A highly anticipated trilogy conclusion, the first female lead in a Pixar movie and a Marvel superhero film several years in the making are just some of the movies debuted these past few months. It seems that with each summer, production companies are releasing films with even more explosions, larger love stories, and more epic endings. Summer 2012 proved to have an eclectic group of films, some being released this fall on DVD, some already dedicated to sequels.
May kicked off the summer film season with two powerhouse hitters: “The Avengers” and “Men in Black 3.” The long-anticipated superhero flick from Marvel Studios crushed the box office and quickly became one of the highest grossing films. Joss Whedon and his slew of superheroes made the Avengers ensemble cast the bar for future comic book films. Captain America, Iron Man, the Hulk and Thor return to the big screen with Black Widow and Hawkeye, the respective frontline newbies. Explosions, fight scenes and Loki bringing havoc to earth had people flocking to theaters to see the Avengers assemble.
Agent K and Agent J went back in time in the third “Men in Black” film. Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, joined by Josh Brolin, returned to the world of aliens and ventured back in time to right what’s been made wrong in the present. “Men in Black 3” did not disappoint fans, which helped the movie bring in a respectable amount at the box offices.
June brought another slew of blockbuster movies to the cinema. Disney Pixar’s “Brave” introduced theatergoers to a new chapter in the studio’s life. As the first female lead character of a Pixar film, the bow-toting redheaded heroine Merida made people fall in love with her independent spirit and big heart as she journeyed through foreign lands to save her homeland. The Scottish princess helped Disney Pixar pull in a pretty penny and make it a good month for the folks at the Mouse House.
Universal Studios pulled out all the big PR stops for its action-fairy tale film, “Snow White and the Hunstman.” Staring Charlize Theron as the Evil Queen, Kristen Stewart as Snow White and Chris Hemsworth as the Hunstman, the film focuses on a modern-retelling of the beloved classic. Snow White escapes the clutches of the villainous Queen only to the have the Huntsman chase her down. The story takes a turn off the traditional path and Snow and the Hunstman team up to take down the Evil Queen. Fret not traditionalists! The dwarves and the Prince do make their appearances and lend helping hands to the fairest of them all. “Snow White and the Huntsman” made Universal proud by bringing in a hefty paycheck of over $154 million during its box office run.
After months of listening to the vague siren blaring in the trailer, all the pieces fell into place once “Prometheus” hit theatres. This prequel to “Alien” explains how the creatures in the 1971 film came to be. Starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Guy Pearce, Idris Elba, Logan Marshall-Green and Charlize Theron, the film comes from Scott Free productions. If you haven’t had your alien fix, stay tuned for “Prometheus 2” which will be released within the next three to four years.
While Matt Damon is absent in this Bourne edition, “The Bourne Legacy” proved to be a box office hit. Jeremy Renner took over as new lead character Aaron Cross, whose adventures pick up where the previous Bourne movies left off. Other new faces to the series include Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton, Stacy Keach and Oscar Isaac. Albert Finney, Joan Allen, David Strathairn and Scott Glenn return to the franchise. After four movies, the Bourne Franchise has earned almost $1 billion.
Toby Maguire began Spiderman’s first leap from comic book and animated television series to feature length film, and “The Amazing Spiderman” provided a new angle for the superhero franchise. With Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Martin Sheen and Sally Field among many on the cast list, “The Amazing Spiderman” has its share of impressive talent. Even though box office showings have generally ended you can pre-order the Blu-ray and DVD from the official Amazing Spider Man website.
Christopher Nolan’s final addition to his trilogy “The Dark Knight.” was met by anxious audiences with open arms. It has been eight years since Batman vanished from Gotham after taking the blame for Harvey Dent’s murder in “The Dark Knight”. However a mysterious villain appears and forces Batman back into the scene once again to aid Gotham. While the satisfaction of the ending is up for debate, there is no question that the trilogy has been one of the greatest contemporary superhero series.
The summer was not short of action as the “Expendables 2” arrived in theatres August 17. The Simon West film is a cast of previous action stars, a majority of whom have had their own action franchise, including Jet Li, Chuck Norris, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jean-Claude Van Damme. New to the team of expendables is Liam Hemsworth as Billy the Kid. The action ensemble is still available in theaters.
