The Fault In Our Stars (June 6)
Young adult fiction from the last ten years has been infested with fantasy and the supernatural. However, as contemporary YA dramas go, no author has the pull of John Green. The Fault in Our Stars, Green’s 2012 bestseller, is an emblem of what makes his work so essential to YA fiction: well-rounded and original characters, a blend of humor and poignancy, and a spirit of youth that resonates with an audience beyond those in their teen years.
The film adaptation of Fault has, naturally, built up a lot of excitement. It stars the captivating Shailene Woodley as Hazel Grace Lancaster, a teenage cancer patient, and relative newcomer Ansel Elgort as Augustus Waters, the courageous friend who becomes her main support base (and true love).
Their chemistry has already sold the millions who have watched the very romantic trailer online, while screenwriters Scott Neudstadter and Michael H. Weber (500 Days of Summer and The Spectacular Now) know how to bring authentic young relationships to the big screen. If that doesn’t make the novel’s fans more excited, Green even lauded the adaptation after he saw a final cut. Expect a big gross for this low-budget drama.
– JA
22 Jump Street (June 13)
When 21 Jump Street became a word-of-mouth hit back in 2012, audiences immediately clamored for a sequel, despite questions of where undercover cops Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) could go after busting the drug dealer (Dave Franco) who had been spreading a synthetic drug throughout a high school. Returning screenwriter Michael Bacall and directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller appear to have found a perfect answer to that question, by sending Schmidt and Jenko to college in this sequel.
In 22 Jump Street (“Because the Koreans wanted the church back,” explains Ice Cube’s no-nonsense Captain Dickson), the pair infiltrate a raucous college to bust open a crime ring within one of the fraternities. But even as they work together to crack the case, Schmidt’s interest in the liberal arts program and Jenko’s involvement on the football team drives a wedge between the partners.
With this film, we’re expecting one of those rare sequels that actually tops the original, thanks to the return of Bacall, Lord and Miller, not to mention a premise that will allow 22 Jump Street to be even more raunchy and over-the-top than its predecessor.
– IF
How To Train Your Dragon 2 (June 13)
Dreamworks Animation’s 2010 hit How To Train Your Dragon was one of the most surprising, exciting, and memorable films that the animation genre has offered, and we’re finally getting the chance to experience it all over again.
When last we saw the island of Berk, Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) and his winged companion Toothless had successfully ushered in a new era of peace between the Viking inhabitants and the dragons they once hunted. Now, the Vikings take to the skies for Quidditch-like games with dragons and sheep, while Hiccup and Toothless explore the world at large.
Their adventures take them to edges of the map they didn’t know existed, bringing them face-to-face with new dragons, a shocking family secret, and a powerful dragon hunter named Drago Bludvist (Djimon Hounsou). So, imagine all the wonderful elements of the first film, only with higher stakes and more dragon-riding action in stunning 3D. In other words: just take my money now, Dreamworks!
– JG