From major franchise sequels to stand-alones, many anticipated films are set to release this year. What should viewers keep an eye on? DePaul students and others are sharing their recommendations.

Belle Geoffroy, a junior film major, says she loves mockumentaries. But it’s an upcoming fantasy-action film — Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” — that has caught her attention.

“Whether or not I love how the movie turns out, the effort of the practical effects intrigues me,” she said, referring to effects being created on set instead of made with computer generation.

“The Odyssey” is a high-budget retelling of the book by Greek poet Homer. The film takes place after the Trojan war when Odysseus is faced with a long and dangerous voyage back to Ithaca. Many mainstream actors, such as Tom Holland, Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, among others, are set to appear in the film, which debuts on July 17.

Morgan Dunn, a DePaul junior majoring in marketing, says she likes to watch drama but is also interested in romance and thrillers. An upcoming romance movie has caught her attention.

“I’m really excited to see ‘Wuthering Heights’ because I love Emerald Fennell’s style, and I really enjoyed ‘Saltburn,’” Dunn said.

“Wuthering Heights,” released on Feb. 13, is an adaptation of Emily Brontë’s 1847 book. In the film, actors Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie portray the destructive love story between Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw in 18th century England.

While many individual films are generating buzz, a lot of the anticipated films are not originals, but rather continuations of existing franchises. This happens every year and, as a result, some think that we are in a franchise-driven period of film.

Tristan Rivera, a crew member at AMC Norridge 6,  said the movie industry “is obsessed with sequels and franchises.”

“They’re highly profitable and can be seen as low risk due to the success of their predecessors,” Rivera said.

Rivera says sequel-heavy superhero movies always tend to draw big crowds.

“The success of the Marvel franchise definitely set a precedent of expecting a large turnout for superhero films,” he said.

One of those upcoming Marvel films, releasing on July 31, is “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.” The film is the fourth major installment featuring actor Tom Holland’s version of the character. It is set to be a fresh start for Peter Parker after a spell cast made the world forget who he was in the previous film, “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”

Dunn is wary of sequels.

“I think creators are struggling to come up with new stories that we’ve never seen before,” she said. She added, however, that when a new story is successful “it blows a bad sequel right out of the water.”

Geoffroy doesn’t think film franchises are a new phenomenon, but she wishes they didn’t draw so much attention.

“What’s most important is that there’s still many creatives making really unique films that also deserve as much, if not more, recognition,” Geoffroy said.

One movie by a new filmmaker has been doing very well at the box office: “Iron Lung”

YouTuber, actor and now filmmaker Mark Fischbach, also known as Markiplier, released his first film, “Iron Lung,” late last month. Markiplier starred in, directed and self-financed the film.

“Iron Lung” is a sci-fi horror film about a prisoner who directs a submarine through an ocean of blood. The film is based on a video game of the same name and has made more than 10 times its original budget of $3 million.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Markiplier said, “I was so honored by my fans, just coming out in droves, and even new people that don’t know me giving it a chance.”

As the year unfolds, it is clear that there is no shortage of recommendations— from literary adaptations to franchise-driven sequels and even indie successes. While sequels may still dominate the market, students say that creativity of new ideas make films worth watching.

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