The best new movies of 2017
Lego Ninjago
Lego Ninjago release date: 13 October 2017
Starring: Dave Franco, Justin Theroux, Olivia Munn, Jackie Chan
What we know: We've had regular Lego, and Batman Lego, so now it's time for ninja Lego on the big screen. The company's uber-popular Ninjago sub-brand is its latest to get the cinematic treatment, with an epic tale of fathers, sons, and... giant cats? Oh, and did we mention Jackie Chan is in it? Because Jackie Chan is in it.
Thor: Ragnarok
Thor: Ragnarok release date: 27 October 2017
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Cate Blanchett, Tom Hiddleston, Jeff Goldblum
What we know: Marvel's God of Thunder is back in his third (and potentially final) solo film, and this time he's up against the Norse apocalypse. First though, he'll have to survive a gladiatorial arena that pits him against former teammate The Hulk. Thor: The Dark World was a bit of a disappointment, but new director Taika Waititi brings some very strong comedic chops with him, and the early pitch of a Thor/Hulk buddy movie is easily enough to get us excited.
Jigsaw
Jigsaw release date: 27 October 2017
Starring: Callum Keith Rennie, Laura Vandervoort Tobin Bell
What we know: If you thought the Saw franchise had passed into the great horror movie graveyard in the sky, you'd be forgiven. But against the odds, it's back in the multiplex this Halloween with Jigsaw. Thankfully, this is no reboot or remake - it seems to be a continuation of the story, though hopefully it won't require you to have seen all bazillion of the originals to make sense of it.
Paddington 2
Paddington 2 release date: 10 November 2017
Starring: Ben Whishaw, Peter Capaldi, Hugh Grant, Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins
What we know: The first Paddington was an absolute delight from start to finish (we rated it one of the best family films ever), and we can only hope the sequel offers more of the same. This time around, everyone's favourite bear from deepest, darkest Peru is entering the working world to save up for a present for his Aunt Lucy, and no doubt everything will go charmingly wrong.
Justice League
Justice League release date: 17 November 2017
Starring: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller, Ray Fisher
What we know: Newcomers Aquaman, The Flash, and Cyborg join together with Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman to tackle a new apocalyptic threat in DC's Avengers alternative. While the company's superhero epics have been box office hits, up until Wonder Woman they hadn't wowed critics - or fans - and Justice League will have to pull out all the stops to impress. Fortunately, director Zack Snyder has promised a lighter tone than his grimdark Batman v Superman, and the Comic-Con trailer even includes a few genuine jokes, while reshoots from Joss Whedon could add more. Could this be the DC movie we've all been waiting for?
Starring: Gael García Bernal, Benjamin Bratt, Anthony Gonzalez
What we know: Pixar's latest entirely original film takes its inspiration from Día de los Muertos (aka the Day of the Dead), and promises to have an entirely Mexican cast. It boasts one of Pixar's best directors, so we're expecting stunning animation, a lot of laughs, and to be left in floods and floods of tears by the end, while the first trailer sets up some strong musical themes and the adorably manic pup Dante.
Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi
Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi release date: 15 December 2017
Starring: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher
What we know: After last year's excellent standalone film Rogue One, Star Wars is going back to more familiar territory this December with a follow-up to The Force Awakens. Director Rian Johnson has promised it will pick up immediately where that film left off - meaning we will finally actually hear Luke Skywalker say something - while Adam Driver will be back as the wonderfully impetuous Kylo Ren. Still, none of that can make up for the fact that this will be our last ever film with Carrie Fisher as Princess (now General) Leia. You'll find us bawling in the back row.
Pitch Perfect 3
Pitch Perfect 3 release date: 22 December 2017
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Hailee Steinfeld, Elizabeth Banks
What we know: The Bellas are back in the third outing for one of the least probable comedy franchises of all time. The girls are now out of college, and discovering that being a member of a hit student a cappella group doesn't immediately translate into brilliant job prospects. Who'd a thunk it?
Bright
Bright release date: 22 December 2017
Starring: Will Smith, Joel Edgerton, Noomi Rapace
What we know: Netflix has made movies before, but nothing quite like this: a $100m fantasy blockbuster starring Will Smith. From Fury and Suicide Squad director David Ayer, Bright sees Smith play a cop who gets a new partner - an orc. It's basically trying to be a gritty cop drama with fairies (who seem to be used as a not-so-subtle allegory for racism), but we'll watch Smith in just about anything.
