FILMS TO WATCH THIS SUMMER 2015
1. Jurassic World
We haven't seen a Jurassic Park film in well over ten years, but finally, finally, Universal Pictures has cooked up something new for us. Twenty-two years after the incident at Jurassic Park, a bigger and 'better' park has been opened - Jurassic World. Everything seems to be going well, until the park's newest attraction, and creation, the genetically modified 'indominus rex', escapes containment and wreaks havoc throughout the park. In all honesty, from watching the trailer it doesn't look like there's anything new with regard to the plot line. They seem to be following the same formula from the previous three films, but with seriously amped up graphics. Fans of the previous films will no doubt turn out in their masses to watch this regardless of what the critics think and I for one am very excited to see this film!
2. Magic Mike XXL
Magic Mike was either a hit or miss with most viewers, pleasing some, disgusting others. I was one of the thousands of fans who was greatly entertained by the film. What's great about this film is that it somehow manages to avoid being sleazy, despite the fact that it is centered on a troupe of strippers. Sure, there's not a huge amount to the plot, but it's funny and entertaining so it serves its purpose. At the end of the first film, we thought that Mike had waved goodbye to his stripper career but apparently not. Magic Mike is set 3 years after the end of the first film and Mike and the rest of the Kings of Tampa are regrouping for one last performance.
Check out my review of Magic Mike here
3. Ted 2
Ted is possibly the rudest little bear that you will ever encounter. He's not your stereotypical cuddly toy, he burps, he farts, he drinks - he's your typical beer lout but in cuddly form. In Ted 2, we see Ted and Tami-Lynn tie the knot but they run into all sorts of issues when they try to have a baby. Of course, Ted won't be theological father of the baby, but in order to qualify as a parent, he has to prove that he is a person in a court of law. This film is rated R for crude and sexual content, pervasive language and some drug use, and that's all you need to know really. Ted is back, and he's lazier, dirtier and drunk-er than ever. It should be a good one but not for those without a slightly crude sense of humour.
4. Minions
Who doesn't love Minions? Ever since Despicable Me hit screens back in 2010, the Minions have continued to be amongst the most-loved film characters. Minions, the movie, explains how the Minions came to be. They evolved from single-celled yellow organisms and they live to serve. They've worked for several evil masterminds over the years from T-Rex to Napoleon, but none of their masters' endeavours have been successful. Now, they have no master and they fall into a deep depression. Luckily, Kevin comes up with a plan, and with his friends Bob and Stuart, he begins his search for a new evil boss. They find Scarlet Overkill, the world's first female super-villain, who is hatching a plan to take over the world.
5. Mr Holmes
Mr Holmes is a new take on the classic tale of detective Sherlock Holmes. Based on the book A Slight Trick of the Mind by Mitch Cullin, this film is set in 1947 and Mr Holmes, now 93, has been retired for decades. Dissatisfied by his ex-partner Watson's write-up of his last case, Holmes attempt to write up his own account, however he has a great deal of difficulty trying to remember the exact details of the case. Featuring many flashbacks, Holmes looks back his life and this unsolved case featuring a very beautiful woman. Starring Ian McKellan as the titular character, this film is set up to be full of great quality drama and has generally been reviewed favourably so far.
6. Spy
Susan Cooper is a desk bound CIA agent, but when her partner is killed in the field, she has to pick up the slack. She has never been in the field before but is thrown into the thick of things as she goes undercover to infiltrate the world of a deadly arms dealer, in an attempt to prevent a global disaster. This sort of film is usually very hit and miss, but surprisingly, Spy has garnered critical acclaim with special mentions going to Melissa McCarthy. Well known for her roles in numerous other critically acclaimed comedies, it appears that McCarthy has pulled it out of the bag again, leaving audiences everywhere laughing. Not one to miss if you're looking for a laugh.
7. Inside Out
Other than Minions, the only other animated drama that has created a stir this summer is Disney Pixar's Inside Out. I've heard people talking about this both in London and in Paris so it looks like this is set to be a global hit. After Riley Andersen is uprooted from her life in the Mid-West and she moves to San Francisco, her emotions are all over the place. Set in the mind of Riley herself, her five personified emotions - Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness - try to lead her through her new life but conflict on how best to navigate a new city, school and house. It's been a while since we've seen an animation quite as inventive as this and the critics seem to agree. With fantastic animations and a unique and moving plotline, you should get the whole family down to see this one.
8. Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials
The Scorch Trials is the second film adaption in The Maze Runner trilogy written by James Dashner. *spoiler alert* At the end of the last film, the Gladers manage to escape the Maze, but freedom isn't what they find on the other side. Instead, the group face even more challenges as they search for clues about the mysterious organisation WCKD. Their journey takes them to the Scorch, a desolate landscape filled with unimaginable objects. This film remains very much in the Young Adult domain so it will be interesting to see how well this film does in box offices. In truth, this series seems to me like it would be much better suited to adults as the plot line is, quite frankly, disturbing - but that's just my opinion. Fans of the book will no doubt be pleased with another book-film adaption and it must be said that as far as Young Adult adaptions go, this is one of the better ones.
