2011 Summer Movie Preview

Spring is usually the time period for movies when studios push out all the films that aren’t really worth the time to see or the money you would pay to watch them.  However, come May, the summer movie craze goes into full swing and usually kicks off hottest time of the year with some of the hottest movies of the year.  The summer movie fiasco does not always ensure that movies released between the months of May and August will be of great quality but the time period does ensure that we won’t go weeks without someone calling an upcoming film a “must see” or the “action packed adventure of the summer!”  So sit back and let me take you through some of the more appealing films coming to the silver screen near you this summer.

Thor (May 6)

Starring Chris Hemsworth as the demi-god sent to Earth after being cast out of Asgard by his father, Odin, he now must save our planet from the evil forces that have come to take over.  Hemsworth isn’t as well known as you would like in your Marvel superhero but you might recognize him from Star Trek (2009) as he played George Kirk in the beginning of the movie.  He also starred in the small budget thriller Getaway.  He’s a rugged, yet handsome, brute of a man who has the long golden locks to go along with his muscles to correctly depict Thor.  We’ll see how he holds up to some of Marvel’s other superheros in next years The Avengers, but this summer is all about Thor.  Natalie Portman co-stars as Thor’s love interest with Anthony Hopkins playing Odin.  All signs point to this being as good as advertised, but with all summer movies, proceed with caution.

Check out the trailer:

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (May 20)

Johnny Depp is back as Captain Jack Sparrow but this time there is no Orlando Bloom or Keira Knightley accompanying him.  They are replaced by Geoffrey Rush and Penelope Cruz as Barbossa and new love interest Angelica.  Stranger Tides takes you on an adventure as Sparrow and Barbossa team up to find the elusive Fountain of Youth only to find out that the cut-throat Captain Blackbeard is after the Fountain as well.  Everyone loves Johnny Depp, and everyone loves Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow, so it’s not hard to see why Disney went back to the well with another Pirates movie.  The absence of Orlando Bloom and Knightley will hurt the film’s appeal but the superb acting prowess of Geoffrey Rush and Penelope Cruz should offset the addition of new characters.  Ian McShane as Blackbeard never hurts either.  The second and third Pirates films never lived up to the excellent first title, but from watching the trailer for the film it appears that Depp has taken on a much bigger role in this fourth film and he looks primed to deliver!

The Hangover 2 (May 27)

If you haven’t seen the original Hangover, where have you been?  Easily the champion of 2009’s summer movie fest, The Hangover 2 reunites the characters from the first film as they travel to Bangkok for Stu’s (Ed Helms) wedding.  Of course, before anyone can get married there has to be some sort of catastrophic disaster that prevents them from doing so.  Hilarity is sure to ensue.  Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Justin Bartha, and Ken Jeong return bringing with them misadventure and jokes.

Kung-Fu Panda 2 (May 27)

Po is back as that lovable kick ass Panda who would rather eat his way through his enemies than fight them, but make no mistake, he’ll put a hurting on you either way.  The movie sees Po join forces with a new clan of Kung-Fu masters in order to defeat an uprising of new foes intent on erasing the old form of martial arts.  Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Seth Rogen, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, David Cross along with Jean-Claude Van Damme, Lucy Liu, Gary Oldman all lend their voices to the upcoming Dreamworks epic.

X-Men: First Class (June 3)

First Class is a prequel to the already existing X-Men titles and takes a look at Professor Charles Xavier’s first student class of “X-Men”, or mutants, in the early 60’s where his pupils are banded together as a team of superheroes using their super abilities.  X-Men: First Class stars James McAvoy as Charles Xavier, Michael Fassbender as Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto, Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique, Kevin Bacon as Sebastian Shaw, January Jones as Emma Frost amongst others.  At first I was put off by the idea of a prequel to the already existing X-Men movies, but after seeing the trailer for the film I was highly impressed.  Marvel’s second superhero film of the summer looks to hold back nothing.

