With the summer holidays pretty much upon us, I thought we’d have a look at some of the films you might want to watch on the big screen.
I reviewed Jurassic World Rebirth last week, and reckon it’s the best Jurassic Park movie since the 1993 original. It shares much of the first film’s DNA, and the same scriptwriter (David Koepp). Scarlett Johansson throws herself into the role, as a lifelong fan of the franchise, and this is a proper summer popcorn blockbuster to enjoy. I’m not sure I’d be tempted to go after dinosaurs’ DNA, even with the big pay cheque on offer from Big Pharma.
The James Gunn remake of Superman has garnered many positive reviews, and whilst it was a fairly enjoyable watch, I didn’t think it was massively memorable. David Corenswet makes a decent enough fist of donning the red cape, but I didn’t find the narrative particularly gripping, with the caped crusader intervening to prevent a war between two made-up countries which may or may not resemble Russianand Ukraine... It was all a little middle-of-the-road and predictable for me. Perhaps I’m just suffering from superhero fatigue, but it’s certainly bringing in big numbers at the box office so far. A bit less CGI and a little more story might have been nice. Having said all that, I loved Krypto the dog.
Smurfs arrive on the big screen this weekend. They were first doodled by Belgian artist Peyo back in 1958, but following a recent run of live action remakes (Lilo and Stitch did particularly well), this film goes back to the drawing board, literally. Expect a banging soundtrack from the likes of Rihanna, Tyla and Cardi B, whilst Rihanna and James Corden lend their voice ‘talents’, along with John Goodman and Xolo Mariduena. Smurf up your summer!
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is a rarity, in that it’s a short Marvel movie, clocking in at under two hours. It’s set in a 60s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, and the trailer shows that The Invisible Woman and Mr Fantastic are expecting a baby. Director Matt Shakman has promised “it’s different in so many ways. I wish I could be specific. I would I could say more. But we are doing things differently from a story standpoint”.
Animal mob animation The Bad Guys 2 is set to be a kids’ favourite this summer, whilst Freakier Friday brings Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan back together in the body switcheroo comedy. The trailer looks amusing anyway. I remain disappointed that Elio hasn’t captured more imaginations, whilst Flow returns to Cineworld Ashton and Didsbury in early August, and is a must see. It won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, contains no dialogue, and a Latvian cat marvel which made me purr with delight. I plan to watch it at home with our cat, Colin, at some point, as it contains real cat sounds. It’s a film about climate change and community spirit, but done in a super clever way.
