The Complex Staff Lists Their Most Anticipated Summer Movies

The Complex Pop Culture staff weighs in on this summer's most anticipated movies.

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You see that big green guy up above? He's the star of Godzilla, and he’s about to tear shit up.

More so than Peter Parker, it seems, since The Amazing Spider-Man 2, which officially kicks off the summer movie season today, isn’t very good. But that’s the beauty of frequenting your local multiplex from May through August—if one new film is a huge disappointment, there’s always something opening the following weekend. And the weekend after that. And then the one after that.

This year, spectacle lovers can look forward to Mark Wahlberg helping us all forget about that ridiculous name “Sam Witwicky” in Transformers: Age of Extinction, as well as every mutant on Marvel’s deep roster joining forces for the hopefully-not-overcrowded X-Men: Days of Future Past; comedy heads have the sequel 22 Jump Street and Seth MacFarlane’s first attempt at becoming a live-action movie star, the silly western A Million Ways to Die in the West; people who love bad ideas will flock to see a Michael-Bay-produced, live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and hope it doesn’t ruin their childhood; and art-house regulars will be rewarded with prestigious new films from acclaimed directors like Richard Linklater and James Gray.

Having sifted through three loaded months’ worth of cinema, each member of the Complex Pop Culture staff has his or her own predictions and preferences regarding the Summer 2014 Movie Season, many of which will probably anger fanboys worldwide. Take a look at our thoughts and see if you agree, disagree, or want to skip basic opinions altogether and just fight us in an AMC Loews parking lot.

RELATED: The Most Anticipated Movies of 2014

Ross Scarano, Deputy Editor (@RossScarano)

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Big-Deal Movies I'm Most Excited About

Neighbors (May 9)

My colleagues tell me I will laugh and laugh at frat house vs. normal people hi jinks. Okay, I say. I am ready. (But really—I enjoyed This Is the End, and if this makes me feel like I'm 16 and watching Old School for the first time, I can live with that.)

Maleficent (May 30)

If Jolie deems us worthy (and gets Disney to come up off the sunshine and money), this will be the exercise in diva excess so many of us need it to be. Punish us, Maleficent. Don't do us dirty by redeeming yourself or anyone else. Just be nasty.

Lucy (August 8)

When Matthew McConaughey ascended to heaven at the Oscars, born into the clouds on a pallet of Lone Star cases granted the power of flight by the divine creator, the world felt the lack of a Hollywood star to champion afresh. Enter, Scarlett Johansson. She just deposited $20M for The Avengers 2, but what she really needs is our support. So I'm gonna see Lucy, her remake of Bradley Cooper's Limitless. Because what Limitless needed was to be emptied of Bradley Cooper.

Indie Movies I'm Most Excited About

We Are the Best! (May 30)

Swedish director Lukas Moodysson is tough to pin down. He's made near-experimental work about pornography and vomit (A Hole in My Heart), and sweet social dramas about leftist politics and communes (Together). His latest movie is more in line with the latter. An adaptation of his partner's graphic novel, We Are the Best! follows a group of teenage girls in the '80s who want to start a punk band. And so they do.

Night Moves (May 30)

Kelly Reichardt is one of America's best filmmakers, and Night Moves is her latest. Jesse Eisenberg and Dakota Fanning star in a drama about activists in the Pacific Northwest. I haven't even watched the trailer, that's how much I trust Reichardt. Get these two in some dumpy clothes, slow the tempo to a crawl, and trim the dialogue back until every half-started syllable counts—let's get lost.

Boyhood (July 11)

Richard Linklater (Before Midnight, one of last year's greats) started shooting this movie over a decade ago, in 2002. He's shot the film with the same cast, creating a document of the aging process. Boyhood is the subject. If you need to know more, we can't be friends.  

Movies I Think Will Suck

A Million Ways to Die in the West (May 30)

Seth MacFarlane is gross. Send him out.

Edge of Tomorrow (June 6)

Tom Cruise is old. Send him out.

Think Like a Man Too (June 20)

Retrograde thinking about masculinity is v. basic. Send it out.

The Biggest Question Marks for Me

Godzilla (May 16)

Maybe the scarring from the Madison Square Garden/Jurassic Park mashup is too deep. Or maybe a good marketing campaign isn't enough to transform a question mark into an exclam. In other words, Kanye shrug?

The Fault in Our Stars (June 6)

My colleague would take a bullet for this movie, but I'm wary. Will it be on par with The Spectacular Now? Or will it be the #feelings equivalent of torture porn? Remember, both of the leads are dying of cancer. It's A Walk to Remember on grief steroids.

