Best and Worst of Summer Film Season
It was supposed to be a summer of blockbuster sequels and highly-anticipated big-screen debuts, but it ended up being a summer of mostly mediocre movies not worth the trip to the cinema.
Big movies like “Men in Black II” and “Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones” did far less business than predicted (and weren’t near the quality of entertainment the public has come to expect).
Here are my picks for best and worst movies of the summer. Obviously, there were worse movies out than the ones I’ve listed, but I couldn’t be bothered with the “Mr. Deeds” and “Juwanna Man’s” of the summer. Most of those films actually make your IQ go down for watching them (see “Josie and the Pussycats”).
Best
3. “Spider-Man”
I must admit I was pretty skeptical when I went to watch “Spider-Man.” First of all, no one has really made a decent super-hero movie since Tim Burton’s first round with Batman. Second, I have never been impressed with Toby Maguire’s soft-spoken, “if-you-ignore-me-I’ll-get-an-Oscar” acting style. Maybe that was why I was so pleasantly surprised.
“Spider-Man” caught the humanity of the comic books that gave birth to so many faithful fans. Sure it is the story of a man with superhuman powers who goes about protecting the city and the life of the woman he loves, but it is also the story of a reluctant hero. He is a hero who tries hard to do the right thing but ends up screwing his life up ever more in the process.
This flick has upped the ante for the super hero genre. Its humanity will always be its strong point, which will keep people coming back. Because whether we want to admit it or not, we can all relate to Peter Parker in one way or another.
2. “Signs”
To question is to be human, and three of the questions that seem to be asked the most are “Are we alone in the universe?” and “Is what happens to us fated to happen to us?” and “Is there someone up there watching over us?” These questions are the basis for M. Night Shyamalan’s newest movie “Signs.”
This film was truly a delight. It was very funny at times, but at others was suspenseful and almost freaky. Once again Shyamalan proves he is a masterful director and storyteller. He has a gift for involving his viewers with his characters to the point we feel a part of their lives. We feel their fear, their joy and their sorrow.
Perhaps the crux of the film is summed up in a conversation Mel Gibson’s character has with his brother. He says there are two types of people in the world. The first look for signs and miracles. They also believe someone is watching out for them and guiding their destinies. The other group knows when things happen it is because of fate or luck. Aside from that, they are the only ones responsible for what happens to them. He then says the trick is deciding which group you belong to.
This film will have you sleeping with your blinds closed and avoiding those corn mazes that pop up for Halloween.
1. “Minority Report”
If someone knows the events of the future, are they stuck with the lot fate has thrown them or do they still have the choice to change what may be? That is the basis for Stephen Spielberg’s newest film, and the best film of the summer.
This was a brilliant movie. For those who love to be mentally stimulated by movies, it is full of moral questions that leave the audience to ponder their meanings. For those who just want to be entertained, it has intense action, humor, characters you love to hate and enough technological gadgets to give Star Trek a run for its money.
There are also obvious Kubrekian influences left over from Spielberg’s last film, “A.I.” The incessant eye scanning which robs the citizenry of any means of privacy and the desperate, dirty slums of the poor have definite ties to Rouge City and even the playground of “A Clockwork Orange.” But this is a Spielberg film complete with strained relationships and lost children, and the Spielbergian ideals win out in the end.
Worst
3. “K-19: The Widowmaker”
This film was produced in conjunction with National Geographic and was more history lesson than entertainment – including the boring lectures and lack of interest. It was based on actual events like “U-571,” but unlike that film, the majority of this one is slow-moving and hopelessly dull. Like “Pearl Harbor,” it delights in dragging out the ending until no one really cares anymore about the outcome.
Although it boasts having Liam Neeson and Harrison Ford as part of the cast, this movie was sunk before it was launched. The dialogue is stale and trite, and the majority of the characters in the show are there to fill space and use air. We don’t know who they are or care what happens to them.
2. “Eight-Legged Freaks”
This movie was meant to be a comedy. Some of it was funny; most of it was horrifically stupid. The jokes were lame at best, and David Arquette gives the usual annoying, whiney performance he tends to give in any film he stars.
All of the characters are shallow and laughable at best. Every stereotype is there from the sex-starved jock to the brainiac kid to the gross, old, chain-smoking woman to the greedy and greasy money-grubbing mayor. I had a hard time deciding if this film was serious about being a comedic horror or if it was trying to be to monster movies what “Scream” was to slasher flicks. It was an attempt to cash in on Wes Craven’s success, “Freaks” lacked the sophisticated humor and pure terror of “Scream.” The only similarity is Arquette’s equally bad performance.
1. “Men in Black II”
Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones were back in black again this summer, but don’t nod your head at this sequel. Sure it made $90 million at the box office in its first five days out, but it did so on mediocre villains, tired jokes and actors who were there just to get paid. In other words, this film is the type of mediocre entertainment the public has been duped into rejoicing over.
It has fallen victim to the sequel syndrome. Out of fear of failure, the studio made the second film as near to the first as possible. This is where the stagnancy comes from. It is also more than likely the source of Jones’ devil-may-care performance. As for Laura Flynn Boyle as the evil Serleena, she was just a sexy model in black leather and lingerie to excite the raging teenage hoards who would inevitably flock to see the film.
All in all, this is a crummy sequel to a relatively funny movie. It may have the big stars and reputation of the first movie, but don’t waste your money on this piece of mediocre otherworldly comic boredom.
So there you have it, my take on the best and worst of the summer. If I left out the film you thought was the best offering, too bad. It probably wasn’t worth the money you paid to see it.
Jared Sterzer is a senior majoring in business information systems. Comments can be sent to jwsterz@cc.usu.edu