises)

Academy Award winner Marion Cotillard is not a bad choice to play Miranda Tate, who is really Ra's Al Ghul's vengeful daughter, Talia, in disguise, in 2012's The Dark Knight Rises. Unfortunately, the French actor's performance in the polarizing finale to Christopher Nolan's trilogy of Batman films will forever be overshadowed by her hilariously inept death scene.

Adrian (Oldboy)

The world never needed Spike Lee's remake of Oldboy in the first place. However, the usually impressive Sharlto Copley makes an especially convincing case for its needlessness with a performance that paints his villainous role as more of a whiney brat than a vengeful sadist.

Gabriel (Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning)

In a series that has only ever had one enduringly memorable villain (Phillip Seymour Hoffman as Owen Davian in Mission: Impossible III), the rest seem as scary as they come when compared to the egregious, mustache-twirling nature of Esai Morales' role, who gives an even more ridiculous performance in 2025's Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning.

Dr. Norman Spencer (What Lies Beneath)

Following a career defined by heroic characters like Star Wars' Han Solo, Indiana Jones, and President James Marshall in Air Force One, it is just really hard to picture Harrison Ford as a murderer. You could argue that the actor's reputation makes the chilling reveal in What Lies Beneath even more shocking, but others have argued it just comes off as unbelievable.

Raymond Blossom (Playing God)

Based on his Academy Award-winning role in Ordinary People, Timothy Hutton is an undeniably fantastic actor, but his role as Raymond Blossom in 1997's Playing God is not his best work. He plays the ruthless counterfeiter a little too cheesily to match the tone of this crime thriller starring David Duchovny as a disgraced surgeon hired on Blossom's payroll.

Col. Tom Parker (Elvis)

There may be a heightened sense of reality in 2022's Elvis, Baz Luhrmann's biopic of the legendary musician. However, Tom Hanks' prosthetic makeup and faux European accent as Elvis Presley's manager, Col. Tom Parker, is too inauthentic and silly to be taken seriously.

Abigail Williams (The Crucible)

With all due respect to the otherwise talented Winona Ryder, her casting in 1996's The Crucible as a young woman who corrupts her entire village with lies about witchcraft is just not very believable, from her subpar accent to her lack of chemistry with Daniel Day-Lewis as a married man she shares an affair with.

Dr. Newton "Newt" Geiszler (Pacific Rim Uprising)

Charlie Day starred in Guillermo del Toro's Pacific Rim in the obligatory role you see in all kinds of sci-fi/disaster flicks: the plucky comic relief who is never taken seriously despite having all the right answers. For 2018's Pacific Rim Uprising, Dr. Newton "Newt" Geiszler is brought back as the villain, which is already a tough sell before his motivation (being corrupted by an alien he has had a romantic relationship with) descends the sequel into unforgivable levels of cheesiness.

There’s something so comforting about a good rom-com, where you know two people are going to end up together, and you just get to watch how it happens. The best romantic comedies can cause butterflies in your stomach, or you might even shed a tear at whatever inevitable grand gesture proves one’s love for another. This only works, however, if the stars of said movie have good chemistry, because otherwise watching the characters’ love story can be quite painful. Below are some of those couples who had absolutely zero chemistry.  

Ashton Kutcher And Reese Witherspoon (Your Place Or Mine)

The minimal amount of time that Ashton Kutcher and Reese Witherspoon actually spent together in 2023’s Your Place or Mine didn’t help these two well-known actors convince moviegoers of any romantic interest in each other whatsoever. It also didn’t help that Witherspoon’s Debbie did have great chemistry with Theo (Jesse Williams). 

Jennifer Lopez And Ralph Fiennes (Maid In Manhattan)

Maid in Manhattan may be among Jennifer Lopez’s best romantic comedies, but the chemistry between Marisa and Chris was not the strongest. Ralph Fiennes has taken the blame for that, admitting that the “light, comic” thing doesn’t play to his strengths as an actor. 

Lauren London And Jonah Hill (You People) 

The relationship between Ezra (Jonah Hill) and Amira (Lauren London) in You People was a stretch, to begin with, but you guys, there was so little connection between these two actors that their lone kiss, which comes at the end of the movie, was apparently done with CGI. Wild! 

Patrick Dempsey And Michelle Monaghan (Made Of Honor)

The only thing less believable than the romance between Patrick Dempsey’s Tom and Michelle Monaghan’s Hannah in Made of Honor was the scene where they started making out at her bachelorette party in front of everyone, and no one noticed.  

Lindsay Lohan And Chord Overstreet (Falling For Christmas) 

Who doesn’t love Lindsay Lohan, am I right? It was wonderful to see her return to acting in the 2022 holiday rom-com Falling for Christmas. The story was perfectly pleasant — with a killer Mean Girls reference to boot — and Chord Overstreet was truly a sweetheart as single dad Jake Russell as he cared for the injured Sierra (Lohan). It was all very charming, but my goodness there wasn’t an ounce of romantic interest between those two. 

Constance Wu And Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians) 

The success of the novel Crazy Rich Asians translated to the screen in 2018, as we got to see the love story between Nick Young (Henry Golding) and Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) come to life. However, audiences were disappointed in how underdeveloped Wu and Golding’s characters were, even in comparison to their co-stars. 

Jennifer Lopez And Owen Wilson (Marry Me)

The unlikelihood that Jennifer Lopez’s Kat would have any interest whatsoever in Owen Wilson’s Charlie in the 2022 film Marry Me is a hurdle even these talented leading actors couldn’t overcome.  

Tina Fey And Steve Carell (Date Night) 

It should come as no surprise that Tina Fey and Steve Carell had comedic chemistry in spades in the 2010 flick Date Night. Romantic chemistry? Not so much, as their marriage was largely played for jokes. 

Ashley Greene And Jackson Rathbone (Twilight)

Don’t come for me, Twi-hards, but does anybody else have trouble remembering that Twilight’s Alice (Ashley Greene) and Jasper (Jackson Rathbone) AREN’T brother and sister? It was possibly Jasper’s discomfort, which prevented him from relaxing even just a little bit, on top of Alice’s almost maternal concern for him that did that. 

Ashton Kutcher And Lea Michele (New Year's Eve)

Two of the romantic leads of the 2011 ensemble rom-com New Year’s Eve were Lea Michele and Ashton Kutcher, who played Elise and Randy, respectively. The neighbors clashed immediately when they found themselves stuck in an elevator, and due to the actors’ nonexistent chemistry and having to share screen time with dozens of other actors, it was never really believable that they’d be together by the end of the night. 

Michelle Pfeiffer And Maxwell Caulfield (Grease 2)

In a gender reversal of the first movie, Grease 2 features Michelle Pfeiffer’s Stephanie wanting a whole lot more than the boy next door, aka Maxwell Caulfield’s Michael. In fact, she wouldn’t give him the time of day until he put on a leather jacket and became the mysterious motorcycleman. Their performances did little to elevate a painfully shallow premise. 

Dakota Johnson And Jamie Dornan (Fifty Shades of Grey)

With a movie as intimate as Fifty Shades of Grey, you’d hope there would be an emphasis on making the leads as comfortable as possible on set. Unfortunately, that’s not what happened, as director Sam Taylor-Johnson and the book’s author E.L. James butted heads and even got into “screaming matches” with each other. Dakota Johnson has talked about the “battles” she had, so it’s really no wonder why her character’s spicy trysts with Jamie Dornan’s Christian Grey came off as more awkward than romantic. 

Mila Kunis And Channing Tatum (Jupiter Ascending)

The 2015 space opera Jupiter Ascending has been largely panned by critics, and though it maintains something of a cult following, the romance between Jupiter Jones (Mila Kunis) and human-canine hybrid Caine Wise (Channing Tatum) simply doesn’t work. 

Hayden Christensen And Emma Roberts (Little Italy)

Audiences bristled at the on-screen love between Hayden Christensen’s Leo and Emma Roberts’ Nikki in the 2018 flick Little Italy, in which the characters are star-crossed lovers from rival pizzeria-owning families. The lack of a spark is strange, though, as an inappropriate relationship between the two was blamed for Christensen’s breakup with longtime girlfriend Rachel Bilson. 

Justin Guarini And Kelly Clarkson (From Justin To Kelly)

Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini can hardly be blamed for what a mess From Justin to Kelly was. For one thing, the winner and runner-up of American Idol’s first season were not actors, and Clarkson has spoken multiple times about how miserable she was during filming and how hard she tried to get out of the contractual obligation.  

Mackenzie Davis And Kristen Stewart (Happiest Season)

There’s plenty to like about the LGBTQ+ holiday rom-com Happiest Season, but many fans would have preferred to see Abby (Kristen Stewart) end up with Riley (Aubrey Plaza) rather than stay with girlfriend Harper (Mackenzie Davis). Stewart shared an amazing spark with Plaza that wasn’t there with Davis. 

Freddie Prinze Jr. And Julia Stiles (Down To You)

Two powerhouses of the ‘90s romantic comedy, Freddie Prinze Jr. and Julia Stiles failed to bring the fireworks in the 2000 film Down to You. It stands as the worst-rated rom-com of all time on Rotten Tomatoes with a dire 3%. 

Lana Condor And Noah Centineo (To All the Boys: Always And Forever)

In the beginning of the To All the Boys trilogy, Lana Condor and Noah Centineo were oh-so-cute, but somehow all of that chemistry had fizzled by the third movie.

Jim Carrey And Zooey Deschanel (Yes Man)

Yes Man from 2008 wasn’t a total disaster, but many people weren’t buying the romance between 28-year-old Zooey Deschanel and 46-year-old Jim Carrey. 

Reese Witherspoon And Tom Hardy (This Means War)

In 2012’s This Means War, Tom Hardy and Chris Pine play CIA agents who literally go to war when they learn they’re both dating Lauren (Reese Witherspoon). However, there was never really an indication that she had such a strong connection with either of them — Hardy in particular — that would justify such actions. Hardy has admitted to being “miserable” on set, saying he is unlikely to dip into the romantic comedy genre again. 

Chris O’Donnell And Renee Zellweger (The Bachelor)

The Bachelor has a skeezy premise to begin with, and Chris O’Donnell’s Jimmie seems much less concerned about his breakup with Anne (Renée Zellweger) than he is about finding a woman to marry him in less than a day so he can inherit $100 million from his grandfather. Unfortunately, they’re not able to make their inevitable reunion very believable. 

Kumail Nanjiani And Issa Rae (The Lovebirds)

The Lovebirds starred Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani as Jibran and Leilani, a couple on the verge of a split. The breakup plot point, however, didn’t seem to be the reason that audiences couldn't connect with this duo. With the characters getting into ridiculous situations while on the run after witnessing a murder, this 2020 rom-com was heavy on comedy but light on romance. 

Hugh Grant And Drew Barrymore (Music And Lyrics)

This pairing’s lack of a spark was particularly disappointing, given that Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore each had several successful romantic comedies under their belts by 2007. Nonetheless, when Grant’s Alex and Barrymore’s Sophie teamed up in Music and Lyrics to write a song together, audiences felt no heat between the two. 

Leonardo DiCaprio And Carey Mulligan (The Great Gatsby)

Forbidden love movies can be the best for romance, but unfortunately for fans of the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel, Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan failed to portray the passion in the complicated story of Daisy Buchanan and Jay Gatsby. Mulligan has since admitted that she doesn't like her acting in the movie. 

Ben Affleck And Jennifer Lopez (Gigli)

Bennifer in the 2000s — and later Bennifer 2.0 — is one of the great love stories of our time, so it’s downright baffling why Ben Affleck and his would-be wife Jennifer Lopez have no chemistry in the 2003 box-office bomb Gigli. 

Angelina Jolie And Johnny Depp (The Tourist) 

Nobody’s questioning the acting skills of Angelina Jolie or Johnny Depp, but the stars of the 2010 film The Tourist seemed largely indifferent about each other when their characters were supposed to be falling in love. There were reports that the actors couldn’t stand each other on set; however, during Depp’s trial with Amber Heard, Jolie’s name was mentioned in a group of the actor’s “exes,” leading many to wonder if the two had been involved. Either way, the emotion didn’t translate to the screen. 

Zach Braff And Natalie Portman In (Garden State)

Manic Pixie Dream Girls like Natalie Portman’s Sam in Garden State sometimes don’t make the best romantic partners, and in this case, Zach Braff’s Andrew was also going through so much that this would have been a tough romance to pull off for any two actors. Still, even with the “happy ending,” there just wasn’t much to feel good about with this couple.  

Ryan Reynolds And Amy Smart In (Just Friends)

Just Friends in 2005 saw Chris (Ryan Reynolds) pining over longtime bestie Jamie (Amy Smart), despite her admission 10 years earlier that her feelings for her fat friend were merely platonic. That’s a pretty big obstacle to overcome, and there’s no way that happens if the energy between the two is as lackluster as this was. 

Natalie Portman And Hayden Christensen (Star Wars)

It’s been over two decades since Natalie Portman’s Padmé Amidala engaged in a relationship with Hayden Christensen’s Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones, and while some blame goes to the script, they remain one of the most notorious examples of co-stars with absolutely zero chemistry. 

Daniel Radcliffe And Bonnie Wright (Harry Potter)

Ginny Weasley was done a great disservice in the Harry Potter movies as one of several book characters who didn’t get enough screen time. There simply wasn’t an opportunity for Bonnie Wright to establish a palpable connection with Daniel Radcliffe in order to portray Ginny and Harry’s love the way we experienced it on the page. 

Bryce Dallas Howard And Chris Pratt (Jurassic World)

While this wasn’t a traditional rom-com, Jurassic World certainly featured a romantic storyline between Chris Pratt’s Owen and Bryce Dallas Howard’s Claire. Apart from that aspect of their stories feeling wholly unnecessary — what with all the dinos — it was simply hard to buy that they were even all that into each other. 

Kelly Marie Tran And John Boyega (Star Wars: The Last Jedi)

Kelly Marie Tran sadly faced a lot of unfair criticism when she was cast as Rose Tico in 2017’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi, to the point where she had to delete social media to get away from the hate. John Boyega, as well, saw backlash from people who fought the idea of Stormtroopers being Black. Aside from that, though, many fans unfortunately just didn’t see any romantic spark between the actors either.  

It can be so much fun to watch characters fall in love on the big screen, but man is it a disappointment when the actors lack that oh-so-important chemistry.

For starters, I am not necessarily saying that any of these movie characters are outright “bad,” nor am I trying to make a case against any of the films they lead. However, I personally believe that these characters are deeply flawed for one reason or another — either because of the way they are written, the way their respective actors portray them, or even just their moral weaknesses — and what makes matters worse is that they are supposed to the protagonists of their stories. Please bear with me as I explain my reasoning for why these characters make the movies they lead just a bit more of a struggle to follow.

Rick Deckard (Blade Runner)

One of my all-time favorite actors is Harrison Ford who has played some of the most charming characters in cinematic history, but I do not believe Rick Deckard is one of them. Ford does not give a bad performance at all in Blade Runner, but his role — a cop assigned to “retire” artificial humans in a dystopian future — is the least interesting and likable character in Ridley Scott's 1982 film, the real hero of which is Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer), if you ask me.

Rose (Titanic)

On The Ringer podcast, The Rewatchables, Bill Simmons and Van Lathan spend more than 10 minutes discussing why Rose (Kate Winslet) is the worst character from James Cameron's Titanic. The spoiled socialite's unimpressed reaction to first seeing the titular ship, her reluctance to immediately explain Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) saved her life as he is being arrested, and her hogging the makeshift lifeboat (a door) that likely could have prevented Jack's death are just a few reasons.

Scott Pilgrim (Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World)

Michael Cera's title character from Edgar Wright's hilarious and visually stunning 2010 comic book movie is a smug, selfish, and lazy oaf whose troubles — notably having two unassuming girlfriends at once — are no one's fault but his own. I will say, however, that a main point of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is that the protagonist is deeply flawed and, through defeating Ramona's (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) evil exes, thankfully learns to be a better person.

Bella Swan (Twilight)

It is a shame that Kristen Stewart's stint in the Twilight movies cast cursed her with an undeserving reputation for wooden acting because, in retrospect, it was clearly not her fault. In fact, you could say the future Academy Award nominee's performance as the cinematic version of Bella Swan perfectly suits the role’s astonishing lack of personality and emotional depth in a romance about vampires.

Raleigh Beckett (Pacific Rim)

Charlie Hunnam has turned in many wonderful performances in his career, especially in the Sons of Anarchy cast as Jax Teller. Yet, he gives a decidedly one-note performance in 2013’s Pacific Rim as the hero of Guillermo del Toro’s monsters vs. machines epic, Raleigh Beckett, who certainly does not have his aggressively generic and unmemorable characterization.

Jupiter Jones (Jupiter Ascending)

There are many reasons why The Wachowskis' Jupiter Ascending is one of their most infamous flops and among them is Mila Kunis' title role. The young house cleaner who discovers she is the heir to a royal, intergalactic kingdom is written as not much more than a disengaging damsel in distress.

Jake Sully (Avatar)

The reason why anybody went to see 2009's Avatar, or rewatches it to this day, and showed up for the 2022 sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water, was to experience the wondrous world of Pandora. The groundbreaking success of James Cameron's franchise has absolutely nothing to do with its hero, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), whom many regard as one of the most generic action movie protagonists you could imagine.

Julianne Potter (My Best Friend's Wedding)

As the Queen of Rom-Coms, Julia Roberts has played many charming and lovable characters, but Julianne Potter is not quite one of them. The whole plot of My Best Friend's Wedding sees her conspire to ruin the impending nuptials of her lifelong buddy, Michael O'Neil (Dermot Mulroney), after realizing she wants to have him for herself.

Luke Skywalker (Star Wars: A New Hope)

I really, truly hate to include one of the most beloved heroes from George Lucas' galaxy far, far away on this list, but it is a decision that I believe many die-hard fans of the Star Wars movies might be able to understand. They may especially agree that Mark Hamill's performance as Luke Skywalker in the 1977 original is not exactly one of his best and the farmer-turned-resistance-fighter's characterization — specifically at that time — is a bit bland and, at times, annoying.

Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

Is there a single character who represents the most egregious tropes associated with Disney Princesses more than Ariel in 1989’s The Little Mermaid? For one, she literally and willfully silences herself all for the chance to be with her crush, which is far from role-model behavior, as far as I am concerned.

Teth-Adam (Black Adam)

Let alone the fact that Teth-Adam was originally created for DC Comics as a Shazam villain, Dwayne Johnson gives a tonally uneven and one-dimensional portrayal of the extremely powerful Kahndaq "champion" whose verbal rejection of being called the hero of his story grows tiresome. Personally, I would have rather seen a movie that centers on the members of the Justice Society of America than what Black Adam turned out to be. 

Christine McPherson (Lady Bird)

Greta Gerwig's feature-length directorial debut, 2017's Lady Bird, is one of the sharpest coming-of-age dramedies of its time, anchored by a spellbinding, Oscar-nominated performance by Saoirse Ronan. Yet, even the acclaimed A24 movie's biggest fans agree that Ronan's title character (whose real name is Christine McPherson) is often too rude and self-absorbed to enjoy watching.

Bruce Wayne (Batman Forever)

When it comes to the best Batman actors, the bottom of the list, for me, is occupied by Val Kilmer. The normally charismatic and dynamic actor implants little to nothing of his signature talents in 1995's Batman Forever, resulting in one of the most bland and forgettable portrayals of the Dark Knight on record.

Cinderella (Cinderella)

I realize that Cinderella is, essentially, the ideal fairy tale character, and her age-old story inspires people to not give up on their dreams. However, her depiction in the 1950 classic does not have much of a distinct personality, causing it to be one of the few Disney animated movies that pales in comparison to its live-action remake, in my opinion. 

Sam Witwicky (Transformers)

To be fair, Shia LaBeouf really puts his heart and soul into playing Sam — an awkward, nervous teen caught up in a war between shape-shifting alien robots. However, the performance is just a little too convincing and often tends to distract from the true mechanical heroes of 2007's Transformers.

Evan Hansen (Dear Evan Hansen)

While the cinematic adaptation of Dear Evan Hansen certainly has its fans (many of whom already loved the original stage musical), its toughest critics agree the title role is a hard person to warm to by the end. The consensus has less to do with actor Ben Platt (reprising his Tony Award-winning role) being nearly twice Evan's age, and more with how he allows himself to benefit from a classmate's suicide after being mistaken for his friend.

Dante Hicks (Clerks)

I am sure there are many convenience store workers who strongly empathize with Dante (Brian O'Halloran), but his incessant whining and lack of gratitude for his girlfriend, Veronica (Marilyn Ghigliotti), kind of makes it hard to. Not to mention, in competition with Randal (Jeff Anderson), Jay (Jason Mewes), and Silent Bob (writer and director Kevin Smith), he is easily one of the least memorable characters from 1994's Clerks despite being the center of it all.

Sandy Olsson (Grease)

No one can deny that the late, great Olivia Newton-John is phenomenal in Grease, as both an actor and a musical performer. Yet, you could make the argument that her role, Sandy Olsson, is not a great character, especially for the way she submits to changing her personality to be more like her crush, Danny Zuko (John Travolta), while he gets to stay the same at the end.

Adam Jones (Burnt)

If not for a charismatic actor like Bradley Cooper in the lead role, the otherwise delicious food movie, Burnt, might not have been worth taking a bite out of. Cooper's character, a talented chef named Adam Jones, pretty much revels in treating people like scraps and boasts little to no redeeming qualities.  

Leo (Mute)

Duncan Jones, director of acclaimed sci-fi films Moon and Source Code, did not receive as much love in 2018 for his Netflix original futuristic noir, Mute. Much of the complaints were centered around Alexander Skarsgård's lead role, Leo, whose otherwise intriguing trait as a non-speaking character becomes a disadvantage as the role offers just about nothing else of interest to the table.

Steven (The Cable Guy)

Jim Carrey's demented performance is meant to convince you that his character is the "villain" of 1996's The Cable Guy. However, in retrospect, the pathetic, self-centered, hypocritical Steven (Matthew Broderick) is the one we should really be rooting against. 

Newt Scamander (Fantastic Beasts And Where to Find Them)

For a film in which the main draw is watching wondrous creatures run amok, it makes sense that the lead performance would be as understated as Eddie Redmayne's portrayal of Newt Scamander. Yet, even some major Harry Potter fans agree that the Magizoologist is, ultimately, too awkward and dull of a protagonist to carry Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

Tom Hansen ((500) Days Of Summer)

To be clear, my main reason for including Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character from 2009's (500) Days of Summer in this list is because many often misinterpret the point of his arc in the modern romantic-comedy classic. Tom is so obsessed with living the perfect love story that he selfishly ignores Summer's (Zooey Deschanel) request to keep things casual and blames her for their breakup.

Ford Brody (Godzilla)

If I am being honest — and the same goes for many examples of disaster and/or monster movies, really — the human characters are easily the weakest part of 2014's Godzilla. However, the otherwise talented Aaron Taylor-Johnson's lead role as Lt. Ford Brody makes less of an impact on the story than anyone else. To be fair, though, I imagine it was hard to stand out amid Bryan Cranston's brief, but memorable, performance as his father.

Frodo Baggins (The Lord Of The Rings)

By the end of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy, Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) does achieve the end goal by destroying the One Ring, but is he really the true hero of this saga? When you look at how often Samwise (Sean Astin) came to his rescue and compare him to the fearless Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), the hobbit really does come up short.

P.T. Barnum (The Greatest Showman)

Hugh Jackman's portrayal of P.T. Barnum in The Greatest Showman is, for the most part, extremely charming, and that is precisely the problem. The otherwise dazzling 2017 musical is not at all historically accurate, especially in the way it depicts the founder of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, who, in real life, was a greedy schemer known for exploiting an enslaved woman for his show.

Valerian (Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets)

Luc Besson's highly inventive, visually stunning, and admirably optimistic utopian adventure, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, could have gone down in history as a modern sci-fi classic. Unfortunately, the one-note, generic, frustratingly unimpressionable title hero, played by the otherwise very talented Dane DeHaan, resulted in an ultimately forgettable experience.

Albert Stark (A Million Ways To Die In The West)

Writer and director Seth MacFarlane also stars in 2014's A Million Ways to Die in the West as Albert Stark — an aimless, perpetually dissatisfied oaf whose main character trait is lengthy complaints. If the character was not just, essentially, a live-action, human version of one of MacFarlane's Family Guy roles, Brian Griffin, he might have been stronger protagonist for the Western-Comedy. 

