The 12 films you need to see in 2013

2012 was a banner year at the pictures with Batman, Bond and some Loopers increasing our heart rate a few times over. But 2013 aims to outdo the whole lot with a whole truckload of seat-grippingly great movies.

Superman is returning, Tarantino is unchained and Ridley Scott is heading back to earth. All reasons to be irrationally excited. To get you in the mood, we've assembled the 12 films you need to be see next year. We accept zero responsibility if they all turn out to be awful.

(Images: All Star, Rex Features)

1. Django Unchained

The latest film from Quentin Tarantino is a bit of a no-brainer inclusion for this list but given what we've seen so far, it would be an unmissable inclusion, whoever was sitting in the director's chair. The blaxploitation western sees Jamie Foxx receive a much-needed comeback as a slave tracking down his wife while Leonardo Dicaprio and Christophe Waltz battle for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar as plantation owner and bounty hunter respectively.

Release date: January 18th

2. Zero Dark Thirty

The manhunt for Osama Bin Laden could have been the plot of a gung-ho actioner starring Jason Statham but thankfully, Kathryn Bigelow took on the project and with her Hurt Locker screenwriter Mark Boal they turned years of research into this gruelling and Oscar-tipped thriller. Jessica Chastain (star of pretty much everything you saw in 2011, including Take Shelter and Tree of Life) leads a cast that also includes Brits Mark Strong, Jennifer Ehle and, bizarrely, John Barrowman.

Release date: January 25th

3. Iron Man 3

Now, like anyone, we found Iron Man 2 a bit of a disappointment. It's partly because the first film was such an awesome surprise and it's partly because there was far too much going on. But after The Avengers, we're hoping Downey Jr et al can pull it out of the bag. Jon Favreau is out of the director's seat and he's been replaced with Lethal Weapon scribe Shane Black while Ben Kingsley is on villain duties. Cross fingers now.

Release date: April 26th

4. The Great Gatsby

Pushed back from its Christmas release date, we're still holding out hope for Baz Luhrmann's lavish adaptation of the classic F Scott Fitzgerald novel. Starring Tobey Maguire, Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan, the much-anticipated film has already showcased its extravagance in an eye-popping trailer that adds Kanye and 3D to the 20s setting. This one could go either way...

Release date: May 17th

5. Star Trek Into Darkness

Back in 2009, Star Trek was a bit of a revelation. Rebooting a franchise that had become almost inaccessibly geeky and turning it into a universally adored mainstream hit was quite a miracle and JJ Abrams is hoping that lightning strikes twice for the sequel. This time round, Benedict Cumberbatch takes on lead villain duties while the overall tone is much darker, something that's showcased in the new bravura trailer. We expect great things.

Release date: May 17th

6. Man Of Steel

So we had some initial scepticism about this one. Firstly, Bryan Singer's attempt to bring the character back to life was an inraguable failure and secondly, after Sucker Punch, we were worried that director Zack Snyder might go a bit bombastic with it all. But the involvement of Christopher Nolan and the moody trailer have us feeling positive. If things work out well, this could end up being the next big franchise and after Batman hung up his cape this year, we're in need of a hero.

Release date: June 14th

7. Pacific Rim

Despite producing every other film you've seen in the past few years (possibly an exaggeration), Guillermo Del Toro hasn't directed a film since Hellboy 2 in 2008. After things didn't work out with The Hobbit, he picked up this still quite secretive project. What we do know is that an alien invasion, of Godzilla-esque creatures, attacks earth and giant robots, piloted by humans, must fight back. The trailer promises big things. Literally.

Release date: July 12th

8. The World's End

It's been a mammoth wait but after endless speculation, the final part of the Cornetto trilogy is almost upon us. After the success of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, the latest Pegg/Frost/Wright collaboration carries a fair amount of expectation. But the plot, which follows an apocalyptic pub crawl, sounds potentially awesome and a supporting cast that includes Paddy Considine and Martin Freeman has us excited. Potential Brit hit of the year.

Release date: August 14th

9. Rush

As the year progresses, this Ron Howard drama kicks off the season of "films that will probably win lots of awards". It's a drama based around the exploits of legendary F1 driver James Hunt and his rival Niki Lauda. Chris Hemsworth expands his repertoire as Hunt while he's supported by Olivia Wilde and Inglourious Basterds star Daniel Bruhl as Lauda. A script by Peter Morgan, of Frost/Nixon and The Queen fame, hints at a major Oscar contender.

Release date: September 13th

10. Elysium

It's been a long three years since Neill Blomkamp exploded onto the scene with his Oscar-nominated sci-fi thriller District 9 and after a Halo movie collapsed, he moved onto Elysium instead. The film sees Matt Damon go bald as an ex-con fighting for the rights of people living on an overpopulated earth by taking on the over-privileged community of the space station Elysium, headed up by evil Jodie Foster. Sounds interesting. But also a bit like In Time. Which isn't a good thing.

Release date: September 20th

11. The Counselor

After his return to the sci-fi genre in Prometheus, Ridley Scott is returning to earth with this thriller, scripted by Cormac McCarthy. It boasts a stellar cast with Michael Fassbender starring as a lawyer who gets involved in drug trafficking and support coming from Brad Pitt, Javier Bardem, Cameron Diaz and Penelop Cruz. It's early days on this one but given the talent involved, it sounds like a slam dunk.

Release date: TBA

12. The Wolf Of Wall Street

Continuing his bromance with Leonardo DiCaprio, Martin Scorsese has cast him yet again in his latest, a crime drama based on a stockbroker who finds himself in trouble with the law and the mob. Sounds like an easy win to us and with a supporting cast that includes Jonah Hill, Matthew McConaughey and The Artist's Jean Dujardin, we're expecting awards all round.

Release date: TBA

Tags: movies