It's almost April, which also means it's almost May, and summer movie season is right around the corner. This summer, us moviegoers are going to be treated to some of the most highly anticipated movies in quite some time.
We're going to be starting off with the ultimate superhero team-up movie, The Avengers, then we're going back into the Alien universe with Ridley Scott's Prometheus. A high profile reboot comes our way in early July in the form of The Amazing Spider-Man, then just a mere 17 days later, what could easily be the most anticipated movie of the summer, The Dark Knight Rises, hits theaters.
With those four major releases out of the way, what else are we all going to be spending our money on this summer? Let's take a look.
10. Piranha 3DD - June 1
As an admitted fan of the incredibly cheesy remake of Piranha that came out a few years ago, I have to say I think this installment will be just as cheesy and corny. That being said, the 2010 version of Piranha was one of the gorier horror comedies I'd seen in a while, and the red band trailer for this one seems like it's upping the ante a bit. Throw in David Hasselhoff and finding a way to work Ving Rhames back into the action (who is pulling a Cherry Darling and sporting guns for legs) is all but cementing a ticket being bought for this movie.
9. GI Joe: Retaliation - June 29
When the GI Joe series got a reboot in 2009, it wasn't exactly met with critical praise. It made decent money at the box office and was an enjoyable action flick if nothing else. Based on the trailers alone, this one looks much better. Hopefully the trailer doesn't feature all the action scenes, which is sometimes the case with movies like this one. What this sequel does have going for it: the actual Joe the series is named after. And, who better to play the All-American hero than John McClane himself, Bruce Willis?
8. The Expendables 2 - August 17
Another sequel on the list, though I promise every movie isn't one. Pretty much the whole cast is coming back for this one, which surely isn't a bad thing when that cast includes action movie heavyweights Stallone, Staham, Rourke, Jet Li, Lundgren, Willis and Schwarzenegger, who are joined this time by Liam Hemsworth (fresh off an appearance in The Hunger Games), Chuck Norris (!) and Jean-Cluade Van Damme (!!). The only thing holding me back on this one is the fact that they shot it targeting a PG-13 release, as per Norris' request. The first one was a look back to the crazy violent action movies of the 80s that all these guys were in, but let's hope number two doesn't decide to hold too much back.
7. The Dictator - May 11
Sacha Baron Cohen is back, and he's back with a vengeance. In his new comedy, he plays a dictator of a fictional Middle Eastern country who tries as hard as he can to never let democracy reach the country he has been oppressing for so many years. People are generally split on Cohen's comedy; it's a clear love/hate thing. Some people can stomach his sense of humor, while other's can't. I loved Da Ali G Show and Borat and absolutely can't wait for him to bring that kind of humor to a more structured movie. The fact that his other movies have worked with no other help in the acting department is awesome, but this time he's joined on screen by Anna Faris, John C. Reilly, Ben Kingsley, JB Smoove and BJ Novak, to name a few.
6. Men in Black 3 - May 25
If I had to pick a franchise I would want Will Smith to get back to, Bad Boys would have been at the top of the list. Don't get me wrong, the first Men in Black is still a great watch, but the second one...not so much. I like the idea of time travel being introduced in this installment, and Josh Brolin is pretty spot on as a younger version of Tommy Lee Jones' Agent K. An almost unrecognizable Jemaine Clement (the other half of the Flight of the Concords duo who didn't win the Oscar for The Muppets is an odd choice for the villain, but there do seem to be a lot of aliens involved, so that can't be a bad thing.
5. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter - June 22
The name sold me on this one, hands down. Then I found out that the team behind Wanted was involved. Then I saw the trailer, and now I'm so there. Who would of thought that such a simple concept of introducing vampires to the Civil War U.S. and having our 16th president fight them would be such a cool idea? I can say that whoever did get the ball rolling on this one should be awarded with something, anything.
4. Total Recall - August 3
The 1991 movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger is an ultra-violent look at a future society where you can escape from your own life with implanted memories. An implant goes wrong and our hero, Doug Quaid, goes on the run from people who think he actually is a secret agent leading a rebellion. Arnold was never the best of actors, but the story is good enough to help people past that. Flash forward to this year and Colin Farrell is stepping in as Quaid, with some help from Jessica Biel, Kate Beckinsale, John Cho, Bryan Cranston and Bill Nighy. Even if the movie is PG-13 like it's being rumored to be, that cast, along with the story sticking a little closer to Phillip K. Dick's short story (no more Mars), should be well worth the look. The official trailer doesn't come out until April 1, but here's the teaser that's been floating around.
3. Brave - June 22
Even when Disney/Pixar puts out a movie that isn't considered to be a masterpiece, it's still better than most of the other animated movies out there. Their new movie due out this summer is their first foray into the fairy tale world, leaving behind toys, cars and fluffy things for a princess who is deadly with a bow and arrow. Brave stars Kelly Macdonald (Boardwalk Empire), Emma Thompson (Harry Potter series), Billy Connolly (upcoming The Hobbit) and late night talk show host Craig Ferguson.
2. The Cabin in the Woods - April 13
I know it's kind of cheating that a movie that comes out in April isn't technically a summer movie, but this one looks awesome enough to include in the list. This horror film from the minds of Joss Whedon (the man responsible for The Avengers) and Drew Goddard (writer of Cloverfield) looks to take the cabin-in-the-woods genre and turn it on it's head. The trailers feature a group of twenty-somethings (including Thor himself, Chris Hemsworth) partying it up at a secluded cabin, but then things start going horribly wrong. People start dying, but all the people doing the killing seem to be controlled by something. And the weird force-field around the cabin, what's the deal with that? Thankfully, we don't have to wait as long for this movie as the rest of them on the list.
1. The Bourne Legacy - August 3
The thing that has me most excited for this installment in the Bourne franchise is the fact that the writers aren't treating Jason Bourne as if he never existed. This is indeed a sequel, it's just focusing on a new operative, played by the very capable Jeremy Renner (The Town, The Avengers). A lot of former cast members return for this fourth installment, including Joan Allen, Albert Finney and David Strathairn. It's looking to be an action packed thrill ride, which is a great way to start off the month of August, which is typically the cool down month for moviegoing.
Honorable Mention:
American Reunion (April 6) - The fourth theatrical installment in the series, claiming, according to its tagline at least, that the best piece is saved for last. All of the original cast returns, which is impressive for this movie coming out 13 years after the original.
Ted (July 13) - This one is intriguing solely based on the fact that it's written and directed by Seth MacFarlane, creator of Family Guy. The story centers around a man (Mark Wahlberg), who's teddy bear (voiced by MacFarlane) comes to life after a childhood wish is finally fulfilled. Giovanni Ribisi, Community star Joel McHale and Family Guy alums Mila Kunis and Patrick Warburton also star.
The Wettest County (August 31) - Director John Hillcoat, writer Nick Cave and star Guy Pearce all teamed up for a small film called The Proposition a few years ago. That film was one of better acted films I'd seen in a long time, about a man who has to choose between killing his older brother or letting his younger brother die by the hands of the law. This team is reconvening for this film, which focuses on a bootlegging gang in rural Virginia who get in some trouble with the law. The film's all star cast also includes Tom Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises, Inception), Shia LaBeouf (Transformers series), Gary Oldman (Harry Potter series, Batman Begins) and Jessica Chastain (The Help, Tree of Life).
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