Summer Movies: Attack of the Sequel!

Very soon, film lovers will bask in the glow that is the summer movie/blockbuster season. 2007 looks to be a huge one too, with tons of great films. More telling is the amount of sequels due out: eleven. Eleven! I can't say they all look great either but hey, summer movies are supposed to be a fun ride, anymore and it is a bonus. Judging from the trailers and the premises, there are not a lot of bonuses.

(Films are listed by order of release date)

First up is 'Spiderman III' on Friday, May 4^th and it looks awesome. You have the black suit, what looks to be the culmination of the feud between Harry and Peter, a current villain in Sandman, and a future one in Eddie Brock. What I like best about this franchise is that they've really worked on improving the CGI. In the first film, they were unsure of even how to do the swinging between buildings stuff. By the second film they started to add in additional abilities. In the third they introduce Spidey's web 'bullets', short bursts of web fluid that can be used to blind someone or gunk up their weapon.

'28 Weeks Later' looks good. London is being repopulated after the virus was supposedly wiped out. The only problem is nobody thought about the carriers. I actually haven't seen the first film '28 Days' but after watching the trailer it's now on my "to-rent" list. I think they should have moved this one back to a June release; this one is sandwiched between three big releases.

Then we move onto 'Shrek The Third', one movie I think will disappoint, sort of. Gone is the skewering of pop culture references. Replacing them will be a plot more towards the classic fairy tale storyline. The director did this because he felt that the film would become dated, the next generation wouldn't get the jokes. The trailers looked pretty funny, and I can't say it will suck, just that it won't be like other Shrek films.

The next big one is 'Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End'. It's a showdown between the old and the new guard, the pirates verses the Navy and as usual Jack is right in the middle of it all. I didn't like the second film as much as I loved the first. I don't really like that they made the sequels, 'Curse of the Black Pearl' was such an instant classic. I am hoping that the final part of the trilogy will be better then the middle.

'Ocean's Thirteen' is the third installment about a group of people who attempt to pull off big heists. Actually, it's the fourth if you include that 'Ocean's Eleven' was made twice. This time around they go after a casino owner who ripped off one of the original eleven. Hmm that sounds like the basic plot to "Italian Job' or every other heist movie sequel.

'Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer' looks interesting. The first FF movie wasn't so good but the trailer looks promising. Only problem is that was probably the best two minutes of the film. It is a good thing a requirement for being a good summer film is simply lots of action and cool special effects. Did you know the bad guy in this one will be a cloud?

Although 'Evan Almighty', the sort-of sequel to 'Bruce Almighty' is missing Jim Carey, his replacement Steve Carell should do nicely. Evan is told by God to build an ark for an upcoming flood. Someone who is sure to make this movie a must-see this summer is Steve Oedekerk. Sound familiar? He was the creator and lead actor for 'Kung Pow: Enter the Fist'. He is also a very funny and talented writer too.

Hop on the rollercoaster ride that is 'Live Free or Die Hard', #4 in the Die Hard series. This time its terrorists and John McClane is back to stop them by doing crazy stuff like launching a car into a helicopter! Bruce Willis said he has been pitched many storylines for this one over the years, including one where he would be taking on bad guys holed up inside a building. Yippee Ki-Yai!

Another hugely-anticipated sequel is 'Harry Potter and the Order of The Phoenix'. The three mains are signed on for the final two after this one, and perhaps taking a cue from Pirates and The Matrix is a good idea: film them both at the same time. It's getting to the point where it is hard to believe they are as young as they characters they portray. Can you honestly look at Harry in this one and think he's only 16? By the time we get to the seventh film Harry is going to have a beard.

Bourne Ultimatum arrives in theaters in August. I'm not big on Matt Damon but I do think he is perfect for this role and I liked the first two films. In this installment, Jason must search out his past in order to deal with a superkiller. The trailer is kind of lacking though. Any chance they do a Die Hard Five and have it be Bourne verses McClane?

'Rush Hour Three' wraps up the summer movie season with a whimper. You can file this one under: "they made another one?" The plot for this is just like the other two, martial arts expert and his wisecracking sidekick fight some kind of Asian crime syndicate. For Jackie Chan fans this film should be good enough to hold you over until his upcoming one with Jet Li. For Chris Tucker fans he's proving once again that he is more then a one-dimensional character.

How about a sequel with Bourne vs. McClane vs. Chan?