Summer Movie Season is here a little early this year thanks to Marvel. But regardless of when it kicks off, Summer is the highlight of the year for movie fans and cinephiles alike. Big budget spectacles and tent pole releases will have us giving Hollywood our money for the next four months with few questions asked.
While I make a list of the ten flicks I’m the most excited to see every movie season (Summer, Fall/Christmas and Winter/Spring), I found myself facing a few tough choices this time around. There were a few movies I found myself scratching off my list that would have made the cut other years. The summer of 2018 is shaping up to be a crowded one and Hollywood was playing musical release dates even before Disney/Marvel’s last minute decision to move Infinity War up a week caused a chain reaction.
So let’s get to it.
10. Skyscraper (July 13): Skyscraper is going to be Dwayne Johnson’s box office litmus test. While Fast And The Furious 8 and Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle were bona fide hits, Rampage wasn’t (it will need a strong overseas box office performance just to break even). In both Furious and Jumanji, Johnson was part of an ensemble cast while it was just him and a bunch of CGI in Rampage. Skyscraper could answer whether or not The People’s Champ can be a box office draw all on his own. But the parallels between The Rock’s latest action vehicle and Die Hard are already hurting this movie’s credibility.
9. Christopher Robin (August 3): OK, so this one is nostalgia, plain and simple. I honestly didn’t have the slightest bit of interest in this movie until I saw the first trailer. That’s when my inner eight year old grabbed the steering wheel and refused to give it back. And I have to admit, I’m dying to see how the story reconciles an adult Christopher Robin (in post World War 2 England, by the looks) talking to the imaginary friend from his childhood. Considering how well Disney has been able to pull off other live action adaptations of their animated classics (Maleficent, The Jungle Book, Beauty and the Beast) I’m not worried. Chris could be having a complete psychotic breakdown and I’m confident Disney could sell it.
But if I don’t get any Eeyore I’m gonna be pissed.
8. Jurassic World: The Fallen Kingdom (June 22): This one is mostly hope. I wasn’t exactly blown away by Jurassic World (surprise! The dinosaurs get out and every one of the supposedly smart people in charge of rounding them up before they turn the tourists into a buffet instantly become stupid) and I have had my fingers crossed ever since that the inevitable sequel would restore a little of the franchise’s charm. Will Fallen Kingdom be able to pull that off? Suffice to say the trailers I’ve seen so far haven’t done the greatest job silencing my doubts.
7. Oceans 8 (June 8): I enjoyed the original Oceans movies but was satisfied that they were standing pat at three. It felt like the characters had come full circle over the course of the trilogy, not only because of the tragic loss of Bernie Mac but because it felt this group of characters probably didn’t have any more interesting stories to tell. And it was nice to see the smart, suave franchise exit stage left on a strong note. So you could say this gender bending re-imagining peaked my interest more than a little.
One of the reasons the original Oceans’ movies worked so well was because of the chemistry between the ensemble cast, particularly George Clooney and Brad Pitt. And it looks like Sandra Bullock and Kate Blanchett have successfully filled those shoes in Oceans 8. And fresh from her turn as Hela in Thor: Ragnarok, Blanchett looks like she will be the stylish, supercool spine that keeps this stylish, supercool heist movie upright.
6. Mission Impossible Fallout (July 27): This one is equal parts curiosity and anticipation. I’ve enjoyed the Mission Impossible films ever since MI2 (ironically, I wasn’t a big fan of the first one) and have been constantly impressed by the franchise’s ability to remain fresh. Will it be able to do that a sixth time out? Have they finally run out of tricks up there sleeves? I can’t wait to see Rebecca Ferguson back in the fold (she kicked some serious ass in the fifth instalment) but can Fallout avoid relegating her to a subordinate instead of Ethan Hunt’s equal? Does Henry Cavill have it in him to play a convincing villain opposite Tom Cruise? Like I said, curiosity will be my primary motivation to see Fallout this July.
Well, that and Simon Pegg.
5. Ant-Man and Wasp (July 6): While the first Ant-Man was a modest hit, it was enough to convince Marvel brass that both the character and actor Paul Rudd deserved a place in he MCU. Rudd’s Ant-Man won the hearts and minds of even more fans as a member of Team Cap in Captain America: Civil War (one of my favourite MCU flicks) and the diminutive hero will be returning to the big screen for his second movie this summer. And he’s bringing backup.
