As the summer comes to an end it is time to look back and reflect on the films the studios offered up in this most popcorn butter soaked time of year. At the beginning of the season I put up a list of my 10 Most Anticipated Summer Movies and, now that it is all said and done, thought it would be fun to look back at how it all ended up. If you have read my reviews this summer, the list shouldn’t be much of a surprise but it will be a nice resource if you are looking for help on what blu-rays you should pick up heading into Christmas. Once again, and as always, this is my list of preferences and should not reflect on how you feel about yourself as a person nor does it reflect upon how much intelligence I have nor what gender I prefer (hint: I like girls). There are also a couple of films here at the end of the season that I wasn’t able to screen and will subsequently not appear on the list. These include: Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Conan the Barbarian, Our Idiot Brother and Shark Night 3D. Reviews of some of these should be forthcoming but for now, on with the list.
10. Super 8:
It brought me back to the youth-focused adventure films of the ’80’s while still treating me to an alien ramapage that feels like a small town sequel to Cloverfield. Super 8 was billed as a combination of ET and the Goonies heading into release and that is sort of what it was if ET had freaked out and run amock for a bit before being cool. The movie is both deeper and more shallow than it appears and that leads to some balance issues that stymies the feelings of fun a bit but for the most part it hits more than it misses and offers up good performances, good effects and a good helping of nostalgia to bring it all together. Overall it fell short of what it could have been but what it was was just fine.
9.Transformers Dark of the Moon
Alright so I am sure I will catch as much shit for this as I did when I told people I liked it in the first place. I never wrote a review given this film’s release proximity to my Mom dying and my subsequent writer’s block but had I written about it, it would have been a solid 8.0 or 8.5. I am not really sure what people expect to get from a Transformers movie at this point but I think expectations are really the problem. This movie was long, loud and had a bunch of explosions. The 3D was pretty damn good and the effects were the best of the series. The plot made some sense if you kind of squinted at it and it was pretty funny on top of all of that. There was a bit more character interactions with the actual robots this time around if not character developement and it was fun to watch. I agree that the thing should have probably ended 30 minutes or so earlier but whatever, it had a lot of ground to cover. I love the Transformers from childhood and while these movies aren’t the cartoon versions of the characters it is still fun to see them running around blowing things up. That my Mom and I had a connection with the franchise via christmas and rewards for doing well in school made me find comfort in this just a bit more. Also I like watching shit blow up and Michael Bay did it pretty and in 3D. Suck it haters.
8.Thor:
Thor was a pretty tricky proposition with all the goofy costumes and rainbow bridges and frost giants but with Kenneth Branagh at the helm, Marvel proved that they can translate goofy crap way better than DC. The aspects of the story really shine with a Shakespearian sensibility and gravitas while that Earth portions of the story are amusing and interesting if not a bit obvious in its function as a lead in for the Avengers movie next summer. I can’t ding it too bad for this though because even when you see the strings of the advertisements you are still having fun. The film is very well acted and, while it is funny, takes the material seriously and earnestly. It is pretty impressive that they made a movie this good about the Marvel version of Thor and those responsible for Green Lantern might have done well to have paid attention.
7. Captain America: The First Avenger:
Another tricky proposition for Marvel and another character they could have botched really, really badly, Captain America was a way better movie than I think anyone really thought it would be. Again there is a sense of humor involved but the movie takes its subject matter seriously and manages to insert some feelings into the thing in the bargain. Wisely choosing to keep the movie in WWII, director Joe Johnson avoided the awkwardness Thor had with the tie ins with the upcoming Avengers film. Any fear had that Chris Evans wasn’t going to be up to snuff in the lead were put to rest and the early effects of a scrawny Steve Rogers were top notch. There were some pacing problems and some hiccups on other effects but given previous live-action Captain America attempts in the past, this movie really achieves. The ending had me really psyched for the Avengers and managed to manipulate me without feeling manipulated. Well done.
This is another one I got crap for. Look I know that it is pretty much the same movie with a different location and new jokes but I thought those new jokes were pretty damn funny. That is really the benchmark here, if you were looking for something new and cannot tolerate some new laughs wrapped in a very familiar story then you are not going to like the movie. If you want to see new misadventures from these characters in the exact same structure from the first movie but with escalated stakes and some new jokes then you are in good hands. I like the guys and I like the jokes therefor I had fun and thought it was pretty funny.
