Summer is the season in which some of the best movies of the year are released; this year is no exception. A killer list of titles are set to premiere in the coming months or should I say days with the Avengers already upon us in only a day. From high octane action packed films to laugh-out-loud movies, there should be something for everybody to look forward to this year and we'll tackle the list in order of release date.
The Avengers - May 4
The Avengers could possibly be the most anticipated movie of the year. With the option of viewing the midnight release after a medley of Marvel films which include The Hulk, Iron Man 1 and 2, Thor and Captain America, many fans have already seized the opportunity and theaters across the nation are reporting tickets are sold out. The movies are shown in IMAX 3D and fans get to chose one of four pairs of 3D glasses each inspired by one of the iconic super heroes. Even normal tickets for the first week are going fast but there's still time to get yours.
These legendary super-heroes are teaming up for the fight of the century as the Avengers. While we have the original Avengers let's be careful not to forget that Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Black Widow (Scarlet Johanssen) will be present as well. Loki, brother of Thor, is up to no good building an army, likely to gain world domination and it's up to the Avengers to stop him. The movie will follow the formation of the team and their companionship which looks to start off a little shaky. We'll also get to see how Captain America handles adjusting to life after being asleep for over 70 years and there's still the question of how Thor got back to Earth after the the bridge in Asgard was destroyed. Don't miss out on this awesome sequel and if you don't plan to see it right away, check out the review I'll provide here. Check out a trailer
here.
Dark Shadows - May 11
An upcoming comedy loosely based on the soap opera of the same name from the sixties and directed by Tim Burton star Johnny Depp as vampire Barnabas Collins who has been buried alive for over 200 years. Barnabas was not always a vampire; he was cursed in the 1752 after breaking the heart of a witch who turned him into a vampire and buried him alive. He is accidentally freed from the coffin in which he was locked and finds his manor and descendants in complete disorder and tasks himself with restoring some kind of order. All the while he finds he has to adjust to a new lifestyle in the 1970s which is sure to provide a great setting for endless laughs. Johnny Depp is a great actor and really owns his roles;
Dark Shadows may be for a more mature audience but looks like a good time. Check out the trailer
here.
The Dictator - May 16
Sacha Baron Cohen is at it again in
The Dictator, however this time it isn't being shot in the usual fashion. Unlike the mockumentaries Borat and Bruno,
The Dictator is an actual comedy film that still employs Cohen's sick sense of humor and will no doubt be full of sexual, religious and racist jokes. It will follow the story of a dictator from a fictional Middle-Eastern country "who risks his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed." The
trailer shows Cohen adapting to life in America and already making terrorist jokes. The film is a big departure from Baron's usual work but should be a laugh, full of controversy nonetheless.
Battleship - May 18
Named after and based on the the popular board game,
Battleship is a science fiction action film that pits U.S. naval forces against an extraterrestrial force that invades earth. The movie follows slacker and petty criminal turned disciplined naval officer Alex Hopper (Taylor Kitsch) who battles alongside Rihanna and Liam Neeson to save earth from impending doom.
After discovering a planet with conditions similar to Earth's NASA scientists send a communications array to the planet which is amplified by a series of satellites. Alien ships arrive on earth in response to the signal and the rest is all downhill from there. The movie
looks cool but kind of reminds me of
Transformers which I really don't care for. I'm expecting a lot of special effects with decent acting and not a lot of emphasis on a strong plot. The film will serve as acting debut for pop star Rihanna and I'm interested to see how she does in
Battleship.
Men in Black III - May 25
I laughed so hard when I heard Josh Brolin playing a young Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) and he uttered that first line; it was spot on. While the second Men in Black movie wasn't amazing I actually have high hopes for the movie this time around. In a strange turn of events Agent J (Will Smith) suddenly discovers his partner has been dead for over forty years. Seeking answers, he finds out he has to travel back in time to repair the future. I loved the first Men in Black movie and I'm hoping the vibe returns in
MIB III and it isn't a flop like the second movie. The plot seems strong enough so far and should be fun and friendly enough for the whole family. See for yourself
here.
Snow White and the Huntsman - June 1
A new take on the Snow White fairy tale paints a much more grim looking picture. The movie has a very dark vibe and won't be for the whole family since there doesn't seem to be much singing, dancing and cleaning up in the cottage. Queen Ravenna (Charlize Theron) has conquered nearly all of Europe and now she has set her sights on England. However, her magic mirror on the wall warns she must consume the pure heart of Snow White (kristen Stewart) to stay in power and gain immortality. Queen Ravenna orders the huntsman, Eric (Chris Hemsworth) to find and kill Snow White but this is where the story takes a turn. Snow White and Eric somehow form an allegiance. Over the course of the film the two fight through the Dark Forest and plot to rebel against the queen; and don't worry about the dwarves we are all familiar with will play a role as well. The
trailer show off some great looking scenes in The Dark Forest which is full of deadly monsters and other scenes with some really cool looking CGI work. I'm pretty excited for the movie, I like the concept; while it doesn't follow the story exactly, it atmosphere of the movie is closer to that of the original fairy tale.
