My 10 Most Anticipated Movies of 2011

Well, considering we're six weeks into the new year, it makes sense that I'd take some time to discuss the blockbuster movies I'm most looking forward to in 2011. I was on the record as stating that movies released in 2010 weren't the best, but I'm proud to say that 2011 looks far more promising. Let's get started...


1.) Transformers: The Dark of the Moon - July 1
I'm an unapologetic fan of the Transformers movies. Sure, I thought the first one was better than the second one, but RotF had some excellent action sequences and I mainly considered it just a wad of big, dumb fun. The early buzz for Transformers 3 is that the film is darker and more serious and all parties involved are very optimistic that the third installment (and reportedly the last) will be the best of the series.


2.) Scream 4 - April 15

I always knew at some point down the road, Wes Craven and company would return to the Scream series despite their constant claims of the otherwise. Yet, on April 15, the fourth installment of the popular, though long dormant, horror series will finally hit the big screen. Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox and David Arquette all reprise their roles from the original trilogy, and Wes Craven has returned to direct. If the early trailers are any indication, the movie should be a lot of fun and a worthy follow-up to the original trilogy.

3.) X-Men First Class - June 3

I love the X-Men movies. While most of everyone that know anything about the comics disliked X-Men 3 and Wolverine, I found both enjoyable, as I didn't know enough about the comic books to be terribly upset where the films moved away from the original storylines. Like almost everyone else, I enjoyed X-Men and X-Men 2 far more than the other two installments, but I found them all enjoyable. With that in mind, its no surprise that I'm really looking forward to the new X-Men prequel. It'll be the first X-Men movie not to feature Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, but plenty of the other regulars will be back, even if younger actors are now playing their familar roles. Look for this on June 3.

4.) Thor - May 6

I'm not real familiar with the Thor comics, but he always seemed a little weird to me. To be honest, when I think of Thor, I think of the young girl on Elisabeth Shue's "Adventures in Babysitting" who was in love with the super hero and always carried his trademark helmet and hammer wherever she went. That was an enjoyable movie from back in the day, but that's about all I know of Thor, and that ain't much. Still, I'm a sucker for comic book movies, and the trailers for this one look great.

5.) The Green Lantern - June 17

DC is trying their hand on the big screen again, and with the Green Lantern, they bring a beloved character to the moviehouse that has yet to make even his first appearance. After the latest Batman movies and The Watchmen, DC has raised the bar for themselves. I'm interested to see if they can treat Green Lantern with the kind of respect the source material deserves. Ryan Reynolds plays the title role.


6.) Captain America - July 22

I have to admit, this movie looks far better than I expected, but I still knocked it down a few notches just because I have doubts they'll be able to pull it off. Still, you can't deny the coolness of the Super Bowl TV spot. Here's hoping I'm wrong and that Captain America is amazing. For the timebeing, just color me skeptical.

7.) Battle: Los Angeles - March 11

I really hope this movie doesn't let me down, because a movie with this simple (yet AWESOME) of a premise shouldn't be screwed up. Just show me Modern Warfare meets Halo on the big screen, and I'll be happy. B:LA invades on March 11.

8.) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2

I've sort of lost my excitement for this series simply because I've read the books multiple times and the movies just aren't doing them justice anymore (if they ever did). Still, I'm interested to see how the movie wraps things up so I'm sure I'll go see it this summer.

9.) Pirates 4: On Stranger Tides - May 20

Johnny Depp returns to the role of Captain Jack Sparrow in the fourth installment of the popular Disney franchise. To be honest, I don't know a whole lot about this movie, but I enjoyed the first three quite a bit so I'm adding this one to my list.

10.) Super 8 - June 10

This movie probably deserves to be higher on my list because the teaser is just freaking awesome, even if its difficult to tell what's going on for sure. Just click right here and watch it for yourself and see if it doesn't capture you like it did me. JJ Abrams (Lost, Alias, Star Trek) is directing and Steven Speilberg is producing. Meanwhile, Eric Taylor from Friday Night Lights is one of the main stars! Woot W0ot!

Honorable Mentions: Mission Impossible 4 (I have doubts this movie will get finished in time to meet the December release date; expect a push back to next summer), Cowboy and Aliens, The Hangover 2, Conan the Barbarian (remake), Courageous, Paranormal Activity 3, Footloose (remake), The Thing (Prequel to John Carpenter's 1982 film by the same name).