Rampage (2009)

Because it was directed by Na Hong-jin, the mastermind behind The Wailing, one of the best movies of 2016, and marketed as the most expensive movie in South Korean history, I was excited to see Hope. However, despite it being one of the most visually impressive action movies I’ve ever seen, everything else fell short of my expectations.

The movie follows a group of hunters led by Sung-ki (Zo In-sung), and the police chief Bum-seok (Hwang Jung-min) from a small harbor village near the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) as they investigate a mysterious creature wreaking havoc in their community. Believing the threat is a tiger, the chief investigates the village, while the hunters search the forest. I watched the film believing it was a standalone story, and I ended up disappointed by everything except the exquisite camerawork and high-speed, adrenaline-fueled action. Afterward, I discovered that Na Hong-jin plans a trilogy, with Hope as the first installment, and my disappointment only deepened.

The final installment in the main X-Men storyline is Dark Phoenix. The film is a direct sequel to 2016’s X-Men Apocalypse and follows the same group of mutants. The story takes place in 1992, and audiences are quickly immersed in an X-Men mission in space. Now, I know what you’re thinking, “Didn’t the Avengers do this already? And weren’t they unsuccessful?” Yeah, they were. However, this is a completely different franchise, so there’s no need to worry about that. Plus, they’re mutants — they can handle anything … mostly.