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted - June 8
A great movie for the entire family,
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted has our favorite zoo animals on an all new adventure in Europe this time around. After deciding to return to New York, Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Gloria the Hippopotamus and Melman the Giraffe experience technical difficulties with the crazy penguins steering the ship and find themselves stuck in Europe. To escape a relentless animal control officer, they join a traveling circus to they help regain their fame and flare. The movie
looks pretty fun and is much better to take the kids to rather than something like
Alvin and the Chipmunks. The movie will offer tons of laughs for kids and adults alike and should be fun for everybody. With an all-star voice cast and a successful first and second movie, you can't really go wrong here.
Prometheus - June 8
While the third and fourth movies for the Sci-fi thriller series Alien were a flop, the prequel,
Prometheus looks much more promising. The movie is not directly connected to the original series but almost uses it as a backdrop to explore new ideas and concepts. The plot follows the story of space ship, Prometheus' crew who is sent on an expedition to find the origins of humanity using an ancient celestial map found during an archaeological dig. The map is connected to several different cultures including the Aztecs who were obsessed with studying the stars. A lot of theories suggest ancient civilizations who had technology and architecture well beyond their means may have been visited by extraterrestrial beings; perhaps
Prometheus is going to explore these ideas. While on their expedition the crew discovers something much more sinister than they had planned and are faced with a threat to all of humanity. The movie
looks awesome so far and I loved
Alien and
Aliens. With all new ideas and possibilities,
Prometheus should deliver an exciting thriller!
Rock of Ages - June 15
Based on the popular musical,
Rock of Ages follows the story of a young waitress (Julianne Hough) and busboy (Diego Boneta) as they fall in love at a rock music venue, The Bourbon, during the 1980s. The film features an ensemble cast with Russel Brand, Alec Baldwin, Catherine-Zeta Jones, Tom Cruise, Mary J. Blige and even more. The movie features the music of Guns N' Roses, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Foreigner, Journey, Europe, Poison, and Twisted Sister. The trailer has some laughs in it and looks like a pretty fun film but I don't think I'll be seeing it in the theater. However, it'll likely make a good light-hearted fun movie to take your significant other on a date to see. Check out a trailer
here.
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter - June 22
Based on the popular novel written by Seth Grahame-Smith,
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is the story of a fictional yet badass Abraham Lincoln who takes up of the hobby of vampire hunting after his mother is killed by one of the deadly blood suckers. The movie is directed by Timur Bekmambetov known for directing
Wanted and producing
Apollo 18 and
The Darkest Hour. Tim Burton is also on-board as producer for the film. Luckily for fans of the book, the screenplay of the movie was written by Seth Grahame-Smith so it should be a solid adaptation. Abraham Lincoln played by Benjamin Walker will be busy with running the country and slaying Vampire's and will correlate with important moments of history during the Civil War. The
trailer for the movie looks pretty awesome with Lincoln cutting down what looks like hordes of vampires at times. If you're into bloody, action-filled thrillers, this should definitely be the movie for you; let's just hope he won't be curving any bullets in this movie.
Brave - June 22
A Disney Pixar film that tells the story of a young Scottish girl set during the medieval ages.Protagonist, Merida, is daughter of King Fergus and has a knack for archery. Merida breaks an age old custom sacred to her father's kingdom which results in chaos and calamity. With the intention to set things back to normal, Merida seeks the help of a witch who puts a curse on her.With the help of an unlikely companion she must discover bravery and break the spell before it's too late. Again, another great film for the whole family and a much better option for everyone compared to something such as Mr. Popper's Penguins.
Brave is a movie the whole family can enjoy and is produced by the ever successful Pixar which has always delivered excellent films. Watch the trailer
here.
G.I. Joe: Retaliation - June 29
Also known simply as
G.I. Joe 2, the new movie picks up where the first one left off; the new Cobra commander infiltrates the U.S. government and brands the Joes as traitors. After wiping out most of the G.I. Joe force, Cobra begins setting the sights of their nuclear warheads populated city centers. It's up to Duke (Channing Tatum) and General Joseph Colton (Bruce Willis) along with the other Joes to save the world and overthrow the evil Cobra forces. So basically same thing as the first movie with all new explosions, one-liners and exotic locations. While I don't expect much from
G.I. Joe: Retaliation, it's still a good action movie option for the family with toned down violence and language. The first movie was decent but nothing to write home about but if you're writing to anybody about the G.I. Joe movies, there's probably something wrong with you. Watch the trailer
here.
