SF Signal: The 2005 SF Movie Year in Preview

The 2005 SF Movie Year in Preview

Instead of looking back at the movies that were released in 2004 (and inspired by the current poll), I'd thought we'd take some time and look forward to those movies that are expected to be released, in the US anyway, in 2005. There are quite a number of them, and I've tried to list the ones that are definately SF/F related, although they may not be receiving wide release or attention. I've also taken the release dates as defined by Yahoo! Movies, so if I'm wrong, sue them. The movies are in alphabetical order. Onward!

A Sound of Thunder (3//11/05) - I remember reading this in high school and really enjoying it. However it looks like Hollywood takes yet another classic SF short story and turns it into a mind-numbing summer blockbuster. From the trailer, it looks like it starts out SF (time travel) only to degenerate into a creature feature by the end. Kinda like the SciFi Channel, but I digress. I don't have high hopes for this one. And did the producers/director/screenwriters actually read the short story? Can they tell me what "the sound of thunder" is supposed to be? I didn't think so.
Aeon Flux (12/31/05) - Adapted from the animated series on MTV, Liquid Television if I remember correctly, only this time live action. I'm not sure what to think about this movie. I remember the cartoons as being rather odd with very little in the way of explanation of who or why stuff was happening. Should be a good fit for a movie. I see that Charlize Theron is the lead. Is there any actress in Hollywood who looks more plastic-y than her? I bet Pete can't wait to see her in the Aeon Flux outfit though....
Appleseed (1/14/05) - Discussed several times on the this very blog. Its been out in Japan for awhile and will be hitting theaters here shortly. But, from looking at the theaters list, it won't be in Texas, let alone Houston, at all. How lame is that? Its not like the video distribution company that almost single handedly led the anime boom in the US isn't located in Houston (ADV Films). I know there are a lot of anime fans in Houston and in Texas so, WTF? Now I'm really regretting Suprnova going offline.
Batman Begins (6/17/05) - I don't know about this one. The trailer makes it look kinda neat. We get to see how Batman came to be. Don't know how this corresponds to the comic's mythos, but I'm not a nitpicker over comic to movie translations. The one interesting thing is that Quai Gon Jin is Obi Wayne Kenobi's teacher in this movie...
Constantine (2/18/05) - Yet another comic brought to the big screen, this time, from Hellblazer. Constantine is a supernatural detective who walks a fine line between good and evil in his inestigations. It stars Keanu Reeves as Constantine, thus ensuring us of hours of wooden, dead-pan acting enjoyment. I've heard good things about the comic and the trailer looks decent, but I'm still up in the air about this one.
Fahrenheit 451 (12/31/05) - Looks like a good year to be Ray Bradbury. This time F451, which was also filmed previously in 1966. The book is great, the first movie good, if plodding at points, and I have no idea about the remake. There is little information on it, especially on what tack they are taking with it. Let's hope they try to stick close to the book's intent and not try and make it an action blockbuster. If it looks good, I'll go see this one.
Fantastic Four (7/01/05) - And yet another comic book brought to the screen. This time the famous group, the Fantastic Four. I don't know. Could be decent, could be campy. Could be decent camp. Without a trailer (and even then), I'm thinking I'll pass, especially considering I haven't seen the X-Men movies or the SpiderMan movies, or, come to think of it, any comic superhero movie. I also read somewhere that the movie studio has order FF back into the special effects house to make Mr. Elastic's SFX comparable to Elastagirl's in The Incredibles. How lame is that? You're live action movie put to shame by a CGI movie. Meh.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (11/18/05) - Each book is longer than the previous one, but can the movies do the same? How much Potter can we take at one sitting? So far the movies have been enjoyable, if not great. I'm interested to see how the producers handle the situations in this one. I'll probably see it because my kids will want to go.
Iron Man (12/31/05) - And the comic book superheroes keep on coming. This time it's Marvel's Iron Man. I was never a reader of Iron Man, or of comics in general so this one gets a big 'Meh' from me. Can't Hollywood do something different besides adapting comics? Or, if they must, how about Rising Stars from J. Michael Straczynski?
King Kong (12/14/05) - The new film from Peter Jackson is a remake of a classic. But its basically just about a giant ape who gets species-confused and takes it out by climbing tall buildings. Meh. This is a creature feature and would go great on the 'SciFi' Channel.
Robots (3/11/05) - From the makers of Ice Age comes this tale of robot adventure and hijinks. I'm kinda leary of this one. I thought Ice Age was decent enough but not great. This one has the potential to be really funny, unless Robin Williams goes off on one of his crack induced tirades. Still, I'll probably go see this one.
A Scanner Darkly (9/16/05) - An adaptation of Philip K. Dick's novel, this movie will star the ever bored Keanu Reeves. This movie will supposedly have a unique look to it using motion capture to help animate the actors. Could be good (follow Dick's story closely) or could blow (and I mean Paycheck blow). We'll see.
Serenity (9/30/05) - I'll admit it: I'm a Firefly fanboy after watching the series on DVD. I am eagerly awaiting this movie because Whedon (the brains behind Firefly) has stated that many of the mysteries of the series will be explained in the movie. Plus, Whedon has a knack for writting smart, witty dialog that makes you LOL quite often. This should be good! I'm there.
Sin City (4/01/05) - Not an April's Fool joke, unless the movie sucks. Based on the graphic novels (IE. - bigger comics) of Frank Miller, Sin City certainly has a very distinctive look to it. I'm really not sure about this one. I don't know much about Miller's work, although it looks dark and gritty. This may be on the 'to see' list.
Revenge of the Sith (5/19/05) - Will it continue the string of sub-par Star Wars? Or will the rise of Darth Vader and a Wookie army elevate this movie to the level of the first two movies? I'll be there to see this one. I'm sure our resident uber-fanboy (Scott) will be too.
The Brothers Grimm (11/23/05) - Terry Gilliam directs this fictional story about the Brothers Grimm, of fairy tale fame. The fact that Gilliam is directing assures my attendance, but will this be another Brazil or Baron Munchousen? Even so, it should be visually arresting in any case.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (12/25/05) - The first entry in the Chronicles of Narnia. A good book but a good movie? I don't know. It could be. I'm also not sure how big a built-in audience this movie has either. Given its themes, I see it picking up some of the same people who saw The Passion of the Christ. Even so, I'm not sure I'm all that fired up about it, even though I did read the Chronicles, twice, when I was younger.
The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy (5/09/05) - Oh yes, definately a must see. And knowing it won't hew to the books exactly doesn't bother me. Why? Because Douglas Adams always re-wrote the story everytime it was performed. The radio scripts are different from the books, which are different from the TV show, which is different from the new radio series. The aren't radically different, but enough to notice. Also, with a big budget, Zaphod's second head shouldn't look like a dried up puppet. Must see.
Tim Burton's Corpse Bride (9/23/05) - I'd never heard of this one till I saw it listed on the Yahoo! Movies site. It looks like another movie in the vein of Nightmare Before Christmas. Definately looks like a keeper, and its supposedly a family movie too. Which ensures I'll be there with the kids to introduce them to undead. Sweet.

So, there are roughly 4-5 SF movies this year. I count Sound of Thunder as a creature movie based on the previews. I'm surprised, although I shouldn't be, at the number of comic oriented movies coming. Just not my cup of tea. The two big ones for me are Serenity and The Hitchiker's Guide. Everthything else I could miss and it wouldn't bother me.

Thoughts?