Hear that? That’s the sound of Hollywood’s gravy train pulling out of the station as studios hope (pray) the steamy summer months pad their bottom line. Summer is make or break time for every Hollywood player and studios pull out all the stops to grab as much od that summer cash as they can. And movie junkies get to feast on big screen spectacle for the next three months as a result. Every movie season I list the ten movies I’m anticipating the most and I found myself having to do some extra trimming to my summer list this year. In the end there were one or two surprises, not just the movies that did and didn’t make the cut (you’ll notice the absence of anything Pixar), but also on where some movies wound up.
While we’re technically already into summer thanks to Avengers: Endgame, most of summer’s big bullets are still waiting to be fired. So without further ado, here are the ten movies I’m looking forward to the most during the summer of 2019. Plus, for the first time, a wild card just to make things interesting . . .
10) The Dead Don’t Die (June 14): “I’m thinking zombies.” Adam Driver’s small town deputy says at a horrific and crime scene. That one line sums up why I’m pretty sure this dry, sarcastic horror/comedy will hit the same pay dirt as Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland (and not just because it stars zombies as the big bads). This movie wasn’t on mine or anyone else’s radar until we got the first trailer and now it’s one of the movies I’m looking forward to the most this summer. Whether its Bill Murray’s understated screen presence, Tilda Swinton fending off the armies of the night with her katana or Adam Driver looking like he’s going to steal every scene he’s in with a calm, almost mechanical delivery, The Dead Don’t Die looks like it could be this summer’s hidden gem.
9) Aladdin (May 24): While I liked the original 1992 animated Aladdin (starring the immortal Robin Williams), I don’t have it on the same nostalgic/emotional pedestal the rest of the western world apparently does (if the Internet is to be believed anyway). While history will (and should) always remember Robin Williams’ genius and consider his voice work as the Genie in the original Aladdin as groundbreaking, I’m looking forward to seeing what Will Smith can bring to a live action version with FX unimagined during Williams’ time. Smith claims he approached the role with respect and dignity and if he can hit this particular nail on the head, everything else should fall into place. And is anyone else interested to see what kind sight gags they pull off with a CGI carpet?
8) Godzilla: King Of The Monsters (May 31): I’m going to come right out and say it; I thought 2014’s Godzilla was pretty meh. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great either. At the end of the day it was a forgettable smorgasbord of special effects we had already seen (though it committed the unforgivable sin of wasting Brian Cranston-one of the finest character actors of our generation-with a pittance of screen time before discarding him). But I’m not going to lie when I say that the sequel, a shameless battle royal starring monsters the size of cities, has my nerd heart beating just a little faster. My biggest problem with the first one was that it invested too much screen time in the people instead of the monsters (who were supposed to be the true stars). It was a problem the Transformers movies got bogged down in (among many, many others). But this one looks like the people are mere props and the rest is invested in the gigantic monsters threatening the human race with extinction. Just the way a movie nerd likes it. And form the record, if it comes down to a choice between humanity and the colossal titans, I’m on the monsters side
7) Spider-Man: Far From Home (July 2): In all honesty, I’m finding it a little tough to get pumped up for the current Spidey’s next solo adventure. Following Endgame it just feels . . . underwhelming. There is simply no way Far From Home can match Endgame in terms of sheer size and scope. Instead it will have to try and generate interest with character, and that’s where my interest is peaked. Not to take anything away from Tobey McGuire or Andrew Garfield, but Tom Holland is my favourite wall crawler and I’m interested to see his take on a resurrected (and possibly traumatized) Peter Parker/Spider-Man. But while I’m hoping that Far From Home answers a few nagging questions following both Infinity War and Endgame (starting with a look at how the world fared following Thanos’ genocidal cosmic snap as well as the fallout of its undoing), rumour is it also introduces the mutiverse. That sounds like a lot for one movie to tackle, MCU or not. And while the multiverse is a concept the much smaller (and more concentrated) comic book fandom is used to handling, it may be a little too much for casual movie fans to digest. Will Far From Home be able to stand on its own or will it suffer the same fate as last summer’s Ant-Man and the Wasp, a mere box office foot note to the latest Avengers juggernaut?
6) The Lion King (July 19): This film feels like pure nostalgic majesty. It just doesn’t get any better than James Earl Jones’ voice thundering out of a real lion (or reasonable facsimile thereof). The Lion King was one of my favourite Disney animated films growing up (yes, more than the previously mentioned Aladdin) and it looks like they have done it justice. The sweeping savannah, the primal dignity of the animals who live on it, the untainted foreboding of nature’s shadows. It all looks perfect. Summer spectacle doesn’t always have to be super hero battles and starship dog fights. The grace of the African landscape looks just as alluring as any alien landscape or future dystopian. And this is all before we get to hear John Oliver’s trademark snark coming out a CGI animal.
