WE’VE seen all-time action classics, compelling dramas and plenty of trips down memory lane in cinemas over the past 12 months- but what will next year bring?
Reporter Ryan Smith takes a look into some of the most highly anticipated new releases coming in 2023.
Mission: Impossible- Dead Reckoning Part One
Easily my most anticipated film of the year, nearly three decades after his first outing as Ethan Hunt, Tom Cruise is continuing to redefine what an action film is capable of being.
After a shaky run in the mid-2000s, the past three Mission: Impossible films have been popcorn entertainment at its finest, combining jaw-dropping set pieces with sophisticated, complex and engaging plots.
The newest trailer doesn’t reveal too much other than that the lines between right and wrong will continue to be blurred, and snippets of the stunts already have me eager to pay for my cinema ticket.
And if this year’s spectacular Top Gun: Maverick is anything to go by, I have no doubt the seventh Mission: Impossible will be among Cruise’s finest blockbusters.
Creed 3
Creed was the shot in the arm the Rocky series never knew it needed when it burst into theatres back in 2015, adding a modern and authentic angle to the classic franchise formula while keeping everything that made the originals so beloved.
Its 2018 sequel had some real highs but bringing back Drago’s son resulted in an entertaining but predictable rerun of Rocky 4 (with fewer training montages.)
However in a franchise first, Creed 3 will not have Rocky fighting in its corner as Sylvester Stallone has decided to step out of the ring, and while Michael B Jordan’s Adonis has grown into a highly compelling character in his own right, Balboa’s shadow will be looming large if this ends up being an underwhelming entry.
The trailer indicates Adonis will have to deal with some of his past demons when a childhood friend re-enters his life and, despite the promise of a highly personal grudge match, it remains to be seen whether this latest entry to the franchise will come out swinging.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
As a lifelong fan of the franchise, I live in hope more than anything that the Dial of Destiny will be a success (although I’m sure the film will be better than its title.)
Bringing back an 80-year-old Harrison Ford to reprise the lead role in perhaps the most iconic action and adventure franchise in history sounds a recipe for disaster- he barely got away with it in the underwhelming Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in 2008.
Early teasers show an admittedly impressive de-aged version of Ford, so expect time travel to play a major role, and I have to admit the humour and chase sequences shown in the trailer do feel like classic Indy fun.
This franchise holds a special place in my heart having used the classic originals as a fun-filled form of medicine during sick days off of school and while I do not hold out much hope of this entry holding a candle to those films, the child in me hopes for a fitting farewell to Indy and his friends.
Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3
With wonderful action, side-splitting humour, a loveable team of deeply flawed characters and, of course, the incredible retro soundtracks, the first two ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ films never fail to get me hooked on a feeling.
I’ve found from the MCUs extensive list of franchises, the Guardians films were best equipped to stand on their own due to their unique style and emphasis on universal themes of family, regret and redemption.
And with the main cast all returning alongside director James Gunn, I’m confident Star-Lord and Co will have me singing, laughing and loving every second of this third installment.
