by Nikolai Mayo-Pitts –

Summer break is here and so are this summer’s projected blockbuster movies. Here’s my take on the best of the bunch this summer.

Star Trek: Into Darkness – May 17th

JJ Abram’s hotly-awaited sequel to his 2009 reboot of the legendary Star Trek franchise premiered to high expectations.  This installment is truly much darker (note the title!), mostly due to the new big bad villain played by Benedict Cumberbatch of BBC’s Sherlock fame.  Into Darkness is expected to make $100 million in the first four days, which would make it one of the biggest hits of the summer.

Trailer and reviews: http://letterboxd.com/film/star-trek-into-darkness/

After Earth – May 31st

M. Night Shyamalan dares to show his face after his 2010 trainwreck The Last Airbender by introducing his new film, After Earth.  After Earth stars Will Smith– alongside his son Jaden Smith– as a father and son stranded on a post-apocalyptic, super-deadly Earth as they try to conquer their fears…or at least the latest in CG creature features.

Trailer and reviews: http://letterboxd.com/film/after-earth/

Man Of Steel – June 14th

Man of Steel is, of course, DC’s latest attempt at taking on the Superman saga following the profitable, yet poorly-received and largely yawn-worthy, Superman Returns of 2006.  Man of Steel is produced by the master of movie violence Christopher Nolan (of the Dark Knight trilogy), and is directed by Zack Snyder.  Snyder’s films, which include Watchmen and 300, tend to be hit-or-miss at the box office as well as with critics.  This imagining of the caped hero is much darker than previous incarnations, likely a design choice influenced by the success of the grim Dark Knight trilogy.  DC comics also intends this Superman to join other DC films in a cohesive universe culminating in a Justice League film, much as Marvel has done with The Avengers.

Trailer and reviews: http://letterboxd.com/film/man-of-steel/

Monsters University – June 21st

This summer’s annual Pixar film is a prequel to 2001’s incredibly well-received (if not terribly fulfilling) Monsters Inc.  Monsters University is a look at the college years of protagonists Mike and Sulley.  It is directed by Dan Scanlon, who has previously only directed a Pixar short, Mater and the Ghostlight, so it’s hard to know what to expect. But while the director is untested, the studio is not, and with Pixar a veritable factory of nothing but commercial and critical hits, expectations are good for this sequel.

Trailer and reviews: http://letterboxd.com/film/monsters-university/

Pacific Rim – July 11th

Pacific Rim is Guillermo del Toro’s return to directing after five years of writing and producing films such as The Hobbit and Mama.  Pacific Rim has a simple enough premise: sea monsters fight giant, high-tech mechanical robots.  Pacific Rim’s most notable star is Charlie Day, the actor on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.  In fact, watch the trailer and you may be wondering “Are there ANY humans in this?” But Del Toro is an established, high-caliber filmmaker, so this film should be nothing but fun…particularly for those who grew up playing with Transformers action figures.

Trailer and reviews: http://letterboxd.com/film/pacific-rim/

Elysium – August 9th

Elysium stars Matt Damon as one of the billions of impoverished souls stuck on earth in year 2159 after the wealthy have migrated to a space utopia called Elysium.  Elysium is the second film of Neill Blomkamp’s career after the violent and rather disturbing but unusual District 9 in 2009.  If Blomkamp’s sophomore film is as ambitious as his first, Elysium should be worth the ticket price.