My Top 10 Most Anticipated Movies of Fall 2015

In 1999, I'm sure many people were insanely excited for The Phantom Menace, only to be severely disappointed. It only shows just how strong and alluring the Star Wars saga can be that we can all look past its previous disappointments and build up a feverish anticipation for December 18th. While only considering myself a casual fan, it's somehow impossible to simply think about this film and not get restless, waiting for the next chapter in the battle between the dark side and the light. It's coming.

Guillermo Del Toro seems to have more projects that never come out than what actually get off the ground, but his finished products are usually well-regarded. Crimson Peak looks like it could be his masterpiece. The visual style, the tone, the escalating soundtrack in the fantastic trailer, and a strong cast all make Del Toro's latest appear very promising. It's also refreshing to see a more traditional setting with a unique vibe in an era when the horror genre has been growing stale. I simply can't wait to be scared.

The Revenant is a perfect example of why trailers are so important. With two and a half minutes of perfection, I went from having no idea what this movie to instantly being very excited to see it. I didn't particularly care for Alejandro G. Inarritu's Birdman, but his next movie looks incredible in both a literal and figurative sense. Every shot in the trailer is interesting, and the dark tone is complemented by a great drum soundtrack. Coming out of nowhere, The Revenant could easily be the dark horse surprise of the year.

It feels strange to be getting another movie from Pixar so soon after Inside Out, but the studio is releasing two films in one year to make up for their no-show in 2014. The Good Dinosaur has had a troubled production history, but the first main trailer looks incredibly promising and propels this film up the list. Even after the huge success of Inside Out, The Good Dinosaur's unique twist on a seemingly formulaic idea means that perhaps Pixar will be competing with itself for the best animated movie of the year title.

After the somewhat underwhelming Mockingjay Part 1, I feel like a lot of the hype behind The Hunger Games franchise (for me and others) has died down quite a bit. But we have finally reached the dramatic conclusion to Katniss Everdeen's story, and with these higher stakes and endgame vibe I'm hopeful that it can go out with a bang. With the first two Hunger Games movies being very good films, and the fact that the book off of which this is based picked up in the second half, Mockingjay Part 2 could be the spectacular finale the franchise deserves.

Honestly, The Martian wasn't even on my radar until I happened upon a trailer for it in the theater. It immediately stood out to me, and what I've seen since then only makes me more interested to see what it is all about. Yes, it is easy to make comparisons to Interstellar, but I think that the movie can stand out on its own even so soon after Nolan's flick. It also already has a strong built-in fanbase from the beloved book, and with Ridley Scott directing, The Martian could be an outstanding film.

It's very, very hard to get a young adult novel adaptation film franchise off the ground, and yet The Maze Runner was a surprise hit last September. Unfortunately, author James Dashner's book trilogy takes a downturn with the second and third novels, so director Wes Ball and crew will likely have a bigger challenge on their hands with this one. By upping the stakes in the trailers and prominently featuring newcomer Aiden Gillen (Littlefinger on Game of Thrones), The Scorch Trials looks like it might be able to defy expectations once again. I'm looking forward to seeing it either way.

The Rocky franchise has arguably not had a good film since Rocky III back in 1982. For the franchise to continue, it needed some sort of reboot, and Creed is in my opinion the best possible way they could do this. The very strong first trailer cements the idea that Creed is very much starring Michael B. Jordan as Apollo's son, which is much more interesting compared to seeing another movie with an older Rocky as the main highlight. And as a side note to Sylvester Stallone haters out there, this one is actually directed and co-written by the man behind the critically acclaimed Fruitvale Station. It's certainly the best looking sports film there has been in a long, long time.

There was a time, that I would call the "Pre-Skyfall" era, where another James Bond movie release wasn't particularly exciting. But that 2012 film pushed the series into becoming must-watch material. Spectre looks even darker in tone than leading actor Daniel Craig's previous movies in the role, and in a time where flicks like Mission Impossible and The Man From U.N.C.L.E. are trying to go back to that classic cheesy style, I appreciate this franchise for sticking to its new more serious tone. With cool action scenes, varied locales, and Christoph Waltz as the villain, Spectre should be one that can't be missed this November

Quentin Tarantino, considered a visionary by many, has had some trouble with his latest project. The entire script was leaked online, and Tarantino himself chose to cancel the film as a result. Fortunately, he changed his mind, and the results look like a very fun "Winter Western" that fits right into the filmmaker's wheelhouse. A strong cast and a good trailer (with beautiful cinematography, by the way) pushed this film up into the list. The Hateful Eight is only in limited release this Christmas, but the movie looks worth seeking out.