No Guest Found in this category
2018 was a wild ride. Harry Potter turned 20, Disney bought Fox, and a dizzying amount of films, TV series, comics, games and more came and went, while industry legends such as Stan Lee, Margot Kidder, Steve Ditko and Stephen Hillenberg, just a to name a few, left their indelible legacies on fans everywhere.
With so much stuff that happened, it’s kind of hard to nail down a few ‘Best Of’ moments, right? Creating such a powerful itemised article is a daunting task, so we’ve rounded up an elite squad of Supanova team members’ highlights of the year (as well as their most anticipated properties of next year), for your judging pleasure.
[Spoilers ahead]
DANIEL Z (EVENT DIRECTOR)
Favourite release of 2018
Avengers: Infinity War
For once the hype matched the outcome… and then some! From the opening sequence that sees Thor, Loki and the Hulk, smashing all the way through to the end, the film moved at a fast yet unrushed pace with each character provided enough of a spotlight to shine.
Most excited for in 2019
Without doubt the final season of Game of Thrones. As a fan of the books, it has been fun and interesting to see how the books and the series often took off on different tangents and yet looped back into each other to ensure the big picture end game was being focused on. But the last two seasons, and this one to come, have been beyond the books and the sense of expectation has grown even greater by missing 2018 and concluding in 2019.
INEKE (GUEST MANAGER/LITERARY MANAGER/CONTENT OFFICER)
Favourite release of 2018
Thor: Ragnarok. Marvel just hits it out of the park each time and Ragnarok excelled more than others. I laughed from start to finish.
Most excited for in 2019
It’s got to be the final season of Game of Thrones. Can’t wait to see how they wrap up this epic series!
MADDIE (ONLINE CONTENT AUTHOR/SOCIAL MEDIA SUPERVISOR)
Favourite release of 2018
Technically this is a 2017 title, but having only received an international release this year, I’m counting it… Re:Mind, courtesy of Netflix. A stylish J-drama mystery, Re:Mind is essentially what would happen if you stuck the lighthouse girls from Battle Royale in a Jigsaw trap, minus the gore. Desperately hoping for a season two, but also not holding my breath.
Most excited for in 2019
Alita: Battle Angel! James Cameron has had this in the works for close to two decades, so I’m cautiously optimistic that this means it will be a well-executed, loyal adaptation of the original manga series.
POKE (2IC, AV/TECH DEPARTMENT)
Favourite release of 2018
I’m torn between two games for very different reasons. Let’s Go! Pikachu/Eevee, for tickling all the nostalgia bones for OG Pokémon players, and giving us a sneak peek at what the next mainline Pokemon tech could look like. And The Quiet Man, for being the perfect trainwreck game. It’s so bad you don’t want to keep playing, but it’s so hilariously bad that you need to see how bad it gets. How a big publisher like Square-Enix let this out the door I’ll never know.
Most excited for in 2019
Untitled Goose Game is going to be Game of the Year for 2019.
DANIEL JOHN (MANAGING EDITOR/SCREEN INDUSTRY OUTREACH)
Favourite release of 2018
The second season of Nirvanna the Band the Show was inspiring, funny, creative and so much more. The series follows two Toronto-based best friends, Matt Johnson and Jay McCarroll, as they try to get a gig at their local venue. Each episode parodies something from pop culture, with recent episodes taking on The Walking Dead, Indiana Jones and more. But don’t just take my word for it, Rick & Morty creator Justin Roiland has labelled it “one of the best shows ever made”. The back end of season two premiered via SBS earlier this year. Get on it!
Most excited for in 2019
Toy Story 4. There will be tears. The first film came out when I was five and instantly became one of my favourites. From early reports, it seems like the next instalment is going to be an emotional rollercoaster. I’m not ready. And I hate rollercoasters.
CARINA NILMA (CONTRIBUTING WRITER)
Favourite release of 2018
Spider-Man into The Spider-Verse is not just a great superhero movie but an excellent movie period. The animation is so rich and beautiful and colourful, the characters all are interesting and have depth and arcs to follow, the soundtrack is wonderful and stimulating, the story is exciting and touching and inspiring. It was a sheer joy to watch and I’m already eagerly wanting to see it again.
Most excited for in 2019
The Lion King was hands down one of my all-time favourite childhood movies. When the 2019 reboot was announced, I was cautiously wary. The teaser trailer has since got me very excited. Being familiar with Jon Favreau’s work on The Jungle Book, I’m anticipating this will be visually stunning. But I’m most eager to hear how the new voice cast works. I expect that the moment the opening chant begins, and the Hans Zimmer score kicks in, I will be screaming along and probably crying my eyes out.
