The 30 best 3D movies of 2013

13. Star Trek: Into Darkness

It's the sci-fi event of the year: director JJ Abrams is back with the second in a series of Star Trek movies, with Benedict Cumberbatch as villain John Harrison joining the returning cast from the 2009 reboot.

Reports suggest this film will be more emotionally charged than its gung-ho predecessor but with Daniel Mindel back on cinematography duties we're expecting some impressive special effects once more.

Added dimension

Note, though, that the movie was not filmed in native 3D but shot in 2D and converted in post-production, so we're not altogether sure what it's going to look like through those polarised light filters. Either way, sci-fi fans will be watching with a careful eye as director Abrams has been signed up for those forthcoming Star Wars sequels too.

For more information, visit the Star Trek: Into Darkness website.

14. 47 Ronin

Adapted from the classic tale of a group of samurai in 18th-century Japan who avenge the murder of their master, this live action movie marks a return to the multiplex for Keanu Reeves, who'll star alongside an all Asian-born cast.

Cinematography-wise, it's expected to be in similar vein to The Matrix and with Ridley Scott's protégé Carl Erik Rinsch at the helm we're hoping it will be an epic 3D experience.

For more information, visit the 47 Ronin website.

15. Man of Steel

Superhero fans will rejoice: not only is Man of Steel the return of Superman to the big screen, it's also the return of Batman franchise reviver Christopher Nolan. Fans of the director know his work is characterised by a striving for realism, and with the likes of Joe Letteri working on the movie and the addition of a third dimension we really do expect to believe a man can fly.

For more information, visit the Man of Steel website.

16. Frozen

Based loosely around the original story of the Snow Queen, this movie has been in Disney’s pipeline for a while. It was initially destined to be hand-drawn along the lines of other films such as The Princess and the Frog, but is now being created as a 3D CGI animation. With Chris Buck as director and John Lasseter as producer we can be pretty sure this film will features some top notch quality animation and we trust the 3D will add an extra layer of Disney magic.

For more information, visit the Frozen website.

17. Despicable Me 2

2013 sees a sequel to the quirky 2010 animated kids' comedy about supervillain Gru. The stellar cast has been added to, with Al Pacino playing Gru’s new nemesis and Steve Coogan in an as-yet unannounced role. As with the first film, we're expecting this to be one with something for both the kids and their parents to enjoy.

For more information, visit the Despicable Me 2 website.

18. Justin and the Knights of Valour

It's good to see a bit of competition in the world of 3D animation. One of the few films on our list not to coming from a big Hollywood studio, Justin and the Knights of Valour is the creation of Kandor Graphics, a small studio in Grenada, Spain, which has only produced one other movie to date. Set in a magical world, it's a tale about friendship, honour and courage that's filled with adventure and action. We're hoping it's as good as the industry buzz suggests.

For more information, visit the Justin and the Knights of Valour official website.

19. Jack the Giant Slayer

Why reboot one fairy tale when you can have two? The latest Warner Bros 3D animation is based on a mashup of 'Jack and the Beanstalk' and the lesser-known Cornish tale of 'Jack the Giant Killer'. Director Bryan Singer passed up 'X-Men First Class' for this, so we reckon it's going to be pretty special. A cast including Nicholas Hoult, Ewan McGregor and Bill Nighy will star, with Dominic Tuohy taking charge of motion-capture.

For more information, visit the Jack and the Giant Slayer website.

20. Escape from Planet Earth

This sci-fi actioner from upstart film company Rainmaker Entertainment is based around the notion of an alien becoming trapped on Earth and sending a SOS call to his friends. The cast will include Brendan Fraser, Sara Jessica Parker and Jessica Alba, but the special effects team promise to be the real stars. Apparently, they've invented a whole new system of cloud computing in the process of making this film by combining the servers of several animation companies based around rendering.

For more information, visit the Escape from Planet Earth website.

21. The Wolverine

Can't get enough of the X-Men? This movie offers the chance to look back into a chapter of the never-before-seen past of one of the superhero series' most engaging characters. Expect a different tone to previous X-Men outings in this prequel, which focuses on Wolverine's past adventures in Japan, which have only been alluded to in the movies so far.

Focusing on themes such as Wolverine's immortality, isolation and self-loathing, and with Darren Aronofsky, director of Black Swan, at the helm, this is being described as more of a reboot than a prequel, looks like it could turn out to be the thinking man's superhero movie.

For more information, visit the Wolverine website.

Turn to the next page for Thor, The Hobbit, and more...