Exciting Geeky Stuff Ahead In 2015

2015 is shaping up to be an exciting year for my inner-geek (Jae Fact: I'm 75% inner-geek). Thought I'd take a look at what is upcoming.

Movies

Jupiter Ascending

The Matrix was THE sci-fi event of my teens. The Wachowskis are returning to original movie sci-fi and regardless of whether it turns out to be any good I have to applaud any attempt at a non-sequel, non-novel adaption, non-superhero take on the genre. The trailer makes it look rather epic.

Jurassic World 

How long have we waited for this? FOREVER. I cannot begin to express how eager I am to see this. I was an absolutely Jurassic Park FREAK when I was 10 and I will attempt to out FREAK 10 year old Jae this time too. Plus... Chris Pratt is HOT.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens 

I own the Star Wars Encyclopaedia. I own vehicle guides, novels, comics and I even give the prequel trilogy a get out of jail free card. I'm that sort of Star Wars fan. I am sooooooo excited to get a new Star Wars movie. :)

So Many Marvel Movies 

10 years ago could you imagine Marvel releasing so many movies of such high quality in such a short space of time? Now we are just spoilt for choice! From the Marvel Cinematic Universe we have Avengers: Age of Ultron and Ant-Man upcoming with Age of Ultron looking absolutely fantastic.

Fox is also treating us to a reboot of Fantastic Four, something it very much needed (Jae Fact: Jae once disrupted filming on Rise of the Silver Surfer when he insisted on sticking to his normal walk to work filming or no filming. They weren't amused). I hope it won't be disappointing.

Terminator Genisys

Terminator canon is becoming very tricky, and the number of actors playing certain roles is starting to get a bit silly BUT Arnold Schwarzenegger is back and Terminator remains a foundational franchise in my rise to geekhood. I'm interested to see if some of the coolness of the first two movies can be salvaged and restored.

London Has Fallen

Olympus Has Fallen (along with White House Down) was my "I shouldn't really like it but I do" breakout movie of 2013. So its sequel set in London is something I'll be keen to keep a close eye on. 

Television 

Westworld 

I'm just intrigued as to how they are going to evolve this story into a TV series. Second Michael Crichton property to pique my interest in 2015, his legacy lives on at least!

More Marvel TV 

Marvel is taking over the world. In 2015 Agent Carter and Daredevil join Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D in representing the MCU on the small screen. Daredevil is the first of the Netflix series which will hopefully expand the MCU in interesting ways. 

Parks and Recreation 

Parks and Recreation is coming to an end. Sad times. It is an acquired taste but it is one that I actually did acquire. Wonderful show, great performances and Chris Pratt. Mmm... 

Comics 

Marvel

A new era in Star Wars awaits us as Lucasfilm's new sister company, Marvel, takes over Star Wars comics from Dark Horse. 

With the Expanded Universe now a thing of the past, we'll have to see where Disney's more canon-friendly approach takes us. But my pull-list is going to be heaving!

In other news... Spider-Man 2099 returns to the 2099 universe... yet another look back to young Jae's favourite things.

DC

Hmm... DC's New 52 (something that re-ignited a long dormant love of comics in me) has turned sour and seems to lack direction (with the honourary exception of some comics like Snyder's Batman). I will keep an eye on DC's April 2015 "Convergence" event to see if the outcome of that brings some spirit back to the DC Universe. 

Jurassic World Is Really, Really Happening (SPOILERS)

Forgive me for being ever sceptical but I've been looking forward to Jurassic Park IV (now titled Jurassic World) for quite a long time and there have been many disappointments on the road. But with filming well under way and information leaking from the set I think that I can finally sit back and start getting excited!

So what's the goss?

20 odd years after the original Jurassic Park's collapse a new dinosaur park has been built in its place on Isla Nublar (for the uninitiated, Lost World and JPIII took place on Isla Sorna AKA "Site B", we've not revisited Isla Nublar since the first movie). Jurassic World is a successful attraction but the blasé (or perhaps jaded) people of the world have grown bored and visitor numbers are falling. 

In an attempt to create a sensational new exhibit which will get Jurassic World the attention of the world once more, the park's scientists have developed a new dinosaur (possibly called Diabolus Rex). And that seems to be where things go wrong...

There was a lot of fanboy rage when the concept of a "genetically enhanced" dinosaur was first mooted. However, as Colin Trevorrow has implied, this is actually a concept from the original Michael Crichton novel.

In a scene near the end of the book Henry Wu, the much put upon genius behind the successful cloning of dinosaurs, laments that John Hammond will not let him further augment his creations to make them more entertaining and less dangerous. Though Hammond is keen on an authentic experience it transpires that the current "versions" of species in the park have already been manipulated to be more palatable to prospective visitors as it was felt that the speed and aggression "real" dinosaurs (i.e. the first batch that Wu created) would not be in keeping with visitor's expectations of slow and plodding creatures that early paleontologists had theorised about.

And with Henry Wu due to make a return appearance in Jurassic World, it seems likely Hammond's passed away and his "talents" are being used to their fullest (though, of course, it may be his character will be the one who understands the dangers of what is being done and tries to stop it).

So I'm pretty stoked to see exactly what this new dinosaur looks like. With big crowds and new exhibits I'm pretty sure the opening scenes are going to look pretty fantastic.

I'm particularly looking forward to at least a glimpse of a mosasaur or two! My ten year old self, sat there reading Jurassic Park and desperately looking forward to the original movie, would be very proud of my high levels of excitement. :) Roll on my birthday week 2015... (well timed there Universal!)

