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| Courtesy of Marvel |
Summer seems to arrive earlier every year. Memorial Day used to be the unofficial kickoff to the season of big-budget blockbusters, but 2017 has officially killed the idea that fun, massive movies only work when it’s hot outside. We’ve already seen The Lego Batman Movie, John Wick: Chapter 2, Logan and Kong: Skull Island blow up the box office.
Beauty and the Beast looks to do the same this weekend (look for my review next week), as does the eighth installment of the Fast and Furious franchise, which opens April 14. For the sake of space, why don’t we kick off with May? Here are a few upcoming “summer” flicks that I’m most curious about.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Snatched
Amy Schumer follows up her work in the hilarious Trainwreck with this action comedy from the screenwriter of The Heat and Ghostbusters. I have to admit the trailer doesn’t look too promising, but I’m excited to see Goldie Hawn return to the big screen after a 15-year absence. She’s an inspired choice to play Schumer’s mother and it seems like the duo would have terrific chemistry. Warm Bodies proved that director Jonathan Levine can take a lackluster premise and turn it into a great movie, so maybe he’ll do it again. (May 12)
Alien: Covenant
This weird sequel/prequel hybrid could go either way. Ridley Scott has directed the best entry in the terrifying franchise (the original Alien) as well as one of the worst (the visually stunning but narratively idiotic Prometheus). Covenant is a direct sequel to the latter, which makes me a little nervous, but the trailer looks intriguing (hey, there’s Danny McBride!). Here’s hoping Scott learned from the mistakes he made last time. (May 19)
Baywatch
On the surface, this seems like reheated 21 Jump Street leftovers (comedic, foul-mouthed version of an old dramatic television series), but never underestimate Dwayne Johnson’s contagious enthusiasm (he’s been in several bad movies, but he’s never the problem) or the underrated comedic abilities of Zac Efron. He’s still working to overcome “pretty boy” typecasting, but people forget how hilarious he was in 17 Again and the Neighbors flicks. (May 26)
Wonder Woman
Fool me once (Man of Steel), shame on DC Films. Fool me two more times (Batman v Superman, Suicide Squad) well…that’s also shame on DC Films. They make bad movies. But I’m hoping – in vain, probably – that the studio’s latest attempt pays off in terms of both quality and financial success. It’ll make history as the first big-budget, female-centric superhero flick of the modern era, which means it will be carrying a ton of expectations and cultural baggage. Because of the ideals she represents and the fact that she’s never been more relevant, I hope Wonder Woman’s movie is better than her male counterparts’. (June 2)
Spider-Man: Homecoming
If you’d told me after 2014’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2 that I’d be anticipating yet another version, I would’ve called you insane. But that was before Marvel Studios regained creative control of Spidey and utilized him better in Captain America: Civil War than any other big screen interpretation. Tom Holland, Robert Downey Jr. and Marisa Tomei reprise their roles from that film. Plus, Michael Keaton returns to the world of comic book movies as the villain. (July 7)
War for the Planet of the Apes
In the likely final installment of the modern Apes trilogy, the stellar Andy Serkis once again plays Caesar, the ape leader who once hoped to live in peace with the world’s few remaining humans. Now it looks like the conflict has reached its tipping point, with Woody Harrelson playing the leader of the human’s military forces. Matt Reeves (who helmed the previous film) is back as both director and co-writer, which is good news for fans of the series’ dark tone and sense of tragic inevitability. (July 14)
Dunkirk
Christopher Nolan seems like the perfect filmmaker to helm a World War II epic (honestly, I’m surprised he hasn’t tackled one before now), so I’m hoping this true story, about Allied soldiers forced to evacuate while surrounded by the German army, marks a return to form for him. I loved Interstellar until the last few scenes, but a war movie seems a much closer fit for the director’s icy tone. Plus, it reunites him with frequent collaborators Cillian Murphy and Tom Hardy, which is never a bad idea. (July 21)
The Dark Tower
This adaptation of Stephen King’s convoluted magnum opus has been in production for a while, but I’ll be shocked if it makes its scheduled release date. I’m only including it here in the faint hope that writing about the movie wills it into existence. The casting is incredible: Idris Elba plays Roland, a gunslinger from a mythic land, and Matthew McConaughey plays his evil nemesis, the Man in Black. There have been so many false starts in the past decade that I’m not going to believe this is real until I’m sitting in a theater watching it. Even then, I’ll be suspicious. (July 28)
