After a typically weak summer movie season, folks are no doubt itching for some films to get excited over. With awards season coming around the corner, that wait will soon be over. After having to choose from selection of films that mostly fell flat on their faces like San Andreas, Paper Towns, and Ricki and the Flash, moviegoers are ready for a menu change. I can personally say that I am very excited for the host of great films, as I usually am this time of year. There seem to be too many to count, but I’ll do my best to narrow it down to the top 4.

The Martian: When astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is stranded on Mars after the rest of his crew aborts their mission, he must find a way to not only survive long enough for a rescue, but also manage to make contact with NASA to tell them he is really alive.  The Martian uses real science and technology that, after having read the book, I can say makes it feel more like a true story than science fiction. Featuring by far the strongest cast of the list including Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jeff Daniels, Sean Bean and Kristen Wiig, I know that the chemistry between them will raise the film to another level. I will admit, I am interested to see how Kristen Wiig and Jeff Daniels will handle their latest roles in a drama film, considering they have done considerable work as comedians. That is not to say that I don’t think they can handle it, actually quite the opposite. I have a feeling that there is not going to be a dull moment in the film considering everything The Martian has going for it, even though the runtime is on the long side at nearly two and a half hours. I have a feeling that The Martian is going to be one of the strongest films of the year, so I’m going to put it at number one on the list. The Martian opens October 2.

Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens: Okay, let’s be honest. Who’s not excited about this one? I mean, it’s Star Wars. What more needs to be said? The original cast makes a return, playing all of the same characters that they did in the original trilogy. The events in The Force Awakens are set 30 years after the destruction of the Empire, but there is a false peace in the galaxy. Supposedly, the plot is driven by the fact that a group that is still loyal to the Empire is attempting to overthrow the new government. It may surprise some people to know that the original plan for the Star Wars franchise was not to stop after two trilogies, it was in fact to make a total of four. Naturally, many are concerned about how Disney is going to handle the production of the film. Known for their musicals and animated films, many think that Disney is stepping into unfamiliar territory with the acquisition of Star Wars. The 4 billion dollar acquisition. I don’t think that Disney would pay that kind of money to take on a challenge that they couldn’t handle. Rest assured all those who doubt the next movie: Disney is not going to turn Star Wars into a musical. I have complete faith that the next Star Wars is going to be a great film, especially when considering how much film editing technology has changed. Plus, it’s the original cast for crying out loud! The Force Awakens is scheduled for release on December 18.

Spectre: Daniel Craig returns as the latest Bond in Spectre, the first of two spy movies on my list. Skyfall is going to be a tough film to top, but then again I feel that way about every Bond film and they continue to impress me. I do not think that Spectre is going to be any exception, especially with all that it has going for it. The plot is one of many aspects to get excited over. Bond has to confront a villain that has supposedly been affecting his life from afar, having engineered all of the ordeals that Bond has been through. The villain, Franz Oberhauser, claims to have some deep personal connection to Bond that Bond himself is not aware of. Oberhauser is a part of a mysterious organization known as Spectre, while the movie focuses on Bond’s attempts to take down Spectre and to figure out who Oberhauser is. The casting is marvelous, with Daniel Craig returning as Bond, Christoph Waltz as Oberhauser, Ralph Fiennes as the head of MI6 and Naomie Harris as Eve Moneypenny, who admittedly plays less of a role than she has in films past after having left the field. But really, who better to play a villain than Christoph Waltz? Although there is some competition on the list for the spy genre in Bridge of Spies, I think that Spectre is going to be the one to beat, so I am going to rank it ahead of Bridge of Spies and as third overall. Spectre opens November 6.

Bridge of Spies: Let me start off by saying this: any movie that Tom Hanks is in is a movie that I want to see. Hanks is the kind of actor that can make any film great, no matter what the quality of the content, writing, directing or producing is. When you pair Hanks with Steven Spielberg, that only doubles the greatness of the film. I know Bridge of Spies will be no exception. The plot is based around two spies, one from Russia and one from America, that are each captured the other’s country during the cold war. Hanks plays an insurance lawyer that is hired by the CIA to negotiate the trade on behalf of the United States. Here’s the catch: as much as I love spy movies, Bridge of Spies has some tough competition in the latest James Bond film, Spectre. I have a feeling that Bridge of Spies is still going to be good, I just don’t think it can meet the standard that has been set for spy movies by the Bond franchise. The gadgets, the villain, the shootouts, the inevitable car chases, all of these are aspects of spy movies that we have come to expect. Bridge of Spies is a film where I can’t see those aspects being present. That’s not to say it will fall flat, I just think that Spectre will surpass it, earning Bridge of Spies the fourth and final place on the list. Bridge of Spies opens October 18.