Jack Burton (Big Trouble In Little China)

I can't deny that I have nothing but love for Kurt Russell's hilarious performance as California trucker Jack Burton in Big Trouble in Little China. Yet, did you ever notice just how imbecilic he is, not to mention, the fact that he achieves not a single heroic act until he kills Lo Pan (James Hong) at the end? His bumbling nature does give the many Asian cast members their chance to shine as the true heroes, but even that only further earns him a lower ranking among Russell’s best characters.

Howard Rattner (Uncut Gems)

Adam Sandler gives one of his most electric performances as Manhattan jeweler Howard Rattner in the Safdie Brothers' 2019 thriller, Uncut Gems. Honestly, if a less likable movie star had played the selfish, self-destructive gambling addict than the charismatic comedy icon, we would have no reason to root for him and the story could have suffered as a result.

Mimi (Psycho Goreman)

The ancient extraterrestrial warrior (voiced by Steven Vlahos and portrayed physically by Matthew Ninaber) may be the title character of Psycho Goreman, but the true protagonist is Mimi (Nita-Josée Hanna). However, as far as I am concerned, the 2020 horror-comedy would have been much more enjoyable if the young girl who awakens "PG" were not such a spoiled, rotten, loudmouthed bully.

Britt Reid (The Green Hornet)

Director Michel Gondry's 2011 reboot of The Green Hornet reimagines L.A. news publisher Britt Reid (producer Seth Rogen) as an absent-minded man-child whose vigilante aspirations seem completely out of place with his character. While this does work as a parodic commentary on Kato (played here by Jay Chou) always being the more obviously capable one in the 1960s series (which starred Bruce Lee in the role), it is a one-note joke that quickly loses steam.

I promise that my intention was not to ruin any of these main movie characters for you, but at least offer some additional perspective regarding how they fit into their stories.

I would like to make something clear right off the bat: I mean absolutely no disrespect to any person who might call themselves a fan of the movies below and even celebrate the fact that many found them impressive and satisfying. However, I — as well as many other moviegoers and critics alike — unfortunately, found them to be lackluster and disappointing, especially when you consider the potential they had to be something really great based on their otherwise unique and amusing concepts. So, please bear with me as I explain why I feel the following films could be considered a missed opportunity.

In Time (2011)

This sci-fi thriller from writer and director Andrew Niccol is set in a future in which people stop aging past 25, but can only continue to live if they have enough time, which has, literally, been adopted as society's only currency. With a concept like that, In Time could have been one of Justin Timberlake’s best movies, but, the execution is widely seen as just a bland, cliche-ridden mess.

65 (2023)

I was on board for 65 based on the idea of seeing Academy Award nominee Adam Driver pitted against dinosaurs alone. Yet, somehow, writers and directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods — then best known for writing the gripping A Quiet Place — ended up putting out a sci-fi thriller that many critics, moviegoers, and myself found quite dull. 

Downsizing (2017) 

I really admire what director Alexander Payne and his co-writer, Jim Taylor, were going for with Downsizing — a Matt Damon-led satire set in a world in which shrinking to 5 inches tall proves to be a revolutionary economic solution. Yet, I found the humor weak (if not absent, to be honest) and, if it were me, I would have stuck with one social issue to comment on instead of jamming multiple into one story.

Jumper (2008)

Hayden Christensen plays a man who can instantly teleport to wherever he pleases, but must contend with a secret society determined to eliminate his kind. The mere concept behind director Doug Liman’s Jumper should constitute a winner, but critics felt that low-stakes action, aimless plot twists, and two-dimensional characters led the story nowhere.

Chappie (2015)

Movies about a friendly A.I. are nothing new, but Neill Blomkamp’s Chappie seemed to be going in an interesting direction by giving the titular robot (voiced by Sharlto Copley) a refreshing human quality and partnering him up with a pair of criminals (played by South African hip-hop duo Die Antwoord) hoping to use him for their bidding. Unfortunately, I felt the story quickly dismantled itself into a misguided mess with irritating attempts at humor and cartoonish antagonists played by Hugh Jackman and Sigourney Weaver.

Passengers (2016)

For anyone who has not seen Passengers — in which two commercial interplanetary travelers wake up way too soon — I am afraid I must give away a major plot point hidden in the marketing to explain why I and many others were put off by it. The romantic appeal of this outer space love story is ruined when Chris Pratt's lonely protagonist intentionally and selfishly wakes up Jennifer Lawrence's character, a role the actor even admitted Adele warned her against accepting.

Bright (2017)

When I first learned about Bright, a modern-day police drama set in a storybook fantasy world from director David Ayer and writer Max Landis, I was immediately under its spell. Sadly, it broke when I watched the Will Smith and Joel Edgerton-led Netflix original that I thought was ruined by stunted and nonsensical world-building, tired cop movie cliches, weak dialogue, and an irritatingly on-the-nose social allegory.

The Wedding Ringer (2015)

Kevin Hart’s character in The Wedding Ringer makes a living posing as the best man for grooms-to-be, which I found to be a very amusing idea. Unfortunately, I thought it was wasted by generic plot conventions, uninspired humor, and a bafflingly heavy-handed execution of an already weak plot twist near the end.

Hancock (2008)

Some might believe that Hancock is one of Will Smith’s best movies — or even one of the best superhero movies not inspired by a comic book — based on its fun “degenerate Superman” concept. The promising idea impressed the action-comedy’s toughest critics, too, before the story evolved into a hokey melodrama, resulting in an uneven misstep overall in their eyes.

Transcendence (2014)

In Transcendence, Johnny Depp plays a tech inventor who uploads his consciousness into his groundbreaking software at the brink of death. However, many believe that the film, directed by Oscar-winning cinematographer Wally Pfister, does not really bother to make a unique or substantial comment on man's relationship with machines like Black Mirror and other better movies would soon after.

The Percy Jackson Movies (2010-2013)

This big-screen franchise based on Rick Riordan's young adult fantasy series never even reached completion because fans were unhappy with the unnecessary changes from the source material and critics found them simply derivative and disengaging. At least Percy Jackson and the Olympians got a second chance as a Disney+ original series years later.

Waterworld (1995)

There are those who have their reasons to call Waterworld awesome, including its brilliantly conceived concept of a dystopian Earth where land no longer exists. The rest of the world feels that the commercially unsuccessful adventure is watered down by Kevin Costner’s dull protagonist and over-the-top silliness throughout that ruins its earnest intentions.

Old (2021)

I actually have something good to say about Old, inspired by the French graphic novel Sandcastle, which follows vacationers trapped on a beach that causes rapid aging. It might have surpassed The Happening as the ultimate example of an M. Night Shyamalan movie that makes seemingly unintentional comedy out of otherwise horrifying circumstances with unconvincing character motivations and even less believable dialogue.

Sucker Punch (2011)

According to most critics, the problem with Sucker Punch, starring Emily Browning as an institutionalized young woman dreaming of an escape, is not necessarily a poor execution of its plot. They feel Zack Snyder's otherwise visually stunning, action-packed, female-driven steampunk fantasy lacks anything that could discernibly be called a "plot" and characters that offer much more than their surface value.

The Dark Tower (2017)

One of author Stephen King’s most beloved efforts is The Dark Tower, an eight-part series consisting of eight novels, a short story, and a children’s book following a gunslinger’s quest to reach the eponymous landmark in a bizarre alternate reality. Director Nicola Arcel’s 95-minute film adaptation, starring Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey, was meant to be an introduction to a companion TV show that never happened, due to critics' belief that it was rushed and bland and fans feeling it bore little to no resemblance to the source material.

The Meg (2018)

A movie in which one of the largest aquatic predators in history — a megalodon — wreaking havoc in modern-day waters should have easily earned itself a spot among the best shark movies of all time. However, even people like me who found some enjoyment in director Jon Turtletaub’s The Meg, starring Jason Statham, agree that this thriller about such a big beast feels a little too small.

The Invention Of Lying (2009)

Star Ricky Gervais, who also co-writes and directs with Matthew Robinson, struck gold by envisioning a world in which human beings have not developed the ability to be dishonest. Yet, The Invention of Lying seems more concerned with its mean-spirited satirization — if not full-blown condemnation — of the concept of religious faith that is not as bold as it aspires to be and, quite frankly, I did not find it very funny.

The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003)

One of Alan Moore’s most acclaimed comic book series is The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, which groups legendary literary figures like Jekyll/Hyde, the Invisible Man, and Dracula’s Bride together. The film adaptation is believed to be what drove Sir Sean Connery, who stars as Alan Quartermain, into retirement after his numerous on-set conflicts with director Stephen Norrington and personal attempt to save the picture in the editing room.

Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008)

The plot of Repo! The Genetic Opera, set in a dystopian future in which transplanted organs are violently taken away from customers who miss payments, is so unique and thought-provoking, it’s no surprise it was stolen just two years later by Repo Men. I could get behind making it a musical, too, but felt the actors couldn’t carry a note and the narrative lacked any real weight, resulting in the one film from Darren Lynn Bousman (director of multiple Saw movies) that makes me squirm the most, personally.

The Age Of Adaline (2015)

Blake Lively does give a wonderful performance in the title role of The Age of Adaline, which follows a woman’s struggles to blend in over the course of several decades after mysteriously becoming immortal. That’s the best thing I can say about it, personally, as I feel the story is unfairly relegated to a hokey romantic drama that relies far too heavily on voice-over narration in even the most unnecessary moments. 

Pixels (2015)

Director Chris Columbus’ Pixels could have been a really fun sci-fi flick in which ordinary people with extraordinary video game skills are tasked with defending Earth from aliens made to look like classic 8-bit characters. Unfortunately, most moviegoers and critics alike feel it is one of Adam Sandler’s weakest films, mainly due to its consistently hollow attempts at humor.

Mortal Engines (2018)

Peter Jackson co-wrote and produced this adaptation of Phillip Reeve’s young adult novel set in a dystopian London that has been rebuilt into one large machine running out of resources. The otherwise visually spectacular Mortal Engines proved to be a critical and commercial disappointment, however, with many believing it felt too reminiscent of other and, arguably, better post-apocalyptic thrillers of the past.

Jupiter Ascending (2015)

Moviegoers and critics alike do applaud the spectacular world Lana and Lily Wachowski created for Jupiter Ascending, starring Mila Kunis as a woman who discovers she is intergalactic royalty. However, they also feel that the performances are either too reserved or too outlandish, the story choices teeter between bizarre and baffling, and the otherwise inventive world-building is better suited for a TV show than a feature-length runtime.

Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)

Putting Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman in an '80s-style popcorn flick is a great idea, but fans and critics alike feel that Wonder Woman 1984 is one of the weaker DCEU entries, if not just a dip in quality from its hit 2017 predecessor. The sequel’s detractors cite overly ridiculous action sequences, awkward and broken dialogue, and the already needless return of Chris Pine’s late character, Steve Trevor, in an unnecessarily creepy way: possessing the body of a random person.

Splice (2010)

Vincenzo Natali co-writes and directs this sci-fi/horror flick starring Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley as genetic engineers who make a breakthrough in DNA splicing that proves to have groundbreaking, but disastrous, consequences. As far as I am concerned, Splice’s intriguing nature vs. nurture commentary was ruined by one particular scene that is so revoltingly off-putting, that I cannot bear to describe it. Anyone who has seen it probably has a clue, though.

Children Of The Corn (1984)

Weak acting, weaker pacing, and special effects that were cheesy even in the ‘80s make this horror film about a town overrun with murderous children a cult classic that does not live up to its reputation, in my eyes. However, I would say I prefer this adaptation of Stephen King’s Children of the Corn over its sequels and more recent remakes from 2009 and 2020.

The Lovely Bones (2009)

Peter Jackson’s adaptation of author Alice Sebold’s young adult fantasy thriller features great performances by Saoirse Ronan as a murdered teen protagonist and an Oscar-nominated Stanley Tucci as her killer. Those who do not care for The Lovely Bones feel that even those admirable qualities are bogged down by the film’s egregious preoccupation with its CGI-heavy depiction of purgatory.

Formula 51 (2001)

Samuel L. Jackson stars as a skilled chemist looking to score big by selling his valuable product to mobsters in Formula 51, a comedy that was regarded as a weak attempt to replicate Guy Ritchie’s style upon release.

Blood Quantum (2020)

“Bad” is truly an overstatement for how I feel about Blood Quantum, which follows indigenous Canadians immune to a virus that kills and reanimates victims through biting. However, I do find it largely unsatisfying how a film that boasts one of the most refreshingly unique concepts for a zombie movie I have ever heard suffers from a narrative that resorts to all-too-familiar cliches in the subgenre.

Elysium (2013)

Following the success of District 9, Neill Blomkamp made a second attempt at a socially conscious sci-fi thriller with Elysium, in which Matt Damon plays one of many impoverished Earthlings longing for an artificial planet where the wealthy live free of health concerns. The on-the-nose political commentary is not the issue, or, at least as much as the generic action movie conventions, surface-level characters, and Jodie Foster's lazy antagonistic performance are.

The Purge (2013)

The Purge cleverly imagines a future in which all crime is legal for one night of the year, but critics feel that it does not utilize its concept to its full potential. As a result, the Blumhouse hit is just another unremarkable home invasion thriller, which spawned a franchise that still has rarely explored the potential of its concept beyond the belief that the world is full of sociopaths.

Prometheus (2012)

Ridley Scott's space travel epic, Prometheus, rides high on glorious visuals and moments of intense horror, but low in imagination and brains in just about every facet. Not to mention, attempting to offer some origin for the Alien franchises’ flagship creature, the Xenomorph, is, arguably, unnecessary enough already

I am a firm believer in the phrase, “If at first you don’t succeed, try again.” Thus, these are the few examples of movies I would actually love to see earn a remake with the hope that they could be reimagined into something that reaches their full potential. 

We have the full picture of what’s coming to Netflix in the month of August, and the listing has quite a few surprising additions. Some are perfect intros for current and upcoming projects that are active in the entertainment world at the moment, while others are just fun reminders of movies that we might not have watched in some time.

All are films worth your time in August, and if you’re curious about the full lineup headed to your streaming library, head on over to our previous coverage. Now, it’s time to see what cinematic Netflix additions will be wowing the crowd come August 2019:

Jackie Brown

With a brand new Quentin Tarantino movie out in theaters this weekend, Jackie Brown feels like the perfect film to revisit before Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. While any Tarantino film would be a great way to preface a journey into his latest works, the story of Pam Grier’s flight attendant working all the angles in a particularly trying time is one of the writer/director’s most underrated works.

Acting as Quentin Tarantino’s only literary adaptation, using Elmore Leonard’s Rum Punch its source, Jackie Brown is a rare bird that would beautifully flank another love letter to a bygone era of film. Except this love letter is a little more relaxed, and definitely more traditional Tarantino.

Gangs of New York

Riding that same Once Upon A Time In Hollywood train of relevance is Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York, which saw the legendary director teaming up with actor Leonardo DiCaprio for the first time. Based on the book of the same name, the film sees DiCaprio’s Amsterdam Vallon seeking out Daniel Day-Lewis’s Bill the Butcher in the name of exacting his revenge for the death of his father.

Looking back on Gangs of New York, it’s not only amazing to see that DiCaprio and Scorsese have been working together for this long, or even that Day-Lewis has been kicking acting ass for so long it’s insane, but also that there’s so many people in the cast that were not huge names at the time, but would go on to become bigger deals in the coming years.

Rocky

It’s a bummer to look at the Rocky franchise and see that creator/star actor Sylvester Stallone has zero ownership in the famed underdog story. Especially when, as you try to picture who else on earth could be Rocky Balboa, you come up short of any obvious options.

While the series would grow to bigger, and sometimes ridiculous, levels of spectacle, what’s never left the series is Rocky’s sense of heart. This first adventure in his journey to the top is one of the most memorable, but definitely the most dramatic of the entire run that would follow Rocky’s pop culture footsteps.

Groundhog Day

Who doesn’t like Bill Murray movies? While there’s undoubtedly some folks out there who would say they don’t, Groundhog Day might be one of the exceptions that people make in their anti-Murray stand. As well it should be, because it’s an iconic movie that nails two things: comedy and repetitive continuity.

Watching Phil Connors getting severely owned by karma, nature and his own devices is definitely a fun experience, and it’s a good thing no formal explanation was ever given for why he did. However, it’s also a warm meditation on how people can change, if they have the right wake-up call forcing them to do so.

Four Weddings And A Funeral

While you can soon head over to Hulu for the Mindy Kaling-produced reboot of Four Weddings and a Funeral, it looks like Netflix is competing with its streaming rival by bringing the Richard Curtis-penned original to its streaming library. However, that could also be interpreted as a move beneficial to the streaming market.

As the dramedy’s story has been retooled for a new generation, having the original Andie MacDowell/Hugh Grant romp available to the public is a good way to inspire folks who’ve never seen Four Weddings and a Funeral to see the original film, as well as the new series. Really, everyone wins in this case.

Panic Room

David Fincher’s filmography is littered with notable films left and right, but obviously, as with any creator, he has his underrated and overlooked gems. Panic Room fits the bill on both conditions, as the taut thriller starring Jodie Foster and Kristen Stewart as family being terrorized by two criminals is rarely talked about when discussing his work.

Pitting the two captives against thugs played by Dwight Yoakam and Forest Whitaker, tension mounts so brilliantly in this movie that it really deserves more of a spotlight shone on its existence.

Something's Gotta Give

It’s easy to write off Nancy Meyers’ filmography as wish fulfillment for the upper-middle class, but not all of those films fit that box perfectly. Sometimes you find a film like Something’s Gotta Give that, on the surface, looks like another Meyers’ movie, but actually manages to capture lightning in a bottle. Seeing the macho Jack Nicholson slowly falling for Diane Keaton, and in the process examining his own behavior through life, is actually a journey that takes place in this film.

Atypical of both Nancy Meyers’ work and romantic comedies in general, Nicholson’s cad goes through a real evolution, and whether he gets the girl at the end or not becomes irrelevant. Also, you’ve never been charmed until you’ve heard Jack Nicholson singing karaoke in French.

To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar

To think there was once a movie that combined the comedic timing of Wesley Snipes, John Leguizamo and the late Patrick Swayze, and the world didn’t make a bigger deal out of it. To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar stars that exact trio, as drag queens on their way to compete in the pageant to end all pageants.

In true comedy fashion, they find themselves sidelined in a small, Southern town, as the three are on the run from some local cops that harassed them in the film’s opening acts. Friendship and acceptance are key themes in this cult classic, which also boasts appearances from RuPaul Charles and Robin Williams.

Now And Then

Speaking of ‘90s classics with a following, the coming-of-age comedy Now and Then is making its way into the Netflix rotation in August. But you probably already know about that, because the internet has been doing a victory lap ever since the announcement was made.

Following a group of women through their present day worries of 1991, and their carefree days of 1971, Now and Then has two brilliant casts of actors that bring to life one of those stories about growing up in a summer of friendship. In a genre that’s seen more than a majority of its entries centered around male counterparts, it’s nice to remind people that there are also some stand out classics in this particular genre that focus on the female experience.

Jupiter Ascending

Yes, you are reading this correctly, and no, this is not a Wendy’s. Jupiter Ascending is on the best movies to come to Netflix list for a couple of reasons, one of them being it’s just a total blast of sci-fi fun that doesn’t pretend to be anything other than a lush, exciting adventure.

That being said, if you need one concrete reason to see this film, it’s Eddie Redmayne as the villain, full stop. Swinging his performance as the film’s chief villain, Balem Abraxsax, from absolutely livid highs to whispering lows, he sets the tone of Jupiter Ascending perfectly. If you can get behind that, you’re totally behind this movie.

As you make your way to your Netflix queue to find these fantastic films, keep in mind that these titles are subject to change and region availability. Also, be sure to check your streaming queue through the month, as these titles may be staggered in their release throughout the month.

Other than those caveats, we hope you enjoy the best that Netflix has to offer in August! We’ll see you back here in about a month, when we’ll be highlighting new and exciting titles to come in the month of September.

Actor Eddie Redmayne has had quite the incredible career, propelled by his breakout roles in My Week With Marilyn and Les Misérables, he quickly played two Oscar nominated roles as Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything and Lili Elbe in The Danish Girl. Sandwiched in between his most celebrated roles is his downright strangest acting choices in 2015's Jupiter Ascending. If you sat through Redmayne's performances as intergalactic business mogul Balem, it doesn't play at the actor's strengths. Don't worry though, Redmayne knows it too. In his words:

When it comes to acting roles, not all of them can be winners. But as Eddie Redmayne recounts in his interview with GQ, he won a Razzie Award for his Jupiter Ascending role. So even when he cracked a terrible performance, he got recognized for it even if it was Worst Supporting Actor. The sci-fi box office disaster by the Wachowski siblings had Mila Kunis and Channing Tatum traveling around the galaxy with Redmayne's Balem starring as the villain. His performance featured a very specific choice to have a hushed voice, which Redmayne explained his reasoning behind:

If the creepy whispers weren't enough, Balem also went into another extreme of forehead-vein-pulsating screeches making the performance... a bit much. Jupiter Ascending was a disappointment overall, as it only made $18 million in its opening weekend with a $176 million production budget. Warner Bros. might have barely made back its money with the film's overall worldwide gross of $183 million before leaving theaters. So Eddie Redmayne was just bad in a bad movie, what would have been worse was being a weak link of an incredible film.

While considering the box office numbers, not many people even saw Eddie Redmayne's performance in Jupiter Ascending, it's nice to see the actor not taking his little performance blunder too seriously and being able to move past it. The Wachowskis may have been behind sci-fi favorites such as The Matrix films and Netflix's Sense8, but Jupiter Ascending just didn't hit the right notes with audiences. Redmayne said he signed on to the film because he loved the weirdness of 2012's Cloud Atlas and never felt so free with the sibling's directing him on set.

Eddie Redmayne will reprise his much more friendly and level-headed role as Newt Scamander in Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald on November 16.

Starring in bad movies can have a lot of consequences for Hollywood actors and actresses. They can lose a great deal of money and even lose out on future roles. However, there's another thing that they can potentially lose when they star in bad films: pride. Mila Kunis recently went on The Late Late Show with James Corden, and her inability to recall plot details from the atrocious Jupiter Ascending resulted in her eating some truly gross stuff. Check out the video below to see for yourself.

Mila Kunis recently appeared on The Late Late Show with James Corden to face off against Christina Applegate in a game called Spill Your Guts or Fill Your Guts. The overarching premise of the game is simple enough: one must answer a series of questions truthfully, or eat some of the most vile, disgusting items that we have ever laid eyes on. Eventually it's Mila Kunis' turn to play, and James Corden simply asks her to explain the plot of Jupiter Ascending. Nothing super in-depth, just the bare bones outline of the overall plot. From the very moment he asks the question, it's abundantly clear that she won't be able to answer it, and as such the crowd gets jittery with excitement.

Out of all the nasty food items placed on that table, Mila Kunis gets tasked with eating one of the most disgusting: a cow tongue. Nervously laughing, she tells Christina Applegate to look away as she bites into the sickening piece of food -- an action that causes a nauseated groan from the crowd. To her credit, Kunis takes it like a champ as she downs her bite of the cow tongue and aggressively tries to wash the taste out of her mouth with a glass of water.

In all fairness, this is probably not the first time that Mila Kunis has regretted her role in Jupiter Ascending. The actress has more or less become widely known for her comedic roles over the years, and The Wachowskis' sci-fi epic showed an earnest attempt to step out of her comfort zone and try something new. Sadly, the something new in this case turned out to be a train wreck of a convoluted movie that couldn't be saved by a strong cast featuring Kunis, Channing Tatum and even Eddie Redmayne.

If you haven't checked out the above video, do yourself a favor and check it out -- unless you have an incredibly sensitive stomach. Actors can live charmed lives, but sometimes their failures can have some truly gross results. Jupiter Ascending was an undoubtedly a terrible film, but we're not quite sure if any film is bad enough to warrant making someone eat a cow tongue.

If you’ve been anywhere near any website that is even remotely connected to movies or entertainment, you know that the big story of the day is that the annual Oscar nominations came out this morning. There’s a near endless supply of analysis to be found, lists of surprises and snubs and WTF choices (I’m just glad I now live in a world where a Mad Max movie could potentially win the Best Picture Oscar), and much more.

