Best of the West: The biggest Hollywood movie releases of 2016

Hollywood's 2016 platter promises to satiate your craving for big time entertainment. Watch out!

'Captain America: Civil War'
Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Elizabeth Olsen, Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr.
Directorector: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Lowdown: The superhero is at loggerheads with Iron Man. Who will win the war?
USP: Robert Downey Jr back in the red suit. And you don't need any motivation to see Evans and Johansson.
Release: May 6

'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice'

Cast: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg
Directorector: Zack Snyder
Lowdown: With the two superheroes at war, a new supervillain rises.
USP: With superheroes at loggerheads, the movie promises to be a treat.
Release: March 25

'Kung Fu Panda 3'
Cast: Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman
Directorector: Alessandro Carloni, Jennifer Yuh
Lowdown: After Po's legendary fight with the peacock to save Kung fu, his family finally hears of him. This film will see Po reuniting with his family and his journey from student to master.
USP: Po's crazy kung fu and the tough time he has while attempting to teach other pandas the martial art.
Release: January 29

'Ice Age: Collision Course'

Cast: Simon Pegg, Melissa Rauch, Jennifer Lopez, Nick Offerman
Directorector: Mike Thurmeier, Galen T Chu
Lowdown: Manny, Sid, Diego, and the rest of the herd embark on a new journey because Scrat set off a series of outer space events on his pursuit for the acorn outside of earth.
USP: Your hunger for some classic, witty sarcasm will be satiated.
Release: July 22

'Deadpool'

Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Gina Carano, Rachel Sheen
Director: Tim Miller
Lowdown: A former Special Forces operative turned mercenary is subjected to a unapproved experiment leaving him heightened healing powers. He uses the superpower and becomes his alter ego Deadpool.
USP: Witty, tongue-in-cheek humour in a semi-superhero and gunfight scenario
Release: February 12

'The Jungle Book'

Cast: Lupita Nyong'o, Scarlett Johansson, Idris Elba, Bill Murray
Director: Jon Favreau
Lowdown: Mowgli, Bagheera, Balu and Sherkhan are reuniting to entertain and take us down memory lane — the same story but with a new twist.
USP: After seeing several animated versions of the Jungle Book, for the first time the movie will be showcased with real characters. Besides being a visual treat, it will also rekindle those childhood memories of watching Mowgli on Doordarshan.
Release: April 15

'X-Men: Apocalypse'

Cast: Oscar Isaac, Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, Olivia Munn
Director: Bryan Singer
Lowdown: It could be the end of mutants if the apocalypse has his way. The X-Men from the past and present need to unite if they hope to survive his evil plans.
USP: The reunion of the mutants is a treat for any X-Men fan. While we'll miss Wolverine, Charles Xavier and Magneto will definitely make up for it.
Release: May 27

'The Divergent Series: Allegiant'

Cast: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Naomi Watts, Miles Teller
Director: Robert Schwentke
Lowdown: After finally breaking the myth about divergents, the group will finally cross the wall and explore what is on the other side.
USP: The mystery of what is behind the wall will finally be unravelled
Release: March 18

'Finding Dory'

Cast: Idris Elba, Dominic West, Diane Keaton, Albert Brooks
Directors: Andrew Stanton, Angus MacLane
Lowdown: Marlin and Dory go on another adventure to find the forgetful fish's lost family.
USP: It is the sequel to Finding Nemo (2003), which has been every child's — and several adults' — favourite movie. Following the clown and blue tang fish on a new trip is something no one should miss.
Release: June 17

'My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2'

Cast: Rita Wilson, John Stamos, Nia Vardalos, John Corbett
Director: Kirk Jones
Lowdown: The crazy Greek family is back for another wedding even as they battle with their own marriage and handling a teenage daughter fed up with their own culture. Will this wedding push them over the edge?
USP: We learnt to say Opa! last time after the romantic and funny wedding; it will be interesting to see some Greek doze of laughter in this one.
Release: March 25

'Alice in Wonderland: Through the Looking Glass'

Cast: Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Alan Rickman, Helena Bonham Carter
Director: James Bobin
Lowdown: Mad Hatter is in danger and a lot has changed since Alice left Wonderland. She now must come back to save her friend.
USP: After a visual treat in part 1, the sequel is expected to take both the story and the imagination forward.
Release: May 27

'The Conjuring 2: The Enfield Poltergeist'

Cast: Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Frances O'Connor, Simon McBurney
Director: James Wan
Lowdown: A mother with four kids move into a new house in 1970. They start sensing poltergeists and call in the Warrens again to help. But sensing that the house is clean brings forth the real story — of who really is possessed.
USP: If 'Conjuring' and Annabelle scared the pants off you, this one is expected to take the horror genre to a whole new level. And no one can deny a scarefest!
Release: June 10

'Independence Day: Resurgence'

Cast: Joey King, Liam Hemsworth, Maika Monroe
Director: Roland Emmerich
Lowdown: There's a solar threat that can erase the earth and the life on it. Will our defenses give us one more 'Independence Day'?
USP: A sequel of sorts two decades later. While we will miss Will Smith, it will be interesting to see what kind of novelty the makers will come up with to keep us hooked.
Release: June 24

'The BFG'

Cast: Bill Hader, Rebecca Hall, Jemaine Clement, Mark Rylance
Director: Steven Spielberg
Lowdown: After ETs and dinosaurs, this movie is about the scary yet friendly giant. Unlike his peers, he is an outcast, someone who doesn't follow the norm of eating boys and girls. How he wins the heart of a child and battles peer pressure makes the rest of the story.
USP: With Steven Spielberg in the credits, you don't need any other reason.
Release: July 1

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