2008 Geek Cinema

2008 is going to be a great year if you're a geek like me. Even if you aren't, we might recruit a few people with all the comic book, fantasy or cartoon based films on the horizon. I thought 2007 was great, but now that I'm tallying up what lies ahead, next year may well top this one.

1.18.08: Cloverfield:
It's only a few weeks away, and we still know very little about it other than J.J. Abrams wanted to create an American giant monster movie on par with Godzilla. But we've yet to see what form this creature takes. Is it born from Slusho thrown into the river? Is it a parasite that bursts out of people? Fan theories and quick glimpses of scenes in the trailers do little more than pique my curiosity, and guarantee my presence on opening day.



February 14, 2008 Jumper:
Based on a science fiction novel, it looks fast-paced and the effects are just plain cool.



February 26, 2008 (DVD) Justice League: The New Frontier:
Based on a graphic novel that revisited the DC heroes in their classic, most pure form, it's a DVD I'll soon own.


March 19, 2008 Inkheart:
A friend of mine recently tipped me off to this upcoming feature based on a novel in which a girl and her father have the ability to bring characters in books to life. I have a vague recollection of designing ads selling the book and it's first sequel at my old job, and though I haven't read either I look forward to seeing the concept play out on the big screen.


May 2, 2008 Iron Man:
This is the Marvel movie to see in 2008. It's visually stunning, has a great cast, and seems faithful to the source material. ‘nuff said.


May 9, 2008 Speed Racer:
I'm a little on the fence about the over-saturated look of this, but it may be a unique and brilliant translation of an animated series. I'll give the Wachowski siblings the benefit of the doubt.


May 16, 2008 The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian:
When I was a little boy, there was a section of our local beach that was only accessible at low tide. At that point, you could walk under a dock and get to this other secluded area, which I dubbed ”Narnia”. The trailer for the next adaptation from one of my favorite childhood reads reminds me which book in the series influenced my name for that beach.


May 22, 2008 Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull:
Harrison Ford gets back to his roots and will not be playing a family man who suddenly has to outsmart thieves, kidnappers, and/or terrorists. Or maybe he will; they're being very secretive about this one.



June 13, 2008 The Incredible Hulk:
There's no trailer yet, but still images of Edward Norton are encouraging. I think Jennifer Connelly is the only thing I'll miss from the Ang Lee trainwreck.

June 28, 2008 Wanted:
Another graphic novel comes to life with action and style.


July 2, 2008 Hancock:
Will Smith is a bitter super hero. ‘nuff said once again.


July 11, 2008 Hellboy II: The Golden Army:
Rey told me he was wary of the look of this one, well-lit costumes looking a little too fake. He went as far as to compare it to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2, which is harsh. Some of the new creatures look like something from Pan's Labyrinth, and that will be enough to get me in the theater. I might have a different opinion once I've seen it, but we'll see.


July 18, 2008 The Dark Knight:
To steal a quote from SwanShadow, “Ah just can't quit you Dark Knight!” I'm predicting right now that this will be the best super hero movie of 2008.

And Batman: Gotham Knight is an animated anthology that will probably hit DVD shelves when the movie hits theaters.

August 15, 2008 Dragonball:
I don't think I've seen more than 2 or 3 episodes of the cartoon, and their popularity hit around the time I was watching fewer animated series as the tone shifted away from the sort of shows I liked. Still, the cast looks good and once I see how the trailer looks, this might be a rental at the very least.

September 12, 2008 The Punisher: War Zone:
Bwah-ha-ha! A sequel? Really? Let's hope he does more in this one than hang around a run-down apartment building and interact with wacky neighbors or wire cars to blow up in the shape of a giant skull. If I don't rent it I'll catch it on YouTube. Again, I'm judging without seeing a trailer, so my opinion may change.

* * * * *

Bond 22 arrives on November 7, 2008, Harry Potter's penultimate chapter hits November 21, and after that details for next year get even slimmer. Ant-Man is announced for next year, but with no cast yet and only a script, we might not see it until 2009. I'm not holding my breath for The A-Team next year either for that exact reason. As good as 2008 is shaping up to be, 2009 is already promising G.I. Joe, Watchmen, Sin City 2, and Thor, while 2010 brings Voltron and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Verily, this is a golden age of geek gandering.