Heroes of the Summer Blockbusters (2010)

With the summer season in full swing, it is easy to forget the early bird arrivals of some of the most significant and action-worthy films of the summer blockbusters. While some may argue that any film opening in April should not be included in the summer blockbuster category, I beg to differ. Both Kick-Ass and The Losers were highlighted and advertised as early summer blockbusters. While they may not have lived up to that weighty moniker at the box office, they were certainly heralded like they were.

Kick-Ass debuted mid-April with much fan-fare, but due to a large amount of adverse press and an unfortunate moniker, it disappeared into obscurity after a week at the box office — thereafter only known to the die-hard comic and genre fans throughout the globe. Astoundingly, to date, it has made $48 million domestically and $95 million world-wide. For a film that cost $30 million to make, it is deemed a complete box-office success. The odds of a sequel were nearly guaranteed with that kind of profit margin and, in fact, Kick-Ass 2 has been scheduled for release next year. Starring a whole host of fresh, virtually unknown faces, the film launched quite a few careers as well.

Aaron Johnson, portraying the now infamous Kick-Ass superhero, and Chloe Moretz, portraying the pint-sized cyclone sensation Hit Girl, were a wicked combination of youthful whimsy, hearts of gold and nerves of steel. They stared down certain death and tried to remain unphased by it. There were also delightful acting turns by Nicolas Cage, playing the doomed Big Daddy, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse, playing the mischievous Red Mist.

Kick-Ass was a film that should have never seen the light of day at the box office. Yet given the success in recent years of comics-turned-into-film, it was a reasonable gamble that it may attract an audience. The premise was simple enough about a young teenager who wants to be a superhero whose life inadvertently intersects with a father and his young daughter in the midst of a revenge killing spree. It was the purity of their hearts that won audiences over. As off-putting and foul-mouthed as they may have been portrayed, their intentions were good and with the aid of some startling amazing special effects, the film was elevated beyond just another comic-book film. It had heart. It had soul. It made our hearts and minds explode with happiness.

I am the first to admit that this was a film I was tempted to walk out of because the first 20 minutes were so off-putting and disturbing. Then a funny thing happened: Kick-Ass met Hit Girl and their lonely worlds of crime-fighting suddenly seemed much more interesting and purpose-filled. The film was no longer about a teenage boy with raging hormones and mis-guided visions of grandeur. It was about an unlikely and unexpected group of wanna-be-heroes who had a distinct goal in mind. They had a plan. It was a deadly one, but it got our attention. The film aspired to be bigger than we had envisioned — and it delivered. We laughed, we cried and we cheered at the end.

As for The Losers, also shackled by lack-luster reviews and a similarly unfortunate mis-named moniker, it shriveled and sank at the box office as if a dead weight had been tied to it and sent to the bottom of the sea. Sadly, to date, it has only made $27 million world-wide.

Yet, for a movie about an elite Special Forces division, they certainly did not look or act like a bunch of losers. It was just a ridiculous nickname that Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s character used for the rag-tag gifted ensemble with a bulls-eye painted on their backs. Like the film Kick-Ass, it aspired to be much more than any amount of trailers or previews could convey. Its beating heart of goodness and good-natured revelry was somehow lost in the midst of previews of action shots interspersed with a very scantily clad Zoe Saldana.

For those lucky enough to see this film, they were in for a treat. It did offer lots of action, explosions and a bit of strategically covered skin of the aforementioned Ms. Saldana. But mostly it was the story of a group of men who saved a helicopter’s worth of children from drug lords, only to find themselves blamed when it subsequently blew up. It was their misguided attempt to save the children that marked them for death by their own government. The film then followed their attempts to clear their names and regain their lives. It was fun, adventure-filled, and made you love taking the explosive journey with them. Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s quasi-father figure looking out for his men, mingled with the hijinks and shenanigans of Chris Evans who stole scenes every chance he got (I will never look at office delivery men the same way again), made for a compelling and entertaining story. One much more satisfying than the bigger named film The A-Team.

Moving along to the box office champion, Iron Man 2 delivered on all levels. It killed at the box office, making over $304 million in the U.S. and over $604 million world-wide. Aided with the wicked combination of Robert Downey, Jr.’s gleeful smile and haunted eyes, audiences flocked to theaters in mass droves. Everyone wanted to see the bigger and better, new and improved Iron Man — and this time around, there were lots of “iron man” wanna-be’s to be seen. There was simply more of everything.

