Summer 2004 Movie Preview

With still another six weeks of box office emptiness ahead, now seems an excellent time to preview the prime box office season. The multiplex slate is Summer is full, but there could be more than a few keepers in the mix.

13 Going On 30
starring Jennifer Garner & Mark Ruffalo
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Jennifer Garner takes a break from spying to star in what appears to the next in a never-ending flood of family-friendly comedies geared toward audiences who flocked to tweener hits like The Princess Diaries and Freaky Friday. This role is perfect for Garner, who judging from her somewhat vapid demeanor in interviews, seems to be the polar opposite of Sydney Bristow, her sophisticated alter ego on Alias. The premise isn't particularly original, but it wasn't original when Tom Hanks did the same thing in Big fifteen years ago. Looks to be plenty of silly, harmless fun, and it could catapult Garner to leading-lady status exactly the way her role in Daredevil didn't. While not officially a summer movie, expect this one to have legs that carry it well into June. (April 23)

Van Helsing
starring Hugh Jackman & some very nasty looking CGI
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The 'official' blockbuster season kicks off earlier than ever this year with Stephen Sommer's next big, mindless action flick. The idea of Van Helsing taking on all the Universal Monsters is immensely appealing, but this movie may suffer from the same high-concept pitfalls that befell last summer's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. That film proved that even a big-budget, star-filled film drawn from superior source material can fall flat in its execution. Hugh Jackman should be a draw, but the real star in a film like this has to be the effects. The quick shots we get in the trailer don't seem to pack the visual punch of Sommer's Mummy films, but the jury is still out on this one. (May 7)

Troy
starring Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, & 1,000 ships
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Everything about this film screams epic. Every shot in the trailer seems to have been crafted to perfection. If the whole film looks this good, it could surpass the standard for sweeping battle sequences set last year by The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Audiences crave spectacle this time of year, and Wolfgang Petersen is prepared to deliver. While Brad Pitt may not have been the best choice to carry this movie as Achilles, you can't go wrong with Eric Bana (The Hulk) and Rings co-stars Orlando Bloom and Sean Bean also headlining. While the grosses are virtually in the bank already, it will be interesting to see if the Academy shows this film the same love similarly-themed Gladiator got four years ago at the Oscars. (May 14)

Article Author: Scott Pepper

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