Any year that promises Johnny Depp as Tonto, the return of Katniss Everdeen, and a brand-new take on Superman is going to be an interesting one.

Credit: Walt Disney Company/Lionsgate/Warner Bros

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I've still got two more wrap-up pieces for 2012 to come, but first, we thought we'd take a look ahead at 2013, which promises to be a huge year for movies.

We've tried to put together a wide array of the types of films that people are looking forward to.  You'll see some familiar faces here as we anticipate the returns of "Star Trek," "Iron Man," and "Thor," and you'll see prestige pieces as well as potential blockbusters.

The thing about anticipation is that I'm not sure it means what it used to.  These days, movies arrive pre-digested thanks to all the information and clips and special glimpses and four-minute clip reels and IMAX previews and whatever other way studios have started to use to reach out to audiences.  At one point, there were something like 25 minutes of clips from "The Hobbit" floating around out there, all officially released by the studio, and that's for a film that is as pre-sold as pre-sold gets.  And I get it… studios are at the point where they are trying anything and everything to get people to actually show up to the theaters.

Long gone are the days where a film would show up and you would not only be surprised that it existed at all, but you would walk into the theater knowing pretty much nothing about it.  Considering what I do for a living, I may sound hypocritical mourning the loss of that occasional cone of silence, but I am sincere about it.  When it comes to what I think the perfect balance is, I think a few trailers, a poster or two, and nothing else would be perfect.  I think there should be a federal law prohibiting the studios from using a single image from the last 45 minutes of any film in the trailers.  I think part of the reason moviegoing is no longer special for people is because they're not allowed to feel that way anymore.

People love to criticize JJ Abrams over his "mystery box" approach to things, but at least he still believes in the showmanship of revealing a film's secrets, and the reason we have his movie at the number one spot this year is because he is following up an enormously confident and fun first film, but also because he's told us nothing yet.  Even having seen more footage than what has been released to the public, I still can't tell you how the entire film plays out, and that's great. That's exactly what I want.  I am eager to see what he's done because he has managed to preserve some sense of mystery, and while my job often runs counter to that desire, I don't mind being frustrated if it means I get to sit down in the that dark theater and actually be surprised from time to time.

Let us know… which of these titles are you most looking forward to?  And if you don't see something here that you're absolutely dying to see, tell us what we've missed.  One thing's for sure… we're going to have lots to discuss in 2013, and we look forward to having that conversation with all of you.

25 Most Anticipated movies of 2013: 'Man of Steel,' 'Pacific Rim,' 'Ender's Game'

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Drew McWeeny
Film Editor

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A respected critic and commentator for fifteen years, Drew McWeeny helped create the online film community as "Moriarty" at Ain't It Cool News, and now proudly leads two budding Film Nerds in their ongoing movie education.