The summer movie season has reached its conclusion, and, as usual, it was full of big budget action sequences, depth-lacking crowd pleasers and clumsily done endings conducive to sequels.
Audiences had the opportunity to see “Minions” in a feature length film, Amy Schumer on the big screen and yet another John Green novel adaptation. Movies like “Magic Mike XXL” delivered exactly what we expected, while some with more promise fell short, like Cameron Crowe’s “Aloha” and Woody Allen’s “Irrational Man.” Not every movie that came out this summer was a flop; “Inside Out” and “Mad Max: Fury Road” exceeded expectations and earned the critics’ highest appraisals. There were many films that audiences enjoyed during this summer season, and here are a few that deserve highlights:
The Moneymaker: Jurassic World
Ratings: 71% Rotten Tomatoes, 59% Metacritic
In the era of endless reboots, it was only fitting that a sequel broke the box office. “Jurassic World” is not only the top movie of the summer, but also the third highest-grossing movie of all time behind “Avatar” and “Titanic.” It has earned $637 million in domestic grosses and $945 million worldwide for a total of $1.5 billion, and it’s still in theaters. Of course, “Jurassic World” didn’t outdo the original, and it wasn’t trying to. Its mission was to give audiences a dinosaur-packed, entertaining popcorn thriller – and that’s exactly what it did. Steven Spielberg even came back to the franchise as the executive producer for this film, and there’s already a sequel set for summer 2018 with more dinosaurs and more Chris Pratt.
Critic’s Choice: Inside Out
Ratings: 98% Rotten Tomatoes, 94% Metacritic, #53 on IMDb Top 250
The critics have spoken, and I concur. “Inside Out” is one of the best films of 2015. Do not let the fact that this film is animated deter you from experiencing this original, deep and beautifully designed film. Pixar tugs at audience’s hearts once again by reminding us the joys and trials that accompany growing up—by telling the story through the personified emotions of an 11-year-old girl. Joy, Sadness, Disgust, Anger and Fear evoke their respective emotions in moviegoers throughout the film and make the audience want to go see it again (like I did). The psychological depth of the movie, which explores the physiology of the brain and the transition into adulthood, is sure to be lost on children, but it may earn the movie the Oscar win for Best Animated Feature.
Best Franchise Reboot: Mad Max: Fury Road
Ratings: 98% Rotten Tomatoes, 89% Metacritic, #99 on IMDb Top 250
There are very few reboots that have been executed as excellently as “Mad Max: Fury Road,” and both audiences and critics have nothing but praise for the film. George Miller spent the past 17 years making sure the movie was cinematic gold, and this installation has brought the post-apocalyptic franchise roaring back to life. For those who haven’t seen it, get ready to strap yourself in for the most visceral, blood-pumping, adrenaline-fueled thrill ride of the century.
Best Girl Power Movie: Pitch Perfect 2
Ratings: 66% Rotten Tomatoes, 63% Metacritic
The Bellas are back, and audiences were happy to see this sassy sisterhood on the big screen again. Beca (Anna Kendrick) and Jesse (Skylar Astin) are still going strong, and the announcers (Elizabeth Banks and John Michael Higgins) still had plenty of humorous dialogue. However, sequels are never easy, and while the plot fell short of its predecessor, “Pitch Perfect 2” still managed to entertain us and give us some new aca-awesome songs to sing along to in the car. In typical summer blockbuster fashion, “Pitch Perfect 3” is to be released in 2017.
Squad Goals: Avengers: Age of Ultron
Ratings: 74% Rotten Tomatoes, 66% Metacritic
What’s better than a superhero? An entire team of them. The all-star “Avengers” cast had audiences lined up at the door to see this film, but the hype had more to do with the Marvel fanbase than the quality of the film. Movies with this many characters are hard to execute without cluttering the plot, and Joss Whedon did an okay job with the task. If you enjoyed the first one, then you’re in luck because the sequel gave us one-liners and exciting digital action very similar to the first one.
Biggest Flop (probably of the year): Fantastic Four
Ratings: 8% Rotten Tomatoes, 27% Metacritic
The $120 million movie has only earned $130.4 million and is already projected as a candidate for flop of the year. Marvel even disliked it and made it known by putting the Four (drawn like the actors) in a recently released comic book and had the characters blown up. “Fantastic Four” was a new story written for the beloved Marvel hero team on the big screen, but, even with some good ideas, the movie came out as a misguided disaster. From the editing to the dialogue-heavy screenplay, the entire movie felt like the filmmakers just totally fumbled this one.
