With the Avengers: Age of Ultron landing in theaters next week, the summer blockbuster season will officially begin. Followed by a plethora of action movies, sequels, comedies, and animated films, the silver screen will be shining brightly all summer.
With so much anticipation aimed at the Avengers sequel, not much can be said about the film that hasn’t already been said. Expected to be the biggest release of the year-depending on how Star Wars does-comic fans and movie fans alike only have one more week of waiting until it hits theaters. Chris Evans, known for playing Captain America, recently described his experience being featured in such an iconic role.
“This movie is just fun. It’s like summer camp or something. There’s still a responsibility and everyone is still wildly committed and professional about it but there is something about it just kind of like we’re in this together, we’re all locking in arms, you know, and we’re all team. In sync. It feels a lot safer in a way,” Evans said.
The Avengers will be accompanied by two more superhero films. The first, Ant-Man will feature Paul Rudd as the titular hero able to shrink to incredibly small sizes. The film releases July 17, and will be the last Marvel film to take place during phase two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The second will reboot Marvel’s original group of superheroes, the Fantastic Four. Starring Mile Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan, and Jamie Bell as the four heroes.
Two other films this summer will reboot existing franchises. Terminator Genisys plans to act as a sequel to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s original Terminator. He will be joined along with Emilia Clark, Matt Smith, and J.K. Simmons. The film is set to be out July 1. Secondly, after a fourteen years, Jurassic World will bring the living dinosaurs amongst humans. Taking place twenty two years after the original film, Jurassic World will set Chris Pratt against a genetically modified hybrid dinosaur. As a big fan of the original series, Pratt was happy to share his excitement about the direction Colin Trevorrow plans to bring the series.
“He’s got a great vision for the movie… It’s awesome that Steven Spielberg is taking a chance on this guy because he’s got a really clear vision. I sat down with him and it was kind of like with me and James Gunn, we just kind of started getting excited about this,” Pratt said.
Next to the Avengers, hitting theaters; Magic Mike XXL and Pitch Perfect 2. After the incredibly successful first film, Magic Mike XXL, with Channing Tatum and his fellow male strippers take a road trip for a stripping convention. The film is scheduled for July 1. Set to be released on May 15, Pitch Perfect 2 will see the A Capella group, the Barden Bellas, entering a worldwide competition. More determined than ever, the rag-tag crew will see the return of Becca, Fat Amy, and other favorites. Director Elizabeth Banks, who served as one of the announcers in the previous film and Effie Trinket in the Hunger Games, shared a little bit of what will occur in the film.
“The girls are now graduating seniors, they are coming to the end of their times as Bellas and figuring out how to sort of leave the next and the comfort of each other’s friendship and figure out what they’re going to do with the rest of their lives,” Banks said.
Along with Pitch Perfect 2, is a slew of other promising comedy films throughout the summer. On June 5, Spy, presents Melissa McCarthy who plays a desk-bound CIA analyst that has to go undercover. Directed by the director of Bridesmaids, the film will also star Jude Law, Jason Statham, Rose Bryne, and Allison Janney. Based on early reviews, many critics believe this is McCarthy’s best role to date.
Presenting the comedian Amy Schumer with her first lead role, Trainwreck is the next Judd Apatow film to hit theaters. Previously having directed The 40-Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up in addition to producing Superbad and HBO’s Girls, Trainwreck follows a girl named Amy who is afraid of commitment. Also starring Bill Hader, LeBron James, Tilda Swinton, Vanessa Bayer, and featuring plenty of celebrity cameos, the film has been receiving incredibly positive early reviews.
The crude-yet-lovable talking teddy bear and Mark Wahlberg will also be back on screen in Ted 2, coming out June 26. In Pixels, when earth is invaded by the likes of Pac-Man and other classic arcade characters, a team of retrogamers must defeat the aliens using gaming techniques. Starring Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Josh Gad, Peter Dinklage, and Michelle Monaghan, the film will be coming to theaters on Juy 24. Lastly Masterminds featuring Zach Galifianakis, Kristen Wiig, Owen Wilson, and Jason Sudeikis, will be a heist comedy film depicting a true life robbery. The film will depict one of the biggest robberies of all time, where a group of people got away with a robbery of $17.3 million in cash.
As for the kids, two computer animated films are looking to bring in the money this summer. Pixar’s latest film, Inside Out will be hitting theaters on June 19. The film will depict the mind of a young girl and her five emotions. Everyone’s favorite yellow creatures, Minions will be having their own spin off movie on July 10. Based on the popular Despicable Me series, the Minions must face off against a supervillian couple played by Sandra Bullock and Jon Hamm.
Presented with an incredible array of films, not even including the likes of Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, Tomorrowland, and Mad Max: Fury Road, Gusties will have a lot of decisions to make this summer break.
-Dan Vruno