Summer movies: The good, the bad and the ugly

By Anthony Lyen | September 19, 2011 at 12:01 am | No comments | Features | Tags: Harry Potter, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Summer movies, Transformers, X-Men

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Anthony Lyen, Asst. Tempo Editor

Summer may be over, but many people are more upset about something else: the end of summer movie season.

This summer was full of big blockbusters, including sequels to “Kung Fu Panda,” “Cars” and “The Hangover.” “Super 8,” “Captain America: The First Avenger,” “Final Destination 5,” “The Smurfs” and the third (and final) installment in the “Transformers” series attracted moviegoers as well. Apes rose, Winnie the Pooh made a comeback, cowboys took on some aliens and the kids from Glee even sang a little. Man, what a summer for Hollywood.

I know I will be run out of Lewis if I fail to mention the finale of the “Harry Potter” series. The movie gained critical acclaim, and fans of the series were impressed as well. Harry and his fellow wizards should be happy, too: “Deathly Hallows” earned $1.3 billion, which makes it the third highest grossing movie of all time.

Once again, we experienced yet another summer full of superhero films. Some films garnered a lot of attention such as “Thor,” “Green Lantern” and the surprisingly popular “X-Men: First Class.” Others did not like “Conan the Barbarian.” Either way, this is definitely one genre that knows how to draw audiences and make plenty of cash.

Personally, my favorite movie of the summer was a tie between the third and final Transformers and “Rise of the Planet of the Apes.” While the Autobots brought plenty of action, I think “Apes” stole the show and surprised everyone. Andy Serkis’ motion-captured performance as Caesar, the super smart ape turned revolutionary leader, is already gaining Oscar buzz. My only problem? James Franco as a scientist. I mean, a pot dealer fits him well, but a man who genetically engineers monkeys? That took some getting used to.

Overall, this summer movie season was quite successful. Sure, there were a few bombs, but there were plenty of hits too. We’ll just have to see if next year tops 2011, superhero movies and all.

Photo provided by Mercedes Zapata.