Top 20 Comic Book, Sci-Fi, Horror & Animated Movies of 2019 – Monday Magazine

It’s going to rain genre movies in 2019. It’s bad for movie critics who only love talk dramas, but it’s good for popcorn-loving plebeians who seemingly don’t know any better. There are too many to even list, so let’s just watch the 20 Best Comic Book, Sci-Fi, Horror & Animated Movies of 2019, in reverse order of how excited I am.

20) Terminator 6 (November 1):

The last two reboots of “Terminator” were so horrible they soured me about the franchise. But this unnamed movie will ignore every “Terminator” property after “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” which is a huge robotic step in the right direction. And with the return of James Cameron as a producer, and Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger on board to pass the torch, I feel my enthusiasm rekindling and realizing to myself.

19) “Joker” (Oct. 4):

I’m really interested to see what bizarre actor Joaquin Phoenix can do with Batman’s nemesis. The film also stars Zazie Beetz (“Deadpool 2”) and the legendary Robert DeNiro, which is very encouraging. The bad news is that much of the appeal of The Joker – and all that makes him remotely plausible – is that no one is sure who or what he is. Giving it a specific, authoritative origin (which the comics have deliberately avoided) can only lessen its mystique. It seems like a stupid thing to do.

18) “Men In Black: International” (June 14):

This concept has so far surpassed its origins in little Aircel Comics in 1990 that it can safely be called his own animal. But Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones may have already said all that can be said about it. Still, with a cast that includes Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Tessa Thompson (Valkyrie), and Liam Neeson (Qui-Gon Jinn), it should be perfectly watchable.

17) “The Renaissance Raven” (October 11):

Wow, there have been a lot of bad Crow movies. But there’s nothing quite like a good revenge fantasy, which The Crow has always been, dating back to its inception at Caliber Comics in 1989. It’s a concept you shouldn’t miss (unless they do not miss it).

16) “It: Chapter Two” (September 6):

There have also been a lot of bad Stephen King adaptations. But the $ 700 million that Chapter One grossed around the world indicates that “it” is not one of them. This film adapts the second half of King’s novel, with the children in the first part now all grown up. They are played by Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, and Bill Hader, plus Bill Skarsgard as Pennywise, so there will be a lot of star power there on screen.

15) “Brightburn” (May 24):

The idea of ​​evil Supermen, even evil Superboys, has been an old hat in the comics for decades. Heck, even “Superman II” had a drunk, unshaven Superman in a dirty suit. But what about a bad Superbaby? That’s the premise of this movie, answering the question “What if that cute, super powerful little boy arriving in a rocket was a bad seed?” He turns heroism into horror, a genre-bender who advances on new ground.

14) “Kingsman 3” (November 8):

There are all kinds of rumors going around on the subject of this movie. One possibility is that this is a prequel, which would be a terra incognita. Another is that it will be the third part of a trilogy, ending the Eggsy-Harry Hart relationship (played by Taron Egerton and Colin Firth, respectively). Or it could be a musical. Okay, probably not. The point is: we don’t know. But since I enjoyed the first two installments, I’ll probably appreciate what it is. (Unless there are show tunes.)

13) “The kitchen” (September 20):

The original 8-issue miniseries of the same name, released in 2014 by Vertigo, the DC Comics adult reader line, was a compelling story about three mafia women who turn to crime to pay off their husbands’ debts. incarcerated – and how to join “life” changes them This movie stars Elisabeth Moss, Tiffany Haddish and Melissa McCarthy in all three lead roles, so it might even be better than the source material.

12) “The Addams Family” (October 11):

One of the reasons my young self liked the TV show “The Addams Family” more than “The Munsters” was because the premiere, every now and then, gave some idea of ​​the vicious black humor of the original cartoons. from Charles Addams who appeared in “The New Yorker. Since this animated film is based directly on those cartoons, we get the delicious Addams Venom straight from the source – and my 12-year-old is thrilled.

