We are finally in the year: 2020, which not only means a new decade, but also another year of new upcoming films to look forward to. As always, these are the films I am personally looking forward to in the new year, so the films I am anticipating may be different than anyone else’s. Without further ado, here are the ten films I am looking forward to in 2020!
#10. ‘The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on the Run’
Much like most people in my generation, ‘Spongebob Squarepants’ has been a part of my childhood, and with each film adaptation that gets released, my anticipation gets higher. Yet, the only fallback seems to be the fact that ‘Sponge on the Run’ is completely CG (with some live-action of course). Somehow, the child in me keeps looking forward to another ‘Spongebob’ movie. Add the fact that its release date falls on my birthday (May 22), and I am sold.
#09. ‘Mulan’
Just when the fatigue of Disney’s live-action remakes of their animated properties was about to set in, we get Niki Caro’s remake of the 1998 animated classic, only with some updates. As reported, there is no Mushu (which destroys the possibility of Kevin Hart following in Eddie Murphy’s footsteps) and the musical numbers are reduced to nothing but instrumental nods blending in with its score. Most fans of the original movie may find the news disappointing, yet with a more serious and realistic take hearkening back to the films of Akira Kurosawa and possible inspirations from Yimou Zhang’s films, a story like Mulan’s does not need silly characters or epic songs to make it entertaining. With the way things are looking, ‘Mulan’ could be the gold standard for live-action Disney remakes and a welcome addition to the ‘Kingdom Hearts’ Cinematic Universe.
#08. ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’
After thirty years of being stuck in development hell, it looks like ‘Ghostbusters III’ has finally been picked up off the ground, with Jason Reitman following in the footsteps of his father, Ivan, who helmed the franchise three decades back. Only it is not a traditional continuation. ‘Afterlife’ not only redacts Paul Feig’s 2016 reboot, yet tells a new story concerning a family (played by Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, and Mckenna Grace) as they move to a new town where spiritual things start happening. If that is not convincing enough, the original cast is reported to return. Yet, the surprises may be saved for later. Only time will tell if ‘Afterlife’ is a welcome back to the franchise or yet another cash cow.
#07. ‘Wonder Woman 1984’
In a cinematic universe filled with dark and gloomy atmosphere, Patty Jenkins’ ‘Wonder Woman’ was a bright spot for DC (both literally and figuratively), as it became one of the highest-grossing films of 2017 as well as a beloved spectacle that lived up to the adjective of its title. ‘WW84’ seems to be following that trend with more bright and colorful choreography and seemingly stellar action sequences, all in an 80’s setting. The DCEU may be slowing down, yet ‘WW84’ might actually pick up the pace.
#06. ‘Soul’
If a movie has the Pixar brand, there is a good chance that it may end up on my Anticipated Movies list. The animation studio has been a tradition of my moviegoing experiences since I was a kid, and I always look forward to seeing what they have in store in the years to follow. ‘Soul’ concerns a jazz musician who dies, only to end up as a spirit as he journeys from the afterlife to go back to the real world with the help of a fellow spirit. Of course, there is bound to be the humor Pixar is known for with the combination of heart. Plus, with Pete Docter’s direction and its marketing being “The studio that brought you ‘Up’, ‘Inside Out’ and ‘Coco'”, it seems to be yet another tearjerker that I cannot wait to shed a tear over.
#05. ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’
‘Batman v. Superman’? How about ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’! While this may not be the first time the “King of the monsters” has shown off against “the 8th Wonder of the world” as they both duked it out in 1962. Yet with a larger scale presented in the American versions of Toho’s Monsterverse, a battle between Godzilla and Kong should be described as an epic showdown. Who will win? We will have to find out on November 30.
#04. ‘Onward’
See what I mean when I say that a Pixar movie is likely to be on an anticipated movies list? After a few years of the studio churning long-awaited sequels, it feels like a breath of fresh air to see something original as ‘Onward’, especially with its premise. Though this may not be the first film to show fantasy creatures in a modern setting (*cough* ‘Bright’ *cough*) , ‘Onward’ could still turn things around and do it justice, especially if it has the heart of two brothers trying to contact their long-passed father for the first time. This might actually be a good year for Pixar.