But there’s a curious subset, too, those who are up for an Academy Award, and those who are simultaneously nominated for a Razzie, a kind of anti-Oscar. According to The Hollywood Reporter, this year there are three who fall into this category: Rooney Mara, Eddie Redmayne, and Simon Kinberg.

Rooney Mara

Oscar Nominated For: Carol, Best Supporting Actress

Despite there being some controversy that she should be nominated in the Lead Actress category, Rooney Mara delivers a truly stunning performance in Todd Haynes 1950s set tale of forbidden love, Carol, playing a shop girl who falls for an older socialite woman, played by Cate Blanchett.

Razzie Nominated For: Pan, Worst Supporting Actress

Critics everywhere panned Joe Wright’s Peter Pan origin tale Pan for a variety of reasons. For her part, Mara, who plays Tiger Lily, came under fire for having a white actress play the friend of Peter Pan, who also happens to be the daughter of a Native chief.

Eddie Redmayne

Oscar Nominated For: The Danish Girl, Best Actor

Playing the part of Lili Elbe, the early 20th Century painter who was one of the first to undergo gender reassignment surgery, Eddie Redmayne, who won an Oscar last year for The Theory of Everything, delivers a truly transformative performance in The Danish Girl.

Razzie Nominated For: Jupiter Ascending, Worst Supporting Actor

Playing a petulant, intergalactic business mogul and heir to a wealthy, powerful space family in the Wachowski’s Jupiter Ascending, Redmayne alternates between hushed, almost bored sounding whispers as bat-shit crazy, spittle-flying, forehead-vein-pulsating shrieks of rage, with almost nothing in between the two extremes.

Simon Kinberg

Oscar Nominated For: The Martian, Best Picture

Serving as a producer on Ridley Scott’s space survival epic, The Martian, Simon Kinberg helped usher in one of the most entertaining, thrilling, well received movies of 2015, as illustrated by seven Oscar nominations, including Best Picture.

Razzie Nominated For: - Fantastic Four, Worst Screenplay

As the writer of Fox’s ill-conceived Fantastic Four, which was a disaster on almost every level, and likely to go down as one of the worst, or at least most hated superhero movies of all time, Kinberg did none of those things. Though not entirely his fault, he may have had a hand in killing any chance Marvel’s First Family has of being a big screen player for the foreseeable future.

While there’s always still competition for the major awards to recognize the best movies of the year, there’s also the other set of awards. The Razzies exist to recognize the worst achievements in filmmaking. There were some god awful movies in 2015 and here’s a quick rundown of what they were. Strap in people, this one’s going to be rough.

Worst Picture

Fantastic Four

Fifty Shades of Grey

Jupiter Ascending

Paul Blart Mall Cop 2

Pixels

No surprises here. Both Fant4stic and Jupiter Ascending made our Most Disappointing movie list for 2015. Honestly, though, those two look like Oscar contenders compared to most of the rest of this list. Get ready to see a lot of Adam Sandler and Kevin James on this list. It’s going to be that kind of year. Never let it be said that people don’t go to bad movies though, as both Paul Blart and 50 Shades of Grey were financially successful. The latter ended up in the box office top 20 for 2015.

Worst Actor

Johnny Depp, Mortdecai

Jamie Dornan, Fifty Shades of Grey

Kevin James, Paul Blart Mall Cop 2

Adam Sandler, The Cobbler and Pixels

Channing Tatum, Jupiter Ascending

We knew there was something missing from that first list. Mortdecai! Honestly, now we really want to give Jupiter Ascending a break this year (spoiler alert - the Razzies will not be giving Jupiter Ascending a break this year). Mortdecai fell victim to the old Hollywood adage that making Johnny Depp look silly will always create box office success. Unfortunately, they forgot to put him in a funny hat. Sander and James are both here again. Jamie Dornan is going to be pissed if he wins for a movie it doesn’t even look like he wanted to make. We’re hoping Channing Tatum will get nominated again next year for his Golden Globes award presentation.

Worst Actress

Katherine Heigl, Home Sweet Hell

Dakota Johnson, Fifty Shades of Grey

Mila Kunis, Jupiter Ascending

Jennifer Lopez, The Boy Next Door

Gwyneth Paltrow, Mortdecai

Now that we’re settling in, I hope everybody still has their lunch. I’m not going to lie to you. I write about movies for a living and I had to look up Home Sweet Hell. After doing so I regretted it. It appeared to have been going for a Serial Mom vibe but apparently didn’t get there. We’d forgotten about The Boy Next Door, which honestly we didn’t think was all that terrible, but there you go. The rest of these nominees have become old friends by now.

Here’s the rest of the dubious honorees.

Worst Supporting Actor

Chevy Chase, Hot Tub Time Machine 2 and Vacation

Josh Gad, Pixels and The Wedding Ringer

Kevin James, Pixels

Jason Lee, Alvin and the Chipmunks: Road Chip

Eddie Redmayne, Jupiter Ascending

Worst Supporting Actress

Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting, Alvin and the Chipmunks : Road Chip and The Wedding Ringer

Rooney Mara, Pan

Michelle Monaghan, Pixels

Julianne Moore, Seventh Son

Amanda Seyfried, Love the Coopers and Pan

Worst Director

Andy Fickman, Paul Blart Mall Cop 2

Tom Six, Human Centipede 3

Sam Taylor-Johnson, Fifty Shades of Grey Josh Trank, Fantastic Four

Andy and Lana Wachowski, Jupiter Ascending

Worst Screenplay

Simon Kinberg, Jeremy Slater and Josh Trank, Fantastic Four

Kelly Marcel, Fifty Shades of Grey

Andy and Lana Wachowski, Jupiter Ascending

Kevin James and Nick Bakay, Paul Blart Mall Cop 2

Tim Herlihy and Timothy Dowling, Pixels

Worst Remake, Sequel, Or Rip-Off

Alvin and The Chipmunks: The Road Chip

Fantastic Four

Hot Tub Time Machine 2

Human Centipede 3

Paul Blart Mall Cop 2

Worst Screen Combo

Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Kate Mara and Jamie Bell, Fantastic Four

Johnny Depp and his glued-on mustache, Mortdecai

Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson, Fifty Shades of Grey

Kevin James and either his Segway or glued-on mustache, Paul Blart Mall Cop 2

Adam Sandler and any pair of shoes, The Cobbler

Redeemer Award

Elizabeth Banks (From Razzie "winning" Director for Movie 47 to directing the 2015 hit Pitch Perfect 2)

M. Night Shyamalan (From Perennial Razzie nominee & "winner" to directing the 2015 horror hit The Visit)

Will Smith (For following up Razzie "wins" for After Earth to starring in Concussion

Sylvester Stallone (From All-Time Razzie Champ to 2015 Award Contender for Creed)

Every year we see good movies and bad movies. Most of the time, however, we know which movies are going to be bad, and which will be good before they ever hit the theaters. When a movie that’s expected to be bad is, in fact, bad, it goes in and out of our minds fairly quickly. But when a movie that we thought was going to be good turns out to be less than expected...that’s when it hurts. Here are 10 movies from 2015 that gave us high expectations that they were unable to meet.

10. Fantastic Four

To be clear, we weren’t necessarily expecting the reboot of the Fantastic Four franchise to be great, we just really, really hoped it would be. The Fantastic Four are the first family Marvel, and in a world where every other comic property is experiencing a renaissance on screen, The Fantastic Four are conspicuous by their absence. Unfortunately, our worst fears were realied. The movie was a mess from start to finish. A great cast of actors had nothing to work with, and one of the greatest villains in the Marvel universe was reduced to...we’re still not sure what.

9. The Good Dinosaur

The Good Dinosaur was, well, good. There’s nothing wrong with it. It’s quite possibly the most beautiful Pixar film to ever be put up on a big screen. The studio obviously used the delays in production to make the animation something spectacular to behold. The characters and story, however, are about as run of the mill as you can get. And, in a year that also included the phenomenal Inside Out that staggering averageness was even clearer. This wasn’t Cars 2 bad, but it could have been something special instead of just average.

8. Southpaw

Does anybody else remember when there was early Oscar buzz for Jake Gyllenhaal’s performance in Southpaw? Yeah, that was a thing that happened. Honestly, that buzz was probably the thing that put it on this list. If it had been presented as a run of the mill redemption story, maybe we could have at least enjoyed it. We know Gyllenhaal can do great things, and he does pretty great things here, too. He’s able to keep an otherwise completely forgettable movie from being completely forgotten, though as soon as the movie was released the Oscar talk went away.

7. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay -- Part 2

This is the way the world ends, not with a bang but a whimper. The Hunger Games saga might not be everybody’s cup of tea, but the dystopian world certainly had it’s share of big action set pieces, and Jennifer Lawrence kicking ass is always something worth watching. Or at least it was. While you’d expect the final chapter to pull out all the stops, instead, it just stopped. It was an incredibly disappointing conclusion to the story. The studio is now considering prequel ideas to keep the franchise going, but we’re kind of done now.

6. Tomorrowland

Maybe nobody should have expected much about a movie which took its title and premise from a chunk of geography inside Disneyland. However, we had the same feeling the first time time they made a movie about a ride inside that very same theme park. The original Pirates of the Caribbean turned out to be fantastic fun, and so we had hopes that lightning would strike twice. Add to it the fact that it was directed by Brad Bird and starred George Clooney, and this should have been something special. It wasn’t. The story was so messy even the film didn’t know how to tell it properly.

5. Jupiter Ascending

The beginning of a new science fiction epic from the Wachowski’s. The Matrix was revolutionary. Cloud Atlas was one of the most original ideas we’d ever seen. We can’t wait to see what they have lined up next! It’s a paint by number "chosen one" narrative that literally goes through an identical series of plot points three separate times. It didn’t even do anything particularly new or interesting with the more technical aspects of the film. Original ideas like this are the reason everything else on the screen is a reboot.

4. Aloha

Aloha is Cameron Crowe directing two of the most adorable people on the planet in a romantic movie, set in one of the romantic places on the planet earth. We assume the previous sentence was pretty much the pitch that got this movie made. We don’t really understand how else it could have happened. In addition to being adorable, Bradley Cooper and Emma Stone are also fantastic actors, but they have nothing to work with here. The movie is all over the place and yet it goes nowhere. This could have been one of the most fun movies of the year, but instead it was just annoying.

3. Pan

While Disney’s Maleficent wasn’t a perfect movie, it made the live action fairy tale a viable, and successful, concept for the House that Walk Built. Maybe we should just leave these to Disney. Pan took one of the most magical tales in literature and sucked all the magic out. Hugh Jackman as Blackbeard should have been a home run. Instead it was a big whiff. This was supposed to be a new franchise, and it was also supposed to be good. Instead, the only good news here is that we likely won’t see it again.

2. Spectre

Spectre was the follow-up to one of the most critically acclaimed, and the most financially successful, James Bond movies ever. The writers, director, and star were all back. It’s still not clear what they were thinking. Instead of just trying to make another solid Bond movie, they tried to turn Spectre into The Avengers by making all the other Daniel Craig movies connect, but since it was obvious that had done zero actual setup, none of it worked. Add to it the big reveal of a villain that they had no business turning into a reveal, and it’s just one miss after another.

1. Terminator: Genisys

Do you remember how excited you were when you saw that first trailer? When the Mother of fucking Dragons knocked down a wall and said, "Come with me if you want to live." That was awesome. Terminator Genisys promised to be a rebirth for the franchise. James Cameron told us this was the Terminator movie we’d been waiting for. We were ready. We were pumped. We were...heartbroken. The movie tries to use time travel to do something new in the vein of Star Trek but instead relies on series nostalgia to try and keep our attention. It didn’t work.

The Wachowski siblings' Jupiter Ascending had a pretty rough go of things earlier this year when professional critics around the world panned it before its theatrical release - but now ScreenJunkies has arrived to do a more in-depth post-mortem as the film prepares to be released on Blu-ray and DVD. Prepare for spoilers!

The latest episode of Honest Trailers has arrived, and it's a rather brutal take-down of the Wachowski's latest film. The big question that is repeatedly raised is how a movie this patently ridiculous can warrant a reported budget of $176 million, and the film never really manages to answer that question itself. It's definitely not a high point of the filmmakers best known for bringing us The Matrix.

As many critics pointed out when the film hit theaters, it's not hard to appreciate what the Wachowski's are doing, as it's nice to have a bit of original sci-fi breakthrough in a world of sequels and adaptations, but the whole thing is incredibly messy and doesn't really work as a story. Jupiter, played by Mila Kunis, does a good amount of wandering through the plot, and the villains range from pointless to way overdone (I'm looking at you, Eddie Redmayne).

Perhaps the greatest sin, however, as the video points out, is the fact that the end of the movie leaves absolutely nothing changed. Jupiter may be queen of the Earth, but she can't actually tell anybody about it, and all she gets out of the experience is a pair of gravity boots. And let's not forget the fact that there are still two Abrasax siblings out in the universe who will probably do everything in their power to get the flow of RegeneX going again as quickly as they can. It makes the entire story that precedes the conclusion feel pointless, and that's hardly a good thing.

Jupiter Ascending has managed to find its own cult following - as all weird sci-fi films tend to do - but that following didn't exactly save it at the box office. By the end of its run, the movie only managed to make $181 million worldwide, which wasn't enough to cover the film's production budget and the cost of its marketing. All of this points to the Honest Trailer's new title for the film likely being very accurate:

Jupiter Ascending is now available for pre-order, and will be released on both Blu-ray and DVD on June 2nd.

Reviews for The Wachowski siblings’ latest sci-fi opus, Jupiter Ascending, have been decidedly mixed. Some critics and moviegoers have pointed out that the film’s story barely makes any sense and is riddled with cliché, while others have been quick to praise it as a no-brains slice of blockbuster escapism that is, despite the fact that it’s obviously stupid, still visually stunning.

Personally, like 2013’s The Lone Ranger, once I let down my pretensions I found Jupiter Ascending to be a truly rollicking and preposterously entertaining space opera. Sure, like the aforementioned flop, Jupiter Ascending is also ridiculously flawed, while it is also destined to lose an eye-watering amount of money too.

But boy was it a hoot. It was also dripping with homages and references to the array of different movies that influenced the Wachowskis during its conception and production. Think you spotted all of them? Here are 10 that you might have missed.

Brazil

Halfway through Jupiter Ascending one of the film’s most blatant homages unfolds. Mila Kunis’ Jupiter Jones and Channing Tatum’s Caine Wise are forced to walk through a series of frustrating bureaucratic hell-holes that turn the film into a full-on homage to the 1985 cult classic, Brazil. And just in case you didn’t spot the blatant reference, the Wachowskis decided to have Brazil’s director Terry Gilliam pops up at the end of the scene, too. And just like the film itself, it is obvious, over-the-top, even borderline cheesy, but you still can’t help but smile at it.

The Graduate

On the brink of exchanging vows with Douglas Booth’s Titus Abrasax, inside a spaceship that is a cross between the Playboy Mansion and a Gothic cathedral, Jupiter Jones is cinema’s unhappiest bride since Elaine Robinson in The Graduate. Thank the heavens then that she has her own Benjamin Braddock in the shape of Caine Wise. To stop the nuptials, Caine smashes through the gothic walls of the ship on a spacecraft, much in the way that Braddock banged on the glass and screamed out Elaine’s name. It’s heart-stoppingly tense, while at the same time delightfully romantic.

Blade Runner

The culmination of Jupiter Ascending sees Jupiter Jones going toe-to-toe with Balem (Eddie Redmayne) while on board a crashing and exploding spaceship. In amongst the burning debris is an urban skyline made of steel, a smog filled sky, and shafts of depressing light, all of which immediately creates a atmosphere that’s akin to Ridley Scott’s 1982 classic Blade Runner. But that’s not all …

Star Wars: Revenge Of The Sith

The perilous battle between Balem and Jupiter takes place as explosions roar and the planet beneath them begins to implode, which reeks of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker’s titanic tussle on the volcano at the end of Star Wars: Revenge Of The Sith. But that’s not the only wink towards George Lucas’ beloved franchise by Jupiter Ascending. The space battles are reminiscent of Sith, while Jupiter wears an outfit straight from Queen Amidala’s wardrobe for her wedding. The hackneyed plotting is also akin to George Lucas’ Star Wars prequels, too. (Real estate deals!!)

Thor

It’s not just the Wachowskis who tip their collective hat to their influences in Jupiter Ascending. The actors are given free reign to go nuts with their roles, and none do so more than Eddie Redmayne as Balem Abrasax. There is a hint of Gary Oldman in his performance, but, to be honest, it reminded me more of another British actor who has recently taken Hollywood by storm: Tom Hiddleston as Loki in Thor, The Avengers and Thor: The Dark World. Even in the above image he smacks of the Asgard prince, while the interior of his ship even looks like the castle in the City of Asgard too. And while it might not be Oscar worthy, Redmayne’s performance is severely hammy and riotously enjoyable to see unfold.

Godzilla & The Matrix

Channing Tatum going toe-to-toe with a baby Godzilla, what more could you want? How about the Wachowskis utilizing The Matrix’s iconic bullet time visual effect partway through their tussle to a devastatingly enthralling extent?

And just in case that wasn’t scintillating enough for you, Channing Tatum’s Caine Wise dispatches of his lizard-like foe by hanging him too. I would try to explain to you all exactly how he does that, but it just wouldn’t do the scene in question justice.

Soylent Green

Jupiter Ascending’s main antagonist, Eddie Redmayne’s Balem Abrasax, is regarded as the film’s big-bad villain because he wants Earth all for himself so that he can harvest its population. That sub-plot is more than similar to the narrative of the 1973 sci-fi cult classic Soylent Green, which is set in a dystopian Earth where the population survives on processed food known as soylent green.

However Balem’s decision to kill off the human race isn’t for food -- it’s so they can be turned into a beauty product that will make him eternally youthful. Basically, the Wachowskis are trying to tell the world that we’re too vain. Subtext was never their strong suit.

Star Trek

From Channing Tatum’s pointy Spock-like ears, to the character’s regimented stance on not-smooching Jupiter Jones, not to mention the fact that Wise is also of albino/wolf/human origin, there are numerous similarities between Caine Wise and the most famous half-vulcan in sci-fi history.

But it’s not just various homages to the old Star Trek series that Jupiter Ascending possesses. It also features the slick visuals, zipping pace, modern humour that JJ Abrams used to reinvigorate the Star Trek franchise back in 2009 too.

Back To The Future: Part II

Not since Marty McFly coaxed Griff Tannen and his evil posse to crash into the local courthouse at the start of Back To The Future: Part II has hovering above the ground looked so cool.

Caine Wise might not be using a hover-board made by Matel, but his hover shoes aren’t half bad though. He uses them to save Mila Kunis from crashing to the ground from a 110 story drop, evading aliens, and he even finds time to grab onto the back of a van for leverage too. If Johnny B Goode had been playing in the background then the pinnacle of cinema would have been recreated in one fail swoop.

Every Movie Sean Bean Dies In

This reference wasn’t made with the Wachowskis’ visuals, framing or writing, or even with Jupiter Ascending’s iconography. This tiny reference was hidden in the midst of the film’s dialogue. Since Sean Bean’s Stringer survives Jupiter Ascending, even though he looked destined to perish on a number of occasions, an in-joke is made that his character "made it through."

That’s because, as any self-respecting moviegoer will more than be aware of, Sean Bean dies in pretty much every movie he ever stars in. I think this is the appropriate occasion to drop a LOL.

Over the past few weeks, the Wachowski siblings have become the unofficial poster children or "Original Filmmaking," with some film writers going so far as to ask cinema fans to support the likes of Jupiter Ascending while, at the same time, acknowledging that it’s a disappointing film. The sentiment seemed to suggest that if free-thinking, broad-stroke-painting filmmaking like Jupiter can’t find an audience, studios will stop taking risks and handing budgets to directors who don’t want to reboot a cherished relic or further a superhero franchise.

Now the Wachowskis, themselves, are furthering that argument by assuming that they’ve reached the end of the road when it comes to studios handing them large checks and asking to see their "vision" on screen. When speaking with the Wall Street Journal, Lana Wachowski laments:

Andy Wachowski chimes in with, "It was a good run."

So why must it end? Because this is show BUSINESS, and the Wachowskis have proven over the years that they are not a good return-on-investment for any studio. Their biggest hit, The Matrix Reloaded, earned $281 million in 2003, but was coming off the word-of-mouth sensation that was the original Matrix. Once fans got buried in the mythology of that world, the franchise course-corrected itself and The Matrix Revolutions dropped back down to Earth with a $139 million domestic box-office take.

Outside of the Matrix movies, the Wachowskis’ track record is dim. Despite its bid to appeal to a family-friendly audience, the siblings’ Speed Racer stalled out at $93 million worldwide (against a reported $120 million budget). Cloud Atlas did slightly better. The ensemble picture earned $130 million globally, but reportedly cost more than Speed Racer. And for some odd reason, the Wachowskis were given $176 million to make Jupiter Ascending. The movie made $18 million in its opening weekend. Brutal.

The notion that the movie-going community has to blindly support the Wachowskis to preserve independent cinema is flawed, though. Oscar-nominated movies like Whiplash, Birdman, Foxcatcher and Boyhood prove that powerful voices can bring interesting stories to the screen. The numbers just suggest that audiences are tired of the way that the Wachowskis tell their narratives (and studios are tired of funding them).

Jupiter Ascending is not only the latest offering from The Wachowski's, it's also their first 3D offering to the public. How in the world it took them this long to release a film in the third dimension is beyond me, especially with Speed Racer just begging for the perfect conversion and IMAX re-release to happen any day now. Suffice it to say your mileage may vary on this film, as it's been all across the board with the reviews.

Our theatrical review will weigh in on whether or not this new release is worth your time, while this column will focus solely on the film's use of 3D. Considering seven separate categories, To 3D Or Not To 3D evaluates the full scope of the 3D viewing experience. Think of it as a consumer's guide for your movie-going, complete with a viewer’s poll where you can weigh in on how you plan to see Jupiter Ascending. How should you go see the new film from the Wachowskis? Read on to find out!

Fit Score

5/5

The Wachowski's filmmaking style has always been a bit 3D friendly - what with the over the top visuals, kinetic action, and beautifully colored worlds they inhabit. Jupiter Ascending has everything from debris to spaceships, and even honey bees, just waiting to come off the screen and into your world. Jupiter Ascending is one of those movies that one could say 3D is made for.

Planning & Effort Score

4/5

Chris Parks, the Steroscopic Supervisor behind Gravity's beautiful 3D picture, was the guiding hand behind the 3D conversion to Jupiter Ascending, and boy, does it ever show! Much like Gareth Edwards did on Godzilla, The Wachowski's use the conversion process to their advantage. Since the film is heavy on digital effects and world building to begin with, it's not hard to create these elements with native 3D aspects. However, even the actual physical elements are properly calibrated. That being said, the fact that the third dimension didn’t enter into the conversation until later in the game dents this score a little.

Before the Window Score

4/5

There are definitely moments where something was flying at the screen during Jupiter Ascending, and I found myself flinching upon instinct. Any battle or chase sequence, be it the ones flying through the skies of Chicago or in the atmosphere of Jupiter, takes full advantage of the 3D medium, pushing the boundaries between the screen and the audience.

Beyond the Window Score

5/5

Alternately, this element of 3D makes the film world seem to stretch deep beyond the theater's screen. The amount of depth and focus in Jupiter Ascending's picture is quite impressive, as it's subtle, but definitely appreciated when noticed. Above all, we would highly recommending paying particular attention to the holographic elements of the film's universe, as they're probably the best example of the movie really sucking the audience into its world.

Brightness Score

4/5

3D glasses guarantee the intended picture will be tainted with a tint of grey, thanks. A result of this is that it’s up to the post-production crew to be sure the color correct for releases compensate accordingly. While there's still just a little gray in the film's picture, Jupiter Ascending is an exceedingly colorful affair, with a lot of eye popping palettes on display. It is worth noting that this can be somewhat subjective for audiences, as some theaters are better at showing 3D than others.

Glasses Off Score

5/5

This is an extremely rudimentary test to show in the basest terms how much 3D you're getting on screen. Take the glasses off, and observe the blur, which will reveal the different perspective being manipulated to create the 3D effect. While watching Jupiter Ascending, I occasionally looked over the rims of my glasses and discovered that the picture was consistently blurry throughout the film - be it a simple conversation or a spaceship parting a planet's rings.

