Summertime is slowly creeping its lovely, hot, bright shining head into our lives. And for many of us that means one thing: MOVIES. Thesummer movie, like the Halloween movie and the awards season movie, is a special beast. Many of them are filled with anticipation, a lot of of them are sequels or related to previous films, and most of them cost the price of a small island.
What makes2016such an interesting year is that we have superheroes fighting each other inCaptain America: Civil War. The return of a character by an actor who had previously written off this defining role inJason Bourne. An 80s franchise that has gotten a serious reboot inGhostbusters. I could go on and on but like many of the summer film lists from years past, we are seeing something old, something new and sometimes something we don’t really know what to expect as inThe BFG.
Adding to the interestingness of the 2016 Summer movie crop are the wild cards. First off, there’sThe Angry Birds Movie. While some of the more art-minded people might want to see a film about people pulling back a virtual slingshot in an endless loop, something tells us the creators of this film have a lot more in mind. What aboutThe Conjuring 2: The Enfield Poltergeistand theThe Purge 3: Election Year? Horror movies…In the summer? Is the studio behind this crazy? Well, the last films in those franchises scared the sweat out of us and we have a feeling their sequels will be just as good. Finally, there’sSausage Party, but we’ll get to that one below.
This says nothing of old time films getting the true reboot treatment. That we have new versions ofBen-HurandThe Legend of Tarzanto think about makes one want to ask…What year is this? Sure, sword and sandal pics might be very risky, but what ifBen-Huris Gladiator? It’s kind of being compared to that…What if it rekindles interest in the flawless original and suddenly Charlton Heston is hip again? This says nothing about Tarzan’s prospects!!
All, that said, nothing is guaranteed and most of these films have just as much to lose at the box office as they have to gain. That however is for another article (like this one about summer’s ticking timebombs)! With the shine of of summer peaking out at us, lets focus on the positive! Okay, enough with the conjecture… it’s time to get happy and excited about the 23 Biggest Summer Movies Coming in 2016!
23Captain America: Civil War - May 6
Okay, it probably isn’t hubris to say that this is the big film of summer. Political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability when the actions of the Avengers lead to collateral damage. The new status quo deeply divides members of the team. Captain America (Chris Evans) believes superheroes should remain free to defend humanity without government interference. Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) sharply disagrees and supports oversight. As the debate escalates into an all-out feud, Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) must pick a side. Whether it’s Iron Man and Captain America at each other’s throats, The Avenger’s universe is truly starting to expand it’s characters and the Marvel world is really starting to get deep, dark and interesting. With summer movies mainly seen as brainless, popcorn excursions, lets hope some other films on this list took a cue from Civil War and aren’t afraid to get their character development on.
With Warner Bros. already ordering a sequel, that appears to bode quite well for this franchise. At the same time, it also tells us that as far as blockbuster summer movies goSuicide Squadis the goods. This DC offering sees super villains accepting a secret government mission that will likely result in their deaths. With actors like Will Smith playing roles that appear far out of their comfort zone, Jared Leto taking the weight of the Joker on his shoulders, and Margot Robbie completely metamorphosing into Harley Quinn, we know one thing…Hancock this ain’t.
21X-Men: Apocalypse- May 27
The origin story continues! Worshiped as a god since the dawn of civilization, the immortal Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac) becomes the first and most powerful mutant. Awakening after thousands of years, he recruits the disheartened Magneto (Michael Fassbender) and other mutants to create a new world order. As the fate of the Earth hangs in the balance, Professor X (James McAvoy) and Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) lead a team of young X-Men to stop their seemingly invincible nemesis from destroying mankind. With Bryan Singer back in charge of this franchise (he has directed all but two of the main films), there seems to be a continuity that we don’t usually get in movies of this ilk. This bodes very well for summer movie goers. We know we can expect rich characters, sensational action scenes, and a level of acting (Oscar Isaac, Michael Fassbender and Jennifer Lawrence are about as good as it gets nowadays) that is classically a cut above many of the other thespians out there.
