The summer always provides us movie goers with a great selection of movies, with big budget action movies, to the smaller, more character focused movies. There is however, standout movies that really make the audience walk away with a smile and the intention to tell everyone how great of a movie it was. These movies are the heart of the summer. So what do I think will be the big standouts this summer? Below are some movies (with UK release dates) I think will bring in the money and praise they seek.
After Earth – June 7th
Will Jaden Smith see as much success as his dad?
Will Smith and his son Jaden Smith star alongside each other in this Sci-fi epic, directed by Sixth Sense and Signs director M. Night Shyamalan. Crashing down on a long abandoned Earth, we follow both father and son as they try to survive on an evolved Earth. It’s no secret that Will Smith is a big selling point already to this movie, but with M. Night Shyamalan directing, this movie could go either way. He hasn’t had the best track record lately, but I hope this movie shows he’s back on form.
Man of Steel – June 14th
Michael Shannon as General Zod looks fierce
Henry Cavill plays the famous Kryptonian, Superman, in franchise reboot Man of Steel. Having Christopher Nolan as a producer and David S Goyer as writer with their Dark Knight credentials behind them is certainly promising. Let us not forget Zack Snyder as director and this movie has to succeed. A lot of hype is gathering for this movie from both comic readers and original Superman movie fans. The question now is can Man of Steel repeat the success of The Dark Knight movies and make Superman just as popular as Batman? I sure hope so and I can’t wait to see this at IMAX!
World War Z – June 21st
Am I the only one who thinks this looks awesome?
In a similar position to After Earth, can the pedigree of a famous actor sell a movie to people? With Brad Pitt at the heart of the movie, and a horror movie at that, World War Z is looking quite promising from the trailers. Based off a Novel, World War Z sees an unstoppable infection sweep across the globe, with the infected outnumbering us more and more with each day that passes. This movie has seen a lot of problems in production, from script re-writes, to re-shoots. However, despite all that, early viewers have praised the movie. Fingers crossed we see more zombie movies at the cinemas in the future.
Despicable Me 2 – June 28th
Clearly the best part of Despicable Me
Everyone loves an animated movie. Toy Story proved that. Despicable Me was a favourite of mine, I love it. So with the sequel looking to be just as funny as the first, I can’t wait to see it. Of course the Minions steal the show, so I look forward to seeing how they will keep the humour consistently funny. As crazy as it sounds too, I’m looking forward to the inevitable short movies on the Blu-ray/ DVD release just as much.
Pacific Rim – July 12th
Can’t wait!
By far my most anticipated movie of the whole year, Pacific Rim sees giant robots fighting giant monsters. That’s pretty much the movie, of there’s a lot more to it than that, but I’ve been distancing myself from info/ interviews as much as I can. The trailers are simply amazing though, however I hope they aren’t showing all the best scenes from the movie. I love the work of Guillermo del Toro, so I have much faith in his ability to provide an entertaining movie. It’s also worth mentioning that Idris Elba makes everything 10x better!
Kick-Ass 2 – August 14th
Predator reference?
Chloë Grace Moretz and Aaron Taylor-Johnson return as Hit-Girl and Kick-Ass respectively, in the sequel to the surprise hit (no pun intended) Kick-Ass. I wasn’t a massive fan of the first movie, to me the Hit-Girl and Big Daddy scenes stole the whole movie for me. But with Jim Carrey joining the cast this time round as Colonel Stars and Stripes, that has put this movie on the list for me. I guess the pedigree of an actor does sell a movie!
Elysium – September 20th
Sharlto Copley stars in another Neill Blomkamp movie
Neill Blomkamp made a name for himself when District 9 was released. So with Elysium, he has a lot to live up to. Judging from the trailer, it seems to have a very similar style and tone to District 9. This is not a sequel however, Max played by Matt Damon, takes it upon himself to fight his way to Elysium, a space station for the rich and powerful to escape the overcrowded slums of earth. Sci-fi is big right now, and this movie looks to deliver a truly terrifying visual representation of the future.
Honourable Mentions: Monsters University, The Wolverine, 300: Rise of an Empire, Red 2, The Lone Ranger, Only God Forgives.
-ast
adamscotttownley 