By Ethan Harmon
Last year gave us a plethora of fantastic movies, from the explosive, chaotic Avengers to the dirty, bloodbath that is Django Unchained. It was a year full of anticipation, suspense, action, adventure, and wonderment. This year is looking to continue the momentum of year’s past by pushing the excitement even further. Here are the top five movies that will capture your imagination in 2013:
5. Elysium
This film has been somewhat shrouded in mystery. The details are scarce, but the few that have emerged have made this movie all the more intriguing. Max (Matt Damon) lives on a future Earth, a planet that is overpopulated and ruined. He takes on a mission to journey to Elysium, a space colony that houses the rich and powerful. His mission could bring equality between the colony and Earth, but Max must put his life on the line and push through the forces of Secretary Delacourt (Jodie Foster). Directed by District 9’s Neill Blomkamp, Elysium promises to be one hell of a ride.
4. Pacific Rim
If you took the core concepts of anime shows such as Big O and Mobile Suit Gundam and made the giant robots fight aliens, you would get Pacific Rim. Essentially, a monstrous alien species has emerged from a portal in the ocean, and they only want one thing: to destroy humans. Of course, the human race is not so easy to give up, so giant robot suits piloted by trained soldiers are deployed to battle the menacing foes. Guillermo del Toro clearly had a fun time creating this movie, and it looks to be a fun adventure for audiences everywhere.
3. Monsters University
Mike and Sulley are back on the big screen. Pixar – known for their hilarious, heart-warming CG films – is bringing back the heroes from Monsters, Inc. and showing us what the two were like during their college years. Billy Crystal and John Goodman return to voice the lovable monsters. If this movie is anything like the first, then it will no doubt be a thrilling family film.
2. Star Trek: Into Darkness
J.J. Abrams brought Star Trek back into the mainstream years ago, making Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and Uhura household names yet again. The director and cast return to the silver screen this year, accompanied by Sherlock’s Benedict Cumberbatch, to bring us the sequel. The trailers have already shown us a darker Trek adventure, one where the Enterprise and its crew are put through the rigors of war by a new, unknown, and unnamed menace. The movie looks to one-up the intensity of the previous outing, which is just fine by us.
1. Iron Man 3
It’s easy to say that Tony Stark – AKA Iron Man – is the favorite Avenger, possibly even superhero, of most people. His debut blew people away, the sequel, while not as impressive, glued people to the screen, and his outing in The Avengers was fantastic. Robert Downey Jr. and director Shane Black are bringing the quip-snapping genius back to audiences this summer. This time, Iron Man will face his greatest foe – the Mandarin – and construct a new suit. War Machine will join the fray with his new suit. The overall tone and feel of the film will be familiar, yet slightly darker than the first two movies. Iron Man 3 is the movie to go see this year.
Honorable Mentions:
Thor: The Dark World
Gangster Squad
Evil Dead
After Earth
This is the End
The Wolvernine