Summer Movie Preview 2017

The summer of 2016 had many big hits at the box office. Now, the upcoming summer movie season this year looks to have another big wave of new films and continuing hits vying to be the next billion-dollar hit. In this preview, many of these will be highlighted. Some look to be spectacular, others look decidedly less impressive, while more still are up in the air.

Picks:

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (May 5)

Courtesy: Marvel

The sequel to the original surprise hit of summer 2014, this follow up by director James Gunn is expected to open to double the numbers the original did. With a story that’s vital to the plot of “Avengers: Infinity War” in 2018, it looks to be another stellar entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Alien: Covenant (May 19)

Courtesy: 20th Century Fox

This latest entry in the long-running “Alien” franchise, is the third film in the series to be directed by Ridley Scott after the original 1979 film and the 2012 prequel “Prometheus.” With a host of frightening imagery and freaky visuals, the film should greatly expand on the mythology of the revered science fiction series and thrill both existing and new fans when it opens.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (May 26)

Courtesy: Walt Disney Pictures/Jerry Bruckheimer Productions

Despite the previous “Pirates of the Caribbean” sequels meeting with mixed reception among critics and fans, they made massive amounts of money at the box office. This film seems closer in tone to the original “Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl,” and sees Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) clashing with an old adversary known as Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem) as he tries to track down an ancient artifact that will grant him control of the seas. With

a record $320 million budget behind the film, the latest entry in this adaptation of the Disneyland ride looks to be the most thrilling “Pirates of the Caribbean” yet.

Wonder Woman (June 2)

Courtesy: Warner Bros. Pictures/DC Comics

Even amid highly polarizing critical reception, the films in the DC Extended Universe have made huge amounts of money. This adaptation of the revered DC Comics superheroine should easily build on the success of her portrayal in last year’s “Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice.” If all else fails, it’s hard to imagine the film being worse than the infamous live-action “Catwoman.”

Despicable Me 3 (June 30)

Courtesy: Illumination Entertainment

Seven years have passed since the first “Despicable Me” was released in theaters. Since then, Illumination Entertainment has emerged as an animation studio that is an up-and-coming rival to the likes of Disney and Pixar. In this third entry in the “Despicable Me” series, the film will see Gru (voice of Steve Carell) team with his estranged brother Dru (also voiced by Steve Carell) to combat 1980s-styled supervillain Balthazar Bratt (voice of “South Park” co-creator Trey Parker). With lots of colorful animation and humor that can appeal to both children and adults alike, the film could easily add to the growing successes of the house that the Minions built.

Spider-Man Homecoming (July 7)

Courtesy: Marvel/Sony

Following the massive success of last year’s “Captain America: Civil War,” this film will mark the official entry of Spider-Man into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film will follow Peter Parker (Tom Holland) as he tries to balance the pressures of high school life with the responsibility of being Spider-Man. On top of that, he clashes with supervillains such as the Vulture (Michael Keaton) and tries to win the heart of Mary Jane Watson (Zendaya). With the direction of Tom Watts and a supporting role from Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, the film should easily be a welcome new take on the wall-crawler after the disappointing reception to “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” in 2014.

War for the Planet of the Apes (July 14)

Courtesy: 20th Century Fox

This film will follow up on the massive critical and commercial success of “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” in 2011 and “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” in 2014. After the events of the latter film, the chimpanzee Caesar (Andy Serkis) will lead the apes into battle against the remnants of humanity; led by a vicious colonel played by Woody Harrelson. Featuring insightful social commentary that was a key part of the original films from the 1960s and highly realistic effects from WETA Digital (“Avatar,” “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy), director Matt Reeves should definitely deliver a satisfying conclusion to this new take on the revered science fiction saga.

Dunkirk (July 21)

Courtesy: Warner Bros. Pictures/Syncopy

Since the breakout hit of the film “Memento,” director Christopher Nolan has been able to make a myriad of great films in a wide range of genres. With this film, he will deliver a retelling of “Operation Dynamo” during World War II. Featuring frequent collaborating actors such as Cilian Murphy and Tom Hardy as well as acclaimed figures such as Mark Rylance and Kenneth Branagh, Nolan’s talents as a filmmaker should easily grant the conflict the scope and scale it demands.

Detroit (August 4)

Courtesy: Annapurna

In light of many challenges we are facing in the present, a good way to gain perspective on them is to examine how similar ones played out in the past. This film from director Kathryn Bigelow (“The Hurt Locker,” “Zero Dark Thirty”) is a historical drama about the Detroit riots of 1967. Featuring a compelling story set in a turbulent time and a cast that features promising young actors such as John Boyega and Anthony Mackie, the film will be a great way to look at the parallels of the issues we face now from the perspective of the past.

Toss-Ups

The Mummy (June 9)

Courtesy: Universal Pictures

The latest re-imagining of the Universal Horror character of the same name, the film will be taking different route from the campy version with Brendan Fraser as the lead and will instead be going a darker route with Tom Cruise in the lead role. While this could open up a new way of looking at this series, it is also the second attempt to create a shared “cinematic universe” around the Universal Horror franchise after the critical and commercial failure of “Dracula Untold.” Many fans are also skeptical of the darker and edgier take on a franchise that has often been associated with lighthearted cheesiness. Still, the prospect still makes it a film to keep an eye on.

