THE JOURNAL
Transformers: The Last Knight. Photograph courtesy of Paramount Pictures
The pros and cons of this summer’s films.
Not all blockbusters are created equal. Some are made by Mr Christopher Nolan, some by Mr Michael Bay. But from superheroes to sorcerers, from comedies to war epics, summer 2017 is going to be a bumper season. Will it be remembered for Spider-Man, Wonder Woman, a mummy or The Rock? Or will they all be eclipsed by the acting debut of a certain One Direction member? Below, we’ve weighed up the pros and cons of the most anticipated films released in the next few months so you can decide for yourself.
Spider-Man: Homecoming
Messrs Jon Favreau, Robert Downey Jr and Tom Holland in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Photograph courtesy of Columbia Pictures
Pros: Marvel Studios has wrested control of one of the world’s most lucrative superheroes back from Sony, and the trailer for Spider-Man: Homecoming suggests this latest take on the teenage web-slinger will be way more fun than the angsty Mr Andrew Garfield reboot.
Cons: With Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol.2 topping the May box office, we’re close to Marvel overload. And it’s hard to shake the sense that Homecoming only got made so Spider-Man could at last be integrated into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Is that a good enough reason?
Wonder Woman
Messrs Saïd Taghmaoui, Ewen Bremner, Chris Pine and Ms Gal Gadot in Wonder Woman. Photograph courtesy of Warner Bros Pictures
Pros: Ms Gal Gadot’s Amazon was widely considered the best thing in the otherwise execrable Batman v Superman. In the first female-led superhero blockbuster of this era, Wonder Woman is charged with saving not just the world, but the credibility of the DC Cinematic Universe.
Cons: As recent DC films have demonstrated, a thrilling trailer doesn’t necessarily represent a good movie. There have been rumours of behind-the-scenes problems, which doesn’t bode well. But it can’t be worse than Catwoman, can it?
Dunkirk
Mr Fionn Whitehead in Dunkirk. Photograph by Ms Melinda Sue Gordon. Courtesy of Warner Bros Entertainment Inc
Pros: Mr Nolan’s latest is a widescreen action drama about the Dunkirk evacuation. His track record is impeccable, and he has assembled an ensemble cast featuring more cumulative British (and Irish) acting talent than a Harry Potter sequel.
Cons: Mr Nolan has cast three unknowns, plus one extremely well-known, in the plum roles of four young squaddies stuck on the beach. That means Dunkirk’s success may rest, in the end, on whether or not Mr Harry Styles can act.
Transformers: The Last Knight
Ms Laura Haddock and Mr Mark Wahlberg in Transformers: The Last Knight. Photograph courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Pros: Mr Bay. Mr Mark Wahlberg. Sir Anthony Hopkins. Dinosaur Transformers. Dragon Transformers. Sword-fighting Transformers. Extreme slo-mo. Explosions. More explosions.
Cons: Mr Bay. Mr Mark Wahlberg. Sir Anthony Hopkins. Dinosaur Transformers. Dragon Transformers. Sword-fighting Transformers. Extreme slo-mo. Explosions. More explosions.
Baywatch
The Rock and Mr Zac Efron in Baywatch. Photography by Mr Frank Masi. Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Pros: The idea of updating a preposterous 1980s/1990s TV show as an action comedy worked for 21 Jump Street, so why not Baywatch? The Rock and Mr Zac Efron both have the necessary comic chops – not to mention the pecs – and the trailer promises slow-motion running aplenty.
Cons: The biggest star of Baywatch the TV series wasn’t Mr David Hasselhoff, it was Ms Pamela Anderson’s chest. It remains to be seen whether the movie version can navigate the show’s retrograde gender politics and avoid a Twitter outrage, 2017-style.
The Mummy
Mr Tom Cruise and Ms Annabelle Wallis in The Mummy. Photograph courtesy of Universal Pictures
Pros: Mr Tom Cruise’s first supernatural encounter since Interview With The Vampire boasts his signature big-scale stunts, plus supporting turns from Mr Russell Crowe and Ms Sofia Boutella as the titular monster, who magically destroys at least one ugly London skyscraper, so kudos for that.
Cons: Without a major superhero, Universal is mining its old monster movie properties for franchise potential. The Mummy has been resurrected on screen in almost every decade since the 1930s. Must we really do this all over again?
The Dark Tower
Mr Idris Elba in The Dark Tower. Photograph courtesy of Columbia Pictures
Pros: The long awaited screen adaptation of Mr Stephen King’s cult sci-fi-fantasy-Western series comes freighted with fanboy expectation. Mr Idris Elba plays the books’ Gunslinger hero, with Mr Matthew McConaughey as his nemesis, an evil sorcerer.
Cons: Fans of Mr King’s books could be forgiven for being wary. The film is described as a sort of sequel to the events of the novels. The story is to be told from the point of view of an 11-year-old boy, who is thrust into The Gunslinger’s parallel dimension. Shades of Percy Jackson?
SUMMER HITS
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