SUMMER MOVIE PREVIEW, 2024
Summer is usually the best time of year at the movies. At least in terms of big budget action movie popcorn flicks. They say that all of this started with Jaws, the first summer blockbuster. And maybe it did. But I like to trace it back to the summer of 1996, when we got Twister, Mission Impossible, the Rock, and Independence Day, all in one summer. That was the first time the summer movie slate really stood out from what was being released in the other months of the year.
Since then, the summer movie season got sort of a new relaunch with Marvel movies. There would be one dropped in May and one in July, with the May release being at the very beginning of May and generally starting up the movie season. That would be the bigger Marvel movie (your Iron Man 3s or Avengers: Infinity Wars,) and then the rest would unfold afterwards.
Well, now we are living in a time when even Marvel is hurting. Those movies have fallen off the wagon in terms of quality (the last batch including the Marvels and the Eternals have been some of the worst Marvel films yet.) And there hasn’t really been anything new to take its spot. No Star Wars movies or anything else. Marvel has gotten so down on their luck that they are only releasing one new movie this entire year (which is actually a very smart move, since they oversaturated the market with their content, and are now doing the exact opposite, making the audience crave their movies through the laws of supply and demand.)
And that brings us to our preview of the summer movie season and everything it has to offer.
The Fall Guy (May 3rd)
With likable stars and a talented action movie director, (David Leitch) this one has a lot going for it. Leitch has made a bunch of movies that should have been better than they actually were (Bullet Train, Hobbs and Shaw,) but it seems like he’s figuring it out. This movie is better than his usual, with a story that is equal parts mystery (about a kidnapped movie star,) action film, and romance. Our protagonist is a stunt man who has to go find the missing movie star while also trying to rekindle his relationship with the films director. That’s a lot going on all at once. And I’m pleased to say the movie pulls it off. This is probably the best David Leitch film yet.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (May 10th)
There have been a lot of Apes movies at this point. Forgetting the original series and the Tim Burton – Mark Wahlberg film, there was the trilogy of the past decade that starred Andy Serkis as Caesar. And those three movies were all pretty solid. So this new movie has a lot to measure up to, and needs to find a way to be creative and original in a market that is already filled with content. Luckily, it knows that, and it has a plan. This one isn’t about Caesar or Caesar’s kids or anything like that. It is set way in the future of that last series, and is about Caesar’s legacy and how his words of wisdom are being twisted and used in the wrong way, by its villains. It’s a pretty cool premise, and it makes for a very good film.
If (May 17th)
John Krasinki’s next directing effort is about imaginary friends who are all kinds of cute, fun CGI creatures and creations living in the real world. The premise, about how they are in trouble because they are being forgotten, is kind of cool. The movie itself is just okay. That’s because all of the world building leaves just as many questions left unanswered as it helps us to actually figure out. The story is a bit dramatic and a definite tear jerker, but overall it is an enjoyable experience.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (May 24th)
This one looks good. George Miller, the original series’ director is back at it again, and nobody can do it better. What he did with Mad Max: Fury Road was sensational. If he comes anywhere close with this film (real stunts, a fantastic look, and a cool enough story,) then it should be a blast.
Bad boys 4 (June 7th)
Here’s a movie that probably shouldn’t have been made. The first movie was great. The second was okay. By the time the third one rolled around, it was out of steam. And now a fourth? Why? Because Will Smith needs work I suppose after his infamous slap heard round the world. Even the Joe Pataliono character is dead at this point (although the trailers show that the movie found a way to bring him back through tapes he recorded before being killed.) It seems like one cliche after another, which should come as no surprise for a series that should have been over and done with quite a while ago.
Inside Out 2 (June 14th)
Look, Pixar usually makes good movies, but it’s their original content that tends to be a lot more exciting than their sequels. On top of that, the original Inside Out wasn’t all that great. It was good and creative, but it also didn’t have that exciting adventure thing that we crave from Pixar films. It was a little too realistic (as far as the kid story,) and a little too deep (as far as the feelings story.) So it goes without saying that I’m not thrilled about this sequel, but who knows? Maybe it will be the rare case where the sequel is better than the original.
