Good for us, as there is a great line-up in front of us in the coming months....
COVER STORY
It’s summer time! Vacations! Lot’s of sleep, lots of playing outside and lots and lots of movies. Every year, the filmmakers line up their movies for holidays to get maximum viewing. Good for us, as there is a great line-up in front of us in the coming months.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Release date: May 6
Since it was released at the start of May, some of us must have already seen the latest Marvel movie. However, if you are one of those who were busy with their exams before the holidays, this should be on the top of the list before it gets off the cinemas.
Benedict Cumberbatch reprises the role of Doctor Strange who is trying to keep the multiverse from being destroyed with the help of new friends and old. With a star cast including Rachel McAdams, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Benedict Wong, we know some of the characters from the first movie will be reprising their roles. However, this movie also has Elizabeth Olsen as The Scarlet Witch, as an added bonus. Who else to expect from the Marvel Universe? Well, we will have to watch it to find out.
Top Gun: Maverick
Release date: May 27
We are sure most of our Us readers were not even born when Top Gun was released in 1986 and became an instant success. After 36 years, Tom Cruise returns as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in this follow-up film about an intense training school for ace naval fighter pilots. And boy, Tom Cruise still looks the same.
We recommend that you watch the 1986 version first so you can understand why Top Gun: Maverick is so much of a big deal for the rest of us.
Jurassic World Dominion
Release date: June 10
Jurassic Park returns to the theaters in this trilogy-capper that finds dinosaurs roaming the Earth freely and humans trying to preserve a delicate balance. In this outing, Sam Neill and Laura Dern join Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, the human stars of the more recent movies. Jeff Goldblum, who was in the most recent sequel, is also on hand.
With the final movie from the trilogy, let’s hope we get a good enough dose of dinosaurs, as we might not see them in the near future.
Lightyear
Release date: June 17
No, it’s not something else. Yes, you guessed it right. This is our very own Buzz Lightyear from the Toy Story series, but he got his own movie. Tim Allen replaced by Chris Evans for and as Lightyear, will embark on an intergalactic adventure with a group of ambitious recruits, and his robot companion.
Since we have grown up with Toy Story, this will be a nostalgic ride for all of us and a must watch.
Elvis
Release date: June 24
The film will explore the life and music of Elvis Presley (Austin Butler), seen through the prism of his complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks). The story delves into the complex dynamics between Presley and Parker spanning over 20 years, from Presley’s rise to fame to his unprecedented stardom, against the backdrop of the evolving cultural landscape. Central to that journey is one of the most significant and influential people in Elvis’s life, Priscilla Presley (Olivia DeJonge).
It is on my list mainly because of Tom Hanks. Nobody wants to miss the legend coming to our screens this summer. Right?
Minions: The Rise of Gru
Release date: July 1
Admit it, we all love minions and we all love Gru. Though Minions were just a part of the Despicable Me series, they gained more popularity than the main characters. Of course Gru is an exception who has our hearts in his hands from the very first movie. This movie will show us the initial years of Gru’s life.
Set in the 1970s, amid a flurry of feathered hair and flared jeans, Gru (Steve Carell) is growing up in the suburbs. A fan boy of a super villain super group known as the Vicious 6, Gru hatches a plan to become evil enough to join them. Luckily, he gets some mayhem-making backup from his loyal followers, the Minions.
Let’s wait for the movie’s release to experience the havoc these characters create on our screens.
Thor: Love and Thunder
Release date: July 8
Marvel will strike again with its second superhero release in the middle of the year with Thor: Love and Thunder. Since Thor: Ragnarok was exhilarating, we just cannot wait to see what the new one will have in store for us. Also, this one has Christian Bale as the antagonist and Natalie Portman will be reprising her role as Dr. Jane Foster. Already excited, hanh!
In this movie, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is on a journey unlike anything he’s ever faced - a quest for inner peace. But his retirement is interrupted by a galactic killer known as Gorr, the God Butcher (Christian Bale), who seeks the extinction of the gods. Thor, along with some old friends, will have to stop him before it is too late.
Having said all that, I still cannot wrap my head around the fact that we will have a Thor movie without Loki. He has been an integral part of the franchise and I, for one, would definitely miss him sorely.
DC League of Super-Pets
Release date: July 29
We don’t want to be so open about our bias towards Marvel, so just to show how balanced we are, here is DC’s pack of superheroes with DC League of Super-Pets. Starring Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, John Krasinski and Kate McKinnon, this animated movie is comedy and adventure.
In DC League of Super-Pets, Krypto the Super-Dog and Superman are inseparable best friends, sharing the same superpowers and fighting crime in Metropolis side by side. When Superman and the rest of the Justice League are kidnapped, Krypto must convince a rag-tag shelter pack – Ace the hound, PB the potbellied pig, Merton the turtle and Chip the squirrel – to master their own newfound powers and help him rescue the superheroes.
So… DC superheroes need rescuing? And then you ask why we prefer Marvel. Just kidding. The movie seems super fun, just for the light moods of holidays.
Quaid-e-Azam Zindabad
Release date: Eid-ul-Adha
Since we have shared so much about Hollywood, it’s only fair to mention our very own Pakistani movie we would like our young people to watch to support local film industry as well. Fahad Mustafa and Mahira Khan starrer, Quaid-e-Azam Zindabad explores the themes of corruption in our society in an eye-opening manner. The film’s trailer is full of colours, energy and action, a complete masala movie to put it lightly.
Directed by Nabeel Qureshi, one can be sure of a good script, excellent direction and outstanding performances that will stay with you for a long time. To support our Pakistani cinema, here’s our pick for your summer movie collection.