Audience Health Score

5/5

Despite the frenetic pacing of the action, Jupiter Ascending isn't a shaky cam-ed nightmare for people who are sensitive to 3D. This is a solid 3D offering that flows well visually, and doesn't move too fast for your eyes to adjust. The focus is always in the right place, and it's not a strain on the eyes either.

3D SCORES RECAP

3D Fit

5

P & E

4

Before The Window

4

Beyond The Window

5

Brightness

4

Glasses Off Test

5

Audience Health

5

Total Score

32/35

Final Verdict: For any first time effort at a 3D conversion, I'd say Jupiter Ascending is a hell of a first crack. But for The Wachowskis' first foray into glasses-on entertainment, I'd have to say I expected nothing short of the awe inspiring sights that Jupiter Ascending affords its audience. It's a shame this film isn't doing so well at the box office, as it's a excellent example of post-converted 3D done right. You owe it to yourself to spend the extra money and see this film not only in 3D, but IMAX 3D.

This poll is no longer available.

Click to visit our full To 3D Or Not To 3D Archive.

There are three new movies set to make their way to cinemas this week, and all three look very dumb - though only two did that unintentionally. It seems the third is shooting for lowest common denominator laughs and it looks like it hit the mark. The other two? Not so much. We've got Jupiter ascending, seventh sons and SpongeBob.

Just remember, I'm not reviewing these movies, but rather predicting where they'll end up on the Tomatometer. Let's take a look at what This Rotten Week has to offer.

POSTER HERE, LINK IT TO PREVIEW PAGE

PREDICTION RATING HERE, LINK IT TO ROTTEN TOMATOES PAGE

Rotten Watch Prediction

23%

If I found out tomorrow that I was the heir/ rightful ruler of Earth like Mila Kunis’ character in Jupiter Ascending, the first thing I would do is make sure the Dunkin Donuts on the corner wasn’t running out of strawberry glaze all the time. I mean come on people, how hard is it to make like three extra every day? That’d be my first order of business. And then world peace, curing hunger all that stuff. That’d be in there too. But the donut issue would be priority number one.

See the other heir to Earth in the trailer for the Wachowkski siblings’ Jupiter Ascending below:

The immediate problem that sticks out from this movie is really just the casting: "Jupiter Jones (Mila Kunis), a down-on-her-luck janitor…" Look, I’ve been around a lot of janitors in my day, and for they most part they have been really solid dudes/ ladies. Hard-working and underappreciated for sure. But not one of them has looked anywhere in range of Mila Kunis. In fact, I’m not sure I could even compare them because she outpaces them in the looks department by factorials. So right from the start we know this movie is going to very much be a work of fiction. Science fiction even.

The Wachowskis are still very much working off the clout they built up with The Matrix trilogy, but they’re also scraping it away more recent efforts like Speed Racer (39%) and the unfortunate box office bomb Cloud Atlas (66%). As a result, there is a possibility that Jupiter Ascending could be the end of the line for them as far as big budget movie making is concerned. Coming off a less-than-stellar screening at Sundance and considering the movie’s been pushed back once, there isn’t a lot to believe in here. The fact that no reviews have hit the public just yet is another bad sign.

The trailer doesn’t do much in the way of stirring any confidence either, and really paints Jupiter Ascending as kind of a mess. From Channing Tatum’s very, very weird look, to some stilted dialogue (a Wachowski achilles's heel) and over-the-top special effects (not in a good way), I have trouble believing critics will come in anywhere close to positive. We have probably seen the best of this directing duo, and I predict Jupiter Ascending won’t bring back the glory days. But we can at least make everything right in the world again by naming me as the next heir to Earth. That would be a step in the right direction.

PREDICTION RATING HERE, LINK IT TO ROTTEN TOMATOES PAGE

Rotten Watch Prediction

19%

If you enjoy movies with lots of crazy animals/creatures busting through walls and cages, shaking their heads around and releasing ferocious roars, well then I have the movie for you. If you enjoy movies with tired premises hidden under infinity layers of special effects and nonsense, well then I have the movie for you. If you enjoy movies with good actors taking on ridiculous sounding accents, well then...you get the point.

If you enjoy bad trailers for bad movies, then you should probably check out the trailer for Seventh Son below:

It’s not that there isn’t a lot going on in the trailer for The Seventh Son. No, it’s very much the opposite. What appears to have happened is the producers of this flick took every element of every fantasy movie ever made and threw it all into one movie. The trailer is an orgy of action and nonsense. It looks like there could have been (with an outside chance of still being) a good movie hidden behind all the fluff, but I doubt it all made it to the finish line.

Like Jupiter Ascending, Seventh Son is another title that has found its release date getting shifted around, which is not typically a good sign for a flick. When a studio delays a release date significantly, it usually means that something is very wrong. This film was originally supposed to hit screens in February 2013. It wound up getting caught up in the shift of Legendary Pictures from Warner Bros. to Universal, and has kind of hung around like a step-child ever since. What’s more, there hasn’t been much of an effort made to raise our hopes.

It seems that Seventh Son director Sergey Bodrov is on the verge of getting some very bad news. In these scenarios there’s always a chance that the film’s delay allowed the studio to make changes, do some reshoots and make some clever edits that wind up helping the movie. But by and large, when a studio doesn’t want you seeing something, there is a reason.

PREDICTION RATING HERE, LINK IT TO ROTTEN TOMATOES PAGE

Rotten Watch Prediction

42%

I typically loathe the opportunities to write about animated movies. There is often so little speak about or react to. It’s not that animated flicks don’t have their place in the cinematic world, but instead that more often than not, what you see is what you get. But a pants-wearing sea sponge working at a burger joint with his buddies down at the bottom of the ocean? Now we’re talking.

Check out the trailer for The Sponge Bob Movie: Sponge Out of Water below:

The first film, The SpongeBob Squarepants Movie (68%), earned $140 million dollars at the box office and wasn't a disaster with critics when it came out in 2004. Did anyone doubt we’d have a sequel? If anything, I’m just surprised it took this long. Even with some proof that SpongeBob makes kids dumber to go with a bunch of crazy theories about the latent (or not so much) themes in the show, this franchise is massive and will most likely crush the box office once again. That’s not to say there aren’t some ways we can tie in philosophical discussions to a group of dimwitted sea life either, but for the most part I suspect this show knows who it’s speaking to.

From watching the trailers, I must admit that if this show had been made ten years earlier, I would have been all over it. No doubt about it. There’s something to be said for a cartoon that runs this long and it doesn’t involve just dumb luck. There has to be something else, and I suspect much of it stems from speaking to a wide age range. Cartoons work best when the writing appeals to both adults and kids. The best animation does this naturally and is able to extend its run. You can watch it as a kid/pre-teen and just as easily pick it up as an adult. And it doesn’t have to be all Pixar: crazy great storytelling to get it done. It can be silly and stupid and just as entertaining. It’s probably a good thing for me that I never sat down with this show. I might never have gotten up.

This latest movie is a love-action crossover made for 3D. It involves pirates, secret recipes, evil plots, superpowers, sexual innuendo, stupidity and bunch of other stuff that fans will surely eat up. Will it appeal with critics? Probably not, but I don’t think the studio much cares about that end of it. They know the demographic they’re shooting for, and it ain’t the cultural elite. No, the SpongeBob faithful will turn out in droves and get what they’re seeking. I just wish I was part of the group.

This poll is no longer available.

We have to start with this one simply because it’s so extraordinary. The Loft (Predicted: 17% Actual: 0%) was an abomination of the highest (lowest) order. I’ve been writing this column coming on five years now and I honestly don’t remember another movie scoring a zero. I know it’s happened of course, but for a wide release to come in with this score is frankly amazing. I knew the movie looked like trash going in. The premise was ridiculous. But plenty of crappy movies have had someone like it. Not this piece of s@#$. Seventeen critics wrote it up. Seventeen critics hated it. Wow.

In other news, Project Almanac (Predicted: 21% Actual: 36%) looks like a freaking Oscar winner compared to The Loft. I panicked a bit early in the week when I checked in on Rotten Tomatoes and this had a score of 86%. I thought I was staring down the barrel of my biggest miss ever. But those early reviews were outliers (nicely timed) and the score plummeted over the course of the week. It’s just another flick we’ll forget was ever made when we catch up on the year in review. These things come and go. Two years from now you’ll say, "Project what…?"

And finally Black or White (Predicted: 40% Actual: 35%) was a win for the Rotten Watch. I’m still a Costner fan, but it looks like they missed the mark with this one. What might have a dialogue-creator on racial tensions/discourse in our country just couldn’t get the conversation started. Many critics felt the plot was contrived and patronizing. What a shame because my boy Kevin can still bring it. Just needs the right roles.

Next time around it gets a couple of shades grayer in here and kingsman in secret. It’s going to be a Rotten Week!

It was revealed yesterday that the surprise screening at this year’s Sundance was the Wachowski’s highly anticipated sci-fi film Jupiter Ascending — which is kind of odd, because you don’t normally think of a film requiring 3D glasses as the secret screening of Sundance. Nevertheless, this was the first time anyone has seen this film. Unfortunately, the reception was not what Warner Bros. was hoping for (i.e. it was really bad).

As reported by Yahoo Movies, the event was invite-only and took place at the Egyptian Theater in Park City. Despite all the hype and secrecy, though, there were clusters of vacant seats in this 300-person theater. Worse still, a "handful" of people left before the movie was even done, and by the time Jupiter Ascending finished, people were heard sneering. Someone in attendance, who wanted to remain nameless for obvious reasons, called it "ridiculous," while another said it was "a combination of a whole bunch of things wrapped into one." Another even went as far as to speculate that Warner Bros. would lose a ton of money over the film. It’s probably a good thing critics weren’t invited.

Considering Jupiter Ascending will likely either repair or further damage the Wachowski siblings’ relationship with the studio, this is not the best of news. The Matrix films were the only works of theirs to make bank at the box office for Warner Bros. Their follow-ups, Speed Racer and Cloud Atlas, didn’t do so hot. To add even more pressure, the studio reportedly spent upwards of $170 million on Jupiter Ascending, which was originally supposed to be released in the summer of 2014. However, due to post-production issues, it’s now opening on February 6.

Needless to say, everyone involved has a lot riding on Jupiter Ascending. However, screenwriter Neville Kiser, who attended the secret Sundance screening, put the bad reception in perspective.

As Yahoo mentioned, one programmer was able to snag a ticket to the screening and was told that reviews of the film are embargoed until Monday. Press screenings for the film should also be announced in the near future — at least, we’d hope so, since Jupiter Ascending hits theaters a week from Friday! — so we’ll have a better sense of what to expect in no time. If you’re like us, all this negative reception only makes us want to see the movie even more to see if it’s true. Well, that and the fact that Channing Tatum plays a half-wolf warrior and Oscar-nominated actor Eddie Redmayne plays an intergalactic prince with a wardrobe full of swanky robes. Oh, yeah, and there’s Sean Bean, who, if history has anything to say about it, will probably die at some point.

The long wait for Zack Snyder's Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice has been killing us. And we still have a full year to go. But between newly released photos of the batsuit, and teases into the story plot and visual effects, we’re at least having some fun in the process. Nothing can string the heart along more than a trailer for the upcoming film, though. And now, we finally have word on when that footage will screen in theaters and looks like it will first be paired with Jupiter Ascending.

According to The Projection List, Warner Bros./ DC has scheduled a Batman V Superman teaser trailer to be first projected with the Channing Tatum and Mila Kunis film, Jupiter Ascending in theaters on February 6, 2015. That means we can probably expect the first footage of the film to be released to the public right around that time. There isn’t word on when the full trailer will be released, but the teaser trailer will also be screened later along with In the Heart of the Sea, Furious 7, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Mad Max: Fury Road.

From most of the teaser images and plot reveals we’ve gotten so far, it’s safe to say that the film is going to be very closely related to Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns. We’ve seen an image of the new batsuit, and how the color scheme is closely related to the Batman in Miller’s comics, and we also know that similarly to the comics, we are going to see Bruce Wayne rock a bigger and badder batsuit. Can we get a glimpse of that massive batsuit in the teaser trailer, please?

Last week, we found a ridiculously awesome fan-made Batman Vs Superman Trailer in LEGO, and it got us even more exciting for the prospect of a trailer for Dawn of Justice. The LEGO trailer also followed Miller’s comics by exploring the epic fight between Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent. When the public starts to see how powerful Superman is, and how alien his power is to them, they become fearful. So they turn to Batman in hopes of containing that power and ultimately stopping it. We are still in the stages of 'educated guesses' in what the plot of the film will be. We know that Lois Lane is going to play a big role in the film, and that the film may be more focused on Batman. We also know that the world looks like it has turned on Superman, from previously taken set photos, so hopefully we’ll get some more knowledge about what is going on there in the teaser trailer, or ultimately the full trailer.

The teaser trailer for Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice will be just that, a tease, but we are hopeful that it will answer some more of our pending questions. Or it may just serve the purpose of creating more questions, that we will surely try to answer in anticipation for the film which will finally be released in theaters March 25, 2016.

With only weeks before release, Warner Bros. made waves recently and announced that Jupiter Ascending would leave its perch and instead bow on February 5th, 2015. The change was credited to more time being allowed for special effects. But after the so-so opening weekend of Edge Of Tomorrow, the reasons should be more clear, with Warner Bros. looking to save just a bit of face this summer season.

Thompson On Hollywood is one of many to surmise that the WB jettisoned Jupiter Ascending for fear of having an even worse summer than they're already having. Edge Of Tomorrow recently opened to a not-bad $29 million, and an actually-pretty-good $111 million overseas. But those domestic numbers are considerably lower than Tom Cruise's last action film, Oblivion. That one opened at $37 million and ultimately finished at $89 million domestic, with a $286 million worldwide cumulative gross. While Edge is expected to be a bigger hit worldwide, a $300 million-$400 million global gross won't help with a monstrous $178 million budget, before prints and advertising.

Warner Bros. also released Blended this season, and even with a modest $40 million budget, that one has only tallied $38 million in global gross. With Jupiter Ascending carrying a budget of $150 million, that would have been another uphill battle for the marketing department after the WB salvages the wreckage from those two failures. They'll be taking a shot again this summer with smaller films like Jersey Boys, Tammy and Into The Storm, but one could certainly argue there's a disconcerting lack of heat surrounding those films as well. With Jupiter Ascending out of the way for now, the marketing muscle could be spent on these films instead, particularly Tammy, which has a pretty decent July 4th opening slot.

The question one asks is, did WB make this decision to save their summer, or to save Jupiter Ascending? The sci-fi gumbo, directed by the Wachowski siblings, was always going to be a tough sell. There's Channing Tatum with elfin ears, a half-wolf assassin falling in love with a janitor played by Mila Kunis who may be a queen. A tough sell no matter what, and the jumbled trailers and overall ad campaign needs to be rejiggered to convey the adventure in this film with a, let's face it, really dorky title.

After the move, Jupiter Ascending is banished to February, where only four films have ever opened with more than $50 million, a reasonable benchmark for a $150 million-budgeted film. It's chief competition is Mortdecai, an action comedy with Johnny Depp that's sure to bite into the key demographic. There's also Spongebob Squarepants 2, following the $32 million debut of Spongebob Squarepants in 2004, and Seventh Son, another one-time fantasy tentpole that's been on the shelf for years. Has Warner Bros. just isolated the problem, or can they pivot to turn this would-be bomb into a hit?

Throughout last year, the Wachowskis were building a solid head of buzz with the production of their latest film, Jupiter Ascending. Right from the initial synopsis, the film's proposed tale of Mila Kunis' destined for interstellar royalty sounded like something that only the writing/directing siblings could properly bring to the big screen. Words aren't as effective as pictures though, and when the first trailer for the film last fall, the excitement was even more palpable. Flash forward to now, almost a month before the film's planned release date, and the excitement has... suddenly been dashed into a million pieces. For those of you who couldn't wait to see Channing Tatum as an alien badass, you're going to have to wait a little while longer.

Variety is the bearer of bad news, stating that the film has been pushed back due to specific concerns that the film would not be ready for its July 18th release date. More specifically, at least according to Warner Brothers domestic distribution chief, Dan Fellman, the two big issues were the film's visual effects, as well as having the film ready for international distribution. Fellman was also pleased to point out that the film's new release date of February 6th, 2015 is similar to that of the highest grossing film of 2014 so far, The LEGO Movie. Sadly, it's also close to Valentine's Day, which was the day Winter's Tale opened to a deafening thud in theaters. Basically, this could go either way.

I don't care what the studio's official statement says, the visual effects aren't Warner Bros.' main concern, and Variety even backs me up. Their piece mentions how their success with The LEGO Movie and Godzilla has been tempered by both Blended's disastrous box office launch, as well as the impending uneasy release (and to some, implosion) of Edge of Tomorrow. The studio is at dead even when it comes to their hit/miss ratio this year, and Jupiter Ascending has always looked destined to be the little flop that could with its previous release date - especially when Universal made the biggest move of their summer by moving The Purge: Anarchy into the same weekend. While I'm as disappointed as a Wachowskis fan that Jupiter Ascending has been pushed back, I am pleased that Warner Brothers is giving the film a shot to be a real success.

It used to be that you only moved your movie's release date this late in the game because of a crisis of faith. However, with studios becoming bolder and bolder with their outer tentpole releases, any time of year now is a good time for a hit. You just need to stake out a weekend that isn't that crowded, and that's what Warner Bros. has done with Jupiter Ascending. The studio and the Wachowskis have been good business partners since their initial success with The Matrix trilogy, and this move only shows that the studio stands by their partners; while also wanting to play the market a little better.

So now you can look for Jupiter Ascending in theaters on February 6th, 2015. Just a week before Valentine's day, the film has plenty for everyone to look forward to with equal parts Mila Kunis, Channing Tatum, and science fiction adventure.

Each year, the summer movie season is ruthless, filled with movies claiming and switching release dates, then studios cannibalizing each other to score a hit. Most of the time, however, there's the gentleman's agreement between all of them to keep the peace and usually release one blockbuster at a time. Part of this strategy comes from some execs watching their fellow producer bomb when they overestimate the broad appeal of their film. In summer, movies die loudly, and they leave scars.

Which is why we've decided to break down most of the summer's offerings, observing exactly what it is about some films that cause them to succeed and fail. This involved number crunching, market analysis, educated guesses, and the application of a few snobby biases. We've separated these groups into obvious hits, less-obvious hits, so-so performers and outright bombs, all comparative to budgets. All gross numbers are global totals unless otherwise specified. Feel free to bookmark this, and check it at the end of the summer.

Megahits

Godzilla – Few summer films have had marketing as impressive as this monster mash, which is seeing release after two more frivolous summer entertainments (Amazing Spider-Man 2, Neighbors). Ads have obscured the monster, but favored the disaster footage, a money-shot heavy approach that likens this picture to, ironically, a film like the ones made by 1998 Godzilla director Roland Emmerich, albeit more serious. That film, by the way, grossed $379 million globally despite being hated by just about everyone. With an inflated overseas market, this thing could be looking at upwards of $200 million domestically, and $600 million global.

X-Men: Days Of Future Past – Strangely enough, the X-films haven't broke out like other superhero franchises: the highest grossing effort is the $459 million registered by X-Men: The Last Stand. Because it's eight full years later, because the overseas market has changed, because this is in 3D, and because this is following the Fast And Furious model of filling the cast with characters from all previous films, there's reason to believe this film will obliterate that number. Last year's The Wolverine was extremely well-received internationally, grossing $414 million worldwide, but it was a smaller, lower-budgeted affair. This new film promises armies of mutants, killer robots and time travel, basically the exact opposite elements that made The Wolverine the lowest grossing X-film domestically. X-pect (EL OH EL) grosses close to $275 million domestically, and $600 million worldwide.

How To Train Your Dragon 2 - The animated sequel bump doesn't always occur for some films: Kung Fu Panda 2 and Happy Feet Two are two recent examples of animated sequels that lacked the domestic success of the originals. But consider the case of Shrek 2 and Despicable Me 2, and realize that Dreamworks' Dragons franchise has had a presence on television with the Riders Of Berk series, and you're looking at the first animated kid flick of the summer obliterating the original's $494 million take, with possibly a $700 million worldwide tally.

Transformers: Age Of Extinction - Transformers: Dark Of The Moon was weaker domestically than its predecessor, though the strong global numbers took the film over the billion dollar mark. The signs would suggest a slightly shrinking appeal, but no studio dared to challenge this franchise's dominance over the 4th of July weekend. Not only is it opening a full week before Independence Day, but there's very little to challenge the picture on that date, giving Age Of Extinction two full weekends to most likely cross $200 million domestic, on its way to a $300 million franchise-standard domestic gross and at least $800 million worldwide.

Dawn of The Planet Of The Apes – The earlier film was an August surprise, coming out of nowhere to gross $481 million. This one comes two weeks after Transformers dominates the marketplace, and does so with the added strength of 3D, and an arguable upgrade at director in Matt Reeves. This franchise remains beloved by fans – even 2001's hated reboot earned $362 million worldwide – and as they move closer to territory established by the original films, expect new fans and baby boomers to be intrigued, to the tune of $525 million global.

Modest Hits

Neighbors – This fratty comedy spins on the premise of a generational struggle between an older, responsible guy and a young antagonist. But by casting Seth Rogen and Zac Efron, they basically went with two beloved actors of a similar demographic, limiting the crossover appeal to teens and young adults. That will probably keep this film from breaking out, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see Neighbors do basically the same, or slightly better numbers as last year's This Is The End, which grossed $126 million.

A Million Ways To Die In The West – Without the appeal of a teddy bear and an A-List star, this picture's not going to even sneeze at Ted's preposterous $549 million take. But international audiences have begun to show a kindness towards westerns they never did before, with True Grit and Django Unchained scoring high in overseas regions. The somewhat narrow appeal of Seth MacFarlane as a leading man gives this film a bit of a handicap, and a comedy-western isn't exactly blockbuster material, but it wouldn't be strange to see this film push $200 million globally on the back of MacFarlane's fanbase.

Edge Of Tomorrow – Stateside, the profile for this film is limited, given Tom Cruise's shrinking appeal. Coming a week after the kiddie-courting Maleficent, this should at least have a robust opening. But Cruise's biggest business comes overseas, where each of his last four starring vehicles grossed 70% or more of their totals, none of which had aliens or exoskeleton mechs. This could surpass a solid $120 million over here, and land at $450 million worldwide.

The Fault In Our Stars – Expectations are managed for this film, which only cost $12 million. This is counter-programming against the boy-centric blockbusters, even if the cancer storyline is a surprising downer for the target age group. Shailene Woodley is liked by her audience, but Divergent's $233 million global take was a bit below expectations. Still, if this passes $60 million domestically, it's a big win.

22 Jump Street – The first film was a surprise springtime smash, with $201 million worldwide. Since then, you could argue that stars Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill have plateaued: Hill's Wolf Of Wall Street Oscar nomination helped him, but didn't give him any real box office traction, while Tatum experienced a disappointment with White House Down. Still, the first was well-liked enough that this one might not open big (particularly not against How To Train Your Dragon 2) but it could perform steadily enough to gross at least $180 million globally.

Think Like A Man, Too – If you'll look around the summer schedule, you'll notice a severe lack of entertainment options for black and Hispanic audiences. Here comes this sequel to fill that void, having an added hook of a Vegas setting to distinguish this from the first film. This is coming out in a much more competitive environment than the first one, but it should open big, even if it only comes within a few dollars of the original's $91 million take.

Deliver Us From Evil – It's not entirely clear how Screen Gems is positioning what looks like a September dump into the Fourth Of July weekend, but here it is. And because there's very little to offer audiences that holiday aside from comedy Tammy and the Transformers, expect this film to reap a genre windfall. Maybe not at the level of last year's The Conjuring, as Screen Gems is a mixed bag as far as genre offerings (last year brought Carrie and Mortal Instruments: City of Bones), but a $130 million global gross and $80 million domestic should be solid.

The Purge: Anarchy – The bloom is off the rose with this series, as ticket-buyers turned on the film almost immediately during it's massive opening weekend. But you can live with negative feedback when you gross $89 million on a budget of only $3 million. This film adds the hook of an outdoors expansion of the concept, which should bring fresh eyes, but it doesn't look like the series has breakout potential beyond that. Still, a global tally close to the original with added support overseas is absolutely in play.

