2011 Summer Movie Preview, Part One: June

Spring has arrived. We can feel the heat of the sun again. But for most, spring is just a segue to the season that we all anticipate at this time every year. The summer is also the season for high-budget blockbuster films. Students are out of the high schools and colleges and the working man takes his long awaited vacation. For the Hollywood studios it translates into time and cash ready to be spent in the movie theaters around the continent. Summer is the make-or-break time for the film industry. It dictates whether many studios finish in the black by year’s end.

Saying that, what do movie-goers have in store for 2011? Get your wallets prepared, because 2011 will be one of the better years for spending your disposable income on $5,000 popcorn and candy (yes, we exaggerate, but not much).

Below are Yell! Magazine’s choices for summer films that should be entertaining enough to be worthy of the mint you will spend to sit in the confines of your local big screen Cineplex. Our first of three installments covers the month of June.

X-Men: First Class (June 3)

The X-Men franchise has had its ups and downs, but this prequel should be interesting enough for both die-hard fans and casual watchers. Brought to screen by Kick-Ass director Matthew Vaughn, X-Men: First Class covers the time when Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr were young. Before they took opposite sides in the war between the mutants (culminating with X-Men: The Last Stand), the two were friends. We see their separation as Xavier brings his school and X-Men fighting force together, while Lensherr gathers his Brotherhood to begin an attempt at world conquest.

X-Men: First Class Trailer:

Super 8 (June 10)

If, as we did, you enjoyed Lost (the TV show) and Star Trek (the 2009 film), then you will give J.J. Abrams the benefit of the doubt for this Steven Spielberg-produced alien flick. The premise is simple: transport an alien from Area 51 to a secure facility in Ohio. The fun starts when the train carrying the alien derails and the alien escapes. We just hope that reminders of Species, from which the plot seems to have been inspire, is as far as it goes and Abrams/Spielberg give us something unique, because we won’t be seeing Natasha Henstridge’s rack this time around.

Super 8 Trailer:

Green Lantern (June 17)

Before Rod Harshcore grew hair on his balls and found girls more interesting than comic books, he had two favorite super heroes: the first was Iron Fist, the second, Green Lantern. Directed by Martin Campbell (Casino Royale, GoldenEye, Edge of Darkness, and The Legend of Zorro) and starring Ryan Reynolds, Green Lantern should bring back some fond childhood memories. Let’s hope Campbell gives us the same excitement he did when he contributed to the reinvigoration of the James Bond franchise.