I thought I needed to get this review out soon before I missed all the release dates. Some of these I’ve already covered but I stumbled across this “complete” list, and I thought I’d take a gander.
Spider Man 3
Bottom Line – this movie now holds the record for gross sales in the first weekend. Not a bad start. Unfortunately the reviews have been slightly mixed even from the hard-core Spidy fandom. SM2 was hands down one of the best sequels ever done. Ann and I didn’t want to wade through the opening weekend hassle for this one. We will probably catch it sometime this week or a matinée on an upcoming weekend. Its still definitely a movie you see on the big screen.
28 Weeks Later
I think this summer will be known as the summer of sequels… Seriously! I actually enjoyed 28 days later, and I’m definitely not a huge fan of the zombie genre to begin with. The first one had a independent movie feel which I thought added to the appeal. Unfortunately, it looks like they’ve up’d the budget for the sequel – isn’t it kind of ironic that I/we/you don’t necessarily consider this a good thing? There is no way Ann is seeing this… I’ll probably catch a matinee in June when I’m out in San Jose.
Shrek the Third
Batting 3 for 3 on the sequel front. There is no way this doesn’t do well. The Shrek franchise has done a remarkable job at giving kids a great film while having all the hidden humor to enthrall adults. I’m not sure how well the Third will stack up against the previous two – with the first being an absolute classic – but it still should be entertaining.
Pirates of the Caribbean - At World’s End
4 for 4. This is definitely the blockbuster for the summer. The second installment, while entertaining didn’t have the same charm that the first did – mainly due to Depp’s eclectic performance. PotC 2 was mainly a setup for the third movie and I think it will deliver in bombastic fashion. It will be a fun movie, just don’t expect much going into it – which is really the problem. The first caught everyone by surprise. For the second, everyone had expectations for more when they really got more of the same. I have a feeling that this will happen again – this will be a great summer popcorn movie, just don’t expect award winning performances.
Day Watch
5/5! I already spoke about this one… I need to make sure that the version they will show in theaters is a subtitled version rather than a dubbed. This looks fun.
Ocean’s 13
We’re on FIRE! (Anyone else remember the arcade version of NBA Jam?). Another just-for-fun movie with a very good cast. They aren’t taking themselves seriously, and neither should we.
Fantastic Four - The Rise of the Silver Surfer
OK, now its getting old… Anyway. The original was actually really, really bad in my opinion. I’m amazed they made enough money to warrant another way-too-expensive sequel. Unless there are rave reviews, I think I’ll stay home for this one.
Live Free or Die Hard
SMACK Bottom line, basically this entire list is sequels. From the trailer, this looks just completely over the top. I actually thought DH WAV was throughly entertaining movie. I’m definitely taking a “wait and see” position with this one.
Transformers
Wow some original content! Though to be fair, its not really original… But at least its not a sequel! My only hesitation is that it’s a Bruckheimer film with Michael Bay at the Helm – which I guess means it could either be good, or really, really post-traumaticly bad. Quite a swing we have going there.
Harry Potter 5
The darkest of the series to date, I’m a little concerned how they are going to fit everything they need to in what will probably already be a 3+ hour film. I know lots of things are going to have to be cut, I’m just hoping they pick the right things and get the spacing and tempo of the rest of the film right. HP3 and 4 I think suffered from cramming too much without giving things a chance to build – things were rather dumped on the audience and then a quick cut to the next thing that needed to be said. Regardless, everyone probably has too much invested in the series at this point to miss it.
The Simpsons
Seriously, does anyone really know what this film is about? I really think this movie is about 3 or 4 years too late. They missed the peak of the Simpsons’ popularity. This is probably a rental.
The Bourne Ultimatum
I can’t help but fearing that this will just be more of the same. The first two were good – unfortunately I haven’t read any of the novels yet… does anyone know if they are worth it? I really hope they get a different editor for this one. The quick cuts during action scenes get really old – longer takes I think are much more powerful.
Stardust
I still hope this is good. Hopefully a great summer matinée film.
Rush Hour 3
Wow! I mean seriously, what the hell has Chris Tucker done with himself? Who did he have to bribe to try to revive his career with this one?
Resident Evil - Extinction
Eh… I think I’ll only see one zombie this summer with 28 Weeks Later.