Guardians of the Galaxy (August 1)

Could be fun, right? Or it could be #fun torture porn. The "a-holes" joke in the trailer is like a cry for help. Please, please laugh. If you don't, they'll kill our families.

Tara Aquino, Associate Editor (@t_akino)

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Big-Deal Movies I'm Most Excited About

Maleficent (May 30)

Walter White and Dexter Morgan be damned—Angelina Jolie as Maleficent is the ultimate anti-hero. Truth be told, Angelina Jolie at her best is Angelina Jolie at her most badass—and Angelina Jolie at her most badass is terrifying children in a Disney movie.

The Fault in Our Stars (June 6)

It's no secret in the office that I'm the resident YA stan. I scooped up The Fault In Our Stars a couple years ago because I love John Green's Looking for Alaska, and it exceeded my expectations. Fault, for those cynics put off by the movie's #ExtraFeels campaign, deserves a second look. It's a stripped down teenage love story without the gimmick of the supernatural or dystopian. If you liked The Spectacular Now and The Perks of Being A Wallflower film adaptations, get ready to fall in love with this one. I am.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (August 8)

Other TMNT fans are wary, and I don't doubt for a second that this will probably suck, but I guarantee you that after the movie I will head straight to Toys "R" Us for my own pair of sai. Because I lost mine when we moved in second grade. Sometimes all a movie's good for is to remind you how awesome it was to be a kid.

Indie Movies I'm Most Excited About

Happy Christmas (June 26)

Here's the hook: Anna Kendrick, Lena Dunham, Melanie Lynskey, Mark Webber, Joe Swanberg, and the cutest baby you'll ever see star in a holiday movie coming out on half-Christmas. Not sold yet? Anna Kendrick plays a burnout who could probably out-smoke you. 

I Origins (July 18)

If you were intrigued by Another Earth, Mike Cahill and Brit Marling (along with Michael Pitt and Astrid Berges-Frisbey) reteam for another sci-fi mindfuck. The Sundance 2014 award-winner is tricky to explain, so don't let me butcher the film and just watch the trailer.

Life After Beth (August 15)

Parks and Recreation fans know: Aubrey Plaza is the Meryl Streep of playing absurd. And what's more absurd than her as the titular Beth, a zombie who comes back to life and continues her relationship with her still-human boyfriend? And with Dane DeHaan as her delusional lover, human-on-corpse romance has never seemed so sexy kinda. 

Movies I Think Will Suck

Million Dollar Arm (May 16)

A white dude goes to India, recruits a bunch of Indian kids for his baseball team, and hilarity ensues as they get accustomed to 'Mericuh and said white dude discovers he has a soul. Cue the end credits, set to a song by The Fray.

Blended (May 23)

Judging by Adam Sandler's last three live-action movies—Grown Ups 2, That's My Boy, and Jack and Jill—I'd rather replay my copy of 50 First Dates until my DVD player catches fire than witness this train wreck.

Transformers: Age of Extinction (June 27)

Like the previous Transformers movies, the story will be underdeveloped, the dialogue will be dull, and the action will be overblown to the point where you can't tell what the hell is happening. So yes, it'll will blow. But yes, I will hate-watch it.

The Biggest Question Marks for Me

Tammy (July 2)

Melissa McCarthy stars in a comedy where her titular character goes on a road trip with her crazy grandma Pearl (played by Susan Sarandon, who makes all other grandmas look like mummies) to escape her crappy home life. It sounds excellent on paper, but look how Identity Theft turned out. (The answer is awfully. It was awful.)

Jupiter Ascending (July 18)

The Wachowski siblings last effort, Cloud Atlas, was a boring, race-bending mess, but they are the duo behind The Matrix trilogy. Either Jupiter Ascending will become another sci-fi classic, or it'll be known as "that one movie where Channing Tatum dressed up in World of Warcraft cosplay."

Guardians of the Galaxy (August 1)

Hopefully all of the jokes aren't in the trailers and the comedy doesn't get bogged down by overdone, mind-numbing action sequences. I have high hopes for Chris Pratt. 

