2012 Part II: 6 Most Anticipated

6 Films to Look Forward to Before the World Ends

Continuing the 2012 series

If you read our articles, you've probably seen our 5 best and worst movies from the first half of 2012. In anticipation for the second half of our last year alive, let's look ahead at the second half of the year and see what movies are definitely worthy of a theater visit. Also, stay tuned for the 5 movies to stay away from in these next 6 months. Originally this list was going to consist of 5 movies, but the second half of the year has a bit more going for it than the first.

Hugh as the convict Jean Valjean

Les Misérables

Tom Hooper's adaptation of the incredible stage musical looks to be a huge success already. They (wisely) decided not to have Taylor Swift in the film, and instead have Amanda Seyfried playing Cosette. Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe star in this French Revolution-era musical. The re-make theme in Hollywood grows much stronger with this film, as yet another classic is getting reworked.

The Bourne Legacy

Seemingly taking place around and after the time of the previous Bourne movies, The Bourne Legacy stars Jeremy Renner as the incredibly dangerous Aaron Cross. Edward Norton will get a shot as the antagonist in this film, and we've seen him do this successfully before. Edward Norton and Jeremy Renner are both remarkable actors, and should perform in their respective roles. I have not read the book, but Robert Ludlum's novels rarely fail to impress, as with the film adaptions. Though this is the first novel to be written by someone other than Ludlum (Eric Van Lustbader), the film looks to have the potential to live up to its predecessors. Rachel Weisz also plays a major role in The Bourne Legacy as Aaron's main love-interest. Again, I haven't read the book, so I don't know that for sure. I'm still excited for the 4th Bourne installment.

Django Unchained

I love him, but this is one strange dude

Although I may not be as excited as my fellow bloggers for this film, unarguably Quentin Tarantino is a unique and talented filmmaker, and the cast filling out this movie is equally talented. Leonardo DiCaprio, Jamie Foxx, Samuel L. Jackson, Christoph Waltz, Kerry Washington, and Jonah Hill should all be names many of you are familiar with. This won't be a movie to take the kids to, as it will contain plenty of profanity and gore. However, the script will dazzle and the plot will no doubt have twists, turns, and a good message to go with. For more on Django Unchained, click here.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

There's not really much to say here, except Peter Jackson, Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Andy Serkis, and the voice of Benedict Cumberbatch. PJ's return to Middle Earth should dazzle, impress, and make a lot of money. The Lord of the Rings trilogy was one of the most successful movie franchises of all time, and the two-part semi-prequel to the series should be just as successful. We have to wait until December for this one, but seeing as how the world should end soon after, I'm glad we have this to look forward to. There are some worries about the increased frame rate used for this movie, but I have faith in Peter Jackson to deliver.

The Dark Knight Rises

Pictured: epic incarnate

There's also very little to say about Christopher Nolan's epic finale to what is arguably (but not really) the greatest comic-book movie franchise to date. Chris has revolutionized these films, and given us something we may never see the likes of again. The cast is mind-blowingly awesome, the scale out-of-this-world, and the story should amaze every person in the theater. You can connect to our many TDKR posts here, and see the Legend end this Friday.

Skyfall

Some of you (as well as some of my fellow bloggers) may be wondering why I put this at the front of my list. There are some other movies that may be deserving of this spot, and I agree that very solid arguments could be made for both second and third on my list to hold the top spot. Hear me out though, as I plead my case.

When Casino Royale came out in 2006, it provided a much needed revamping of the 007 franchise. There were quite a few Craig-haters at first, but these days I don't hear near as much criticism towards him. He's charming, handsome, and funny, but he also has this raw part that is his dark side. Overall he's an engaging and complicated character. The reboot also changed the tone and style of the Bond films. There's no longer any crazy gadgets like the Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan eras. Everything is grounded in reality and set in modern times. Casino Royale also took right from the source material, which gave the cast and crew something wonderful to work with, and produced an excellent film.

Sad to say, when the sequel, Quantum of Solace, came out in 2008, audiences were let down. Although not an awful movie, Quantum suffered heavily from the writer's strike and lacked a coherent plot. It was a direct continuation of the first installment, but seemed to raise more questions from the first than it answered.

No Bond film has managed to contain this car and suck. Daniel knows this.

Skyfall looks to turn things around, with a new story that doesn't directly continue the events of the 2008 sequel. In summary, M (Judi Dench) is haunted by her past and all of MI6 is put at risk. We don't know much else except for what we saw in the teaser trailer. Bond is in some kind of questioning room, and is asked to do some word association. When the questioner says the word "Skyfall", Bond hesitates. Then he simply says "done." This is probably a reference to the Skyfall mansion that belonged to the Bond family in Ian Flemming's novels.

Let me get to my point though, which is why this movie is number one on my list. Skyfall looks to borrow from the source material. It is already established that this new franchise has incredible potential (Casino Royale). On top of that, everyone there wants to make something that will blow audiences away, and make up for what happened in QOS. Skyfall also adds some big-name actors to it's roster. Ralph Fiennes (The Harry Potter series), Javier Bardem (No Country For Old Men), Naomie Harris (Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and 3), and Helen McCrory (Hugo). An addition of Ben Wishaw is being made as well, who will play a young version of MI6's tech-savvy Q. With great source material, a good plot, terrific actors, the addition of a fan-favorite character, and a chip on their shoulder, I'm definitely most excited for Skyfall this year.