Wow. We are reaching the halfway point of 2021. What a crazy 17 or 18 months this has been. Things are starting to get back to normal, which also means that a lot of movies are being released. It made me so sad while importing these posters into this post, because half of the posters are from before the movie got delayed. With the delays, though, we've gotten a lot more time to get excited about these films. So here are my top ten most anticipated movies of the second half of 2021.
Honorable Mentions: No Time to Die, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Eternals, The Suicide Squad, Free Guy, West Side Story, Wicked
10. Reminiscence
The trailer for this movie dropped a couple days ago. Reminiscence is a sci-fi thriller movie starring Hugh Jackman and Rebecca Ferguson. The film is about dystopian world in which a scientist who discovers a way to relive your past through lost memories. I heard the premise and was looking for a trailer, and, when I got it, I was totally on board. This movie looks like it could be the next Matrix, honestly. I'm looking forward to it.
9. Space Jam: A New Legacy
Space Jam: A New Legacy almost was put on the honorable mentions list, but I had to put it on here. This is truly going to be an experience. The first Space Jam is one of the weirdest movies ever made. Now, we're going to have LeBron join the Tune Squad in what will be an adventure not only through the Looney Tunes world, but through Warner Bros.' filmography as a whole. There are tons of cameos in the trailer from popular characters: The Joker, King Kong, Pennywise, The Flinstones, and more were all visible in the trailer. This is gonna be an interesting ride.
8. Venom: Let There Be Carnage
Venom: Let There Be Carnage should be higher on the list. I know I've vocalized my negative opinion on the first Venom movie, but we have some new information now. The Sony Marvel Universe is somehow going to transition into the MCU, so that essentially makes this some kind of MCU movie. However, I do not like the tone that this film looks like it's going to have. From the goofy title of Let There Be Carnage to the amount of jokes that were shoe-horned into the trailer, I am a bit worried. That said, I'm still excited for this film. I cannot wait to see Carnage on the big screen.
7. Ghostbusters: Afterlife
This film has been a victim of countless delays. It was, as the poster says, scheduled for summer of 2020, and it has been pushed into fall of 2021. Still, I am a Ghostbusters fan, and this film looks like it's a sequel/spin-off of the original Ghostbusters. Paul Rudd and Finn Wolfhard are the stars, but Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, and Sigourney Weaver are all returning as their roles in the original Ghostbusters movie. The trailer was also great. I am super hyped for this movie.
6. Dear Evan Hansen
I knew that a Dear Evan Hansen movie was coming out. I didn't know when. I didn't know how it would look. Then I saw the trailer and had my mind blown. Even though Ben Platt looks five years too old, this film looks so good. I got goosebumps from the trailer. Although it looks depressing as hell, I am very excited to see this film. I am calling an early Oscar prediction: both this and In the Heights get nominated for Best Picture.
5. Candyman
I don't usually get scared by horror movies. Halloween, Spiral, and Doctor Sleep are the three scariest movies I've ever seen, and I was able to sleep relatively well after all of them. But, for some reason, Candyman scares the s**t out of me. Tony Todd, who plays the titular villain, is so ominous and so scary. I've always thought that the Candyman was such a badass killer, but I find him absolutely terrifying. Oh, I forgot to mention that this film is written and produced by Jordan Peele. I loved Get Out, so his name being attached to this project makes me very, very excited.
4. Halloween Kills
Speaking of horror movies, Halloween Kills has been kind of thrown to the side. I don't hear anything about it. To be fair, we haven't really gotten a full trailer for the film. But Halloween 2018 was pretty good and pretty scary. I'm sure that Halloween Kills will have that same vibe. Michael Myers is likely tied with Pennywise for my favorite horror movie villain, and it will be exciting to see him on the big screen for the first time. When I say that, I mean in a theater. I've never seen a Halloween movie in the theater. So, yeah. I'm pretty pumped up for this film.
3. Black Widow
Ah, Black Widow. The long-awaited return of Natasha Romanoff. We have been starving for MCU movies. Yes, we got WandaVision and Falcon and Winter Soldier and we are about to get Loki, but none of them give you the experience that is seeing a Marvel movie in a packed theater. Marvel Phase Four is going to be a weird ride, and it's strange that we are starting off with a prequel about a dead character. But, whatever. It's a Marvel spy-thriller that may answer some big questions that we have. Of course I'm excited.
2. In the Heights
In the Heights comes out on Friday. And I could not be more excited. I was a huge fan of the first trailer. The second trailer, not so much. But then the Rotten Tomatoes score dropped. As I am writing this post, In the Heights has a Certified Fresh score of 99% with 80 reviews. And some of these early reviews are calling it the movie of the year. That is insane. I was not expecting that at all, and it skyrocketed my excitement. Lin Manuel-Miranda's soundtrack is fantastic, Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians) is a great directorial choice, and the story looks to be compelling and entertaining. I can't wait.
1. Spider-Man: No Way Home
What else could be in first place? No Way Home is just one of those movies that will make a billion dollars no matter what. It was like that with Endgame and Rise of Skywalker, and No Way Home will be like that, too. I know there isn't a trailer. A plot synopsis hasn't been released. But this film could change the MCU forever. Rumors of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield have been circling around. Alfred Molina and Jamie Foxx are confirmed to be reprising their roles as Doc Ock and Electro, respectively. While I know some people aren't crazy about the multiverse thing, I am. I'm eagerly awaiting a trailer so that I can go into the rest of 2021 waiting for December 17 to see Spider-Man: No Way Home.