Today, crusaders, another Summer of Blockbusters comes to an end. But as with most endings, it merely means the beginning of a new chapter. In this case, it’s the start of the fall and holiday movie season, which gives us plenty to look forward to.
Still, before we say goodbye, let’s take a look back at the best, worst, and most surprising films of the summer.
Biggest Disappointment:
Zer: “King Arthur: Legend of The Sword” — This could have been a great film, but it got lazy with clichés and weird stunt casting.
Stephanie: “Baby Driver” — If not for the saving powers of Baby Groot, “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” would have received this honor, but the inexplicable tone deafness of what I will say is an otherwise enjoyable and even delightful film gets it this top “honor.”
Biggest Surprise:
Zer: “Dunkirk” — This ensemble, and possible Oscar nominee film got a lot of hype. My expectations were for a standard war film, but it has more style. It’s a little loud at times, but it most certainly is worthy of the praise it’s received.
Stephanie: “Spider-Man: Homecoming” — This relaunch that made the wise decision to skip the origin story we’ve all heard a thousand times before, managed to avoid drowning in a story that’s been reimagined more than a few times in recent cinematic history. This teenage take on Spidey is balanced beautifully with a new villain with a story as tragic as its hero’s.
Best Villain:
Zer: — Andy Serkis as Caesar in “War for the Planet of the Apes” — Yes, I’m arguing that Caesar is a villain in this final film of the Apes trilogy. This complex character has his fair share of flaws, and finds himself struggling with some serious demons in “War for the Planet of the Apes.”
Stephanie: Michael Keaton as Vulture in “Spider-Man: Homecoming” — I’m a sucker for a solid villain origin story that doesn’t require its own movie to be told. Plus props to Mr. Keaton for sticking with only portraying winged superheroes and super villains. It’s a simple, but well-told story with a few brilliantly staged reveals.
Best Performance:
Zer: Andy Serkis as Caesar in “War for the Planet of the Apes” — Yes, I’m giving Mr. Serkis two awards. His performance as Caesar may finally get the attention of the Academy this year, but just in case, I thought I’d make up for it in advance. That and he deserves it.
Stephanie: Andy Serkis as Caesar in “War for the Planet of the Apes” — Gal Gadot who beautifully balanced expectations and past portrayals, and came out swinging as a strong but sweet Diana is a very, very close second. But the fact that Mr. Serkis has carried this character through all three films while pushing the boundaries of this technology deserves every recognition it can get. Hopefully this year that recognition will come from an academy or two.
Best Picture:
Zer: “Wonder Woman” — Never before has a summer blockbuster about a woman and directed by a woman commanded the box office in the way “Wonder Woman” did this summer. This film had a lot of hype, and it greatly surpassed ridiculously high expectations. That and it may have single-handedly revived interest in the seemingly doomed DC Comics Universe.
Stephanie: “Wonder Woman“ — From the start of this summer of blockbusters it was pretty clear who the winner of the summer would be. “Wonder Woman” achieved more than just a hit for the DC franchise (finally), it gave us a female hero we could all root for and a female directing hero who smashed as many records as her big-screen heroine. I only hope “Justice League” this fall lives up to the expectations set by Diana.
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