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5 Toy Story 3

There’s considerable buzz around this long-awaited return of the original CGI animated franchise. Instalments 1 and 2 looked spectacular when converted to 3D, arguably better than many of the more sophisticated animations that came after them. There’s no doubt that Toy Story 3 will be at least as eye-poppingly pretty. What it all boils down to, though, is the quality of the story. Pixar is celebrated for the quality of writing that it maintains. Set ten years after the last movie, this script has the toys seeking out a new home after their original owner has binned them and left for college. Expect the usual high standard from Tom Hanks, Tim Allen and the rest of the gang. As well as at least one incredibly sad song from Randy Newman.

4 Shutter Island

Leonardo DiCaprio, the thinking woman’s Norman Lamont, finally sheds his teen idol image in this eerie psycho-chiller from Martin Scorsese. It’s a change of pace from Scorsese too, with nary a gangster (or theocratic boy-king or 19th-century social outcast) to be seen. Just what is the mysterious conspiracy that surrounds the missing patient at the mental hospital? Is Ben Kingsley as sinister as he acts? Or even more sinister than that? Official Site Trailer

3 Robin Hood

Ridley Scott directs Russell Crowe in a revisionist take on the classic English legend. Matthew McFadyen is the Sherriff of Nottingham, confounding earlier rumours that Crowe would play both outlaw and oppressor. Cate Blanchett replaces Sienna Miller as a widowed Maid Marian. The title ‘Maid’ may raise some eyebrows there. Due in mid-May this will almost certainly be one of the most talked-about film releases of the year.

2 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I

Part one of the final Harry Potter movie. Part two will follow in July 2011. Devoted fans have known what happens in the story since 2007; for newcomers, Harry and his pals Ron and Hermione search for some magical artefacts called Horcruxes. The plot takes the trainee wizards out of Hogwarts for much of the movie, resulting in a marked change of atmosphere compared to its predecessors.

1 Iron Man 2

Everyone who saw Iron Man, with the possible exception of Terence Howard, is aching to see the sequel. The 2008 superhero flick maintained a fine balance between the sombre tone of The Dark Knight and more fluffy comic book fare such as Fantastic 4. Mickey Rourke is the cybernetically enhanced villain Whiplash and Scarlett Johansson appears as Black Widow, a Russian assassin who may also be joining Gwyneth Paltrow as potential love interest. Don Cheadle replaces Terence Howard as Colonel James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes, who later becomes Iron Man’s heavily armed back up, War Machine. Official Site

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