The 15 Biggest Movies of 2008

1: The Dark Knight

The hype machine is almost up to full speed now for The Caped Crusader’s next outing. Great notices for director Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins and an irresistible trailer make The Bat the boy to beat in 2008.

2: Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince

The vast regiment of Potter fans will already know what they’re getting. Despite Guillermo del Toro’s please this instalment of the boy wizard franchise will be directed by David Yates, who everyone except Guillermo seems to agree made a decent fist of Order of the Phoenix.

3: Bond 22: Quantum of Solace

After a shooting schedule more secretive than the ageless super-spy, Bond 22's title has finally been revealed.It's not a title that offers too many clues as to the storyline, but it looks as if the adversary from Casino Royale, Mr. White, is going to be replaced by a no less sinister Mr.Greene. The suggestion that it continues almost immediately from the end of Casino Royale, and in much the same vein, is all the advertising most movie fans will need.

4: Iron Man

Next up from Marvel’s collection of flawed supermen is Tony Stark: Former arms dealer turned terrorist captive turned armoured avenger. To critics who suggest that movie fans aren’t ready for a moody alcoholic superhero Iron man has one response: Talk to the hand. The glowing metal hand.

5: Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Transformers star Shia LaBeouf pops up as the son of the world’s hardest-working archeologist in what must surely be the final Indy adventure.

6: Sweeney Todd

Tim Burton, Johnny Depp and Helena Bohnham Carter conspire in a dark plot of pies and hairdressing. Spectacular somgs from Steven Sondheim are the icing on a wonderful, sinister, cake.

7: Hancock

Superhero comedies can be as knowingly funny as Mystery Men or as plain silly as Condorman. Hancocks’s secret weapon will be the perennially likeable Will Smith in the title role as a super-powered crime fighter who creates almost as many problems as he solves.

8: Speed Racer

A hyperkinetic 1960s Japanese cartoon series provides the source material for the next sci-fi hallucination from Matrix creators the Wachowskis.

9: Star Trek XI

Taking place, in the increasingly complex Star Trek universe, during the period after ‘Enterprise’ but before ‘Star Trek’ this movie introduces new actors in the well-loved Kirk, Spock, Scott and McCoy roles as it explains how the classic crew came to be. If anyone can pull off that extraordinary feat of cinematic cheek it’s JJ Abrams.

10: Body of Lies

Ridley Scott directs Gladiator star Russell Crowe and popular Norman Lamont lookalike Leonard di Caprio in a CIA drama adapted from the novel by David Ignatius.

11: Hellboy II: The Golden Army

John Hurt apparently defies onscreen death in the first Hellboy film to return in another outing for the slacker demon hero. Bros fans will be pleased to see Luke Goss popping up as an evil prince.

12: Righteous Kill

DeNiro and Pacino together again in a gritty-sounding cop drama, and this time they may actually have a few scenes together. Despite the entirely dispensable presence of Curtis ‘50 Cent’ Jackson, it’ s a must for every film fan.

13: Mamma Mia

Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth in the film of the show of the song. England’s failure to qualify for Euro 2008 will double its audience as thousands of men will be dragged unwillingly along to view this fluffy confection which whips up the basic plot of forgotten 1960s gem Buona Sera Mrs Campbell with a frothy selection of classic Abba songs.

14: Valkyrie

Tom Cruise leads an all-star cast in the controversial true story of a failed attempt on Hitler’s life. Only a more contemporary political assassination will keep this movie off the newspaper front pages next autumn.

15: Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

The second most popular instalment in CS Lewis’ Lion, Witch and Wardrobe series of fantasy novels, Prince Caspian will be the children’s movie most likely to please accompanying adults in 2008.