Summer Preview

Summer Preview

2012 has been an exciting year for movies so far. From blockbusting heavyweights such as The Avengers, The Hunger Games, Men in Black 3 and Wrath of the Titans to unfortunate crimes against cinema such as Mirror, Mirror, Battleship and John Carter (oh, Disney…), we have had a wealth of movies to pick and choose from during the first few months of the year.

So there's no time like the present to take a quick breather and have a look at a few films hoping to bring in the audiences this summer.

"Are you willing to pay the price your freedom will cost?"

Starting us off, it’s Disney/Pixar’s latest adventure Brave. Set in the Scottish kingdom of Dunbroch, Brave follows the story of Merida, a skilled archer who also happens to be a princess. Against her own will, Merida is set to marry one of three men chosen by her mother. Choosing to defy this age old tradition, Merida causes controversy throughout the kingdom and a spell is cast upon her family. Merida must venture into the wilderness and find the courage within herself to break the spell and restore peace to the kingdom.

Brave looks like a fun film with a lot of heart, something that Disney has always excelled at. Pixar has only led us astray once before (Cars 2 -  but we do not speak of that), so I’m looking forward to watching the exciting and ever-entertaining story unfold. While I don't think any film from the studio will reach the emotionally soaring heights of Toy Story 3 ever again, Brave looks like it's going to address some relevant themes to a young audience and will certainly entertain all its viewers.

Starring: Kelly McDonald, Billy Connolly, Julie Walters, Robbie Coltrane
Release Date: June 30th

"Do you have any idea what you really are?"

Next up is none other than The Amazing Spider-Man. Based on the “Ultimate Spider-Man” comic series (just to be confusing), The Amazing Spider-Man is a brand new origin story for Peter Parker and his transformation into the web-swinging superhero. Peter will search for the truth regarding his parents’ disappearance whilst defending New York from the horrifically mutated Dr Connors AKA "The Lizard". Forget everything you thought you knew about Spider-Man: witness the untold story.

I’m just going to come out with it: this looks much better than the original Tobey Maguire trilogy. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed all of those movies. However, this is what Spider-Man should be. Judging by the trailers and the marketing so far, it’s darker, it’s cooler and it’s definitely going to be a much more intriguing and mysterious story.

Starring: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans
Release Date: June 28th

"Anything from outer space - kill it."

In Neighbourhood Watch, a group of middle-aged friends form a (you guessed it) neighbourhood watch in order to protect their community from thugs after one of their friends is murdered. However, when the group discovers an alien plot to destroy the world, they step in and decide to confront the attack head on.

It sounds barmy, and it is. What else would you expect from these guys? It’s complete tongue-in-cheek and the film knows what it’s trying to do. Personally I’m hoping we’ve got another hugely quotable comedy on our hands here in the same vein as Anchorman.

Starring: Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill, Richard Ayoade
Release Date: July 27th

Here’s the big one. I've saved the best until last. The Dark Knight Rises will conclude director Christopher Nolan’s trilogy in the world of Batman. Following on from 2008’s overwhelmingly successful The Dark Knight, Nolan’s third and final Batman movie will see Gotham restored to peace after the Joker killings. Batman has gone into hiding, accepting responsibility for Harvey Dent’s crimes in order to keep the people of Gotham believing in the goodness of their "White Knight". Eight years later, the city finds itself threatened once again by the ruthless terrorist Bane, who vows to destroy Gotham and show the people that Batman can be broken.

"When Gotham is ashes, you have my permission to die."

There are hundreds of theories flying around the internet regarding how the story will play out, and if the trailers are anything to go by, Bruce Wayne could be about to take his last breath in the effort to save Gotham. Featuring a superb A-List cast and a director who has delivered nothing short of Oscar-worthy thus far, The Dark Knight Rises could (and probably will) surpass The Avengers as the highest grossing film of the year. A piece of advice, however: don't get left behind. Watch Batman Begins and The Dark Knight before you see this. This is truly epic storytelling.

Starring: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Michael Caine, Anne Hathaway, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Morgan Freeman
Release Date: July 20th

So there you have it, they're just four of the big hitters targetting your wallet this summer. Check back to Movies Under the Microscope for reviews of all of these films, as well as another round up of what's to come in filmland.

By Dean Johnstone

E-mail me: dean.james.johnstone@hotmail.com
Tweet me: @DJJohnstone