Summer 2009 Movie Wrap-Up

While a few stragglers like Taking Woodstock have yet to hit theaters, the 2009 summer movie season has essentially come to a close. That means it's time for some reflection on the summer that gave us battling robots, a poor man's When Harry Met Sally reenactment, the first universally acclaimed Iraq war movie and the return of the boy who lived.

Looking at the line-up back in May, I was struck by how few superhero movies popped up. Sure, there was Wolverine, but just last summer, three comic book crime fighters graced the silver screen (Iron Man, Batman and the Hulk). One measly X-Men spin-off seemed a little strange. Yet there was no shortage of popcorn flicks. G.I. Joe, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Star Trek, Terminator Salvation, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and several others filled the gap that the absence of The Joker left.

Initially, there also seemed to be less sequels, but five, along with two reboots and a remake, made for standard fare. And don't go giving the remaining summer '09 filmmakers too much credit for originality: book adaptations (Julie & Julia, The Time Traveler's Wife, My Sister's Keeper, Public Enemies), TV show adaptations (The Land of the Lost) and even toy adaptations (G.I. Joe and Transformers) were in the mix, too.

But there were some startlingly unique movies. The three that deserve the most credit in my mind are (500) Days of Summer, District 9 and The Hurt Locker.

Unsurprisingly, (500) Days of Summer was my favorite movie of the summer. This charming indie flick was one of the most genuinely delightful and different romantic comedies I've seen in years. While some of the old cliches are there -- a Twinkie-fueled post-break-up slump, an idiotic best friend -- (500) Days of Summer found wonderful ways to make them its own. Moreover, the nonlinear storyline was a refreshing approach that made the characters' interactions all the more intimate and enjoyable...and at times, completely devastating. I've been a huge fan of Joseph Gordon-Levitt since his awesome turns in Brick, The Lookout and 10 Things I Hate About You, but he has forever cemented a place on my favorites list with this movie. His Tom was not only loveable, but interestingly assumed many of the traits typically assigned to rom-com heroines. On the flip side, the always adorable Zooey Deschanel took the cynical "I don't believe in love" stance so often propagated by reluctant male protagonists. But even more important than inverted gender norms is this. I have watched it at least eight times online, and shamelessly bobbed along to the music when I first saw the movie in theaters. I'm going to choose to ignore how pathetic that makes me and instead focus on how infectious it is, along with the whole damn movie.

Another original and awesome movie I saw this summer was the recent sleeper hit, District 9. The documentary style, notably adopted by Cloverfield, and lack of any A-listers created a movie that -- despite the presence of aliens -- seemed surprisingly real. The allegory to apartheid and immigration has been discussed enough, so I'll limit myself to this: it's rare to see a sci-fi popcorn flick that makes you think, too. As with (500) Days of Summer, what struck me the most was the movie's unconventional lead character. Wikus van de Merwe was certainly sympathetic and, on the whole, a really nice guy. However, there were moments when he was selfish. He didn't always think of others or look for opportunities to be the hero, as with typical action protagonists. Ironically, this made him more identifiable to audience members. Because let's be honest, if you were in Wikus's situation (which I refuse to spoil), you'd probably be a teensy bit concerned about yourself. It's nice to see a movie that finally reflects such human flaws, and provides a suspenseful and intelligent sci-fi story.

The final most creative summer movie award goes to The Hurt Locker. Billed as the one good Iraq War movie, it's unquestionably the most intense and nail-bitting film of the summer. It follows three members of a bomb squad unit, who have about a month of service left. Though adequate time is spent developing these characters and showing more quiet interactions, the focus is several isolated calls to diffuse explosives. You'll find yourself muttering "oh shit" or "holy crap" at least five times -- the biggest one for me was the moment depicted in the poster -- and fascinated by relative unknown Jeremy Renner's performance. The movie's already considered a frontrunner for Best Picture, but there's some buzz around Renner (soon to be Jon Hamm's costar!) as well. It's a testament to the uniqueness of this movie that he and costars Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty dominate the story, while the few famous people in it are limited to about five minutes of screen time. Unlike previous Iraq War movies, you won't find a political message in  The Hurt Locker. But you will find an amazingly suspenseful and perfectly executed movie on the dangerous lives of three soldiers.

I'm also giving Moon a first runner-up for most creative. Though it was clearly influenced by past sci-fi movies, the twist it took was very interesting. Plus, this is the opportunity for all those Iron Man 2 enthusiasts to say they knew Sam Rockwell (soon-to-be villain Justin Hammer) before he faced off with Tony Stark.

My remaining (though admittedly less original) favorites from the season include Up, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Star Trek. I had never seen so much as a Spock action figure, let alone a Star Trek episode or movie, before May, but J.J. Abrams' reboot was too much fun. The Kirk-Spock banter was excellent, and the action was awesome. As for Up and Harry Potter, they were both just as great as I expected. Call me crazy, but I actually liked Up  even more than Wall-E (though I could just be a sucker for talking dogs and floating houses). Like all Pixar movies, it was imaginative, funny and ridiculously cute. Then there was Harry Potter, so cruelly held from us an extra eight months. But I found it to be worth the wait. It was definitely the funniest of the series, to start with. Too often the characters' adolescence is forgotten in favor of mysterious potions and CGI creatures, so it was refreshing to see the comical side of being an awkward Hogwarts teenager. The dark tone was still appropriately maintained, notably in the opening and the later, extremely disturbing scene with Katie Bell. Draco may be looking a little old for a 16-year-old, but I'm pumped for the last two.

Thankfully, I avoided most of the worst summer movies. Well, minus an unfortunate encounter with The Ugly Truth. And a less aggravating yet tiresome viewing of Terminator Salvation. (After watching him yell for almost two hours, I'm starting to think Christian "Are You Professional?" Bale's rant was just a leaked rehearsal.) So I'll spare you an equally lengthy condemnation of the potential 2009 Razzie winners. All in all, this was a pretty standard summer. Now that we're approaching Oscar season, though, it's time to leave behind the wham, bam, thank you ma'am blockbusters for some more understated prestige. And Sherlock Holmes. I haven't mentioned that movie, have I?