Step Up: All In – These films are basically cheap and designed almost solely for the international market, where they are, in some regions, retitled Sexy Dance. Step Up: Revolution was the weakest performer in the series domestically, but it still registered a $140 million global gross. This one should experience a slight uptick, given that it reunites characters from all the earlier films, essentially making it Step Up: Days Of Future Past. A final number close to the $159 million collected by Step Up 3D is certainly possible.

Guardians Of The Galaxy – A Marvel gamble back in 2008 meant something different than a wager by them now, and Guardians is one of the biggest. Looking at the schedule, it's entirely possible this film opens in a vacuum, and Marvel's increased profile suggests it could play strongly throughout the month. Thor was a similar risk, and opening at the beginning of May in 2011 it grossed $449 million, mostly on the strength of foreign audiences. Comparatively, 2008's The Incredible Hulk was the weakest of the Marvel films thus far, with $236 million worldwide. Split the difference, add in 3D, and there's no reason the Guardians can't register a $400 million global gross.

Get On Up – Late-summer dramas always have a good shot to break out, and some serious-minded audiences are already prepared for fall. An example would be The Help, which opened in August and grossed $216 million on its way to Oscar nominations. That film's director Tate Taylor returns for a James Brown biopic that promises lively music, high drama and the chance to honor the life of a legend. Walk The Line and Ray were two recent music biopics released in the fall to $186 million and $124 million worldwide numbers. This one could snuggle in right between those two at around $150 million globally.

Break-Evens

Amazing Spider-Man 2 – Sony head Amy Pascal threw down the gauntlet by suggesting this film should break a billion worldwide for the studio. Given that the last film pulled in $752 million, a far cry from Spider-Man 3's $890 million tally even with added 3D, you can see how she's barking up the wrong tree. Amazing Spider-Man 2 has the year's best release date and a surplus of promotion behind it. But enthusiasm and fan interest in the last picture dwindled considerably, and this is a franchise in trouble. The last film opened late in summer and had legs to support it's weaker opening. This one will open much bigger, but soon has to run the gauntlet against Godzilla and X-Men. At a reported $250 million budget not counting P+A, this is going to need to break the bank, and with international numbers solid but not overwhelming, this film could clock in around $650 million, a new low for the series.

Maleficent – Alice In Wonderland set the studios on the path of live action big budget fairy tale movies, but none have become breakout successes. The latest is this Sleeping Beauty reworking, which some say cost as much as $200 million (which may or may not include expensive reshoots). Reaching the $396 million grossed by Snow White And The Huntsman isn't quite going to cut it. Fortunately, the film's got Angelina Jolie on its side: she hasn't been seen onscreen since the one-two punch of Salt and The Tourist, both of which made over 60% of their grosses internationally. The results may be modest domestically, but expect the film to register a worldwide gross in the neighborhood of $450 million.

Planes: Fire And Rescue – No one paid Planes a second thought last summer, and the $50 million toon ran away with $219 million worldwide. This sequel was pretty much part of the deal, and will be arriving six weeks after the last kid flick, How To Train Your Dragon 2. A satisfactory $200 million worldwide is certainly in play once again.

Hercules – Over the last four years, Dwayne Johnson has starred in four films that crossed at least $300 million worldwide. And in all of those cases, he was honing in on someone else's franchise, riding the coattails of an established brand. This is the first big budget film to rest entirely on Johnson's name and charisma, but unfortunately he's relied on director Brett Ratner to illustrate it. Johnson's best when he gets to have a sense of humor and/or bounce off another major co-star, and here he has neither. Instead, he's in the type of pre-packaged film that audiences can clearly envision in their head before seeing, as if it were a parody inside another film. International audiences will be there to support Johnson, but $250 million worldwide and a very strong DVD life is probably the ceiling.

Lucy – Luc Besson reinvented himself as sort of a brand for b-level action in the wake of the Taken movies, but you could argue it's been a long run of non-successes, with films like Columbiana and Lockout dotting his resume. He returns to the director's chair with this thriller, and while last year's The Family was dreadful, it still registered a respectable $68 million. Here, he's got Scarlett Johansson, a sneaky-good box office bet: Johansson has smartly positioned herself as one of the world's biggest movie stars without logging a single leading role in the last four years with the exception of the arthouse hit Under The Skin. The Marvel films have helped, as well as supporting appearances in He's Just Not That Into You and We Bought A Zoo. Teaming her with Morgan Freeman, another box office lucky charm, should result in a few cheap late-August dollars, and possibly a global gross near $90 million.

The Expendables 3 – The second film in this series boasted the added star-power of Chuck Norris, Liam Hemsworth, and a still-hungry Jean-Claude Van Damme, not to mention a chance to actually see Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger together in action. While the $305 million gross was robust, the domestic numbers were considerably weaker from part one to part two. With Stallone and Schwarzenegger's solo efforts being roundly rejected, and the dwindling box office numbers of Jason Statham threatening to turn him into a supporting star, the only real lure for this film is the added presence of Wesley Snipes. Bigger name additions like Harrison Ford and Mel Gibson, comparatively seem like desperate last-gasp attempts at relevance, and niche cast additions like Antonio Banderas (huh?), Kelsey Grammer (what?) and Glen Powell (who?) won't move the needle for the average action fan. Worldwide numbers around $250 million should please the studio, though expect a domestic take in the neighborhood of $70 million.

Potential Flops

Blended – This romantic adventure has a safari hook, but trailers have struggled to show the actual conflict. Adam Sandler reuniting with The Wedding Singer collaborators Drew Barrymore and director Frank Coraci is probably a good move in the actor's career, as the bottom threatens to fall out after a string of middling performers. Despite the $246 million grossed by Grown Ups 2, Sandler's overall track record is beginning to get a little spotty: unlike other comedians, he can rely on foreign audiences to support his work, but Jack And Jill ($149 million) was a downer, and That's My Boy ($57 million) was a disaster. Targeting families isn't a bad approach, but this comes out against X-Men: Days Of Future Past. An end result of somewhere around $150 million global isn't too bad for a family comedy, but Sandler's films tend to have completely unreasonable budgets: Grown Ups 2 pretty much takes place in backyards and shopping malls and it cost $80 million. If this has a similar production cost, $200 million should be the goal.

Tammy – Melissa McCarthy is coming off a strong run that includes Identity Thief ($173 million) and The Heat ($229 million). This is a road trip comedy, however, and her only real support comes from Susan Sarandon. This seemed like a smaller project from the start, so the Fourth Of July berth is surprising, but McCarthy has had stronger, more proven box office stars to bounce against in her earlier work. This likely wasn't an expensive film, but without the support of an international audience, and opening in the wake of Transformers, this could easily take a knee at $80-$90 million worldwide.

Jupiter Ascending – You hate to predict negative results for an ambitious-looking original film like this, but there are too many wild-cards at play. It's not like the film – which features a half-wolf bounty hunter in the future pursuing a pretty janitor destined for great things – is that strange, but it certainly stands out in a sea of sequels, remakes and adaptations. Still, the Wachowskis have been playing with house money for awhile now: Speed Racer was a tremendously costly failure, and the expensive Cloud Atlas was released by Warner Bros. as if they were embarrassed by it. Their outlandish sci-fi concept rests on the appeal of Channing Tatum and Mila Kunis, both of whom have varied box office histories in recent years, and one is playing an elfin killer, the other a janitor. You wish them the best of luck, but the film is coming a week after Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes and carrying a massive $150 million budget. A global gross of $200 million would actually be saving face.

Sex Tape – Bad Teacher alumni Cameron Diaz, Jason Segel and director Jake Kasdan reunite for this raunchy comedy that pivots on an elaborate hook involving the misplaced marital aid in the title. Like Bad Teacher, it likely comes in at a reasonable price, and in Diaz it has an abnormally reliable leading lady at the box office. But Segel's last starring vehicle aside from The Muppets was Five Year Engagement, which crashed and burned at $53 million. The end of July looks like a decompression period where a lot of films won't hit, and Sex Tape looks like it could be one of the few to vanish, it's concept lending itself to a universal concept that no one wants to admit they comprehend.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Platinum Dunes has given the heroes in a half shell an expensive big screen treatment. Two major elements really hold this film back, however (three if it's terrible). One, do the Turtles really have any mainstream appeal right now? The constantly-rebooted show is never exactly a breakout hit with TV audiences. And 2007's TMNT grossed an underwhelming $95 million, quickly forgotten by the fanbase. Two, look at those turtle designs. The trailer has played to much confusion as people seem to be put-off by these edgy, frankly unsightly-looking Ninja heroes. A major marketing challenge has been created by the sight of these things: international audiences may not care, though and they'll help buoy a worldwide gross around $120 million.

Sin City: A Dame To Kill For It's been how long since that first movie? The $158 million gross was considerable, sure, but one can be argued that the film did next-to-nothing for the box office reputations of its stars. Some are less-bankable now (Bruce Willis). Some have aged out of their roles (Jessica Alba). And some, sadly, have passed away (Michael Clarke Duncan, Brittany Murphy). As a result, there's a lack of truly compelling reasons to revisit Sin City once again, particularly considering the sad career trajectory of Robert Rodriguez, once a Hollywood maverick, now another sequel for-hire guy with buddy Frank Miller. Opening in the dregs of August isn't a great sign, though the international numbers just might get the film's global total over $100 million.

Two words come to mind when we think of the Summer Movie Season. Bigger (which is a guarantee), and better (which is more of a hope).

There’s no denying that movies like Godzilla, Transformers: Age of Extinction and X-Men: Days of Future Past could only open in the sweltering summer session, when audiences try to beat the heat by escaping into air-conditioned multiplexes to have their minds collectively blown by massive special effects. But do those minds also have to be switched off during the summer season? We hope not, and we’re looking to the following films to stimulate as well as entertain us as we race into the exhilarating Summer blockbuster frame.

These are the 20 movies we’re most excited about this summer season, listed in chronological order. They are the movies we have been obsessing over constantly in the Cinema Blend offices – the movies we can’t wait to finally experience in a theater. Soon! For each, we try to explain WHY these movies matter. You have a lot of films to choose from in the summer season. These are the ones we think need to be on your radar. Tell us, in the comments section, which ones you are dying to see. And remind us which ones we’ve missed. Enjoy this year’s Summer Movie Preview. Dig in!

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

CAST: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan, Chris Cooper, Sally Field

DIRECTOR: Marc Webb

WHY IT MATTERS:

Marc Webb rebooted the Spider-Man franchise with 2012’s The Amazing Spider-Man, and now that he’s gotten the origin story out of the way, he’s able to take his hero out for a few spins. However, Webb’s focus isn’t just on this immediate sequel. Sony has bet big on the future of The Amazing Spider-Man, announcing plans for The Amazing Spider-Man 3 and possible spinoff movies for The Sinister Six and Venom, if all goes according to plan.

First, however, audiences need to turn out and support Webb’s second chapter in Spider-Man’s latest adventure, and this one is a doozy. Without getting too deep into details, the new movie retells a VERY important story in Spidey’s history, centering on Peter Parker’s strained relationship with his soul mate Gwen Stacy (played by the beautiful, radiant and charismatic Emma Stone). If you’ve read the comics, you know where this is going… and you know it’s bound to hurt. Jamie Foxx steals scenes with his portrayal of put-upon OsCorp employee Max Dillon – who becomes the lethal Electro. And Dane DeHaan brings the tragic Harry Osborn to life.

But finally committing the Gwen Stacy saga to the silver screen is a landmark achievement, and it will ensure that Spider-Man fans around the globe flock to see The Amazing Spider-Man 2 again and again. Bring tissues.

RELEASE DATE: May 2

Godzilla

CAST: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Bryan Cranston, Elizabeth Olsen, Juliet Binoche, Ken Watanabe

DIRECTOR: Gareth Edwards

WHY IT MATTERS:

Godzilla has one of the richest cinematic legacies of any character in movie history. The original film, born out of an agitated post-nuclear Japan, was not meant to be fun, but rather a reckoning, the sins of the past manifested, the personification of great tragedy and terrible loss. As the films continued, however, they lost their sadness, they lost their innate terror, and Godzilla was co-opted. Now, he fought for the people. Somehow, he was their hero. And there was no shortage of evil monsters to battle.

The fire-breathing legend has laid dormant for a few years now, due to diminishing returns from the Toho films in Japan and the disastrous 1998 American version that completely violated the essence of the character. Edwards brings a fresh take, however: his debut film Monsters focused on the disaster zone and urban decay left behind in the wake of a horrific alien invasion. Monsters was ultimately a smaller film, one dealing with an interpersonal relationship within the rubble. Godzilla should be, and probably will be, a bit more.

And early signs suggest a level of horror not seen as far as the monster, last seen rampaging throughout Japan in Godzilla: Final Wars. The character is usually captured in man-in-suit chintziness amidst low budget sets, which is why seeing him in the hands of Roland Emmerich showed promise. But Emmerich focused only on showy money shots, the beast's proportions constantly changing from shot-to-shot, before a truly disappointing character reveal. Edwards' Godzilla, meanwhile, is a preposterous size, and the action shots from the trailer suggest a level of devastation and disaster unseen in any film. This is a Godzilla that does not shrink away, this is a Godzilla that will mess you up. This is also a Godzilla, FYI, without a Puff Daddy music video tie-in. Thank goodness for small favors.

RELEASE DATE: May 16

X-Men: Days Of Future Past

CAST: (deep breath) Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, James McAvoy, Ian McKellan, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Peter Dinklage, Nicholas Hoult, Ellen Page, Evan Peters, Fan Bingbing, Omar Sy, Daniel Cudmore, Shawn Ashmore, Lucas Till, Anna Paquin

DIRECTOR: Bryan Singer

WHY IT MATTERS:

In your early years of X-fandom, did you ever think you'd walk past a billboard advertising a big budget adaptation of Days Of Future Past? One of the most beloved, and most convoluted, of X-Men storylines, this one has an X-Man traveling from a war-torn future into the past to stop a Very Bad Thing from happening to the First Class mutants in the seventies. In the new movie, that Very Bad Thing is unclear, but it definitely involves the creation of giant mutant-hunting robots know as Sentinels, which capture mutants and place them in containment camps.

You just know both Magnetos have a problem with THAT concept, which is why it will be curious to see how Fassbender adapts to playing the Master Of Magnetism in a movie that has the original real deal besides him. And how does he cope with his son Quicksilver, a young superpowered speedster who has the Maximoff comic tradition of graying prematurely? Also, how does he deal with young Xavier, who is still walking despite the bullet at the end of First Class, specifically to thrift shops to buy the ugliest shirts in existence?

But, again, this is Wolverine's movie, as he is being sent back in time to save the day and look great while flexing. This is Jackman's seventh time as the bladed hero, and the reason why most people haven't gotten sick of him is because of Jackman's combination of movie star charisma and macho world-weariness. Here, at last it makes sense why he'd be the lead, even if center stage was taken by the Kitty Pryde character in the comics: Wolverine has lived through the entire century, so to give a man out of time a chance to go back and reverse one historical period in which he lived to prevent another is an intriguing concept. Also, he probably stabs a lot of dudes.

RELEASE DATE: May 23

Maleficent

CAST:Angelina Jolie, Sharlto Copley, Elle Fanning, Sam Riley, Juno Temple

DIRECTOR: Robert Stromberg

WHY IT MATTERS:

Forget live-action remakes and forget sequels. Disney is taking a different approach at revisiting one of their beloved films with their new take on Sleeping Beauty by turning the focus around and telling the other side of the story. We're familiar with the princess who was cursed to sleep until her prince rescued her, but what about the villain? Anyone who knows the original Disney animated version of Sleeping Beauty knows that Maleficent isn't very developed as a villain. She essentially shows up at Aurora's christening, casts a delayed curse and waits. Beyond her poor manners -- who crashes a Christening and curses the baby, honestly? -- the story never really fills us in on her motives. Disney's update seeks to explore Maleficent's side of the story, which should hopefully shed some light on the behavior of this Mistress of All Evil. Why did she curse Aurora? Answering that question could very well change our perception of Disney's Sleeping Beauty. It's a risk, but an exciting one on Disney's part, as it delves deeper into one of their most classic fairytales, building onto the original story, hopefully in a way that compliments it.

The concept alone is reason enough to anticipate Maleficent. This is a film that could prove to be a game-changer in the way that Disney and other studios approach follow-ups. Beyond that, it looks like a great movie. We have Angelina Jolie with that wicked laugh and smile, and Elle Fanning starring opposite as the lovely and innocent Princess Aurora. And then there's Sam Riley, who's playing Diaval, the human form of Maleficent's right-hand raven! The trailers for the film have teased a visual feast, with a colorful backdrop, as well as pixies, at least one fire-breathing dragon and numerous other enchanted creatures from the forest kingdom looking ready to wage war with the humans. Exactly how all of this fits against the original story remains to be seen, but it's evident that Disney is going big with this picture, and we're eager to see if the payoff is as grand.

RELEASE DATE: May 30

A Million Ways To Die In The West

CAST: Seth McFarlane, Charlize Theron, Liam Neeson, Amanda Seyfried, Neil Patrick Harris, Giovanni Ribisi and Sarah Silverman

DIRECTOR: Seth McFarlane

WHY IT MATTERS:

After spending his long career almost exclusively in television, Seth MacFarlane accomplished something rather amazing back in the summer of 2012. He not only moved up to making features, but did so by moving away from animation and into live-action. The end result -- the crude, heavily R-rated Ted -- wound up getting both a largely positive critical response and was a smash hit around the world, ultimately making nearly $550 million. It’s the kind of success that makes you sit up and pay attention, and it’s why we’re so excited for his sophomore effort, A Million Ways To Die In The West.

Based on a script by MacFarlane and Ted co-writers Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild, the comedy is set in the old west and follows a cowardly sheep farmer who hopes to reassert himself as a man after his girlfriend dumps him for being too much of a wimp. To do so he teams up with a mysterious stranger new to town, but that only raises more complications when her outlaw husband comes to town thirsty for blood.

Taking yet another step into unfamiliar territory, MacFarlane is using A Million Ways To Die In The West as a possible launching point for his career as a live-action lead actor, but even if he is terrible (we don’t imagine he will be), he has an outstanding supporting cast backing him up. He has a wonderful co-protagonist in place with Charlize Theron playing the helpful mysterious stranger; a force of nature playing the villain with Liam Neeson as the outlaw; and a group of incredible funny actors in Neil Patrick Harris, Amanda Seyfried, Giovanni Ribisi and Sarah Silverman filling out the supporting cast. We have some very high expectations for this one, and hopefully it will not only reach them, but even go beyond.

RELEASE DATE: May 30

The Fault in Our Stars

CAST: Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Nat Wolff, Laura Dern, Sam Trammell

DIRECTOR: Josh Boone

WHY IT MATTERS:

Developing a story about a strong female lead isn't a novel concept in the young adult genre these days. In the post-Twilight era, we're seeing more and more strong, take-charge young female protagonists who've faced tough adversaries. John Green's The Fault In Our Stars takes a far more grounded approach in that regard, as lead character Hazel Grace Lancaster isn't going up against a foe that can be beaten with a bow or a gun. This teen is battling terminal cancer, and while much of the story centers around her struggle with a disease, as she lives on borrowed time, Hazel doesn't wallow. Her outlook on life is certainly altered by her experience with cancer, but she's a teen girl nonetheless and ripe for her first romance. Enter Augustus "Gus" Waters, a charming and intelligent amputee whose path crosses with Hazel at support group and the two click pretty much instantly.

Green's emotional story seems prime for a movie, and we're hopeful Josh Boone's adaptation will do the story justice. Beyond seeing Hazel and Gus brought to life in this film, we also have Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort to look forward to. The two young actors played sibling recently in the feature adaptation of Divergent, but they'll be connecting on a much more romantic level this time around, in a film that has the potential to be a beautiful demonstration of their dramatic (and a little bit comedic) range. The cast is rounded out by Laura Dern, Sam Trammell, Nat Wolff and Willem Dafoe, who will be playing the elusive author, Peter Van Houten. Based on the book, and what we've seen from the trailer, we're prepared for The Fault in our Stars to be an emotional ride, but one that's well worth the potential awkwardness of leaving the theater dabbing our eyes (or bawling, if it comes to it). What's more, we're prepared to fall in love with Hazel and Gus as they fall in love with each other.

RELEASE DATE: June 6

Edge of Tomorrow

CAST: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton

DIRECTOR: Doug Liman

WHY IT MATTERS:

There are a lot of people leaning on Edge of Tomorrow to help prove that they are still relevant in today’s cinematic culture, starting with leading man Tom Cruise. The once mighty star hasn’t had a massive hit in a while – which might explain why he’s falling back on his Mission: Impossible franchise for a fifth movie in the near future. Other films like Jakc Reacher and Oblivion have the industry questioning how bright Cruise’s star continues to shine. And if Edge of Tomorrow fails to take off in a crowded summer field, his longevity as a box-office icon could be in jeopardy.

Then, there's director Doug Liman, who burst onto the scene with Swingers and Go, the skyrocketed with The Bourne Identity and Mr. & Mrs. Smith. He has come back down to Earth thanks to Jumper and the political Fair Game, but he could use a massive hit to reconnect him with a mainstream crowd again.

Thankfully, the film looks incredibly inventive, with director Doug Liman resetting Cruise in a sci-fi Groundhog Day premise as a soldier who has to keep reliving the same battle-infused day time after time. There are a LOT of superhero stories on the docket this summer. Edge of Tomorrow will give audiences a different option… but ticket buyers are going to have to bring their intellect to keep up. Will that help Edge of Tomorrow as it rolls out into theaters, or will it hurt the movie’s chances at success?

RELEASE DATE: June 6

22 Jump Street

CAST: Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, and Ice Cube

DIRECTOR: Phil Lord and Chris Miller

WHY IT MATTERS:

Any reservations you might have about 22 Jump Street are likely totally reasonable. The legacy of successful sequels to blockbuster comedies is about as positive as the legacy of video game movies. Still, there are so many smart moves being made with this film that we can’t help but be excited for it.

Let’s start by talking about the sequel’s solid foundation. In 2012, audiences were taken completely by surprised when 21 Jump Street – an adaptation of an ‘80s TV show – wound up being the best comedy of the year. The sequel once again unites the strangely perfect pairing of Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum as undercover police officers Schmidt and Jenko, and we can’t wait to see how their bizarro chemistry is further explored. As hinted at in the end of the last movie, this time around their hijinks will be taken to the next level as they move on from their positions as high school students and instead become freshmen at the local college. Expect the film to work in plenty of meta jokes on just how hard it is to make a sequel.

What really has us sold on 22 Jump Street, however, are the two men steering the ship. Between Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs, 21 Jump Street and, most recently, The LEGO Movie, directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller have proven themselves to be two of the most talented comedic filmmakers currently working in the industry. We have reached a point where if they are involved with a project, then it’s worth a look. The two directors originally were not going to come back for the sequel, but were ultimately convinced to do so by a solid script. If that’s not enough to get you interested I’m not sure what else there is to say.

RELEASE DATE: June 13

How to Train Your Dragon 2

CAST: Jay Baruchel, Kristen Wiig, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Gerard Butler, Cate Blanchett, Kit Harington and Djimon Hounsou.

DIRECTOR: Dean DeBlois

WHY IT MATTERS:

Back in 2010, How to Train Your Dragon was a whimsical and welcomed animated adventure that captured the hearts and imaginations of children and grown-ups through its moving story, gorgeous animation, and break-taking use of 3-D. With massive critical praise and a worldwide box office of $494 million, a sequel to this hit seemed an obvious decision. As DreamWorks has in the past offered up some sloppy sequels like Shrek The Third and Kung Fu Panda 2, our feelings were mixed when How to Train Your Dragon 2 was first announced. However, DeBlois--who also wrote the script for How to Train Your Dragon 2--actually has a solid base to expand the story of Hiccup and Toothless. We've all seen the dragons and Vikings work things out. Now let's see what adventures lie beyond the island of Berk!

In the film, five years have passed since we last saw Hiccup and Toothless, and their camaraderie and daring has only grown. While their friends revel in a new breed of dragon-centric sports, this plucky pair is flying farther and farther away from Berk to chart unknown lands and trip across new quests. Little does Hiccup suspect to discover something startlingly close to home in these journeys. Along the way, DeBlois and his team is offering up a myriad of new dragon breeds as well as new characters voiced by Kit Harington, Djimon Hounsou, and Cate Blanchett. But most enticing to us is the supreme craftsmanship the filmmakers have put into aging up their teen heroes. The attention to detail in the character posters alone has us expecting great things from this high-flying sequel. Then of course we saw that five-minute preview, and from there How to Train Your Dragon 2 became one of our most anticipated releases, not just of the summer, but of 2014.

