Apollo 18
Release date: March 4
Executive produced by Wanted director Timur Bekmambetov, this trip to the moon shows us why the Apollo 18 mission was really scrapped: Aliens! Sadly, we won't see a Space Cowboys-y mash-up pitting astronauts against E.T., but what we get is a faux documentary take on a mission to the moon that results in potentially very bloody, very cool first contact.
The premise intrigues us – it's a movie idea we've never seen before – and in a sea of sequels and remakes, that's enough to make us curious to the point where we will pay the matinee admission price.
Battle: Los Angeles
Release Date: March 11
Harvey Dent straps on Army gear to battle aliens as they storm Santa Monica beach like it was Normandy. Battle is Black Hawk Down meets Independence Day, starring Aaron Eckhart as the leader of a team of soldiers charged with defending us from a ground-level alien invasion.
The movie's recent teaser trailer made the Hall H nerd in us all giddy. If the movie has half the emotional impact that the trailer did, in between all of the exploding set-pieces, then we're in for an above average entertainment during a time when movie releases are traditionally lame.
Paul
Release Date: March 18
Who's ready for another buddy comedy starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost? Unlike Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, Paul isn't directed by Edgar Wright. But we'll take it anyway. This sci-fi comedy sees the lovable duo cross paths with a diminutive alien named Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen). It also spotlights the Comic-Con legion, FYI, in a semi-ode to nerds. These three comedy stars are joined by a large cast that includes everyone from Jane Lynch to Jason Bateman and even Sigourney Weaver. With a cast like that, Paul has to be good for a few laughs.
Scream 4
Release Date: April 15
No horror franchise stays dead forever. Scream rises from the grave this spring for more stabbing and Hollywood satire. It's been 10 years since the events of Scream 3, and only Neve Campbell's Sidney, David Arquette's Dewey and Courtney Cox's Gale have survived to the present. These three are joined by newcomers Emma Roberts and Hayden Panettiere. Even better, Wes Craven is back in the director's chair to steer these new faces straight into the sharp end of a carving knife. Craven's last foray into horror wasn't too satisfying, so a return to an old favorite may be just what Craven fans need in 2011.
Fast Five
Release Date: April 29
Action fans everywhere can breathe a sigh of relief. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is finally done with his Disney contract, meaning we no longer have to suffer through family-friendly movies like The Tooth Fairy. The Rock adds an extra bit of star power to the ever resilient The Fast and the Furious franchise. In the fifth entry, Johnson plays a federal agent in pursuit of Vin Diesel and Paul Walker's fugitive racers. The racing stunts look bigger and better than ever, so we're not worried the franchise will have run out of gas after ten years.
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Release Date: May 20
We all knew Captain Jack Sparrow would return to the big screen again, especially since the last Pirates of the Caribbean film directly set-up this sequel. This time, Jack and his eternal nemesis Captain Barbossa are seeking the Fountain of Youth in America. The quest grows more dangerous when the dread pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane) also enters the fray. Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightly are sitting this one out, but Penelope Cruz joins the cast as a feisty love interest for Jack. Revel in another Pirates adventure, and know that this probably won't be the last sequel either.
X-Men: First Class
Release Date: June 3
The X-Men are returning to Hollywood having weathered the storms that were X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine. First Class is half-reboot, half-prequel to the other movies. The setting shifts back to the tumultuous 1960's when Xavier and Magneto were still buddy-buddy and working to establish a school for mutants. Younger versions of Beast and Mystique will be joined by newcomers such as Banshee, Havok and Darwin.
The Hellfire Club look to be the main villains this time around, with Kevin Bacon and January Jones playing Sebastian Shaw and Emma Frost, respectively. Fox has remained pretty tight-lipped about this superhero project, but with Matthew Vaughn at the helm we're hopeful this X-film can avoid the mistakes of the past
Super 8
Release Date: June 10
Stop it, J.J. Abrams. We get it – you like keeping your movies behind "For Your Eyes Only" doors, but it makes it difficult for those of us who have to write about them. All we know so far is, thanks to a quick teaser trailer shown before Iron Man 2, that Area 51, aliens and kids from Smalltown, U.S.A. play key roles in this supposedly "found footage" take on aliens vs. us. Set in the early 1980s, and inspired by executive producer Steven Spielberg's early films (think Close Encounters), Super 8 hopes to do for the found footage genre what Abrams' Cloverfield did for it, but on a much more summer movie-friendly scale.
So aliens, Spielberg and found footage – from the guy who directed Star Trek? Fine, Abrams. You win this round. But we're only going to pay to see your movie three times – that's it.
