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By Nikki Jamieson
Taber Times
njamieson@tabertimes.com

Despite it being only the end of April, the summer blockbuster season has already been underway for well over a month. Although the beginning of May is widely accepted as the official start of the must-see movie season, for the past few years, the perceived hits creep up earlier and earlier, with films such as The Divergent Series: Insurgent in 2015, Deadpool in 2016 and Logan just this year.

Typically, movie studios release the big-budget, highly-likely-the-people-will-love-it films during those hot months were people are a) more likely to seek shelter from the heat in a nice, air conditioned building, b) have more time on their hands due to reasons such as vacation or no school and c) no longer have the excuse of weather to stop them from going out. Generally, these films are widely enjoyed and more than make up their outrageously huge budget. Of course, even if they aren’t that well liked, people will still go to see them in droves because, ‘phish, those critics must be wrong’ or they just want to see what the hype was all about.

I will admit, I, like the masses, thoroughly enjoy the vast majorities of blockbusters I have seen.

But as I am no longer within walking distance to a movie theatre, I’m starting to have to pick and choose which ones I can see this year. The rest will have to wait until they come out on Netflix or my equally-movie-loving sister gets them — which ever comes first.

While a few have already come out — Logan, The Fate of the Furious and Beauty and the Beast for instance — here are a few that I’m thinking about actually seeing in theatres:

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Set a few months after the events of the first film, our unlikely crew of heroes find themselves once again having to save the universe, while running from space pirates, fending off Gamora’s very angry sister, Nebula, who just wants to kill you and reuniting with Peter’s long-lost father, all while Rocket experiences the trials and tribulations of fatherhood as he raises his best-friend-turned-kid Groot, who is just adorable as an ity-bity sapling.

Reasons to see: Baby Groot. Nuff said.

Reasons not to: …Baby Groot cancels out all arguments.

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword

Yet another The Legend of King Arthur remake, this features a young kid in who just wants to run the streets with his crew in fifth/sixth century England.

Que the finding and pulling of one Excalibur — sword of the one true king — and now Arthur must decide whether to unite the people and overthrow the evil Tyrant king who became king after he killed Arthur’s parents, or not.

Reasons to see: Retelling of a classic legend, Merlin is in it so there’s going to be magic, lots of sword fighting action is being promised and Jude Law plays the bad guy.

Reasons not to: Arthur could be portrayed as a whiner which I do not want to see, what if there’s no magic and supposedly, this is going to be the first of six films. The plot could drag on too long.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

To no one’s surprise, another baddie with supernatural powers is after Captain Jack Sparrow. This time it’s a pirate-hating half-ghost person who Sparrow defeated as a kid.

To defeat him, Jack has to team up with a budding astronomer, who knows where to find the item that can save him, and the son of Will Turner, who just wants to see his dad again.

Reasons to see: Sword-fighting action, Orlando Bloom as a barnacled guide-for-the-dead pirate and skeleton sharks.

Reasons not to: They really should have stopped after the third movie, because there’s only so many times Sparrow can run from supernatural enemies.

Wonder Woman

WWI pilot crash lands on an island inhabited by Amazon warriors.

After learning about the war that threatens to engulf the entire world, Amazonian princess Diana — Wonder Woman herself — leaves the island she called home to help bring an end to the war.

Reasons to see: After much begging and pleading from fans, Wonder Woman is finally getting her own live-action movie, sword fighting action and women being awesome.

Reasons not to: DC’s movie track record is not that great.

The Mummy

A reboot of the successful franchise of the same name, two friends find a 2,000 year old tomb, and with the aid of the American army, accidentally bring back it’s occupant. This time around it’s a power-hungry Egyptian princess who rises from the dead to wreck havoc on the modern world.

Reasons to see: Enjoy the franchise, Tom Cruise playing the Evy character and mummy-related chaos all around.

Reasons not to see: The butchering of that first trailer.

Transformers: The Last Knight

War has broken out between the humans and the transformers.

Trying to figure out why the transformers just keep coming back to Earth, a group of humans and Transformers band together to find the answer.

Reasons to see: Intense action, car chases/fights.

Reasons not to: Another franchise that is starting to go on way too long, and in the trailer, it looks like Optimus Prime kills Bumblebee.

Spiderman: Homecoming

Taking place after the events of Captain America: Civil War, Peter Parker, aka Spiderman, is trying to fight crime while not letting his grades slip — or typical high school problems.
With Tony Stark acting as his mentor and a new villain, the Vulture, popping up, it is a lot harder than it sounds.

Reasons to see: Enjoyed previous Spiderman movies, set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and web-slinging action.

Reasons not to: This is the third reboot of the franchise in 15 years and the new Peter Parker makes me feel old.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets

Based on the comic series Valérian and Laureline and set in the 28th century, Valerian and Laureline are space/time traveling agents who are assigned to find out what is endangering Alpha, a vast city where different species come together from across the universe to share knowledge.

Of course, the threat isn’t limited to just Alpha, and the pair are in a literal race against time and space to stop it.

Reasons to see: Sci-fi action, interesting concept and stunning trailers.

Reasons not to: Trailer build up could be a let down, and why doesn’t the title contain Laureline’s name?

Atomic Blonde

Based off of the graphic novel The Coldest City, MI6 agent Lorraine Broughton travels to Berlin to take down a spy ring that took out an undercover spy for reasons unknown during the Cold War era.

Having to team up with station chief David Percival, the duo must work together to take out a threat against the entire spy network.

Reasons to see: Lots of action, stars Charlize Theron and James McAvoy and has a spy versus the world type plot.

Reasons not to: Spy-cliches.

Kingsman: The Golden Circle

A sequel to Kingsman: The Secret Service, Kingsman agents Merlin, Eggsy and Roxy head to the U.S. to join forces with the Statesman, the Kingsman U.S. counterpart, to take on The Golden Circle — a secret new world order organization.

Also, Eggsy’s mentor may or may not be alive, and/or evil now.

Reasons to see: American-and-British spy antics. Reasons not to: American-and-British cliches.

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