When trying to make a list of the most-anticipated films of any year, fall releases usually come into play. All of the serious award-contending movies come out in the fall. Films that are thought to be Oscar-worthy are released late in the year so they will stay fresh in the minds of voters who don’t begin nominations until early the next year.
In 2012, there will be plenty of these serious fall movies, but none of them are as anticipated as the slate of summer movies on tap. Usually, summer movies are thought to be nothing but mindless action films with little or no plot. Unlike the fall films, these “popcorn movies” are meant to entertain but not to make the audience think or reflect much. This is especially true of past superhero movies, which were often devoid of much plot in favor of action.
Christopher Nolan’s serious, well-scripted take on the Batman franchise changed all of that. Suddenly, superhero films were expected to be just as good as the award-winning fare released later in the year. He raised the bar, and the crop of 2012 superhero films has risen to meet it. This is why superhero films mark the most-anticipated films of the year.
Nolan’s final entry in the Batman franchise is easily one of the most-anticipated films of 2012. “The Dark Knight Rises” has been in production for more than two years, with fans of the Caped Crusader hanging on every public information leak. The announcement of who had been cast as Catwoman and the villain Bane was hotly debated among comic book geeks and more casual fans alike.
The film picks up where the 2008 movie “The Dark Knight” left off, with Batman in exile and taking the fall for things that were not his fault. This is the second sequel in the series, which started in 2005 with “Batman Begins.” Christian Bale returns as Bruce Wayne/Batman; most of the core cast, including Gary Oldman, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman, also reprise their roles.
Another superhero created by DC Comics is also the subject of an eagerly anticipated summer release. “Man of Steel” will reboot the series of films that ended with the disappointing “Superman Returns” in 2006. Fans of Superman have been waiting for this film because they hope it will erase the bad taste that the Bryan Singer-produced 2006 film left in their mouths. Christopher Nolan, who is also at the helm of the “The Dark Knight Rises,” is a coproducer of this film.
It is directed by Zack Snyder, who burst onto the movie scene with “300,” which was a surprise sleeper hit in 2007. The visually stunning look of that film has made fans wonder if the same style will be used for the Superman film. Production details have been kept tightly under wraps, and very little information about the film has been released, which only adds to the anticipation that fans are feeling.
DC Comics rival Marvel Comics also has a big franchise film coming out this summer; however, this is the beginning of a new franchise. Instead of reboots like the Batman and Superman series, “The Avengers” is the first entry in what is sure to be a very successful series of films.
Unlike the offerings of DC Comics, “The Avengers” features more than one superhero in the movie. In fact, there are a total of six heroes: The Hulk, Iron Man, Black Widow, Thor, Captain America and Hawkeye. Each of them has been featured as either the main character or in a supporting role in previous movies made by Marvel Studios. Each of these releases had a sneak peek providing clues about the next movie following the end credits. At the end of the 2011 film “Captain America: The First Avenger,” the audience was treated to an interaction between Captain America and Nick Fury, who is trying to get the Avengers Initiative off the ground.
Accommodating so many big personalities on the same screen is a huge undertaking, but director Joss Whedon is up to the task. He is a professed comic book geek who genuinely loves these characters and is not afraid to tackle an ensemble cast.
If any of these movies are even half as successful as pundits believe, 2012 might just shape up to be the year of the superhero. Add in “The Amazing Spider-Man,” which will also be released in the summer, and audiences will have more on-screen comic book characters to choose from than ever before.
