After 28 films, I want to highlight some of the highs and lows of the 2011 Summer Movie Season. I may not have seen everything (there was no way in hell I was going to pay money for The Smurfs), but I’ve seen more than enough to weigh a valid opinion. Thank you for all your support and please keep reading, Pantages’ Theater will continue bringing you as many reviews as possible.
1. Best Use of 3D: Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Runner Up: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
: Watching a trio of wizard rocket through Gringotts Bank or wage war at Hogwarts was amazing in 3D, but the use of the technology was a god-send for Transformers: Dark of the Moon. As I said in my review, moviegoers could have validly shown up an hour late and not missed a thing, but once the final battle in Chicago unfolded, the action was jaw-dropping. Without epic action and impressive visuals, Transformers: Dark of the Moon could have been the worst film of the year.
2. Worst Movie: Conan the Barbarian
Runner Up: Green Lantern
: Idiotic dialogue, stupid story, embarrassing acting, lame action…the list goes on and on for Conan the Barbarian, which should have gone straight-to-DVD. Plain and simple, the film was a bad idea executed in the worst manner possible. And let’s not forget the adventure showcasing our emerald DC superhero, which proved to audiences why Marvel will always be the dominant comic book filmmaker by wasting valuable source material and completely missing the mark in terms of casting.
3. Most Overrated Movie: Super 8
: Alright, let me be clear about one thing, Super 8 was not a bad movie, it just wasn’t as good as everyone has been claiming, recycling far too many elements from other Steven Spielberg classics. No other film this summer had as wide a disparity between popular reception, overall hype, and my own reaction…you may disagree with me, but this is my blog and you are reading for MY opinion.
4. Best Action Film: Fast Five
Runner Up: X-men: First Class
: Epic car chases, gunfights, and an all-out brawl between The Rock and Vin Diesel…Fast Five was a testosterone junky’s dream come true. As for the superhero team of outcasts, it doesn’t get much cooler than watching Magneto destroy a yacht with an anchor or drag a nuclear submarine from the water. Some of you may think Transformers earned a spot on this list, but the action was nowhere near consistent enough to outweigh these other contenders.
5. Best Comedy: Bridesmaids
Runner Up: Horrible Bosses
: Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph led a hysterical cast to show that female comedy can be crude, clever, and hysterical. Bridesmaids had me crying I was laughing so hard and no other comedy this entire Summer Movie Season was able to match that surprisingly high level of laughs. A close second was Horrible Bosses, which boasted a popular cast going off-the-wall crazy in order to showcase a workplace dynamic that we have all experienced at one point or the other.
6. Best Movie: Crazy, Stupid, Love.
Runner Up: The Debt
Honorable Mention: The Help
: You may think I’m crazy to give this title to a romantic comedy, but Crazy, Stupid, Love was near-perfect, with a funny, heartwarming story that was engaging and relatable throughout and brought to life by an insanely popular cast. The Debt was an exciting thriller with phenomenal acting and true pathos, but the story was a little hard to follow; The Help will be a prevalent name during Oscar Season in both the nomination and winning categories, but the film as a whole was boring at times. All three were great and definitely should not be missed by even the most casual of movie goers.
7. Best Breakthrough Performance: Michael Fassbender in X-men: First Class
Runner Up: Jessica Chastain in The Debt
Honorable Mention: Charlie Day in Horrible Bosses
: Michael Fassbender was easily the best part of X-men: First Class, taking a character made famous by screen legend Ian McKellen and redefining him beyond a one-dimensional villain to transform him into a sympathetic ally who regular switches between tortured soul and undeniable badass. Jessica Chastain gave a strong performance in The Help, but she took acting to the next level in The Debt as the conflicted Mossad agent facing unspeakable evil. Finally, there’s Charlie Day, who I already knew was funny from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, but he proved that he can handle the big screen with his fantastic freak-outs in Horrible Bosses.
8. Best Animated Film: Kung Fu Panda 2
Runner Up: Cars 2
: This is one of the few years in recent memory that Disney-Pixar wasn’t able to wow audiences with its newest entry, so with surprisingly adult subject matter and fantastic graphics and action, Kung Fu Panda 2 was the clear choice. To be fair to Cars 2, the animated adventure was enjoyable, but it was just not able to live up to the reputation established by its predecessors.
9. Biggest Surprise of the Summer: Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Runner Up: Fright Night
: Anyone who spoke to me leading up to their release knew that I was expecting both Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Fright Night to fail miserably both critically and commercially, but I ended up loving both of them. Strong directing and the powerhouse performance of Andy Serkis made Rise of the Planet of the Apes fantastic, while my inner vampire geek loved seeing Colin Farrell bring a classic movie monster back to its terrifying roots. Both were enjoyable, but a wider appeal and stronger box office performance helped the primate revolution edge out the neighbor from hell.
10. Best Superhero Movie: X-men: First Class
Runner Up: Captain America: The First Avenger
: In a summer filled with four superhero movies, I had more than enough material to validly create this category, and while X-men: First Class was the clear winner; I did have some trouble choosing between Captain America and Thor. Both were surprisingly well executed in spite of difficult subject material, but with a historical backdrop and patriotic undertones, the WWII super soldier was able to beat out the Norse god of Thunder. As for Green Lantern, loyal readers know my opinion of that train wreck, and if I start talking about it again, this paragraph may end up laced with profanity.
11. Biggest Overall Disappointment: The Hangover: Part II
Runner Up: Cowboys & Aliens
: Everyone was excited for the follow-up to the top-grossing R-rated comedy of all time, but no one was expecting an exact carbon copy that repackaged the same jokes from the original. When it comes to Cowboys & Aliens, Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig should have been fantastic together, but they were given a shoddy project that completely discredited all of the hopeful buzz that had been building for months. If I wanted to mention the one film that probably ended up losing the most money and disappointing executives, I’d probably go back to Green Lantern…again.
12. Top Distributor: Paramount
Runner Up: Warner Bros.
: Paramount - Thor; Kung Fu Panda 2; Super 8; Transformers: Dark of the Moon; Captain America: The First Avenger; Cowboys & Aliens
Warner Bros. - The Hangover: Part 2; Green Lantern; Horrible Bosses; Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2; Crazy, Stupid, Love; Final Destination 5
Summer Box Office Champions (Source: Box Office Mojo; Numbers as of 9/11/11)
: Combined domestic and international gross…I predicted the champion, yet again!
1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2: $ 1,321,088,000
2. Transformers: Dark of the Moon: $ 1,115,806,000
3. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides: $1,039,326,715
4. Kung Fu Panda 2: $656,004,000
5. Fast Five: $609,837,675
