The Best Upcoming Films of 2012 and Beyond

by jakelovesguitar | created - 17 Oct 2012 | updated - 17 Oct 2012 | Public

These are the films that everyone will be watching, and waiting for. Good or bad, these are films that are the most anticipated.

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1. Man of Steel (2013)

PG-13 | 143 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

55 Metascore

An alien child is evacuated from his dying world and sent to Earth to live among humans. His peace is threatened when other survivors of his home planet invade Earth.

Director: Zack Snyder | Stars: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Diane Lane

Votes: 812,230 | Gross: $291.05M

This is one of my most anticipated films. Combining Snyder and Nolan should lead to fantastic results. With The Dark Knight, Nolan stunned the world. He had made a superhero film that became one of the best reviewed films of all time. Although this isn't Batman, Nolan has shown time and again that he can create brilliant, thought provoking films out of anything. Snyder's direction will be the deciding factor though. He is a very hit or miss director. He also hasn't had any films that were a massive success critically. But, with Snyder's beautiful style, and Nolan's storytelling I expect this to reach expectations.

2. Skyfall (2012)

PG-13 | 143 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller

81 Metascore

James Bond's loyalty to M is tested when her past comes back to haunt her. When MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.

Director: Sam Mendes | Stars: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Naomie Harris, Judi Dench

Votes: 731,414 | Gross: $304.36M

Javier Bardem+Sam Mendes= success. It is as simple as that. From what I have seen, this could be one of the best Bond films yet.

3. Cloud Atlas (2012)

R | 172 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi

55 Metascore

An exploration of how the actions of individual lives impact one another in the past, present and future, as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero, and an act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution.

Directors: Tom Tykwer, Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski | Stars: Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugh Grant, Hugo Weaving

Votes: 374,518 | Gross: $27.11M

This is probably the most ambitious film in years. The complexity of a film like this is either going to lead to a resounding success, or a massive failure. So far, this movie has split the critics. Some have called it a triumph and others have said it's an ambitious film which can't hold it's own weight.

4. Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

R | 164 min | Action, Drama, Mystery

81 Metascore

Young Blade Runner K's discovery of a long-buried secret leads him to track down former Blade Runner Rick Deckard, who's been missing for thirty years.

Director: Denis Villeneuve | Stars: Harrison Ford, Ryan Gosling, Ana de Armas, Dave Bautista

Votes: 666,128 | Gross: $92.05M

This is the film that I anxiously await. It may be a ways off, but the original Blade Runner is one of my favorite films, so I can't wait for this.

5. 1984

Drama, Sci-Fi | Announced

A man struggles to keep his autonomy under an oppressive regime that monitors his every move.

Director: Paul Greengrass

This is my most anticipated film, hands down. 1984 is easily my favorite novel, so I can't wait to see what a modern version will be like. If Ron Howard does a great job, and captures the atmosphere the book had, it could be one of the best movies of the decade. It's really to early though to start guessing.

6. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

PG-13 | 169 min | Adventure, Fantasy

58 Metascore

A reluctant Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, sets out to the Lonely Mountain with a spirited group of dwarves to reclaim their mountain home, and the gold within it from the dragon Smaug.

Director: Peter Jackson | Stars: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Andy Serkis

Votes: 873,518 | Gross: $303.00M

7. Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

R | 157 min | Drama, History, Thriller

95 Metascore

A chronicle of the decade-long hunt for al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden after the September 2001 attacks, and his death at the hands of the Navy S.E.A.L.s Team 6 in May 2011.

Director: Kathryn Bigelow | Stars: Jessica Chastain, Joel Edgerton, Chris Pratt, Mark Strong

Votes: 319,074 | Gross: $95.72M

8. Life of Pi (2012)

PG | 127 min | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy

79 Metascore

A young man who survives a disaster at sea is hurtled into an epic journey of adventure and discovery. While cast away, he forms an unexpected connection with another survivor: a fearsome Bengal tiger.

Director: Ang Lee | Stars: Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Adil Hussain, Tabu

Votes: 667,221 | Gross: $124.99M

9. Django Unchained (2012)

R | 165 min | Comedy, Drama, Western

81 Metascore

With the help of a German bounty-hunter, a freed slave sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal plantation owner in Mississippi.

Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington

Votes: 1,696,788 | Gross: $162.81M

10. Hitchcock (2012)

PG-13 | 98 min | Biography, Drama, Romance

55 Metascore

The relationship between Alfred Hitchcock and his wife Alma Reville during the filming of Psycho (1960) in 1959 is explored.

