The release of US and international Prometheus trailers in the past twenty-four hours has made me think — which of this year’s summer movies am I interested in seeing? Which am I likely to see?
Let’s run down the list…
The Avengers, May 4 — No, emphatically no. I’m far more interested in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, opening the same day, but that’s not something I feel the need to see in the theatre.
Dark Shadows, May 11th — Possibly. My experience with Dark Shadows is of the super-serious 1991 remake with Ben Cross and Joanna Going, the trailer for Dark Shadows, which looks like the spiritual successor to Beetlejuice is not in that vein at all. To be honest, though, I’m not a great fan of Burton’s recent directorial style. At work, we think that this is the movie to which the final Dark Knight Rises trailer will be attached, though Wrath of the Titans is also a possibility.
Battleship, May 18th — No.
Men in Black 3, May 25th — No. I’ve not seen the first two.
Prometheus, June 8th — Yes! Ridley Scott returns to the universe of Alien, and this looks like it’s going to be the best Alienverse film since Alien3. (The Alien Rule is the opposite of the Star Trek rule. Odd Alien movies are good, even Alien movies are shite.) Here’s that US Trailer and the much different International Trailer.
Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter, June 22 — Possibly. The trailers certainly look cool.
Brave, June 22nd — Possibly. I’ve never seen a Pixar film, and this one has definite points of interest (Scotland, the vocal talents of Kelly Macdonald).
G.I. Joe: Retaliation, June 29th — No.
The Amazing Spider-Man, July 3rd — Yes. The trailer hits some very interesting notes, and this looks like it’s going to be a much darker piece than the Sam Raimi films.
The Dark Knight Rises, July 20th — Yes!
The Bourne Legacy, August 3rd — No.
Total Recall, August 3rd — Possibly.
After that, the potential blockbusters drop off, with the only likely movies between September 1st and Christmas being Dredd (September 21st), Skyfall (November 9th), and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (December 14th).
If you total these up, the definites and the borderlines, this still means more movies in the theatre than I’ve seen in any year since 2005 since I’ve already gone to see two this year.
Movies are expensive anymore. :-/