Early Man
Early Man release date: 26 January 2018
Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Tom Hiddleston, Maisie Williams, Timothy Spall
What we know: The latest film from Wallace & Gromit and Chicken Run creator Nick Park is taking us back to the Stone Age as Eddie Redmayne's Dug has to lead his tribe to victory against some local Bronze Age upstarts. It's an Aardman animation, so expect over-sized teeth, wacky animals, and oodles of slapstick humour - something the trailer delivers in spades:
Black Panther
Black Panther release date: 9 February 2018
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira
What we know: After debuting in Captain America: Civil War, Chadwick Boseman is back as Black Panther, Marvel's all-African superhero who just also happens to be a king. The mostly black cast looks like a huge step forward for superheroic diversity, and it doesn't hurt that the action is probably going to be pretty top-notch too.
Maze Runner: The Death Cure
Maze Runner: The Death Cure UK release date: 9 February 2018
Starring: Dylan O'Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Katherine Emmanuel
What we know: The third (and final?) Maze Runner movie finally arrives after lengthy delays caused by an on-set injury to star Dylan O'Brien, promising answers once and for all about just why maze running is so great anyway. Will there be mazes? Maybe. Running? Probably. Improbably attractive young stars wooing each other in the midst of it all? Absolutely.
The Shape of Water
The Shape of Water UK release date: 16 February 2018
Starring: Sally Hawkins, Doug Jones, Michael Shannon, Octavia Spencer
What we know: The latest creature feature from renowned director Guillermo Del Toro looks likely to be more weepy than scary, focussing on the forbidden love between a deaf woman and a mute fish man who lives in a government facility. It's a tale as old as time and all that. Still, it looks lovely, it won the top prize at the Venice Film Festival, and critics have been raving.
Pacific Rim: Uprising
Pacific Rim: Uprising release date: 23 February 2018
Starring: John Boyega, Scott Eastwood, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day, Burn Gorman
What we know: Giant robots meet giant monsters. Again. This sequel to Guillermo Del Toro's masterpiece of monster mayhem comes from TV veteran Steven S. DeKnight, and stars John Boyega (of Star Wars fame) as the son of the first film's Idris Elba character. This time the robots are sleeker, the monsters are bigger, and it's gonna be bloody great.
Red Sparrow
Red Sparrow UK release date: 2 March 2018
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Edgerton, Charlotte Rampling, Jeremy Irons
What we know: Jennifer Lawrence is a super-spy in this new thriller which sees her trained as a 'Sparrow', a Russian agent who uses every tool at her disposal to seduce and eliminate her targets. That all sounds pretty familiar, but the trailer suggests a welcome dark tone to the film, so there might be more here than the plot summary suggests.
The First Tomb Raider
The First Tomb Raider release date: 16 March 2018
Starring: Alicia Vikander, Walton Goggins, Daniel Wu, Hannah John-Kamen
What we know: The First Tomb Raider stars Alicia Vikander as Lara Croft, aged here at just 21. The film is set seven years after her eccentric adventurer father's death, and shows her determined to go against his wishes and discover what really happened to him. She sets off on a perilous adventure to his last-known destination, a fabled tomb on an island off the coast of Japan, and it's here that she earns herself the name Tomb Raider.
Ready Player One
Ready Player One release date: 30 March 2018
Starring: Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn
What we know: Based on the best-selling novel by Ernest Cline, Ready Player One is a pop culture-soaked tribute to the '80s. Set in 2045, it centres on a virtual reality contest with a fortune as the prize - and the answer is almost certainly hidden in its creator's obsession with the music, films, TV, and most importantly videogames of the '80s. Steven Spielberg is in the director's chair, so hopefully it should be in safe hands.
Isle of Dogs
Isle of Dogs UK release date: 30 March 2018
Starring: Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Scarlett Johansson, Jeff Goldblum
What we know: The latest film from auteur director Wes Anderson sees him return to stop-motion animation for one of his strangest stories yet. Imagining a future where Japan is overrun by dogs, the excess canines are shipped off to an island rubbish dump, which one young boy journeys to on a quest to reclaim his own missing pooch. It's all very, very Wes Anderson - make of that what you will.
Deadpool 2
Deadpool 2 release date: 1 June 2018
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin
What we know: Ryan Reynolds is back as the Merc with a Mouth in the sequel to 2016's surprise R-rated hit. We barely know anything about the film, and there's no trailer yet, but what we do have is a short teaser released alongside Logan, the latest Wolverine movie. It's a look at Deadpool's own take on a superhero staple, which goes predictably awry.
Paddington 2
Paddington 2 release date: 10 November 2017
Starring: Ben Whishaw, Peter Capaldi, Hugh Grant, Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins
What we know: The first Paddington was an absolute delight from start to finish (we rated it one of the best family films ever), and we can only hope the sequel offers more of the same. This time around, everyone's favourite bear from deepest, darkest Peru is entering the working world to save up for a present for his Aunt Lucy, and no doubt everything will go charmingly wrong.