Green Lantern (June 17)

In a different reality I would have loved to see Warner Bros. and DC Comics release Green Lantern on the same day that Marvel releases X-Men: First Class, but sadly that won’t happen as the two studios likely have a pact that they would give each other a two week window to garner as much money in ticket sales as possible.  Green Lantern stars Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan, a test pilot who is “chosen” by  a mysterious green ring that gives him otherworldly powers.  As they say though, with great power comes great responsibility (wait, was that a Spider-Man line?).  Jordan, now known as the Green Lantern, must keep balance within the universe while protecting Earth from villains that lie within.  From the trailer for the film, DC looks to have held nothing back and this could genuinely be the best superhero film to come since The Dark Knight.  Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, and Mark Strong star in the film that features amazing cross over between CGI and live action.  If it’s one movie you’ll want to see this summer, it looks as if the Green Lantern should be that movie.

Cars 2 (June 24)

Pixar is back, and with the rare sequel from the studio in Cars 2.  This time we climb aboard for the ride with Lightning McQueen and Mater as they venture on an international race around the world.  Owen Wilson and Larry The Cable Guy reprise their respective roles from the first film with the added voice talents of Michael Caine, Bonnie Hunt, Tony Shalhoub, Cheech Marin, and John Turturro.  It’s not every day we get a sequel to a Pixar film, and personally, I’m glad that they chose to make a sequel to Cars as I thought it was the weakest film Pixar has produced.  Cars 2 gives them the opportunity to win me back on this particular franchise.  The animation looks great and the voice cast is superb, probably the best movie to take the whole family to see this summer.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (June 24)

A prequel of sorts but more of an origin story, Rise stars James Franco as a young scientist who creates genetic string of intelligent apes who eventually go to war with mankind for the supremacy of Earth.  James Franco is one of the best young actors in Hollywood, his last film – 127 Hours – was a tour de force by the actor that really showed the world what he was capable of.  In Rise of the Planet of the Apes Franco dons the “smart glasses” as he tries to fight back mankind’s ancestors.  John Lithgow and Andy Serkis star alongside.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon (June 24)

June 24 is going to be a war between cars, monkeys, and robots…who will win?  My bet is that it will be Dark of the Moon but not by a large margin.  This third installment in the Transformers franchise brings back Sam Witwicky (Shia Labeouf ) as he and the Autobots race to locate a Cybertron spacecraft that is hidden on Earth’s moon.  They must find this craft before the Decepticons do, or Earth could be doomed.  Rosie Huntington-Whiteley takes the place of Megan Fox as Sam’s love interest but the usual cast of characters returns for the saga’s final installment; Josh Duhamel, Hugo Weaving (Optimus Prime), Tyrese Gibson, and John Turturro.  New actors include Patrick Dempsey, John Malkovich, and Ken Jeong.  Here’s hoping that Michael Bay doesn’t disappoint us again.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (July 15)

Harry’s last hurrah! Part 2 concludes the long running series with the final battle between Harry and Voldemort.  If you’ve read the books then you obviously know what happens (no spoilers damnit!), but for the rest of us July 15 marks a sad event as we’ve watched Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint grow up before our eyes as Harry, Hermione, and Ron.  For 10 years Harry Potter has been relevant in our lives and it seems fitting that his last movie will probably be the best.  It’s a straight continuation from where Part 1 ended and, from the trailers, seems to not have skimped on the action and suspense.  Does he live or does he die?  Ahh the agony!

Captain America: The First Avenger  (July 22) 

Marvel’s third superhero movie of the year see’s Chris Evans don perhaps the most iconic superhero suit in history, Captain America.  The movie takes us through the origin of the Cap’, his uprising of glory, and the ensuing battle between himself, the US,  Germany, and The Red Skull.  Like Thor, Captain America’s story is told with the anticipation of The Avengers movie being released next summer where Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, and the Hulk will be teaming up.  While Captain America: The First Avenger and its trailers haven’t blown me away, you can expect big things from this one.  The movie also stars Tommie Lee Jones as Col. Chester Phillips and Hugo Weaving as The Red Skull.

Cowboys & Aliens (July 29)

Jon Favreau brings us the unique adaptation of the graphic novel, Cowboys & Aliens, about a cowboy in 1873 who a close encounter with the third kind and now must unite the people of the Wild West to fight these little green men looking to take over Earth.  It’s a Favreau movie so you know the comedy and action will blend seamlessly and with Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford starring what could go wrong?  Oh yea, and did I mention that Olivia Wilde is starring as well?  Sam Rockwell and Paul Dano are also along for the bumpy ride.  Cowboys & Aliens is the last movie that could potentially be a must see for the summer movie season, so make sure you check it out!