2017 Summer Movie Preview: 25 Wide Releases We're Excited To See

Release Date: August 11Director: David F. SandbergCast: Talitha Bateman, Stephanie Sigman, Anthony LaPaglia, and Miranda Otto.Synopsis: A dollmaker and his wife open their home to a nun and a group of young children after the local orphanage has been closed. And wouldn't you know it: the dollmaker's evil creation decides to come to life and make things a living hell for everyone involved.Why We're Excited: The first Annabelle was a spin-off from James Wan's The Conjuring, taking the evil doll introduced in that film's prologue and giving her a solo outing and origin story. And now, we're getting an origin story for that origin story! Weird set-up aside, Annabelle: Creation looks like a self-contained horror tale with plenty of chills, bumps in the night, and yes, jump scares. The draw here is director David F. Sandberg, whose Lights Out was as technically precise and visually intense as any mainstream horror movie in recent memory. This should make for a great time at the movies. (Jacob Hall)[Watch the Trailer]

Release Date: June 23Director: Michael BayCast: Mark Wahlberg, Josh Duhamel, Anthony Hopkins, Laura Haddock, Jerrod Carmichael, Isabela Moner and Santiago CabreraSynopsis: Once again, humans are warring with the Transformers, but this time, Optimus Prime has gone rogue. Naturally, it's up to Mark Wahlberg and Bumblebee to save the day.Why We're Excited: Sure, the Transformers franchise has been diminishing returns since the original film came out a decade ago (has it really been that long?), and this latest installment looks like more of a mess than Dark of the Moon. But I personally believe that any film directed by Michael Bay is worth experiencing on the big screen, and this film was the first to be shot with IMAX 3D digital cameras. Unlike other filmmakers, Bay isn't afraid to push his use of 3D and that alone is worth my visit to the multiplex. I'm personally more interested in the mythology/King Arthur side of this story than I am the Terminator-inspired post-apocalyptic half of the film. (Peter Sciretta)[Watch the Trailer]

Release Date: May 12Director: Guy RitchieCast: Charlie Hunman, Jude Law, Eric Bana, Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey, Djimon Hounsou, and Aiden Gillen.Synopsis: After his father is murdered and his crown stolen from him by his uncle Vortigen, Arthur grows up on the streets of Londinium, unaware of his birthright. But when he pulls the sword Excalibur from the stone, he's faced with his destiny and must choose whether to unite the Resistance and take down his tyrant uncle.Why We're Excited: King Arthur: Legend of the Sword looks at first like another cursory "modern update" of a folklore legend à la Russell Crowe's Robin Hood — all grit and gore, and ultimately joyless. But King Arthur could have some hidden depths. Director Guy Ritchie pleasantly surprised us with his last film, 2015's The Man from U.N.C.L.E., a sleek and stylish romp of a movie that was, above all, fun. And Charlie Hunnam has been on the up after his impressive turn as real-life explorer Percy Fawcett in The Lost City of Z, potentially lending more range to the role of King Arthur than just a brooding brow and a handsome face. (Hoai-Tran Bui)[Watch the Trailer]

Release Date: June 16Director: Johannes RobertsCast: Mandy Moore, Claire Holt, and Matthew ModineSynopsis: Two sisters, vacationing in Mexico, are trapped in a shark cage at the bottom of the ocean, with less than an hour of oxygen left and great white sharks circling nearby.Why We're Excited: I'm always a fan of contained stories like Buried that challenge the screenwriter and filmmaker by placing our hero in the most ridiculous possible situation. Coming off of last year's The Shallows, which was a fun shark thriller, I'm more apt to give this movie a chance. Is there a big chance this will suck? Yes. Is there a chance it could be fun reguardless? Of course. (Peter Sciretta)[Watch the Trailer]

Release Date: August 18Director: Patrick HughesCast: Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Salma Hayek, Gary Oldman, Elodie Yung.Synopsis: The world's top bodyguard (Reynolds) is hired to guard one of most notorious hitmen (Jackson) as he makes his way to testify at the International Court of Justice. The two former mortal enemies immediately clash, but must rally together to survive when a merciless Eastern European dictator (Oldman) puts a target on their backs.Why We're Excited: Samuel L. Jackson at his most foul-mouthed facing off against an equally foul-mouthed Ryan Reynolds? What's not to like? Sure, it seems that most of the jokes may have been shown in the trailer, but the premise of two mortal enemies forced together in a bloody buddy comedy is just absurd enough to carry an entire two-hour movie. Both actors have built up their personas as unhinged, violent character actors — Reynolds more recently with his sardonic turn in Deadpool — and basing a movie off of those personas may just work. Plus, we'll get to see Gary Oldman chewing up the scenery again as an evil dictator, so who are we to complain? (Hoai-Tran Bui)[Watch the Trailer]

