A staggering amount of great films arrive in our May Movie Preview.
Story by Matt Cummings & Brandon Wolfe
May is the month when the box office awakens from its 4-month sleep, rubs its eyes and stretches its wings to give us a taste of the rest of the year. And while the year has given us some terrific surprises (Kingsman: The Secret Service and Paddington) and some poignant moments, (Furious 7), 2015 has honestly been a dud, filled with many high-profile duds (Chappie, Jupiter Ascending, Seventh Son, 50 Shades of Grey). But now it's onto May and the beginning of the summer season, a time when Hollywood begins to lay down its big cards hoping for long lines and plenty of popcorn sales. In the past three years, we've seen Iron Man 3, X-Men: Days of Future Past, Godzilla, and a little 2012 film called The Avengers. This year is no different, as May brings us a staggering amount of quality releases that are worth mentioning. Several appeared in our MOST ANTICIPATED LIST FOR 2015 and it's great to finally see them arrive.
The schedule includes a cop comedy, angry Australian outback drivers and the return of Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
May 1: The Avengers: Age of Ultron
Director: Joss Whedon
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo
Plot: Tony Stark creates an A.I. program designed to keep the peace. But when it turns on humanity, the Avengers reassemble to stop it.
Why We're Interested: Duh. It's The Avengers...should we have to say a single word after that? OK, if you're still not convinced, then consider the following: it promises to do nothing short of pave the way for Phase 3 and the coming hero throwdown Civil War, which is quickly becoming Avengers 2.5. Simply put, it's THE event of the summer, one you can't (and probably won't) miss, and it feels like a good ending for Whedon, who is stepping down from all things Marvel after its premiere.
Watch the trailer for Avengers: Age of Ultron:
May 8: Hot Pursuit
Director: Anne Fletcher
Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Sofia Vergara
Plot: An uptight cop tries to protect the widow of a drug lord as they are pursued by gunmen throughout Texas.
Why We're Interested: Let's be realistic: anything that seeks to open anywhere near Age of Ultron is simply asking for a poor showing, but it has to be someone and it looks like Hot Pursuit drew the short stick. And while the trailer and the cast look good, the bigger question on our minds is whether it has any chance against killer robots and superheroes. That's highly unlikely, unless Ultron fails to deliver with audiences. That doesn't seem likely, but it also doesn't mean you shouldn't take a chance on Hot Pursuit: it's the first legitimate comedy to arrive in 2015, and it might end up winning audiences over.
Watch the trailer for Hot Pursuit:
May 15: Mad Max: Fury Road
Director: George Miller
Starring: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron
Plot: Drifter Max navigates the post-apocalyptic wasteland as he finds himself caught up with a woman fleeing a tyrannical oppressor.
Why We're Interested: Among the greatest - yet least respected by Hollywood - franchises of all time, Mad Max represents a return to THE post-apocalyptic, violent future that frankly no one else is bold enough to imagine. None of them did it quite like Max, with its almost-orgasmic scenes of vehicular destruction wrapped around characters that make Dredd and Pacific Rim's look like Mr. Rogers. Max's return wasn't easy and the film was delayed for over a year; let's hope all of that doesn't reflect upon this sequel, which looks like Miller has recaptured the essence of the franchise, but sent it way past the red line. Whether audiences will embrace that frenetic, sometimes bizarre vision or not is up for discussion, but this one appears to be the one that could knock Ultron from its throne.
Watch the trailer for Mad Max: Fury Road:
May 15: Pitch Perfect 2
Director: Elizabeth Banks
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow, Elizabeth Banks
Plot: The sequel follows Beca and her a-cappella group as they enter a worldwide competition.
Why We're Interested: Again, Hollywood is doing some creative maneuvering with its schedule, placing tough action films in Weeks 1 & 3 and comedies in Weeks 2 & 4. Although this is Banks' first directing of a full-length film (she directed a segment for Movie 43), Perfect could be the perfect relief for moviegoers hoping for some relief from crashing cars, Hulks and general mayhem. Pitch Perfect was an unqualified success, both in its theatrical and home releases. A sequel was all but assured, but what does its future look like? Should audiences return, we could see this one return to theaters every other year hoping to recapture the magic and our wallets.
Watch the trailer for Pitch Perfect 2:
May 22: Tomorrowland
Director: Brad Bird
Starring: George Clooney
Plot: A group of people set out to find the mythical realm of Tomorrowland.
Why We're Interested: When Disney announced that it was bringing another of its rides to the big screen (remember Pirates of The Caribbean?), audiences weren't quite sure what to expect. Then the trailer was released and one could feel the change sweeping under our feet. Tomorrowland certainly has the vision to become something special, and Bird seems like the right fit here. The question is, does Clooney? Once a fixture on television, he arrived with Ocean's Eleven but then went on to make more socially important films. Does he still have the Clooney aura to carry a film geared at a much different audience? We hope it works out, as both its stunning visuals and world-building would seem to make it the perfect summer film.
Watch the trailer for Tomorrowland:
May 22: Poltergeist
Director: Gil Kenan
Starring: Jared Harris, Sam Rockwell, Rosemarie DeWitt
Plot: A reboot of the horror classic. A family relocates to a suburban home where their daughter is seized by malevolent forces.
Why We're Interested: The end of May brings us a collection of films that frankly could go either way. One of them is Poltergeist, which looks terrific in its trailer (see below), but might find its way to lower openings, based on the success of the rest of the month. As we've said before, we've been in the middle of a horror renaissance, but that's mostly been based in smaller films having to actually tell great stories. If this new Poltergeist can do that, then we could have another The Conjuring or Sinister. Fans spoke loudly with the great success of It Follows, so it stands to reason that this remake could do quite well, but only if they forget the '80s instant classic.
Watch the trailer for Poltergeist:
May 29: San Andreas
Director: Brad Peyton
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Carla Gugino, Paul Giamatti
Plot: When a catastrophic earthquake hits California, a rescue helicopter pilot sets out to save his daughter.
Why We're Interested: San Andreas is another of these films that could bomb or merely have a respectable opening. It faces a number of challenges: one, audiences have already seen such deadly reminders in the disaster epics The Day After Tomorrow and 2012. Are audiences interested in yet another of these? Second, both Day and 2012 suffered from soulless plots and plenty of big action set pieces, something of which San Andreas might want to take note. We want realistic natural destruction, not the silliness of a world where humans can jump onto a helicopter as a building collapses. San Andreas could surprise us, though, based on the rather heavy way the trailer below ends. It should sound great in a big-format theater, but will it fill us with anything more?
Watch the trailer for San Andreas:
May 29: Aloha
Director:Cameron Crowe
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone, Rachel McAdams, Jay Baruchel, Alec Baldwin, Danny McBride
Plot: A defense contractor falls for an Air Force pilot after he is assigned to oversee the launch of a weapons satellite from Hawaii.
Why We're Interested: A thoroughly odd addition to May, Aloha feels like a late-October, tug-at-your-heart cryfest about broken promises and lost opportunities. Although Cameron Crowe is helming, his stellar youth has not translated into the modern era, with We Bought a Zoo landing a decisive dud on theaters back in 2011. Certainly he's assembled a great cast, that also includes Bill Murray, but are audiences ready for what could be a cookie-cutter '80s experience? from a guy whose last great film was from that era (Say Anything)?
Watch the trailer for Aloha:
Can anyone defeat Earth's Mightiest Heroes?
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