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Big Openings: May 16,
2008
By Myles
Hughes
The Chronicles of
Narnia: Prince Caspian hits the theaters!
Summer movie season is
now officially in full swing, and so it’s about time the first major
sequel was released. Prince Caspian is the only major release
this week, so I thought I’d take this article to do a sort of
mini-preview of the other big releases this summer. But first, let’s get
to the next chapter of the Narnia saga.
THE CHRONICLES OF
NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN
Starring: Ben
Barnes, Skandar Keynes, William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Georgie
Henley, and Peter Dinklage
Synopsis: One
year after leaving the land of Narnia, the four kids from the first
movie return, only to discover that 1300 years have passed in Narnia
time. They soon find themselves aiding Prince Caspian, the rightful heir
to the throne currently usurped by his villainous uncle.
Critics: The
word on this movie seems to be a single, resounding response; that’s
it’s more of the same. Not just similar to the first Narnia, but
also to many other battle epics, as well as many franchise sequels
(examples include The Two Towers, The Empire Strikes Back, and
the latter Harry Potter installments). While the film is
thematically darker than the first movie, this is still a Disney film,
so nothing is ever too intense (for better or worse). Newcomer Ben
Barnes has received praise, as has Peter Dinklage as a temperamental
dwarf and recent Oscar-winner Tilda Swinton in an all-too-brief cameo as
the White Witch. For the most part, the film appears to be a long string
of battle sequences, with less of the enchantment of The Lion, The
Witch, and The Wardrobe.
Oscar Potential:
One consistent point of approval from all critics is the improved
special effects, so a Best Visual Effects nod seems very assured at this
early point.
Verdict: If you
liked the first film, this will easily satisfy you as an entertainment.
If you weren’t a fan, this won’t likely change your mind, unless you
prefer more action in your films.
Also worth checking
out if you haven’t already:
ROMAN DE GARE –
This French thriller from Oscar-winner Claude Lelouch has received
plenty of critical praise. If you can find it in theatres and you’re
into that sort of thing you should definitely check it out.
SON OF RAMBOW –
Charming and whimsical tale of two kids filming a remake of Rambo:
First Blood expanded theatres last week. Word has been consistently
positive.
IRON MAN – I
hate to beat a dead horse into the ground, but if you haven’t gotten
around to seeing this yet, you really ought to.
COMING SOON
Early Summer Edition
INDIANA JONES AND
THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL
At best: An
action-packed, suspenseful exercise in nostalgia, reawakening the wildly
popular series as well as Harrison Ford’s career.
At worst: On par
with the Star Wars prequels, and likely to not help rising stars
like Shia LeBeouf and Ray Winstone (Cate Blanchett, of course, is about
as invulnerable as Denzel Washington when it comes to lackluster
pictures).
Oscar Potential:
Best Visual Effects, Best Art Direction, Best Original Score, and other
Artistic/Techs.
SEX AND THE CITY:
THE MOVIE
At best: A
hilarious, yet heartfelt romp that will makes fans of the show proud.
At worst: A
disposable chick flick with a popular title that will make fans of the
show rather ticked off.
Oscar Potential:
Unless there’s an Original Song in there I don’t know about, I’d say
nil.
YOU DON’T MESS WITH
THE ZOHAN
At best:
Hearkening back to the days of classic Adam Sandler comedies, with
enough new material to appeal to the masses (Judd Apatow on the writing
team helps a ton).
At worst:
Another forgettable, gag-based, we’ve-seen-all-this-before piece of
trite, and Apatow’s second flop following Drillbit Taylor.
Oscar Potential:
Don’t make me laugh.
THE INCREDIBLE HULK
At best: Brings
the comic franchise everyone wants to be good and does so successfully,
and delivers Edward Norton the hit he seriously needs right now.
At worst: Joins
the long list of Marvel heroes relegated to lackluster film adaptations,
and starts the list of movies to screw it up twice.
Oscar Potential:
Normally I’d say Best Visual Effects, but the trailer really doesn’t
impress me so far.
THE HAPPENING
At best: M.
Night Shyamalan returns to form, with a more adult thriller that proves
to be his biggest success since the Oscar-nominated Sixth Sense.
At worst: His
best movie since Lady In The Water, only because that’s not
saying anything, and it can’t be worse, surely.
Oscar Potential:
After The Sixth Sense, it’s not fair to rule it out, but
Shyamalan has been on a noticeable decline since Unbreakable, and
the summer release suggests more of a entertaining thriller than a
bait-y drama.
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