Release Date: June 30Director: Andrew Jay CohenCast: Will Ferrell, Amy Poehler, Jason Mantzoukas, Andrea Savage, Alison Tolman, Michaela Watkins, Steve ZissisSynopsis: When two suburban parents realize that they've squandered their daughter's college fund, their best friend convinces them to open an underground casino in their basement.Why We're Excited: It's hard not to be excited by the prospect of Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler finally co-leading a movie together. Toss in Jason Mantzoukas for good measure in a movie written by the guys who wrote Neighbors and we've got a hopeful summer comedy hit. Sweetening the deal is the promise that this movie will turn into a comedic take on Martin Scorsese films like Casino with Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler stepping into the roles of Robert De Niro and Sharon Stone. This is exactly the kind of comedy that I'm happy to see studios give a vote of confidence for by putting it in the busy summer blockbuster season. (Ethan Anderton)[Watch the Trailer]

Release Date: June 9Director: Alex KurtzmanCast: Tom Cruise, Sofia Boutella, Annabelle Wallis, Jake Johnson, Courtney B. Vance and Russell CroweSynopsis: In the first chapter of Universal's new monsters universe, an ancient evil is unleashed upon the world and it's up to Tom Cruise to put an end to it.Why We're Excited: Universal is confident moviegoers want a Monster Universe, but we'll see whether that's the case come June. Both The Wolfman remake and Dracula Untold attempted and failed to set up future movies, but Alex Kurtzman's film does already have one leg up over those missed opportunities to revive Universal's classic monsters: it's got Tom Cruise. The Mummy is maybe the start of a new universe, but what's more enticing is that it's the next Tom Cruise movie. He'll probably save the world again, but he doesn't look like a completely cool and confident hero in Kurtzman's film. Hopefully, Cruise playing a frightened protagonist out of his depth and completely outmatched by a Mummy ends up being as entertaining as it sounds. (Jack Giroux)[Watch the Trailer]

Release Date: August 4Director: Nikolaj ArcelCast: Idris Elba, Matthew McConaughey, Tom Taylor, Katheryn Winnick, and Jackie Earle Haley.Synopsis: Based on the beloved book series by Stephen King, Roland Deschain, the last Gunslinger, travels between worlds and dimensions to battle the evil Man in Black and protect the Dark Tower, the nexus of all universes.Why We're Excited: Stephen King fans have been awaiting a film adaptation of the Dark Tower books for years and for good reason: the books are (mostly) terrific, representing the author at his most fantastical and creative. They're a mind-melting blend of fantasy, horror, science fiction, western, and adventure – this is Lord of the Rings for people who prefer robots and mutants to orcs and Ents. And while it remains unknown if Nikolaj Arcel is the right director for this job, it's hard to argue with the casting of Idris Elba as Roland and Matthew McConaughey as Walter, the "Man in Black." At the very least, those two feel like proper embodiments of those characters as written. (Jacob Hall)

Release Date: July 7Director: Jon WattsCast: Tom Holland, Robert Downey Jr., Michael Keaton, Marisa Tomei, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Laura Harrier, Jon Favreau, Donald Glover, Bokeem Woodbine, Logan Marshall-Green and more.Synopsis: Peter Parker struggles with balancing his life as a high school student and his desire to be the superhero that New York City needs as Tony Stark tries to keep him from biting off more than he can chew as the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.Why We're Excited: After being introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Captain America: Civil War, this is the first solo film where the new Spider-Man (played by Tom Holland) gets to spread his wings (literally and figuratively). With Robert Downey Jr. taking a key role as an influential mentor who isn't very confident in Peter's potential to be a full-fledged member of the Avengers, we're getting a dynamic that we haven't seen Spidey deal with on the big screen before. Combine that with the fact that former Batman franchise star Michael Keaton is taking to the sky again as the villainous Vulture, and this is exactly the kind of comic book spectacle that summer movie season is made for. (Ethan Anderton)[Watch the Trailer]