11) “Alita: Battle Angel” (February 14):

Movies based on manga (Japanese comics) have a horrendous track record in the United States, and there is no reason to believe this one will turn the tide. But the original comics are great, the concept – a post-apocalyptic cyborg warrior – is cool, the special effects are amazing, and Christoph Waltz and Jennifer Connelly are right at your fingertips. Here’s hoping.

10) “Glass” (January 18):

“Unbreakable” had sufficient comic book fans, as we knew color-coded director M. Night Shyamalan was using to give us character advice before the script. (Hint: Superheroes usually wear primary colors, while villains prefer purple, green, and orange.) Shyamalan’s stock plummeted for a while, before being saved by “Split”. Now comes “Glass”, which is a sequel to the two, so far unrelated films. It’s a trick, M. Night.

9) “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” (May 31):

I’ve heard that there are people who don’t like Godzilla and who haven’t spent the Saturday afternoons of their youth getting aroused at the sight of men in rubber overalls stomping on tiny mannequins. from Tokyo. I do not understand such people. It’s like hating pizza, or kittens, or sex. Well, it takes all kinds. And my kind of person will be at the forefront for this updated version of the Big G, Mothra, Rodan and King Ghidorah. Considering today’s special effects, this sequel to 2014’s “Godzilla” should be quite a spectacle. (Although I admit that part of me will regret the rubber suits.)

8) “Shazam! “(April 5):

It’s a joy to see the original Captain Marvel – yes, that was his name when he was introduced in 1940 – given his due. Now maybe people will better understand those vague memories swirling around the collective subconscious about this guy, who sold as well as Superman in the 1940s. Either way, that’s the story of a boy who receives a magic word from a dying wizard that turns him into an immature, but awesome and super powerful adult. Now called Shazam, this light-hearted character is the perfect antidote to the dark and gloomy appearance of movies like “Batman v Superman”.

7) “The New Mutants” (August 2):

This group of next-gen X-Men, introduced to Marvel Comics in 1982, had some pretty weird, non-superhero adventures. One was a straight-up horror show called “The Demon Bear” – and that’s what we get in this hero / horror hybrid, which stars Anya Taylor-Joy (“The Witch”), Maisie Williams ( “Game of Thrones”), Charlie Heaton (“Stranger Things”) and Rosario Dawson (the Marvel / Netflix shows).

6) “Dark Phoenix” (June 7):

This movie promises a more faithful adaptation of the famous X-Men story “The Dark Phoenix Saga” than the mess we saw in “X-Men: The Last Stand”. It’s also probably the last porn movie before Disney reboots the franchise, so it’s probably the last porn dance for Sophie Turner as Jean Gray, James McAvoy as Charles Xavier, Michael Fassbender as Magneto, and Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique.

5) “Hellboy” (April 12):

The two films directed by Guillermo del Toro, which starred Ron Perlman as the demonic hero, were perfectly enjoyable films. But they weren’t really Hellboy. This new release, starring David Harbor (“Stranger Things”) promises to be more loyal to the comics, so moviegoers can understand why comic fans have loved Hellboy for so many years.

4) “Captain Marvel” (March 8):

Yes, this is Marvel’s first female-led superhero film. Yes, this is Marvel’s first period superhero movie. But is it good? I hope “Wonder Woman” is fine, but I’ll settle for “Ant-Man”.

3) “Spider-Man: Far From Home” (July 5):

Tom Holland made us fall in love with Peter Parker again in “Civil War” and “Homecoming”. Bring Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) and the popcorn!

2) Star Wars Episode IX (December 20):

The last Star Wars movie sparked a lot of hate, and I, for one, don’t know why. But maybe it shook the powers that be, as “Star Wars” mastermind JJ Abrams himself returns to helm this (unnamed) episode, which is expected to conclude the story with Rey (Daisy Ridley), Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), Finn (John Boyega) and Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac).

1) “Avengers: Endgame” (April 26):

There isn’t much to say about this movie, because we know so little. But obviously we don’t need to know anything, as “Endgame” is already setting records for trailer viewing and ticket sales ahead of time.

This is my top 20. And for movie critics I’m sure there will be a talkie or two.

The Associated Press

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