Each year, from May through August, movie studios spend a ton of money creating big budget box office successes and flops and we race to the theaters to see what they’ve created. This year, the summer season is in full swing at the multiplexes. Here are a few titles to look forward to:
Alien: Covenant – May 19
Ridley Scott returns once again to the world he created nearly 40 years ago with this sequel to 2013’s “Prometheus” and the direct prequel to the events that occurred in the first “Alien” movie back in 1979. Michael Fassbender (young Magneto in the X-Men movies) stars.
Baywatch – May 25
Yes, that TV series that starred David Hasselhoff featuring beaches, bods and babes in bikinis with bouncing bo…er, beach balls is back on the big screen starring Dwayne Johnson. Rock on!
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales – May 26
Captain Jack is back! Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush and Orlando Bloom return to the high seas in this latest installment that features uber baddie Javier Bardem as Captain Salazar, a former mentor of Jack Sparrow returned from the depths of the sea to rid the world of pirates.
Wonder Woman – June 2
Gal Gadot (“Batman vs. Superman”) returns as the Amazonian heroine in what is bound to be a very intriguing adaptation of the origin story. Chris Pine, Robin Wright and Connie Nielsen also star.
The Mummy – June 9
Another reboot for the franchise, this time featuring perennial action star Tom Cruise in the center seat. This one is either going to be really good or really bad.
Cars 3 – June 16
Pixar’s latest entry into this franchise, featuring Lightning McQueen (voice of Owen Wilson) in a tale that is sure to send shivers up fans’ spines.
Transformers: The Last Knight – June 21
Mark Wahlberg is back for another romp in the junkyard with Optimus Prime, Bumblebee and the other vehicles-turned-monster-robots as they try once again to save Earth from forces malevolent and unknown.
Baby Driver – June 28
Ansel Elgort of the “Divergent” series plays a gifted driver named Baby (hence the movie title) who juggles his life of getaway driving alongside a burgeoning romance with a waitress he meets.
Despicable Me 3 – June 30
Gru (Steve Carrell) is back along with his minions as they find a long-lost brother (also voiced by Steve Carrell) in this new installment
Spiderman: Homecoming – July 7
A new actor, a new villain and some old friends jump in for this ride as everyone’s favorite web slinger takes on the Vulture in this reimagining of the franchise. Tom Holland, Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr. and Michael Keaton star. ‘Nuff said.
War for the Planet of the Apes – July 14
Caesar (Andy Serkis) faces off with his greatest threat, a military colonel (Woody Harrelson) who wants to rid the world of apekind.
Dunkirk – July 21
Christopher Nolan directs this saga retelling the battle of Dunkirk where allied forces were cut off and surrounded by Germans during one bloody week in 1940 during World War II. Tom Hardy stars.
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets – July 21
While I don’t really have many expectations about this movie given the name and all, the trailers look magnificent. Valerian and his sidekick are tasked with defending the human inhabited planets in the universe from alien assault.
The Hitman’s Bodyguard – August 18
Samuel L. Jackson stars as a hitman and Ryan Reynolds is his bodyguard in this action comedy about this pair of misfits trying to escape the clutches of a ruthless Eastern European dictator (Gary Oldman).
Of course, there are many other titles in the mix, but these are the ones on my summer radar at the moment. Be watching here for reviews of these and other films in the coming weeks. In the meantime, dim the lights, pass the popcorn and I’ll see you at the movies.
