If you know me, you know I love movies.
I watch them all the time, quote them all the time and base my life around characters all the time. This summer we were introduced to a lot of films that hoped to be the next “Avengers.” Some came close and some completely missed the mark. Here is my list of the good, bad and ugly films from the summer of 2013.
Good:
“Man of Steel”- The brain child of Zach Snyder, the guy who brought us the likes of “Watchmen” and “300.” “Man of Steel” tells the story of fan favorite, Superman, and his quest to be the hero we all know and love. Plus, his fathers, Russell Crowe and Kevin Costner, were both Robin Hood at some point. With that in your family, you are destined for greatness.
“Star Trek Into Darkness”- JJ Abrams once again takes us where no one has gone before, which I think was even better this time around. This is a film both hardcore and casual fans can really enjoy. It takes the old series and breathes life into it, making it the king of the sci-fi genre once again. Plus with Chris Pine, Karl Urban and Zachary Quinto … I’m sold.
“Pacific Rim”- Guillermo del Toro uses some people’s favorite things and throws them into one film. Robot mecha-suits, brain synchronization, giant alien monsters and ultimate destruction are just a few of the things “Pacific Rim” blasts viewers with. I suggest throwing logic out of the window and enjoying this thrill ride of a movie.
“Now You See Me”- Magicians use their skills to pull off bank heists in this clever plot twist-filled film by Louis Leterrier, who is no stranger to action. With an all star cast which includes Michael Cain, Morgan Freeman and Mark Ruffelo, this sleight of hand flick is quite entertaining.
“Monsters University”- Pixar dips into the sequel/prequel well instead of coming up with an original idea on this one, but they actually pull it off. It brings back John Goodman (Sully), Billy Crystal (Mike) and Steve Buscemi (Randal) as they go to a familiar place, college. The film deals with a lot things that our age group will understand and find hilarious.
Bad:
“We’re The Millers”- Now, just because this film is on the bad list, doesn’t mean it’s unwatchable. It’s actually quite funny, but it adds nothing new to this type of comedy. It tells the story of a 40 something drug dealer who must create a clever ruse with people he knows to cross the border and transport a “smidge and a half” of marijuana back to the US. He takes the persona of a family man along with his stripper “wife,” runaway “daughter,” and socially oblivious “son.” It does star some comedy favorites, Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston and Ed Helms. So if you enjoy watching them on screen, this movie is for you.
“The Conjuring”- Again, this movie follows “The Millers” situation, not unwatchable, just nothing new. How many “family moves into a new house with a demonic entity” films do we need? This was James Wan’s first solo outing as director without long time collaborator Leigh Whannell, proving the old saying is true. “If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it.”
“The Wolverine”- It pains me to include this film in the bad category, but in an objective standpoint it needs to be. This film, to me, really shows that Wolverine is an awesome character but works best with the rest of the X-Men present. The first two acts of the film were great, but the climax came up short, The Viper was completely unneeded, and it only bridges the gap between “X3: The Last Stand” and “Days of Future Past,” which I am really excited for.
“After Earth”- Jaden Smith, M. Night Shyamalan, terrible CGI, and a stupid plot. That really sums up all you need to know about this film.
“R.I.P.D.”- Of all the bad movies, this one angers me the most. It stars Jeff Bridges, Kevin Bacon and Ryan Reynolds. How could it be terrible? Well, with a director with no direction, a poorly written script and CGI that makes “After Earth” look like “Avatar,” “R.I.P.D.” proves that even a great cast can’t turn a terrible movie into a good one.
Ugly:
“Elysium”- Ugly is a bit of irony seeing that the visuals were the only thing good about this film. The fairly new film director, Neill Blomkamp, tried to recapture what made his first film “District 9” so great. But unfortunately he fell short with this one. With Matt Damon and Jody Foster it’s sad to see a plot hole driven snooze fest like this one flop. Maybe he should realize that he needs Peter Jackson more than he thought.
“The Great Gatsby”- Like “Elysium,” Gatsby is a beautiful film. The visuals are breathtaking but as far as everything else, other than the brilliant Leonardo DiCaprio, this is a missed opportunity. The film does not know what time period it wants to be, and Toby Maguire is not only in the film but also the narrator. As the cliché goes, “books are always better than the movie.”
“The Lone Ranger”- Two words: Johnny. Depp.
“World War Z”- WWZ takes the phenomenal Max Brooks novel and says, “This was great, but what if …” There needs to be a person hired to stand on the set of book films and every time the director says that, he needs to hit the director on the head with a brick. If you like mindless zombie violence, then you’ll probably enjoy this.
“This is the End”- This film seemed like a “Saturday Night Live” sketch that lasted way too long. Although I did laugh during the film, I will say, just because you got high and thought of a funny idea, does not mean you should make it into a movie.
Well, there you have it, my list of the Good, Bad and Ugly of the summer. Hopefully the rest of the year will deliver us with more good films to counter act the bad taste in my mouth from the films mentioned.
