2023 is a big year for high profile movies. These 5 in particular have been highly anticipated by fans, and are finally set to release this year.

“Five Nights At Freddy’s”

The Five Nights at Freddy’s (FNAF) movie is based off of a game franchise by Scott Cawthon that was first introduced in 2014. In 2015, one year after the first game was released, it was announced that Warner Bros would be making the hit game into a movie. 8 years later, the movie has an official release date of October 27, 2023. The games center around a pizzeria owned by a man named William Afton, who uses the animatronics for evil. I’ve been a big fan of the series since the first game came out and am excited to see how they manage to work in details from each game into the story line of the movie.

“The Super Mario Bros. Movie”

Another movie based on a video game is the recently released Mario Movie. Featuring stars like Chris Pratt as Mario, Jack Black as Bowser, and Anya Taylor Joy as Princess Peach. Produced by Illumination and Nintendo with a $48 million budget. The movie came out April 5, and embellishes on the classic Mario story line and makes reference to each beloved game in the franchise. I have some mixed feelings about the cast, as many people seem to. I am a huge fan of Jack Black and can’t wait to see his work in this movie, however, I feel they could have benefited from more seasoned voice actors instead of just big names who are known for live acting.

“Barbie”

The beloved doll has had her fair share of movies, shows, and even youtube channels. But the upcoming Barbie movie is live action – different than Barbie movies many fans have grown up with. Produced and written by Greta Gerwig the movie stars Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken. Many other notable actors will make appearances throughout  the movie, such as Will Ferrel, Kate McKinnon, Michael Cera and more. The movie premiers this summer, on July 21. I grew up watching Barbie movies, and cannot wait to see how a live action movie would be. Based on the previews and teasers, I think the cast is very fitting and seem to capture the  vibe of the characters very well.

“The Little Mermaid”

In the past few years, Disney has been re-imagining their classic animated films as live actions, and now it’s Ariel’s turn. Halle Bailey stars as Ariel alongside Daveed Diggs, Melissa McCarthy, Awkwafina, and Jonah Hauer-King. However, the casting got mixed reviews. Lots of people were excited to have a black Ariel and generally more diverse cast. However, some people were upset that Ariel’s skin color is different than it was in the 1989 animated version. The movie features well-known producers like Lin Manuel Miranda and Marc Platt and will premiere May 26. I have enjoyed some of the past live action Disney remakes, and am excited to see if this one lives up to the hype.

“Saw X”

Saw X premieres Oct. 27, and will be the 10th installment in the classic horror series. Not much is known yet about the upcoming film, however  filming has finished. Tobin Bell will return to play Jigsaw, otherwise known as John Kramer, despite the character dying in Saw III. It is assumed that the movie will be a present  tense story with flashbacks to  prior  movies that may change the way they all connect. I love horror movies, but have only seen a few Saw movies. I am interested to see how they can keep the story  going and if this will be the final edition.