My Top Ten Most Anticipated Movies of 2013

The beginning of the year is typically a rough time for movies. Every now and then you'll find a good one, but most of the films arriving in theaters week after week are subpar. That is, until the Summer arrives with its big budget blockbusters (some disappointing, others incredible), and then comes the Fall movie season which brings quality dramas and thrillers that are usually in contention for Oscars. So, since I am not making it to the movies a whole bunch during this bland part of the year, I figured I would look ahead and what is coming out later this year and rank my personal choices for Most Anticipated Movies of 2013.

10) Jack Ryan (December 2013)

Tom Clancy's boy scout spy is coming back to theaters. The character of Jack Ryan was first brought to life by Alec Baldwin in The Hunt for Red October. Harrison Ford later took the role in both Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger. Ben Affleck was the last version of Jack Ryan in the disappointing The Sum of All Fears. After more than a decade, Hollywood has decided to reboot the character and now Chris Pine is taking Ryan back to his roots. This movie is an original screenplay that is not based on any Clancy novel that will tell Ryan's backstory. I do worry about the filmmakers walking away from Clancy's source material, but there is a great cast around Chris Pine including, Keira Knightley, Kevin Costner, and Kenneth Branaugh who is also directing the movie. Hopefully, this movie will start a new series of quality Jack Ryan movies with Chris Pine in the role. I think he's got what it takes.

9) Thor: The Dark World (November 2013)

Though the first film wasn't as successful as any of the Iron Man movies, I think Thor has won over many fans after last year's The Avengers. I, personally, love Chris Hemsworth's character. Besides Tony Stark, I find him to be one of the more intriguing Avengers. I expect this second film to really up the ante. Let's see what the God of Thunder can really do and let's also see what his "adopted" brother, Loki (played to perfection by Tom Hiddleston), is up to.

8) Monsters University (June 2013)

Disney and Pixar rarely get it wrong. Based on the Toy Story films, they have proven that they can handle sequels, though technically Monsters University is a prequel. I have complete faith that this film will deliver on its expectations. Pixar is always clever with its movies' environments and with this movie being set on a university campus. Expect the filmmakers to have a lot of fun with that.

7)  Anchorman: The Legend Continues (December 2013)

Sequels to classic comedies are EXTREMELY hard to pull off. There is a good chance that this one could fall flat on its face. However, I'm choosing to be optimistic. Anchorman is one of my all-time favorite comedies. It is that perfect blend of stupid and clever. Will Ferrell and director Adam McKay have done well in bringing back the original cast (Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, Christina Applegate), and they have also brought on some exciting newcomers: Kristen Wiig, James Marsden, and shockingly, Harrison Ford! There have also been rumors that John C. Reilly may have a role. The expectations are high, but I'm hoping to laugh myself into stomach cramps during this one. "60% of the time it works everytime."

6) The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (December 2013)

Peter Jackson brought fans back to Middle-Earth last year with The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Though the film was not as critically acclaimed as the LOTR trilogy, fans welcomed the film for the most part. This second installment should be a lot more exciting that its predecessor. There will also be some familiar faces from LOTR in this one. Should be fun.

5) The Wolverine (July 2013)

Ok, so X-Men Origins: Wolverine was a let down, and I think Hugh Jackman knows it. He has said that this is going to be the Wolverine that fans have been dying to see. The story takes place after X-Men: The Last Stand and will be a completely stand-alone movie. It is based off a very popular comic book storyline that takes Logan to Japan and involves Samurai. Director James Mangold is behind the camera for this movie and he has made some quality films (3:10 to Yuma and Walk the Line). A trailer is finally going to debut in just a couple days (March 27) so we will have a better idea then what this movie is going to be like. Wolverine has always been one of my favorite superheroes and he was great in the X-Men movies. I hope this will be the film that he deserves.

4) Iron Man 3 (May 2013)

It was hard ranking these last few movies. Don't be alarmed by this one coming in at #4. I am VERY excited to see it. I think had The Avengers not come out last year then I would be even more excited for this, but I'm not complaining. The Avengers was awesome and I expect this to be as well. I am most excited to see Ben Kingsley play the villainous Mandarin. He's a great actor and it looks like he is going to be menacing to Tony Stark.

3) Star Trek Into Darkness (May 2013)

I was raised on Star Wars. I never imagined I would ever be excited for a Star Trek film, but I will admit that director J.J. Abrams has converted me...at least to his vision. I loved the last film. It was fun, exciting, intense, and action-packed. Chris Pine was awesome in the role of Captain Kirk as was Zachary Quinto as Spock. The trailers for this sequel look extremely intense with Benedict Cumberbatch looks to be a formidable foe. Is he Khan? We won't know until we see the movie. Can't wait.

2) The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (November 2013)

I am a big fan of this series. I was extremely pleased with the film adaptation of the first installment, and I am a major fan of actress Jennifer Lawrence. Catching Fire was a great follow-up to The Hunger Games and so I expect the same from this upcoming sequel. The movie has great actors from the original cast and has added some surprising talent to this movie such as Philip Seymour Hoffman. Good screenwriter, good director, solid cast, and great source material should add up to a fantastic film. So excited!

1) Man of Steel (June 2013)

I love Superman. He is one of my all-time favorite characters. I love all that he stands for and his general mythology. As much as I love the original Superman film, I am very thrilled about this new interpretation. There is a lot to be excited about. The look of the film (based on the trailers) is beautiful, which is somewhat of a surprise coming from 300 director Zack Snider. There is the promise that Snider will give audiences a Superman that can really kick some trash (awesome). The story for the movie is from Christopher Nolan, the brilliant filmmaker behind the Dark Knight trilogy, Memento, The Prestige, and Inception. The cast is awesome! Henry Cavill has been around, but this will be his first big movie experience. Amy Adams is Lois Lane, Kevin Costner and Diane Lane play the Kents, Michael Shannon is Zod, and Russell Crowe is Jor-El...perfect! Also, my favorite film composer Hans Zimmer is doing the soundtrack. Everything about this screams awesomeness.

There are many other great sounding films that are scheduled to come out this year, but these were the 10 that most caught my eye. There are always disappointments every year when there are big expectations, but here's hoping that these 10 will deliver the way I think and hope they will!