Director: Sacha Gervasi | Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, Scarlett Johansson, Danny Huston

Votes: 79,244 | Gross: $6.01M

11. Elysium (I) (2013)

R | 109 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi

61 Metascore

In the year 2154, the very wealthy live on a man-made space station while the rest of the population resides on a ruined Earth. A man takes on a mission that could bring equality to the polarized worlds.

Director: Neill Blomkamp | Stars: Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, Sharlto Copley, Alice Braga

Votes: 471,257 | Gross: $93.05M

12. Iron Man Three (2013)

PG-13 | 130 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

62 Metascore

When Tony Stark's world is torn apart by a formidable terrorist called the Mandarin, he starts an odyssey of rebuilding and retribution.

Director: Shane Black | Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Guy Pearce, Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle

Votes: 899,770 | Gross: $409.01M

13. Silent Hill: Revelation (2012)

R | 95 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller

16 Metascore

When her adoptive father disappears, Sharon Da Silva is drawn into a strange and terrifying alternate reality that holds answers to the horrific nightmares that have plagued her since childhood.

Director: M.J. Bassett | Stars: Adelaide Clemens, Kit Harington, Sean Bean, Carrie-Anne Moss

Votes: 66,743 | Gross: $17.53M

14. Flight (I) (2012)

R | 138 min | Drama, Thriller

76 Metascore

Troubling questions arise after airline pilot Whip Whitaker makes a miracle landing after a mid-air catastrophe.

Director: Robert Zemeckis | Stars: Denzel Washington, Nadine Velazquez, Don Cheadle, John Goodman

Votes: 376,351 | Gross: $93.77M

15. Lincoln (2012)

PG-13 | 150 min | Biography, Drama, History

87 Metascore

As the Civil War rages on, U.S President Abraham Lincoln struggles with continuing carnage on the battlefield as he fights with many inside his own cabinet on his decision to emancipate the slaves.

Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, David Strathairn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Votes: 272,755 | Gross: $182.21M

16. Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

R | 122 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

81 Metascore

After a stint in a mental institution, former teacher Pat Solitano moves back in with his parents and tries to reconcile with his ex-wife. Things get more challenging when Pat meets Tiffany, a mysterious girl with problems of her own.

Director: David O. Russell | Stars: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver

Votes: 743,103 | Gross: $132.09M

17. Killing Them Softly (2012)

R | 97 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

64 Metascore

Jackie Cogan is an enforcer hired to restore order after three dumb guys rob a Mob protected card game, causing the local criminal economy to collapse.

Director: Andrew Dominik | Stars: Brad Pitt, Ray Liotta, Richard Jenkins, Scoot McNairy

Votes: 153,228 | Gross: $15.03M

18. This Is 40 (2012)

R | 134 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

59 Metascore

Pete and Debbie are both about to turn 40, their kids hate each other, both of their businesses are failing, they're on the verge of losing their house, and their relationship is threatening to fall apart.

Director: Judd Apatow | Stars: Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, Maude Apatow, Iris Apatow

Votes: 150,538 | Gross: $67.54M

19. Jack Reacher (2012)

PG-13 | 130 min | Action, Mystery, Thriller

50 Metascore

A homicide investigator digs deeper into a case involving a trained military sniper responsible for a mass shooting.

Director: Christopher McQuarrie | Stars: Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike, Richard Jenkins, Werner Herzog

Votes: 365,208 | Gross: $80.07M

20. Les Misérables (2012)

PG-13 | 158 min | Drama, Musical, Romance

63 Metascore

In 19th-century France, Jean Valjean, who for decades has been hunted by the ruthless policeman Javert after breaking parole, agrees to care for a factory worker's daughter. The decision changes their lives forever.

Director: Tom Hooper | Stars: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried

Votes: 346,164 | Gross: $148.81M

21. Promised Land (2012)

R | 106 min | Drama

55 Metascore

A salesman for a natural gas company experiences life-changing events after arriving in a small town, where his corporation wants to tap into the available resources.

Director: Gus Van Sant | Stars: Matt Damon, Frances McDormand, John Krasinski, Hal Holbrook

Votes: 39,922 | Gross: $7.60M

22. Mama (I) (2013)

PG-13 | 100 min | Fantasy, Horror, Thriller

57 Metascore

After a young couple take in their two nieces, they suspect that a supernatural spirit named Mama has latched onto their family.

Director: Andy Muschietti | Stars: Jessica Chastain, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Megan Charpentier, Isabelle Nélisse

Votes: 191,127 | Gross: $71.63M

23. The Last Stand (2013)

R | 107 min | Action, Thriller, Western

54 Metascore

The leader of a drug cartel busts out of a courthouse and speeds to the Mexican border, where the only thing in his path is a sheriff and his inexperienced staff.