Green Lantern
Release Date: June 17
Not to be outdone by the three big Marvel movies of the summer, DC is introducing moviegoers to another of its major heroes. The saga of Hal Jordan begins in Green Lantern. This film traces the origin of the hotshot pilot-turned-space cop (played by Ryan Reynolds) as he receives his ring and learns to overcome his greatest fears. Hal's greatest nemesis, Sinestro (Mark Strong), will be present, but the actual villains of the film are Hector Hammond and the fear entity Parallax.
The trailer hit theaters back in November, giving fans a taste of the unique and very plant-inspired look of the Green Lanterns. Even comic book haters can show up to admire Reynolds' rock-hard abs for 120 minutes. If GL manages to carve its own niche in the ever-crowded superhero market, look for this film to be the start of a big franchise for WB.
Transformers: The Dark of the Moon
Release Date: July 1
Gas up the hovercrafts and protect your extras from on-set safety accidents, Michael Bay's coming back to theatres and the Autobots are coming with him!
For the third installment in the crazy profitable franchise, Dark of the Moon tries to wipe the crap taste of Revenge of the Fallen from our collective mouths with a story that takes the Autobots to the moon and resurrects Megatron with a new vehicle mode. Shia LaBeouf returns, sans Megan Fox, to help Optimus Prime vs. the Decepticons in a movie centered around the space race between Russia and the U.S.
The villain this time is Shockwave, not sure how the purple 'Con is a bigger bad than Megatron, but at least we get to see that question answered in 3D! Folks, you haven't lived until you've seen Bayhem in 3D. We're talking cars and jets exploding into bikini models and even more shiny cars and jets.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
Release Date: July 15
Harry Potter's final adventure was cut in half when Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 hit theaters last November. Luckily, the wait for Part 2 is only half a year. This half should be all climax, as Harry and his friends embark on the final leg of their journey to track down and locate Voldemort's Horcruxes. Look for a daring bank heist and a massive battle between the defenders of Hogwarts and Voldemort's armies.
Rumors suggest that director David Yates has added some additional story material, so even fans of the books should be in store for a few surprises. Whatever the case, this will be the final outing for Harry and his fans. Unless J.K. Rowling writes another book, that is.
Captain America: The First Avenger
Release Date: July 22
The fourth and final big comic book movie of summer 2011 is Captain America: The First Avenger. Cap has the benefit of at least some recognition with casual audiences, even if that recognition only extends to images of the star-spangled hero socking Hitler in the jaw and starring in a pair of really bad TV movies.
But with any luck, this big budget superhero epic will redefine Cap at the movies in the same way Tim Burton's Batman did for the Caped Crusader. This film is set firmly in the days of World War II, when skinny Steve Rogers was transformed into America's premier soldier. Chris Evans ditches the Fantastic Four uniform for Cap's shield, while Hugo Weaving dons the terrifying mask of Red Skull. Fans can look forward to a wartime adventure that sets the stage for Cap's role in next year's The Avengers.
The Darkest Hour
Release Date: August 5
Seemingly anticipating the end of days come 2012, Hollywood decided to fill 2011 with every possible alien invasion variant on their production slate. This year, aliens invade the moon, they invade the Old West and now they're invading Moscow in The Darkest Hour.
This time, spinning masses of murdering light take the form of alien beings, as they target American tourists like Speed Racer's Emile Hirsch for extermination. We've never seen an alien invasion story set outside the United States like this, where our heroes are "aliens" themselves in this foreign land, as aliens threaten to kill them. Whoa – that's deep. We hope going outside the box for a very familiar movie formula delivers.
Conan the Barbarian
Release Date: August 19
What is best in life? How about finally having a new Conan movie in theaters after 20-odd years of waiting? This Conan the Barbarian is separate from the one made famous by Arnold Schwarzenegger, and looks to be more faithful to the original stories by Robert E. Howard. This time, Conan is played by Jason Momoa (Stargate: Atlantis), with Ron Perlman (Hellboy) as Conan's father and Stephen Lang (Avatar) playing the film's villain, Khalar Zym.
It's been too long since we've seen Conan tread the jeweled thrones of the earth under his sandalled feet. Last year saw another Howard creation, Solomon Kane, receive the big screen treatment. That modest project was surprisingly entertaining, so we're hoping Conan's return will be another pleasant surprise come August.
Piranha 3DD
Release Date: September 16
"3DD" - get it? Because the movie had lots and lots of chesticles – in 3D. Poetry that would make Wordsworth cry, I tells ya. The sequel to the remake brings back the killer fish and their penchant for homicide, with the promise of more "go to hell, MPAA!" gore and bloodletting. The last time we saw the piranha, they were able to take their murder airborne – can't wait to see flying fish attack more B-listers this time around.
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