If you're looking for car chases, fight scenes, one-liners and an abundance of beefy bald men in your movies, then there's lots to get excited for in 2020 -- and I'm not just talking about Fast & Furious 9. In the age of tentpole cinema, the action movie has become one of the most enduring forces at the movie theater, whether it's the Fast family, the latest superhero pic, adventures on the final frontier or in a galaxy far, far away, or whatever flagrant insanity Netflix decides to hurl a bushel of cash at next (a la Bright, 6 Underground, etc.).
2020 is going to be little different than recent years in cinemas, what with the end of the Infinity Saga and a break in the Star Wars films, but there are still plenty of adrenaline-pounding pictures already on the calendar -- and it's only January. With that in mind, the collider staff put together a list of new and upcoming action movies to watch in 2020, from the usual suspects to the hidden gems.
Underwater
Is Underwater just Alien but literally underwater? Yes. Yes it is. And why you think that would ever be a bad thing is beyond my understanding. The new action/horror/sci-fi hybrid stars Kristen Stewart, Jessica Henwick, and Vincent Cassel as a team of aquatic researchers who find themselves up against an otherworldly beast when an earthquake knocks lose a monster and destroys their subaquatic laboratory. And the rest is just good ol' fashioned fun. -- Haleigh Foutch
Bad Boys for Life
The Bad Boys films are two of renowned explosion wizard Michael Bay’s best films, so at first, it was disappointing to hear that Bay wouldn’t be returning to direct the latest installment in the series. But after watching 6 Underground, I have determined that this is perhaps a blessing in disguise. After all, the best thing about the previous two Bad Boys movies was the chemistry between its stars, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence (in fact, the first Bad Boys is a borderline farce, with action sequences sprinkled in between all the comedic scenes). And Smith and Lawrence are back in Bad Boys for Life after a 17-year hiatus, and that’s reason enough for me to be excited. The action sequences admittedly look a little bland in the trailers, and the film’s January release date historically doesn’t bode well. But watching the two charming leads trade quips for two hours is well worth the price of a ticket, so throw in a few competently staged gunfights and car chases and I’m good. Also, DJ Khaled plays a character named Manny the Butcher, and I will not rest until I’ve seen this creation. -- Tom Reimann
The Gentlemen
Guy Ritchie’s back, baby! Granted, Guy Ritchie has not technically gone anywhere -- he’s consistently been making big-budget movies like the Sherlock Holmes franchise and 2019’s bonkers Aladdin remake. But the OG brand of “Guy Ritchie,” the kind of tough-talking, quick-witted crime comedy-thriller promised by instantly iconic flicks like Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, hasn’t been seen in a theatre since 2008’s RocknRolla. But based on early footage and critical response, The Gentlemen looks to rocket “Guy Ritchie” back into the cultural consciousness with delightfully brash energy.
Matthew McConaughey leads a delightful ensemble as an American marijuana kingpin living in England, looking to step away from his business. When word of his pseudo-retirement gets around the British crime community (goodness, what a fun phrase to write! Guy Ritchie’s back, baby!), all kinds of shady characters and, ahem, “gentlemen” do whatever it takes to get their slice of the green pie. The actors involved, all clearly relishing the chance to muck around in Ritchie’s underworld, include Charlie Hunnam, Michelle Dockery, Jeremy Strong, Eddie Marsan, Colin Farrell, Hugh Grant, and my personal MVP, Henry Golding doing a downright daft Cockney accent and sneering and preening all over the damn place like some kind of dumb crime rock star. STXfilms seems to be very content with “letting great filmmakers take great casts and deliver great original mid-budget pictures,” and honey, I’m very content as well. -- Gregory Lawrence
Birds of Prey
You've got a bunch of badass DC Comics characters who are long overdue for their big-screen moments, all headed up by Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn? Yep, boom, bang, pow, I'm in. Throw in an exciting up-and-coming director with Dead Pigs helmer Cathy Yan, John Wick helmer and long-time stunts/second-unit vet Chad Stahelski punching up the action, and an ensemble that includes Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Ewan McGregor, and Rosie effin' Perez? Doubt sold. I'm a Harley Quinn superfan and I like everything I've seen on this one, and if the film can capture a bit of that wild magic DC Universe just did in their knockout series, this should be a heck of a fun ride. -- Haleigh Foutch
Mulan
I thought I was burnt out on all the live-action Disney remakes, and then Niki Caro has to come along with Mulan. However, this latest live-action remake sets itself apart from the pack by not choosing to be a shot-for-shot remake (The Lion King) or a lazy retread with a few scenes added to let you know Disney is woke now (Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin). Instead, it appears that the new Mulan will take the plot beats and premise of the story, but discard the goofy sidekicks and endearing songs for more of a straightforward action-drama. While I love the songs from the original Mulan, I can live with leaving out "I'll Make a Man out of You" if it means we get a live-action Disney movie that feels fresh and different than what we saw in the 90s. – Matt Goldberg
No Time to Die
The Daniel Craig series of contemporary Bond films, starting with 2006’s Casino Royale and arguably reaching its peak with 2012’s Skyfall, is marked by its willingness to mess with the status quo. The “golden age” of Bond (either Sean Connery or Roger Moore, depending on your taste for camp) was partially defined by the hard resets occurring at the beginning of each new adventure. Forget last film’s villains, loves, and losses -- we’ve got new shit to deal with, baby! But 2020’s No Time to Die, Craig’s final rodeo as the English secret agent, promises to be the apex of “messing with the status quo” and “honoring continuity.”
