Traditionally spanning from Memorial Day to Labor Day, the summer movie season has begun moving earlier and earlier over the past decade and now
May is usually just as jam packed with tent-poles and huge budgets as July. This year is no exception. In fact, this year is...kind of insane. So packed, I'm not sure many films will have a chance to grow beyond their opening weekend or how your average movie goer will be able to afford to see that many damn movies. But which 11 will end up being the ones movie fans actually head out to in droves? Here are the most anticipated movies of summer 2011.
Honorable (April) Mention
It doesn't technically come out in the summertime, but every single specimen of the male gender I speak to is massively anticipating the April 29th release of Fast Five, so it will receive an honorable mention on this list. I've never seen a Fast and the Furious movie and don't really have any interest in ever starting. I'm sure the stunts are awesome, and in general I do love a good action movie, but they have just never ever piqued my interest. Still, it will make all of the moneys. Another honorable mention goes to Werner Herzog's Cave of Forgotten Dreams, which opens on the same day and is highly anticipated by me personally.
11. Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark (August 12th)
A young girl moves in with her father and his girlfriend and discovers they are sharing the house with devilish creatures.This film is only so low on this list because as of right now, it's only highly anticipated by the fan crowd, but I believe the excitement will only grow and grow in the months ahead. Is it possible that the scariest movie of year and Katie Holmes' comeback film are one in the same? With Guillermo Del Toro at the helm, it's very possible.
My Anticipation Level: Opening Weekend
10. Friends With Benefits (July 22nd)
A headhunter recruits a magazine editor and since each is too busy to find a mate, they agree to sleep together with no strings attached. Things get complicated when the guy falls for the girl, who's dating someone else.It does feel kind of awkward throwing a little romantic comedy on a list containing almost all genre pictures, but Will Gluck impressed many with Easy A last year, great word of mouth landing the film a perfectly lovely slot in teen comedy history. This time he is applying his skills to a movie starring current It Girl, the stunning and talented Mila Kunis. I don't love Justin Timberlake but the Gluck/Kunis combo outweigh any Timberlake fatigue I might be experiencing and may actually add to the must-see factor for some, after his "look, I can act!" turn in The Social Network.
My Anticipation Level: Opening Week
9. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (May 20th)
Jack Sparrow and Barbossa embark on a quest to find the elusive fountain of youth, only to discover that Blackbeard and his daughter are after it too.The fourth installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean series is highly anticipated because of the apparent return to form, barely there in the second and utterly missing from the third. Sometimes we all forget how much we loved the first film and if this movie can even touch it, we're in store for an incredibly fun summer popcorn flick. Which is totally acceptable. As long as this movie isn't a piece of boring shlock, it'll be a step up.
My Anticipation Level: Second Week
8. Super 8 (June 8th)
No summary for you! I won't be responsible for letting you know a damn thing about this movie.
Everyone loves a Bad Robot picture. Or at least I do. Even Morning Glory. The anticipation here stems from the fact that the film is shrouded in mystery, as is Bad Robot's MO. Yes, there is a new trailer out and yes, some members of the press got a peak at some footage, but Bad Robot makes it extremely easy for those of us who want to stay in the dark to get to do just that. I still only know maybe one or two things about Super 8 and that's the way I like it. Can't. Wait.
My Anticipation Level: Opening Weekend
More after the jump!
7. The Hangover II (May 26th)
Phil, Stu, Alan and Doug travel to Bangkok for Stu's wedding.The Hangover was such a pleasant surprise, I'm very curious to see how the sequel will play. Part of the reason the first film was so successful was that no one was really expecting it to be as hilarious and mad-cap as it was. Word of mouth was huge and turned the comedy into a massive success. With the sequel, expectations are extremely high, so whether or not it can recapture the magic this group conjured a couple summers ago is the big question - the just released trailer rang a little bit too "Been there, done that", so I'm skeptical. I keep struggling with whether or not this movie is actually anticipated, but just because I'll forget about it until I actually see it doesn't mean the rest of the country will.
My Anticipation Level: Second week
6. Cowboys and Aliens (July 29th)
A spaceship arrives in Arizona, 1873, to take over the Earth, starting with the Wild West region. A posse of cowboys are all that stand in their way.The footage at Comic-Con unexpectedly shot Cowboys and Aliens up to a permanent spot on this list and and the fantastic footage shown at Wondercon has pushed it almost to the top five. Stellar cast plus aliens plus Western equals NOW PLEASE. The timing is pretty right on too, as Westerns have sort of come back in style, with things like Red Dead Redemption being the best video game ever in ever and Community's finale allegedly having a whole portion dedicated to Sergio Leone.
My Anticipation Level: Opening Day
5. Thor (May 7th)
The powerful but arrogant warrior Thor is cast out of the fantastic realm of Asgard and sent to live amongst humans on Earth, where he soon becomes one of their finest defenders.This is a tough one, because it's being anticipated so strongly for perhaps the wrong reasons, the most prevalent question being "Will this be a train wreck?" Especially in light of the fact that the Geek market is being seemingly ignored, it feels to me as if someone at the studio saw the film and ran away screaming, calling it a lost cause. Why is not a bigger deal being made of the fact that Natalie Portman, now an Oscar winner, is the female lead? Why is there no real presence anywhere geek-friendly? The trailer is awesome, so what exactly is going on here? Still, I have hope. Positive reaction to the footage at CinemaCon (formally Showest aka not directed towards the fan market) paired with inside sources saying Thor is MUCH better than we are expecting at this moment in time, has bumped it up on this list into the top five.