Matt Barone, Senior Staff Writer (@MBarone)

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Big-Deal Movies I'm Most Excited About

Godzilla (May 16)

A little something about me: I've always loved that adorable, roaring Japanese monster from beneath the sea. More on that closer to this new film's release date, but, for now, let's just say that I've been excited about director Gareth Edwards' (Monsters) reboot from the second it was announced. Why? Not because of the almighty Bryan Cranston's presence, or even that of my future wife Elizabeth Olsen (it can happen)—it's because Godzilla 2014 just has to be better than the 1998 piece of cinematic fecal matter that starred Matthew Broderick, featured a fucking Diddy theme song, and handled Jurassic Park's idea bank with the old five-finger discount. This Godzilla's trailers and commercials basically confirm that belief, too. Lifelong Gojira stans like myself deserve this, folks. We've been so damn patient.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (July 11)

Two summers ago, a bunch of talking, scarily evolved apes blindsided me. The film was Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and I didn't expect anything from it—for Caesar's sake, it starred James "I'll Make Anything" Franco and had little to no buzz before its release. But then the movie opened, I saw it, and I fell in love. With Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, the tone gets pitch-black darker, Andy Serkis gets more emotional depth to play with as the ten-years-grizzled ape leader Caesar, and one of my favorite directors, Matt Reeves (Cloverfield, Let Me In), gets to bring real panache and elegance to a summer popcorn movie. Excuse me while I listen to Da Lynch Mob's "Goin' Bananas" while re-watching Dawn's teaser trailer on mute.

22 Jump Street (June 13)

Comedy fans, you're in for a real treat next week when the Seth Rogen/Zac Efron flick Neighbors opens—I saw it during SXSW back in early March, and it's by far the funniest new movie I've since…well, 21 Jump Street (2012). Hence why I'm so ready for the inevitable sequel, 22 Jump Street, which brings back everyone who made the first movie such an unexpected laugh-riot gem: stars Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill, directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller, and screenwriter Michael Bacall. This time, they're undercover-fighting crime in college, and by the looks of the film's red-band trailers, they're still funny as sin. Watching Jonah Hill's "L.A. Mexican gangbanger" impersonation in 22 Jump Street's preview was the hardest I've laughed since…yup, Neighbors at SXSW.

 

Indie Movies I'm Most Excited About

Cold in July (May 23)

Confession: I'm cheating with this one. See, I've already had the pleasure of experiencing untouchable indie genre director Jim Mickle's (seek out Stake Land and We are What We Are) latest film, Cold in July, and I'm here to tell you that it's seriously brilliant. Michael C. Hall shakes the stink of Dexter's series finale off playing an average guy in Texas who, out of nervousness, shoots an intruder to death in his living room one night, and then the dead guy's ex-con father shows up, and things gets a bit crazy. And Mickle, adapting writer Joe R. Lansdale's same-named novel, channels the everyman carnage through a strong, lovingly revisionist '80s cinema sheen and a vibrant synthesizer score that's pure early John Carpenter. So, yeah, you should be excited about Cold in July. Hell, I'm ridiculously eager to see it for the second time.

The Rover (June 20)

Here's the thing about glistening vampire actor/teenybopper pin-up Robert Pattinson—a bunch of seriously talented filmmakers love the guy. Taking a break from his ongoing partnership with director David Cronenberg, Pattinson lined himself up with buzz-heavy Australian director David Michod (Animal Kingdom) to shoot this futuristic crime drama along with the always on-point Guy Pearce. The Rover, per its trailer, looks and feels like a stripped-down Mad Max, with Pearce playing a guy hunting down a group of bad dudes across a post-apocalyptic Aussie desert. Pattinson's on-board as a gang member who switches sides to help Pearce's character. And by doing so, he'll make all of you Twilight haters eat crow—which, come to think of it, either he or Pearce might very well do in this movie.

I Origins (July 18)

With all of the superheroes, skyscraper-sized monsters, and pizza-loving turtles populating theaters this summer, it'll be nice to dial things back a bit with a quiet, cerebral little science fiction picture. I Origins will hopefully serve that purpose nicely. Indie director Mike Cahill's follow-up to his underrated Another Earth, I Origins puts Michael Pitt back into the spotlight yard after his Boardwalk Empire exit, and, since Pitt's a dynamite actor, that's a very good thing. As for the film itself, Cahill's sophomore flick is said to be a thoughtful, challenging piece of metaphysical storytelling in which Pitt's character becomes obsessed with a beautiful women's eyes, leading he and the audience down a "meaning of life" rabbit hole. Hey, summer movies can't all be idiotic comedies about sex tapes—as in, the idiotic-looking Sex Tape, starring Jason Segel and Cameron Diaz. 

 

Movies I Think Will Suck

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (August 8)

Look, I get that millions of younger Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fans are stoked about this Michael-Bay-produced TMNT revision. They're not at all concerned about how the Turtles themselves look way too much like WWE-ready Shreks in the film's first trailer, or that Megan Fox (playing April O'Neill) can't act, or that this movie is directed by the consistently bad Jonathan Liebesman (see, at your own peril: Battle: Los Angeles and Wrath of the Titans). The problem I have is, well, I do care about those factors. And as much the 10-year-old me wants to get pumped for another live-action Ninja Turtles film, present-day me knows more about cinema than I did back in the fourth grade. And I'm also still scarred by those wretched Scooby Doo movies with Freddie Prinze, Jr.