The Bike Riders (June 21st)
Here is a movie about bike riders and their lives, starring the likable actors Tom Hardy and Austin Butler. The problem is, other than knowing that these bros hang out together and ride bikes, we really don’t know much about this movie. There’s no angle that looks intriguing about it. Instead, this looks like every other movie about tough guy bikers like Biker Boyz, the Derek Luke / Lawrence Fishbourne movie from about twenty years ago. And look, there was that Ron Perlman show Sons of Anarchy, that did really well, but that’s where this kind of content belongs… on the small screen. With movie theaters, you really need to give the audience a reason to go. This one doesn’t seem to be doing that.
A Quiet Place: Day 1, (June 28th)
As much as I liked the first movie, with this one, they are clearly out of ideas. I say that because the concept is “how did this all start,” and “what was it like on day 1?” Only they already showed us that. In the last movie. The last movie, A Quiet Place 2, went back in time to show us day 1 just so they could include the John Krasinsky character who was so beloved in the first movie. And rightly so. These are Krasinsky’s babies (he wrote and directed those first two movies,) and it’s nice to actually see him on screen as a part of them. The problem is, now that they’ve already done day 1, they can’t really do it again. Or can they? Calling the movie this title is like them hoping we forget that we’ve already seen day 1. And then there’s the fact that our family and all the characters we know and love from the series will not be in this movie. It very much feels like what the Kingsmen series did, making two great movies and then instead of making a third, turning out a prequel with none of the same returning characters. Why? None of it makes any sense.
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (July 3rd)
Believe it or not, I’m actually looking forward to this one. That is most definitely influenced by the fact that there is so little to chose from this summer. For black action comedy cop movies, it’s either this or Bad Boys 4, and between those two options, I’ll take Eddie Murphy reprising his classic character any day. Granted the title is lousy and the last movie was awful (set in a theme park of all places,) but the fact that it is being released on Netflix actually helps temper audience expectations. It doesn’t have to be great, like something that plays in theaters does, to offset how much audiences are paying to see it in theaters. This one just has to be alright, with a few good jokes in there.
Twisters (July 19th)
The smash hit movie Twister was in 1996. I was literally talking about it, and other movies from that summer, at the start of this article. But 1996 is a long time ago. In fact it is nearly thirty years ago. Why in the world did it take this long, considering the movie did so well? And even more important, why is Helen Hunt not back. Hunt tried to get a sequel to her smash hit greenlit for decades. Now they finally got it together, and she’s nowhere to be found (I’m guessing she cameos or Easter eggs in at the end, setting up a potential third movie that would festure both she and Glen Powell, the hero of this film, working together. And if that’s true, it’s kind of cool that they’re saving it for a surprise. But it could also be completely wrong, and this movie might have not connection to the original film, which is what they are making it look like. Huge mistake.
Deadpool and Wolverine (July 26th)
And finally, at the very end of July, we get the most highly anticipated movie of them all. The only Marvel movie being released the entire year. Why this date, instead of the early May time slot that had proven time and again to work so well for Marvel, I have no idea. But here it is, as the last interesting looking movie of the summer season, we get what will probably be the best… Deadpool 3. Now Deadpool 2 wasn’t great. So why does this one look so good. There’s the obvious and then there’s the going deeper. The obvious is that it features Wolverine and Deadpool together, Wolvie played by the only actor who has ever played him, Mr. Hugh Jackman, and done so to perfection. But going deeper, this is Deadpool’s entry into the MCU. In fact, it is the first time Fox heroes are in the MCU, and as such it will also feature a ton of X-Men or references to X-Men. In fact, the movie will supposedly feature all kinds of Fox Universe heroes reprised by the actors who played them, such as Ben Affleck’s Daredevil and Jennifer Garner’s Elektra. I would guess we will see a bunch of X-Men here, with this being the final farewell to those characters played by those actors. It is bound to be cool.