Which Superhero Movie Will Rule Summer 2011?

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Thor? Captain America? Green Lantern? The X-Men?
By: Brad Brevet
Published: Wednesday, April 20th 2011 at 10:13 AM
Photo: Paramount Pictures / Warner Bros. / 20th Century Fox

Early reviews are out for Thor as the start of the summer movie season is only a couple weeks away and with it comes four new big budget superhero movies. Three new superheroes attempt to mark their own territory on the landscape and a familiar group hope to ascend to the heights they did eight years ago. What I'm wondering, is which one are you most excited to see and which one do you believe will rule the Summer of 2011?

I'm primarily thinking in terms of box-office, fan support and excitement for a sequel, or, in the case of Thor and Captain America, excitement for not only sequels, but the superhero team-up with Iron Man, Hulk and everyone else in The Avengers in 2012.

Films such as Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Kung Fu Panda 2, Transformers: Dark of the Moon and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 may be competing for the summer box-office crown as well, but let's just stick to these four films for now… Here's a look at what we're dealing with.

Thor
May 6

Thor is the first one out of the gate, and in this case that may be a good thing as superhero fatigue with faces not as familiar as Batman and Superman may begin to set in as the summer goes on. I don't think that will necessarily be the case, but stranger things have happened.

There are currently 19 reviews counted at RottenTomatoes and of them I hardly recognize a single critic's name so I would say the jury is still out, but Paramount has to be happy about the early 89%.

Of this summer's superheroes, Thor looks like it is in competition with Green Lantern to be the biggest fantasy leap as it moves from the story of a fallen god to his duties on Earth. It looks to be particularly effects heavy and, like Green Lantern, is in 3D. The 3D ticket sales will certainly bolster its box-office prospects, but how will audiences receive the story of a fallen god as he wields his big hammer amongst us puny humans? If you haven't yet had a look at the film I've included a trailer below.

X-Men: First Class
X-Men: First Class

The superhero film that has pretty much received support every step of the way is Matthew Vaughn's X-Men: First Class. Chalk this up to the trailer, which pretty much received unanimous acceptance; the cast, which includes James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Kevin Bacon, Jennifer Lawrence, January Jones and several others; or the director as Vaughn is coming off the fanboy favorite Kick-Ass. Or perhaps it is simply hope Vaughn can return the franchise to where it was when Bryan Singer left off with X2 in 2003 rather than what Brett Ratner turned it into in 2006.

The story here takes things back to the beginning of it all, utilizes familiar characters and delivers some new ones as well. I'm just wondering if they'll find some way to give Hugh Jackman a cameo as Wolverine. It seems like something they would do don'tcha think?

I've included the new international trailer below.

Green Lantern
June 17

Ryan Reynolds will likely be competing with Robert Downey Jr. for the title of most sarcastic superhero when Green Lantern arrives on June 17, but it will already be arriving in the wake of both Thor and X-Men: First Class and will be a serious test when it comes to audience superhero fatigue. Should audiences feel cheated by Thor and its 3D-padded ticket prices people may be a bit wary of another fantastical trip to the multiplex. Studios are also trusting audiences will move from one superhero with a magic hammer to one with a magic ring.

However, like Thor, this one has a strong supporting cast including Peter Sarsgaard, Tim Robbins, Angela Bassett and Mark Strong with voices provided by Geoffrey Rush and Michael Clarke Duncan. I also think the direction of Martin Campbell can help out should he be able to tap into more of a GoldenEye vibe rather than The Legend of Zorro.

Captain America: The First Avenger
July 22

Once all other heroes have left the building, the summer headliner will be Joe Johnston's Captain America: The First Avenger, and while I've talked about potential audience fatigue I think this one has the chance to stand apart as it looks to be the least "superhero-ish" of the bunch as superpowers don't look to be much of a focal point, though Chris Evans does look like he's been dabbling with a little HGH if you ask me.

This is Evans's second turn as a super as he starred as Johnny Storm in Fox's Fantastic Four franchise and considering his character was the best thing about those two films perhaps that's a good omen. I just wonder if he too will be looking to take a stab at the sarcastic superhero title as his previous characters would indicate that's the goal, but I didn't get that vibe from the trailer I saw.

A supporting cast that includes Hugo Weaving, Toby Jones, Dominic Cooper, Tommy Lee Jones, Neal McDonough and Stanley Tucci is promising, but then on the flipside you have the fact this is a film directed by Joe Johnston whose recent work from Jurassic Park III to The Wolfman doesn't exactly inspire much confidence.

So, with the table set, vote in the poll and say what you have to say in the comments below. If I had to pick the one I believe will be the best, I think I'm going to place my money on Captain America. Call it a hunch, but the fact it looks to be a slightly more grounded story leads me to believe it will be the one I like best. How say you?

Which Superhero Film Will Rule Summer 2011?

* Captain America: The First Avenger
* Green Lantern
* Thor
* X-Men: First Class