Summer Movie Predictions

By Iann Robinson

So the first pangs of summer are starting to hit, that always-enjoyable battle between the cold and warm weather that makes temperatures—at least on the East Coast---absurd. It’s 45 one day, 62 the next, it rains it snows but eventually the hot weather will win out and summer will be here in full force.

 IRON MAN:

(May 2^nd)
 

 
The first to kick off the summer season is Iron Man. When I first heard that Jon Favreau was directing this I wasn’t happy and then the addition of Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man made the whole thing seem in league with the Catwoman movie.

Since reading the interviews and watching the trailers I have changed my outlook on Iron Man somewhat. I now believe that Favreau is taking this project seriously and wants to make a good movie, I’m also impressed with how the digital effects look. That being said, I still don’t think this movie will do the gangbusters that Hollywood thinks it will. First off Robert Downey Jr is not Tony Stark, at all. Don’t get me wrong, he is a wonderful actor but he’s just not right for the part. Tony Stark has an air of sophistication that Downey lacks. He plays Stark as a hip party guy, which isn’t how he’s written in the comic. He has more of a James Bond, egocentric aloof billionaire attitude. Downey seems too young and too immature in this movie which makes his transition to hero that much harder to believe. For lack of a better term there is no gravitas to his performance. This movie is going to look great but come off like a giant video game, with little in the way of inter-personal dynamics or strong characters.

Box Office Prediction:  I think the initial interest will be huge but it will taper off largely by the third week of release.

SPEED RACER:

(May 9^th)
 

 
For their first film since The Matrix The Wachowski Brothers have sunk their teeth into this sixties cartoon classis. I have no opinion on this movie other than total suck, with no redeeming value at all.

Nobody cares who plays Speed Racer because it’s not about the character; it’s about how the movie looks. This was part of issue with The Matrix, a movie I found to be a shallow cartoon brought to life with the pretense of being a deep and intellectual film. Speed Racer also looks like a shallow cartoon that has more to do with The Wachowski’s screaming “Look what we can do!!” First they set it in the future, instantly turning me off because the whole point was the sixties go-go vibe. The car flys around has weapons and so forth, which is not Speed Racer. This movie will be a visual masturbation exercise, a movie more concerned with looking cool than being any good.

Box Office Prediction:  I think it’ll have a strong opening weekend and then the cacophony of it will be its undoing. Look for a sharp drop in the second week.

INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL:

(May 22^nd)

 
I’ve always been in the minority on these films. I loved Raiders Of The Lost Ark; it remains one of my favorite films of all time. I was not, however, a fan of Temple Of Doom or The Last Crusade. I found Temple to be unfocused, boring and below the standards Raiders set up. Last Crusade was so much of a plot device driven film (ohh we put the hero of the sixties as the father of the hero of the eighties) that I couldn’t enjoy the movie and the idea of a new film meant nothing to me.

After watching the trailer I must admit I am excited about this new Indiana Jones adventures. The film seems to be bringing itself back to the original charm of Raiders, though the Shia Labeuf plot device is a little annoying. I’m thinking this will be the pleasant summer surprise that always happens. A blockbuster that has a heart and real characters involved with it. I think the new Indy film will be a really good time and people will not only rediscover one of the great adventure heroes of the last 30 years but they’ll also find escapist entertainment that hasn’t been dumbed down.

Box Office Prediction:  Indy might have a slow start but will really hit its stride and become a big part of summer 2008.

THE HULK:

(June 13th)

 
I have a sad feeling this movie is going to be a train wreck that takes the last hopes of a decent Hulk movie with it.

From what I’ve seen of the trailer, Ed Norton isn’t creating a Bruce Banner instead he’s just being himself and using the name Bruce Banner.When I watch the trailer all I can hear is Norton saying, “The first rule of The Incredible Hulk is you do not talk about The Incredible Hulk”. I’m also unsure why they made The Abomination look like the bad guy mutant from the Resident Evil movies. The Hulk still looks like a video game character and it seems like the whole thing takes itself too seriously. I have a feeling that while it won’t be as bad as the Ang Lee movie, it won’t be good. I don’t really feel Ed Norton is the right guy for the role, not because he can’t play it but because he doesn’t seem like he wants to try anything new.

Box Office Prediction: Look for initial excitement but then for the film to die away much like first film did.

THE DARK KNIGHT:

(July 18^th)

 
I may be a bit biased here but I think this will be the movie to really make a splash this summer. From what I have seen and read this will be another perfectly executed Batman story by a group of filmmakers and actors who really understand the character.

Despite some whining from fanboys, I thinks Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker will go down as the one that blows them all away (finally wiping Nicholson’s awful Joker off the map) and the inclusion of Harvey Dent as a real layered character (as opposed to what that hack Schumacher did to him) just ramps up the excitement.

Box Office Prediction: I think people will go to see this film and tell their friends, it’ll please fans of the comic and non-fans alike. Look for a big weekend, a drop back but then consistent numbers through out the summer.

HELLBOY 2: The Golden Army

(June 24^th)

 
This is a hard one to call because there is so much similarity to the first Hellboy, not in tone but in excitement.

The trailer for the new film looks amazing, but the trailer for the first Hellboy looked amazing but the film was ultimately a disappointment. I love Del Toro but he also directed the first one. I’m not sure; I think this movie will be a middle runner all the way. Outside of serious comic and sci-fi lovers, few people really know about Hellboy. I think that, coupled with the intelligence this film might scare the standard moviegoer away.

Box Office Prediction: I’m thinking a decent opening weekend, maybe a strong week or two but then it’ll fade away. However I do think that it will do incredibly well in DVD sales.