2017 Summer Movie Preview: Blockbusters And Beyond

“The Mummy“

Cast: Tom Cruise, Sofia Boutella, Annabelle Wallis, Russell Crowe, Jake Johnson, Courtney B. Vance, Chasty Ballesteros, Javier Botet, Noof McEwan, Kelly Burke

Synopsis: An ancient princess is awakened from her crypt beneath the desert, bringing with her malevolence grown over millennia, and terrors that defy human comprehension. Expect mummy madness.

What You Need to Know: Were there many people clamoring for a reboot to “The Mummy” franchise? Maybe, but we didn’t talk to many of them. Or even a few of them. Nevertheless, Alex Kurtzman‘s latest directorial vehicle hopes to jumpstart Universal‘s Monsters universe, and we’ll patiently have to wait and see if that comes to fruition. Early trailers range from boring to unintentionally laughable, but perhaps this movie will be the unexpected hit of the summer? Certainly Universal would be happy if that’s the case.

Release Date: June 9th

“Megan Leavey“

Cast: Kate Mara, Tom Felton, Ramon Rodriguez, Bradley Whitford, Will Patton, Common, Edie Falco, Geraldine James

Synopsis: Based on the true-life story of a young marine corporal whose unique discipline and bond with her military combat dog saved many lives during their deployment in Iraq. Expect a lot of heavy emotions.

What You Need to Know: Amidst all the expensive studio projects, sometimes it’s good to settle into something a little more low-key and down-to-earth. In what’s surely an emotionally demanding drama, “Megan Leavey” boasts a solid cast and good thematic groundwork. We’ll see if it lives up to that potential.

Release Date: June 9th

“It Comes At Night“

Cast: Riley Keough, Joel Edgerton, Carmen Ejogo, Christopher Abbott, Kelvin Harrison Jr.

Synopsis: Secure within a desolate home as an unnatural threat terrorizes the world, a man has established a tenuous domestic order with his wife and son, but this will soon be put to the test when a desperate young family arrives seeking refuge. Expect a lot of low-key suspense and plenty of mystery.

What You Need to Know: A24 is being very coy with this one. Releasing a mysterious trailer and relying on its moody, ambiguous nature to sell tickets, it’s exactly the sort of minimalist promotional approach we wish more studios followed. Written and directed by Trey Edward Shults (“Krisha“), we’re awaiting this one with bated breath. Hopefully, it doesn’t disappoint.

Release Date: June 9th

“Cars 3“

Cast: Owen Wilson, Armie Hammer, Nathan Fillion, Kerry Washington, Bonnie Hunt, Margo Martindale, Tony Shalhoub, Chris Cooper, Lea DeLaria, Cheech Marin, Paul Dooley, Larry the Cable Guy, Jenifer Lewis

Synopsis: Lightning McQueen sets out to prove to a new generation of racers that he’s still the best race car in the world. Expect a lot of talking, racing sentient cars.

What You Need to Know: On Pixar‘s once blemish-free resume, “Cars 2” was considered, by many, to be the acclaimed animation studio’s first mark of disgrace. To those select few, it hasn’t gotten much better, aside from “Inside Out,” the rare critical and financial darling for the Disney-owned company. While I’m one of those weirdoes who likes all the Pixar movies to date, if to varying degrees (yes, that includes “The Good Dinosaur“), even I find myself sighing at the sight of “Cars 3” and its imminent future. That said, the shockingly moody, intense trailers have been a surprising change of pace, and it’d be great if the series returned to its more character-driven roots, away from European spy adventures with the dumb hick truck.

Release Date: June 16th

“The Book Of Henry“

Cast: Naomi Watts, Jaeden Lieberher, Jacob Tremblay, Sarah Silverman, Lee Pace, Maddie Ziegler, Dean Norris, Bobby Moynihan, Wass Stevens, Tonya Pinkins, Geraldine Hughes

Synopsis: A single mom raises a child genius. Expect a lot of misdirection.

What You Need to Know: Let’s not beat around to bush: this movie looks weird. Like an odd clash between “Gifted” and “The Accountant,” “The Book Of Henry” is your average boy genius/single mom coming-of-age drama-thriller involving a potentially sinister neighbor. You know, another one of those movies. It’s director Colin Trevorrow‘s small-scale follow-up to the humungous “Jurassic World,” and it’s perhaps one of those carte blanche projects a filmmaker get to make whenever they make one of the most financially successful movies ever. But that still doesn’t explain just how odd this movie looks. We hope the final product isn’t quite as jarring or tonally confusing as the trailer has been. Here’s hoping for another “Safety Not Guaranteed.”

