14 best upcoming movies of summer 2018

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From Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom to Incredibles 2, here's what we’re pre-booking tickets for this year

Karly Cox |
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The beginning of the end is in sight! Students taking their HKDSE finished earlier this month, as did IB candidates, and term is winding down for lower school students who didn’t have public exams this year. A break from school is on the horizon: weeks and weeks out of the classroom, with hundreds of hours of free time.

OK, we know most of you will have holiday homework, extra classes and tutorials, not to mention family commitments, and maybe even some travel. But hopefully you’ll have time to squeeze in one or five of the blockbusters due out this holiday season. Here’s our guide to the summer 2018 films we’re most psyched about seeing.

June 7

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
Jurassic World, the 2015 reboot of the Jurassic Park series, was the source of many memes that summer (the zookeeper pose and sprinting in stilettos to name a couple), but it was also a classic blockbuster: big stars, plenty of action, and a crazy enough plot that it could almost happen in real life. Almost. The sequel promises more incredible CGI and gasp-worthy action. We just hope they’ve given Bryce Dallas Howard more sensible shoes.

June 14

Wrinkle in Time
This came out everywhere else in March (thanks, HK), but finally it’s our turn to see the Oprah Winfrey-Reese Witherspoon-Mindy Kaling starrer. Based on a US children’s literature classic that unusually – especially for the time – put a female character at the forefront of a sci-fi story, this film made the headlines for its director Ava DuVernay, who became the first black woman to direct a live-action film with a budget of more than US$100 million.

Ocean’s 8
Such a star-studded cast is almost a guarantee that this film will do well, regardless of content; but given the hilarious trailers, it looks like this reboot of the bro-show noughties Ocean’s series (itself a reboot of a 1960s classic) is going to be well worth a couple of hours sheltering from the HK heat.

Dad’s Lunch Box
Writing a film based on a teenager’s tweet seems like an unlikely premise, but this Japanese film promises to be a heart-warming look at a father-daughter relationship, as the girl faces the challenges of growing up, and her dad learns the art of creating a ‘Gram-worthy bento box.

June 28

Ant-Man and the Wasp
If you haven’t had enough Marvel in your life this year, and you were left SPEECHLESS at the end of Infinity War, fear not: the hilarious Ant-Man is back in a film set between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. Paul Rudd almost matches Robert Downey Jr in his ability to steal every scene and find the humour in potentially dark moments.

July 12
Skyscraper
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Burning buildings. A man on the run. Set in Hong Kong (or “Hong Kong” – it was apparently filmed in Vancouver). Yes, it’ll probably be laughable, but there’s no way we’re missing this.

July 19

Mamma Mia!: Here We Go Again
Ten years ago, pop music fans were overjoyed by the release of Mamma Mia!, a celebration of cheesy tunes, a stunning Greek island and a good, old-fashioned mystery as bride-to-be Sophie tries to work out who her father is. This sequel promises more magic, music and mystery – the biggest of which is whether Meryl Streep’s character is still alive.

Incredibles 2
In an even longer wait, this summer sees the follow-up to the massive 2004 Pixar hit, The Incredibles. Mr Incredible is learning what life means for a stay-at-home dad, while his flexible wife Elastigirl has become a poster child for modern superheroes. Add to the mix the fight to maintain a normal life, and a new villain, and you just know this is going to be worth pre-ordering tickets for. Plus, Edna Mode is back!

July 26

Mission: Impossible Fallout
Somehow this is only the sixth film in the franchise! Say what you will about Tom Cruise, it’s hard not to be impressed by his commitment to doing his own stunts in these adrenaline-pumping films; seeing as he broke his ankle filming this instalment, it’s fairly safe to assume that the action will be as mind-blowing as usual.

August 2

Christopher Robin
The second film in less than a year to focus on the famous son of Winnie the Pooh creator AA. Milne (Goodbye Christopher Robin was a rather bleak look at the effects of war and fame on a family), this live-action movie sees a grown-up Christopher Robin visited by all his childhood chums as they try to help him find the joy in life again.

The Darkest Minds
Summer isn’t summer without a dystopian film based on a YA novel. In The Darkest Minds, a plague has wiped out all but a handful of teenagers; those who are left have special abilities, and of course the government is terrified of them. The survivors have to fight to ensure a safe future for themselves, and the next generations.

August 9

The Meg
Seeing as Sharknado 6 (The Last Sharknado: It’s About Time) doesn’t have an official release date in Hong Kong, this promises to satisfy fans of horror sci-fi while they wait. Directed by Jon Turteltaub, who helmed Nicolas Cage starrers National Treasure and National Treasure: Book of Secrets, and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, we’re expecting one of those “so bad it’s amazing” classics. The trailer alone is worth the price of popcorn.

August 16

Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation
The surprisingly successful ghouls and monsters franchise is back again, and this time, Count Dracula and family are going on a cruise. But Drac falls for the captain of the ship, who has a secret that could destroy not only Drac’s family, but all of monsterkind.

August 23

Crazy Rich Asians
This movie comes with major hype for a reason: it’s the first Hollywood film with an all-Asian cast in 25 years. Add to this Fresh Off The Boat’s Constance Wu in the lead role, Step Up director Jon M. Chu at the helm, and a Singapore setting, and this is shaping up to be one of the most exciting cinematic events of the summer.

Edited by Ginny Wong

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