9. Ant-Man
To be perfectly honest, I'm quite tired of all these superhero films, particularly those featuring the lesser-known characters whose roles seem rather uninspiring. Take Ant-Man for example, I mean he doesn't exactly sound like he has the coolest superpower in the world... Despite this, there's been a fair amount of hype surrounding Marvel's latest creation, as there always is, and it's tied in with Avenger's Age of Ultron, so maybe there's potential. Several months after the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron, Scott Lang must help his mentor, Dr Hang Pym to safeguard the mystery of the Ant-Man technology. Armed with a superhero suit and the ability to shrink in scale, but increase in strength he must help plan and pull of a heist that will save the world. Starring Paul Rudd as the titular Ant-Man, this could be either really good, or really, really, really bad. I, for one, am not convinced that this will be a hit, but no doubt Marvel fans will turn out in the masses.
10. Paper Towns
The Fault in Our Stars took the world by storm, with absolutely huge crowds gathering at the premieres and cinemas. Paper Towns is another popular young adult book by John Green, though there hasn't been nearly as much hype surrounding this film. Starring Nat Woolf, who was Isaac in TFiOS and supermodel Cara Delevingne, this story revolves around two childhood best friends, Quentin and Margo, who have drifted apart over the years. Then, out of the blue one night, Margo clibs through Q's window, asking him to come on an all-night road-trip of revenge with her. However, the next day, she doesn't come to school and people soon realize that she is, in fact, missing. Q discovers some clues in her disappearance that seem to be meant for him, but as he discovers more about Margo, he becomes unsure of who the girl he's look for really is.
We haven't seen a Terminator film in 6 years and to be honest, I'd sort of forgotten about it. In this fifth instalment of the franchise we see Arnold Schwarzenegger reprising his role as the eponymous character along with Game of Throne's Emilia Clarke. In this story, soldier Kyle Reese is sent back in time by John Connor, from 2029 to 1984, to protect Sarah Connor, who is being targeted by Skynet. However when he arrives in 1984, nothing is as he thought it would be. Competing with the likes of Mission Impossible and Jurassic World, Terminator Genisys didn't really stand a chance. Receiving generally negative reviews from critics it seems that Terminator-fever is drawing to a close. That said, there are two more Terminator films in the works to be released over the next 3 years, so it's probably worth a watch, just to stay up to date. Plus the graphics are probably quite good, even if nothing else is.
In the latest Mission: Impossible installment, Ethan and his team take on their most 'impossible' challenge yet - eradicate the Syndicate altogether. The Syndicate is an almost mythical organisation that seems to be just as strong as the IMF agency, but with the latter's disbandment, Ethan must gather together his team for one final mission and prove the existence of the Syndicate. This is the fifth installment in the Mission: Impossible franchise, and just like Terminator, I think this series has probably run its course. Despite that, there is still another Mission: Impossible film to come after this, so I think the outcome of this film is going to be pretty obvious. As this film is being released in IMAX, one can assume that its going to be even flashier than ever and it'll probably be a decent film, though I'd say it's unlikely to stun audiences. Probably still worth a watch on a rainy day.
13. The Transporter Refueled
Many film franchises have been rebooted over the years, but one that I never thought I'd see again was The Transporter. I was quite a big fan of the original series so I'll mostly be watching this film out of curiosity than anything else - as we all know, reboots are rarely successful. I absolutely hate it when the main characters are changed as it usually messes put the tone of the original series but we'll have to see if Skrein can live up to Stratham's legacy. What confuses me is that, if Stratham is still alive and well, and still acting no less, why not let him take on the role again himself? This film serves as a prequel to the original Transporter films so it will be interesting to see what Frank's background really is, but whether it will be a box-office success remains to be seen.
14. Insidious Chapter 3
Insidious Chapter 3 serves as a prequel to the other two films and sees most of the original cast reprise their roles in the story. This film is set several years before the haunting of Lambert family and reveals how psychic Elise Rainier reluctantly agreed to use her powers to contact the dead and help a girl who is being targeted by a dangerous supernatural identity. The plot sounds interesting enough, though this film has received mixed reviews from critics so far. I've found that this is often the case with horror movies so I wouldn't let that put you off. There don't seem to be many horror film releases this summer, they're probably saving them all for Halloween, so for horror fans this will not be one to miss. They've pumped enough money into marketing this film, I feel I owe them a visit to the cinema.
15. Entourage
Entourage is a film adaptation of the HBO series under the same name. It is unusual to find television series adapted for the big screen and they're usually met with varying degrees of success, but I always find it interesting to see how they translate the story and these characters into film for what would be the equivalent running time of two episodes. I haven't seen the original TV series myself but I know that a lot of people my age raved about it and it certainly looks flashy so I figured it deserved a mention. The film follows the story of movie star Vincent Chase, who is back with his boys Eric, Turtle and Johnny. This entourage are back in business with agent-turned-studio head Ari Gold on a risky project that will serve as Vince's directorial debut. Meta.