One of the things I enjoyed about the first Ant-Man was the way it explored a new frontier by introducing us to a microscopic Universe. It was new and fresh and it looks like we’re going to get an even better look at it when Antsy and his partner (not sidekick) the Wasp search for the original Ant-Man’s wife (and the current Wasp’s mother). Like the first Ant-Man, it looks like we can expect a tougher than nails Hope Van Dyne (Evageline Lilly) and some more innovative approaches to the action and effects. Would now be a bad time to ask for a better villain as well?
4. Deadpool 2 (May 18): Fox took a huge risk with a little movie called Deadpool back in 2016. It was an irreverent, hilarious and fearlessly vulgar movie set in the X-Universe about a character few outside of comicdom were familiar with. It had a very modest budget for an X film, star Ryan Reynolds wasn’t exactly Hollywood royalty at that point (he was still trying to wash the stench of Green Lantern off) and it was crammed into a February full of other high profile releases. It succeeded beyond anyone’s wildest expectations.
Deadpool demonstrated why comic book films need to stick with what has made their characters so popular with fans (are you listening DC?) and DP likely lead to the success of the R-rated Logan. So far it looks like Deadpool 2 is taking its own lessons as gospel, pushing the loveable absurdity of the first one to ridiculous levels with a much higher budget. In other words, Deadpool 2 is taking the formula that made it’s predecessor such a hit and shoving it full of steroids. I get the feeling that neither the fourth wall nor too many bladders are going to make it through this movie intact.
3. Solo: A Star Wars Story (May 25): Despite it’s blockbusting success, The Last Jedi sent legions of long time Star Wars fans racing to their keyboards, frothing at the mouth in outrage and hatred. In their fury, many disillusioned fans proclaimed that TLJ had killed both Star Wars and their childhoods. In defiant retaliation, they began praying that Star Wars: A Solo Story would die a horrible box office death, resulting in the professional demise of every executive involved with the franchise (especially Kathleen Kennedy).
Worse yet, the tonne of high profile baggage this movie seemed was dragging (firing initial directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller halfway through production, severely negative reaction to casting Alden Ehrenreich as a young Han Solo) and the fact that no one had seen any promotional material about Solo convinced many that this was going to be Disney’s first Star Wars strikeout and that The House Of The Mouse was already planning on writing it off. Then came Super Bowl Sunday and our first taste.
I’m hoping Solo is a hit for two reasons; I’m a fan that actually wants to see the Star Wars franchise succeed (an anomaly at this point) and I’d love to see all those “fans” who have been hoping that it crashes and burns eat some tasty crow online. Truth be told, I wouldn’t mind serving some of it to them myself.
2. The Incredibles 2 (June 15): I have loved Pixar’s stuff since the first Toy Story and 2004’s The Incredibles has always been my favourite Pixar entry (in case you hadn’t noticed, I kind of like super heroes). And while franchises like Toy Story and Finding Nemo and Cars got sequels, I (and millions of others) patiently waited to see Mr. Incredible, Elastigirl and the rest of the family gear up for more adventures. So when Pixar announced the Incredibles were finally getting a sequel, I may have squee’d just a little bit.
And I’ve loved everything I’ve seen so far. There’s no reason to believe that Pixar (who kind of know what they’re doing) hasn’t captured the same fun spirit that made me fall in love with the original all those years ago. I may even have picked up a toy or two in anticipation (early Christmas presents, of course).
1. Avengers: Infinity War (April 27): If you didn’t guess Avengers was going to top this list, you clearly haven’t been paying attention. Infinity War not only represents the culmination of a decade of careful panning and storytelling on the part of Marvel and Disney, it also pivots the MCU into the next phase of its existence.
Everyone, and I mean everyone, who has appeared in a Marvel flick over the past ten years has a part in Infinity War. Dozens of heroes will be coming together to battle Thanos and we’re going see team ups, partnerships and quippy exchanges that had only lived in our nerd dreams previous. You have to admire the job Marvel has done keeping so much about this movie so quiet for so long (no small task given how many people are involved). Speculation has been running rampant about who will meet their end, where Hawkeye is and what mystery cameos we can expect (you just know there’ll be at least one or two). When this movie drops, it will be like Christmas in April for movie and comic book fans around the entire world.
Image Disney/Pixar
