5 Anticipated Science Fiction Movies of 2022
A list of the movies I am most looking forward to in the genre this year
Here we are, embarking on another trip around the sun. As a (re)lapsed movie junkie I find myself looking ahead at the year’s releases, sort of scheduling my viewing, and certainly looking forward to some of what lies in store. I love the art form of cinema in general but science fiction is arguably my favourite genre. So here is a little look at some of the upcoming releases that have got my attention. No doubt there are many more to look out for, but this list consists of what I personally am anticipating the most.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (expected release: 6th May)
It would hardly be a look at upcoming sci-fi without at least one Marvel contribution. In all honesty, whilst I do enjoy a decent chunk of the output from the MCU, I almost balk at including it as proper Science Fiction. Putting my purist tendencies aside for a moment though, this film does have my interest more than the usual single character fare.
The first Doctor Strange movie is up there as one of my favourite offerings from the Marvel stable. It was brilliantly cast and performed for a start. I mean, who could turn down the chance to watch Benedict Cumberbatch, Tilda Swinton, Mads Mikkelsen, Benedict Wong, and Chiwetel Ejiofor in the same movie? Also, it was about harnessing the power of subtle energy and the multiverse — much more interesting subject matter than most of the rest.
The sequel finds the good Doctor grappling with the consequences of a forbidden spell that opens the door to the multiverse. Taking place after the events of Spiderman: No Way Home, this will go further in interpolating this character into the overall timeline. With Sam Raimi directing and my fondness for the character and the cast, I do look forward to seeing this one. The imaginative scope and potential for visual flare of Steven Strange’s world will also be great to see in Raimi’s hands, a director with comic book adaptation pedigree (his first Spiderman movie with Toby Maguire is, for me, still to be matched by any version since).
Everything Everywhere All At Once (expected release: 25th March)
Everything Everywhere All At Once is the second feature from the ‘Daniels’ directing team, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert. Their first film together, Swiss Army Man was a thoroughly kooky bromance between a marooned man and a sentient farting corpse that washes ashore. So we can expect this movie to be surreal, funny, and way quirkier than anything the comic adaptations can offer up.
Michelle Yeoh plays Evelyn Wang, a woman who can access different versions of herself across dimensions. Including all their skills which, it seems, may be quite crucial in combatting ‘a great evil spreading through the many-verses.’
Having now caught up with Swiss Army Man myself, I know we can expect at the very least something markedly unique. An altogether different and, dare I say, more on-trend concept in this forthcoming movie but with Daniels at the helm who knows where that will end up? I love Michelle Yeoh and Jamie Lee Curtis and look forward to seeing Ke Huy Quan in a bigger role too. The trailer promises all of the above and more. No doubt it will be a feast for the eyes as well being full of idiosyncratic charm and character. I await with anticipation!
Avatar 2 (expected release: 16th December)
Despite the fact that the first Avatar followed a relatively unoriginal storyline, the way that it was executed was undeniably astounding. I personally enjoyed all that the first film had to offer, designed bespoke for newly developed 3D as opposed to retro-fitted as a gimmick. James Cameron is a veteran of the genre having turned out such solid classics as Aliens, the first two Terminator movies (let’s forget any that followed), and The Abyss. I had faith then and I eagerly look forward to the much delayed second installment now. It has been a long 13-year gap, so perhaps this will still prove to be the ‘difficult second album’.
Beyond basic plot points, the story is anyone’s guess. At this stage, we know that there are in total four sequels planned and much of it has been created concurrently. The writing of it all has been the major reason cited for repeated delays. No doubt we will see the development of Jake and Neytiri’s family, what Cameron has said will be a central theme. They have kids of their own and adopted too, but little else is known other than the expanded cast. This includes Kate Winslett, Michelle Yeoh, Jemaine Clement and Oona Chaplin among others. Expect also some resurrected characters but as to how or why, these details are kept tightly wrapped up with the rest.
I thoroughly enjoyed the world that Cameron created and relish the opportunity to revisit Pandora. As we also know that much of it will take place underwater, this setting and new tech will likely make this feel like a fresh experience. As the highest-grossing movie of all time (clocking in above $2 billion!), I am in little doubt that the sequel will smash the box office again. It has plenty to live up to, so we shall see.
65 (expected release: 29th April)
Even less is known about this movie than Avatar 2! That said, there is enough here to turn my head. Another project that involves Sam Raimi (co-producing this time) the very open-ended premise released by Sony Pictures is simply that an astronaut crash lands on a mysterious planet and discovers he is not alone.
Starring Adam Driver as said astronaut and created by the directing team of Scott Beck and Bryan Woods (who brought the world A Quiet Place) one leak has revealed that the film will contain dinosaurs.
Danny Elfman has been signed on to take care of the music (presumably through his connection with Raimi, for whom he is also scoring Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness) so there is much promise in this creative team. We can likely expect a similar, scary approach to A Quiet Place perhaps, certainly an intriguing prospect. I will keep an interested eye on this one as more details appear.
Dual (expected release: TBA)
As is often the way with movies ahead of release, especially in a world still processing a pandemic, little is known about the details of Dual also. What we know of the premise is that it takes place in a world where human cloning is possible. A woman (played by Karen Gillan) opts to have herself cloned when she is diagnosed with a terminal illness, in order to ease the loss of her friends and family. However, when she makes a miraculous recovery she realises that rather than a simple procedure of disposal, she must now fight her clone in a duel to the death!
Directed by Riley Stearns (The Art of Self Defence) and also starring Jesse Eisenberg and Aaron Paul, if his first feature is anything to go by this will be darkly comic and satirical. The Art of Self Defence was somewhat underrated in my opinion, a clever but funny swipe at masculinity with an unexpected story. I very much hope for similar in Dual and am also enamoured of the casting choices and concept so I will definitely seek this one out later this year.
Even as I write this I am discovering other movies coming out this year that sound interesting. A list such as this is almost never complete! What are your most anticipated? Whatever the case, here is to a year full of fantastic cinematic enjoyment!