RELEASE DATE:June 13

Snowpiercer

CAST: Chris Evans, Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell, Ed Harris, John Hurt, Alison Pill, Octavia Spencer, Ewen Bremner and Song Kang-ho

DIRECTOR: Bong Joon-ho

WHY IT MATTERS:

First and foremost, Snowpiercer is the latest film and English-language debut of celebrated South Korean writer-director Bong Joon-ho, who won international acclaim in 2006 for his chilling yet hilarious monster movie, The Host. As a follow-up to the film that won him genre fans around the globe, Joon-ho dished out a lean, mean and critically acclaimed murder mystery known simply as Mother. (If you haven't yet seen that slick bit of thriller, be sure to add it to your to-do list this minute. We'll wait.) After these films, we'd follow Joon-ho anywhere, and for Snowpiercer, that means following him into a desolate wasteland of ice, snow, isolation and death.

Based on the French graphic novel Le Transperceneige, Snowpiercer is set on a future Earth that has been devastated by an apocalyptic new ice age. All that remains of humanity lives together on one single train called Snowpiercer. But even with such a shallow spread of mankind left on the planet, we divide ourselves into haves and have-nots. And class warfare begins to brew aboard this tinderbox of a train.

So, you've got a to-die-for director, an intriguing story, and on top of that a cast loaded with stellar performers. After seeing what he's done for Captain America, we'd watch Chris Evans in Paint Drying: The Movie. Tilda Swinton makes us swoon, and then the just look at the rest of this cast! You don't get an ensemble this great without a stupendous screenplay, and assisting Joon-ho in making sure his vision isn't lost in translation is Before The Devil Knows You're Dead scribe Kelly Masterson. But perhaps the best news of all for this ambitious drama is that after reports that it would be cut down for its U.S. debut, The Weinstein Company had a change of heart and promised American audiences to be true to the cut Joon-ho had engineered. After years of drooling over concept art and character posters, we'll finally get to see this promising pic this summer!

RELEASE DATE:June 27

Transformers: Age of Extinction

CAST: Mark Wahlberg, Nicola Peltz, Jack Reynor, Stanley Tucci, Kelsey Grammer

DIRECTOR: Michael Bay

WHY IT MATTERS:

Because after three hugely successful Transformers films, Paramount is attempting to reboot their franchise – sort of. After flirting with the possibility of moving on, director Michael Bay retains creative control over the series, which will take place years after the wonton destruction of Chicago in Transformers: Dark of the Moon. But here’s the big change: Shia LaBeouf and the cast of the initial Transformers trilogy have been jettisoned, replaced by Bay’s Pain & Gain collaborator, Mark Wahlberg. Will audience respond well to the upgrade?

This sounds silly to say about a Transformers movie, but the plot is going to matter. I can’t tell you a single dramatic point about the previous Transformers movies. Basically, they all went "boom" very well, to the tune of BILLIONS of dollars in global receipts. But Bay has been hinting in the press that Transformers: Age of Extinction will be the starting point for a new trilogy (even though he has not said whether he will continue to direct after this one).

So for all of the talk about a fresh take on the Transformers series, this looks to retain a lot of the chemistry that made the first three films huge hits. Will the fourth movie in this still-powerful film franchise excite audiences enough to have them clamoring for the next few adventures of Wahlberg and the Autobots? We’ll find out soon enough.

RELEASE DATE: June 27

Tammy

CAST: Melissa McCarthy, Susan Sarandon, Allison Janney

DIRECTOR: Ben Falcone

WHY IT MATTERS:

Melissa McCarthy may occasionally overplay her hand in an effort to generate as many laughs as possible, but when working with the right material, they are few comediennes better. She can storm through a scene like few others, and the subject matter for Tammy sounds perfect for her. It follows a woman who has hit the end of her rope. Her husband is cheating. Her job situation is a complete disaster, and her family members aren’t exactly the easiest people in the world to get along with.

Tammy is being directed by Ben Falcone, who has been in a slew of movies but for our purposes, is most importantly, Melissa McCarthy’s longtime husband. It’s entirely possible that means he won’t be able to direct her at all. Some people are horrendous at working with family members on a professional level. Fortunately, there are plenty of others who are great at it. Before they hated each other, Woody Allen and Mia Farrow did some brilliant work together. In short, it’s going to be nice to see someone with a completely different perspective try to manage McCarthy, and if it proves to be a winning combination, we could see the two paired together again for decades to come. Or we could all quietly act like this never existed a few years from now. Either way, it’s worth paying attention to.

RELEASE DATE: July 2, 2014

Life Itself

CAST: Martin Scorsese, Werner Herzog, Errol Morris

DIRECTOR: Steve James

WHY IT MATTERS:

Because critic Roger Ebert mattered to film, and we lost him in April 2013. Nearly a year later, Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker Steve James (Hoop Dreams) remembers the influential journalist with a touching tribute that has made the festival circuit and is making its way to theaters.

There’s a very good chance that you, like us, grew up reading the reviews of Roger Ebert. Maybe you disagreed with him. (Lord knows we did, often.) But there was no denying the passion, knowledge and brilliant, conversational tone he brought to virtually every column. No film critic outside of his late partner, Gene Siskel, could claim to have the impact Ebert had with his very simple rating of "Thumbs Up / Thumbs Down" on a film. Ebert’s legacy extends beyond his digit, of course, and James’ documentary pulls from the critics’ memoir to paint the full portrait of his life. Life Itself won’t make a fraction of what X-Men: Days of Future Past will pull in on its opening weekend. But if you give a damn about the movies (and if you read this far, you do), then put Life Itself on your radar and check it out when it reaches a theater near you.

RELEASE DATE: July 11

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

CAST: Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Judy Greer, Toby Kebbell, and Kodi Smith-McPhee

DIRECTOR: Matt Reeves

WHY IT MATTERS:

The first time that Hollywood tried to reboot Planet of the Apes was a bit of a trainwreck, as great special effects makeup couldn’t fix the broken script that led to Tim Burton’s remake of the 1963 sci-fi classic. Where that film failed, however, 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes succeeded. Establishing itself as a prequel and telling the story of how a chimpanzee named Caesar would lead to the downfall of mankind, the movie left us desperate to see more of the story, and this summer we will finally get to see a continuation of that story.

Directed by Matt Reeves, who has demonstrated an interesting eye as a filmmaker with movies like Cloverfield and Let Me In, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes picks up 10 years after the end of the last film and finds Caesar leading a community of apes in a world decimated by the spread of a deadly virus. This time of peace is interrupted, however, when the primates come in contact with a band of humans who have managed to stay alive. This contact eventually leads to conflict as a result of fear, and before long war starts to peek on the horizon.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes has a number of impressive actors playing the human roles, including Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman and Keri Russell, but just like the last film the real draws to this rebooted series are the apes. The amazing Andy Serkis is once again back playing Caesar, and from the looks of all the footage we’ve seen, the visual effects team at WETA have outdone themselves. If Dawn can be even half as good as Rise of the Planet of the Apes, then we should be in for a real treat – but that’s still a very high bar.

RELEASE DATE: July 11

Jupiter Ascending

CAST: Mila Kunis, Channing Tatum, Sean Bean, Douglas Booth, Eddie Redmayne, James D'Arcy, and Terry Gilliam

DIRECTOR: Lana Wachowski & Andy Wachowski

WHY IT MATTERS:

The Wachowski Siblings seem to live by the motto: Go big or go home. In the past, they brought us The Matrix trilogy, a franchise so popular, mesmerizing, and instantly iconic that it shifted the entire action genre in a new direction. Then in 2012, this dedicated duo (along with co-helmer Tom Tykwer) took on the adaptation of a book many had written off as "unfilmable." Cloud Atlas received praise from critics. But it appeared to baffle the general public, earning just $130 million worldwide, which is bad news when its budget is estimated at about $102 million. Still, even when they aren't delivering runaway hits, you have got to admire Wachowski ambition.

With Jupiter Ascending the Wachowskis have concocted an original and sprawling science-fiction universe in which there are a wide array of life forms spread out across space. But in the caste system that has naturally evolved, humans are considered to be near the bottom of the barrel when it comes to intelligent life. Mila Kunis stars as a young maid named Jupiter Jones, whose ordinary life is thrown into spin (and danger) when a genetically engineered hunter (Channing Tatum) tracks her down and tells her she was born to an incredible destiny that will pit her against the Queen of the Universe.

Directed by the Wachowskis, Jupiter Ascending had us intrigued from the start. Its cast made us drool with anticipation. Then the trailer hit, and we dutifully marked out calendars for its release. Of all the filmmakers working today, the Wachowski Siblings are chief among those who remind us of the glory of watching a movie in a theater, where their lush production designs can explode before us, larger than life. There, we can properly be enveloped in the carefully composed score and scintillating sound design. In the theater, we get as close to we ever will to entering into the worlds the Wachowskis imagine. And it's a pretty spectacular place to be.

RELEASE DATE: July 18

Guardians of the Galaxy

CAST: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Lee Pace, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, John C. Reilly, Glenn Close and Benicio del Toro

DIRECTOR: James Gunn

WHY IT MATTERS:

Marvel Studios is on what you might call a bit of a roll. Two years ago they made what ended up being the third highest grossing film of all time with The Avengers, and the three films that have come out since - Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier were all giant blockbusters in their own right. (And did I mentioned they all got positive critical receptions?) At this point, it seems like the studio can do nothing wrong, so now, in classic Monty Python style, they’re ready to present us with something completely different.

While the Marvel Cinematic Universe has established a rich, full fictional Earth filled with all kinds of superheroes and evil forces, Guardians of the Galaxy takes audiences millions of miles away from all of that and instead introduces them to a whole new team of dysfunctional misfits. Leading the pack is Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), a half-alien, half-human who left Earth at a young age and has spent his adult life as a Han Solo-style badass, but backing him his a ridiculous and colorful cast of supporting characters: Groot (Vin Diesel), a walking tree; Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper), a gun-loving furry mammal; Gamora (Zoe Saldana), a green space assassin; and Drax The Destroyer (Dave Bautista), a hulking alien driven by revenge.

Of all the characters that Marvel has brought to life on the big screen thus far, the Guardians of the Galaxy are by far the most obscure, but it’s possible that the movie’s power lies in that obscurity. Directed by low-budget maestro James Gunn, the film looks utterly bizarre, and something about the strangeness of the footage just makes you want to know more about it. It looks like a ridiculous amount of fun, and should be a great late-summer hit.

RELEASE DATE: August 1

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

CAST: Johnny Knoxville, Megan Fox, William Ficther, Will Arnett

DIRECTOR: Jonathan Liebesman

WHY IT MATTERS:

First of all, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are certifiably badass. Anyone who tells you differently is either from the wrong generation or has horrible taste. These amphibians are super loveable, and the world is a better place when they’re churning out a steady stream of material on both television and in movies. That being said, this film hasn’t exactly attracted a ton of good publicity. There are rumors about reshoot swirling, and producer Michael Bay doesn’t exactly instill confidence in most people. So, are there red flags? Yes, let’s just own up to that right off the bat.

Beyond those red flags, however, there’s a project here that’s pretty interesting. The cast is well above average. The $125 million budget will more than allow for everyone involved to get as crazy/ fun with the adaptation as possible, and we should have all of the technological pieces we need to make these amphibians look great. Now, it’s just a matter of finding the right plot and getting the tone correctly. This movie should either start an entirely new franchise that cranks out hits on a semi-regular basis, or we need to root for it to move out of the way as quickly as possible so someone else can try their hand.

RELEASE DATE: August 8

The Giver

CAST: Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep, Brenton Thwaites, Katie Holmes

DIRECTOR: Phillip Noyce

WHY IT MATTERS:

Released a little more than twenty years ago, The Giver reached a fairly wide audience pretty quickly, but its influence has only grown in the years since thanks to how often it’s taught in schools. Consequently, there’s damn near an entire generation that read Lois Lowry’s text at some point in their lives, and after numerous starts and stops, the material has finally gotten the production budget and the cast to adapt the material correctly. Don’t expect a straight up adaptation, however.

No doubt that willingness to change things will infuriate some of the book’s biggest fans, but in a way, it’s the reason why The Giver is worth getting excited over. It’s always important to stay true to the spirit of something, but for an adaptation to work, the director and writer need to have the freedom to make choices that are in the film’s best interest. Here, that means we’re going to see a much older Jonas who has a far clearer love interest. It should also mean some of the visions he receives are more graphic than what we got in the book. In theory, that means the strengths of Lowry’s work could be built upon. Besides, who doesn’t want to see Jeff Bridges play the title Giver, a weird old man who possesses every memory?

RELEASE DATE: August 15

The Expendables 3

CAST: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Terry Crews, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Antonio Banderas, Wesley Snipes, Mel Gibson, Harrison Ford, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kellan Lutz, Ronda Rousey, Kelsey Grammer, Glen Powell, Victor Ortiz, Robert Davi

DIRECTOR: Patrick Hughes

WHY IT MATTERS:

For most people, the thrill of these movies lies in the casting. The first film did a poor job showcasing the cast, likely a case of Stallone overextending himself as director and co-writer. But the second gave standout moments to each member of the crew, including a just-passing-through Chuck Norris and an absolutely game Jean-Claude Van Damme as villain Jean Vilain (oh, the names in these movies!). The subtext of the first two were that these old veterans of the action genre still had life in them. Now that we've seen them return twice, the theme very much feels like the end of an era, particularly for Stallone and Schwarzenegger, neither of whom remain bankable.

And the casting department didn't let down this time around. The net's been widened, and no longer did the production pursue b-list action stars when there were a-level recruits still waiting to be called. Wesley Snipes, fresh out of prison, joins the group as Surgeon. Antonio Banderas, an unlikely but welcome addition, is Rapido. Harrison Ford, actually one of the oldest Expendables, is pilot Max Drummer, and Kelsey Grammer is Bonaparte. And, in the villain role, there's old Mel Gibson as the superbly-named Conrad Stonebanks.

There's fresh blood onboard, not only in the cast, but also behind the camera: little-known Aussie director Patrick Hughes has been given the task of wrangling this preposterous cast. His thriller Red Hill was low on the explosions, but high on tension, and he's got enough of an attitude to toss these legends around a bit, at least more than part two's Simon West. The hope is also that he can restrict the old guys so they don't embarrass themselves looking like they can hold their own: the spotlight should be on the more convincing badasses, like Snipes, Statham, Crews, and even Lundgren, while letting guys like Stallone, Schwarzenegger and Ford bow out gracefully. The first and second films were victory parades. This third one should be a passing of the torch, and a chance to re-establish this franchise as a boutique showcase for the greatest action stars of their generations, while they can still throw roundhouse kicks.

RELEASE DATE: August 15

The Maze Runner

CAST: Dylan O'Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Sangster, Will Poulter, Aml Ameen, Ki Hong Lee

DIRECTOR: Wes Bell

WHY IT MATTERS:

James Dashner's The Maze Runner is almost as much a mystery as it is an adventure, centering on a kid who wakes up on an old elevator as it's delivering him to a mysterious place called The Glade. Thomas knows nothing about who he is other than his own first name when he arrives in the Glade and is introduced to a community of other boys, each of whom arrived the same way at some point during the previous months or years. These kids live by their own rules, attempting to function as a community within the high walls of their compound. Each morning, those walls of the Glade open up to a massive maze that may be the key to freedom. Each day, the runners -- the fastest and bravest of the kids -- heads into the maze and spends their daylight hours running through the maze in search of a way out of this strange place. So far, no one has been successful. But it's crucial that the runners make it back to the Glade by the end of the day, because when the sun goes down, the vicious, stinging Grievers come out to roam the maze at night.

The story is brimming with potential for a thrilling cinematic experience. Between the Maze, the Glade and dangerous Grievers that lurk in the maze, Dashner really paints a thrilling and picturesque backdrop for this story, which doubles as a mystery, as we're left to wonder who has orchestrated this strange and dangerous situation. It should be very interesting to see how Wes Ball brings it to life, especially considering his background in art and visual effects, which should prove very useful for this adaptation. There's also the cast to be excited about, as up-and-comer Dylan O'Brien plays the lead role int he film, while Kaya Scodelario will play Teresa, the final arrival and lone female at the Glade. Fox gave us our first good look at the film with a trailer to whet our appetites for the adventure that awaits these Gladers.

RELEASE DATE: September 19

The NBA playoffs have begun, and there's a very good chance your favorite team is one of the sixteen qualifying squads, But you've missed the bulk of the regular season, because you never go to your friend's house anymore to take advantage of his NBA TV package. And now the summer movie season is creeping up and you have no idea what's coming out. Damn that Nana for canceling your subscription to Entertainment Weekly. How are you going to plan your movie schedule? How will you know which teams have weaknesses, and how will you know which movies will be interesting, funny, or flat-out terrible?

Well, it's a good thing you asked, because we put the whole thing in one convenient place for you. We've handpicked sixteen big summer releases and matched them up with an NBA title contender. Some connect tenuously, superficially. Others have unusual similarities, borderline creepy. But at least it's all at your fingertips. Here, at last, is your one and ONLY NBA Playoffs/Summer Movie Combo Preview!

Transformers: Age Of Extinction

Michael Bay's toy-centric sequel focuses on a father-son duo who accidentally stumble upon the age-old battle between Autobots and Decepticons. You are...

The Miami Heat

When Mark Wahlberg called Transformers the "most iconic franchise," he sounded very much like a Heat fan praising the team's "legacy" when they've only been around since the eighties. The three Transformers films were dominant at the box office in the same manner as the Heat, who have now won two straight championships and are trying for a third. But, like the Heat's difficult championship run last year, which involved a handful of tough Game 7's, Transformers: Dark Of The Moon was a weaker performer stateside than its predecessor. None of those films were very well reviewed, so the reasoning is that even with Wahlberg on board, this Transformers is unlikely to repeat previous performances, just as the Heat might find themselves unable to pull off a threepeat.

The Expendables III

Sylvester Stallone unites a group of aging action stars for one last ride, even though they've been written off for years now. You are...

The San Antonio Spurs

You saw this one coming, didn't you? Tim Duncan has been everyone's favorite pick to run out of gas, but at 37 he's still leading the Spurs to the best record in the league. It's not a one-to-one comparison: the presence of guys like Mel Gibson reminds Spurs fans of that time Glenn Robinson signed with the team, played five minutes a game, and rode the bench to a championship. But these guys are no doubt aged past their primes. Tony Parker is not unlike the Jason Statham of the group, a relative spring chicken compared to the others but still racking up some serious mileage. And during last year's playoffs, Manu Ginobili was looking like modern day Arnold Schwarzenegger out there, which made it more surprising when he went and had a marvelous '13-'14 season. Age is nothing but a number.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Peter Parker must prepare for his most difficult challenge in facing off against Electro, the Rhino, and the Green Goblin. You are...

The Indiana Pacers

Like Indiana's season, everything about The Amazing Spider-Man 2 sounded pretty cool from the beginning. But something went wrong with the changing of the guard. Indiana felt comfortable passing the leadership mantle from Danny Granger to Paul George, but just like with Andrew Garfield and Spider-Man, the franchise suffered some growing pains. There's reason to believe the infighting that has fractured Indiana's clubhouse will be healed for the postseason, just as there's hope that Marc Webb's Spider-Man will find its footing with this entry. But the addition of Paul Giamatti as the Rhino to the series seemed a lot like the Pacers' acquisition of Evan Turner: a lot of talent and effort for only minor contributions to the finished product.

X-Men: Days Of Future Past

The X-Men of the future must travel back in time to assist the mutants from the past in stopping a coming disaster. You are...

The Oklahoma City Thunder

Kevin Durant is like the NBA's version of Wolverine: absolutely unstoppable, unkillable, and endlessly exciting. But people continue to ask if Russell Westbrook has too much talent to be a second banana. Is this Durant's franchise, or Westbrook's? Is Hugh Jackman the real drawing card for the X-films, or is it (and should it be?) Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy? The Thunder surrendered James Harden for a few draft picks to build for the future, but those pieces, including Steven Adams and Jeremy Lamb, have generated as much heat as X-Men: First Class additions like Havok and Banshee. Can each of these franchises find their identity and win?

Neighbors

It's the working class versus the partying class when a suburban couple must contend with the rowdy fraternity living next door. You are...

The Toronto Raptors

The Raptors are, like Seth Rogen, the pride of Canada. You also have to wonder how both of these Canadian wonders got here. Rogen, an unassuming young comedic actor with a slacker temperament, here plays the responsible adult, the stick-in-the-mud that Zac Efron rebels against. And the Raptors, low on talent and with a history of failure, were looked at as one of the teams basically giving up on the season to attain a high draft pick. Neighbors comes out between blockbusters The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Godzilla, and it really seems like a longshot to match those films. And the inexperienced Raptors also seem like they don't belong: on paper, this might be the least talented of the playoff teams. Can either modest enterprise establish itself amongst the behemoths?

Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes

Years after Caesar seized control of the ape hierarchy, humanity struggles to survive in the face of interspecies war. You are...

The Los Angeles Clippers

Like Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes, people kind of couldn't believe the Clippers were for real the last couple of years. Their depth was suspect, Blake Griffin hadn't developed a full game yet, and their coaching situation was famously undistinguished. But this year has very much been a different chapter. Like the new Apes film, which pivots on a disastrous apocalyptic scenario, these Clippers are for real, with Doc Rivers at the helm bringing a great deal of dignity to a franchise about to experience its best days. Matt Reeves' (Let Me In) presence as the director suggests this is totally unexplored territory, something that tests everything you know about Planet Of The Apes. Clippers basketball, similarly, will never be the same.

Guardians Of The Galaxy

Marvel's next adventure centers on a group of space-faring heroes as they try to prevent a war between opposing alien races. You are...

The Chicago Bulls

Telling a kid that the Bulls are in the playoffs must be unusual. "Is MVP Derrick Rose going to be playing?" he'll ask. No, kid, he's hurt. "What about Luol Deng?" Sorry kid, traded. "... Do they still have Nate Robinson?" No kid, that was only for a brief, insane time. Now try telling that kid about the new Marvel movie. "Is Iron Man in it?" Not at all, young fella. "What about Cap? It's gotta have Cap..." Of course, Chicago is such a scrappy, tough team that even as they remain decimated, no one wants to play them, and no one will count them out. And people can talk about the box office uncertainty of Guardians, but would you be the one to bet against Marvel?

22 Jump Street

This comedy sequel finds Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum going undercover as college students to bust a drug ring. You are...

The Houston Rockets

Yeah, it's a dumb comedy based on a dumb premise: mocking an old television show that the target demographic most assuredly did not watch. And yes, the Rockets are led by Dwight Howard, a small-my-farts level juvenile in the locker room. But Howard is as much of a beast as 21 Jump Street was at the box office. Howard's silly theatrics played poorly in Los Angeles, when he clashed with the Lakers. But he's found a home in Houston, just as Channing Tatum might have found a home in the action-comedy realm, where he can be the attractive alpha male but also encouraged to be silly.

Hercules

The ancient tale of the rise of a hero is told in this sprawling action epic. You are...

The Brooklyn Nets

Everything about Hercules makes sense on paper: Dwayne Johnson as the mythic figure in a sweeping action film? Sure, why not? And uniting Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Joe Johnson and Deron Williams on the Nets? Gotta be a powerhouse, right? Except that Garnett is a broken-down shell, Williams and Pierce have appeared disinterested at times, and Joe Johnson has gone back and forth between useful and millstone for Brooklyn for first-time coach Jason Kidd. Under the leadership of director Brett Ratner, Hercules too looks like the sort of idea so dynamite on paper that it might crumble onscreen. Did the Nets get fat off the weak Eastern Conference to become winners like Hercules is sure to benefit from a skimpy late-July release schedule? Or are they for real?

Jupiter Ascending

The Wachowskis return with this deep space tale of a gifted woman and the bounty hunter tasked with hunting her, but who falls in love instead. You are...