20Star Trek Beyond- July 22
It would be very cynical to look at this movie as just another Star Trek film. The set up is generally the same, stranded on a hostile planet, Capt. Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto) and the rest of the Enterprise crew face an alien threat. However, we know that having Justin Lin on board changes the game a bit. Helmer of the first two, J.J. Abrams brought action and cerebral tendencies to this franchise. Justin Lin, bless his heart, is known for the action intensity of the Fast and the Furious films. What does this mean? WillStar Trek Beyondbe nothing but an action fest? Hardly. Something tells us we’re going to see a summer film that delivers everything we’ve come to expect from a Star Trek installment, mixed with the completely crazy, death defying antics that Justin Lin somehow manages to pull off time and again.
19Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2- June 3
Our favorite turtles are back as Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael and Donatello fight Shredder (Brian Tee), Krang, Bebop (Gary Anthony Williams) and Rocksteady (Stephen “Sheamus” Farrelly) in this Michael Bay production. In an already packed action filled summer,Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesseparates itself because it can honestly lay claim to adults and kids. As the FX in these movies continue to get better and better, it is no surprise that the the look of them becomes something to marvel at. Always filled with a fair amount of tongue and cheekiness, something tells us that this 2016 offering is going to be the best of the bunch.
18Ghostbusters- July 15
It’s 2016 and doggunit, it is about time that a bunch of kick-ass women with comedy skills took over the box office. A lot has been made about this reboot that took decades to finally get lensed. At first we were going to get a cast that featured people with the last names Aykroyd and Murray. Sadly, or maybe not, this did not happen. Now we get a film that sees Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig headline as paranormal researchers going after ghosts that have a knack for possessing humans. There is a lot on the line with this franchise. More than anything, the2016 Ghostbustershave a lot to live up to. Something tells us…This film is going to be talked about long after the summer ends.
17Jason Bourne - July 29
There may not be much in the way of plot details for this new installment with Matt Damon, but at the end of the day does that really matter? Here’s what we do know… Bourne is involved in something with geopolitical intrigue, there is going to be a lot of action, and Bourne will be stretched to the absolute limits of his physical capacity. While fans seemed to enjoy Jeremy Renner stepping in to The Bourne Legacy (in the role of Aaron Cross), one can only imagine what might happen should Damon and Renner meet in a crossover film? The summer of 2016 seems to lay the groundwork for this and fans of the series should be kissing Matt Damon’s feet.
16WarcraftJune 10
This Blizzard video game is getting the big screen treatment, and with a budget of $100 million, that certainly qualifies it as a big 2016 summer movie. This long awaited film sees Orc warriors flee their dying home to colonize another, and in the process invade the peaceful realm of Azeroth. With mega CGI, a massive fanbase behind it, and years of anticipation in its wake,Warcraftseems poised to deliver. Sure, it may not make a splash like The Force Awakens, but all signs indicate that it will land with a heck of a lot more than a ripple.
15Finding Dory- June 17
Summer is all about family right? This sequel to 2003’s beloved Finding Nemo sees Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) wanting to reunite with her mother (voiced by Diane Keaton). She gets a lot of help in this endeavor from Nemo and Marlin (Albert Brooks). Okay, I could speculate all day about the prospects of this new film from Pixar. However, lets just cut right to the chase. Finding Nemo is canonized with such films as Snow White and Cinderella. Unless Finding Dory is really bad, this 2016 summer offering is going to warm your heart, be seen multiple times, and probably not leave the theater until October.
14Independence Day: Resurgence- June 24
What makes this summer film so special is that it actually imagines a world where the nations of the earth work together! Basically, it seems that after the last film the world has used some recovered extraterrestrial technology to battle against future alien attacks. This gets put to a severe test when aliens once again decide to set their sights on this place we call home. Again, humanity is called to work together to figure out another way to best their out of this world foes. With Roland Emmerich once again showing us how to properly destroy the world, get ready to be blown out of your summer seat!
