We're almost half-way through 2013, and though it has been a pretty disappointing year for films thus far, there's the promise of plenty more - and plenty better - to come in the next 6 months. The sci-fi and fantasy genres in particular are offering up some tantalising prospects, ranging from big-budget blockbusters to low-budget indies. Here are 44 sci-fi and fantasy movies still to be released this year, what our impressions are, and what we've heard about them to date...
44. World War Z (June 21)
The hugely anticipated adaptation of Max Brooks' acclaimed zombie novel was beset by considerable production issues leading up to its release, though reviews on the whole have thus far been broadly positive for the Brad Pitt-starring actioner. I've seen it, and on the other hand wasn't taken with it at all - you can read my review
here - deeming it likely the most boring zombie movie that I've ever seen. Expect the Rotten Tomatoes score for this one - currently flying high at 80% - to start sinking once more reviews tumble in soon. A colossal disappointment that I imagine will disgruntle fans of the source material the most, unless I'm just totally off-base with this one.
43. Despicable Me 2 (June 28)
Gru is back! Despicable Me 2 is quite a change-up from the original film, given that Steve Carrell's oddly-accented character is no longer a baddie, but this time instead he is recruited by the Anti-Villain League to help take down another supervillain. As long as Gru hasn't lost his edge, this could be a winning follow-up to the immensely popular original, and above all else, those pesky minions are sure to keep the laughs coming thick and fast. With the likes of Russell Brand, Kristin Wiig, Steve Coogan and Ken Jeong providing vocal support, this one is brimming with potential in a year of animation that's been thoroughly lackluster so far.
42. This Is the End (June 28)
I can say first hand that This Is the End is, so far, easily the funniest film of the year; it takes the 21 Jump Street award of completely confounding my expectations and delivering something far in excess of what I could have hoped for. The basic premise involves a bunch of frat-packers - Seth Rogen, James Franco, Michael Cera and so on - playing themselves as the world begins to come to a very messy, destructive end. While it would be easy for this one to become a self-serving, overly-knowing disaster, the self-deprecating jokes keep coming thick and fast, and the film is absolutely bursting with manic energy. If you're a drinker, a few (read: a lot of) beers will only enhance the experience.
41. Blancanieves (July 12)
We've seen countless takes on the Grimm Brothers' Snow White over the years, but never have we seen anything quite like this; a Spanish black-and-white, silent fantasy film that is inevitably going to earn comparisons to the Oscar-winning The Artist. However, the film has won wide acclaim in its own right, both with scooping 10 Goya awards - Spain's equivalent of the Oscars - in its home country, as well as raves from critics in the US, where it was released a few months ago. You have never seen the tale best known for its animated retelling quite like this.
40. Monsters University (July 12)
Mike and Sully are back in Pixar's latest, a prequel which sees the pair heading to University to learn their monster chops. One hopes will break the losing streak of their last two films - Cars 2 was a dud, Brave was passably entertaining at best - compared to the generally masterful quality of their oeuvre. The film has been screened for press in the US and UK already, and the word coming out of it is that the film is good, if still not quite up to the standard of their strongest work. Best to go in with middling expectations, it seems, yet I can't help but get excited by what I see; it
looks fantastic.