Hercules (July 25)

The obvious target here is Hercules director Brett Ratner, the universally maligned filmmaker who, to be fair, isn't bad when he's going smaller scale, like when he made the respectable 2002 Hannibal Lecter film Red Dragon. Give Ratner an inflated budget, however, and he's absolutely one of the worst there is in Hollywood, proven in clunkers like X-Men: The Last Stand and the unnecessary Rush Hour 3. Despite Dwayne Johnson's ever-likable charisma, and the fact that the man formerly known as The Rock was practically born to play this hulking Greek demigod, it's impossible to not expect another excuse to throw shade at the Rat-man.

Jupiter Ascending (July 18)

This one's a double-edged sword. On the one end, knowing that the progressively minded Wachowskis were actually given $150 million to make an ambitious, fairly ridiculous sounding sci-fi movie of this magnitude after the box office tanking of their equally risky Cloud Atlas should make originality lovers such as myself applaud. On the other hand, though, it's tough to maintain that enthusiasm once you see Channing Tatum looking like the Keebler elves' muscular older brother. Of all this summer's $100-plus films, Jupiter Ascending seems like the surest bet to flop harder than Rick Ross falling off a diving board.

 

The Biggest Question Marks for Me

Frank Miller's Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (August 22)

The first Sin City movie, released in 2005? It's undeniably badass, with some of the coolest comic-book-come-to-life visuals in movie history and a stacked cast including Mickey Rourke and Benicio del Toro getting extra pulpy and Jessica Alba, well, looking absurdly beautiful. The chance to revisit Rodriguez and Frank Miller's black-and-white noir universe—now with more Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Eva Green, and Juno Temple—should be cause for celebration, right? Four or five years ago, sure, but not after painfully enduring through Rodriguez's most recent productions. Currently on a precipitous fall-off, Rodriguez's last two movies, Spy Kids: All the Time in the World and Machete Kills were brutal (in all of the wrong ways), topped only by his superfluous From Dusk Till Dawn TV series in terms of disappointment. It's difficult to trust the guy anymore.

Deliver Us From Evil (July 2)

Every summer needs that one Hollywood-issued horror film that's much better than mainstream genre skeptics expected and emerges as one of the season's biggest hits. Last year, it was The Conjuring. Can Deliver Us From Evil be 2014's answer? I really do hope so, namely because its director, Scott Derrickson, delivered the masterfully creepy 2012 gem Sinister, a.k.a. one of my personal favorite horror films of the last five years. And this film's trailer certainly has enough hardcore imagery to generate optimism. What's the problem, then? It's yet another movie about exorcists and people possessed by demons, and, frankly, I'm losing patience with that trope. Hopefully Derrickson has more to offer than what we've seen in every other exorcism movie in the last half-decade or so. I think he does, but cynicism still lurks.

As Above, So Below (August 15)

Until a week ago, I had no clue As Above, So Below existed, and I'm the kind of horror fanatic who spends an obsessive amount of time reading about what's next for the genre. The trailer for this one appeared online out of nowhere last Thursday, and, man, is it effective. So effective, in fact, that the film's tired use of found-footage doesn't seem like a negative. The premise doesn't hurt, either—As Above, So Below follows a team of explorers trudging through the catacombs beneath Paris' streets and, if the trailer isn't being deceptive, happen upon the "Gates of Hell" and meet a fate that's a cross between Event Horizon and The Descent. Also giving me good vibes about this: it's directed by John Erick Dowdle, who'll forever get a pass from me for not fucking up Quarantine, the solid American remake of the 2007 Spanish found-footage masterwork [REC].

Tanya Ghahremani, News Editor (@tanyaghahremani)

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Big-Deal Movies I'm Most Excited About

Godzilla (May 16)

A giant monster, Bryan Cranston, massive destruction of the world—what’s there not to love about the upcoming Godzilla? Nothing, and that’s why it’s definitely under my list of summer movies I’m excited about amongst the many other indie films that I normally pledge my undying love to.

22 Jump Street (June 13)

If you haven’t seen 21 Jump Street yet, stop reading, get a copy of 21 Jump Street, and watch it immediately. (Yes, it is that good.) Then, come back, and learn about this hilarious-looking sequel to one of last year’s best comedies, aptly titled 22 Jump Street. Sure, it looks like the film is going to follow a similar premise to the first (Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill impersonate college kids to bust a drug ring, as opposed to them impersonating high-schoolers in the first film) but hey—it worked before, and why fix something that isn’t broken?