We’ve got return visits from Christoph Waltz and Léa Seydoux. We’ve got characters who have no idea who Bond is, forcing him to say his full name out of frustration, rather than as the culmination of a dope catchphrase. And, most importantly -- Bond ain’t 007 anymore. That distinction now belongs to Lashana Lynch, whose Nomi took the 007 mantle after Bond retired after the events of Spectre. And while the film’s narrative seems to showcase the two teaming up to take down Rami Malek’s evil villain, I need a spinoff series of Lynch as a dope secret agent, and I need it yesterday. Behind the camera, director Cary Joji Fukunaga and co-writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge are such sterling, interesting, engaging talents. All of this seems to promise a banger of an action picture, a stunning sendoff to one of our most interesting Bonds, and the potential for an exciting future for the franchise -- one that’s shaken and stirred. -- Gregory Lawrence
The Rhythm Section
A dark spy thriller starring Blake Lively, from the producers of the James Bond franchise. That’s it. That’s the draw. And that’s more than enough to get us interested in The Rhythm Section, which was directed by The Handmaid’s Tale and I Think We’re Alone Now filmmaker Reed Morano and follows a woman seeking to uncover the truth behind a plane crash that killed her family three years earlier. There are definite Atomic Blonde overtones in the trailer, as it looks to be a moody, dark, and deadly serious affair. Yes please! – Adam Chitwood
Black Widow
It’s been a long, long, long time coming, but the Black Widow movie finally happened—after Black Widow died. Indeed, it’s a bit odd for Scarlett Johansson’s spinoff to come after her character’s big Avengers: Endgame sacrifice, but I suppose we should be happy it finally happened at all. Cate Shortland directs the actioner that takes place before the events of Avengers: Infinity War, but also appears to be delving pretty deeply into Black Widow’s origin story. Honestly, the big draw here isn’t even really that it’s a Black Widow spinoff. It’s that this is a spy thriller starring Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, Rachel Weisz, and David Harbour. Sign us up! – Adam Chitwood
Fast & Furious 9
That’s right, folks, it’s time once again for our semi-annual reminder from the wonderfully insane Fast & Furious franchise that the concept of physics doesn’t mean a goddamn thing. It’s a wonder, really, to see how a pretty straightforward flick about street racing and VCR theft has become a legit phenomenon. Every new Fast & Furious premiere is an event in its own right now. Fast & Furious 9 is already a must-watch with the return of director Justin Lin, who gave the franchise its first truly unique entry with Tokyo Drift and then officially ushered it into its batshit spectacle era with the increasingly bombastic Fast & Furious, Fast Five, and Fast & Furious 6. Then there’s the addition of Hollywood’s widest human, John Cena, a performer so tailor-made for the Fast and Furious franchise I’m pretty sure he runs on diesel fuel. (That’s not a metaphor. I believe John Cena drinks gasoline.) And then there’s just the simple fact that every Fast and Furious movie has, against all odds, managed to top itself in terms of all-out action mayhem. The various tales of Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his loveable fambly of car-racing scoundrels aren’t movies that make much sense, but you go in knowing you’re about to see something on a big, loud screen worth every cent of admission. --Vinnie Mancuso
Artemis Fowl
You’ve heard of Harry Potter, surely, but do you remember the slew of younger-skewing fantasy series that came out after it, trying to be the “next Harry Potter”? The most successful of these relative also-rans is probably Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson, a book series-turned-two-film franchise nearly a decade after J.K. Rowling’s worldwide sensation. But Artemis Fowl, the fantasy series that was published during Potter’s run by Irish author Eoin Colfer, is finally get a big-screen treatment.
