REVIEW: The 2017 summer movie season granted audiences with many options.
By Maxen Olvera, Staff Writer
This summer’s box office presented audiences with a diverse array of movies. These are my top five films of summer:
5. Baby Driver
This action-packed film, written and directed by Edgar Wright, stars Ansel Elgort as Baby, Lily James as Deborah, and Kevin Spacey as Doc. Baby Driver tells a unique story through the lives of engaging characters and award-winning cast members. The movie follows Baby, a getaway driver, who assists Doc, his crime boss, in criminal activity in order to pay off a debt that was placed on him as a child. The soundtrack plays a vital role in the film as it corresponds to the events of the story and greatly enhances the movie experience, especially as Baby falls in love with Deborah, a waitress, who changes his decision to participate in criminal activity.
4. Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 2
This movie stars Chris Pratt as Star Lord, Kurt Russell as Ego, and Zoe Saldana as Gamora, and was written and directed by James Gunn, who also cowrote and directed the first Guardians film. This film is the 15th installment to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The movie follows the Guardians of the Galaxy as they learn how to become a superhero team and learn more about their past. The Guardians are split into groups with different missions. The character developments and phenomenal story lines place this movie as one of the top five.
3. War for the Planet of the Apes
In the Matt Reeves directed film, Andy Serkis stars as Caesar and Woody Harrelson stars as The Colonel. The film’s plot centers around Caesar and his community of apes, who are forced to fight in a war against an army of humans led by the Colonel. As the apes travel to fight the Colonel, they learn that not all humans are against apes. The apes meet a little girl named Nova and the interactions between these characters reveal the apes’ caring nature. This film describes the familiar characters’ struggle to stay alive, beautifully ending the film series that satisfies fans of the franchise.
2. Wonder Woman
This DC Comics film is directed by Patty Jenkins and stars Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman and Chris Pine as Steve Trevor. In the film, Wonder Woman remembers her origins, her first fight against evil, and her first love Steve Trevor. This movie was the first big hit of the DC extended universe. Many of DC’s past films like “Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice” were box office failures. However, this film will be recognized as an unforgettable superhero origin story.
1. Spider Man: Homecoming
This Marvel Film, directed by Jon Watts, stars Tom Holland as Spiderman and Michael Keaton as the antagonist, the Vulture. This marks the 16th film in the ever expanding MCU. Peter Parker attempts to resolve everyday high school problems such as talking to girls while trying to fulfill the responsibilities of a real Avenger. In the movie, Parker tries to impress his mentor, Tony Stark, by battling the Vulture across the East Coast. His portrayal as a regular teenager is one of the greatest aspects of the film; he makes plenty of mistakes just like any normal kid. This is the third time Spider Man has been rebooted and many audience members were not happy. However, many critics and audience members enjoyed the film, and it tops my 2017 summer movie list.