MovieMantz Rantz: Summer Blockbusters (May 19, 2006)

Okay, so you didn’t think that Tom Cruise’s latest “Mission” was worth taking?  The big budget “Poseidon” didn’t float your boat?  Have no fear, fellow movie lovers — the summer movie season is just getting started, and from the looks of it, the best is yet to come!

And really, it doesn’t get any bigger than “Superman Returns.”  It’s been 19 years since the last Superman movie (1987’s little seen “Superman IV: The Quest for Peace”), but times have changed, and for the better.  Special effects have improved in leaps and bounds in the past 2 decades.  Superhero movies are more popular than ever, thanks to the success of the “Spider-Man” and “X-Men” franchises.  And if there is any superhero who could really use a reboot, it’s this guy.  Newcomer Brandon Routh looks great as Superman, and you couldn’t have asked for a better Lex Luthor than Kevin Spacey (that is, assuming that Gene Hackman wasn’t available).  And I don’t know about you, but hearing John Williams’ original theme music over that new trailer really gave me the chills!

After that, Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom are back for more adventure on the high seas with “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest,” the sequel to 2003’s surprise hit that grossed more than $300 million.  Not bad for a movie that was based on a theme park ride, and Depp even got nominated for an Oscar.  With all the returning players back for more (including producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Gore Verbinski), there’s every reason to believe that this theme park ride movie will be another summer treasure.

And on July 21, get ready to take a dip with M. Night Shyamalan in “Lady in the Water.”  The writer-director of spooky flicks like “The Sixth Sense” and “Signs” may have faltered with his last film, 2004’s “The Village,” but this seemingly tender fairy tale with supernatural elements looks like a change of pace that could do him good.