27 Movies to Look Forward to in 2017
Another year, another spell of films to anticipate, delight in, and dread. There will be sequels, superheroes, and Star Wars, of course, but there’s plenty else on offer from Hollywood this year—and smaller projects in the hopper that are sure to surprise in the coming months. Here’s a look at some of 2017’s most notable projects.
Split (January 20)
What It Is: M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense, Signs), having rediscovered his skill at making entertaining horror schlock with 2015’s The Visit, is back for more with a truly absurd high-wire act. James McAvoy plays Kevin, a menacing predator who kidnaps three teenage girls and locks them in his basement; they then realize that Kevin suffers from some (entirely fictional) form of multiple-personality disorder that manifests as 23 different characters in one body.
If You Need Convincing: After years in the Hollywood wilderness with flops like The Last Airbender and After Earth, Shyamalan has rediscovered his mojo by tapping back into the B-movie charm that made him a star director in the first place. Split looks like a ridiculous, but entirely self-aware thrill ride; early reviews from Austin’s Fantastic Fest were largely positive.
John Wick: Chapter Two (February 10)
What It Is: A sequel to one of the biggest cult surprises of the decade, this Keanu Reeves action thriller promises more of the same from 2014’s word-of-mouth sensation John Wick. Reeves plays Wick, a terrifying former hitman for the mob; he’s lured out of retirement for some plot-perfunctory reason; ridiculous, balletic violence ensues. Joining the cast this time around are Common, Ruby Rose, and Reeves’s Matrix co-star Laurence Fishburne.
was one of the most genuinely electrifying things Hollywood has produced in years. It was trash, but glorious trash, with a visual panache and penchant for world-building that kept it from feeling disposable. It also correctly deployed Reeves, one of Hollywood’s stars when given the right vehicle. The director Chad Stahelski is at the helm for , though his partner David Leitch has
