Welcome to the winter blockbuster cycle.

Okay. That may or may not be true as the success of the winter 2016 – 2017 movies have yet to prove themselves. However, there are several titles coming down the pike over the oncoming months (and the next year really) that have certainly peaked this writer’s interest.

In no particular order, here are the ones that I am keeping an eye out for and why I am so eager to see them (and as you can see, most of which are of the geeky to very geeky side, haha!). Note: All my information comes from the individual IMDB pages for the movies listed below.

Assassin’s Creed (December 2016)

The first of (so far) two Assassin flicks hits the silver screen December 21 of this year. And, let me tell you, when I first heard of this endeavor I quite skeptical. If you have played any of the Assassin games, then you know that the games tend to have a very large scope when it comes to the size of the game – meaning that there is a lot of content to cover. This certainly raised concerns but after seeing the initial images of Michael Fassbender both in and out of his Assassin garb, I knew I had to give it a chance. And based on the trailers alone, they seem to have potentially hit on a formula for what could be the best video game to live action adaptation venture yet. While the character names, setting, etc. may be different, the overarching outline of the first Assassin games still appear to be present and the action and style of the movie fits into the game franchise. This gamer girl is quite eager to see how this turns out.

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (January 2017)

The final chapter of the Resident Evil storyline comes at us after the first of the year (January 2017). Milla Jovovich, in her role of Alice, is looking to take the fight for survival right to the source - the Hive in Raccoon City, home of the Umbrella Corp. This has been a long time coming and it feels like a ‘we are taking back our home’ kind of event, which is a great way to close the book on this story. After playing the Resident Evil games and seeing all of the movies, it is kind of bittersweet after all this time but all good things must come to an end.

Logan (March 2017)

Hugh Jackman’s last stand as The Wolverine. Excuse me whilst I go wipe my tears! In Logan, the amount of mutants is declining, and no one seems to be able to pinpoint a cause as to why. Toss in a group of people turning the fewer and fewer mutant children being born into fighting and killing machines and you got a recipe for an apocalyptic future (at least for the mutants). It’s certainly been a ride – the X-men saga and its spin-offs - and this last chapter for The Wolverine sure looks to be rim.

Beauty and the Beast (March 2017)

OKAY. Yes. A Disney movie!! Sue me (well, actually don’t because I am really, really poor!). At any rate, there has been a growing increase and market demand for live action adaptations – especially in the Disney world. Belle and Beast’s story is no different. I am really curious to see how they handle this story ‘in the real world’. I’m really curious to see how Emma Watson portrays Belle and how the team handles the character of Beast, played by Dan Stevens.

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (March 2017)

It actually felt to be about time for a new re-telling of the classic King Arthur story. Charlie Hunnam, of Sons of Anarchy fame, takes on the role of what looks to be a young Arthur as he comes of age and discovers Excalibur’s role in his life. I’ve loved the King Arthur universe long before the television show Merlin ever came to be. So I am very, very eager to see what director Guy Ritchie and crew do with this particular verison.

Power Rangers (March 2017)

“Go Rangers, Go Rangers, Go!” I will never forget sitting in the theatre with my father watching the first big screen adventure of The Mighty Morphing Power Rangers and the moment with Rita and Zedd coming on screen cheering The Rangers on. The laughter! And it is being rebooted and retold to a whole new generation. Based on the trailer, it certainly has a darker feel to it than the original generation, which is a whole new level of intriguing for this not only 90s girl but 90s tomboy. I may not get to see this in theatres but I may just well catch it A.S.A.P when it hits DVD and Blu-Ray.

Ghost in the Shell (March 2017)

An anime live action adaptation at last. And one that has brought forth its fair share of controversy. I am not all that familiar with the Ghost in the Shell franchise, so I will have to do some catching up before this movie hits my screen. But, being an overall anime fan, I am willing to take the time to do that and catch this flick. As I said while discussing Beauty and the Beast, the demand for live action adaptations of video games and anime franchises is really high right now. And movies like this will see to do one of two things: further encourage that demand or cut it off completely. Having studied this in my undergraduate classes at Rogers State, it is something that I am very curious to watch. So this is also on my ‘to see’ list for this next year to be sure.

As you can see, it looks like March 2017 is going to be a highly competitive month all in all. What movies are you amped up to see? What ones are you going to wait till they come to DVD and Blu-Ray, or even to Netflix or Hulu? Let me know in the comments below.

Until next time guys – see ya!