For many students, summer is a haven for extended sleeping hours and Hollywood entertainment; school books are closed and beaches are open, while the stagnant period of movies between Christmas and April has given way to the promising start of a new season of national blockbusters. The summer of 2011 will be one to remember, with a strong lineup of films that show a trend in sequels and comic book adaptations.
What salvages the films premiering this summer from the typical sequel and adaptation stigma is the fact that filmmakers have given themselves the challenge of trying to improve on the already popular movies of yesteryear. Some of these movies will end a franchise, while others will give rise to a new generation of entertainment.
The month of May begins a long season of sequels with premieres like "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" as well as "The Hangover: Part 2." Each of these films have satisfied worldwide audiences in the past and viewers will be the best judge of whether or not they live up to the first work.
The rest of the summer will also serve as a testing ground for other well known companies like Disney and Dreamworks with feature films like "Kung Fu Panda 2" and "Cars 2" reaching theaters.
This summer, many of the films that have been leading names in the film industry will end their long and entertaining runs. "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" will be one movie to set time aside for, but, most importantly, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" will conclude a story that has spanned an entire decade. Knowing how popular these films were in the past, it would be a safe bet to purchase tickets early.
However, the real films to look out for this summer are the comic book adaptations, as it appears that at least five superheroes and their exploits will be shown on the big screen.
Marvel will be a real heavy-hitter at the box office, with the releases of three separate films within their fictitious universe. "Thor" and "Captain America: The First Avenger" will be two stops along the way to next summer's monumental "Avengers" film, whereas "X-Men: First Class" seeks to connect the dots between past films of that series.
DC Comics has also branched out from the successful Batman reboot with the June 17 release of "Green Lantern." Ryan Reynolds will play the title character.
Film fanatics should brace themselves for a summer of characters they already know and love. Even if Hollywood spares the introductions, it should deliver one entertaining summer on the big screen.
Christopher Spall can be reached at christopher.spall@student.shu.edu.
