The Summer Movie Season of 2009 is now over, and there were some fun movies out there. I would like to say that I enjoyed all of the movies that I saw, but that would be lying. Of the 10 pictures that I sat through, 8 were good, enough that I could see owning them (and of those 8, 3 are “must buys”). The other 2 movies were just not good, seen out of curiosity and nothing else. One of those movies I was merely let down. The other was possibly one of the worst movies I have ever seen.
First the Good:
Star Trek: easily the best movie of the summer. You didn’t have to be a Trekkie to love this flick; there was no prior knowledge of the Trek universe needed to enjoy this movie. Yes it would help in some cases, but going in cold you would have been fine. The movie was fun and paced beautifully. Anyone that wants to do a re-boot of anything needs to watch this movie to see how it’s done. Cast with only a couple of major stars (Eric Bana, Lenoard Nimoy and Simon Pegg to name 3) and the rest of the cast filled with lesser known actors, this was almost the perfect movie? What would have made it better? More of it.
Inglourious Basterds: This is Quentin Tarantino’s best movie to date. The film has about as much action as his previous best picture, Pulp Fiction so if you enjoyed that you have an idea what to expect. Basterds also has the best movie villain of the summer if not the year in Col. Hans Landa, played by Christoph Waltz. He alone is well worth the price of admission.
District 9: I was not sure what to expect when I went into this movie. The ads didn’t really give me much, and I am not really one for the viral marketing thing. But my curiosity got the better of me so I went to see this, and I was glad that I did. Not total science fiction and not total government conspiracy picture either, but a mix of the 2 that worked a lot better than I would have expected. This had to be the most pleasant surprise of the summer.
The Hurt Locker: This movie was good for one thing, and that was the tension that it produced. A movie filled with just good actors (no Clooney, no Pitt etc) there was always the purveying fear that anyone could die at any time. And when dealing with film a about a bomb disposal unit in Iraq, that is the precise tension that is needed in a film like this. Great performances and a different look at something besides combat made this a fun, if sobering film to watch.
Public Enemies: Johnny Depp as the bank robber John Dillinger, Christian Bale as the FBI agent Melvin Purvis, both of them directed by Michael Mann. How could you not go see this and like it?
Transformers - Revenge of the Fallen: While this movie was not as good as the first one, it was still great fun. And sometimes fun is all you need from a summer movie. The premise was a simple one (giant robots blow crap up) and even had bonus eye candy (Megan Fox laying of stuff, Megan Fox walking around…). I think that a lot of people were expecting more from this movie than what it was: an action picture that was based on a children’s toy. If you were looking for the meaning of life, this was the wrong film to find it. If you were just looking for a good time, then director Michael Bay delivered again.
The Hangover: The movie was hilarious. They took a simple premise (guys going to Las Vegas for a bachelor party) and mined gold out of it. Not as quotable as the legendary Anchorman or even Talladega Nights but still great fun. There are plans for a sequel (and due to its financial success, blatant rip-offs) and those films will have a lot to live up to. I doubt that lightning can strike twice, but I am glad that I was there the first time.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: Another solid entry in the Harry Potter franchise. Each chapter of the story gets a little darker as the kids get older, and that only makes sense. If you have not read the books and are only familiar with the movies, then all of the twists and character fates will be a great surprise to you. For those of us that have already read the books, we know may already know what’s coming but it is still an enjoyable ride.
The Bad:
Terminator - Salvation: A missed opportunity. This could have been good, maybe even great. Hell I would have settled for just silly fun, but that was not to be. This felt more like a movie that should have been on the Sci-Fi (excuse me, SyFy) channel, instead of a summer “blockbuster“. The movie was just flat, and that is not a description that should be given for an action picture.
And the Hideous:
G.I. Joe - The Rise of COBRA: This was not only the worst movie that I have seen all summer, but the worst movie that I have seen all year. A combination of curiosity and self-loathing got me to go and see this movie I suppose. The lesson that I learned was that it is better to sit at home and do nothing than to just go to the movies to just go. Please know that I am not one of the fan-boys who believe in the purity of the ‘80’s cartoon or someone who was looking for a gritty R rated movie. I would have just liked a good movie, and this was not it. It is possible that I was not the target audience. Wherever that audience was, I have no idea. But they are missing a movie and someone needs to get it to them. Quickly.