JAMES ORR (CONTRIBUTING WRITER)
Favourite release of 2018
Avengers: Infinity War. I wasn’t impressed by the first couple of Avengers movies, yet I was expecting Infinity War to be amazing anyway – and somehow it still surpassed all my expectations. It felt like the perfect climax for the MCU and all its characters, doing service to all the heroes, and delivering Thanos as one of the best villains in the MCU (but Killmonger is still #1). And that ending! It takes a lot of guts to have the villain win and annihilate half your cast, even if it’s probably temporary.
Most excited for in 2019
The final season of Game of Thrones is looming and the White Walkers are set to stomp down on the living in Westeros. Game of Thrones has delivered such a large scale story and so many iconic characters and scenes. Season seven’s loot train attack gave us a taste of what a single dragon can do to an army, and I can’t wait to see Daenerys and her remaining dragons take on the entire White Walker army, along with the Night King and his Wight Dragon (RIP Viserion).
SARAH MINAZZO (CONTRIBUTING WRITER)
Favourite release of 2018
Ready Player One was the return to a true Spielberg popcorn movie, my favourite kind of film. It was fun sitting in the cinema, picking up on all the easter eggs and enjoying a different take on the novel.
Most excited for in 2019
Narrowing it down to one of my favourite directors, Tim Burton with his interpretation of Dumbo. Not only is it a long dreamed of Batman Returns reunion with Burton, Michael Keaton and Danny DeVito, but it’s a spotlight on an emotional Disney classic that often gets swept under the carpet of today’s Disney films.
RACHEL FINUCANE (CONTRIBUTING WRITER)
Favourite release of 2018
For a production with so much media attention, Avengers: Infinity War blew my expectations out of the water.
Most excited for in 2019
The Lion King trailer made my jaw drop. I can’t wait to relive my childhood with many other adults who grew up with ’90s Disney.
KIERON BYATT (CONTRIBUTING WRITER)
Favourite release of 2018
Sean Murphy’s Batman: White Knight is a masterpiece. Helping to launch DC’s newest imprint, Black Label, the writer/illustrator’s masterful eight-issue series explored the Joker in a way anybody has: as the hero. Murphy didn’t only reinvent the Joker, but the Elseworld story delivers fresh depictions of Duke, Robin as well as supporting characters like Harvey Bullock and Montoya. Murphy subverted the Batman mythos without compromising it, all while planting some glorious easter-eggs and cross-media references. For those hungry for more of the thrilling storyline and gorgeous art, the sequel Batman: Curse of the White Knight, arrives in 2019.
Most excited for in 2019
After no third instalment to complete the Guillermo Del Toro trilogy, Mike Mignola’s Hellboy returns to screen with Dave Harbour of Stranger Things donning the shorn horns and stone fist. Del Toro’s Hellboy and Hellboy: The Golden Army are two of the most underrated comic-book adaptations, and even though the Spanish director isn’t at the helm, there’s many reasons to get excited about Neil Marshall’s treatment. The Game of Thrones, Dog Soldiers and The Descent director has earned his stripes as a master of action meets horror and promises an R18+ “more violent’ more bloody” outing for Anung Un Rama.
CRISTIAN STANIC (CONTRIBUTING WRITER)
Favourite release of 2018
Doctor Who series 11. Jodie Whittaker and Chris Chibnall have reinvented and revitalised a show with classic stories, compelling, realistic characters, and a brand new Doctor.
Most excited for in 2019
Devil May Cry 5. Ten years of waiting, all finished on March 8. This is gonna be amazing. The game that action game fans have waited for, and DMC fans especially. This finally wraps up the Sons of Sparda saga, so I expect to laugh, cry, and cheer through every second. It looks to be even more bonkers than it’s predecessors, in gameplay and narrative, and I can’t wait to play it for years.
AMY MARMIN (CONTRIBUTING WRITER)
Favourite release of 2018
Avengers: Infinity War made a big splash both at the box office and in the Marvel Universe, bringing so many of our fan-favourites together to fight their toughest opponent yet with disastrous consequences.
Most excited for in 2019
I am most excited about the release of the TV series Bad Omens, starring David Tennant and Michael Sheen. The whole premise looks very interesting and entertaining and with these two amazing actors at the helm it should make for some very intriguing viewing.
Additionally, and this goes without saying, but the release of Avengers: Endgame. They way have set the scene for this film it promises to be nothing short of spectacular. I can’t wait.
Have a great New Year’s and we’ll see you in 2019!