Bridesmaids is considered by a lot of people the best comedy of the summer if not the whole year. While I don’t agree, I do think that the praise is very well deserved. Anyone who says that Bridesmaids is The Hangover With Women is really selling it short and may not have actually seen the movie. It is very hard R and very funny but there is a lot more going on here than that. There is a real meaningful and poinant aspect to this movie that left me feeling touched as well as entertained and that is really something given it also features gags about pooping in the middle of the street. What holds it back for me for best of the summer is some early issues it has with finding its footing. Some set ups in act one don’t find their mark or feel awkward and it takes away just a bit from the overall. Once the movie finds its footing, however, it is terrific on all levels and gives you a film that even people who are annoyed by star Kristen Wiig’s characters can love as she is just a normal person who you can believe in, get behind and, sometimes, feel sorry for. Melissa McCarthy is a real standout here as well and makes an already funny movie that much funnier.
This movie had me really nervous. The originial is my favorite of all time ( along with Better Off Dead) and those are pretty big shoes to fill. As it turns out, the movie was great and found exactly the right balance of humor and horror just like the original without aping the original at every turn. The new film is very different but keeps the same spirit alive and does so to great effect. David Tennant and Colin Farrell really stand out here and elevate the experience quite a bit. There is a shift to action in the second half which exciting while still maintaining suspense and tension. The effects are generally very good and even the 3D is effectively used. This took a pretty terrible pounding at the box office but I hope it finds its legs on blu-ray because it really deserves to be seen and enjoyed.
3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
I didn’t write a review for this one for the same reason I skipped the Transformers review but the movie was fantastic and is, I believe, the best Harry Potter movie of them all. Unlike the first installment of this last book, Part 2 never suffers from pacing problems and moves along at a quick clip that never lets you get bored despite a hefty run time. As the drama reaches its creshendo, the performances are the best of the series and everyone involved is in fine form. The action is intense and the losses are very sad but the movie still manages to inject appropriate amounts of humor into the proceedings to keep things from getting too heavy. The visual effects are also best in class here even if the 3d effects are lacking in real punch. If you are invested in the series though just the films or the books as well there is a lot to love and unless you are just mercilessly picky you will almost assuredly leave the theater satisfied.
On paper this sounded like the perfect comedy. Jason Bateman, Charlie Day and Jason Sudeikis teaming up to go after their three horrible bosses played by Kevin Spacey, Colin Farrell and Jennifer Anniston? Directed by the guy that did King Of Kong? Yes please. And it turned out to be just as good as I had hoped. This was my favorite comedy of the summer. There were no hiccups and no retreads. The movie took off running from the gates and never slowed down. The performances are all excellent and the chemistry between the leads is pretty much perfect. Charlie Day is a standout as is Colin Farrell who puts his hearthrob image on the line for a character that I really wish we could see more of. This movie doesn’t have the heart that Bridesmaids does but it does has more consistant wall to wall laughs that never let up and never disappoint.
Of all the films on this list, this one surprised me the most. I didn’t even include it on the original list of my most anticipated movies as it looked like an ill advised train wreck. As it turns out, the movie got just the right tone for the X-Men even as it straight ignored pretty much all the continuity it could. Still, despite this, it carved out the most satisfying X-Men movie since X-2 and goes a long way toward destroying the goodwill murdered by X-men Last Stand and Wolverine Origins. The film was well cast (although I have heard some complaints about January Jones I really didn’t mind her) and they all acquitted themselves very well with effects that were convincing without being overwhelming. Michael Fassbender was phenomenal as a young Magneto and kind of makes me miss the standalone Magneto picture this one took the place of. Equally strong was James McAvoy as Xavier as he brought both weight and humor to the role. The story, with its cool tie ins with history, was engaging and never dragged while dealing with a ton of characters and also managed to feel like everyone got their due screentime. There is very little I would change about this film and it proves that you don’t have to be source accurate to get the tone just right. It also has the best cameo of the summer if not ever in history.
So that is that. As always if you wish to share your favorites or discuss mine, the comments are ready to go.
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