A time of crisis...
A hero will rise...
Thaaaaaaat's right! Blockbuster season is a-coming! (Some may say it's already here with the release of such explosive fare as Sucker Punch and the brain-dead Battle: LA) Another year, another slew of Hollywood bombast and noise! 'Tis the season for big screens, big budgets, big EXPLOSIONS and little cinematic nourishment. But hey, there isn't anything wrong with a decent, well-made Hollywood blockbuster. If you've been reading this blog for that long, you can see I don't mind a fun time at the movies.
So, in that spirit here's a quick rundown of the big films that I’m looking forward to this year:
Hopefully not your average comic-book movie, with the superhero protagonist being the Norse God of Thunder and directed by Kenneth Branagh. Some internet commentators have likened the Asgard set to Flash Gordon. To me, that is not a bad thing. The second trailer really helped sell me on this, and I just hope it's as crazy nutso as it is in my mind. Well, I really hope Anthony Hopkins is as crazy nutso as he was in The Wolfman. This will be showing in post-converted 3D and I will (if I can) see it in 2D.
Matthew Vaughn finally gets his hands on a Marvel movie (after previous attempts with X-Men 3 and, funnily enough, a previous version of Thor) and this prequel tale... actually looks kinda cool and interesting. The trailers are really going for the 60s setting, tying the comic-book mythology in with the real-life Cuban missile crisis. They also totally kick ass, which cannot really be said of the posters so far (barring the pretty neat first teaser poster to the right). Absolutely zero design going into them. Which is a shame, because I actually have high hopes for the film: great writers, great director and great cast. Also me = huge X-Men geek.
Warner Bros. are finally doing something with the rest of their DC comics character library. Ryan Reynolds (in his third comic-book adaptation) dons the green for, what I'm hoping, is a literal out-of-this world adventure. I'm still not entirely sold on the vein-y suit (though the decision to make the suit entirely CG makes sense to me) but I have faith that director Martin Campbell can deliver the cosmic goods, especially having just watched the recent four minute trailer. And that's what I'm really wanting with this film: a cosmic superhero. Not only do I want a comic-book superhero flick, I want a sci-fi space adventure.
The final stepping stone in Marvel's planned Avengers super-team plan, Joe Johnston's Captain America looks like it could be a good old fashioned rock 'em sock 'em adventure flick. Much like his previous The Rocketeer I hope. And again, the trailer is a cracker. Sure, some people are going to get uppity about a super-hero named Captain America. Screw 'em. In his first comic-book appearance he punched Hitler in the face. Are you gonna argue with that?! Chris Evans looks to be fitting the patriotic boots nicely and it looks like they'll be pushing the Howling Commandos as an international team of hard-nosed Allied fighters.
And while all these other blockbusters are beginnings of one sort or another, this is an ending. Harry and Voldemort finally face-off against one another. As Connor MacLeod would say "There can be only one" (or as Optimus Prime: "One shall stand. One shall fall" Dum-dum-dum TSSH! You got the touch! You got the powwwwwwwerrrr... YEAH!). The last few Potter films have got better and better, so hopes are high for this franchise closer. This film will be tying a bow on a film phenomenon that will have seen the original cast members (barring Richard Harris sadly) across 8 films, 5 directors and 10 years. It cannot be anything but epic.
And yes, I have noticed that all five of these are franchise films, with four of them being based on comic-books and three of those being Marvel. I make no apologies. I am a huge-ass geek. Also, this is blockbuster season we're talking about here. And these are the movies, the big loud and entertaining movies, that I am most looking forward to over the next few months; the ones that may offer something a little different, or a little bit more interesting. Heck, even the ones that just look downright entertaining.
But what if blockbusters aren't your thing? Or what if you just want a palate cleanser for your cinematic tastebuds? Next up I'll be bringing you some of my picks of alternative viewing for the upcoming season.
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