Fans of comic books, manga, anime, and animation of all kinds will be surely amped up for the month of December, as four different adaptations will be making their way to a theater near you. We’ve been treated to a handful of excellent Marvel films this year, but we won’t see another film in the Marvel cinematic universe until 2019’s Captain Marvel. Fortunately, the last month of the year is jam-packed with excellent characters and fun stories from lesser explore universes. Whether it’s the DC blockbuster Aquaman or the anime/manga adaptation of Alita: Battle Angel, moviegoers will have plenty to feast their eyes on. If you haven’t taken a peek at the movie release calendar yet, you’ll definitely want to take some time off in December. It’s the figurative “battle of the superheroes” this holiday season, so let’s take a closer look at all the adaptations that are coming out.
[su_youtube_advanced url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kunxAARN6VQ”]
Release Date: December 21, 2018
Directed by: Robert Rodriguez
Starring: Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Mahershala Ali
This adaptation of the Yukito Kishiro manga “Gunm” took viewers by surprise when the trailer released online. The first thing you’ll notice about Alita: Battle Angel is its use of CGI in conjunction with live action. Although most of the film is live action, our main character Alita (voiced by Rosa Salazar) is a highly realistic CGI character with some inhuman features. The story takes place in Iron City, a futuristic cyberpunk metropolis full of mystery and intrigue. One day, Dr. Ido (Christoph Waltz) finds the damaged Alita discarded in a dump. With his cybernetic medical skills and penchant for compassion, Ido tries his best to help Alita regain her memories and uncover her past.
The film is directed by Robert Rodriguez, most well known for his work on films like From Dusk til Dawn, Sin City, and Machete. It’s quite unlike anything he has ever done before, and with production credits from James Cameron and others, the film definitely feels larger than life. Some fans are still hesitant, as Rodriguez says he wants to adapt the core story of the original manga, but with his own flavor. The unique visual style could either make or break the movie, and it’s ultimately up to the quality of animation, the acting prowess of Rosa Salazar, and the direction of Rodriguez. We’ll have to see just how well Alita: Battle Angel performs when it releases in late December.
[su_youtube_advanced url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaWnLiffxJ4″]
Release Date: December 21st, 2018
Directed by: James Wan
Starring: Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Nicole Kidman
The DC extended universe (DCEU) continues with its sixth film, Aquaman. This isn’t the big screen debut of the character, as we got to see Aquaman with the rest of his superhero pals in Justice League. Despite that, fans have been clamoring for an Aquaman origin film, especially after the great success of Wonder Woman. This film plays as both a follow-up to Justice League and a reintroduction of Aquaman. In the movie, Aquaman (Jason Momoa) leads his underwater kingdom of Atlantis, but must deal with problems that arise both above the surface and within his own community. His brother, Orm (Patrick Wilson), threatens to unite the seven oceanic kingdoms against the surface world, and Aquaman must deal with this plan. Combining this with the origin elements might be a fun time at the theater, but DC’s track record isn’t exactly spotless.
The film is directed by James Wan, a director who has consistently put out great work over the past few years. Horror fans will be more familiar with him than most, as Wan is most notable for directing such films like SAW, Insidious, The Conjuring, and more. He has dabbled outside of the horror genre though, taking the helm of the Fast and the Furious sequel, Furious 7. Personally, I trust James Wan more than I probably should, but I’ve always enjoyed his films in some way or another. As long as the abundance of CGI and usual “darker than Batman” tonal structure of the DCEU doesn’t get in the way, I think Aquaman could turn out as a hit for DC.
[su_youtube_advanced url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcwmDAYt22k”]
Release Date: December 21st, 2018
Directed by: Travis Knight
Starring: Hailee Steinfeld, Angela Bassett, John Cena
Bumblebee is another entry in the Transformers movie franchise, but is decidedly different than the past few films. Taking place in the 80’s, the film picks up with one of our favorite Transformers, Bumblebee. On the run from forces unknown, Bumblee ends up hiding in a junkyard in California. There, a young girl named Charlie (Hailee Steinfeld) discovers him in his car form and brings him back home unaware of his transforming powers. The movie seems to be a mix of both origin story and a new kick-off point for the franchise. In the trailer, we see a handful of other Transformers (mainly the evil Decepticons), as well as some military powers moving against Bumblebee. If the past Transformers films are anything to go off of, at the very least, the action in this movie will be pretty impressive.
The film is directed by Travis Knight, who is most well known for his animation work and for directing the 2015 Oscar-nominated film, Kubo and the Two Strings. Although Knight’s directorial credits are pretty bare, his previous work on Kubo cannot go unnoticed. That film was surprisingly heartfelt and directed with style and care, and if those qualities transfer over to Bumblebee, we might have a real treat on our hand. The past few Transformers movies got a bit too commercialized for their own good, so, hopefully, Bumblebee will break that trend.
[su_youtube_advanced url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tg52up16eq0″]
Release Date: December 14th, 2018
Directed by: Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman
Starring: Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld, Shameik Moore
Spider-Man hits the big screen again, but this time it’s a mega compilation of multiple Spider-Men (?) and their respective universes. When it comes to film adaptations, most Spider-Man films either focus on the original Peter Park version of Spidey, or the “Amazing Spider-Man” tale. This film brings in tons of alternate versions of Spider-Man, including Noir Spider-Man (Nicholas Cage), Miles Morales, and more. The main story focuses on Peter Parker (Jake Johnson), now old and becoming unable to fulfill his role of Spider-Man, teaching the young Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) how to take up his mask. The most striking thing about the film is its style of animation, which mixes CGI with a classic comic-book feel. Just watch the trailer; it’s absolutely amazing.
The film is directed by a handful of creatives, all of who have decent animation credits and some interesting writing credits as well. For instance, Rodney Rothman is credited with writing the hilarious 22 Jump Street, so I’m hoping this movie will be just as funny. Out of all the superhero and comic films releasing in December, this is my most anticipated. Hopefully, the animation and superior voice work will combine to form a Spider-Man film, unlike anything we’ve seen before. Luckily, we’re only a few short months away from release, so we’ll just have to wait until then.
That’s all the major superhero and animation adaptations releasing in December! What are you most excited for? Luckily, there seems to be a movie for every kind of fan, with a good spread of both Eastern and Western source material. If anything, these upcoming releases give us all a good reason to dig into the original content. So if you’re super excited for Alita: Battle Angel, this is probably a great time to read the original manga run or watch the anime adaptation. Fans looking forward to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse should boot up Spider-Man on the PlayStation 4, which recently released to wide acclaim. Aquaman hopefuls have a wide variety of comics to eat up their time, and there’s no better time to watch some retro Transformers cartoons. Regardless of what you’re most excited for, there’s no denying that December will be an exciting time at the movies. We’ll have full reviews for most of these films when they release, so don’t forget to check back in for our final verdict!
About Author