Let’s Be Cops (August 13)

I won’t lie—the majority of the reason I’m excited for this movie is because it literally looks like an extended episode of New Girl, featuring only Jake Johnson's Nick and Damon Wayans Jr.'s Coach cruising around L.A., pretending to be cops so they can pick up girls (and, like, make friends.) But can you blame me? 

Indie Movies I'm Most Excited About

Obvious Child (June 6)

I’ll start this by saying that I’ve already had the pleasure of viewing Obvious Child, so I can attest to this statement fully: This is one of the best movies of 2014, and, if there is any good in the world, it will be the film that proves to the world that Jenny Slate can carry a movie on her own. If you’re not familiar with Obvious Child just yet: Based off of Gillian Robespierre’s 2009 short of the same name, the film follows the story of Donna Stern, a 20-something aspiring comedian living in NYC, who discovers she’s pregnant after a drunk one-night stand. As Donna deals with the news, she begins to discover that the most terrifying thing about adulthood isn’t facing it all on her own—it’s accepting the love and support of others. Also, there’s a whole scene devoted to the film’s namesake, Paul Simon’s “The Obvious Child,” and that’s just too cool.

You can check out the trailer here.

What If (August 1)

Harry Potter + Ruby Sparks doesn’t quite seem like the formula for a solid romcom, but I’ve gotta say, I have high hopes for this one. The clips that I’ve already seen of the movie looked charming, and, my colleague who has already seen the film told me that it was one of the most memorable films he saw at the Toronto Film Festival (back when it was still called The F Word, instead of What If). Consider me already a fan.

They Came Together (June 27)

OK: Amy Poehler, Paul Rudd, Bill Hader, Cobie Smulders, Christopher Meloni, Ed Helms, Ellie Kemper, and Jason Mantzoukas (amongst other comedy legends), all in the same movie, making fun of every terrible romcom we’ve been forced to sit through in our lives. This, guys, is what is referred to as a “recipe for a fantastic movie.”

Movies I Think Will Suck

Edge of Tomorrow (June 6)

Look, I love me some Emily Blunt, but who needs another movie starring your standard crazy Scientologist white rich guy celebrity blowing things up and acting all macho? I’m good—and I’m gonna go ahead and say that the world is good as well. Emily Blunt, star in better movies!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (August 8)

Michael Bay. Megan Fox running around, looking hot. Explosions. Fight sequences. This literally looks like it’s gonna be Transformers but with bastardizations of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles we all knew and loved as kids instead of robots. I’ll pass.

The Expendables 3 (August 15)

At this point, isn’t this franchise just an excuse to get a bunch of action stars of yesteryear together, so they can stay somewhat relevant in the pop culture conversation and get paid for it as well? Meh. Pro tip: mindless action movies can be fun, but try not to make it too obvious how much everyone is phoning their parts in. Not a good look.

The Biggest Question Marks for Me

The Purge: Anarchy (July 18)

I’m usually not one for these popcorn horror movies, but The Purge: Anarchy actually looks extremely interesting—and, dare I say, more interesting than its predecessor. Whereas the original Purge focused on one family locked in their home during the yearly “purge”—one night when all crime, even murder, is legal—The Purge: Anarchy takes us to the streets, to show us what’s going down outside during this really, really ridiculous national event. And, in short, it looks like some messed up shit is going on, because this is why we can’t have nice things. I’m optimistic about this one, but still can’t shake the feeling that I’m going to go in with high hopes just asking to be squashed.

Boyhood (July 11)

This movie certainly bears an ambitious concept: the same cast, filmed portraying the same characters once a year for 12 years, to tell the story of a young boy going through adolescence. It stars some known great actors (Ethan Hawke, Patricia Arquette), and one unknown (Ellar Coltrane), it was directed by Before Sunrise director Richard Linklater—it has all the makings of a good film, but part of me wonders if it’s just too risky of a concept to pull off. That said, I have high hopes, and desperately want to love it.

A Long Way Down (July 11)

My train of thought when it comes to this movie: “PLEASE DON’T SUCK PLEASE DON’T SUCK PLEASE DON’T SUCK.” It’s one of Aaron Paul’s better-looking projects post-Breaking Bad (sorry, Need for Speed), Imogen Poots looks adorable in it, and it’s all based off of a novel written by literary icon Nick Hornby. I’m always wary of literary adaptations, hence the reason this is a question mark, but I’ll definitely be torn up inside if this one ends up sucking. 

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