So now another summer has come to an end with it now being 9:20 PM on Labor Day as I write this. And with it, the summer movie season also comes to an end.
This summer movie season has been one of the drearier ones on record. I can only think of a handful of movies that excited me enough to go see them in theaters and of those, only a couple lived up to the hype. In fact, it would not be far from the mark to say that Hollywood is currently in a creative rut. The evidence in favor of this rut is strong: Jason Vs Freddy, Legally Blonde 2, Bad Boys 2, Jeepers Creepers 2. Yet the most striking evidence in favor of this is SWAT. Regardless of the actual quality of the film, it’s a telling sign that Hollywood (which is already notorious for its terrible big screen versions of Saturday Morning Cartoons and TV shows which have been retired to TV Land) has now taken to remaking TV shows that haven’t even been in syndication for ages. I have had cable for about 18 years now and I do not recall ever coming across a SWAT rerun. It seems that pretty much everyone was content to let it die except for those in Hollywood.
So here are my thoughts on the various summer blockbusters and bombs.
X2. Technically, this was the film to officially start the summer movie season. And it was actually one of the better ones. Overall, it was probably the best comic book movie to come along since last year’s Spider-Man. Like the webslinger it mixed the right amount of action and drama that pleased both comic book purists and movie fans.
The Hulk. It took me a while to figure out what exactly was wrong with The Hulk. I finally came to the same conclusion that most other filmgoers did. Comic book movie or art film. Make one or the other; don’t try to cram both into one. If Ang Lee had done that instead of trying to make a movie that would be all things to all people, someone may have been happy with the results. So while The Hulk wasn’t a stinker, it also offered definitive proof that we do not need a comic book art movie.
Terminator 3. Now this was probably the best of the summer blockbusters. While T3 was not up to the level of the first two Terminator movies, it was easily the best pure action film Hollywood has done in some time. Unlike the overblown Hulk, T3 was intended to be a straightforward action movie and made no apologies for it. Add to that a decent performance from Arnold Schwarzenegger (which we thought had become an impossibility) and you have a great summer movie.
From Justin To Kelly. The fact that this one disappeared from theaters in a few days (Hell, Gigli took a week) is a sign of its quality. What had many people scratching their heads about this one was the movie’s release date. The movie was released on the same day that The Hulk rumbled into theaters and was crushed by the green monolith. So we have one of two possibilities here. 1: The producers realized that they had a bomb on their hands and felt that the best option was to bury it and cut their losses as much as possible. Or 2: They truly don’t get it. While many people hope it was the former, the latter is far more likely in Hollywood.
Legally Blonde 2. Was this one really necessary? That’s all I can think of to say about it.
Bad Boys 2. The original Bad Boys was a good (but not great) action film. It was a modest hit, although not a blockbuster. Since it was released, Will Smith has moved on to greener pastures, although he hit rough water with Men In Black II, Wild Wild West and The Legend Of Bagger Vance. Yet he still has some box office power. So my guess is that the main reason that this movie was even made may have something to do with the fact that Martin Lawrence hasn’t had a hit in some time and needed one badly. Plus the producers also felt that if it became enough of a hit, they could build a successful franchise out of it. Nice try. But it wasn’t necessary
Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle. The original was a cinematic bag of cotton candy (good tasting fluff with no real substance). This new one came off as simply another Hollywood attempt to make a franchise out of a franchise. In other words, if the original Charlie’s Angels was a bag of cotton candy, this one was airline pudding.
The Italian Job. This one was actually better than I expected. This remake (of a 1968 Michael Caine film) offered some of the most pure fun we’ve had at the movies in a while. The fun made up for the so-so acting. Director F Gary Gray (as The Negotiator proved) can lift a story that was done numerous times before out of the ordinary.
Pirates Of The Caribbean. A surprise hit, this one proved that it might be worthwhile for Hollywood to look beyond TV shows and video games as sources for adaptations.
Finding Nemo. This isn’t the first time that an animated movie has proven to be much better than much of the live action competition.
Gigli. In the 2003 Battlefield Earth/Hudson Hawk sweepstakes, we have a winner. Already critically lambasted before it even reached theaters, this one died the second quickest death of any movie released this season. Was it the reviews that kept people, bad word of mouth or just the fact that pretty much everyone had OD’d on all things Ben and J-Lo. Regardless of the reason, the public wasn’t buying and the final box office verdict is that Gigli will doubtlessly be up for some Raspberries come February.
Jason Vs Freddy. Probably the most pointless movie to come out of Hollywood this summer. And it’s been number one for two weeks. Look people, if you want good silly entertainment without bad acting, pit on CNN/Fox News and watch the California recall.
Here’s hoping that the choices will be better come fall.
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