Lego Ninjago
Lego Ninjago release date: 13 October 2017
Starring: Dave Franco, Justin Theroux, Olivia Munn, Jackie Chan
What we know: We've had regular Lego, and Batman Lego, so now it's time for ninja Lego on the big screen. The company's uber-popular Ninjago sub-brand is its latest to get the cinematic treatment, with an epic tale of fathers, sons, and... giant cats? Oh, and did we mention Jackie Chan is in it? Because Jackie Chan is in it.
Thor: Ragnarok
Thor: Ragnarok release date: 27 October 2017
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Cate Blanchett, Tom Hiddleston, Jeff Goldblum
What we know: Marvel's God of Thunder is back in his third (and potentially final) solo film, and this time he's up against the Norse apocalypse. First though, he'll have to survive a gladiatorial arena that pits him against former teammate The Hulk. Thor: The Dark World was a bit of a disappointment, but new director Taika Waititi brings some very strong comedic chops with him, and the early pitch of a Thor/Hulk buddy movie is easily enough to get us excited.
Jigsaw
Jigsaw release date: 27 October 2017
Starring: Callum Keith Rennie, Laura Vandervoort Tobin Bell
What we know: If you thought the Saw franchise had passed into the great horror movie graveyard in the sky, you'd be forgiven. But against the odds, it's back in the multiplex this Halloween with Jigsaw. Thankfully, this is no reboot or remake - it seems to be a continuation of the story, though hopefully it won't require you to have seen all bazillion of the originals to make sense of it.
Paddington 2
Paddington 2 release date: 10 November 2017
Starring: Ben Whishaw, Peter Capaldi, Hugh Grant, Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins
What we know: The first Paddington was an absolute delight from start to finish (we rated it one of the best family films ever), and we can only hope the sequel offers more of the same. This time around, everyone's favourite bear from deepest, darkest Peru is entering the working world to save up for a present for his Aunt Lucy, and no doubt everything will go charmingly wrong.
Justice League
Justice League release date: 17 November 2017
Starring: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller, Ray Fisher
What we know: Newcomers Aquaman, The Flash, and Cyborg join together with Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman to tackle a new apocalyptic threat in DC's Avengers alternative. While the company's superhero epics have been box office hits, up until Wonder Woman they hadn't wowed critics - or fans - and Justice League will have to pull out all the stops to impress. Fortunately, director Zack Snyder has promised a lighter tone than his grimdark Batman v Superman, and the Comic-Con trailer even includes a few genuine jokes, while reshoots from Joss Whedon could add more. Could this be the DC movie we've all been waiting for?
Starring: Gael García Bernal, Benjamin Bratt, Anthony Gonzalez
What we know: Pixar's latest entirely original film takes its inspiration from Día de los Muertos (aka the Day of the Dead), and promises to have an entirely Mexican cast. It boasts one of Pixar's best directors, so we're expecting stunning animation, a lot of laughs, and to be left in floods and floods of tears by the end, while the first trailer sets up some strong musical themes and the adorably manic pup Dante.
Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi
Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi release date: 15 December 2017
Starring: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher
What we know: After last year's excellent standalone film Rogue One, Star Wars is going back to more familiar territory this December with a follow-up to The Force Awakens. Director Rian Johnson has promised it will pick up immediately where that film left off - meaning we will finally actually hear Luke Skywalker say something - while Adam Driver will be back as the wonderfully impetuous Kylo Ren. Still, none of that can make up for the fact that this will be our last ever film with Carrie Fisher as Princess (now General) Leia. You'll find us bawling in the back row.
Pitch Perfect 3
Pitch Perfect 3 release date: 22 December 2017
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Hailee Steinfeld, Elizabeth Banks
What we know: The Bellas are back in the third outing for one of the least probable comedy franchises of all time. The girls are now out of college, and discovering that being a member of a hit student a cappella group doesn't immediately translate into brilliant job prospects. Who'd a thunk it?
Bright
Bright release date: 22 December 2017
Starring: Will Smith, Joel Edgerton, Noomi Rapace
What we know: Netflix has made movies before, but nothing quite like this: a $100m fantasy blockbuster starring Will Smith. From Fury and Suicide Squad director David Ayer, Bright sees Smith play a cop who gets a new partner - an orc. It's basically trying to be a gritty cop drama with fairies (who seem to be used as a not-so-subtle allegory for racism), but we'll watch Smith in just about anything.
