2009 in Film in Review, Part 8: The Future and a Conclusion

Additional musings and a glimpse of tomorrow.

2009 wasn't a particularly good year for film, nor was it a particularly bad one. It was just a year. With regards to film, it was no more or less different than any other year since 2002 and the dawn of comic book adaptation superiority with Spider-Man. However, thanks to Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and G. I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, the biggest blockbusters are beginning to drift away from superhero properties, or at the very least are adding a new dimension to what audiences are anxious to see when the summer months come around.

The only traditional superhero property this year (discounting Watchmen) was X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and the future for that particular brand of entertainment appears to be fairly lean. With The Incredible Hulk's inability to establish a viable franchise, plans for another Superman movie unbeknownst to anyone, Christopher Nolan apprehensive about Batman's next adventure or even if he'll be on board for it, and the next Spider-Man outing not due until 2011 at the earliest, only Iron Man 2 rests on the immediate horizon.

Naturally, there's still talk about The Avengers, as well as Kenneth Branagh's crack at Thor (which should be an incredibly interesting interpretation considering his penchant for minute long cuts and Shakespearian inclination), but concrete details are elusive. The same must be said for future X-Men chapters such as the rumoured Deadpool and Magneto films on the docket, and Bryan Singer's alleged return to the X-Men franchise.

Other heavy hitters for the upcoming year include Pixar's Toy Story 3, scheduled for June 2010, which will almost certainly obliterate animated film records, given the studio's quality, the insatiable appetites children have for animation, and fifteen years worth of nostalgia to mine. The next instalment in the Shrek franchise is also scheduled, but considering the two animated titans are over a month apart, there will certainly be enough money for both of them.

Because Friday the 13th's reboot managed to take in triple what was spent on it, the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise is also getting its reboot, with Jackie Earl Haley picking up where Robert Englund as Freddy Kruger left off. The Saw franchise also isn't finished, with the seventh instalment in as many years occupying its traditional Halloween window, though apparently in 3D.

The first half of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is slated for November, which has caused the Twilight franchise to strike earlier in the year (during June) so as not to compete. This essentially qualifies Twilight as a summer blockbuster alongside Iron Man 2. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time appears to be the third big picture of the summer, and if things pan out the way Jerry Bruckheimer predicts and as the trailer appears to evoke, we essentially have a spiritual successor to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

July and August, however, appear to be a bit lean. M. Night Shyamalan will likely score a hit with The Last Airbender, and Predators is also predicted to build off Predator in the same way that Aliens built off Alien. Christopher Nolan will also likely do well with Inception. While it's not a sequel to The Dark Knight, his attachment as director alone will guarantee success.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage Down the Treader and Tron Legacy are just under a year away being scheduled for December, and what's left of 2010's autumn months is anyone's guest. Closer to the present day, however, appears to continue the tradition of disposable winter cinema. The only films of note on the horizon being Daybreakers, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, The Wolfman, Shutter Island, Alice in Wonderland, and Clash of the Titans. I'd also like to mention Edge of Darkness, a film directed by Martin Campbell, the man who single-handedly rebooted the James Bond franchise with GoldenEye in 1995, and again with Casino Royale in 2006. Who knows? Edge of Darkness could very well be this year's Taken.

Conclusion

To end this mammoth reflection of an adequate (albeit quite interesting) year of cinema, I'd like to draw the attention of the forum to The Hangover.

For all the massive, big budget blockbusters that flanked this peculiar movie about an odyssey in Sin City on all sides, The Hangover triumphed over each and every one of them to become the sixth highest grossing film of 2009 in North America, taking in a remarkable $277,322,503. Star Trek, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Angels & Demons, and Terminator Salvation were all financially emasculated by The Hangover, a movie that cost substantially less to produce and made significantly more. Even Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen was inevitably beaten by The Hangover. After 13 weeks of release, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen fell behind The Hangover at the box office, despite being three weeks younger. Sure, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen ended up making $125 million more due to its initial strength, but The Hangover is only second to Avatar for the title of most powerful movie of 2009. It spent six months from June 5th to December 17th at the box office, becoming one of the rare movies to still appear in theatres despite its release on home media (The DVD/Blu-Ray was released on December 15th).

I tip my hat to The Hangover. Surely, if any film merits Academy commendation, this would be the one. Not only was it hugely successful, it's also a fantastic movie in its own regard. Is it the Best Picture of 2009? I wouldn't say so myself. But I'll be damned it doesn't deserve to run in the same race.