Summertime brings beloved moments filled with fewer responsibilities and more warm weather. The months between semesters also pack in some of the year’s biggest blockbusters. Here are the top 10 most anticipated movies for the summer of 2013, by release date:
“Oblivion” – April 19
Tom Cruise and Morgan Freeman star in the movie adaptation of the graphic novel by the same name. The story centers on the end of the Earth as a planet, but not the end of humans. Cruise plays Jack Harper, an Earth repairman searching the planet for viable remaining resources. His mission is thrown off when he rescues a woman from a falling spacecraft and later is captured by the insurgency group led by Freeman’s character, Malcolm Beech.
“Iron Man 3” – May 3
Robert Downey, Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow return for the third installment following Marvel Comics’ character, Iron Man. For this movie, Pepper Potts (Paltrow) plays a larger role, and Downey’s character, Tony Stark, seems to be given a choice between his love for Potts and his duty as Iron Man. Attacks from a group called the Mandarin continue on the nation, and citizens look toward Stark as Iron Man to protect the country.
“The Great Gatsby” – May 10
Pushed back from its original December 2012 release date, the movie adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic will star Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby and Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway. The movie seems to closely revolve around the novel, following Carraway’s relationship with Gatsby during the Roaring ’20s. As Gatsby pines for Daisy Buchanan, played by Carey Mulligan, the characters are drawn in by the mystique of Gatsby’s presence. The extra time I have had to wait had better ensure the movie be extra good, because the five-month delay has risen my (and I am sure everyone else’s) expectations.
“The Hangover Part III” – May 24
“The Hangover Part II” got a little weird and uncomfortable. Personally I am hoping the third movie dials it back a notch. For “Part III,” the cast returns to Las Vegas for the usual shenanigans, and old characters, including Stu’s Vegas wife from the original movie, come back. The exact specifics of what trouble the three best friends get into aren’t really clear – but hasn’t that been the point of every “Hangover” movie? Nothing is clear, just a little fuzzy.
“Now You See Me” – May 31
Morgan Freeman is killing it this movie season. He joins forces with Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Woody Harrelson and others to tell the story of a group of magicians who seem to get into more trouble than the average magician (if such a thing actually exists). After pulling stunt after stunt, the group robs a bank and gives the money to the audience as part of their act. Authorities are less than pleased with the performance. Freeman plays Thaddeus Bradley, who works with the FBI to expose the group’s secrets. He also narrates the trailer, which makes it all the better.
“The Internship” – June 7
Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson. Is there a funnier film duo? The two pair up yet again, this time as business partners who realize the company they work for has failed. Rather than join the unemployment line, Billy (Vaughn) sets up an internship at Google for both of them. Obviously older than the rest of the crowd, the two men seem unfit to compete with the younger interns. Billy and partner Nick (Wilson) cannot seem to figure out how to act appropriately among managers who are half their age, or distinguish the vast difference between a Sharpie and Expo marker.
“This is the End” – June 14
“This is the End” might break new cinematic ground, which is challenging these days. James Franco, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel (“Tropic Thunder”), Danny McBride (Pineapple Express) and Craig Robinson (“The Office”) all play fictional versions of themselves during the apocalypse. Essentially, they are movie stars, playing movie stars. The celebs find themselves comically fighting to survive as Hollywood’s best are dying all across L.A. The cast handles the end of the world as only famous people could, and the cast list is packed full of huge names. Rihanna, Emma Watson and the Backstreet Boys have all been pulled together for the end of life as we know it – or the end of life as celebrities know it.
World War Z – June 21
Zombies. Brad Pitt. Lots of explosives. I think that hit every good summer movie criteria.
“Monsters University” – June 21
If you didn’t cry when Sully left Boo at the end of “Monsters Inc.,” I may question how human you are. I’m certain it left every viewer wanting more, but Pixar and Disney aren’t that easy. For the sequel, rather than following up on Boo and Sully, the creative minds have decided to go back in time, to when monsters James Sullivan (Sully) and Mike Wazowski first met at Monsters University. While the first movie depicted the monsters as friends, audiences will come to find out that the characters were not always close, and the two were forced together as roommates. Sully and Mike begin a fierce rivalry as to who will become the scariest monster. Also, Mike wears a retainer, which is the most fitting way to think of the little green monster while he went through school.
“Despicable Me 2” – July 3
The actual plot line of the movie is pretty vague from the trailer, but a few things are clear. The minions are just as yellow and just as hilarious as ever. The minions are being kidnapped by an unknown spaceship. No cats were harmed in the making of the movie. If that isn’t enough, Al Pacino will be the voice actor playing Gru’s nemesis.