The Portland Trail Blazers

Like the film where Channing Tatum plays some sort of elfin half-wolf, nobody knows what to expect from the Blazers. While Jupiter Ascending is banking heavily on the audience's like (not love) of Tatum and Mila Kunis, coach Terry Stotts has leaned heavily on his not-exactly-All-Star starting lineup, pushing them in order to avoid going to his bench. Are the Blazers' depth shortcomings going to let the team down just as the final leg of the Jupiter Ascending marketing campaign ultimately fails to stick the landing? Or will the Wachowskis' trilogy-ready story appear richer than it initially appears, just as the Blazers get unexpected contributions from the anonymous likes of Thomas Robinson, Mo Williams and Dorrell Wright?

Maleficent

Angelina Jolie is the fiendish witch of the Sleeping Beauty legend in this live-action parable about an immensely-powerful villain's quest for control of the kingdom. You are...

The Washington Wizards

Yes, there's magic in the air with both the Wizards and Maleficent. But with endless fantasy film options over the years, where's the demand for yet another fairy tale brought to life? Disney's banking on Jolie's visage to do the heavy lifting is a lot like Washington mortgaging their future to bank on a team led by John Wall, Bradley Beal, and the contract-year ruffians that dot this roster. Beal is also very much the Elle Fanning to Wall's Jolie: an up-and-comer who might deserve more of the spotlight than their co-star is willing to handle. And these big fantasies keep getting handed to first-timers with no experience: it's very much like trusting the under-equipped Randy Wittman to lead a team to postseason success.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

The heroes in a half shell battle with Shredder for the soul of New York City. You are...

The Golden State Warriors

There's something mercenary about this squad, as if the team could trade away all their pieces at a moment's notice. Golden State's ditching of assistant coaches also calls to mind the Ninja Turtles production replacing the actors who played the leads with celebrity voices at the eleventh hour. And should these enterprises stumble, it's likely the people taking the blame with be coach Mark Jackson and director Jonathan Liebesman, respectively, and not the bosses in charge (Joe Lacob, Michael Bay). On paper both have winning formulas, but there's something just a little overly aggressive and obnoxious about them, like a misplaced chip on peoples' shoulders.

A Fault In Our Stars

A terminally-ill teen played by Shailene Woodley faces down her last days with strength. You are...

The Charlotte Bobcats

Like Miss Woodley, the Bobcats are also ending their existence, prepared to head into a brave new world next year as the Hornets. Like Ansel Elgort, who plays the gentleman lover who gives Woodley solace in her final days, Al Jefferson came aboard this team to provide the greatest star power they'd ever boast in their history, ending this year as possibly the greatest Bobcat of all time. Also, "fault in our stars" is the best way to describe how it is the Bobcats ended up in the postseason.

Edge Of Tomorrow

Tom Cruise is a soldier in a post-apocalyptic world who finds himself constantly dying in battle and returning to the past with memories intact. You are...

The Dallas Mavericks

Dirk Nowitizki is 35 years old, playing a much younger man's game. Like Cruise, taking on a role originally written for a twentysomething, Nowitzki is attempting to turn back the clock and keep extending a career of unparalleled success. Just as Cruise keeps resurrecting with new weapons and battle styles, so too have the Mavericks recharged, adding younger pieces in Monta Ellis and Jose Calderon to beef up their back court. Ultimately, the enemy is time: Nowitzki bats it back like an eager gnat, but Cruise seems to transcend it. Perhaps Dirk could learn a thing or two.

The Purge: Anarchy

During the annual Purge, a couple's car breaks down as curfew hits, and they must survive a night in the asphalt wilderness. You are...

The Atlanta Hawks

Man, what happened in that Eastern Conference this year? In a sea of terrible teams attempting to get that final 8th seed, it didn't seem to be about victory as much it was survival. Perhaps the East needed a Purge of its own, since the terrible Hawks barely squeaked into the playoffs despite getting to beat up on the hapless Knicks, Sixers and Bucks all season. They're really just happy to be here: you get the sense that if Atlanta had a choice, they'd hide in their maximum security house and watch the other teams cannibalize each other. Instead, the playoffs have become the Purge, and good folks like Paul Millsap and Lou Williams have been left amidst the carcasses with no way home, just waiting to fall prey to whomever is lurking around the corner.

Godzilla

The legendary beast has re-emerged from the ocean to terrify a global population that was completely unaware of his nuclear existence. You are...

The Memphis Grizzlies

Facing off against Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph in the paint seems just as dangerous as coming face to face with Japan's most ferocious export: heck, Randolph might as well have TOHO stamped on his bicep. Godzilla seemed like just another reboot just as the Grizzlies were looking at a lost season in the first half of the year. Then, those trailers hit, and everything turned: like the Grizzlies, something about this Godzilla movie looks amazing, but not at all fun. Even with all the world's joy of playing a game for a living, no team wants to face off against the Grizzlies, as it would be a slow, violent, brutal game filled with hard fouls and chippy attitudes. If it achieves what it intends to, Godzilla will be a similar grueling experience as a hypothetical 89-87 overtime Grizzlies win, a game so tense and upsetting you don't cheer as much as nap afterwards.

We’re done looking back on previous movie years. It’s finally time to look ahead. The calendar pages have turned over to 2014, and we have so many films climbing to the top of our need-to-see list. Have a hankering for superhero action? Hollywood has you covered. Are you a YA fan seeking the next Hunger Games? Studios continue to comb bookstore shelves in search of a proper replacement – though a third Hunger Games is on its way, as well.

Needless to say, there should be a little something for everyone in the coming year. And to help you plan out your movie-watching year, we singled out 14 titles we’re looking forward to in 2014, as well as a list of additional can’t-miss movies. We’re putting these in order of release date, making it easy to fill out your own personal calendar. I think we can all agree that 2013 was a fantastic year at the movie theaters. You have a lot to live up to, 2014, but your miraculous journey into our movie-loving hearts can start with:

The Monuments Men

Remember Monuments Men? At one point in time, a tangible percentage of observers were pretty convinced it would wind up walking away with the Academy Award for Best Picture this year. Unfortunately, some problems on the editing side of the equation forced Clooney and company to push the film’s release date back from December 2013 to February 2014. Will the delay and bizarre release date ultimately cost the film a moment in the sun at the next Oscars? Very possibly, but luckily for all of us, it should actually improve the film’s quality. After all, I’m sure the effects department was able to work wonders with the extra month that fell into their laps. Remember back in high school when you’d be struggling to finish something and the teacher would casually tell everyone they had an extra day? Well, this is like the grown-up version of that.

The larger film follows a ragtag unit of men who enlist as soldiers in order to try and save art from the Nazi war machine. Clooney and Matt Damon topline the project, and the rest of the unit is filled out by such brilliant and loveable actors as Bill Murray, John Goodman, Bob Balaban and Jean Dujardin. No one outside the studio has actually seen the film yet, but all of the trailers and the sudden release date change have only increased excitement for what has all the makings of a brilliant and slyly hysterical film. Besides, I think we’re all a big thumbs up on any film that figures out a way to take on World War II from an angle that’s actually different.

Release Date: February 7, 2014

The LEGO Movie

It was back in 2003 that I first discovered filmmakers Phil Lord and Chris Miller. Along with Spin City/Scrubs/Cougartown creator Bill Lawrence, the duo created the hilarious animated series Clone High, which told the story of what would happen if the most notable names in history all went to high school together. Their reputation has only gone up in the decade since, moving from television to features and directing the hits Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs and 21 Jump Street. They have a one-two punch coming in 2014, and I’m dying to see the sequel 22 Jump Street, but while that movie won’t be out until summer it’s The LEGO Movie that has a full hold of my attention right now.

More than just a nice nostalgia fix (I played with LEGOs endlessly when I was a kid), I’m fascinated by the film’s production. The movie is being made with a mix of both stop-motion animation and CG, but more importantly, it was confirmed at Comic-Con this past July that absolutely everything you see in the movie, from the oceans to the sky to explosions, will actually be made of LEGO.

Like just about every animated movie out there these days, the film boasts an impressive line-up of voice actors. But what sets it apart is the number of notable pop-culture figures who will be coming together. Trailers have revealed characters like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Abraham Lincoln, but the movie will also be bringing together Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern (voiced by Will Arnett, Channing Tatum, Cobie Smulders and Jonah Hill, respectively). Thankfully it’s coming out next month, so it’s just a few weeks away.

Release Date: February 7, 2014.

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Wes Anderson. The name alone is enough to get me eagerly anticipating whatever adventure this writer-director wishes to take on next. Whether the subject is first love (Moonrise Kingdom), mid-life crisis (The Fantastic Mr. Fox), world-rattling grief (The Darjeeling Limited), May-December romance (Rushmore), or fractured families (The Royal Tenebaums and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou), Anderson's tender yet detached style of storytelling brings forth a warm and beautiful narrative filled with a cavalcade of quirky yet charming characters.

Armed as ever with his pastel paintbrush and sharp sense of humor, he's taking on a murder mystery tale here, and I can't wait. This curious collision is made more exciting by a cast that includes established members of his repertory like Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Edward Norton, Tilda Swinton, Lea Seydoux, and Billy Murray… as well as newcomers to the Anderson aesthetic, like Jude Law, Tom Wilkinson, Saoirse Ronan and Ralph Fiennes. This sprawling cast should be counted as another major reason to get giddy over The Grand Budapest Hotel, but so too is the premise that has legendary concierge Gustave H (Fiennes) juggling a barrage of bizarre guests while fighting a murder rap of one of his old (as in octogenarian) lovers.

Then there's those curious trailers! Colors so lovely and questions abound. Who is the interesting old fellow? What's the deal with "Boy with Apple?" How do all these wild figures tie together? What's with that hooked scar on Agatha's cheek? But most importantly, who is the killer in their midst?!

Release Date: March 7, 2014

Veronica Mars

A year prior to the film’s release date, Veronica Mars fans were invited to rally in support of their beloved spunky detective (marshmallow), pile up their cash and make the wished-for follow-up film a reality. They came through in droves, and this March, Veronica Mars will hit the big screen, bringing the snarky once-teen detective back to Neptune to crack the next big mystery. The film won’t ignore the massive time gap between Veronica’s college years — where the TV series left off — and the present. Kristen Bell’s character will be returning to Southern California for her high school reunion, and though she’s left her days as a private eye behind, pursuing a career practicing law instead, she may be drawn back into the investigating business when her ex-boyfriend Logan (Jason Doehring) asks her to help clear his name after he’s accused of murdering his pop star girlfriend.

For fans of the gone-too-soon UPN/CW series, Veronica Mars’ return in feature form is a massively anticipated event for 2014. Not only has the character been long overdue for a revival, but the series left off in such an uncertain place that it seems necessary to revisit the story, if only to get some better closure. Hopefully the film offers that along with plenty of witty banter, nods to the original series, and a mystery to rival that of the first season.

Release Date: March 14, 2014

Transcendence

Academy Award-winning cinematographer Wally Pfister is best known for his work alongside famed director Christopher Nolan, but later this year, he may break out in a big way on his own thanks to the artificial-intelligence-gone-wrong science fiction thriller Transcendence. The film started generating a ton of buzz back in December on the heels of a creepy and brilliant teaser, and the subsequently released trailer did nothing to dissuade fans from their collective excitement.

Beneath the surface, there are definitely some deep, dark secrets in play here, but the basic plot seems pretty clear at this point. Johnny Depp, working with someone other than Tim Burton or Gore Verbinski, is a brilliant scientist working on the singularity problem. At some point during the course of his research, he gets shot by an anti-technology group, but rather than deter him, the radiation bullet somehow frees his mind to begin pushing what’s possible in new and exciting directions. Maybe he’s a monster. Maybe he’s a liberator. It’s still sort of unclear whose side he’s on and whether or not we should root for him, but regardless of whether he’s an antagonist or a protagonist, he certainly seems like a character we’ll never, ever forget – which, for a director making his first feature, seems like the ultimate goal.

Release Date: April 17, 2014

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Opinions on Marc Webb’s Spider-Man origin reboot were mixed. The movie made money, banking $752 million globally. But it divided critics and fans into camps, some of whom preferred Sam Raimi’s take on the web-slinger over Webb’s modern vision. I loved Andrew Garfield’s take on Peter Parker, an updated high school geek who doesn’t realize he’s actually cool, embracing sarcasm in ways Tobey Maguire never figured out. Sony also fell for Webb’s approach, greenlighting May’s anticipated sequel as well as multiple sequels.

This is the movie where we believe Webb will show us the breadth of his Spider-Man plan. Stages will be set for massive Spider-Man action, introducing cinematic villains in Electro (Jamie Foxx) and a new Goblin (Dane DeHaan). In addition, puzzle pieces will be moved into place that should sustain Spidey through many more movies, possibly establishing Norman Osborn (Chris Cooper) and OsCorp as a "Big Bad" to contend with for decades… and possibly eliminating Peter Parker’s love interest, Gwen (Emma Stone). Sony already has put its chips on the table, betting big on the future of Spider-Man. That tells us they like what they see in Webb’s universe, and I’m gambling we’ll all be on the same page come the start of next summer.

Release Date: May 2, 2014

Godzilla

While I love movies that are heavy on plot and character, sometimes all I really want is a movie that isn’t afraid to heap assuredly-directed action on top of assuredly-directed action. And that, my friends, is hopefully what Gareth Edwards is bringing with Godzilla, his first film following 2010’s pretty excellent low-budget thriller Monsters. While the plot has been largely kept under wraps, the trailer makes it look like a never-ending stream of larger-than-life action and suspense. It seems like any movie involving the legendary giant lizard would be a pinnacle of excitement, but it only takes a quick mention of Roland Emmerich’s highly misguided 1998 entry to the franchise to remind audiences that it takes talent and sometimes a MechaGodzilla to make such a film a success.

A Godzilla movie does not need a multi-threaded narrative in order to work. It just needs to set up a place for the King of the Monsters to destroy, and a cast of characters that try and stop it; it isn’t the most complex formula. Evans, directing form a script written by Max Borenstein, is bringing a military angle to it, with Aaron Taylor-Johnson playing one of a soldier unit who will somehow try to take the beast down. We’ve also got a host of other talented actors in roles that aren’t quite clear just yet, including Bryan Cranston, Elizabeth Olsen, Ken Watanabe, Juliette Binoche and Sally Hawkins. This may be the only film this year where I’d be perfectly fine with every character’s motivation summed up as "wanting to stay alive." I’m pretty sure Godzilla is going to make people forget about every tentpole film that Summer 2013 had to offer.

Release Date: May 16, 2014

X-Men: Days of Future Past

Even though superhero films might be coming off tired or desperate to some fans, that tickle of recognition still remains. The onslaught of comic book adaptations are becoming less and less recognizable as having comic roots, and more similar to the bloat of 90's-era blockbusters that hyperventilated all over screens trying to outdo each other. Basically, picking up an X-Men comic was a much more exciting and imaginative experience than sitting through any of Fox's X-adventures thus far. Though Bryan Singer's first two films in the series came close, and the fact that he is returning for this year's X-Men: Days Of Future Past inspires hope.

But that's not really enough to get a former X-fan into the theater, particularly after Singer's Jack The Giant Slayer. No, instead Fox had to bring out the big guns, adapting a storyline that is both the favorite of most X-Men followers as well as one of the least likely to be adapted. Not only is Days Of Future Past one of the more fantastical stories in the X-canon, featuring time travel and apocalyptic futures, but it's also one of the shortest, lasting only two issues. It's also not a great fit with the grounded sci-fi world established by Singer and carried on by Matthew Vaughn in the franchise thus far. But the fact that they're tackling it at all is something of a Hail Mary for this franchise, an audacious attempt at bridging the worlds between X-Men: First Class and Singer's earlier films. The X-Men are loopy enough; introducing time travel is an excessively odd and welcome twist on what has become a tired superhero genre.

Also, Bishop is in it. And they gave him a big-ass gun. Look at that thing, man.

Release Date: May 23, 2014

Maleficent

There are two sides to every story, and who’s to say that the side we’re most familiar with is the better story? We’ve all heard some version of Sleeping Beauty — most likely Disney’s — telling the tale of a beautiful young princess who’s cursed by the evil Maleficent. This May, Disney will offer us an alternate perspective on one of its lead characters, as Maleficent tells the origin story of Sleeping Beauty’s villain, beginning with her idyllic upbringing in a peaceable forest kingdom and her land is invaded and she rises up to be its fiercest protector. The story eventually ties into the curse she puts on Aurora.

Is a villain origin story a better alternative to a live-action remake? Time will tell, especially if we find ourselves too-closely comparing Maleficent to either of 2012’s Snow White movies. This alternate concept is certainly a more original approach to tapping the well of fan favorites. Disney’s taking a chance in dipping back into one of their most beloved classics to tell this story, and we’re hopeful that Maleficent will, at the very least, do the 1959 classic justice. Angelina Jolie looks a mixture of stunning and terrifying as the title character, and her performance may very well help Maleficent meet its potential as a brilliant villain story. We can’t wait to find out.

Release Date: May 30, 2014

Sex Tape

Once upon a time, Breckin Meyer accidentally mailed a sex tape not involving his girlfriend to his girlfriend, requiring a mad dash across the country to retrieve it. That somehow, depressingly happened 14 years ago, and given the prevalence of sex tapes, it was only a matter of time before someone else decided to swoop in and comment on the genre. Enter Bad Teacher director Jake Kasdan. He’s shown a flair with raunchy R-rated comedy in the past, and now, he’s set to leave his stink all over Sex Tape, an upcoming comedy starring Cameron Diaz, Jason Segel, Jack Black and a slew of comedy’s best supporting actors.

The basic premise, of course, involves Diaz, Segel and a missing sex tape. Fueled by attraction to each other and a desire to do something new, the two film themselves in throes of passion. After waking up the next morning, they immediately realize said tape is gone and set off on a frantic search around town and among their friends to figure out where the X-rated footage could have possibly gone. It has all the ingredients needed for a breakout adult comedy, and more importantly, it could well mark a giant step in the right direction for Black, who hasn’t had a live action hit since Tropic Thunder. Remember when he won us all over in High Fidelity? That greatness is still inside there somewhere. This should be the movie that brings it out!

Release Date: July 25, 2014

Guardians of the Galaxy

In 2012, Marvel Studios brought together six of Earth’s mightiest heroes to stop an alien invasion from taking over the planet in Joss Whedon’s The Avengers. In 2014, they will be bringing together a very different kind of team, namely the motley crew of delinquents you see in the image above. May I present to you the Guardians of the Galaxy.

Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax The Destroyer, Groot and Rocket Raccoon are characters that even regular comic book readers aren’t all too familiar with, but the look of the movie inspires a lot of research. Directed by James Gunn -- a Troma Entertainment alum whose previous credits include Slither and Super -- the big space adventure looks incredibly odd and totally different than anything Marvel has done thus far (just ask anybody who saw the footage at San Diego Comic-Con or D23 this past summer).

What’s more, it has one of the most fascinating casts that the studio has put together yet. Even beyond the ensemble of leads – which includes Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista and both Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel in voice roles – the supporting cast is crazy packed with talent, featuring Lee Pace, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, Benicio Del Toro, John C. Reilly, Glenn Close, Peter Serafinowicz and Gregg Henry. I’m extremely excited for Marvel’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier this year as well, but it’s Guardians of the Galaxy that really has my attention, and I can’t wait until August to see it.

Release Date: August 1, 2014

The Boxtrolls

Arriving in theaters, The Boxtrolls will introduce us to the posh Victorian-era town of Cheesebridge, a cheese-obsessed society that exists on the cobblestone streets, set above the sewer-dwelling Boxtrolls, the foul monsters who lurk beneath the surface of the town, occasionally snatching up children. Ok, probably not really, but so goes the legend, according to the cheese-eaters above ground. This 3D stop-motion and CG hybrid could be Laika’s next winner to follow in the footsteps of ParaNorman and Coraline.

The story follows an orphaned boy named Eggs (Isaac Hempstead Wright), who was raised by the Boxtrolls and grew up following in their footsteps, dumpster-diving and scouring for junk with the rest of them. Ben Kingsley voices the villainous Archibald Snatcher, a man determined to secure himself a place in Cheesebridge society by eradicating the town of the Boxtrolls. Between the premise and setting, which are based on Alan Snow’s novel Here Be Monsters, added to Laika’s developing reputation for quality storytelling set behind fantastic stop-motion animation, we’re hoping The Boxtrolls turns out to be Laika’s next instant classic.

Release Date: September 26, 2014

Gone Girl

In the summer of 2012, you couldn't go anywhere without spotting someone reading Gillian Flynn's heralded novel Gone Girl. The thriller, about a man who is the key suspect when his lovely wife goes missing, became a New York Times Bestseller and essential reading for anyone who loves a good mystery. Without going into spoiler territory, I can tell you two things. First off, the book is madly addictive, the kind of read that makes you resent every responsibility in your life because it gets in the way of you tearing through the next chapter. (Skip lunch. Who needs sleep!?)

Secondly, Flynn's novel worked on a surprising level where it forced the reader to reconsider everything they thought they knew, every few chapters. What could have been a cheap gimmick (or a frustrating one) became an intoxicating device in the hands of this talented storyteller. And now its translation has been handed off to a fascinating filmmaker.

David Fincher has helmed a string of adaptations, from the dark drama Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and the mind-bending Fight Club, to non-fiction-inspired films like Zodiac and The Social Network. He's got a bold sense of style and a gift for sick and shocking twists, making him perfect for this complicated missing-person tale. Making Gone Girl even more intriguing is Fincher's casting choices, which have ranged from the sensible to the startling. With a cast that boasts Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry, Patrick Fugit, Scoot McNairy, Casey Wilson and one of the women from the "Blurred Lines" video, we could tell you we know what to expect from this movie adaptation. But we'd be lying through our teeth.

Release Date: October 3, 2014

Interstellar

Any year that has a Christopher Nolan movie in it is a good year for cinema. Even when making films based on a licensed character, Nolan is a pillar of innovation and imagination, and his next film Interstellar could possibly be his most original film to date, if not the most original film of the year. I’m a sucker for time travel, space thrillers and huge casts, and this one has got all three of those and then some. Part of the fun is waiting for this is the torturously minimal amount of information that Nolan & Co. have released as far as the plot goes.

With a story based on wormhole theories of way-smarter-than-me theoretical physicist Kip Thorne, Interstellar will take viewers on a voyage to find another planet where plants and life can thrive, in a future where our own Earth is no longer capable. Complementing this expansive story is an astounding cast of Academy Award winners and nominees, including Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine, Casey Affleck, Ellen Burstyn, Jessica Chastain, Bill Irwin, John Lithgow, Wes Bentley and Topher Grace.

Because Nolan is just as interesting a director as he is a storyteller – per usual, he co-wrote the script with his brother Jonathan – we can expect to see some of the most amazing space cinematography this side of Gravity, with IMAX cameras being utilized once again. For all of us who half-expected Inception to be the biggest movie of Nolan’s career, Interstellar could possibly dwarf that dreamy film, and without all the confusion and spinning tops.

Release Date: November 7, 2014 Also, These!

Robocop

Vampire Academy

Divergent

Noah

Muppets Most Wanted

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

22 Jump Street

Transformers: Age of Extinction

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Jupiter Ascending

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1

Dumb and Dumber To

Into the Woods

Can you hear that? It's not the sound of jingle bells but the sound of release dates falling into place! Cha-ching! The latest titles to join in the dance of new release dates are Andy and Lana Wachowski's Jupiter Ascending and Joe Wright's Pan. Box Office Mojo notes the sci-fi epic fronted by Mila Kunis and Channing Tatum has shifted from its slot July 25th, 2014 forward a week to July 18th, 2014. As for Wright's take on Peter Pan, that's been set down for June 26th, 2015.

Following-up their ambitious Cloud Atlas, the Wachowski siblings have ventured to the wider universe for Jupiter Ascending. This universe is one where humans are considered to be near the very bottom of the evolutionary ladder - and yet a lowly human maid named Jupiter (Kunis) is thought to be a threat to the Queen of the Universe. This marks Jupiter for execution, but not if an extraterrestrial warrior named Caine (Tatum) has anything to say about it. In case you somehow missed its trailer drop earlier this week, check it out below:

In its old spot, Jupiter Ascending would have been facing off against Bret Ratner's Hercules, (not to be confused with the Kellan Lutz Hercules movie). It seems that Warner Bros is clearing a path for what will likely be a dominating force that weekend. Fronted by Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson , Hercules may as well have a license to print money. After all, Johnson has proved a box office behemoth this year. With a steady line-up of successful films, his 2013 releases crossed the billion-dollar mark in June. Since White House Down crumbled, the chink in Tatum's star power armor has shown, so best shuffle forward a week.

