In the summer movie theatres become a little kind of oasis. Inside the dark paneled theatre, you can escape the heat and binge on popcorn without anyone being able to see or berate you about needing a ‘beach body.’ Frankly in this heat I would force myself to watch The Last Airbender again if it meant I could sit in a cold room for two hours, but thanks to blockbuster season there are reasons to head to the movies other than their sub-zero temperatures and lack of judgment.
Blockbuster season first took off with the release of Jaws in the summer of 1975, and ever since major film studios have worked to orient their movie production around a big 4th of July release. This summer the much coveted weekend has been given to the Legend of Tarzan, but an array of other great films are spread around it— on July 15th there is the release of Ghostbusters, on the 29th Jason Bourne, and Star Trek on the 22nd. In fact, if I were you I would open up my calendar right about now, because starting next week a new blockbuster film will be coming to theatres every week and from what we can tell you’re going to want to pencil them in.
X-Men Apocalypse: May 27
In this latest installment of the X-Men series, the villain Apocalypse is reborn and threatens to destroy the world. Jennifer Lawrence returns as Mystique in order to lead students of St. Xavier to stop him. Sure, it’s the classic X-Men formula, but damn we still like it.
The Legend of Tarzan: July 1st
Set long after he leaves Africa behind, Tarzan, played by Alexander Skarsgård, returns to the Congo to serve as a trade emissary. There, he unknowingly becomes a pawn in a Belgian captain’s deadly plot. Don’t be fooled by the name though, the dark imagery and quick action scenes make this movie far from the original children’s story.
Ghostbusters: July 15th
Funny women Mellissa McCarthy and Kristen Wigg are joining forces in this remake of the classic franchise film. Ghostbusters is the only blockbusters this summer to feature a leading cast of women, but from what we can tell its diversity won’t stop it from becoming a big hit (Hollywood directors please take note).
Jason Bourne: July 29th
Remember in 2008 when Matt Damon said he would never make another Bourne movie? Apparently that was a colossal psych because this summer Matt Damon is back in this latest installment of the Bourne series, set several years after the conclusion of the Bourne Ultimatum. This time Julia Stiles joins Damon on his mission despite a new government program that is trying to hunt him down.
Suicide Squad: August 5TH
In a twist on your classic superhero story, Suicide Squad is a movie in which the villains are the ones trying to save the day. When faced with an unconquerable danger, the government decides to send some of the most notorious villains on a suicide mission to fight it. The government promises clemency to the villains should they succeed, but they obviously expect them to fail. Will Smith, Jared Leto and Viola Davis, are just a few of the crazies trying to save the world, but mostly themselves, in what is set to be one of the biggest movies of the summer.
Star Trek Beyond: July 22
Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto are back in the latest installment of Star Trek directed by JJ Abrams. There’s a ton of hype around this Star Trek movie, but your have to admit that it looks out-of-this-world good (see what I did there?).