Baby Driver
A new Edgar Wright movie is always worth getting excited about, but the trailer that hit YouTube last weekend has me all but foaming at the mouth. Early buzz suggests this heist thriller, about a getaway driver named Baby (Ansel Elgort) who works with a cadre of shady characters (including Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx and Jon Hamm), is actually a stealth musical. The action and car chase sequences are choreographed to the music that Baby uses to stay in the zone. Anyone who has seen the “Don’t Stop Me Now” sequence in Wright’s Shaun of the Dead, or the entirety of his Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, should know what a tantalizing prospect that is. (Aug. 11)
On the surface, this seems like reheated 21 Jump Street leftovers (comedic, foul-mouthed version of an old dramatic television series), but never underestimate Dwayne Johnson’s contagious enthusiasm (he’s been in several bad movies, but he’s never the problem) or the underrated comedic abilities of Zac Efron. He’s still working to overcome “pretty boy” typecasting, but people forget how hilarious he was in 17 Again and the Neighbors flicks. (May 26)
Wonder Woman
Fool me once (Man of Steel), shame on DC Films. Fool me two more times (Batman v Superman, Suicide Squad) well…that’s also shame on DC Films. They make bad movies. But I’m hoping – in vain, probably – that the studio’s latest attempt pays off in terms of both quality and financial success. It’ll make history as the first big-budget, female-centric superhero flick of the modern era, which means it will be carrying a ton of expectations and cultural baggage. Because of the ideals she represents and the fact that she’s never been more relevant, I hope Wonder Woman’s movie is better than her male counterparts’. (June 2)
Spider-Man: Homecoming
If you’d told me after 2014’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2 that I’d be anticipating yet another version, I would’ve called you insane. But that was before Marvel Studios regained creative control of Spidey and utilized him better in Captain America: Civil War than any other big screen interpretation. Tom Holland, Robert Downey Jr. and Marisa Tomei reprise their roles from that film. Plus, Michael Keaton returns to the world of comic book movies as the villain. (July 7)
War for the Planet of the Apes
In the likely final installment of the modern Apes trilogy, the stellar Andy Serkis once again plays Caesar, the ape leader who once hoped to live in peace with the world’s few remaining humans. Now it looks like the conflict has reached its tipping point, with Woody Harrelson playing the leader of the human’s military forces. Matt Reeves (who helmed the previous film) is back as both director and co-writer, which is good news for fans of the series’ dark tone and sense of tragic inevitability. (July 14)
Dunkirk
Christopher Nolan seems like the perfect filmmaker to helm a World War II epic (honestly, I’m surprised he hasn’t tackled one before now), so I’m hoping this true story, about Allied soldiers forced to evacuate while surrounded by the German army, marks a return to form for him. I loved Interstellar until the last few scenes, but a war movie seems a much closer fit for the director’s icy tone. Plus, it reunites him with frequent collaborators Cillian Murphy and Tom Hardy, which is never a bad idea. (July 21)
The Dark Tower
This adaptation of Stephen King’s convoluted magnum opus has been in production for a while, but I’ll be shocked if it makes its scheduled release date. I’m only including it here in the faint hope that writing about the movie wills it into existence. The casting is incredible: Idris Elba plays Roland, a gunslinger from a mythic land, and Matthew McConaughey plays his evil nemesis, the Man in Black. There have been so many false starts in the past decade that I’m not going to believe this is real until I’m sitting in a theater watching it. Even then, I’ll be suspicious. (July 28)
Baby Driver
A new Edgar Wright movie is always worth getting excited about, but the trailer that hit YouTube last weekend has me all but foaming at the mouth. Early buzz suggests this heist thriller, about a getaway driver named Baby (Ansel Elgort) who works with a cadre of shady characters (including Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx and Jon Hamm), is actually a stealth musical. The action and car chase sequences are choreographed to the music that Baby uses to stay in the zone. Anyone who has seen the “Don’t Stop Me Now” sequence in Wright’s Shaun of the Dead, or the entirety of his Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, should know what a tantalizing prospect that is. (Aug. 11)
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