2011 Summer Movie Preview

It’s that time of year again, the summer movie season. Time for all the superhero films, blockbusters and sequels.  Time for the big box office takes and 3D/IMAX overload. Time to once again be entertained with daring stunts, monstrous explosions and raunchy comedies. And of course, it’s time for the We Got This Covered summer movie preview. Join us as we run down some of the biggest films of the summer.

Thanks to all the WGTC staff who contributed to this article.

Thor – May 6th

Kicking off the summer movie season is Thor, which opens on May 6th. It’s also the first of many superhero films that will be assaulting cinemas near you all summer long. Its competitors include the likes of Green Lantern, X-Men: First Class and Captain America: The FIrst Avenger but in my eyes, The Mighty God Of Thunder may indeed take the cake.

Chris Hemsworth will wield the hammer but he’s backed by a fantastic supporting cast that includes the likes of Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, Idris Elba and Kat Dennings, among others. Early reviews, including our own, are generating strong buzz and based off of what we’ve seen from the trailers, Thor truly does look like the best superhero film that we’ll see this summer (with X-Men: First Class at a close second). Plus it has Natalie Portman in it, which is enough to get me into the theatres, despite what film it is. – Matt Joseph

Super 8 – June 10th

Why am I looking forward to Super 8? Because of one name, J.J. Abrams. Anything the man touches turns to gold. The last film he directed was Star Trek, he also created Lost, need I say more? With Super 8 he’s bringing us something that looks totally original and unique. Although, how do we know for sure? The film has been shrouded in so much secrecy that we really don’t know much about it. It reminds me a lot of Cloverfield, which is a good thing and I just know that Abrams is going to deliver. Intriguing and ominous is what comes to mind when I see the trailers and I’m completely hooked already. – Matt Joseph

X-Men: First Class – June 3rd

Matthew Vaughn is a good filmmaker, his previous film Kick-Ass was a terrific reinvention of the superhero genre that did interesting things with narrative, character and visual style that made the film unique. Hopefully he will bring a similar sensibility and form to his reboot of the X-Men franchise, and from the trailers it looks like we are going to get just that.

With a group of extremely talented actors at his disposal, including Michael Fassbender who is fastly becoming one of the finest and most reliable actors of his generation. Supporting him is Oscar nominee Jennifer Lawrence, James McAvoy, Nicholas Hoult, Kevin Bacon and Mad Men’s January Jones. I’ve been impressed by the campaign and the look, as well as what looks to be brilliant chemistry between McAvoy and Fassbender and I cant wait for X-Men: First Class to hit theatres on June 3rd. – Will Chadwick

The Tree Of Life – May 4th

Terrence Malick is a filmmaker who doesn’t often make movies. His career started in 1973 with Badlands and nearly 40 years later he’s only directed 4 other films. The Tree of Life is his fifth film and looks to be a stunning, human drama that like all of Malick’s work juxtaposes man against nature. At the same time it looks like nothing he’s done before, a journey into some metaphysical aspects. By now a lot of people will know about the whole inclusion of a dinosaur, which in any other circumstance is silly but because it’s Malick I buy it.

It will debut at the Cannes Film Festival, where it is playing in competition and no better place for it to open. Brad Pitt and Sean Penn lead the cast but much has been said about Jessica Chastain. A relative newcomer who has picked up a considerable amount of work since acting for Malick. Clearly her performance will be one to watch out for and come Oscar time this could be a serious contender in the major categories.  – Will Chadwick

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 – July 15th

So it is here. The end of Harry Potter is very much upon us, with only a couple of months to go the hype is rising considerably and understandably so. Trailers have shown what looks to be a truly epic conclusion to the highest grossing film franchise of all time, the effects, the music, the scope, it looks incredible.

From a fan’s point of view, I am extremely curious to see how the filmmakers tackle bringing the story to its conclusion and bringing all the plot elements together. I loved the final book, mostly due to the way Rowling brought a proper emotional core to tying up the loose ends. Especially in SPOILER finishing Snape’s story SPOILER. I was a huge admirer of the first part and I thought it truly captured the spirit of the novels, there is no reason why the second part won’t and if it does, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will be a massive achievement. – Will Chadwick

Transformers: Dark Of The Moon – July 1st, 2011

The Autobots crash into theaters on July 1, and I will definitely be there to see it. I can already hear the geek backlash to this choice, as Michael Bay’s Transformers sequel failed to captivate audiences. Ok, most people hated it. But I liked both the original and the sequel, and maybe that has more to do with childhood associations than either film being really great. I’m not looking for depth or artistry, I’m looking for great special effects, lots of stuff blowing up, and cool robots…that transform into various modes of transportation. And I think Transformers: Dark Of The Moon will deliver on all that. ’Nuff said. – Amy Curtis

Continue reading our 2011 summer movie preview.