Release Date: June 16th

“Transformers: The Last Knight“

Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Gemma Chan, Anthony Hopkins, Stanley Tucci, Laura Haddock, Josh Duhamel, Isabela Moner, John Turturro, Sophia Myles, Ken Watanabe, John Goodman, Frank Welker

Synopsis: Humans and Transformers are at war, Optimus Prime is gone. The key to saving our future lies buried in the secrets of the past, in the hidden history of Transformers on Earth. Expect robot smashing and explosions. Lots and lots of explosions.

What You Need to Know: At this point, you know what you need to know. Either you’re on board with this one or you’re not. You’ll either come into this one without nothing but pure enthusiasm or you’re hesitant at best. Maybe you’ll be one of those people who continues to hope Michael Bay will finally get it right this time, but it’s hard to imagine the fifth time will do the trick. But hey, these are crazy times. Look at “The Fast And The Furious.” That franchise turned everything around with “Fast Five.”

Release Date: June 23rd

“The Big Sick“

Cast: Kumail Nanjiani, Zoe Kazan, Holly Hunter, Ray Romano

Synopsis: A couple deals with their cultural differences as their relationship grows. Expect laughs and tears.

What You Need to Know: If “Transformers: The Last Knight” isn’t your deal, you’d likely be better off in the company of “The Big Sick.” Quite arguably the biggest smash at this year’s Sundance, the autobiographical dramedy from husband-wife writing duo Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani, who also plays himself, and director Michael Showalter brings a personal, heavily emotional crowd-pleaser that’ll hopefully find as much success with general audiences as it did with those who sung its praises endlessly in Park City.

Release Date: June 23rd

“The Bad Batch”
Cast: Suki Waterhouse, Jason Momoa, Keanu Reeves, Jim Carrey, Diego Luna, Giovanni Ribisi

Synopsis: A dystopian love story in a Texas wasteland, set in a community of cannibals. Expect flesh-eating and the apocalypse.

What You Need to Know: Most filmmakers wish they had a directorial debut as stunning and spellbinding as Ana Lily Amirpour‘s “A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night.” As a result, there was a great deal of anticipation and a lot of pressure for her sophomore feature, and based on the early reviews, “The Bad Batch” is either just as good, if not better, than her first film, or simply a disappointment. But even if the latter is true, we’re still hella excited to see what Amirpour cooked up with a bigger budget and bigger stars.

Release Date: June 23rd

“Okja“

Cast: Ahn Seo-Hyun, Tilda Swinton, Paul Dano, Jake Gyllenhaal, Lily Collins, Giancarlo Esposito, Byun Hee-Bong, Steven Yeun

Synopsis: Meet Mija, a young girl who risks everything to prevent a powerful, multi-national company from kidnapping her best friend — a massive animal named Okja. Expect a lot of sci-fi headiness.

What You Need to Know: Like quite a few before him, director Bong Joon-ho (“Snowpiercer“) is making the big leap to Netflix. And he doesn’t come without an army of talent. His delightfully exciting high-concept new film is the kind that doesn’t often get made these days, and thankfully Netflix is footing the bill and willing to let Bong make the kind of films he was put on this earth to create. It’s a shame it won’t get a bigger theatrical release, although one is supposedly in the works. Does that mean it’ll come to your city? Maybe not, but you can see it soon.

Release Date: June 28th (Netflix)

“Baby Driver“

Cast: Ansel Elgort, Lily James, Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, Jon Bernthal, Eiza González, Jon Hamm

Synopsis: After being coerced into working for a crime boss, a young getaway driver finds himself taking part in a heist doomed to fail. Expect car-related stunts and groovy automobile-choreographed jams.

What You Need to Know: A new Edgar Wright joint is always cause for celebration, and if the hot buzz from SXSW can be believed, his latest positively bubbles with heart-throbbing, toe-tapping, electrifying energy and excitement. Personally, we can’t wait to see a new Wright movie, no matter what. But if it’s truly his most exhilarating cinematic feat to date, we’ll be sure to purchase our tickets the second they go on sale.

Release Date: June 28th