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The Best Butt-Kicking Action Movies of 2018

Sequels and prequels and reboots, oh my!

By KAYLEIGH ROBERTS
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Warner Bros. / 20th Century Fox

If you're a fan of outlandish fight scenes, high stakes, and Marvel's Chris trifecta, then this is going to be a very good year for you. 2018's upcoming movie slate is packed with action films—and yes, a lot of them are based on comic books. Here's what's in store.

'Maze Runner: The Death Cure'

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Release date: January 26.

Starring: Dylan O'Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Nathalie Emmanuel, Giancarlo Esposito, Aidan Gillen, Walton Goggins, Ki Hong Lee, Barry Pepper, Will Poulter, and Patricia Clarkson.

About: This is the conclusion of the Maze Runner trilogy, in which the Gladers must break into the Last City to finally get answers to their questions about the maze. File under: YA vibes.

'Black Panther'

Release date: February 16.

Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, and Andy Serkis.

About: After everything that went down in Captain America: Civil War, King T'Challa returns home to Wakanda to lead his country, but is challenged for the throne. Black Panther has to step up to prevent a world war.

'Tomb Raider'

Release date: March 16.

Starring: Alicia Vikander, Dominic West, Walton Goggins, Daniel Wu, and Kristin Scott Thomas.

About: This reboot of the video game franchise (Angelina Jolie played the character in the early aughts), sees a young Lara Croft set off on an adventure to solve the mystery of her father's death.

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'Pacific Rim Uprising'

Release date: March 23.

Starring: John Boyega, Scott Eastwood, Cailee Spaeny, Jing Tian, Adria Arjona, Charlie Day Burn, and Gorman Rinko Kikuchi.

About: Set about ten years after the first movie, Uprising stars John Boyega as a pilot-gone-rogue who has to lead a new generation of pilots when the Kaiju threat returns.

'Ready Player One'

Release date: March 30.

Starring: Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, T. J. Miller, Simon Pegg, Mark Rylance.

About: In a dystopian future where the real world is awful, people escape to the OASIS, a virtual reality world created by the eccentric James Halliday. When the 1980s pop culture-obsessed Halliday dies, he leaves a digital treasure hunt behind and the winner will get his fortune.

'Avengers: Infinity War'

Release date: May 4.

Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Josh Brolin, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Hiddleston, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Olsen, Sebastian Stan, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Bettany, Cobie Smulders, Benedict Wong, Zoe Saldana, Karen Gillan, Vin Diesel, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Pom Klementieff, Scarlett Johansson, Benicio del Toro, Tom Holland, Anthony Mackie, Chadwick Boseman, Danai Gurira, Paul Rudd, Don Cheadle, Letitia Wright, and Winston Duke.

About: The culmination of literally years of Marvel Cinematic Universe world-building, Infinity War pits alllllll of the Avengers against Thanos with the fate of the universe at stake.

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'Deadpool 2'

Release date: May 18.

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, T.J. Miller, Leslie Uggams, Brianna Hildebrand, Stefan Kapičić, Zazie Beetz, Josh Brolin, and Jack Kesy.

About: Not much is known about the movie's plot, but we can safely assume it will be equal parts violent and hilarious.

'Solo: A Star Wars Story'

Yellow, Text, Font, Logo, Brand, Graphics, Artwork, Trademark, Sign, Graphic design,
Lucasfilm

Release date: May 25.

Starring: Alden Ehrenreich, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover, Thandie Newton, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Joonas Suotamo, and Paul Bettany.

About: The movie is billed as a "space western" which will focus on the origin story of fan-favorite Han Solo.

'Ocean's 8'

Release date: June 8.

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, Awkwafina, Rihanna, and Helena Bonham Carter.

About: An all-female reboot of the Ocean's 11 franchise, Ocean's 8 sees a team of thieves intent on stealing a very valuable piece of jewelry at the Met Ball.

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'Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom'

Release date: June 22.

Starring: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, B. D. Wong, James Cromwell, Ted Levine, Justice Smith, Geraldine Chaplin, Daniella Pineda, Toby Jones, Rafe Spall, Isabella Sermon, and Jeff Goldblum.

About: Owen and Claire must return to the island to save dinosaurs from extinction. Casual.

'Ant-Man and the Wasp'

Fictional character, Armour, Carmine, Breastplate, Costume, Hero, Trunk, Cuirass, Superhero, Avengers,
Marvel

Release date: July 6.

Starring: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Peña, Tip "T.I." Harris, Judy Greer, David Dastmalchian, Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer, Laurence Fishburne, Hannah John-Kamen, Randall Park, and Walton Goggins.

About: Ant-Man teams up with Hope van Dyne, the new Wasp, for a brand new mission.

'Robin Hood'

Gun, Firearm, Shooting, Gunfighter, Shotgun, Soldier, Air gun, Action-adventure game, Shooter game, Shooting sport,
Summit Entertainment

Release date: September 21.

Starring: Taron Egerton, Jamie Foxx, Eve Hewson, Jamie Dornan, Ben Mendelsohn, and Paul Anderson.

About: A gritty take on Robin Hood's origin story.

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'X-Men: Dark Phoenix'

Electric blue, Leather jacket, Leather, Long hair,
20th Century Fox

Release date: November 2.

Starring: Sophie Turner, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Tye Sheridan, Alexandra Shipp, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Evan Peters, and Jessica Chastain.

About: The movie takes place in 1992 and stars Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, who loses control of her powers and becomes Dark Phoenix.

'Aquaman'

Text, Font, Space, Symbol, Graphics, Lens flare, Triangle, Star, Symmetry, Graphic design,
Warner Bros.

Release date: December 21.

Starring: Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson, Willem Dafoe, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Temuera Morrison, Dolph Lundgren, and Nicole Kidman.

About: Aquaman (AKA Khal Drogo himself, Jason Momoa) must deal with growing tensions between people polluting the oceans and his own people, who want to invade the surface and put a stop to said pollution.

'Bumblebee: The Movie'

Tire, Motor vehicle, Wheel, Mode of transport, Automotive design, Automotive tire, Yellow, Vehicle, Vehicle door, Rim,
Paramount Pictures

Release date: December 21.

Starring: Hailee Steinfeld, John Cena, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Rachel Crow, and Pamela Adlon.

About: The movie is a prequel taking place in 1987, twenty years before the events of the first Transformers movie. Hailee Steinfeld stars as the girl who learns her yellow Beetle is more than just a car.

From: Marie Claire US
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