#03. ‘Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn’
Call me the odd man out, yet I was one of those people who actually enjoyed ‘Suicide Squad’ despite its flaws and my understanding of why it is one of the worst-received movies in the DCEU. Part of my liking for ‘SS’ is thanks to Margot Robbie’s crazed performance as Harley Quinn. In ‘Birds of Prey’, Robbie shows no signs of slowing down, especially with the likes of Rosie Perez, Jurnee Smollett-Ball, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and Ella Jay Basco (Pictured above), promising a more wild and crazy ride. Even if it does not get well-received, I am looking forward to fun and excitement.
#02. ‘Free Guy’
Speaking of wild and crazy, no trailer I have seen is more outrageous than ‘Free Guy’. The best way I can describe it is a smorgasbord of chaos, havoc, and brutal insanity as Ryan Reynolds plays an NPC, who becomes self-aware while trying to go through his day-to-day life in an open-world video game akin to ‘Grand Theft Auto’ and ‘Fortnite’. What more do I need to say, except that it looks awesome?
#01. ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’
Let’s take a moment to be grateful for the team at Paramount for listening to the cries of distressed fans who saw Sonic’s first look when the first trailer hit … Okay! Now let’s put that abomination back in 2019 and just pretend that it was a concept, or let’s forget it even existed in the first place! Who knows if ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ will follow ‘Pokemon: Detective Pikachu’ or ‘Ratchet & Clank’ as a solid adaptation of a video game (Jim Carrey is just being Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik), yet I will be there with either my ‘Sonic’ or Paramount shirt.
Honorable Mentions:
‘Dolittle’
‘Impractical Jokers: The Movie’
‘A Quiet Place: Part II’
‘Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway’
‘Black Widow’
‘Top Gun: Maverick’
‘In the Heights’
‘Bob’s Burgers: The Movie’
‘Jungle Cruise’
‘Tenet’
‘Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar’
‘Bill and Ted Face the Music’
‘The King’s Man’
‘The Witches’
‘Eternals’
‘Clifford the Big Red Dog’
‘Raya and the Last Dragon’
‘Tom and Jerry’
Jon Spencer Reviews 
I’m.lookimg forwarding to movie – 9,7 and 4 as well!
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I think Free Guy may actually be my most anticipated movie of the year, I hadn’t even heard of it until about a month ago when I watched the trailer and it just blew me away. That plus the fact that it’s Ryan Reynolds and Jodie Comer. In a movie. Together. My hopes are quite high.
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It almost became my most anticipated movie after watching the trailer, but compared to how much I watched the trailer for ‘Free Guy’ vs. ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’, my anticipation for ‘Sonic’ is much higher.
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Fair enough.
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Kingdom Hearts cinematic universe? That’s actually a thing? Okay, I wasn’t too sure about most of the movies in the top 20 and in the honorable mentions. It still bugs me about the rampant remakes and sequels going on. I would recommend Mulan: Rise Of a Warrior. That was a good live action take on the original story.
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It’s hard not to be bombarded by unoriginal content when so much of it gets waved in your face. It seems that you have to dig deep to find original content, yet the problem is; nobody watches original content, because it is either too quirky, or weird; and the whole ‘Kingdom Hearts’ Cinematic Universe is not real, it is an in-joke, but those remakes of Disney movies might as well set up a ‘KH’ movie. I can only dream though. I might have to check out ‘Rise of a Warrior’. Where can I find it?
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Yeah, seriously. It’s no wonder I’ve found refuge with the stuff I cover in the indie and international fields, but even then you still have remakes and sequels. Shame on society for not wanting original content. It’s like the mainstream studios are working on safe bets when it comes to movies when they don’t realize some of the biggest movies have been original screenplays in the past.
Okay, I wasn’t sure if the KH Cinematic Universe was just a joke or not. That would be way too desperate of Disney to resort to that while trying to duplicate the MCU with various fairy tales, adapted characters, and the ones they plagiarized (obvious potshot is obvious).
Rise of a Warrior is certainly a fun movie, but don’t expect it to be like the original. Funimation of all companies has the rights to it and features it on their site, and you can rent the DVD from Netflix, watch it on Amazon, and other places.
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