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SALT LAKE CITY — The 2013 summer movie season is filled with everything from superheroes and black-and-white television to literary classics and unlikely scenarios about the end of the world.
Keeping with the spirit of summer movies, KSL.com is breaking this summer movie guide, which could reasonably be fit in one article, into two articles — with the promise that next week’s sequel will absolutely blow you away. This article, however, will create a great lead-in by covering upcoming movies for May and June.
Iron Man 3 (May 3)
The buzz surrounding “Iron Man 3” is pretty amazing, considering how often the third title in a superhero franchise means disappointment — “Superman III,” Spider-Man 3,” “X-Men 3,” “The Dark Knight Rises,” “Batman Forever” and “Blade Trinity” — to name a few.
However, holding on to an impressive 90 percent at rottentomatoes.com, critics aren’t shy about calling “Iron Man 3” the best “Iron Man” yet, and as far as getting the summer movie ball rolling, this is excellent news. Here’s hoping Marvel’s phase 2 is as enjoyable a ride as phase 1 has been.
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The Great Gatsby (May 10)
There’s no getting around the fact that “The Great Gatsby” is a Baz Luhrmann film. You may love the story; you may love the cast; but if movies like “Moulin Rouge!” and “Rome + Juliet” are too much for you, “Gatsby” is going to be a tough sell.
Personally, the marketing for this has left me indifferent, which is surprising since Luhrmann is hardly a director people feel indifferent about. However, marketing aside, with Carey Mulligan and Leonardo DiCaprio leading the cast, this is probably a safe bet for a theatrical matinee or a rental in the near future.
Star Trek Into Darkness (May 17)
In 2008, there were very few people who believed J.J. Abrams had a “Star Trek” movie capable of exciting fans, critics and an entirely new generation of sci-fi geeks. Now, in 2013, Abrams has a solid following and a fresh batch of Trekkies anxious to see what’s next for the Enterprise crew in “Star Trek Into Darkness.”
Rumors are still swirling about which direction Abrams will take the franchise, but judging by the trailers, new villain John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch) is a villain moviegoers will be talking about long after the closing credits roll.
Epic (May 24)
I’m not sure who the “FernGully” fans are, or why Hollywood insists on reinventing the movie every few years, but 20th Century Fox has become the latest studio to take a swing at the animated tale from the '90s with its upcoming family film, “Epic.”
Leading the project is director Chris Wedge, of “Ice Age” and “Robots” fame, and rounding out the voice talent are a string of musicians including Beyoncé, Pitbull and Steven Tyler. If you’ve been waiting for another shrinking forest adventure, you’re in luck as “Epic” is only a few weeks away.
Now You See Me (May 31)
“Now You See Me” is this summer’s heist movie, promising a clever hook and an interesting cast including Morgan Freeman, Mark Ruffalo, Isla Fisher, Woody Harrelson, Michael Caine and Jesse Eisenberg. All of the marketing for this film suggests an aha moment near the end, which, if successful, could make this the surprise hit of the season. However, overselling that moment may also backfire if the story can’t deliver.
After Earth (May 31)
I hope a sudden gravitation toward Hollywood plot lines isn’t some deeper reflection of the collective subconscious, or unspoken prophecy of the people, "Hey, it’s a sci-fi film, so I thought I’d go with it." This Earth-is-not-our-home thing is all the rage right now, and “After Earth” is M. Night Shyamalan’s take on why humans will soon be forced from our planet, and then, of course, sent back to it.
Starring Will and Jaden Smith, the two play a father-and-son team who crash-land on Earth 1,000 years after mankind’s departure.
Man of Steel (June 14)
The summer of 2013 is Clark Kent’s to lose. Everyone is curious to see if Christopher Nolan and Zack Snyder can do for Superman what Nolan did for Batman, and if they can, what that means for the future of any "Justice League" project.
The trailers look great: Henry Cavill pulls off the suit, Amy Adams is consistently amazing, and Michael Shannon looks completely unhinged as General Zod. I don’t know how this could possibly go wrong, but I think I’d pay just as much to see it derail as I would to see the movie I’m hoping for. But to be clear, like so many fans, I’m absolutely pulling for this movie, and I hope we have a clear path to "Justice League" by the ending credits.
Monsters University (June 21)
Disney and Pixar have been fighting about whether or not to produce sequels since the days of “Toy Story 2.” So not surprisingly, since Disney acquired Pixar, we’ve seen “Toy Story 3,” “Cars 2,” and have an entire lineup of sequels to come, including this season’s “Monsters University.”
Luckily, the “Toy Story” franchise has proved Pixar is capable of delivering heartfelt follow-ups to its beloved originals. Unfortunately, “Cars 2” also happened. But, fortunately again, if “Cars 2” is considered Pixar’s low bar, audiences are still in really good hands with Pixar.
Billy Crystal, John Goodman and Steve Buscemi are all returning to voice their respective roles, and the trailers definitely have a fun energy that will hopefully add “Monsters University” to the already long list of reasons family audiences love Pixar.
World War Z (June 21)
Opening the same weekend as “Monsters University” is the Brad Pitt zombie movie, “World War Z.” Based on the Max Brooks novel with the same name, “Z” tells the story of a reporter (Pitt) heading to the front lines of humanity’s global war against the undead.
Trailers show the film as a cross between how the world sees war through major media outlets, and a biopic about the fictional reporter witnessing the zombie outbreak.
Worlds apart from the family-friendly “Monsters,” the two films are hardly going head to head. However, it will be interesting to see how both movies fare against a second week of “Man of Steel.”
Travis has been writing tech and film reviews for Deseret News and KSL.com since 2010, and continues to contribute coverage for film festival and other live events here in Utah. You can contact Travis at TSPoppleton@gmail.com.
