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The summer movie season of 2003 will undoubtedly go down in film history as the Summer of Sequels. At least 12 major studio releases this summer fit this classification. Some were noteworthy, such as “The Matrix: Reloaded” – those ghost dudes better be in Revolutions – while others unfortunately turned out to be more akin to the crappier side of cinema, such as “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle.” In fact, with the exception of perhaps three sequels this summer, I would have been better off saving my money for Futurama DVD’s. Some of these sequels didn’t even come close to earning back what it cost to make them.
Some may argue this was the Summer of Disney, not due to a large amount of Disney movies being released, but due to the massive success of not two, but three box office hits. The top two money earning movies of this summer were from Disney, and so was the “surprise hit of the summer.” The number one film – Disney/Pixar’s “Finding Nemo” – took home a ridiculous $332 million. The term “blockbuster” doesn’t begin to describe numbers like that. And it’s the small attentions to detail that make Pixar films so entertaining. “Finding Nemo” is truly a movie for Pixar fans. In it, you can find all kinds of goodies from appearances of Buzz Lightyear to a cameo by Mike from Monsters Inc.
The number two top grossing film, Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean” delivered almost the same numbers as “Nemo.” Not only that, but we also were treated to the single most interesting character of the summer, Captain Jack Sparrow, proving once again that Johnny Depp can make almost any movie cool. Almost.
Disney’s main competitor for a family audience, Dreamworks, released a pirate movie as well, the animated “Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas.” While it didn’t take in quite a great deal of the box office loot, it received praises from critics across the board. Another Dreamworks (and Universal) picture that met with a lot of acclaim certainly would be “Sea Biscuit.” This much anticipated movie from the best-selling true story of the same name was one of the few studio films this summer with real heart.
Despite these top themes of the summer, I would argue that it was the Summer of Independent Films. Not since the mid-90′s has such an influx of brilliant independent features taken center stage. Films like David Boyle’s “28 Days Later,” “Whale Rider,” and the British sensation, “Bend It Like Beckham” all met surprisingly high box office numbers. “Bend It’s” star, Keira Knightley (who also co-starred in “Pirates”) will certainly be a Hollywood contender in the coming years and just maybe her British thriller, “The Hole,” will finally get the U.S. release it so rightly deserves. With all the success these independent films have seen it’s refreshing to know that people still recognize a good movie when they see one. Take note, Hollywood. Also, the success of “28 Days Later” seems to have given birth to the return of the “zombie film” with the upcoming releases of “Resident Evil: Apocalypse”, “House of the Dead” and a remake of George Romero’s “Dawn of the Dead.”
Independent movies weren’t the only surprise this summer. Two films that were both expected to disappear as fast as the engagement ring from J. Lo’s finger – sorry I couldn’t resist a “Gigli” reference) – “Freaky Friday” – Disney’s third hit – and “Freddy vs. Jason” will more than likely each break the $100 million mark.
After a string of flop after flop, Eddie Murphy bounced back with another summer surprise in “Daddy Daycare.” Which goes to show that you shouldn’t underestimate a movie that’s humor is aimed at five-year-olds and stoned teenagers.
While I wasted many a dollar this summer on movies that were mediocre at best, there were certainly a few gems to make up for it. So even though I had to endure such fluff as “Hollywood Homicide” and “Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life” there were still plenty of zombies, pirates and killer cyborgs to make up for it.
