Will Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 be the “Film of the Summer”?
Or will another movie take the crown?
This weekend sees the (domestic) debut of James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2. The cotton-candy-colored space opera is not only hoping to grab a boatload of cash (spoiler — it will), critical love (pretty solid thus far), and fan appreciation, but the coveted “Film of the Summer” award. OK, this award isn’t quite as well-known as the “Song of the Summer” one, but the same criteria applies. To be the Film/Song of that glorious, post-Spring season, a film must be:
- Ubiquitous. We’re talking a movie that everyone knows about. I’m glad you liked Swiss Army Man last year, but despite nerd-circle buzz, it was not the film everyone was talking about. Think bigger.
- Good enough. Transformers movies are big, but if you happen to like the latest one, you probably won’t admit to liking it in public. It helps a film succeed if you can be proud of your fandom, so the award-winner has to have some quality behind it. There will always be a demographic that thinks you are lame for liking X movie, hence ‘good enough.’ You can’t please everyone.
- Meme-able. To survive the ubiquity, the imagery/sound-bites from the film need to be flexible. The internet is going to deconstruct and reconstruct the film to create whole new art.
- Feel-Good. Summertime as a cultural concept means happiness, sunshine, ice cream, relaxation, etc. You might get horrible sunburn and terrible allergies, but that’s not what summer is about! Smile through the pain. In keeping with the relentless optimism of the season, the Film of the Summer should inspire generic happiness in you.
Guardians 2 has a solid balance of these elements. It’s an MCU film, so it has a certain level of awareness and assumed-quality baked in. Having seen the film, I can attest that it isn’t always feel-good on a scene by scene basis, but ultimately delivers the fun. It’s got lots of humor and heart, so people will forgive its darker tendencies. And when it comes the meme aspect, I can imagine no better fan favorite than Baby Groot.
If Guardians 2 doesn’t end up on top in 2017, though, what film might it be? This is where I could go out on my lawn and rant that Summer 2017 looks shitty for film fans. Still, there are some other potential contenders. Let’s run it down.
Just Missing the Cut
Before I dive into films with summer magic in their veins, I’ll focus on a few that are probably solid performers, but unlikely winners. I won’t say much about films too small (The Big Sick) or too random (King Arthur, The Emoji Movie) to even make the race. It’s movies that are getting top-tier marketing that make the most sense to cover.
Baywatch
Take Baywatch. It’s got Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in the lead role, with Zac Efron (a surprisingly solid comedian) by his side. The film is based off an internationally well-known TV franchise amped full of sex appeal. Still, the action-comedy clearly wants to ape 21 Jump Street, which means at best it will be a great imitation of a great movie. Not looking likely to me.
Captain Underpants
There was a time when I would have bet heavily on a Captain Underpants movie, but it feels like the property is too far past its cultural prime for the adaptation to make an big impact.
Pirates of the Caribbean 5/Transformers 5
Both Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales and Transformers: The Last Knight are the fifth entries in sagging but bankable franchises. I don’t doubt they will make a ton of cash. Personally, I’d hate for either film to feel important to 2017 cinema and luckily I don’t predict they will be. They’re a touch too juvenile for our Internet-driven culture to take hold of.
Dunkirk
I would have put a larger stake on Dunkirk a few months ago. Christopher Nolan and his bullet-proof brand have so consistently gone the distance, even with three-hour space epics like Interstellar that get divisive reviews. Then I learned just how meh most WWII movies do, and I gave up hope that Dunkirk will be more than a modest success (at least at the box office). Sorry Mr. Styles. I guess your solo music career will have to do.
Contenders
These films are the few that could challenge Guardians atop the heap.
Alien: Covenant
On the surface, Alien: Covenant feels too convoluted to pop off. It’s a sequel to Prometheus and a second prequel to the Alien, which makes it…what exactly? But get past the classification woes and you realize it doesn’t matter. The marketing is clicking and that’s more important. Blockbuster horror fare is rare, but when it works, we get something culturally massive like The Conjuring. If Ridley Scott can deliver the scares and some box office might, don’t count Alien: Covenant out.