The Amazing Spider-Man - July 3
The first film after Warner Brothers made the decision to reboot the series and begin from scratch. That includes the cast; Andrew Garfield will be assuming the role of high school nerd Peter Parker and super hero Spider-Man. The film follows Peter Parker as a high school student who drools daily over his crush, Gwen Stacey (Emma Stone) and delves into the past to learn about the father that abandoned him. Who is Gwen Stacey you ask; what happened to Mary Jane? Well any comic buff should know but for those who don't Gwen Stacey was the first love interest of Peter Parker or rather she was the first girl who took interest in Peter. I know total mind-f*** but it's true. Gwen is the one who pursues Peter and dates Flash Thompson and Harry Osbourn in pursuit of Peter's affection. It seems the movie will indeed follow the comics more closely. However, in search of information about his Father, Peter meets Dr. Connors turns into The Lizard and Spider-Man's first villain. I think the idea of a reboot was needed, especially after too-cool-for-school Toby Maguire (no relation to Lizzy Maguire) Peter Parker just became kind of laughable.
The Amazing Spider-Man looks pretty solid so far in
previews and should deliver a movie series worthy of the super hero.
The Dark Knight Rises - July 20
It's going to be a summer full of super hero awesomeness and
The Dark Knight Rises is going to be the epic finale for super hero summer movies and Christopher Nolan's Batman series itself. Eight years after the events of the
Dark Knight, Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) has retired Batman who assumed responsibility for the crimes of Harvey Dent and is now wanted for more than just vigilantism by Gotham Police. Bruce Wayne realizes that Gotham truly needs Batman however when a new villain Bane (Tom Hardy) threatens to destroy all of Gotham. Anne Hathaway joins the cast as, antihero, Catwoman and as of now her motives are unknown but the latest trailer implies she may be teaming up with Batman and may even know his true identity. Joseph Gordon Levitt is another new addition to the cast and while some theorize he may actually be Robin or Batman's successor, he as of now plays a cop named John Blake who still seems to play a significant role in the film. It is also theorized that being the last film of the series and in accordance with Batman's encounter with Bane, that the hero will meet his demise or hero ending injury. Bruce Wayne will have to muster all he can for this final fight and it looks like all the stops are pulled when the he brings out the Batwing as well.
Dark Knight Rises is likely to be the biggest film of the summer along with
The Avengers. Be sure to watch the newest trailer
here.
The Bourne Legacy - August 3
Named after but not based on the novel by Robert Ludlum,
The Bourne Legacy picks up where
Ultimatum left off but follows a new protagonist that was part of Operation Outcome. Jeremy Renner plays Aaron Cross/ Kenneth Gidson but there aren't any solid details on this operative's mission yet. Edward Norton will be playing the main antagonist of the movie and Joan Allen will be returning as Pamela Landy. Tony Gilroy, writer of the first three Bourne movies returns to head direction so we can assume there will be plenty of cryptic scenes balanced with thrilling chases, deadly fight scenes and a lot of spy drama. I've always enjoyed the Bourne series and I have to admit, part of me is sad the film isn't following Jason but I think a new story and protagonist will help give the series new life while continuing the series. Some fresh new characters and ideas can do wonders for series, especially if it's the fourth movie. So far there's only a single cryptic
trailer available.
Total Recall - August 3
A remake of the original film of the same title that starred Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1990. The new film has a much more serious tone and foregoes the Mars setting and instead opts for a futuristic setting in the year 2084 where a dystopian Euroamerica and New Shanghai struggle for political power. Collin Farrell assumes the role of Douglass Quaid who suffers from chronic nightmares and suspects that he is a spy and his memory and personality have been tampered with. Quaid is conflicted and is unaware which side he's even fighting for. Quaid teams up with rebel, Melina (Jessica Biel) to change the political system of Euroamerica and overthrow the malicious President, Vilos Cohaagen. From what the
trailer reveals, the movie looks great so far. Aside from the Mars part, the movie seems to follow the plot of the original movie pretty close; the new concept however I think will strengthen the movie and make it a success.
Well that's the list for this year's summer blockbusters. There are a few other films I neglected to list just because I don't feel they will be as well received but what do I know? I'm most definitely looking forward to
The Avengers releasing tomorrow,
Snow White and the Huntsman, Prometheus, and of course
The Dark Knight Rises. What are you most excited to see this summer?
Noomi Rapace plays opposite of the emotionless and moral devoid David as Dr. Elizabeth Shaw, who is desperately seeking answers behind the creation of man. Her limits are tested as she learns that planet they are own holds dark secrets. Noomi fit the role well but I feel like there was more to her character than the film let on. A brief flashback gives us a glimpse of her skeptical views on religion, yet Shaw wears a cross around her neck. Her complicated views are the focus of some scenes and her beliefs do spur some interesting thoughts. She does an excellent job in a few solo scenes which aren't for the squeamish and you won't want the kids to see. Similar to Ripley from Alien, you will feel sorry for her as she does endure quite a bit of punishment but again, I would have liked to learn more about her.