Cars 3 (June 16)

Courtesy: Walt Disney Pictures/Pixar Animation Studios

Even though the first “Cars” film had a decent reception in 2006, its sequel in 2011 became the first and so far only Pixar film to be roundly panned by critics (39% rating on Rotten Tomatoes) and remains highly polarizing among fans of the studio. In this film, Lightning McQueen (voice of Owen Wilson) must reclaim his title after he begins losing steam to a new generation of race cars. The first teaser also depicts a presumably darker story, showing a shockingly brutal crash and a more realistic color palette. Regardless of how well it’s received, it should still do fairly well at the box office as well as sell a large amount of model car tie-ins.

Transformers: The Last Knight (June 23)

Courtesy: Paramount Pictures/Hasbro

The latest film in the live-action adaptation of Hasbro’s “Transformers” cartoons and action figures sees not only the return of previous actors such as Josh Duhamel and John Tuturro alongside Mark Wahlberg, but also newcomers both human and machine alike. While the series’ critical response has been synonymous with summer movie fluff for 10 years; they have made billions of dollars at the box office and in toy sales alike. As Optimus Prime (voice of Peter Cullen) looks for his creator and clashes with a reborn Megatron (voice of James Spader), Hasbro potentially wants to make this film one of 14 future sequels as well as their own equivalent to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (including a crossover with the “GI Joe” series), even with Michael Bay wanting to leave the series after this film. Even if the story may pale in comparison to a typical Marvel Studios film, it should prove a harmless enough diversion and vessel for youth and nerd product positioning all the same.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (July 21)

Courtesy: STX/Europacorp

Director Luc Besson will direct this adaptation of the landmark graphic novel of the same name. Featuring a host of eye-popping special effects and young leads Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevinge, it looks to be another promising science fiction film a year full of them. The question is, given the rocky track record of distributors STX/Europacorp, a massive budget of $220 million (the same amount as Marvel’s “The Avengers”) and how the IP is not the most well-known among the public; how will the film perform? Will it be a surprise hit that becomes the next “Star Wars” or the latest misfire after “John Carter?” Only time will tell.

Atomic Blonde (July 28)

Courtesy: Focus Features

Fresh off the successes of "Mad Max: Fury Road" and "The Fate of the Furious," this Cold War-era thriller should be another great role for Charlize Theron. While it remains to be seen how the film will do against a myriad of competition, the value of the female movie dollar is the strongest it has been in years. The film could be a big surprise hit among a potentially-record breaking summer.

Passes

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (May 12)

Courtesy: Warner Bros. Pictures

Guy Ritchie offers his take on the legend of King Arthur, which is one of many film adaptations of the basis for many fictional mythologies. However, the film seems to be a mess of Ritchie’s previous filmography and an attempt to apply the model of “300” to the Arthurian legend. Opening in between “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” and “Alien: Covenant,” this $175 million fantasy-action film seems to be an afterthought to Warner Bros., after the company has shifted its primary focus to the DC Extended Universe, Lego and “Harry Potter” series and should be treated like one in return.
Update: This film has opened at a dismal $15.3 million, losing out to the second weekend of "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" at $65.3 million and the Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn comedy "Snatched" at $19.5 million. The film now currently stands to lose at least $100-$150 million and should cause Warner Bros. to focus their energy further on Lego, Harry Potter and the DC Extended Universe. The film was originally intended to be the first of six planned installments, which now seems highly unlikely in light of this failure.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul (May 19)

Courtesy: 20th Century Fox

An adaptation of the children’s book of the same name by Jeff Kinney, this fourth go-round of the film series sees Greg Heffley go through a series of misadventures during a family road trip. However, many critics and fans of the series have reacted negatively to the new cast and gags that seem be retreads of better comedies such as “National Lampoon’s Vacation.” In the face of the online advertising being flooded with dislikes on Fox’s YouTube channel, the studio has largely downplayed the film in favor of “Alien: Covenant” the same day. You can do worse for family films, but you can also do far better.
Update: The film has been a critical and commercial disappointment with even the modest expectations that it had set for it. It has opened at #6 at the box office, making just $7.1 million against a $22 million budget; and has received largely negative reviews, earning 19% on Rotten Tomatoes. While the film was originally intended as a soft reboot, it seems unlikely that the film will be able to rise much higher with competition incoming. The film has been widely lambasted as the cinematic equivalent of a flat tire, paling in comparison to better comedies such as "National Lampoon's Vacation."

Captain Underpants (June 2)

Courtesy: Dreamworks Animation Studios

Last, and definitely least is this animated adaptation the children’s book series of the same name by Dav Pilkey. While it may have served to be an acceptable film if came out when the books were at their peak in popularity, in an age where Dreamworks has broken their usual mold with the “Kung Fu Panda” and “How to Train Your Dragon” films; it lacks a lot of the narrative depth that its superhero film competitors are being lauded for (the film opens the same day as “Wonder Woman”). In an age after “Zootopia” and “The Lego Batman Movie,” a movie like “Captain Underpants” just doesn’t have the same appeal as it would in the age of the first two “Shrek” films. If you’re looking for a Dreamworks film that has a funny and action-packed take on the superhero genre, just rewatch “Megamind.”
Update: The film has opened below expectations, taking in just $23.8 million and ranking second behind "Wonder Woman" at $103.2 million. While Dreamworks will save some face as the film was budgeted at a modest $38 million, the studio has been effectively caught with their pants down amid competition from both DC and Marvel. Even though the film was marketed as the title character's "First Epic Movie," depending on how it does, it may very be his only one.

Even with the state the world is in, this summer should have plenty of films to get into. If you’re still unsure about the slate of films coming up, just repeat to yourself, “it’s just a show, I should really just relax!”