Written by Tyler Lamb. Media by Morgan Johnson
The summer tends to be a barrage of movies, both big budget and low. Sometimes it gets a tad bit overwhelming for avid moviegoers like myself to see them all. At the end of the few month fiasco, most seem to ask the question of what was the best. Here is a list of the movies that released this summer that I saw and thought to be the best it had to offer. They are ordered by release date, not by rank. So without further ado, here is the good of the summer.
Stark Trek Into Darkness
Somehow a bunch of really snooty Star Trek fans voted this the worst film in the franchise (I guess they never saw Nemesis). In reality, this movie was one of the best of the series. It not only continues on its own sort of reboot of the franchise that the first one set up, but it still references the past movies making sure it is reaching both a new audience and the old fan base. There are a handful of nods to the second Star Trek, Wrath of Khan, in this movie, but it still holds its own. Benedict Cumberbatch does an excellent job as the villain of the movie and Chris Pine really shows why they picked him to be the new Kirk. Thankfully the fantastic Karl Urban, AKA the man who should have been cast as Batman, had a much larger role in this movie and played brilliantly off of Pine. It was a great spectacle of a movie, with lots and lots of lens flares, that really set off the start of great summer blockbusters.
3 KKKHHHHHHHHAAAANNNNNNS out of 4
Fast and Furious 6
Here we have probably the least disappointing movie of 2013. This movie delivered exactly what you would expect from the series, and then some. High octane action and car chases with ridiculous and laughable stunts leave this, to me, up there with one of the best action movies of the summer. This franchise really made a turn around after the fifth one came out and has received tons of positive reviews. The sixth was no different. The second trilogy of F&F movies has ended, they are already planning the third trilogy, and I can’t express how excited I am to see them all. I hope this is a franchise that lasts for years to come and continues to deliver amazingly fun movies to take us away from the movies trying to be more than they should be.
3 tanks on highways out of 4
This is the End
Here’s a movie where 80% ad-lib works, and works beautifully. Watching this movie you can tell that they had a blast making it, and that translates well over the screen and to the audience making you have fun with them. Everyone loves laughing at celebrities as well as with them, and they make sure to make fun of themselves a lot. It was an interesting concept that I wasn’t sure would work, but it did. I would recommend most anyone to see this movie if you’re looking for a great comedy. It’s obvious most of the budget wasn’t used for special effects, but you can overlook things like that when everything else is so on point.
3.5 stars…like famous people…out of 4
Man of Steel
This movie seemed to spark a lot of controversy having to do with the destruction of a major city. I had no real problem with this at all. Here we have a Superman who just learned how to fly a day or so ago, who is up against a military leader of his home planet. He hardly has any idea what he’s doing or how to do it and does his best at some points to keep the carnage away. At the end of the day, he does save the entire world at the cost of one city. Looking at it that way makes the destruction not as bad to me. It was a great origin story and reboot of the character in a movie that I think will be what Tim Burton’s Batman was to Batman, bringing him away from the campy 60s.
3.5 ghost Russell Crowes out of 4
Pacific Rim
Honestly this is the epitome of the movie going experience. If you missed this while it was in theaters, I feel sorry for you. Seeing it on an IMAX screen in 3D was just mind-blowing. Like Fast and Furious 6, you leave your brain at the door at this one. Don’t expect any thought provoking shots or story here. Nope, this is one big giant monsters vs giant robots brawler movie. The effects were plain beautiful and the action scenes were on point. I feel in love with this movie instantly and wish I could go back and see it another time on the big screen.
3 rocket elbows out of 4
You’re Next
Personally, I grew up a fan of the classic slasher horror film. There really hasn’t been a good one in a few years to my knowledge, but You’re Next hits it spot on. Full of what you would expect from the genre along with brilliantly placed dark humor. If you have any interest in this type of movie or are just in the search for a good horror film and are tired of the played-out paranormal mumbo jumbo, give this one a watch. You won’t regret it.
4 tiger masks out of 4
The World’s End
What a great movie to round off the summer. The final in a trilogy of movies written by Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg, directed by Edgar Wright, and starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost as the lead duo, this movie had a lot to live up to for fans (such as myself). Unfortunately, it was not as good as the previous two films, Shaun of the Dead and Hott Fuzz, but it was still a great movie. It just proves how brilliant Wright and Pegg are with writing a comedy script when the weakest of their movies is still one of the best comedies of the year. The acting is great, story and script on point, and as always there is a great underlying lesson about friendship and life. Also, all three of these movies get better with age. There are things that happen during the first viewing you may not have caught that you will the second or third viewing. I hope that they decide to do more movies in the future, but until then this will have to suffice, and boy is it far from mediocre.
4 blanks out of 4