Early Man
Early Man release date: 26 January 2018
Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Tom Hiddleston, Maisie Williams, Timothy Spall
What we know: The latest film from Wallace & Gromit and Chicken Run creator Nick Park is taking us back to the Stone Age as Eddie Redmayne's Dug has to lead his tribe to victory against some local Bronze Age upstarts. It's an Aardman animation, so expect over-sized teeth, wacky animals, and oodles of slapstick humour - something the trailer delivers in spades:
Black Panther
Black Panther release date: 9 February 2018
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira
What we know: After debuting in Captain America: Civil War, Chadwick Boseman is back as Black Panther, Marvel's all-African superhero who just also happens to be a king. The mostly black cast looks like a huge step forward for superheroic diversity, and it doesn't hurt that the action is probably going to be pretty top-notch too.
Maze Runner: The Death Cure
Maze Runner: The Death Cure UK release date: 9 February 2018
Starring: Dylan O'Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Katherine Emmanuel
What we know: The third (and final?) Maze Runner movie finally arrives after lengthy delays caused by an on-set injury to star Dylan O'Brien, promising answers once and for all about just why maze running is so great anyway. Will there be mazes? Maybe. Running? Probably. Improbably attractive young stars wooing each other in the midst of it all? Absolutely.
The Shape of Water
The Shape of Water UK release date: 16 February 2018
Starring: Sally Hawkins, Doug Jones, Michael Shannon, Octavia Spencer
What we know: The latest creature feature from renowned director Guillermo Del Toro looks likely to be more weepy than scary, focussing on the forbidden love between a deaf woman and a mute fish man who lives in a government facility. It's a tale as old as time and all that. Still, it looks lovely, it won the top prize at the Venice Film Festival, and critics have been raving.
Pacific Rim: Uprising
Pacific Rim: Uprising release date: 23 February 2018
Starring: John Boyega, Scott Eastwood, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day, Burn Gorman
What we know: Giant robots meet giant monsters. Again. This sequel to Guillermo Del Toro's masterpiece of monster mayhem comes from TV veteran Steven S. DeKnight, and stars John Boyega (of Star Wars fame) as the son of the first film's Idris Elba character. This time the robots are sleeker, the monsters are bigger, and it's gonna be bloody great.
Red Sparrow
Red Sparrow UK release date: 2 March 2018
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Edgerton, Charlotte Rampling, Jeremy Irons
What we know: Jennifer Lawrence is a super-spy in this new thriller which sees her trained as a 'Sparrow', a Russian agent who uses every tool at her disposal to seduce and eliminate her targets. That all sounds pretty familiar, but the trailer suggests a welcome dark tone to the film, so there might be more here than the plot summary suggests.
The First Tomb Raider
The First Tomb Raider release date: 16 March 2018
Starring: Alicia Vikander, Walton Goggins, Daniel Wu, Hannah John-Kamen
What we know: The First Tomb Raider stars Alicia Vikander as Lara Croft, aged here at just 21. The film is set seven years after her eccentric adventurer father's death, and shows her determined to go against his wishes and discover what really happened to him. She sets off on a perilous adventure to his last-known destination, a fabled tomb on an island off the coast of Japan, and it's here that she earns herself the name Tomb Raider.
Ready Player One
Ready Player One release date: 30 March 2018
Starring: Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn
What we know: Based on the best-selling novel by Ernest Cline, Ready Player One is a pop culture-soaked tribute to the '80s. Set in 2045, it centres on a virtual reality contest with a fortune as the prize - and the answer is almost certainly hidden in its creator's obsession with the music, films, TV, and most importantly videogames of the '80s. Steven Spielberg is in the director's chair, so hopefully it should be in safe hands.
Isle of Dogs
Isle of Dogs UK release date: 30 March 2018
Starring: Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Scarlett Johansson, Jeff Goldblum
What we know: The latest film from auteur director Wes Anderson sees him return to stop-motion animation for one of his strangest stories yet. Imagining a future where Japan is overrun by dogs, the excess canines are shipped off to an island rubbish dump, which one young boy journeys to on a quest to reclaim his own missing pooch. It's all very, very Wes Anderson - make of that what you will.
Deadpool 2
Deadpool 2 release date: 1 June 2018
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin
What we know: Ryan Reynolds is back as the Merc with a Mouth in the sequel to 2016's surprise R-rated hit. We barely know anything about the film, and there's no trailer yet, but what we do have is a short teaser released alongside Logan, the latest Wolverine movie. It's a look at Deadpool's own take on a superhero staple, which goes predictably awry.
Paddington 2
Paddington 2 release date: 10 November 2017
Starring: Ben Whishaw, Peter Capaldi, Hugh Grant, Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins
What we know: The first Paddington was an absolute delight from start to finish (we rated it one of the best family films ever), and we can only hope the sequel offers more of the same. This time around, everyone's favourite bear from deepest, darkest Peru is entering the working world to save up for a present for his Aunt Lucy, and no doubt everything will go charmingly wrong.
