I can’t believe it’s already time to start getting ready for summer movie season. My 2018 has been rather hectic so far, and I was surprised when I looked at my calendar and realized “Infinity War” is THIS WEEK.
For whatever reason, I’m not feeling quite as hyped about this summer’s lineup as I sometimes am (although there’s a certain little superhero team-up film that I’m really excited for). ? Of all the films on my “must watch” list, the two Marvel movies are the ones I have the best feeling about and seem like the safest bets. However, that opens the door for some of these other movies to break out and surprise me.
Anyway, here’s the movies I’m most looking forward to this summer — what movies are you most excited about?
Avengers: Infinity War (April 27)
Not only is this my most anticipated movie of the summer, it’s my most anticipated movie of the year. I’ve tried to stay away from major hints and spoilers, and I’m pretty excited to walk into the theater not really knowing what’s going to happen. However, I am pretty sure that it’s going to be an absolute blast to see characters like Iron Man, Spider-Man, Rocket, and Groot all teaming up to save the galaxy from Thanos. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been an amazing ride this past decade, and I think this is going to be an epic conclusion to what we’ve seen so far.
Deadpool 2 (May 18)
I actually liked the first Deadpool movie but didn’t LOVE it. I got a big kick out of watching Ryan Reynolds’ antics as Deadpool (a character he was born to play). Still, I felt like the story itself wasn’t as groundbreaking as it could have been. I also felt like some of the jokes and gags were things I had seen in R-rated comedies before, and overall the film wasn’t quite as edgy as it thought it was (at least in my opinion). That’s why I’m looking forward to the sequel, actually; now that the origin story is out of the way, I want them to really cut loose with the character and use some really wacky humor that we’ve never seen before.
Solo: A Star Wars Story (May 25)
There’s a lot of skepticism about this one, and I still have my concerns about “Solo.” While I’ve loved all three of the Disney Star Wars movies so far, this one is probably the riskiest. Still, I’ve (mostly) got a good feeling about it, and I’m looking forward to seeing another Star Wars adventure. As long as this movie has some fun banter and cool spaceships and characters, I think I’ll leave the theater feeling happy. Plus, I can’t wait to see Donald Glover as Lando!
Incredibles 2 (June 15)
The first Incredibles movie premiered in 2004, and normally, I’d say that 14 years is a little too long to wait for a sequel. However, here’s why I’m still looking forward to this. Back in 2004, when the movie came out, the superhero genre was still developing. We hadn’t yet seen the start of the MCU, or even Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy. The superhero genre has really grown and evolved since then, and I think it will be interesting to see the Incredibles sequel (hopefully!) address this.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (June 22)
I thought 2015’s “Jurassic World” was a really fun film. Although the narrative wasn’t particularly groundbreaking, I enjoyed seeing a return to the classic feel of the franchise — and, of course, Chris Pratt with a gang of raptors! For whatever reason, I’m not as confident about this sequel. Still, I never complain about seeing dinosaurs on the big screen, and hopefully this will be another fun ride. Although by now, you’d think that after all these disasters, the people in these films would stop trying to market a theme park filled with dinosaurs. ?
Ant-Man and the Wasp (July 6)
I feel like the original “Ant-Man” is one of the more underrated films in the MCU. It didn’t make as big a splash at the box office, but I really, really liked it (it’s actually one of my favorite Marvel films). I’m hoping the sequel is just as fun as the first one, and I’m super excited that Wasp gets to join the action as a superhero this time around.
Mission: Impossible – Fallout (July 27)
Mission: Impossible is one of those franchises that I really enjoy but kinda forget about sometimes. It’s also one of those rare franchises that actually keeps getting better and better as it goes. Although the fourth one — “Ghost Protocol” — is my favorite (that scene with Tom Cruise climbing up the outside of the Burj Khalifa is still a heart-stopper), I enjoyed the immediate follow-up, “Rogue Nation,” and “Fallout” looks cool too.