On July 18th, there's far less competition. And by that I mean Planes: Fire & Rescue, a sequel to a spin-off of a lesser-renowned Pixar movie. The only thing Jupiter Ascending has to fear here is being overshadowed by the previous week's releases: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and (for now anyway) Fast & Furious 7. The former could well snatch up audience members craving sci-fi. Plus, its predecessor Rise of the Planet of the Apes swept its opening weekend in the summer of 2011 to the tune of $54 million dollars, trouncing The Smurfs ($20 mil) and Cowboys and Aliens ($15 mil). And of course the Fast and Furious franchise has become a global phenomenon. Fast & Furious 6 pulled in a whopping $788 million worldwide by the end of its run.

As for Pan, this update seems to confirm that Wright, who entered into negotiations last month, is set to helm. Penned by Ice Age: Continental Drift's Jason Fuchs, this adventure will serve as an origin story for Peter Pan. But Warner Bros has so far been tight-lipped on which of his fellow Neverland neighbors will make appearances. From here, it'll be interesting to see who Wright brings in to play Peter, and whether or not he makes room for his recurring leading lady Keira Knightley, whose served him well in Atonement, Pride & Prejudice, and Anna Karenina.

Andy and Lana Wachowski, while not universally beloved, are undoubtedly two of the most interesting and confident filmmakers in Hollywood. Who else could have possibly followed up the ludicrous eye candy of 2008’s Speed Racer with a highly cerebral adaptation of the once-thought unfilmable David Mitchell novel Cloud Atlas? Their next effort, the science fiction space opera Jupiter Ascending, is less of a departure for the duo, but the trailer above makes me think this might actually be the most accessible film of their high-concept careers. And that’s saying something, considering it stars an oddly-bearded Channing Tatum in eyeliner and elf ears playing an alien military man whose genetic make-up was combined with a wolf.

You can always count on a Wachowski movie to feature visual splendor that works just as well when the volume is muted, and they’ve created an entire universe for Jupiter Ascending that will allow viewers to travel from one dazzling planet to the next in spaceships that were apparently built by people who really loved Transformers. I hope the figurative world-building is as strong as the literal world-building on CGI display here, because this has a good chance of being the next great sci-fi epic that this year’s Elysium and that one with Tom Cruise failed to become.

The story is mostly centered on Jupiter Jones (Mila Kunis), a lowly Russian immigrant whose average earthbound life belies an extraordinary destiny she never could have imagined. Everything changes for her once Caine (Tatum) arrives, pointy ears in tow, alerting her to Earth’s low status on the totem pole of intelligent life. He tells her she’s being hunted by minions of the Queen of the Universe, who has conspired to kill Jupiter for being the only other being in existence sharing the same perfect genetic code.

It isn’t the simplest of tales, nor is it the most original, but there are bound to be themes and ideas that didn’t make it to this first trailer, as the directors hinted at by saying this film will be unlike anything we’ve seen before. We’ve watched buff and tough men save helpless women before, so I’m hoping the focus on Caine’s character is a little deeper than just showing how heroic he can be, with some thought going into the Queen’s motivations. Still, just from what we can see in the trailer, I’m impressed enough to stay intrigued.

The film also stars Sean Bean as something of a mentor to Caine – and I think we can all assume he will die a most honorable death before the three-quarter mark, and James D’Arcy as an android with a funky voice. You can also expect to see Douglas Booth, Eddie Redmayne, and Terry Gilliam in a bit role. At this point, it’s only going head-to-head with Brett Ratner’s Hercules epic when it hits theaters on July 25, 2014.

Are you guys as blown away as I was by the look of Jupiter Ascending? Let us know in the poll below.

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When it comes to the films of Andy and Lana Wachowski, it's virtually impossible to guess what they might come up with next. In 1999 they unleashed their groundbreaking vision for the future of science-fiction film with the smash hitThe Matrix. In 2012, they transformed David Mitchell's dense novel Cloud Atlas into an ambitious and vivid film despite the recurring refrain from naysayers that the book was "unfilmable." As follow-up to this incredible undertaking, the Wachowskis are working on Jupiter Ascending, which Lana has recently described to MSN as "a science-fiction space opera."

Having recently wrapped the production that stars Mila Kunis and Channing Tatum, the Wachowski siblings have moved into postproduction on Jupiter Ascending. The American filmmakers stepped away from overseeing its edit and visual effects for a night to attend an Australians in Film awards dinner. The two are notoriously press shy, but they did drop some details about the their latest project. For one thing, Andy notes that Jupiter Ascending's production went much smoother than the multi-faceted Cloud Atlas, which notably had its cast playing multiple characters within the film. However, he confesses the visual effects for Jupiter Ascending are "way more complicated."

"We seem not to be very good at making small things," Lana said. "We keep saying 'Let's go make a small movie.' But then they always end up being enormously complex. We want to somehow always find something that is different or that no one has tried."

This drive has served their reputation well among fans, even when it doesn't necessarily pay off at the box office. For instance, Cloud Atlas has been estimated to cost upwards of $102 million to make, and earned only $130 million worldwide, making it a total flop at the box office. Its predecessor Speed Racer did even worse, making $93 million worldwide off a $120 million budget. Yet Lana seems to shrug off these losses, instead focusing on the appreciation they've received from those who do love these unusual features. "People come up to us and just break into tears talking about (Cloud Atlas)," Lana told reporters. "Even Speed Racer, we get people that come up and say it was their favorite movie of all time. We've been very lucky that way. We have great fans. ... And we keep trying to keep surprising them."

As for what surprises the Wachowski siblings have in store for Jupiter Ascending, Lana played it coy, saying:

Written and directed by Andy and Lana Wachowski, Jupiter Ascending centers on an impoverished maid named Jupiter Jones (Kunis). As a human, she is considered near the bottom of the universe's international ladder, and yet the Queen of the Universe sees her as such a threat that she sends a genetically engineered bounty hunter (Tatum) to track Jupiter down, and kill her. Douglas Booth, Sean Bean, Terry Gilliam, Eddie Redmayne, James D'Arcy, and Doona Bae will co-star.

Jupiter Ascending is expected to hit theaters on July 25th, 2014.

After the world and time-spanning spectacle of Cloud Atlas confused and amazed viewers last year, it has gotten harder to judge a project from the Wachowski siblings in the same light as most other directors. It seems almost impossible to think they’d ever return to material that even vaguely resembled that of their first feature, 1996’s lesbian crime story Bound. But then, nobody really wants them to, and it’s not surprising that their next project, Jupiter Ascending, is just as fantastical as everything they’ve done since.

And when you think about go-for-broke directors who immerse themselves in their films’ universes like the Wachowskis do, the conversation almost naturally will land on Terry Gilliam, the Monty Python alum who has been polarizing audiences for almost his whole career. (But everybody loves Time Bandits, right?) Via his Facebook page, Gilliam let everyone know that he will play a bit part in Jupiter Ascending, and now that these worlds are finally colliding, everything magically makes sense in the world.

His message, which was posted beneath a set photo, stated, “Off at dawn tomorrow to pretend to be an actor in the new Wachowski’s (sic) film Jupiter Ascending. It’s a small but vital part (or so I’m told).” Not that much is known about the film’s plotline anyway, so we could know his name and occupation and still have no idea who he is.

Mila Kunis will play a Russian immigrant who is the lowest of the low in a futuristic universe where humans are on the low end of the totem pole. Once an genetically-engineered ex-military man (Channing Tatum) drops down to Earth to find her, she discovers that her DNA is identical to the all-powerful Queen of the Universe, and her destiny comes fully into view.

Jupiter Ascending will hit theaters on July 25, 2014. Terry Gilliam’s next film is the “quest for our existence” drama Zero Theorem, which probably won’t come out for another seven years, but at least there weren’t any set disasters.

South Korean actress Doona Bae has been steadily stepping into the international spotlight. An earlier collaborator with writer-director Bong Joon-ho, she starred in his first feature film Barking Dogs Never Bite back in 2000. Later, the pair reteamed for his breakout monster movie The Host, and in between, she snagged a memorable role in Park Chan-wook's Vengeance Trilogy as the anarchist girlfriend in Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance. These appearances earned Bae stardom in her native land as well as the notice of foreign cinephiles who had latched onto South Korea's emerging cinema. But last year brought her biggest international role to date, when Bae appeared alongside such major Hollywood stars as Tom Hanks and Halle Berry in Andy and Lana Wachowski's sprawling science-fiction epic Cloud Atlas.

Like much of the film's cast, Bae played a handful of roles, but most notably, she portrayed reluctant revolutionary Sonmi-451, impressively holding her own against —and at times outshining—actors with much bigger reputations. So it should be no surprise to hear the Wachowskis wanted her for their latest venture Jupiter Ascending. Yahoo reports that when speaking to the fashion magazine High Cut, Bae revealed she's reunited with the Wachowski's for their new sci-fi adventure:

Written and directed by the Wachowski siblings, Jupiter Ascending centers on a Russian maid named Jupiter Jones (Mila Kunis), who finds her world thrown into spin when a genetically engineered bounty hunter (Channing Tatum) shows up to terminate her at the request of the Queen of the Universe. While we know Sean Bean, Eddie Redmayne, Douglas Booth, and Tuppence Middleton have also been cast, details on who might play this evil Queen have not been released. Could it be Bae? It'd be fun to see her pull such a 180 after her saintly portrayal in Cloud Atlas. But as secretive as the Wachowskis tend to be, we don't expect to hear much more on this until closer to the film's 2014 release.

Jupiter Ascending is now in production and is slated to open in the US on July 25th, 2014.

Siblings and filmmakers Lana Wachowski and Andy Wachowski don't make simple narratives. After earning indie cred with their subversive debut Bound, they exploded onto the mainstream movie scene with the mind-bending blockbuster The Matrix. Of course, their efforts have not always met with success. Their latest, Cloud Atlas, earned mixed reviews and struggled at the box office. Still, weaving together six storylines through different settings while recasting its actors in various roles throughout time and space, no one could accuse the Wachowskis or co-director Tom Tykwer of lacking ambition. This has lovers and detractors of Cloud Atlas alike anticipating the Wachowski Siblings' next venture Jupiter Ascending.

Previously titled Jupiter Rising, the original science fiction action feature penned by the Wachowskis first hit our radar in the summer of 2011. By the fall, it was called Jupiter Ascending, and A-listers like Natalie Portman and Channing Tatum were being eyed. This spring Tatum and Mila Kunis signed on, along with Sean Bean, Eddie Redmayne, Douglas Booth, and Tuppence Middleton. But while we were getting rough approximations of plot and vague character descriptions, the Wachowskis were still playing press releases close to the vest. Now as Jupiter Ascending begins productun, this dynamic directing duo has at long last unveiled an official plot synopsis:

Finally, we know the names of Kunis and Tatum's characters, and have some idea what the film's title refers to. Not only is Jupiter Ascending an allusion to the Zodiac, but also the destiny of its title character! Ratcheting up the drama of this adventure tale, Jupiter doesn't know about her prophesized rise to power, but previous reports tell us the extraterrestrial Queen of the Universe does, and so wants Jupiter dead. According to these same early reports, Caine is the Queen's huntsman in what seems to be a sci-fi Snow White tale.

Between the lively Mirror, Mirror and the deadly dull Snow White and the Huntsman, I would have thought I'd be burnt out on tales of a lost princess trying to reclaim her throne. But with the Wachowskis writing and directing, Jupiter Ascending promises to be something sensational. This sci-fi epic's release date--July 25th, 2014—can't come fast enough.

The Wachowski Siblings, Lana and Andy, have never managed to quite match the financial success they found with the Matrix trilogy-- though given how huge those movies were, you couldn't have blamed them for taking the money and running right then and there. Even when audiences haven't flocked, though, the two continue to collaborate on some of the most fascinating and iconoclastic big-budget movies out there, from the candy-colored chaos of Speed Racer to the earnest, genre-shuffling Cloud Atlas, a $100 million production that made just $121 million worldwide.

But because the Matrix name still means a whole lot to studios, the Wachowskis are moving full speed ahead on their next giant project, Jupiter Ascending, a futuristic drama set in a future world where humans have become the lowest species on the intergalactic totem pole. With Mila Kunis and Channing Tatum on board to star and an easy-to-embrace premise (unlike poor Cloud Atlas), Jupiter Ascending has a ton of potential, and Warner Bros. has now shown a huge sign of faith in it. According to an update at Box Office Mojo, Jupiter Ascending has set a July 25, 2014 release date, putting it right in the thick of the hugely competitive summer movie season.

Not only that, but the late-July berth is a typically huge one for Warner Bros., which has debuted The Dark Knight Rises (July 20), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (July 15), The Dark Knight (July 18) and Inception (July 16) all around the same time. Of course, Jupiter won't be the only huge movie fighting for that spot-- Fox is premiering X-Men: Days of Future Past on July 18 next year, and the Wachowskis film will be opening directly against the Dwayne Johnson-starring Hercules.

We've been closely following developments on Jupiter Ascending for months now, from http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Crazy-Details-Emerge-About-Wachowskis-Jupiter-Ascending-31184.html>digging up some intriguing plot details to celebrating the fact that composer Michael Giacchino is on board. Summer 2014 is admittedly earlier than we expected to see a movie this big, but Warner Bros. clearly has confidence, and the Wachowskis have never lacked it.

Composer Michael Giacchino is no stranger to the sci-fi genre. Over the course of his long career he has done the music for J.J. Abrams' Star Trek, John Carter, Super 8, and the television show Fringe. And now he's ready to add another project to his docket.

We still haven't heard what he has planned for Star Trek Into Darkness, but Giacchino is now attached to compose the music for the new Wachowski sibling film Jupiter Ascending. The news comes from FilmMusicReporter.com, which notes that the film's impressive cast includes Channing Tatum, Mila Kunis, Eddie Redmayne, Douglas Booth, and Sean Bean. The movie has been confirmed to be made for IMAX 3D, though it doesn't have a release date yet.

The film will be written, directed and produced by Andy and Lana Wachowski and is a science-fiction/adventure tale that questions what it would be like if humanity was on the lowest rung of the evolutionary ladder. Kunis will star as a maid who is forced to go on the run when she is said to be a threat to the Queen of the Universe, and Tatum will play the alien bounty hunter chasing after her.

Giacchino, who took home the Academy Award for Up in 2009, is best known for his associations with both Pixar and Bad Robot. This project doesn't entirely take him out of his comfort zone, however, as he also wrote the music for the Wachowski's Speed Racer. You'll be able to hear his new music when the Star Trek sequel arrives in theaters on May 17th.

Though it managed to eventually make an impressive $107 million worldwide, Cloud Atlas was a sad entry in the box office of 2012, an expensive and beautiful passion project that divided critics and was roundly rejected by American audiences. Even the poor movie's Blu-ray release has been pushed back all the way to May, and fans of the film will be gritting their teeth at Sunday's Oscars watching films with less beautiful scores and cinematography take home prizes.

But despite the financial failure of Cloud Atlas the Wachowskis are moving on style, putting together what might be an even more ambitious sci-fi project, Jupiter Ascendng. With Channing Tatum, Mila Kunis, Les Miserables star Eddie Redmayne and Sean Bean attached in the cast, they've got the star power to get attention, and now Deadline writes that they've secured some extra money to make it happen. Australia's VIllage Roadshow will be teaming with Warner Bros. to finance the film, in which Kunis plays a low-ranking human who is targeted for assassination by the alien queen of the universe. Yeah, that sounds like the kind of story that could use a little extra money to happen.

It's a relief to see the Wachowskis still pushing forward on yet another ambitious and massive movie, and I hope that the lukewarm reception to Cloud Atlas doesn't dampen the heartfelt and fiercely independent streak they've fostered since well before their Matrix breakthrough. Whether or not Cloud Atlas worked for you it's hard to deny their passion and singular voices (well, as singular as two separate humans can be). And if more of you actually go to see Jupiter Ascending than Cloud Atlas, we can hopefully count on more from them in years to come.

Forget Benedict Cumberbatch. Tuppence Middleton is our new favorite British name.

The English ingénue who made her screen debut in 2008 on the TV crime drama Bones has been snagging roles in UK features.These flicks—that include includes the horror comedy Tormented, the teen thriller Chatroom, and the Sean Bean vehicle Cleanskin—have gained little notice Stateside. But with her lasting casting coup, she's destined to draw international notice in short order.

Variety reports Middleton has signed on to Jupiter Ascending, Andy and Lana Wachowski's follow-up to their ambitious adaptation of Cloud Atlas. The 25-year-old actress who recently wrapped on a small role in Danny Boyle's upcoming Trance joins a cast that includes Channing Tatum, Mila Kunis, Eddie Redmayne, Douglas Booth and her former co-star Sean Bean.

Written, produced and directed by the Wachowski Siblings, Jupiter Ascending is a science fiction adventure set in a universe where humans are considered to be at the bottom of the evolutionary ladder. Kunis is set to star as a human maid whose life is in danger once she's deemed a threat to the Queen of the Universe. Tatum will be an extraterrestrial bounty hunter tasked with her demise, and Bean will play a "Han Solo-type." No details have emerged on whom Redmayne, Booth, and Middleton will play.

Later this year, Middleton is expected to hit theaters in the Emma Thompson/Pierce Brosnan comedy Love Punch as well as the adaptation of Nick Hornby's A Long Way Down, opposite Rosamund Pike, Aaron Paul and Toni Collette. However, with the international reputation of the Wachowskis, and Warner Bros. distributing, Jupiter Ascending could prove the tipping point for this lovely looking starlet.

Production on Jupiter Ascending will begin this spring. The film is expected to hit theaters in 2014.

Almost everyone can find something to celebrate in the latest press release from IMAX, which says that 20 upcoming Warner Bros. films will be released in the larger-than-normal format in coming years. Anxious for Bryan Singer’s family adventure Jack the Giant Slayer? Dying to see Superman soar through IMAX skies? Want to see Guillermo del Toro’s giant freaking robots decimate his giant freaking monsters in the IMAX format? Man, you are going to be in luck.

But two films that we previously didn’t expect to be in IMAX now have been confirmed for the presentation. Doug Liman’s All You Need is Kill, which recently teased us with it’s first fiery image, now will be coming to IMAX on March 7, 2014. Set in a distant future, the sci-fi thriller pits Cruise against vicious aliens in a brutal variation of Groundhog’s Day, where a soldier dies in battle, only to wake up and relive the same fight again and again.

But that’s not all. On an undetermined date, IMAX and Warner will release Jupiter Ascending, the next project from Cloud Atlas co-directors Lana and Andy Wachowski. We don’t know a lot about the plot yet, and the Wachowskis are notoriously covert about their screenplays. But if it’s half as ambitious as their last effort consider us in.

If these projects don’t necessarily float your boat, the IMAX deal with Warner also includes presentations of George Miller’s next Mad Max movie, Fury Road; the previously announced Godzilla reboot (May 16, 2014); the 300 sequel, 300: Rise of an Empire; and the recently revealed Tarzan remake. Big things are coming from Warner Bros. … literally.

Channing Tatum was one of the highlights of last night's MTV Movie Awards, stepping onstage to present an award with his Magic Mike co-star Matthew McConaughey, and getting surprised not just by Joe Manganiello in full fireman's gear, but a very giddy Elizabeth Banks as she stepped up to accept her award. Tatum is on fire this year, for sure, and that's probably only going to continue with Magic Mike-- but if you're ready to see him do something other than show off those famous abs, there's reasons to be getting excited for you too.

Talking to MTV on the eve of the Movie Awards, Tatum confirmed that he will in fact star in the Wachowskis' new film Jupiter Ascending, which they plan to make as their follow-up to this fall's Cloud Atlas. New details emerged on the film just last week, promising that Tatum would play a higher-power alien being assigned to kill a young human woman (Mila Kunis), but falling in love with her instead. Kunis had already confirmed her involvement, so it looks like all the pieces are in place for Kunis and Tatum to get on set with the Wachowskis and start blowing our minds any time now.

There are a million mean jokes to be made about the notion of Tatum playing an alien with advanced intelligence, but he's done a lot this year to get past his dumb hot guy reputation-- sure, his character in 21 Jump Street was dumb as a brick, but Tatum also made him hilarious. I'm dying not just to see what the Wachowskis will do with their first original film since The Matrix series, but how Tatum will fit in.

Mila Kunis continues to capitalize on the favorable buzz built by her Black Swan performance. She earned laughs alongside Justin Timberlake in Friends with Benefits. She’s about to trade nasty barbs with a foul-mouthed teddy bear in Seth MacFarlane’s Ted. And the That ‘70s Show standout tells MTV she’s locked up a role in Andy and Lana Wachowski’s next feature, Jupiter Ascending.

Beyond that, she had very little else to say.

“Listen, I told you I'm doing it. That's the most I've told anybody," Kunis joked to the network when they pressed her on it.

MTV was following up on an earlier Deadline report claiming that the Matrix co-directors want Kunis and 21 Jump Street stud Channing Tatum for their sci-fi film. The story is being kept under serious wraps, but it’s the siblings’ first full-blown sci-fi film since Matrix, and is scheduled to start production later this year.

Before that, the Wachowskis played a part in directing Cloud Atlas with Run Lola Run helmer Tom Tykwer. Hopefully Atlas and this mysterious Jupiter Ascending will help wash the foul taste of Speed Racer out of our mouths. Kunis, meanwhile, also has a significant part in Sam Raimi’s Oz: The Great and Powerful, and it’s assumed she’ll jump from that to Jupiter. We’ll likely see it in theaters by the summer of 2014, if the production goes as planned. What, exactly, will it be about? We’ll let you know as soon as more details emerge.

Directing duo Andy and Lana Wachowski have just completed production on their much buzzed-about ensemble mystery Cloud Atlas, and already they've begun the casting process for their next feature, Jupiter Ascending. According to Deadline, Warner Brothers has approached Channing Tatum and Mila Kunis to lead the film, a sci-fi epic that's story is being closely guarded at this stage.

But while we sadly know no plot details, we can extrapolate that Tatum, with two of 2012's noteworthy box offices successes (The Vow and 21 Jump Street) under his belt, will be pulling down a major check from WB should he sign on. He's proven his bankability with audiences and his charisma to critics, so he'd be a major get for Jupiter. As for Kunis, it'd be fascinating to see the talented actress, who has displayed her talents in dramas and comedies alike, tackle a genre picture. Plus, the pairing of these incredibly beautiful people is sure to prove explosive onscreen.

Curiously, Deadline mentions in passing how last spring the Wachowski siblings went in search of financiers to fund a hard R-rated drama about the complicated relationship between a gay U.S. soldier and an Iraqi. The pair had hoped to helm the piece, but have made no progress finding funding, probably because of the script's taboo subject matter. Is it possible that these intrepid filmmakers are returning to the kind of sweeping sci-fi that made them famous with The Matrix in hopes of ultimately directing a drama far afield from their established forte and far too controversial for a studio to back? I do wonder.

The last time a director approached Natalie Portman about starring in a science-fiction epic, it didn't turn out so well. I am, of course, referring to what happened with Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity back in 2010. After hopes of landing Angelina Jolie for the lead role in the project were destroyed, the filmmaker went after the the future Oscar winner, only to be denied. While no reason was given at the time, it was revealed a short while later that Portman was pregnant with her first child, and it became clear that she turned down the part for that reason. But now the small child has been removed from the actress, so will the Wachowskis have more luck?

The Los Angeles Times has learned that Andy and Lana Wachowski are keen on hiring Portman to play the lead in their upcoming project, Jupiter Ascending. Should she become involved, it would be the first movie she has done since announcing her pregnancy. Little is known about the plot of the film, which is set up at Warner Bros. and won't start production until after the siblings have finished editing their next, Cloud Atlas (which is due out later this year). Portman and the Wachowskis do have a history, as the actress previously starred in V For Vendetta, which the filmmakers produced.

I will admit for a while there I did get a bit burnt out on Natalie Portman. In the first six months of 2011 she was in No Strings Attached, The Other Woman, Hesher, Your Highness and Thor. While that was quite an overload, she actually doesn't have any movies coming out this year and, as mentioned above, she doesn't yet have anything either in pre-production or currently shooting. Knowing the public's short attention span, when she does come back it may not be a case of "Natalie Portman again?" but rather "Where the hell has she been?"