Director: Jee-woon Kim | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Forest Whitaker, Johnny Knoxville, Rodrigo Santoro

Votes: 145,398 | Gross: $12.05M

24. Broken City (2013)

R | 109 min | Action, Crime, Drama

49 Metascore

In a city rife with injustice, ex-cop Billy Taggart seeks redemption and revenge after being double-crossed by its most powerful figure: Mayor Nicholas Hostetler.

Director: Allen Hughes | Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Russell Crowe, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jeffrey Wright

Votes: 83,403 | Gross: $19.70M

25. Warm Bodies (2013)

PG-13 | 98 min | Comedy, Horror, Romance

60 Metascore

After a highly unusual zombie saves a still-living girl from an attack, the two form a relationship that sets in motion events that might transform the entire lifeless world.

Director: Jonathan Levine | Stars: Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, John Malkovich, Lio Tipton

Votes: 243,698 | Gross: $66.38M

26. Bullet to the Head (2012)

R | 92 min | Action, Crime, Thriller

48 Metascore

After watching their respective partners die, a New Orleans hitman and a Washington, D.C. detective form an alliance in order to bring down their common enemy.

Director: Walter Hill | Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Momoa, Christian Slater, Sung Kang

Votes: 52,456 | Gross: $9.48M

27. Identity Thief (2013)

R | 111 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama

35 Metascore

Mild mannered businessman Sandy Patterson travels from Denver to Florida to confront the deceptively harmless looking woman who has been living it up after stealing Sandy's identity.

Director: Seth Gordon | Stars: Jason Bateman, Melissa McCarthy, John Cho, Amanda Peet

Votes: 140,925 | Gross: $134.51M

28. A Good Day to Die Hard (2013)

R | 98 min | Action, Thriller

28 Metascore

John McClane travels to Russia to help out his seemingly wayward son, Jack, only to discover that Jack is a CIA operative working undercover, causing the father and son to team up against underworld forces.

Director: John Moore | Stars: Bruce Willis, Jai Courtney, Sebastian Koch, Mary Elizabeth Winstead

Votes: 215,135 | Gross: $67.35M

29. Oz the Great and Powerful (2013)

PG | 130 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy

44 Metascore

A small-time magician is swept away to an enchanted land and is forced into a power struggle between three witches.

Director: Sam Raimi | Stars: James Franco, Michelle Williams, Rachel Weisz, Mila Kunis

Votes: 214,329 | Gross: $234.91M

30. Carrie (2013)

R | 100 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller

53 Metascore

A shy girl, outcast by her peers and sheltered by her religious mother, unleashes telekinetic terror on her small town after being pushed too far at her senior prom.

Director: Kimberly Peirce | Stars: Chloë Grace Moretz, Julianne Moore, Gabriella Wilde, Portia Doubleday

Votes: 148,239 | Gross: $35.27M

31. Jack the Giant Slayer (2013)

PG-13 | 114 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy

51 Metascore

The ancient war between humans and a race of giants is reignited when Jack, a young farmhand fighting for a kingdom and the love of a princess, opens a gateway between the two worlds.

Director: Bryan Singer | Stars: Nicholas Hoult, Stanley Tucci, Ewan McGregor, Bill Nighy

Votes: 147,080 | Gross: $65.19M

32. Oblivion (I) (2013)

PG-13 | 124 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

54 Metascore

A veteran assigned to extract Earth's remaining resources begins to question what he knows about his mission and himself.

Director: Joseph Kosinski | Stars: Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, Andrea Riseborough, Olga Kurylenko

Votes: 553,446 | Gross: $89.02M

33. Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)

PG-13 | 132 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

72 Metascore

After the crew of the Enterprise find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one-man weapon of mass destruction.

Director: J.J. Abrams | Stars: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Benedict Cumberbatch

Votes: 497,201 | Gross: $228.78M

34. The Hangover Part III (2013)

R | 100 min | Comedy, Crime

30 Metascore

When one of their own is kidnapped by an angry gangster, the Wolf Pack must track down Mr. Chow, who has escaped from prison and is on the run.

Director: Todd Phillips | Stars: Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms, Justin Bartha

Votes: 335,565 | Gross: $112.20M

35. Furious 6 (2013)

PG-13 | 130 min | Action, Crime, Thriller

61 Metascore

Hobbs has Dominic and Brian reassemble their crew to take down a team of mercenaries: Dominic unexpectedly gets sidetracked with facing his presumed deceased girlfriend, Letty.

Director: Justin Lin | Stars: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez

Votes: 417,089 | Gross: $238.68M



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