The story centers on the title character, another child prodigy, but this time, our protagonist is more of an antihero since he’s dedicated his life to growing his family’s criminal empire. Artemis is somewhat cold, calculating, and has a backup plan for his backup plans, and he’ll need all his skills once he delves into the fantasy world full of fairies, trolls, and all sorts of unexpected threats.
I’m excited to see what the feature film treatment of Artemis Fowl looks like after being in development for nearly 20 years. Kenneth Branagh should bring a fun fantasy approach to the flick, but the real draw is seeing Dame Judi Dench as an elf law enforcement commander, which will now be her second strangest role in a matter of months. – Dave Trumbore
Wonder Woman 1984
Wonder Woman was one of the best superhero movies of the last decade, so I'm excited to see what else Patty Jenkins has in store for us with Wonder Woman 1984. Jenkins has seized on Diana's agelessness as a way to move the character into different time periods and explore particular social issues. She tackled man's warlike nature in Diana's origin story, and the 1980s offer up a slew of possibilities for Diana's next adventure (we'll all politely choose to forget that Justice League happened). There are plenty of questions surrounding the film ("How is Steve Trevor back? Will there be any attempts to link the film to other DC properties?"), but for right now, I can't wait to go on a new adventure with this character. – Matt Goldberg
Morbius
Man oh Spider-Man. Venom was certainly something on the big screen, wasn’t it? Tom Hardy fighting with himself, wrasslin’ lobsters, and growling about turds in the wind. But it was also a box office success, leading Sony to double down on their own Marvel Spider-verse with yet another infamous villain: Morbius. And who better to follow in DC villain-turned-Marvel villain Hardy’s footsteps than the Joker himself, Jared Leto.
Leto was none too pleased at being passed over for the standalone Joker movie, but he’ll get his chance to chew the scenery (and much more) as the Spider-Man villain Morbius, the living vampire. Leto’s Dr. Michael Morbius is a scientist looking for a cure of his own rare blood disorder but ends up cursing himself with vampiric traits, including heightened strength, speed, and durability, and the abilities of flight and hypnosis. But they come at a cost: Morbius needs to consume human blood to survive.
My first exposure to Morbius wasn’t the Marvel comics but the 90s Spider-Man animated series. That otherwise solid series introduced the ridiculous idea that Morbius siphoned life essence from victims through grotesque suckers on his palms, a way to get around the hemophobic network censors. I’m literally only interested in Morbius to see if these bizarro parts of the character’s history make it into the movie; everything else is just icing. – Dave Trumbore
Bloodshot
WTF even is Bloodshot? I have no idea, but I’m excited to find out. It very much feels like Vin Diesel is going to be channeling every ounce of Xander “xXx” Cage’s charisma and machismo for this one. And sure, the Valiant Comics character and antihero has a following of his own, but it’s not going to be a household name for casual moviegoers. So first, a primer: Brought back from the dead by Rising Spirit Technologies through the use of nanotechnology and suffering total memory loss, Ray Garrison – aka Bloodshot (Diesel) – struggles to reconnect with who he was while learning what sort of weapon he has become with the help of a group of other augmented combatants.
kSo there you have it. What makes Bloodshot interesting? Well beyond Diesel, there’s a script by Oscar-nominated screenwriter Eric Heisserer (Arrival) and a feature directorial debut for Dave Wilson. Wilson’s a curious case since he directed the Love, Death + Robots short “Sonnie’s Edge”, one of the anthology’s best, and has more than 15 years’ experience in visual effects at Tim Miller’s Blur Studio. Expect a heavy hand with the effects to lift Bloodshot where it’s needed. This could be a fresh take on a less-familiar character, or it could be a beautiful disaster. That makes it worth a watch. – Dave Trumbore
Top Gun Maverick
Listen. Listen. I’m never going to turn down an opportunity to take a ride into the danger zone. And although it’s been over 30 years since the original Top Gun, Tom Cruise has only become more awesome as he’s gotten older. Just look at the last three Mission: Impossible films - each one has thrashed progressively harder to the point where I legitimately got whiplash watching Cruise hawk down Henry Cavill’s mustache in a dueling helicopter chase in Mission: Impossible - Fallout. Cruise has been experiencing the raddest midlife crisis in recorded history for the past 10 or 12 years, and he’s been gracious enough to let us tag along and watch him shatter his aging bones leaping between rooftops and strapping himself to the outside of a jumbo jet. And if the trailers to Top Gun: Maverick are any indication (which feature Cruise very obviously in the cockpit of an actual jet as it takes off from an aircraft carrier), we can expect more of the same from our Daredevil Grandpa. Plus, Val Kilmer is coming back as Iceman! Now if only we can somehow work in Rick Rossovich and Anthony Edwards, perhaps in a dream sequence. -- Thomas Reimann
Free Guy
Free Guy looks off the leash in the best way possible. It looks like the world of Wreck-It Ralph crossed with the cleanly bonkers CG aesthetics of Alita: Battle Angel crossed with a screenplay that feels somehow like Bad Boys II, Hackers, and The Naked Gun combined. In a contemporary action blockbuster landscape beholden to pre-existing intellectual property, it’s a high-concept, original work with a ton of rules to explain and world-building to understand: What if an NPC (non-player character) became aware of his fictional, video game existence, and would do anything to stop it from shutting down? Its tone looks beyond goofy, beyond testosterone-addled, beyond anything else going on in action cinema these days.
