This summer was the worst for the box office since 1992. So leave it to me to see more movies during it than in any previous summer. Brief thoughts on each follow:
“Captain America: The Winter Soldier”: Modernizing Captain America by making a throwback to 1970s conspiracy thrillers (hint: Robert Redford) seems a strange choice, but it mostly works thanks to a strong ensemble, genuine pathos between hero and villain, and refreshingly kinetic and clear action. Still, some implausible elements dissolve even under comic-book logic: Cap’s 2:18-minute miles, Black Widow’s becoming a KGB agent at seven (we learn she was born in 1984; do the math), and the dubious physics of both Cap’s shield and Bucky’s arm. But it’s still a good story about a character raised in black-and-white confronting a world of gray.
“Neighbors”: There was some good casting, mainly Zac Effron as a surprisingly complex frat king, and some new ideas, such as the lost-youth-pining of Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne’s roles as new parents, but, on the whole, “Neighbors” showed us that one can now make a frat/college comedy entirely out of the clichés and tropes spawned from 1978’s “Animal House,” whose shadow that genre has yet to escape. Final note: Can you really call a movie a “college comedy” if only a handful of its scenes occur on a college campus?
“Godzilla”: For the first time in many years, the movie I saw was completely different from that advertised. When spoilers and social media abound, this is a rare experience, and I appreciated it. The director of “Godzilla” preceded it with “Monsters,” a well-regarded sci-fi film whose effects he created mostly on his laptop; giving him a big budget was no mistake, as he crafted unique and incredible spectacle on a gigantic scale in “Godzilla.” The bonus points for an intriguing event backstory balance out the negative marks from having boring leads.
“X-Men: Days of Future Past”: In 2006, Batman was only recently rebooted, the Marvel Cinematic Universe remained uninitiated, and Spiderman had peaked and lacked a film that year anyway: The air was clear for the X-Men. Unfortunately, they wasted their time in the sun with one movie that killed or depowered almost every interesting character and wasted two of the comics’ best stories, and—in 2008—another which redundantly and ridiculously relayed the heavily teased backstory of Wolverine. It took 6 years for us to get this tale of mutants in a dystopian future (think the real world in “The Matrix”) who try to change the ‘70s events that effected it. Powerful performances define each timeline: the noble sacrifices of old faces in the future, the complex relationships of younger mutants in the past. If only we could alter the past and make everyone forget about what happened in 2006 and 2008.
“22 Jump Street”: As a comedy, it is unfunny and lazy, a parody of two genres—buddy cop film and the college comedy (see above)—that became parodies of themselves long ago. But as a meta-commentary on sequels, it is hilarious. It is difficult to enjoy unless one watches only for the moments when the film—itself a successful sequel—lambastes sequels’ place in the Hollywood machine.
“Snowpiercer”: Despite its great cast and performances (Captain America is in it), the most original premise of the summer (efforts to stop global warming produced a catastrophic ice age which only those on a perpetually-running train have survived), and some heady themes (even though an oppressive class system has developed on the train, is that system necessary to preserve the human race?), you’ve probably never heard of “Snowpiercer.” That’s because its South Korean director argued with his American distributor (Harvey Weinstein) over the film’s final cut; though the director won out, the distributor retaliated by relegating the film to an extremely limited theatrical and simultaneous on-demand release. But see this movie; it’s the best I saw this summer, and the best sci-fi film since “Inception” (at least).
“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”: A good sequel expands upon the promise of the original without neglecting what made it worthwhile, and that is just what we got. “Rise” presented a mildly plausible origin narrative for an absurd occurrence (the conquest of man by ape); “Dawn” shows a nuanced dystopian future in which apes and humans battle the evil within their own factions more than they battle each other. Sadly, Gary Oldman is largely wasted, which should never happen in a movie.
“Guardians of the Galaxy”: Marvel is having fun. It’s really as simple as that. With a light, comic touch, well-realized leads, and a great soundtrack, Marvel has turned one of its most obscure properties into a film that is outperforming 2013’s “Man of Steel.” Take that, gritty reboots!