TOP 10 MOST ANTICIPATED FILMS OF 2017

With 2016 coming to a close, we at Merc With A Movie Blog have compiled a list of the 10 films in 2017 that we are most looking forward to watching.  So instead of jabbing away, let's just get right to it, starting with #10......

10. WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES

Caesar (Andy Serkis) and his apes are forced into a deadly conflict with an army of humans led by a ruthless colonel (Woody Harrelson). After the apes suffer unimaginable losses, Caesar wrestles with his darker instincts and begins his own mythic quest to avenge his kind. As the journey finally brings them face to face, Caesar and the colonel are pitted against each other in an epic battle that will determine the fate of both of their species and the future of the planet.

The third installment in the rebooted Apes franchise looks to be what we've all been waiting for, the war to decide the fate of the planet.  Caeser is on the edge and Woody Harrelson's character seems determined to end the ape uprising.  This franchise has steadily increased in quality from the first to the second, and if that trajectory continues, this could be one of 2017's best films.

War for the Planet of the Apes hits theaters on July 14, 2017.

9. BLADE RUNNER 2049

Thirty years after the events of the first film, a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K (Ryan Gosling), unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what’s left of society into chaos. K’s discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 30 years.

The original Blade Runner is a classic in the realm of sci-fi, and in film in general.  So when news of a sequel broke, fans worldwide groaned in disapproval.  Yet as casting announcements came out and story points were revealed, people began to warm up to the idea of a continuation of this epic story.  And then came the very first trailer (seen below), which brought back Harrison Ford himself as the first film's main protagonist, Rick Deckard, and introduced a new Blade Runner played by Ryan Gosling.  Hopefully, this will be able to love up to the original.

Blade Runner 2049 hits theaters on October 6, 2017.

8. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

In this live-action re-imagining of the fairy tale, a young woman (Emma Watson) takes her father's place as prisoner in a beast's castle, only to fall in love with her beastly captor (Dan Stevens), who turns out to be a prince.

The next in Disney's line of live-action adaptations of their classic animated films, comes this March as Beauty and the Beast hits the silver screen.  Their has surprisingly been a great outpouring of support for this film, which stars Harry Potter alum, Emma Watson, as Belle, with Dan Stevens playing the Beast.  We've seen some beautiful imagery from this film, and if the end product is anywhere as good as the trailer makes it look, then Disney might just have another hit on their hands.

Beauty and the Beast hits theaters on March 17, 2017.

7. JUSTICE LEAGUE

Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy. Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to find and recruit a team of metahumans to stand against this newly awakened threat. But despite the formation of this unprecedented league of heroes — Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash — it may already be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.

It's no surprise that the Justice League film has made it to this list as most fans have high hopes for it to be one of the films to save the DCEU and put it on par with Marvel.  And after the trailer we got, those hopes are not without warrant.  It seems that Zack Snyder and DC/WB may have learned their lesson and have lightened up this ensemble flick perfectly in order to harness the personalities of all these characters and deliver us a film that could rival The Avengers or Captain America: Civil War.

Justice League hits theaters on November 17, 2017.

6. GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2

Set to the backdrop of ‘Awesome Mixtape #2,’ Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the team’s adventures as they traverse the outer reaches of the cosmos. The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mysteries of Peter Quill’s true parentage. Old foes become new allies and fan-favorite characters from the classic comics will come to our heroes’ aid as the Marvel cinematic universe continues to expand.

Marvel seems to be at it again with the follow-up to their 2015 space ensemble, Guardians of the Galaxy.  Volume 2 takes that original tone and looks to amp it up to the next level.  And the inclusion of Baby Groot is just the icing on the cake.  This will most definitely be a fun ride for any comic book movie fan.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 hits theaters on May 5, 2017.

5. SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING 

A young Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland), who made his sensational debut in Captain America: Civil War, begins to navigate his newfound identity as the web-slinging super hero in Spider-Man: Homecoming.  Thrilled by his experience with the Avengers, Peter returns home, where he lives with his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), under the watchful eye of his new mentor Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.). Peter tries to fall back into his normal daily routine – distracted by thoughts of proving himself to be more than just your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man – but when the Vulture (Michael Keaton) emerges as a new villain, everything that Peter holds most important will be threatened.