Its director, Shawn Levy, continues his wild career about-face, careening from a litany of derided family flicks to friggin’ Stranger Things to this piece of pop-action insanity. Its cast, beyond the eternally wisecracking Ryan Reynolds (who seems to be playing a little more earnest in this one), is eclectic and game, with folks like Jodie Comer, Joe Keery, Lil Rel Howery, Utkarsh Ambudkar, and Taika Waititi all seeming absolutely down to clown. And, finally, and most importantly: The trailer is set to Mariah Carey’s “Fantasy,” which as everyone knows is The Best Song Ever Made. I fully do not understand how this film got made, nor do I plan on fully understanding this film. All I know is I had the most fun at a movie theatre in a while simply watching the trailer, and I can’t wait to see this shotgun blast of unfiltered all-caps VIBES when it comes out in full. -- Gregory Lawrence
Ghostbusters: Afterlife
It remains to be seen just how much action there will be in Ghostbusters: Afterlife, but the trailer does tease some serious bustin’—albeit at the hands of kids. Jason Reitman follows in his father’s footsteps directing this original follow-up to Ghostbusters 2, which follows the granddaughter of Egon Spengler (the late Harold Ramis), who discovers her pappy’s Ghostbusters stuff while sifting through his… farm in Oklahoma? Sure! Finn Wolfhard, Carrie Coon, and Paul Rudd co-star, and it’ll be interesting to see how Reitman marries his knack for humanistic stories with a pretty huge franchise. – Adam Chitwood
Jungle Cruise
You'd be hard-pressed to name a more charismatic duo than Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, which I imagine will do a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to selling tickets for Disney's Jungle Cruise. After all, it's not the most exciting ride (unless you really like dad jokes,) and since the premise of the ride is pretty much "look, a jungle!" the movie can really go anywhere. The wildcard here is director Jaume Collet-Serra, who's made a career of delivering A+ B-Movies and Liam Neeson thrillers. What does a Collet-Serra Disney adventure look like? In the immortal words of John Mulaney, "I have no idea what's gonna happen next. And neither do you, and neither do your parents." But I can't wait to find out! -- Haleigh Foutch
The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard
The Hitman's Bodyguard was a surprise bit of fun that let Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson be absolute assholes to each other in the midst of some pretty fun action scenes, with a healthy dose of a hyper-sassy Salma Hayek as the cherry on top. For the sequel, they're opting for more Hayek (always a good call) with The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard and based on how deliciously foul-mouthed and ridiculous she got in the last movie, I can't wait to see her verbally (and probably physically) spar with the ever razor-witted Reynolds. -- Haleigh Foutch
Monster Hunter
Mila Jovovich and Paul W.S. Anderson spent decades huntin' monsters with their long-running Resident Evil franchise, and with their next action-packed potential franchise starter they're turning to another video game adaptation... Monster Hunter. Nice. So far, we've only seen one official image (see above) and while it's not much to go off of, I'm extremely 100% already this movie's biggest fan based on Tony Jaa's absurdly enormous weaponry alone. If you like the Resident Evil films (which I generally do despite the ridiculousness, and based on their box office performances I'm not alone,) then it's easy to get excited for this one. -- Haleigh Foutch
The King's Man
The third film in the Kingsman franchise takes it way back to the early 1900s to explore the origins of the titular organization. Matthew Vaughn once again co-writes and directs, bringing his signature visceral style to the fold, but it does appear that a change in visual tone comes with the change in setting. This time around it appears that Ralph Fiennes is in the mentor role a la Colin Firth, while Harris Dickinson (Beach Rats) plays the young ingénue—a part filled brilliantly by Taron Egerton in the modern-day Kingsman movies. Some sort of supernatural plot involving Rasputin (Rhys Ifans) is in the cards as well, which only makes this sound more intriguing. – Adam Chitwood