By Chris Kavan - 06/07/12 at 12:04 PM CT
After a string of sci-fi films have failed or underperformed at the box office (John Carter, MIB III), Ridley Scott is here to hopefully right that ship.
1) Prometheus is the supposed prequel to the entire Aliens franchise, even if that link is tenuous at best. I've been avid in avoiding anything relating to this film, because I've learned the hard way in the past that spoilers, well, they spoil the fun. Other than a few commercials, and a few movie trailers I couldn't avoid, I have done well in not knowing a thing about what this movie is actually about. It appears some ancient cave drawings lead to a distant planet, said planet is explored and then all hell breaks loose. I like the talent involved: Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender and Charlize Theron have all proven to me in the past they can carry a film, and with Damon Lindelof punching up the script, I'm quite excited to see how this one turns out. I expect it to handily take the top spot, and I hope if performs well enough that Scott is able to continue along the way (maybe even linking Blade Runner and Alien franchises together). Regardless, my hopes are higher for this than any film since The Avengers, and I just hope I'm not disappointed.
2) Family films have been a little lax recently, but that's all about to change with the release of Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted. The crew of Alex, Marty, Gloria and Melman are back and still trying to reach their beloved New York Central Park zoo and after Madagascar and Africa, they've now reached Europe where, once again, they get into heaps of trouble with the locals. Lucky for them, a traveling circus is in need of a few good animals, so the adventure begins once more. I'm ambivalent towards this series - I have seen the first two, and while they were entertaining, they are nowhere near Pixar-quality when it comes to story or characters. And, like Shrek before it, I'm guessing the sequels will just get weaker as the story goes along. Still, if you're looking for a nice place for the kiddos to hang out - this isn't a terrible choice and I expect it to do well at the box office, if only because of the lack of competition against it right now.
Those two are the main wide-releases to hit, though I'm still keeping an eye on Moonrise Kingdom, hoping its numbers continue to grow and justify an opening in my area. We'll see if Scott's Prometheus has the right stuff or if a group of misfit animals take the box office crown. See you Sunday with the results.
