May's Most Anticipated Films
by Brian Eggert
The below list of theatrical releases includes this site’s Most Anticipated Films for May 2011. The choices—based on the quality of actors, director, story, and trailers—are pure guesswork and have no bearing on the inevitable review. For a complete list of upcoming releases and their respective movie trailers, visit the Calendar.
May 6:
Thor
Summer event movie season kicks off will Marvel’s latest building block to The Avengers. From frequent Shakespeare adaptor Kenneth Branagh, Thor comes laden with a mixture of modern lingo courtesy of a kitschy side-character played by Kat Dennings, and plenty of Valhalla-speak (most of it shouted) by actors-turned-gods Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Hopkins, Idris Elba, and Stellan Skarsgård. The production design on this film looks like it could either be visionary or over-the-top cheesy—there’s no way to tell until viewed in context. Expect cameos galore and puzzle pieces that allude to the larger Marvel universe on film. This is by far the most fantastical, large scale, other-worldly Marvel superhero movie yet; whereas heroes like Spider-Man, Wolverine, and The Hulk are rooted in very Earthly problems, Thor saves our pithy human existence from being wiped out by the gods. Along with this summer’s Green Lantern, this movie demands comic fans to question if there’s as much story and characters as there are special effects and scope. Click here for the trailer.
May 20:
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
The only reason audiences “need” another Pirates of the Caribbean movie is to relieve the sour taste left in our mouths after the meandering At World’s End (although better after a second viewing on Blu-ray, the movie is still a mess). Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush return sans Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley to engage in fantasy-rich swashbuckling courtesy of the franchise’s new director, Rob Marshall (Chicago and Nine). Marshall’s experience with musicals should give him the expressive edge needed to channel Jack Sparrow, and the new addition of Ian McShane’s Blackbeard villain. Penelope Cruz also joins the cast as a competing pirate captain; she’ll also be the first real romantic interest for Sparrow. (Sure, there was a moment between Sparrow and Elizabeth Swan, but nobody really believed they’d get together, did they?) As long as expectations are appropriately lowered by memories of the last movie, this fourth entry should be fun. Click here for the trailer.
May 26:
The Hangover Part II
The Hangover made a lot of money and made a lot of people laugh. Its success also pointed out how silly the Golden Globes are after the National Foreign Press Association nominated it for Best Comedy or Musical. Anything to get the youth market watching your sad little award show, huh? Anyway, The Hangover Part II will probably have the same effect as its predecessor: riotously funny upon first viewing, and then considerably less funny in subsequent viewings when the initial shock value has worn off. The “wolf pack” returns, as the taglines say, this time for a wild night in Thailand that will likely involve no end of debauchery and mayhem. Expect the movie to earn oodles of dough and spawn a sequel that has nowhere to go except space. Click here for the trailer.
Kung Fu Panda 2
With a track record that makes it difficult to endorse one of their releases, Dreamworks Animation’s Kung Fu Panda remains one of the studio’s better titles, ranking up there with How to Train Your Dragon. It’s a colorful, fun story with lively characters—easy entertainment. So it’s not impossible to get behind Kung Fu Panda 2 in a moderate way. Even the Jack Black-style humor is tolerable in this format; whereas another live-action dud on the level of Gulliver’s Travels would stunt the growth of any young moviegoer. Expect plenty of food, fat, and fart jokes on top of pop-culture gags galore, all punctuated by the obligatory playing of “Everybody was Kung-Fu Fighting” on the soundtrack. What you shouldn’t expect is anything more than the basics of summer movie fluff. Click here for the trailer.
The Tree of Life
The trailer for Terrence Malick’s long-in-production The Tree of Life has an ethereal quality, doesn’t it? There are images within that seem familiar and dreamlike and uncannily beautiful all at once. In a story that connects the growth of a young boy to the inner workings of the spatial universe, the elusive filmmaker returns with an ambitious release that finds a curious place among summer movie fare. Such a high art motion picture would seem better situated among the awards contenders come fourth quarter, no? When mainstream crowds attend the film because of Brad Pitt’s name on the poster and find themselves watching a nearly three-hour visual poem, no doubt reactions will be mixed. But how its odd placement by Fox Searchlight will affect its business remains to be seen, although perhaps buzz after its showing at this year’s Cannes Film Festival will create positive word-of-mouth. What’s bound to be one of the year’s most intriguing films, this one deserves to be sought out. Click here for the trailer.
One Film You Shouldn't See
May 13:
Priest
Priest looks awful. We’re talking Van Helsing awful. This one might reach the lows of Battlefield: Earth or The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Yes, it looks that bad. You might ask yourself if it’s a remake to Legion, but no. Chalk it up to coincidence that both special FX fiascos star Paul Bettany as a post-apocalyptic hero who questions his faith while fighting demon-like villains with heavy artillery. Since it’s sandwiched between Thor and On Stranger Tides, don’t expect this corny, overblown comic book adaptation to gather much attention. Mainstream audiences will probably ignore it, but viewers who enjoy attending movies for the sheer pleasure of mocking their downfalls, here’s a movie for you. Click here for the trailer.