In a couple of weeks, we will be reaching the halfway point of the year and I have got to say the movie business has seen better days in 2020.
Movies like ‘Happening’, ‘Playground’ and “The Automat” have been the surprise hits of the year, while blockbusters, or movies from the more recognized studios, have been either too few and far in-between or been a colossal disappointment.
All three movies have done reasonably well, since their release, and currently carry some of the highest scores on Rotten Tomatoes.
Under normal circumstances, I don’t really trust these scores, much in the same way I don’t really buy into the Oscars, but I have got to say that I have been moderately disappointed with some of the big blockbusters to come out this year.
“Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” failed to generate and live up to the hype, while “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” seemed to go through the motions rather than move the story along and excite the audience about something new.
The less said about “Uncharted” the better, leaving “The Batman” as one of the more memorable releases.
However, there is still time for Hollywood to turn things around and the following movies are some of the releases to look forward to in the next few weeks and the remainder of the year.
Please note that these movies are in no particular order, and merely scratch the surface of what is in store during the second half of the year.
Top Gunn: Maverick (May 27)
The release of “Top Gunn: Maverick” should officially close out the first half of the year, given its May 27 release date, and time will be a factor for the movie.
It’s a sequel 30 years late and runs the risk of falling into the same trap that the many other delayed sequels and outdated remakes have fallen into- either the audience is too young to know it or those old enough have simply lost interest.
When one thinks of Tom Cruise, it’s not Top Gunn but rather the Mission Impossible franchise that jumps out.
Still, I remain optimistic.
The film follows Test pilot Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, who has purposely dodged an advancement in rank after thirty-six years of service.
Maverick is called in to be put in charge of training a group of Top Gun graduates for a specialized mission under the orders of his fellow naval aviator friend and former rival, Admiral Tom “Iceman” Kazansky, who is the commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet.
Among them is Lieutenant Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, the son of Maverick’s late best friend Nick “Goose” Bradshaw.
From the synopsis alone, it seems the film will lean heavily on the nostalgia element with Cruise returning alongside Val Kilmer (Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky), while the new cast members are led by Jennifer Connelly (Penelope Benjamin), Jon Hamm (Beau Simpson) and Miles Teller (Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw).
Jurassic World: Dominion (June 10)
The hype surrounding this movie centres on the return of Sam Neil (Alan Grant), Laura Dern (Ellie sattler) and Jeff Goldblum (Ian Malcolm), with their involvement ensuring that franchise comes full circle.
It is another in a long line of sequels and spinoffs, but one I remain hopeful off and this is largely due to seeing the banter between Neil’s Alan Grant and Chris Pratt’s Owen Grady.
It has an old versus new school feel to it, and who doesn’t love that?
There isn’t a lot to go in terms of plot details, except that Dominion takes place four years after Isla Nublar was destroyed.
Dinosaurs now live—and hunt—alongside humans all over the world.
This fragile balance will reshape the future and determine, once and for all, whether human beings are to remain the apex predators on a planet they now share with history’s most fearsome creatures.
Thor: Love and Thunder (July 8)
There are so many reasons to be excited about the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder, and the recently released trailer was full of little details to spark up the juices.
It looks like we won’t have to wait too long to catch up with our favourite Guardians of the Galaxy, as the trailer revealed that the space unit of the Avengers will have some role to play.
How big a role remains to be seen, but any Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) banter is always good for the soul.
We also expect to see the end of the fat suit as Thor returns to his chiselled old self, many returns that include a Mjolnir-wielding Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), Jamie Alexander’s Sif, Cate Blanchett’s Hela and Jeff Goldblum’s Grandmaster.
It remains to be seen how Christian Bale will fare as Gorr the God Butcher, with his performance likely to make for some entertaining viewing.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (November 11)
Now, this one is a bit tricky.
The success of this film hinges on two things, with the first being how Marvel treats the death of Chadwick Bosman.
For those not in the movie, Bosman succumbed to a long battle with colon cancer back in 2020.
His death forced a rethink for Marvel about how they would continue with the Black Panther movie, with the studio choosing to retire and not recast his T’Çhalla character.
It is believed that the mantle will be handed off to one of the film’s key characters with the favourite being T’Challa’s onscreen sister Shuri played by British actress Letitia Wright.
Apparently, this decision has not gone down well as Wright seems to have caught the ire of Marvel fans with her stance and opinions on the Covid-19 vaccines.
She also caused a delay in filming after getting injured while performing a stunt.
Wright and how Marvel treats Bosman’s character will be crucial to the franchise going forward.
The film will definitely make lots of money, but what happens when Wright does not do a good job in the movie?
Black Adam (October 21)
After years in developmental hell, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson finally gets his wish with the release of Black Adam.
While not much is known in terms of plot details, this film is an origins story with the payoff expected to come later when Black Adam and Shazam meet on the big screen.
It’s DC’s version of long-term storytelling, and I am excited.
So far, we have only been treated to a teaser, and expect a proper trailer soon.
Also, the film will be followed by the Shazaam: Fury of the Gods, so expect some sort of post or mid-credit set-up during either one of the films.
DC could do one better and come up with tie-ins during both the movies’ post-credit scenes.-iharare
