Which five films are destined for Box office glory in 2012? The top grossing films of the new year will no doubt be five of the most discussed sequels in recent cinematic history including the final chapter of an iconic comic book hero. Here are my selections for the top five most anticipated films of 2012:
Men in Black III
There are few guarantees in life; but when it comes to U.S. Box office success, there is no doubt that Will Smith is the reigning king since his magnificent blockbuster Independence Day. In 2012 Smith will offer fans of his lucrative "Men in Black" franchise another dose of alien crime fighting with "Men in Black III", this time with several intriguing twists. The plot surrounds Smith's Agent J having to travel back in time to save his beloved partner, Agent K, played again by Tommy Lee Jones, from a new alien enemy bent on disseminating human life. The new cast includes former "Pussycat Doll" and current X-Factor judge Nicole Scherzinger as well as screen veteran Emma Thompson and Josh Brolin (playing a younger Agent K from the past). The trailer reveals Will Smith in true wise-cracking form aided significantly with the expected otherworldly special effects. While I thought the original film was a witty, action-filled thrill ride benefiting greatly from the chemistry between Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, the sequel reduced the characters to caricatures with a laughable villain who possessed zero fear factor. Hopefully with returning Executive Producer Steven Spielberg, an attractive new cast and new music by popular composer Danny Elfman, this third entry will be a vast improvement following the near-disaster that was MIB II.
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted
Summer 2012 could be owned exclusively by the Smith family. While Will stars in MIB III, wife Jada Pinkett Smith returns for what is sure to be the most successful animated film of the year, "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted". To fully understand how popular this franchise has become simply consider that NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams recently joked about the people of Madagascar having to "move it, move it" because of falling satellite debris; an obvious reference to the popular song from the original Madagascar. When Brian Williams is familiar with your soundtrack, you can surely consider yourself a pop-icon. In this third film Pinkett-Smith returns as the wise-cracking hippo, along with the entire all-star cast of the previous films including heavy-weight comedians Chris Rock and Ben Stiller, joined again by popular "Friends" star David Schwimmer. Everyone's favorite band of castaway zoo animals are now lost in Europe and are being tracked by Oscar-winner and film veteran Frances McDormand as the voice of the hilarious Captain DuBois who is determined to return the renegade animals to their original home in New York. With few exciting prospects in animation for moviegoers, Madagascar 3 is sure to be Box office dynamite with a built-in audience of young children (and legions of adult fans), popular actors providing voices and a trailer that boasts vivid splashes of color, hilarious action sequences and hints of an another amazing soundtrack by enormously popular composer Hans Zimmer (Gladiator). With the giant buzz the film is already creating, parents be prepared to spend once again on related movie toys, clothes and CDs.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
To say that the prequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" is being highly anticipated would be an understatement. Since the initial announcement by famed Director Peter Jackson that production would commence on the film, there have been hundreds of fan-made websites, message boards and blogs created to discuss the release of the film. Lord of the Rings' fans are ecstatic that Jackson has decided to bring to life this early book by Rings' author J.R. Tolkein, which reveals the story behind the initial discovery of the Ring. The film will focus on Frodo's grandfather, played by Martin Freeman, as he embarks on an adventure to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug. While many of the original cast members do not make appearances, fans of the original film were elated with the return of Sir Ian Mckellen as Gandalf, a role that earned him a coveted Oscar nomination. Along with Anthony Hopkins, I consider Mckellen to be one of the greatest living actors, and as seen in the trailer, he returns in great form to the role of the wizard Gandalf. Watching the trailer one is instantly reminded of why the Lord of the Rings trilogy is one of the most successful as the viewer is swept away by nostalgic images of the Hobbits' Shire, glorious cinematography revealing never-before-seen locations of Middle Earth and the majestic strains of Howard Shore's phenomenally popular original music for the franchise. With little doubt, "The Hobbit" will be among the top 3 highest grossing films of 2012.
"The Avengers"
A superhero team-up of this magnitude has never been attempted on film. In excess of six iconic Marvel Comic superheroes have been crammed into one gigantic action extravaganza and while there is a huge fan following for each of these heroes due to the successful Iron Man, Thor and Captain America films, this film represents a giant gamble for Marvel Studios. Providing each hero with adequate screen time to gratify their hordes of fans will be an uphill task especially since fans have no qualms about publicly shaming a film if something does not live up to their expectations. However, challenges aside, the trailer for "Avengers" is exhilarating and hints at high production values including grandiose special effects, gigantic battles and hair-raising shots of beloved super heroes fighting side-by-side. With little effort the film will garner giant-sized Box Office numbers especially with franchise favorite Robert Downey Jr. returning as Iron Man. The casting of "Shaft" actor Samuel L. Jackson as the iconic Nick Fury is a stroke of pure genius further adding to the appeal of the film. That aside, no doubt Marvel Studios is worried about the return of the Hulk character, who, unlike the other franchise heroes, failed to garner success with his individual films. The original Hulk film, directed by "Crouching Tiger/Hidden" Director Ang Lee was nothing short of a disaster; in fact the film was so badly received, the studio was forced to reboot with a new cast, but even the second Hulk film, while possessing a superior plot to its predecessor, was met with few cheers from fans. As a result, a new actor, Mark Ruffalo ("13 Going on 30") was cast as Bruce Banner/The Hulk in "Avengers" further fanning rumors that the Hulk's cold reception by fans would be the weak link in "The Avengers". Obstacles aside, moviegoers from every corner of the web continue to list "Avengers" as a 2012 must-see.
The Dark Knight Rises
Few will argue with me when I name "The Dark Knight Rises" as the most anticipated film of 2012, especially since the film's predecessor was the highest grossing film of 2008. When images from the set leaked online, moviegoers went into a frenzy about popular actress Anne Hathaway in the Catwoman costume, a role made famous by Michelle Pfieffer in Tim Burton's 1992 blockbuster "Batman Returns". The film has few obstacles as it aims to capture the coveted spot as highest grossing film of 2012. However, one of those obstacles happens to be the cold reaction from fans to the new villains. Much is riding on Tom Hardy and Anne Hathaway's portrayals of Bane and Catwoman respectively due to the fact that Heath Ledger left audiences spell-bound with his universally praised performance as the Joker in the previous film, which also earned him a posthumous Oscar nomination for Best Actor. Fans have voiced their concern about Hardy's lack of a physique to equal the Titanic-sized Bane seen in the comics, as well as Hathaway's less than impressive Catwoman costume which comes complete with what appears to be giant-goggles. The trailer boasts suspenseful sequences and hints at a giant showdown between Bane and Christian Bale's Batman, including a terrific special effects shot in which an entire baseball field appears to be collapsing. Famed Director Christopher Nolan seems unaffected by the criticism of the new villains. After all fans reacted coldly when Heath Ledger was named as the Joker and after seeing the actual performance ranked Ledger's performance above that of Jack Nicholson's version of the Joker in the 1989 Batman film. With salivating fans, a much talked about cast and a soundtrack that is hinted to be one of Hans Zimmer's most brilliant, "Dark Knight Rises" is on target to be 2012's highest grossing film.
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