Summer Movie Season Is Here

Hey all. It's been awhile since I talked film, and just in time for blockbuster season, I've got some things to say...

My first summer blockbuster viewing went to Angels & Demons, the sequel to 2006's The Da Vinci Code. I'm well aware of the controversy of that first film, but I'm going to sidestep discussion of it. These movies are fiction and entertainment to me, period. And entertained I was with Code. A & D picks up the action this time around, and I wasn't disappointed. I have to say that this one treads into B-movie territory, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, even for past Oscar winners Ron Howard, who directs, and Tom Hanks, lead actor.

You might think a movie that's set in the Vatican and dealing with Papal election might be too heavy handed, but just enough humor is injected into the proceedings. And the action keeps things moving, making you forget the numerous holes in logic that are contained in this movie. Eventually, the outrageous last action scene pushes things over the edge, into the B-movie territory I alluded too earlier. Yeah, it's crazy, but I did like the first Crank film after all.

Coincidentally enough, like Crank, Angels & Demons involves a key helicopter scene in its finale. I can't really tell you which scene was crazier out of those two films, so that tells you how wild A & D gets. And I bet you didn't think I'd be comparing it with Crank, mind you. That might be a bad sign for some, but I give A & D a pass.

Next up in my blockbuster viewing went to Star Trek. I don't know what else to write that hasn't already been stated by the majority of critics, who dig this reboot of the franchise that goes back to the 60's TV show. I was a casual viewer of that show as well as it's spin-off incarnation, Star Trek: The Next Generation. Never in all those viewings have I ever seen such action as displayed in the new movie. Everyone does a good job, with a special nod to Simon Pegg's portrayal of Scotty. It kept me laughing, something I don't remember doing too much of when watching the TV shows. The guy who plays Dr. McCoy gets an honorable mention in the humor department too, as his scenes with Kirk, would-be captain of the Starship Enterprise, were enjoyable as well. Speaking of Kirk, the actor chosen to play him does a nice job too, even though I had doubts about his likability going in.

Like I mentioned, I was only a casual viewer of the originals. As such, it was probably easy for me to overlook certain things that hard core Trekkies (aka Trekkers) wouldn't in the portrayals of all the core characters as well as the way the overall Trek universe is presented in general. But it wasn't all mindless blockbuster spectacle, and the set-up for an anticipated sequel is executed just fine, introducing a whole new time line that preserves what's happened in the past (or more appropriately the future) without necessarily having to re-tread ground.

With Star Trek doing so well, it has become the go-to franchise now for space flicks, at least while the world of Serenity is on the shelf.

Lastly, I caught the sequel to A Night At The Museum. The original was entertaining enough, and I didn't really expect much in the sequel, even with some modern comedy regulars in tow, including Superbad's Jonah Hill and Bill Hader, and various cast members from The Office (U.S. version plus U.K. version's Ricky Gervais). It has its moments though, and enough of them for me to give it a pass. Ben Stiller does Ben Stiller again, and it might be time for him try something else, though his scenes with The Simpson's Hank Azaria were standouts.

Oh and Amy Adams charms as usual. I'd ask for more of her if there's another sequel, but I'm not going to ask for another sequel. This one ties things up just fine, and there's absolutely no need for a third one.

So there you have it. The summer blockbuster first shots have been fired, and it should continue to be an entertaining season, at the least.