by Gema Luna, Reporter
May is almost over, and summer is just around the corner, so let us continue with this journey of blockbuster movies. (Check out Part 1 of our Summer Preview).
JUNE
June brings to the blockbuster summer superhero mania. It’s all about bringing the comics to the big screen. From mutants to rings of power, this June is sure to be a big hit at the box office.
The first of the summer superhero flicks is another stab at the origins of our favorite Marvel comic book mutants: X-Men: First Class. This movie shows the origin of the two greatest mutants of all time: Dr. Charles Xavier, aka Professor X, (James McAvoy), and Erik Lehnsherr, aka Magneto (Michael Fassbender).
The story follows these two best friends as they discover their powers, their goals, and at the end, how both of them are fighting for the same thing: humanity. However, one fights for their protection and the other wants to rule over the humans. The cast is great and fresh, with faces like Rose Byrne (Insidious, Damages), and January Jones, (Mad Men, Pirate Radio), as well as seasoned veterans like Kevin Bacon. Lets hope that this origins movie, coming out June 3rd, marks the beginning of great movies and not the demise of the X-Men saga in the big screen.
In our darkest hour, there will be light. And with that, we go green full throttle on June 17th. The long awaited epic comic book brought to life is finally here. This month’s biggest mega blockbuster is Green Lantern. Ryan Reynolds stars as the cocky test pilot with very human weaknesses, Hal Jordan. He happens to encounter a purple alien who gives him a ring with otherworldly powers, making him the latest member of an elite intergalactic squadron that keeps the universe at peace.
This movie has created so much drama from fans since last year, and it hasn’t even been released yet. From a stabbing at last year’s Comic-Con, to people sitting in the midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I, just to see the preview. So much is riding on this movie that if it fails it is going to be the greatest cinematographic failure of the last decade. Green Lantern is what a modern comic book movie should be: great cast, great merchandizing, great publicity, and high expectations that should guarantee a mega result.
The cast consists of Blake Lively (Gossip Girl) as Carrol Ferris, Hal’s love interest, Peter Sarsgaard (Knight and Day, Flightplan) as Hector Hammond, the villain in this story, and Mark Strong (Sherlock Holmes, Robin Hood) as Sinestro, a fellow lantern.
For this movie, the only three things for sure to expect is a good view of Ryan Reynolds’ body, lots of action, and long lines for tickets.
Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) and Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) go on an international adventure full of fast cars, espionage, and good clean fun in Cars 2. The animated sensation is opening on June 24th in Disney’s attempt to promote the newest land at California Adventures’ Cars Land. This should be an entertaining cartoon, which is a specialty of Disney. Besides the classic cars that we loved in the first film, like Ramone (Cheech Marin), Cars 2 brings Michael Caine (Dark Knight) as international spy Finn McMissile. McMissile tries to recruit the highly unlikely hero, Mater. Expect a lot of kids and a message in the lines of an after school Disney special in this movie.
JULY
July brings robots, aliens, cowboys and wizards galore.
Just in case you cannot get enough of childhood heroes, the Autobots are back with Transformers: Dark of the Moon, in theaters July 1st. Optimus Prime and his fearless team once again fight the evil Decepticons as they threaten the earth once again. In this chapter, the Autobots find out that a space ship from Cyberton is on the moon, and it’s a race against time and evil to find out what secrets it holds.
The main change in this movie is the disappearance of extra-tan actress Megan Fox, who played Sam Witwicky’s (Shia LaBeouf) love interest. It is a sigh of relief for some,(me included), who thought the actress was not the greatest, but her body brought in the money. The new face is Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, who we only know from Victoria’s Secret runways. The model-turned-actress plays Carly, another hot bodied damsel in distress. Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, and John Turturro return in this chapter, as well as newcomers to the live action franchise: Patrick Dempsey, John Malkovich, and Leonard Nimoy (as the voice of Sentinel Prime).
The plot follows the same formula as the others, it seems. Sam getting involved in a big plot that threatens the world, with the Autobots there to save the day with big explosions, massive sound effects, great visual effects, and lots of robots. Even though the plot might not be great, it is sure to be a movie to see in theaters.
This is the movie I have been waiting for since 2001, and it is finally here. The final chapter, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II, makes its way to theaters on July 15th. Even though it will be a bitter sweet moment, just as it was when reading the book, I am beyond excited that it is here. Goosebumps race up my arms every time I see a preview, or watch the advance scene in the Blu-ray/DVD combo of the first part. It’s kind of what the boys are feeling every time Green Lantern appears on TV. I cannot wait to sit on the concrete, for however many hours it might take, and enjoy the final chapter of Harry’s story.
In the last movie, Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) is standing in the hallway of Grimmauld Place, next to Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and Ron (Rupert Grint), and announces: “We are alone”. The theme for the first part of this two part movie is set with those three simple words. We went through woods, mansions, and ministries to end up alone on a beach with a dead Dobby in our hands, while Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) gets the Wand of Destiny, the first of the three Hallows.
In the second part, we are expected to see most of the characters in the final battle of good versus evil. This is the battle that will determine the future of the wizarding world, as well as humanity’s. The final battle is here. Hoping that the ending does not disappoint, but remains as true as possible to the original, very high hopes are placed in David Yates, the director of the last three movies.
We have watched them grow up, change, and cut their hair. Now the graduation of their journey is here. We will laugh, cry and cheer as Harry and his gang tries to defeat the most powerful wizard of their time.
Another journey into the comic book saga, which will conclude in the forming of Joss Whedon’s The Avengers, is the origin of the first one. Captain America: The First Avenger hits theaters July 22nd. In this origin movie we discover Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) a less-than-average guy that gets rejected to join the military due to his lack of physical strength. Rogers then joins the secret super soldier project that turns him into Captain America.
Set in the 1940’s, Captain America: The First Avenger, is the ultimate American superhero story. A tale of the All-American Boy in that decade, when being a soldier and the love of his country is all that there is. Hugo Weaving (V for Vendetta, The Matrix) plays Johann Schmidt, a Nazi scientist that wants to harness the Cosmic Cube, he then turns into the Red Skull. Also participating as Col Chester Phillips, the one in charge of the project of super soldiers is Tommy Lee Jones.
Although the media craze has not been all over this movie, I have high hopes for it. The cast is amazing, the previews look good, and except for the lack of a main female love interest, which I am told in the Captain’s view is his country, I think we have another blockbuster in our hands. This movie takes us one step closer to the ultimate prize: The Avengers, due in 2012.
The end of July brings a concept that I never thought possible. Cowboys and Aliens hits theater on July 29th with a plot that only Hollywood would come up with. This action film is set in Arizona in 1873, when the Wild West was in full swing. A spaceship lands and tries to take over the world, the only problem is a mysterious stranger with a weapon tied to his wrist. Daniel Craig (Quantum of Solace), Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) and the drop-dead-gorgeous Olivia Wilde (Tron: Legacy, House), star in this modernized western. Cowboys and Aliens promises action, great casting, and amazing direction by Jon Favreau, who also directed both of the Iron Man movies. The plot seems a little far-fetched, a story along the lines of David and Goliath, but I think it is worth the trip to your nearby multiplex just to see some good old fashioned action, paired with the eye candy that is Olivia Wilde.
We have come to the end of this blockbuster summer’s preview journey.
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