Magic and Robots Head Blockbuster Summer Season
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Witness the return of Terminators, Transformers and Teenage Wizards.
A new year, another slew of films to look forward to. 2009 is shaping up to be quite a tasty year for movie-goers and film-lovers of all tastes and varieties.
The diversity of film is good to broaden our horizons; from the art house film noir to the period drama, the tapestry is made all the richer for these films. However, in any given year it is the major blockbusters that really get the blood stirring.
They may not be the best acted, have the greatest scripts or the deepest sentiments, but they are usually the most enjoyable and difficult to beat for sheer escapism. Here are the pick of the crop for this summer’s blockbusters.
Terminator: Salvation
The Terminator franchise is 25 years old this year and in need of a bit of a revamp.
The iconic Schwarzenegger role looked tired by the time the third instalment arrived with Rise of the Machines and so Terminator: Salvation needs something new in order to keep the time-travelling cyborgs fresh and avoid a robotic rehash of what has come before.
Enter Christian Bale, who has done wonders reinventing Batman with stellar turns in both Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.
The success of Batman has been largely due to a stripping down of the characters and going back to the original routes. The films are darker, grittier and more real. If Terminator: Salvation can achieve this feat, then the fourth instalment should be a corker.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Michael Bay is renowned for style over content and big explosions taking precedence over pretty much everything else in his films.
Whilst the first Transformers film certainly didn’t disappoint in the special effects and explosions two years ago, the story was a little unpolished and some of the characters were left seriously undeveloped.
With the scene well and truly set and the main characters introduced from the first film, Revenge of the Fallen can focus on fleshing out the robots in disguise and delving further into the history of the Transformers.
Shia LaBeouf will reprise his role as Sam in the new film which centres on Egypt. Expect big robots crashing into pyramids and a few bruised Sphinxes to boot.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Surely the most anticipated movie of 2009 will be the sixth Harry Potter film. This installment sees Harry learn about the mysterious past of Lord Voldermort and discover the identity of the very dangerous Half-Blood Prince.
Fans of the series will know the story and be waiting with excitement (and dread) for the climatic finale of this episode in the Harry Potter saga which finishes with a frantic wizard war in Hogwarts between Students and Death Eaters.
The special effects rarely disappoint in the Potter films and this showdown should easily eclipse the fight seen in film five between Voldemort and Dumbledore; prepare for sparks to fly.
