Summer blockbusters are some of the most anticipated movies of the year, and are therefore notoriously famous for the lines that strech out of the box office and down the block. All accross the country, movie-goers were willing to stand outside in the heat (or, in the case of this summer, the rain) to secure tickets to the openings of the flicks they had spent all year hearing about. These are those movies that we waited for, listed in order of how much they deserved all that time and patience in line.
1- Inglourious Basterds
Nearly six years in the making,
Quentin Tarantino’s World War II epic is currently being hailed as one of the best and most profitable movies of the summer. Following two separate story-lines; on involving a young cinema owner hiding in France, whose Jewish family
was murdered years ago by the unnervingly smooth-talking and swift acting Hans Landa, an SS commander; and the other following a Jewish-American group of soldiers known as the “Basterds” (led by Lt. Aldo Raine, played by Brad Pitt) who travel through France killing and scalping Nazis. The two story-lines converge on the night of a Nazi movie premiere, where even Hitler himself is present.
2- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
The sixth and (almost) next to last installation in the Harry Potter film series finds Harry mourning the death of his godfather and continuing to fight the evil Lord Voldemort. In this portion, Harry and his comrades face plotting classmates, textbooks with hidden spells and inventions, a league of Death Eaters, and, the most terrifying of all, teenage hormones and emotions. With beautiful sweeping cinematography that at times seems as if it might be caused by magic, this portion of the much-loved, much-anticipated Harry Potter series leaves viewers with a tragic plot twist, eagerly and desperately waiting for more.
3- (500) Days of Summer
The latest in indie-for-the-masses films following the success of those like Juno and Little Miss Sunshine, (500) Days of Summer chronicles, in a series of flashbacks and flashforwards, the over one year relationship of Tom and Summer. Tom, a hopeless romantic, believes Summer is “The One.” Summer, a cynic, does not want a relationship, and does not believe in love. As Tom continues to chase Summer, and she continues to insist that they “aren’t serious,” (500) Days of Summer is a twisted romance that will make viewers question their beliefs on love as they keep guessing how the chemistry between Summer and Tom will play out.
4- Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
The highly anticipated sequel to Michael Bay’s first wildly successful Transformers film features Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox teaming up with the Autobots, a group of car-cum-robots who fight the Decepticons, an evil group of robots bent on attacking the planet. Seeking revenge for their defeat in the previous film, the Decepticons return to Earth and attempt to take LeBeouf prisoner in order to enact a plan that could destroy all human life. Despite being a highly anticipated box office smash, the film received overall poor reviews, which claimed that the special effects heavy feature would hold the interest of some fans, but lose many in the vague plot and overdone effects.
5- District 9
Peter Jackson’s first foray into science fiction (as a producer) took a non-traditional route, focusing on emotions and interactions rather than special effects and conflict. District 9, the area inhabited by an alien population from a ship that landed twenty years ago over Johannesburg, South Africa, has become a slum, where the aliens are confined and exploited. The government decides to evict them, and place them in a new area, District 10. The man in charge, after accidentally being exposed to alien chemicals, ends up, along with two alien comrades, becoming involved in a battle for his life and the lives of many of the aliens.
The critical reviews differ, as do the performances at the box-office, but these five flicks were the ones that got the most hype during the summer. While some of these movies might still be playing in theaters, if you missed them over the summer you will just have to wait until they come out on DVD.