After the misfire that was Amazing Spider-Man 2, fan weren't sure we'd see the webslinger again for quite a while.  However, little did we know, Marvel and Sony were in the midst of crafting a deal to bring your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man into the world of the Avengers, and that's exactly what they did in Captain America: Civil War.  We saw a brand new Spider-Man, played by Tom Holland, swing into action and steal the show.  And just over a year after, we will get Holland's first standalone Spidey film in what should be a long line of films to come.  And we get Michael Keaton as The Vulture!  What more can you ask for?!?!

Spider-Man: Homecoming hits theaters on July 7, 2017.

4. LOGAN

In 2024, mutant births are severely in decline, and people aren't sure why. A government-type operation is turning mutant children into killing machines. From this, Logan emerges as a mentor to a mutant girl, who has two claws instead of his three.

Fox's X-Men franchise has been running for nearly two decades, and at its center is the claw-wielding Canadian, Wolverine, played by the very talented Hugh Jackman.  He has appeared in ever X-Men film, from main character to one scene cameo, and we even saw pictures of him in the highly successful Deadpool.  But all good things must come to an end, as Logan, the third Wolverine film, will be Jackman's last in this iconic role.  And from the looks of it, fans will see a mix of the Old Man Logan and Death of Wolverine comic stories.  Plus, X23!!!

Logan hits theaters on March 3, 2017.

3. WONDER WOMAN

Before she was Wonder Woman, she was Diana, princess of the Amazons, trained to be an unconquerable warrior. Raised on a sheltered island paradise, when an American pilot crashes on their shores and tells of a massive conflict raging in the outside world, Diana leaves her home, convinced she can stop the threat. Fighting alongside man in a war to end all wars, Diana will discover her full powers...and her true destiny.

When trailers for both Justice League and Wonder Woman both dropped at SDCC this year, I assumed it'd be the Justice League one that would leave me breathless.  And even though I am extremely excited for that film, it was Wonder Woman that I couldn't stop talking about.  This is a film that fans have been waiting for, a film that needed to be made, and with an amazing casting choice with the beautiful Gal Gadot, and a strong female director like Patty Jenkins, I think this will be the film that proves DC is a contender in the world of live action film once again.

Wonder Woman hits theaters on June 2, 2017.

2. DUNKIRK

'Dunkirk' opens as hundreds of thousands of British and Allied troops are surrounded by enemy forces. Trapped on the beach with their backs to the sea they face an impossible situation as the enemy closes in.

Christopher Nolan is the type of filmmaker that, even when he has a film this is as good as hoped, it is still a damn good film, and a track record like that isn't easy to come by.  So, when it was announced that he would be tackling the infamous battle at Dunkirk, it definitely piqued my interest.  And with a great cast, including Tom Hardy, Mark Rylance, and Kenneth Branagh, this looks to be a must-see for all film lovers and war enthusiasts.  Let's just hope it can deliver.

Dunkirk hits theaters on July 21, 2017.

And our most anticipated film of 2017 is...

1. STAR WARS: EPISODE VIII

After the success of The Force Awakens and Rogue One, it's no surprise that the next installment in the greatest film saga of all time is at the top of our list.  All we know about Episode VIII so far is that it will have more Luke Skywalker, as it will pick up after the events of The Force Awakens.  We also know that the First Order is still at war, and we will see a new, unnamed villain pop up, being played by Benicio Del Toro.  Hopefully when the first trailer drops (said to be happening in the Spring) we'll get a good sense of what the film will be.

Check out the production announcement from back in February when they started filming:

Star Wars: Episode VIII hits theaters on December 15, 2017.

Thanks for hanging out with us as we shared the films we're most looking forward to in the new year.  What are you most anticipating?  Is there something not on this list that you're really excited for?  Please let us know in the comments!

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