The Summer Of Film- The Good, The Great, The Average And The Ugly

The end. This year's Summer of Film has been packed with high-octane blockbuster movie releases for everyone in the family, and it's only right that now we take a look back at all that's been released and sort out the best from the worst. Since Cowboys And Aliens has recently been released and donned a particularly Western theme, I thought I'd style this feature on The Good, The Bad and the Ugly! So enjoy- I'll update this piece with wherever Rise of the Planet of the Apes fits in next week, and at the bottom you can find the various flicks I didn't get to see and the general critical reaction to them.
THE GREAT (5/5):
X-MEN: FIRST CLASS- A genuinely brilliant reboot, First Class really showed the emotive and empathetic side of the famous mutant team, and could potentially be the starting point for an amazing new series of films.
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART TWO- It didn't quite live up to all of the hype (go back and watch it again- there actually seems to be very little dialogue for some characters, even Ron and Hermione!), but Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 did at least provide a stunning finale for all involved, a perfect book-to-film adaptation whose only flaws came from the source content itself.
SUPER 8- It's always nice to be surprised, and Super 8 was one such revelation, proving the Best Film of 2011 so far and setting a benchmark for every sci-fi film to come. The chemistry between the kid protagonists was sublime, the build-up of tension with brief glimpses of the terrible creature a perfect throwback to the days of the Spielberg era and the plot very remniscent of classic science-fiction too. Super 8 didn't rely on constant battles or jumpy moments, nor did it rest on its laurels, and this effortless balance of drama and thrills was what made it so memorable.
RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES- With Super 8, this is the joint-best movie I've seen this Summer. The incredible CGI, the very moving plotline and the general attention to detail in setting up a franchise here make it one to truly remember from 2011.
THE GOOD (4-4.5/5):
THOR- Another unexpected hit, Chris Hemsworth's Thor underwent a fine character arc to send him towards The Avengers, and Natalie Portman was great as his crush on Earth. Oh, and that CGI!
THE HANGOVER: PART II- Much better than expected! Comedy sequels tend to go downhill pretty quickly, but this one managed to retain much of the charm and innovation of the original, a rare quality for a film such as this these days.
TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON- Okay, a lot of the final scenes felt recycled from the first film, and yes, the acting/script were no less cheesy than they had been previously, but the typically sublime effects, the sense of foreboding and brilliant soundtrack kept Dark of the Moon from being your average summer war film. Which is a good thing, by the way.
THE INBETWEENERS MOVIE- A late, but still neat surprise, The Inbetweeners Movie was just what fans should have expected the great British comedy TV series to become on the big screen, a crude but hilarious romp abroad unlikely to be forgotten anytime soon!
THE AVERAGE (3-3.5/5):
FAST FIVE- Overblown, unrealistic, yet with an overriding sense of fun and vigour, Fast Five wasn't terrible by any stretch of the imagination, breathing new life into the franchise. However, it wasn't that good either, lacking any emotional heart or interesting setpieces to boast about.
CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER- What should have been a heartfelt and uplifting rise to power for Steve Rogers turned out to be an irksomely patriotic romp whose conclusion left a lot to be desired, not least because it means Cap can't return to the excellently done WW2 setting.
COWBOYS & ALIENS- The mix that never should have happened? It wasn't perhaps that bad, but it's a shame that so little time was spent on the marvellously acted Western sequences in favour of good old (or in this case bad old) sci-fi action.
THE UGLY (2-2.5/5):
PIRATES OF THE CARRIBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES- I can't get over how different this one felt from the other three great films, and was sadenned to see Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush having to all but recycle catchphrases to keep things 'interesting' (which failed, anyway!).
GREEN LANTERN- But above all, this was the worst film I've seen this Summer. Green Lantern was so dull, it made Spider-Man 3 seem like Avatar in terms of storytelling, acting and effects. Please, let's move past this terrible DC effort and put more work into The Dark Knight Rises and Man of Steel!
THE OTHERS:
BRIDESMAIDS- Apparently a very competent comedy on a par with The Hangover. For obvious reasons, as a guy I gave this one a miss.
CARS 2 & KUNG FU PANDA 2- Two animated sequels which weren't too badly recieved, expect reviews of them both around Christmas time.
CONAN THE BARBARIAN- From what I've heard, this was pretty much your average hack-and-slash, gore-filled romp, that doesn't hold anything over the likes of 300.
SPY KIDS: ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD- I was initially somewhat interested to see this one, until the zero, one and two star reviews came flooding in about its 4D 'Aromascope' (i.e. scratch-and-sniff cards) being used up within 45 minutes of the film starting and that people began to leave the cinema it was so bad. I'll take a look at this via a rental service later this year, but don't expect the next Titanic if you go to see this one...