My Anticipation Level: Opening Weekend
4. X-Men: First Class (June 3rd)
In 1963, Charles Xavier starts up a school and later a team, for humans with superhuman abilities. Among them is Erik Lensherr, his best friend... and future archenemy.
I'm personally a little annoyed that a comic book movie with a cast that includes James McAvoy AND Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult and more people I adore, hasn't made a single appearance at a single convention. It makes me wonder if the film has something to hide and starts making me paranoid. But then I have to remind myself that Matthew Vaughn may feel burned by the fans after Kick Ass, perhaps not realizing that they were the ones who *did* go to see it, loved it and supported it. Regardless of that frustration, I'm still extremely excited for this movie, as I think we all are, whether that excitement is directed towards seeing a new X-Men movie or just seeing these great actors get to play badass dress up. If we didn't care, we wouldn't react so strongly every time an image is released or have exploded with such effervescent nerdgasms when we saw the first trailer. So. In.My Anticipation Level: Opening Day
3. Captain America: The First Avenger (July 22)
After being deemed unfit for military service, Steve Rogers volunteers for a top secret research project that turns him into Captain America, a superhero dedicated to defending America's ideals.On the heels of the new trailer, the pre-release thoughts on Cap went from "highly concerned" to "eff yeah", pretty much overnight. Questions about the believably of tiny Chris Evans remain, but are so far entirely overshadowed by the fact that everything else looks spot on. The film opens during Comic-Con, which will be interesting for the 125,000 fans who ALL will want to see it at midnight/opening weekend.
My Anticipation Level: Opening Day. BUT HOW?! Screening? Please? Anyone? Hi, my name is Loquacious Muse and I'd like to see this movie before Comic-Con. K, bye!
2. Green Lantern (June 17th)
A test pilot is granted a mystical green ring that bestows him with otherworldly powers, as well as membership into an intergalactic squadron tasked with keeping peace within the universe.It's the first major superhero release since the new WB/DC team was formulated, directed by Martin Campbell and starring Ryan Reynolds, so it should be incredible. There were mumbles of negativity regarding issues like the CGI costume and Blake Lively, but after a stellar showing at Wondercon, where the fans were treated to nine minutes of footage (four of which went online the next day) and the charm of Reynolds, Lively and Geoff Johns on stage together, positivity has taken over and the anticipation level has gone through the roof. The Green Lantern light up rings were the most coveted giveaway of the entire convention and die-hard fans of the comic took to Twitter en masse to reassure everyone that this movie may end up being right on the money.
My Anticipation Level: Opening Day
1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two (July 15th)
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
That should be all the explanation that is required. But to clarify why this is above Cap - it's Harry effing Potter. The LAST Harry effing Potter movie. It will be the biggest movie of the summer because everyone wants to see it and I will see it at least 13679 times. In theaters. At the Arclight. Thems tickets expensive.
My Anticipation Level: MIDNIGHT
So there you have it. I may have left off a few other high profile releases, but I don't believe many of them belong on this list, either because they aren't hugely anticipated or because I refuse. But here's a rundown of the other big Summer titles.
Other May offerings:
Something Borrowed (May 7th. One of MY most anticipated films of the summer.)
Bridesmaids (May 13th. In a strange buzz-land right now coming out of SXSW. It's mostly funny, but also way too long. Time will tell whether a big screen is necessary for this one.)
Priest (May 13th. Shot in 3D and the footage shown at Comic-Con last summer was awesome. A lot will ride on reviews)
Midnight in Paris (May 20th. Woody Allen. Owen Wilson. Rachel McAdams. Intrigued.)
The Beaver (May 20th. Mel Gibson. This almost made the list for that reason alone)
Kung Fu Panda 2 (May 26th. First one was cute. Not a rush out and see it kind of sequel for me. Is it for anyone?)
Other June Offerings:
Beginners (June 3rd)
Mr Popper's Penguins (June 17th)
Cars 2 (June 24th. I can't say I really care.)
Other July offerings:
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (July 1st. No. Is all I have to say. NO! I will never forgive you after ROTF)
Larry Crowne (July 1st. Welcome back, Tom Hanks.)
One Day (July 8th. Cool sounding love story starring Anne Hathway and Jim Sturgess. Can you tell by now I likes me some love stories?)
Winne The Pooh (July 15th. Literally had no idea this was a movie coming out)
Crazy Stupid Love (July 29th. Carrell, Gosling, Stone, Moore, Tomei, screenwriter wrote Tangled. Trailer: Awesome. In.)
Smurfs (July 29th. This movie confuses me. CGI Smurgs are a no, but the cast is awesome.)
Other August offerings:
Rise of the Apes (Aug 5th. A. James Franco and B. Huh? Curious if the film can build enough momentum by the weekend after Comic-Con to make a dent)
The Change Up (Aug 5th. Speculative Fiction comedy with Reynolds, Bateman, Mann, Wilde!)
30 Minutes or Less (Aug 12th. Jesse Eisenberg in a comedy. Looking forward to it.)
Fright Night (Aug 19th. Vampires! Marti Noxon! David Tennant!)
Conan (Aug 19th. No real interest.)
Our Idiot Brother (Aug 26th. Paul Rudd, great reviews, yes.)
Final Destination 5 (Aug 26th. Apparently people are seeing these. Cause they keep making them.)
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