By Camille Borodey
Orientation Editor
The Amazing Spiderman 2 (May 2nd) Peter Parker is flying back into theaters, and he’s fighting a whole new group of ruthless villains including Electro (played by Oscar winner Jamie Foxx). Was a reboot of the Spiderman franchise necessary? Probably not, but Andrew Garfield brings a different spin to everyone’s favorite web-slinging superhero. Plus, the amazing organic chemistry that Garfield has with Emma Stone, who plays Peter’s girlfriend Gwen Stacey, makes viewers forget about the whiny and flat relationship between the Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson from the original films.
Godzilla (May 16) What would the summer movie season be without at least a dozen reboots? After watching the trailer, “Godzilla” looks like another disaster movie in which the city is completely destroyed, the only difference being the disaster comes in the form of the a giant scaly monster. Although this may be a film I’ll skip in theatres, the impressive cast includes Aaron Johnson and Elizabeth Olson (young sister of Mary Kate and Ashley). Johnson is known as the titled character in the “Kickass” movies and Olson broke out in film with her impressive performance in 2011 indie flick “Martha Marcy May Marlene.” These are two actors I’m happy to be see get more deserved lead roles.
X-Men: Days of Futures Past (May 23) I am not much of a fan of constant rebooting of ideas in Hollywood, but X-Men looks like it could be epic mostly due to the cast. The film takes place in two different time lines, and the characters in the original film series need to join with their younger selves in order to protect the future. I’m not saying that I prefer the new X-men franchise to the 2000 version, but I did re-watch the franchise a couple months ago, and it just felt so outdated. Mystique (who was portrayed by Rebecca Romijn in the first franchise and Jennifer Lawrence in the new version) did not get much fair depth in the original X-men films, which was shame since superhero movies often lack a badass female villain. I was glad the newer films chose to give her more to do other than just slink around while obeying the commands of Magneto.
Maleficent (May 30) I do complain that Disney tends to reboot their old characters, but after watching the trailer for “Maleficent,” I cannot deny that Angelina Jolie looks badass in her evil queen getup. Maleficent is a live action retelling of the story of “Sleeping Beauty” told from the perspective of the evil queen and the event that lead up to her placing a curse on Princess Aurora (Elle Fanning). This movie may be the directorial debut for Robert Stromberg, but he has won two Oscars in the past for his art direction in “Alice in Wonderland” and “Avatar.” So even if the movie does not live up to expectation, at least we can be guaranteed some awesome visual affects.
The Fault in Our Stars (June 6) Based off of the best selling book by John Green, “The Fault in Our Stars” tells the story of Hazel Lancaster (Shaliene Woodley), a 16-year-old cancer patient who catches the eye of Augustus Waters (Ansel Elgort). The two make an interesting couple for Hazel has to carry around an oxygen tank, and Augustus, who is in remission from osteosarcoma, has a fake leg. After seeing Woodley in The “Descendants” and “The Spectacular Now,” I’ll watch anything with her. Since Green was heavily involved in the production of the movie, I’m hoping this tale of two teens in love will not end up being translated into a soapy Nicholas Sparks love story.
Jersey Boys (June 20) Directed by Clint Eastwood, “Jersey Boys” is based off the Tony award winning musical based off the rise of the 1960s quartet The Four Seasons. When a musical is translated onto the big screen, much too often a big Hollywood star gets cast in the lead instead of someone who is vocally credible. Luckily, John Lloyd Young, who played Frankie Valli in the Broadway version, is also playing Valli in the movie. The film also stars Christopher Walken as a mob boss connected to The Four Seasons.