But, by far, the secret ingredient remained the starring actor. Robert Downy, Jr. simply owned that role. Perhaps his own notorious real-life past makes him the perfect fit for such a complex character: Tony Stark, the brilliant billionaire playboy, with a secret. This time, the secret was not that he was Iron Man, he blew the lid off that in the first film. No, this time, the secret was more heart-felt: he was a dying hero. Everything he did in Iron Man 2 was because he knew he did not have much time left. It provided great comedy and an appreciation of how even super heroes are not invincible. Death comes for us all in the end.

So while many will recall the outlandish and mesmerizing performances of the guest stars Mickey Rourke, Scarlett Johansson and Sam Rockwell, for me the film was all about the dying hero. He gave away a multi-billion dollar company to his former secretary (and love of his life), he resisted temptation to have one last fling with the hot chick who suddenly showed up on his door-step, and he forgave his best friend for stealing one of his iron man suits. It illustrated the power of love, forgiveness, and valuing that which truly matters when our lives are stripped of the trappings that make us seem enviable and invincible. Tony Stark was a man with more wealth than he knew what to do with, yet even money cannot fend off the grim reaper. So Iron Man 2 was more than a film about a superhero, it was a film about a man who we would love to aspire to be.

Hot on the heels of such an iconic superhero film, The Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time had the insurmountable task of trying to steal the box office crown from Iron Man 2. To date, it is still trying to do just that. It has made $80 million in the U.S. and a total of $293 million world-wide. Consider me one of the people who saw the film trailer and immediately thought, “there is no way I’m seeing that film.” It looked cheesy and ridiculous — and mind you, that is coming from someone who thought Kick-Ass and The Losers were great films.

But induced to give it a chance, I put aside my misgivings and went to see it. I am now the first to admit how wrong I was. It was a visual feast for the eyes and offered more thrilling adventure than all the other films combined. It was simply spectacular. The tale of a young orphan boy raised by a king as one of his own sons, who one day is blamed for the king’s murder and hunted by his own family, made for a compelling story. Add that to a jaw-droppingly beautiful princess sworn to protect a magical knife with her life and a wicked mystical magician and you have the makings of an intriguing film.

But what really elevated the film were the two leads, Jake Gyllenhaal and Gemma Arterton. In a film of magic and adventure, their performances stood out as genuine and electrifying. Both embraced their roles with vigor and were undaunted by the physicality demanded of them. They won audiences over by their fearlessness in battle and willingness to share their hearts with the audience. Nothing will endear a character faster than by showing the audience how much you care – and throughout the film, you felt vividly that these actors cared very deeply for their characters. It makes it feel more real, more fun, and more invested. They were also playful in the portrayals by not taking it all too serious and allowing the audience to laugh with them. Like in the film Iron Man 2, being invited to laugh with the actors as they wink at the audience also draws a viewer in as we love to be included in the joke. With phenomenal supporting roles performed by Ben Kingsley and Alfred Molina, the film sparkled from start to finish. It introduced us to a fun-filled world of adventure and took us along for a daring ride.

Finally, The A-Team was a fantastic blast from the past! With four incredible actors cast in the leading roles, the film delivered on all levels. By far the performances by Sharlto Copley as Murdoch and Bradley Cooper as Faceman were magnificent. They fully embodied their characters and we loved every minute seeing them on screen. It is a film that aimed for the stars and it delivered. It reintroduced us to characters we have loved and missed for decades. It made us root for them against insurmountable odds — and it remembered to include the quirks that made us fall in love with them in the first place. The A-Team was one of those films that means more to those who watched the television series, but when all was said and done, it was a fun film and it did a good job of honoring what we all loved about the original.

Thank goodness Hollywood still believes in the power of make-believe and that movie goers love action films during the summer. Because we do. We love watching things blow up, the bad guys getting their just desserts, and the good guys winning the day. While the rest of the summer blockbusters are still rolling out, with films like Eclipse, Inception, The Last Airbender, and The Expendables set to thrill us all over again, we are sure to be dazzled and delighted. But for now, my heroes remain Kick-Ass, Hit Girl, Tony Stark, a bunch of military renegades, and a prince of Persia. They are the heroes of this summer.

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