Wonder Woman
A lot of people hope that Wonder Woman is a triumph. Regardless of your feelings on the DCEU, we should all root for this female-directed, female-fronted superhero flick to make bank and entertain audiences worldwide. The novelty of the film gives it an advantage over Guardians 2 for sure. A well-liked sequel is one thing; a groundbreaking superhero debut is another. Fingers crossed this one takes the cake.
Spider-Man: Homecoming
If I’m entirely wrong about the value of a “new” superhero franchise, Spider-Man: Homecoming would be the film to prove me wrong. The third cinematic version of Spider-Man in 10 years could still strike a chord based off of Tom Holland’s charm and the gargantuan following of Robert Downey Jr. Inserting Iron Man into the film is a good way to get people into the theaters, even if it’s a little cheap. I think the trailers though have been underwhelming, but unlike Wonder Woman, there isn’t much debate about whether or not people will show up. The only question is how the film will fare after opening weekend, and how much of an impact it will make in the Spider-Man filmic mythos. It’s not quite an origin story per se, which helps.
Rough Night
When it comes to non-Baywatch comedies, I’m putting my money on Rough Night. The House is another R-rated romp coming this summer, but something feels right about the female Hangover ripoff as opposed to another Will Ferrell vehicle. It’s been a while since a comedy was the Film of the Summer (The Hangover in 2009?), so it’s still a long shot.
Dark Horse Candidates
No matter how predetermined the narrative is for some films, it’s impossible to predict the future. I would bargain that these films won’t win the summer, but could certainly over-perform and go for silver/bronze slots. Yes, I’m using Olympics metaphors now. Accept it.
War for the Planet of the Apes
Rise of the Planet of the Apes overcame it’s shitty title to be a thoughtful and challenging blockbuster. Then Dawn of the Planet of the Apes improved on the first effort, especially at the box office. War is bound to be a lucrative film, I just wonder if this franchise has the cultural cachet to be anything more than that. I like both prior films, but I can’t think of anyone who said they were their favorites of the summer.
The Dark Tower
Interesting IP+ rabid fanbase + Idris Elba + McConaughey = fun times? The Dark Tower has a ton of attention on it following the debut of it’s first trailer. Other than that promising marketing start, it feels like an uphill battle to convince general audiences that it’s a real movie and not just a big budget B movie like Priest or Daybreakers. Much like with Wonder Woman, I’m inclined to root for the film on principle, so here goes the rooting.
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
I don’t want to give up on this film. It’s the most expensive French film ever made, which makes it feel like it’s already failed somehow. Those are some James Cameron type expectations for Luc Besson to live up to, and this time he doesn’t have ScarJo as the lead. Cara Delevingne and Dane DeHaan are fun actors to watch, but they ain’t movie stars. Still, when it comes to probable blockbuster bombs, I’ve already gave up on The Mummy, and I love Tom Cruise. It pains me to think that this could tank too. The one thing that gives me hope is simply the insane amount of money that STX will pour into marketing. If people like zany space films (Guardians, cough), maybe they’ll shell out for this one.
Atomic Blonde/Baby Driver
These are two slick action films by really exciting directors. They have solid trailers which are catnip for a certain audience. It would only take a good breeze blowing on opening weekend for Atomic Blonde to hit in the ballpark of John Wick or Baby Driver to be Edgar Wright’s first American success. Neither film is expensive which means that on their own right they could clean up and bask in their share of summer glory.
Final Thoughts
We have blockbusters nearly year round now. The summer movie season is becoming irrelevant, but it’s not there yet. If you make it into the movies in the next few weeks to see these or any other films, I’m sure you’ll feel the magic. Comment if you think I missed a film or misjudged my predictions. As always, we’ll see!
