Sci-fi looming large in 2013
Six high-profile Hollywood productions lead a slew of science fiction enterprises landing in multiplexes in the new year -exploring strange new worlds, seeking out new life and new civilizations, and boldly going where no man has gone before. Or something like that.
Sci-fi looming large in 2013
Steven Rea, Inquirer Movie Columnist and Critic
Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, Will Smith, Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, George Clooney, Sandra Bullock, Harrison Ford and Viola Davis are zipping up their spacesuits and getting ready to face alien armies, asteroids, elitist Earthlings and weird outer space stuff, as a squad of A-listers are set to top a wave of high-profile Hollywood science fiction flicks coming to screens in 2013. In addition to a couple of sci-fi franchise titles (notably Star Trek Into Darkness, the J.J. Abrams’ reboot sequel, coming May 17), the projects are:
Oblivion (April 19) Tom Cruise and Morgan Freeman star in Tron: Legacy director Joseph Kosinski’s post-apocalyptic alien space war thriller.
After Earth (June 7) Will Smith and son Jaden land on a planet that has been devoid of humans for more than 1,000 years. Malvern moviemaker M. Night Shyamalan is at the controls of this big-budget space adventure.
Pacific Rim (July 12) Idris Elba, Charlie Hunnam and Rinko Kikuchi are the humans behind a robots-battle-alien-invaders scheme -- alien invaders from the deepest precincts of Earth's oceans -- in Guillermo Del Toro’s much-anticipated return to directing, after spending a couple of fruitless years developing The Hobbit.
Gravity (Oct. 18) Sandra Bullock and George Clooney are astronauts stuck in space when their shuttle gets slammed by some debris, or by giant slabs of Brie. Alfonso Cuaron, director of the best of the Harry Potters (The Prisoner of Azkaban) and the ace dystopian thriller Children of Men, directs.
Elysium (Aug. 9) Matt Damon shaves his head and takes up arms in this 22nd century class warfare shoot ’em up from District 9 auteur Neill Blomkamp. Jodie Foster is the government official determined to keep the downtrodden trodden down, while the elite one percenters bask in the luxury of their orbiting space station.
Ender’s Game (Nov. 1) Orson Scott Card’s 1985 novel finally gets to the screen, with X-Men Origins: Wolverine director Gavin Hood steering a cast that includes Harrison Ford, Viola Davis, Ben Kingsley -- and Asa Butterfield and Abigail Breslin as the Wiggins sibs. Butterfield is Ender Wiggins, being trained in the art of intergalactic combat, in preparation of an expected third invasion of evil insectoids.
What, no superhero movies? Isn't there supposed to be a new Superman movie coming? Should be a good summer for science fiction fans. Looking forward to Star Trek.
— TexColorado- Iron Man 3 opens May 3. Man of Steel opens June 14. Superhero movies are also Science Fiction.— Hal9000r
- Superhero movies are superhero movies. They focus on people with superpowers. Science fiction is science fiction. It focuses on people without superpowers.— Edward Creed
- Superhero movies are a sub-genre of science fiction.
Science fiction movies are a broad genre that encompasses many different sub-genres, including superhero movies.
Edward Creed your grasp of relationships is astounding.— rjwaddles - OMG, how could you forget World War Z, shot in Philadelphia? It's coming out this summer!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0816711/— Pineygirl12 - You mean World War Z set in Philadelphia mostly shot in Glasgow. Filmmakers have to escape expensive Philly Unions by shooting in somehow cheaper socialized countries.— KINGOFZED
- No Star Trek?— Patriot72
- Hey king ww z didn't shoot here because of an unbalanced state budget and an unknown film tax incentive not "Philly unions", for films the unions have a decent rate for what they do as compared to other cities in the U.S. So stop with the bashing and enjoy your forty hour work week.— iwitness8
- mot one of those looks very good— richardecredico
There's actually 70 Science Fiction movies coming out this year...if you took the time to research anything, you'd know that.- You know they mention Star Trek in the opening paraggraph, right? Set phasers to calm down, Trekkies.— azzuri
