The eagerly-anticipated release of “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” is just days away, kicking-off the 2014 Summer Movie Season and a new group of superhero blockbusters. Joining Spidey are “X-Men: Days of Future Past” (May 23), “Guardians of the Galaxy” (Aug. 1) and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (Aug. 8).
Audiences are anxious to see how this latest chapter in the “Spider-Man” saga stacks-up against its predecessor. Personally, I don’t think “2” needs to do a whole lot to be better than the 2012 reboot. In general, some Superhero Sequels have been outstanding, while others failed to connect with fans:
Back in Time with Batman & Superman – Before Christian Bale and Henry Cavill, there was Michael Keaton and Christopher Reeve. The original “Batman” and “Superman” films are considered classics, while their sequels were disappointments, led by the mid-90’s “Batman Forever” and “Batman & Robin”.
X Marks the Spot – “X2: X-Men United” (2003) and “X-Men: The Last Stand” (2006) were both HUGE successes for Marvel. The only thing they both suffer from were awkward titles.
The Original Spider-Man – When it comes to director Sam Raimi’s original “Spider-Man” trilogy, “SM2” (2004) was a 4th of July smash, while “Spider-Man 3”, which opened the Summer 2007 Season, was the least liked by critics and weakest performer at the box office.
Nolan Nails It – Director Christopher Nolan’s 2005 “Batman Begins” set the stage for 2008’s mega-hit “The Dark Knight”, which won 2 Oscars, including one for the late Heath Ledger’s incredible performance as The Joker. Four years later, Nolan followed-up with “The Dark Knight Rises”, which I genuinely liked but consider to be slightly overrated.
Does Modern Marvel Reign Supreme? – Robert Downey, Jr. is fantastic as Tony Stark in “The Avengers” and all three “Iron Man” movies. But diehard Marvel fans were generally let down by 2010’s “Iron Man 2” and last Summer’s “Iron Man 3”. I have a difficult time naming a favorite in the series. All three films are all solid, but not extraordinary. When it comes to the “Captain America” series, “The Winter Soldier” is much stronger than “The First Avenger”, while “Thor: The Dark World” was equally as dull as the 2011 original.
Other entries in the world of Superhero Sequels include bombs “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance” and “Kick-Ass 2”, as well as disappointments “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer” and “Hellboy II: The Golden Army”. Nonetheless, comic book and superhero fans generally flock to these films no matter what, because the build-up and anticipation is so strong. And the general public will follow, as long as the follow-ups provide the thrills and excitement we’ve come to expect from these blockbuster movie events. As always it’ll be interesting to see which ones deliver this Summer.