Summer Blockbusters

It’s summer time again and each week seems to bring another blockbuster film to your local movie theatre.

We’ve already had “Iron Man 3”, which was a very good action film and which brought in a huge box office return. More recently, “Monster University”, opened up theatrically. It has done very well financially and it seems ready to have a long and financially beneficial run. The new Superman movie, “Man of Steel” opened a few weeks ago and it has been an overwhelming success, exceeding all predictions. Unfortunately, I wasn’t very impressed with the film. I am a long-time Superman fan. I used to collect the comic books when I was a kid and I watched the Superman television show every week during the 1950’s.

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As a result, I awaited the opening of “Man of Steel” with great anticipation. But I was disappointed. I felt that this latest incarnation of the Superman story was too dark, too heavy handed in the amount of violence it showed and completely lacking in soul. When the Christopher Reeves version of Superman came to the theatres in the 1980’s I was immediately captivated by the light touch the film exhibited. Reeves always seemed to have a twinkle in his eye and his scenes with Margot Kidder (Lois Lane) were wonderful to watch. They had the magic. Not so in this rendition of Superman. Henry Cavill just doesn’t do it for me, and the film doesn’t have any of the light touches that the Christopher Reeves’ versions had. So it was with some trepidation that I attended a recent screening of “The Lone Ranger”. But I need not have worried. Again, I have been a fan of the Lone Ranger since childhood. I watched the television program which starred Clayton Moore and I even saw a film version in the mid-50’s. I watched and enjoyed the 1981 film, “The Legend of the Lone Ranger” with Klinton Spilsbury (I wonder whatever happened to him) and so was not sure what to expect from this new film I was about to watch. I have to admit that I was not impressed by the trailers I had seen. Johnny Depp looked like he was doing a parody of Tonto and I can’t say I was impressed with Armie Hammer, who plays the Lone Ranger. Well, the film blew me away. I enjoyed it immensely and came out of the theatre with a smile on my face. It has everything that “Men of Steel” does not. Johnny Depp gives a wonderful performance. His Tonto is funny, brave and heroic. Armie Hammer is a perfect choice as the Lone Ranger. He plays the Lone Ranger with a bit of Clark Kent in him, as somewhat of a bumbling fool; is reluctant to take the law into his own hands; and doesn’t believe in rule by the gun. But in the end, he rids the town of the bad guys and provides some high octane action scenes. And the film uses the original Lone Ranger theme (the William Tell Overture) very effectively, especially towards the end of the film. Initial critical reaction has been luke-warm and the box office has not been overwhelming. It is true the film has flaws, but overall, I found it to be absolutely delightful. Anyone who wants a good action/adventure film with lots of laughs and humour should go see this film. This is one film that deserves a sequel and I hope it does well enough to warrant another film to detail the further adventures of “The Lone Ranger”.