by Mia Schoenbeck
The year 2018 is going to be a big year for movies and movie-goers alike. With long-awaited sequels or continuations, spinoffs starring beloved characters and adaptations, and new movies, there is a lot to be excited for, as well as lots of trepidation to be had.
This will be the year for sequels and continuations to come to the big screen. “The Avengers,” “Mamma Mia,” “Deadpool,” “The Incredibles,” “Jurassic World,” “Maze Runner,” “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” “Hotel Transylvania,” and “Gnomeo and Juliet” are all getting sequels and continuations.
“Avengers: Infinity War Part 1,” set to release on May 4, is drawing lots of attention from both comics fans and casual moviegoers. I was never a comic book fan and hadn’t even heard of half of the characters that were going to be featured in this film, but after exploring the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I’m excited to see how all of the characters from the different movies come together — especially those from “The Guardians of the Galaxy” films.
If there is one movie I’m nervous about seeing, it’s “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again,” the sequel to “Mamma Mia.” Meryl Streep’s Donna doesn’t appear anywhere in the trailer, and if Streep doesn’t appear, I’m not sure how the movie will recover.
In terms of notable spin-offs, “Solo: A Star Wars Story” is set to release on May 25, 2018. This movie has been met with controversy from the start, with fans divided on whether or not they even wanted the movie to begin with, a rough shortlist of who would play the beloved Han Solo role, Ron Howard replacing Phil Lord and Chris Miller as the director and supposably reshooting most of the movie, and mixed responses to “The Last Jedi, Solo: A Star Wars Story,” leaving “Solo: A Star Wars Story” to possibly pick up the slack. Personally, I’m excited for the movie, mostly because I liked Alden Einrich, who is playing Han Solo, in “Hail! Caesar” and “Beautiful Creatures” and I’m excited to see what his “canon” backstory will be, as I’ve read the “Legends” book covering it.
Two movies coming out this year that aren’t prequels, sequels, midquels, or spinoffs are “A Wrinkle in Time,” based off of the book with the same name, and “Love, Simon,” based off of the book “Simon vs. the Homo Sapien Agenda.”
“A Wrinkle in Time,” which stars Oprah, Reese Witherspoon, and Mindy Kaling, as well as Chris Pine, is gathering lots of attention because of its African American female director. I’m excited about that, but a little nervous about it, because the last live-action Disney movie I saw was “Tomorrowland,” and I didn’t enjoy it. However, I’m willing to give “A Wrinkle in Time” a shot, if only because of Oprah and Mindy Kaling.
“Love, Simon” is also gaining lots of attention due to its gay protagonist. I’d be excited about it, but I have trouble getting into coming-of-age stories and find them tiring.