5) John Wick 3 Parabelum (May 17): As much as I’m looking forward to this movie on a fan level, I’m also curious to see if they can pull off the hat trick on a technical level. The first two John Wick movies were sleek, stylized gems that took action movies to a refreshingly different place (and taught us never to mess with a man’s dog). Can the third and final instalment fill the shoes left behind by the first two? Will Keanu Reeves cement himself as the coolest man alive? In what can be described as John Wick versus the world, we’re going to be treated to gun fights on horseback and sword fights while riding motorcycles. And you get the feeling that may only be a taste of the adrenaline absurdity in store.
4) Hobbs And Shaw (August 2): Imagine a heavy metal orchestra getting high on meth and swallowing an elephant’s weight in steroids before having crazy end-of-the-world-sex with an Imax camera. The resulting child would probably be Hobbs and Shaw. I’m one of the few human beings on this planet who has never cared about the Fast and the Furious movies and I was planning on skipping the Vin Diesel-less spinoff as well. But after the most recent trailer, well just refer to the beginning of this description. Perhaps the most promising thing about this movie-which looks like pure, mindless summer fun-is that it looks like stars Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham had a blast making it and shared a a genuine chemistry. That almost always translates into an awesome experience for movie goers. And Idris Elba looks beyond cool as the film’s genetically enhanced villain. If anyone is going to steal the show this summer, my money’s on Elba.
3) Scary Stories to Tell In The Dark (August 9): The book series this movie is based on has been described as Goosebumps for older kids. OK, maybe I’m the only whose said that, but man if what we’ve seen of this so far hasn’t got my nerd heart skipping a beat or two. It probably won’t hold many legit scares for a horror vet like myself, but the scope of imagination that we’ve seen so far has got me excited. Has Guillermo Del Toro worked some Pan’s Labyrinth magic once again? it looks like he just might have . . .
2) Brightburn (May 24): Since it looks like we’re never going to get the now Disney owned New Mutants, Brightburn may be the comic book/horror movie we’ve always needed in our lives. And after seeing what blending comics and westerns did for Logan, we should all be waiting for this movie like kids by the tree on Christmas Eve. It will also give us a good idea of what James Gunn’s movie making chops are truly made of. Can the (controversial) architect behind the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise capture lightning a second time or is he a one trick pony? Despite Jordan Peele and Warner Bros.’ best efforts, horror has been limping along on tropes and nostalgia lately. Can Gunn’s ambitious hybrid rescue it?
Now before we get to our top entry (which you totally should have guessed by now), a first on my seasonal list; an Honourable Mention complete with the reason for its inclusion.
Dark Phoenix (June 7th): By all accounts, Dark Phoenix is going to be bad. Not just bad, but biblically terrible. While there’s been some last minute chatter that it “may not be all that bad,” the fact is test audiences have walked out of numerous screenings and Disney brass considered nearly unwatchable after they finalized their purchase of Fox. It was recently revealed that the entire third act was reshot, which is never a good sign. Even the biggest optimist has to realize that Dark Phoenix is going to be beyond dreadful. But I’m genuinely curios how bad it really is. And more important, how does a movie starring the likes of James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jenifer Lawrence, Jessica Chastain, Sophie Turner and others, a movie that’s part of one of the most successful franchises in modern movie history, turn out to be such a steaming dud? How many careers (on both sides of the camera) is this film going to end? Perhaps most importantly, will it sour audiences on the X brand for Disney’s inevitable mutant relaunch? Or just whet their appetite for an improvement?
1) Avengers: Endgame (April 26): This is a no-brainer that needs zero explanation. The conclusion of the epic tale that started last year and the culmination of eleven year’s worth of storytelling and blockbusters, Endgame was an unparalleled spectacle that is turning out to be one of the biggest movies ever made. It wasn’t perfect but was a finely crafted conclusion to the Infinity Saga that laid some groundwork for the MCU’s Phase Four while also setting up some of the Marvel themed Disney+ shows. While it already has its fair share of detractors (some of the criticism is merited but a lot is also just complaining for the sake of complaining) you can’t argue with box office success. Simply put, Endgame is smashing every record in its way and there’s already whispers of Oscar consideration. The MCU is an unrivalled movie making achievement, an all you can watch buffet of amusing and unchallenging movies starring some of the most enduring characters in pop culture. Not only did Endgame deliver on its promise, but it may turn out to be the best entry in the MCU so far. And Disney’s reigning box office crown jewel.
Image Entertainment Weekly
