Terminators, IMF agents and superheroes by the barrel full will blitz the box office this summer in what is sure to be one of the most competitive and entertaining movie bonanzas in recent memory. A lot of other big films were originally tipped for this sunny release window (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Star Wars: The Force Awakens) but vacated for various reasons, with even films like Warner Bros. Pictures blockbuster Pan exiting the competitive summer fray right before this preview went live.
That’s not to say this slate isn’t still packed to the gills with huge tentpoles the likes of Avengers: Age of Ultron or Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation, long-awaited sequels including Mad Max: Fury Road and Jurassic World, and new, original potential franchises like Pixels or Tomorrowland. With our finger firmly on the pulse of what’s generating serious buzz, we will point out the must-sees as well as the potential sleepers, and give fair warning on a few that might not deliver. Start marking your calendar now because you will need to plan accordingly to get the most from your moviegoing dollar, so squirt on some SPF 100 and let us ease you into the hottest cinema season of 2015!
Check out our 2015 Summer Movie Previews Part 1 below!
Avengers: Age of Ultron (May 1)
Joss Whedon brings the action and the quips in the follow-up to his own highest-grossing superhero movie of all-time. This time around, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) tries to create an artificial intelligence to pick up some of his slack in the do-good-ing arena, but winds up creating a monster in the form of Ultron (James Spader), and only Earth’s Mightiest Heroes can take down the robotic menace. Buzz from early screenings says Marvel delivers the goods once again, although the fact that they’re juggling nearly twice as many characters as last time is concerning.
Hot Pursuit (May 8)
Reese Witherspoon is an uptight cop trying to shield loud-mouthed witness Sofia Vergara from criminals and dirty cops as they’re pursued across the country. It’s a female-centric spin on movies like Midnight Run or The Gauntlet, with the mismatched chemistry of its two leads a potential match made in heaven.
Mad Max: Fury Road (May 15)
After a 30-year wait, Aussie mastermind George Miller will finally unveil his follow-up to the Mad Max trilogy, starring Mel Gibson replacement Tom Hardy as the title wasteland warrior. The staggering trailers featuring oodles of practical stuntwork and vehicular mayhem have melted the collective minds of the internet, but will the public clamor to see a two-hour car chase? The correct answer is, “OF COURSE!” because this is post-apocalyptic entertainment writ larger than ever before.
Pitch Perfect 2 (May 15)
They’re back, pitches! Anna Kendrick, Skylar Astin and Rebel Wilson once again lead the Barden Bellas, this time in a worldwide competition for a cappella supremacy. Hunger Games actress Elizabeth Banks makes her feature directorial debut after producing the original Pitch Perfect.
Tomorrowland (May 22)
In an age of YA dystopias, genius filmmaker Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol) is giving us his take on utopia. George Clooney stars as a scientist, who, with the help of a young girl played by Britt Robertson, travels to the mythical title city where an aggregate of the finest minds tries to design a new, better society. Disney’s big budget bet could yield an Avatar-style franchise or a John Carter-level bomb, but in the hands of Bird we expect greatness.
Check out our 2015 Summer Movie Previews Part 2