Ever get the feeling that time is standing still, that your life’s on repeat, that everything’s just another rerun of a mediocre TV show?
Well, this might be because it is – at least when it comes to the American cinematic media ecology, with the majority of the most-hyped Hollywood films for 2023 being sequels and reboots.
One would be forgiven for giving up on our Hollywood dreams and turning to other regions – Europe, Australasia, South Korea – for film fare.
Even if there are a handful of substantially original films slated for 2023, it’s difficult not to be snarky when major studios continue to show such contempt for the intelligence of viewers.
So, what do we have to “look forward to” in 2023?
Major franchise films
If you love superhero franchises, there are some notable releases in 2023. Two of them look watchable, including a new Ant-Man movie – this is one of the Marvel series that is bearable, largely due to their light touch and charming leads – this time co-starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Bill Murray, and the sequel to the excellent animation film of 2018, Into the Spiderverse, Spiderman: Across the Spiderverse.
There’s also a new Guardians of the Galaxy film – Vol. 3 – which fans of Guardians of the Galaxy series will probably rush out to see (these people must exist, given the scale of these films!), a new Shazam movie, which promises to be as enthralling as its antecedent, and a sequel to the inoffensive Captain Marvel, The Marvels – its name sounds like a parody of current cinema trends.
If that doesn’t scratch your superhero itch, there’s Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, directed by the supremely stylish James Wan.
There are some other notable non-superhero sequels.
There’s a new Magic Mike movie, again directed by Steven Soderbergh, who seems perpetually to be coming out of retirement to direct more movies, this one…