The year 2007 had examples of a variety of films. There was the good (“No Country for Old Men”), the bad (“We Own the Night”) and the downright ugly (“Halloween” and “Spider-Man 3”). In the end though, 2007 was a much better year in film than 2006. The summer of 2007 was particularly good. The summer movie season officially begins in May, and in 2007, it got off to a bumpy start with the lackluster “Spider-Man 3,” which, while a massive commercial success, was met with a lukewarm reception from fans and critics alike. Despite this snag, last summer, moviegoers were treated to such gems as “Knocked Up,” “Superbad,” “The Simpsons Movie,” “Transformers” and “Live Free or Die Hard.” Hollywood hopes to continue to impress in its summer-fare in 2008, with the release of such highly-anticipated films as “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” “Speed Racer” and, arguably the most anticipated film of the year, “The Dark Knight.” There will even be a new “Star Wars” film, which will undoubtedly boost ticket sales for the year.
Things will get started with a bang, with the release of “Iron Man” on May 2. This adaptation of the famed Marvel comic-book character stars Robert Downey, Jr., Terrence Howard, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges and Samuel L. Jackson. Directed by Jon Favreau (“Swingers”), the film will tell the origin of Iron Man and how weapons designer Tony Stark (Downey, Jr.) came to adapt the moniker. He will face off against the Iron Monger (Bridges) with the help of S.H.E.I.L.D. agent Nick Fury (Jackson). From early previews, “Iron Man” looks to be another exciting adaptation.
The other notable May release is “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” which will be released on May 22. Directed by Steven Spielberg and produced by George Lucas, this new film stars Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett and Shia LaBeouf. It takes place 19 years after the events in “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” and has Indy facing off against agents of the Soviet Union. Plot elements have been kept under tight security, but we know that Indy will journey throughout Latin and South America. This film is poised to be another big moneymaker for the year.
June will see the releases of “The Incredible Hulk,” “Get Smart,” “The Happening” and “WALL-E.” “Hulk,” which will be released on June 13, stars Edward Norton in the title role, Liv Tyler and Tim Roth as the Abomination. The film, which seeks to negate the existence of Ang Lee’s 2003 film, “Hulk,” centers around Bruce Banner’s (Norton) mission to cure his condition and the United States Army’s pursuit of Banner.
Also on June 13, M. Night Shyamalan will release “The Happening.” The film will star Mark Wahlberg as a man who is seeking to protect his family from a global environmental crisis. This paranoid thriller hopes to rebound Shymalan’s status in Hollywood after the critical and commercial bomb “Lady in the Water.” This will also be Shymalan’s first R-rated film.
July is the “big month” of the summer movie season. This month will see the release of such films as “Hancock,” “Hellboy 2: The Golden Army,” the new comedy “Step Brothers” and a sequel to “The X-Files” movie. However, all these films take a backseat to the hotly-anticipated “The Dark Knight,” which is poised to be the most successful film of 2008. The recent passing of Heath Ledger, who plays the Joker, has helped propel the momentum of this film as early previews were met with great excitement. Starring Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Morgan Freeman and Aaron Eckhart, the film will pick up directly where 2005’s “Batman Begins” ended and will show Batman’s (Bale) fight against the Joker (Ledger), as well as Harvey Dent (Eckhart) becoming the villainous Two-Face. Needless to say, this will be a huge film.
Finally, August, usually delegated the task of being the summer’s dumping ground, will have some big releases. This August, moviegoers will be treated to such films as “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor,” “Pineapple Express,” “Tropic Thunder” and “Star Wars: The Clone Wars.” Needless to say, these films, by the looks of early trailers, are not traditional dumping ground films, most notably “Star Wars.”
Upon first glance, one might be surprised to see another “Star Wars” film being released, but since George Lucas has realized he has no other way to accumulate any more money, he probably thought that another film would be a good idea.
This new “Star Wars” film is unique for two reasons: it is the first film in the series to be released outside of the month of May, and it is completely computer-animated.
The film will feature some familiar voices, such as Anthony Daniels as C-3PO and some familiar characters from the prequel trilogy, but will also feature a host of new characters, most notably Ahsoka Tano, Anakin Skywalker’s apprentice. More than likely, this will be another huge summer film.
As the academic year comes to an end, we can look forward to summer with great anticipation. It looks as though this will be a summer that will not soon be forgotten.
Chris Bashore is a fourth-year student majoring in political science. He can be reached at CB588901@wcupa.edu.