"My" Star Wars Is As Good As Dead... Perhaps Not The End Of The World

I've been a lifelong Star Wars fan. Whereas I came to Star Trek and Doctor Who in the early 90s, Star Wars was always a part of my life thanks to my fantastic, geeky Uncle. Now I'll admit I wasn't some super-knowledgeable fan. For much of my early life I was under the impression the movies were based on books and that the first three books hadn't been filmed hence why the odd numbering.

But I really got into Star Wars in a way many proper Star Wars fans would consider sacrilegious... At the age of 13/14 and thanks to the lead up to the Special Editions. Then again my favourite Star Wars movie is Return of the Jedi so I suppose there truly is no hope for me! I loved the Special Editions, I loved the Shadows of the Empire "event" (as a Nintendo boy the fact it was one of the first games released on N64 put it right on my radar) and then I fell in love with the Expanded Universe books.

The Truce At Bakura remains one of my favourite books of all time, not just in the Star Wars line. I loved the characters of the EU and dabbled with some of the Star Wars: Legacy comics too. I fell out of contact with the latest happenings somewhat, only picking up a book here or there, totally missing the Yuuzhan Vong (something I'm pretty glad of having picked up a few of those books since) but I did listen to the Force Cast loyally and loved the rich tapestry of the many, many stories told post-RotJ.

But, given the fact I was not overly enamoured with the Prequels (though not angry like some raging fanboys), the EU became "My" Star Wars. Yes the canon was sketchy (though they had a points based system to help you out!), but I loved Thrawn, Jade, the entire history of the New Republic and its battles with the Imperial Remnant.

Now, as we prepare for the next trilogy of movies, Disney has decided to clear things up. A committee is deciding the fate of entire worlds and civilisations (imaginary ones, I admit). Beloved characters and plots will be discarded. Entire empires will cease to exist. And the Expanded Universe will implode.

It is perhaps not a bad idea. The stories won't disappear. The Heir to the Empire trilogy won't be burnt in the streets. Chewbacca will still get crushed by a moon and reduce me into a blubbering wreak. And by finally clearing house a more stable canon can be formed encompassing all the movies plus any new books and comics that come out over the coming years. It'll help make it all more accessible to new fans and to returning fans.

In fact I can't help but agree with this piece that suggests they just do away with everything but the movies.

Yes "My" Star Wars must die in order that a new Star Wars may rise... I can't wait to see what next year brings and not just because of Episode VII. Marvel will begin publishing Star Wars comics and I'm excited! A whole new Expanded Universe to explore :)

What Fun Awaits Us In 2014?

Robocop

There is no hiding my love of Robocop. I've seen the first (and best) movie too many times to count. This year a remake is coming.

Am I excited? Yes, of course. Sure the original Robocop design was iconic and this new design is a bit of a departure. And I'm sure the storytelling style will be a radical departure from Paul Verhoeven's. But it is new Robocop, and I have high hopes it'll at least partially live up to my expectations.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Rise of the Planet of the Apes was a stonking good movie. I've always had a soft spot for the Planet of the Apes series, but Rise was vastly superior to all its predecessors. And now Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is coming and I cannot wait. The story of how the apes take over is one that has been crying out to be told in a more realistic fashion than the original series managed... and I think Rise, Dawn and whatever comes after are looking like they might just manage to make us all believers.

Transformers: Age of Extinction

Shia LeBeouf was not the only thing I didn't really like about the first Transformers trilogy. The distinct lack of Dinobots was a definite mark against those movies. Well both of these downers are out, and I cannot wait to see what the Dinobots look like on the big screen! This is the moment I've been waiting for since about the age of 5. The only thing that Hollywood could do to top this would be to have a shower scene in a new He-Man movie.  

Comic Book Movies 

Captain America: The Winter Solider. Not exciting but I'll watch it.
Amazing Spider-man 2. Meh.
Guardians of the Galaxy. I'm still a Guardians of the Galaxy virgin, so I'll reserve excitement judgement until I've read a few of the comics. But... Rocket Raccoon looks awesome.
X-Men Days of Future Past. I LOVE the X-Men. I really do. They are MY comic book heroes. But I'm not, strangely a Wolverine fan. And now I know this is a Wolverine heavy movie I'm feeling sort of "Meh" about the whole thing. Plus Fox's screwing up of continuity still annoys me.

TV

A new Doctor! Wow. And, perhaps, a properly different sort of Doctor. I cannot wait to see what adventures the 12th/13th Doctor takes us on. That is my main excitement for the coming year.

But in new stuff that tickles my fancy...

Westworld. Yes, there is a new TV series coming based on Michael Crichton's Westworld. As a lover of Michael Crichton's writing, and the less said about Jurassic Park the better because I might wet myself with excitement, I cannot wait to see where they go with this show. So many possibilities.
Gotham. A police procedural set in Batman's Gotham City? Do I really need to sell this to anyone? We're there.
Star Wars: Rebels. Star Wars. That is all.

Oh, as always, GAME OF THRONES!

Comics 

The X-Men have been so strong in 2013 that I am just stoked, so stoked, to see where they go this year. With weaker titles like Astonishing gone and the formerly great but getting slightly iffy Wolverine and the X-Men getting a new number 1, I am hoping this year is even better.

And finally.

GODZILLA!

There is a time and place for a reserved British outlook on life. This is not that time nor is it the place. GODZILLA! is coming. It has been 10 years since the last Toho movie and 16 years (year, 16!) since the watchable but cringe-worthy American version. Now, finally, Godzilla may rise again into a post-Avater cinematic world. I have all my fingers crossed that this will blow us all away. Even if it doesn't... it is still new Godzilla!!