Release Date: July 21Director: Luc BessonCast: Dane DeHaan, Cara Delevingne, Clive Owen, Rihanna, John Goodman, and Ethan Hawke.Synopsis: In a fantastical future, special operatives Valerian and Laureline are sent on a mission to Alpha, the "city of a thousand planets" to track down and stop a force that threatens the universe.Why We're Excited: This comic book adaptation has Luc Besson letting his imagination run wild. He's back in Fifth Element territory, but he's returned with much, much bigger toys to play with this time. Valerian is The Professional director's 

biggest movie to date, but it also looks like one of his most imaginative and exuberant films. Everything we've seen so far from Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, including last year's very promising Comic Con footage, teases a huge sci-fi adventure with Besson's sensibilities and two charming heroes, Agent Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Agent Laureline (Cara Delevingne). Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets looks like a huge, playful, and colorful movie we want to run out and see on a hot summer day. (Jack Giroux)

[Watch the Trailer]

Release Date: August 4Director: Kathryn BigelowCast: John Boyega, Will Poulter, Anthony Mackie, John Krasinski, Hannah Murray, Algee Smith, Jacob Latimore, Jason Mitchell, Kaitlyn Dever, Jack Reznor, and Ben O'Toole.Synopsis: Based on the true events that took place during the historic Detroit riots in 1967, Detroit recounts the Algiers Motel Incident, in which three black men were killed and nine other people were brutally beaten by city and state police. Boyega plays a black security guard, whose faith in law enforcement is shaken when he witnesses the racially-driven violence up close.Why We're Excited: After her last two Oscar-nominated films, The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty, explored the grim reality of post-9/11 anxiety and violence, Kathryn Bigelow takes her camera to depict an unflinching and timely view of the 1967 Detroit riots. The events of Detroit may be 50 years in the past but it still feels present and visceral today, when issues of police brutality and race are more relevant than ever. Similar to how The Hurt Locker honed in on the experiences of a few ground soldiers in Iraq, Detroit portrays the larger issues through the lens of one particular story: that of three black men brutally killed and nine others beaten by law enforcement during the riots. This is obviously an "important" film, and Bigelow is establishing herself as an important and incisive director, keen on exploring the social and political issues plaguing American society. (Hoai-Train Bui)[Watch the Trailer]

Release Date: May 5Director: James GunnCast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Kurt Russell, Vin Diesel, Bradley CooperSynopsis: The further adventures of Marvel's space-faring group of misfits, with Peter Quill meeting his mysterious father.Why We're Excited: I'm cheating a little because I've already seen this film, and while the embargo doesn't lift for a few more days, trust me when I say that fans of the first Guardians film (which was a minor miracle) will absolutely love this one. Vol. 2 is funnier than most movies that are marketed as pure comedies – I laughed out loud maybe a dozen times here, which is super rare for me – and it has an unexpected poignance and emotional heft that makes these characters even better than they already were. Baby Groot is everything you're hoping for, Drax is unexpectedly the funniest part of the whole damn thing, and we haven't even mentioned the fact that Kurt Mother Effing Russell has a huge role...what else do you need? (Ben Pearson)[Watch the Trailer]

Release Date: July 14Director: Matt ReevesCast: Andy Serkis, Woody Harrelson, Steve Zahn, Amiah Miller, Karin Konoval, Judy Greer and Terry NotarySynopsis: In the third chapter of the rebooted Planet of the Apes series, Caesar and his ape tribe find themselves in conflict with an army of human soldiers hellbent on wiping them out.Why We're Excited: Has there been a better reboot in modern film history than Fox's current Planet of the Apes series? If this film is even as good as Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, this will probably be the best trilogy of films released since the original Star Wars movies (or the Lord of the Rings films, depending on your tastes). Filmmaker Matt Reeves is back, and the third installment appears to put even more focus on the performance capture ape leads. The film has been pitched as a western starring Caesar as Clint Eastwood, and it will be a darker, larger journey than the first two movies. War For the Planet of the Apes was shot almost entirely using 65mm cameras, which will make this a film that should be experienced on the biggest screen possible. (Peter Sciretta)[Watch the Trailer]