2011 Movie Preview: 15 Action Films to Watch in 2011

Over the years my movie taste has changed greatly. I enjoy the Oscar nominated movies, old classics and even foreign movies with subtitles. But my new taste hasn't changed the fact that when it comes to plopping down a fortune to see a movie at the theater, only an action film will do. These are just 15 of the many action films to look forward to in 2011.

"The Green Hornet"
Release Date: In Theaters Now
"The Green Hornet" will probably not be the best movie of the year, the best action film of the year or even the best in the sub-genre of comic book adaptations, but there aren't many choices in January. The movies left over from December are mainly dramas and most of the new releases in January/February are bad romantic comedies. If you want action at the beginning of the year, "The Green Hornet" is one of your few choices.

"Ong Bak 3"
Release Date: In Theaters Now
For martial arts fans the better action film choice for movie theater viewing may be Ong Bak 3, but I'm not sure how wide of a release it will receive. Ong Bak 3 is the final installment of a Thai martial arts trilogy starring the legendary Tony Jaa.

"The Mechanic"
Release Date: In Theaters Now
"The Mechanic" has Jason Statham's name written all over it. (Literally, his name is on it because he's in it). I'm not even going to bother looking up the plot of this action film. It's Jason Statham. If you love his action films you'll probably love this. If you hate his movies, you'll probably hate this. As an added bonus "The Mechanic" co-stars Ben Foster, one of the best young actors today.

"I Am Number Four"
Release Date: February 11
"I Am Number Four" is about a group of nine aliens that have landed on Earth to hide from another race of aliens that destroyed their home planet. Each alien has a number and the nine aliens can only be killed in order. Number one, two and three have already been killed and number four is next. "I Am Number Four" sounds like an interesting plot for a science fiction action film but be warned, this is based on a teen book so it could be Twilight-esque in quality.

"Sucker Punch"
Release Date: March 25th
"Sucker Punch" is about a girl (Emily Browning) that has been locked away against her will in a house for the mentally insane. She uses her vivid imagination to create a dream world to escape from the reality she is faced with. The writer/producer/director, Zack Snyder, has described this action film as "Alice in Wonderland with machine guns". There also seems to be serpents, samurai, dragons and much more.

"Fast Five"
Release Date: April 29th
"Fast Five" is another action film that at this point you should know if it is for you or not. Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and Jordana Brewster are back from the last movie, Tyrese is back from the second movie and also joining the cast will be former WWE Champion Dwayne Johnson (The Rock).

"Priest"
Release Date: May 13th
"Priest" is one of the first summer comic book adaptations. "Priest" takes place in an alternate Earth where humans and vampires have been warring for centuries. One priest named Ivan Isaacs (Paul Bettany) learns that his niece (Lily Collins) has been abducted by vampires. The priest goes against the Church and goes after his niece, while also pledging to kill every vampire that had something to do with his niece's abduction.

"Green Lantern"
Release Date: June 17th
One thing to look forward to with 2011's comic book adaptations is that each one has a different flavor to it. "Green Lantern" is an action film that adds a cosmic aspect that none of the other comic book adaptations have provided before. I was skeptical about a Green Lantern movie but the trailer looks good and Ryan Reynolds is an actor I trust with the part.

"Rise of the Apes"
Release Date: June 24th
The Planet of the Apes fanboys probably hate the idea of a new "Planet of the Apes" action film but it's a pretty fine cast led by James Franco (who will probably be nominated for an Oscar between now and then). The rest of the cast includes Frieda Pinto, Andy Serkis, Tom Felton, John Lithgow and Brian Cox.

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"
Release Date: July 15th
Finally 2011 will be the last installment of the Harry Potter series. Fans of the series are probably already planning on seeing it. If you're not a fan of the series then look on the bright side, you never have to hear about it again in about 8 months.

"Captain America: The First Avenger"
Release Date: July 22nd
"Green Lantern" is a cosmic adventure while Captain America will be the first comic adaptation with a war setting. The first "Captain America" flick will focus on his origin story, which takes place in 1942 during World War II. Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is unfit to join the army so instead he volunteers for a project that will inject a super serum into his body, transforming him into a super-soldier named Captain America.

"Cowboys & Aliens"
Release Date: July 29th
"Cowboys & Aliens" is another comic book adaptation and this time it will give us a little western flavor with some aliens thrown in for good measure. Everyone is looking forward to this action film because of the epic teaming of Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig who have previously been Han Solo/Indiana Jones and James Bond, but personally I'm looking forward to Sam Rockwell, possibly the most underrated actor of the last decade.

"Real Steel"
Release Date: October 7th
"Real Steel" is like Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots come to life. In this futuristic action film robots box against each other instead of humans but the robots are controlled by human managers. The boxing scenes are being filmed using motion capturing while the robots in non-boxing scenes will be animatronic. "Real Steel" stars Hugh Jackman and Evangeline Lilly and Sugar Ray Leonard worked on the film as a boxing adviser.

"Warrior"
Release Date: September 9th
In this action film Nick Nolte is a former boxer that became an alcoholic and tore his family apart. Now the former boxer is welcoming his youngest son (Tom Hardy) back into his life and training him to become a MMA fighter. To reach the top though, he must go through his own brother (Joel Edgerton).

"Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol"
Release Date: December 16th
J. J. Abrams breathed new life into the "Mission: Impossible" franchise. Abrams is not back to direct this action film but did co-write and co-produce the film with Brad Bird taking over as director. The best news though is that the cast added Josh Holloway, Jeremy Renner and Simon Pegg to go along with the returning Tom Cruise and Ving Rhames.

Source:
All movie release dates and movie descriptions were found at ComingSoon.net.