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SALT LAKE CITY — As the summer drifts lazily into July, you'll probably be wondering what's left now that "Man of Steel" and "Iron Man 3" are behind us. That's where part 2 of the summer movie guide comes in. Sure, May and June had some heavy hitters, but summer's not looking to end with a wimper. Here's a list of what you can expect for July and August of 2013.
Despicable Me 2 (July 3)
As far as unnecessary sequels go, “Despicable Me 2” looks like it has some potential. Playing the spy-v-spy card, the film turns super-villain Gru (Steve Carell) into an agent for the Anti-Villain League. Following the now established movie logic that it takes a villain to find a villain, Gru must thwart bad guy Eduardo, which will in turn, according to the trailers, save the world.
Perhaps the most interesting fact coming from development is the news that Al Pacino recently left the project over creative differences. He was set to play the film’s antagonist, a role Javier Bardem originally passed on, but now Benjamin Bratt will be stepping in to complete the process.
The Lone Ranger (July 3)
#poll
Marvel aside, Disney has been struggling in the live-action arena. “Prince of Persia,” “Tron Legacy” and “John Carter” were all financial disappointments, and other offerings like “Alice in Wonderland” and “Oz the Great and Powerful” weren’t well received by critics. So it’s no wonder that halfway through production, Disney pulled the plug on “Lone Ranger” due to money concerns.
A few discussions and budget cuts later, and we have Johnny Depp and Gore Verbinski’s “Lone Ranger” going head-to-head with “Despicable Me 2” for mid-summer ticket sales.
The trailers for this thing look gorgeous, thanks in large part to Utah’s beautiful backdrop, but Disney’s success here will probably come down to Armie Hammer’s portrayal of John Reid, and masked vigilante, the Lone Ranger.
The Way, Way Back (July 5)
It’s pretty cliche to say that a movie could be the “Little Miss Sunshine” of whatever year you happen to be in, but that’s definitely the vibe “The Way, Way Back” is putting out there. As a Sam Rockewell fan, I can’t imagine not checking this out at some point, but it will be interesting to see if the little film can find an audience in the season of studio tentpoles.
Pacific Rim (July 11)
I’ve been trying to get excited about this film since finding out Guillermo del Toro of “Pan’s Labyrinth” and “HellBoy” fame was set to direct. Unfortunately, nothing about the trailers, giant robots or Godzilla-type monsters are suggesting this was a good rebound project after del Toro’s now famous breakup with “The Hobbit.”
Sure, it’s cool to see giant robots thrown across city freeways, but it would have been a lot cooler before the terrible “Transformers” films, or really, any summer tentpole released in the last 10 years. I’d love to be proven wrong on this, but I’m guessing this is set to be the summer flop of 2013.
Turbo (July 19)
“Turbo” is yet another 2013 family offering, and back-to-back animated project pairing Ryan Reynolds with DreamWorks Animation. The premise? A snail would like to race in the Indy 500. Is that crazy? Sure, but I thought the rat-wants-to-be-a-chef plot seemed a little far-fetched for Pixar’s “Ratatouille,” and that ended up being one of Pixar’s most beautiful films.
I’m fairly confident “Turbo” isn’t on track to be the next “Ratatouille,” but I’m willing to give it a go. At the very least, I’m willing to take my kids to an air conditioned theater in the middle of July, and if this is playing, why not?
The Wolverine (July 26)
“The Wolverine” follows yet another adventure of “X-Men” favorite, Logan (Hugh Jackman), as he wanders the Earth cursed with immortality. This time in Japan, Logan is provided the opportunity to give up his healing ways and live life as a mortal, where — like all mortals — he fights ninjas and meets up with other supernatural types with cool names like The Silver Samurai.
Personally, I think it’s about time Jackman let this role go, as the trailers for this movie don’t look any better than the lackluster “X-Men Origins: Wolverine.” But there are definitely fans out there, and if they’re in it for another few Jackman adventures, then I’ll keep hoping there’s an “X2” somewhere in the near future that will make me regret ever wishing he moved on.
Disney’s Planes (August 9)
It’s beginning to get a bit silly differentiating Disney and Pixar. Disney purchased Pixar in 2006 and has since placed John Lasseter, original lead-animator of Pixar, as chief creative officer for both Pixar and Disney. So, I’m not sure why “Planes” needs to be a Disney film when the “Cars” universe it’s based on is obviously Pixar’s, and also one of the projects Lasseter was most passionate about — or at least vocal.
Regardless, in the same universe as Lightning McQueen, Doc Hudson and the ghost light-fearing Mater, there is a crop-dusting plane named Dusty who dreams of being a high-flying racer, despite his ever present fear of heights. Introducing an all new cast of characters, “Planes” looks to be a lot of fun and is set to take off just as summer is on its way out.
Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (August 16)
I think most people are a little surprised to see another Percy Jackson film being released, since neither audiences nor critics were all that wild about “Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief.” However, Fox has brought the original cast back together for another go with book 2 of the series, “The Sea of Monsters.”
Nothing about the marketing for this second film appears to upgrade the original, and not being familiar with the books, I have no idea if the story is more beloved or engaging or promises a more compelling adventure. I do, however, think Logan Lerman has a great deal of potential and I’d love to see this succeed for his sake. Also, after “Serenity” and “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog,” I’ll always be pulling for Nathan Fillion as well.
Travis has been writing tech and film reviews for Deseret News and KSL.com since 2010, and continues to contribute coverage for the film festivals and other live events here in Utah. You can contact Travis at TSPoppleton@gmail.com.
